TLRs - Rolleicord vs Rolleiflex T

[akdwivedi]

Hi

I am thinking of trying a TLR and these days rolleicords are going for a attractive price..

I am just curious to know which one is better in terms of IQ,handling, build quality etc. If the ROlleicord is available at 1/2 price of rolleiflex T.. is it worth it.. Or should i just go for a rolleiflex T..

regards
Andy

 

[Tetrode]

Hi

I am thinking of trying a TLR and these days rolleicords are going for a attractive price..

I am just curious to know which one is better in terms of IQ,handling, build quality etc. If the ROlleicord is available at 1/2 price of rolleiflex T.. is it worth it.. Or should i just go for a rolleiflex T..

regards
Andy

I own a Rolleicord Vb and love it.

Optics are the same between the two (the Xenar is the Schneider copy of the CZ Tessar). Both has EV settings (a major advantage over the 3.5F and 2.8F) - makes setting exposure and calculating averages really easy. Both take prisms, 645 and 35mm masks.

The advantage that the T has over the Rolleicord is lever wind. Which makes it faster on the draw. Otherwise they are about equal.

 

[lualua]

sadly, the rolleicord Vb isn't much cheaper than the T. Both uses the same lens formula and I do find the xenar on the cord a bit more contrasty than the tessar. the main diff is the film winding.

if i want a bargain rollei, i'll get a rolleicord 3,4 or 5(xenar lenses). they should cost anything from 200 to 400 in good working condition. The earlier cords come with 3 elements lenses and they seemed to produce fuzzy results, especially apparent at the edges.

if I want a flex, I'll pay that couple hundered more and get one with a planar/xenotar.

Handling wise, not much difference except for the shutter release between the cord and flex, you get used to it after some time. I tend to prefer the cord as the bottom trigger seemed to be softer and hence lower the risk of shake. The release on the T is nicely placed but always almost seemed a lot stiffer.

you can also look into investing on a maxwell/beattie intenscreen. the original screen may be too dark to your liking. and remember your lens hood. The lenses are single coated.

good luck!