Rollei was founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke, and the philosophy of the company has always been to design and manufacture high precision, high quality cameras and photographic equipment for both the proffessional user and the demanding amateur. Paul Franke were the commcercial businessman, and Reinhold Heidecke the ultimate technician that tested his designs under the most hard and severe conditions and listening to the wishes and ideas from the users. The Rollei name will always be synonymous with the TLR Rolleiflex, which even by todays standards remains the ultimate TLR and to many user also the ultimate Rollei. The history of the Rollei company are very long, and I recommend that you visit the following website which haves a nice description.

Rollei camera - The history

Rolleis own timeline here !

Update - September 2007
At the moment I am unable to explain the current situation as to who is who, and which company is which. It seems like Francke & Heidecke carries on as an independent company, concentrating exclusively on the Rolleiflex models and on projectors. The entire digital part seems to be handled by a company called RCP, and the Rollei Fototechnik website are closed for maintenance and revision. What a mess.... That leaves the entire 35mm range in the dark as far as I can see. Well it just proves, that a classic Rolleiflex 6 x 6 isn't a bad choice after all. So Francke & Heidecke must be considered to be the only "true" remaining Rollei company, and all others have bought the rights to brand their products, or produce with the Rollei name. What a mess, what a mess.....

Rolleicord IV (1952-1954) TLR
Serial no.: 1358135
Format:  6 x 6 on 120 rollfilm
Optics: Viewing lens: Heidosmat  1:3,2  75mm
                                  Taking lens: Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:3,5  80mm
Shutter: Synchro Compur B + 1 sec. => 1/500 sec.
Click here for sample photo !

This is the camera that started it all for me. I got it way back in 1980 and it looked just as beat up then as it does now. The centerpiece on the focussing knob are missing, the cable release connection are also missing, and generally it looks quite miserable.I don't know if someone has used it as a doorstop, because the entire left side looks like it has been put under some kind of pressure. But nevertheless it works perfectly to this day  allthough I have decided to retire it after many years of faithful service. The Rolleicord are a wonderful entry-level camera with class and quality, and you must be prepared to pay the price for a functional camera. There are different opinions about the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar in comparison with the Zeiss Tessar, but as far as i'm concerned the Xenar performs very well indeed. Shutter speed settings are on lever on the right side of the taking lens, and aperture settings on the left. The lever below the taking lens are the combined shutter cocking lever and shutter release. No double exposure prevention on this baby. On the right side of the camera body you'll finde the focussing knob and to the back the film advance knob + an auto reset frame counter. Allthough the Rolleicords are a not as "fancy" as the Rolleiflex, it offers all the basics and are of high quality

Rolleiflex MX-EVS Type 1 (1954-1956) TLR
Serial no.: 1476547
Format:  6 x 6 on 120 rollfilm
Optics: Viewing lens: Heidosmat 1:2,8  75mm
                     Taking lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:3,5  75mm
Shutter: Synchro Compur B + 1 sec. => 1/500 sec. + selftimer
Mics.: Fitted with Rolleikin II 24 x 36 kit

I got this beautiful Rolleiflex MX-EVS from a 85 year old lady living with her husband in a nursing home. At first I thought that it was his camera, but oh no it was hers !. She had bought the Rolleiflex from new back in the 50's, and used it for many many years, and I can tell you, that she really knew how to handle it too. As you might notice it is fitted with the Rolleikin II kit for 24 x 36 format, and I've uploaded an internal view also. The Rolleikin kit is a box full of gadgets, spools, knobs and masks which all have to be fitted. You can see the upright 24 x 36 external mask on the front of the viewfinder. The MX-EVS are so beautifully made, but there's just one thing that annoys me a little bit. This was the first camera with EVS (exposure value system) which also means that shutter and aperture wheel are locked together. To release this lock you'll have to press the center of the aperture dial on the left side. Both chosen shutter speed and aperture can be read out in a small window on top of the viewing lens. Despite the EVS system the Rolleiflex MX-EVS are evrything a Rolleiflex should be. When you handle a Rolleiflex you are bound to discover just why this is the mother of all TLR's and you are left in no doubt that any other TLR than a Rolleiflex are merely copies.

Rolleiflex T  Type 1 (1958-1966) TLR
Serial no.: T 2136716
Format:  6 x 6 on 120 rollfilm
Optics: Viewing lens: Heidosmat 1:2,8  75mm
                     Taking lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 1:3,5  75mm
Shutter: Synchro Compur B + 1 sec. => 1/500 sec. + selftimer

The Rolleiflex T was built as a consumer level model, which are not very apparent when looking at it. It was so popular, that allthough production stopped in 1966, Rollei had to restart production again in 1971 when the British Army ordered 5000 pcs. of which the last were delivered by Rollei in 1976. The (wonderful) story goes, that the model "T" was designed by a young engineer Theodore Uhl who had been assigned to the task by Reinhold Heidecke himself. The model "T" are really an "inbetween" model between the Rolleicord and the Rolleiflex 3,5F. One could think that "T" stands for "Tessar", but this is not the case. Theodore Uhl simple named the model "T " for "Theodore", and the story goes that neither Mr. Heidecke or the management were at all amused, and the young Uhl was subsequently fired.  Allthough being a consumer level Rolleiflex, the "T" are actually very nice. Both shutter speed setting and aperture settings are made on the same lever on the right side of the taking lens. The settings are locked together (EVS system), but feels easier to unlock than on the MX-EVS model. The read-out window on top of the viewing lens are very visable with black number on white background. Just as the MX-EVS its got the rapid advance lever/crank. The big focussing knob are on the left side of the camera body and it includes both a depth-of-field scale and a filmtype indicator.  Of course the Rolleiflex "T" looks extremely stylish with the light grey leatherrette, and it is said that it is one of the most popular TLR's among wedding photographers. You can still easily find a second hand Rolleiflex that comes with a newly carried out CLA and some form of warranty, and when it comes to TLR's you'll get no better value for your money than a Rolleiflex, and if kept and maintained it'll probably last your lifetime.
 

Above: Rollei 35 SE fitted with the russian Lomo BLIK rangefinder.

Right: Rollei 35 SE with original Rollei flash. Note room for left hand grip.

Rollei 35 SE  (1980 - 1982) VF
Serial no.: 603330757
Format:  24 x 36 on 35mm film (135)
Optics:  Carl Zeiss Sonnar HFT 1:2,8 40 mm
Shutter: B + 1/2 sec. => 1/500 sec.
Battery: PX 27  5,6 volts - obsolete in the EU
Mics.: CDS lightmeter, match-LED reading in viewfinder
Made by Rollei Singapore

The Rollei 35 was another of those cameras my father talked a lot about and recommended. But way back then I didn't pay much attention to his advices, just like any average teenager tend not to do. Some things never change. Now I own a couple of those strange Rollei's, and either you love them unconditionally or you hate them. The designer was Heinz Waaske, who came up with the ideas when he worked for the Wirgin brothers (see Edixa page), who turned down his ideas and design. Heinz Waaske then resigned and turned to Rollei, and they must have regarded him as sent from heaven above. The fact is, that Heinz Waaske's design for an ultra compact 35mm viewfinder remains one of Rolleis greatest successes, and several millions of these quirky little cameras were manufactures, either in Germany or at the Rollei factory in Singapore. But let's turn at the facts for a moment: Not being bigger than a packet of cigarettes, the Rollei 35 are extremely compact. It seems like evrything has been turned upside down. The rapid advance lever are operated by your left hand, and both rewind crank (folds down), frame counter and accesory shoe are in the bottom !. Shutter speed settings are on the front plate; aperture on the right and shutter speeds on the left. In the middle, the collapsible lens which have to be twisted into "lock position" by turning it a little counter clockwise. The shutter HAS to be advanced/cocked to collapse the lens again. Besides from the advance lever, you only find the shutter release button, and the cover for the battery compartment on th top cover. There are no rangefinder, so scale-focussing only. The viewfinder is big and bright and haves brightline. These were the basic facts. Having said this, I'de like to add some personal comments. There is no doubt, that the Rollei 35 SE are an awesome shooter, and especially the Sonnar HFT lens are so damned sharp that you won't believe your eyes. However this beauty is almost too small for my hands, and I tend to hit the aperture setting all the time. Another problem are the obsolete battery. Either you'll have to get an "illegal" battery from the far-east, or you'll have to buy a custom-made batterypack, and have the lightmeter calibrated accordingly. An option would also be to just forget about the lightmeter like I do, and just use it as any other camera without a lightmeter. If you would like to have a rangefinder, I can recommend the russian "BLIK" made by Lomo, which suits the black Rollei design better than any other rangefinder I have seen (see above photo). But the Rollei 35 SE are a perfect streetshooter !. I have read that some of the camera-experts out there wonders about the kinda weird and quirky upside down accessory shoe, and they seem to go on and on about how bad this is. Well, if they would just haven taken the time and effort to mount an original Rollei flash they would probably have found the answer. As seen on the photo above, the original Rollei flash fits nicely, and when holding the camera it feels very comfortable, and the design of the flash leaves plenty of room for a firm grip without covering the flash window. So get a grip guys, and get with the program !