140905 Rolleiflex 3.5A

Today, I wanted to talk about the Rolleiflex 3.5. If you are old enough, you may remember in the 60’s when Dad would spend much time taking a picture of the family and we all had to stand still until the shutter was released. Even at that, our heads would be cut off in the picture. Ok, maybe not every time. When my Dad passed away in 1993, he left a Rolleiflex 3.5. I started to photograph with this camera and thought the negative was fantastic. This is when I started to really develop an interest in photography.

In looking at the serial numbers website, I found that it is a Rolleiflex 3.5A; Automat Rolleiflex Model 4; or a MX(Type 1), three different names. Several years ago, I had Manfred at International Camera Tech in Mountain View clean it up and refurbish some parts. Since 1993, I have acquired other cameras in different formats, so working with the Rollei 3.5 was put on the shelf. Just recently, I decided to take it out for a spin and found pleasing results. All the photographs were taken with a tripod. However, when at the Legion of Honor Museum composing the “Thinker”, a security guard walked by and said, “No Tripods. You can hand hold and shoot, but no tripods.” Of course I took a quick snap of the shutter and packed up to leave. The three images come from that same roll.

Thanks to my Dad.