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Medium format joy with a budget Rolleiflex

While not quite Leica premium, Rolleiflex is a premium brand. Which means you pay a lot (sometimes too much) for what you get. Any Rollei with a fast lens (2.8 is fast in the medium format world) is expensive. Any recent Rollei is expensive. Rare or collectable Rolleis are stupid expensive.

But older, slower-lensed Rolleis are in the Yashica and Mamiya TLR price range (around £250), so you can experience Rolleiflex joy (and there is joy to be had) at a reasonable price.

Rolleiflex Automat 1
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Bronica SQ-A – a satisfying but nonsensical use of money

One of the first cameras I owned was an Ensign Selfix 120. And I’ve tried lots of 120s since then; Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, Kodak autograph. None with much success.

Excuses:

  • I’m no good at guessing exposures
  • Turns out my old Weston light meter is unreliable
  • Gummy shutters (my Rolleis are long overdue servicing)
  • Light leaks (the Autograph, but then it is circa 1920)

I wanted a new toy, so I decided to give 120 another chance.

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