Rolleinar?

[Kyle]

Anyone using the Rolleinar close up attatchments on their Rolleiflex? I'm really intrigued by them, but I don't want to drop the money on them if they're junk and just degrade the image quality too much. I've done some searching, but mostly I just find information about them, not any user experiences. I'm really loving the TLR way of seeing things. I've only had my Rollei a couple of weeks, but haven't shot this much in a LONG time. Its too bad my local lab isn't able to scan 120, but my plan is to get a flatbed soon anyways, so its not an issue. The Rolleinar attatchments seem like a good way to keep experimenting with the 6x6 format.

Also, just to clarify, there are three seperate Rolleinar kits for each different bayonet mount, correct? My Rolleiflex uses Bay II, are there three Rolleinar attatchments I can get or only one? Hopefully that makes sense...

[Wayno]

Yep, three different strength Rolleinars for each bay size. #1 is good for close-up portraits and #2 & #3 focus progressively closer.

I love 'em, image quality is good. Stick one or two in your bag & the Rollei becomes a very versatile rig. Here's a few examples (first one is a print scan so quality isn't that great):

[BSchall]

I've got the Rolleinar 1 in Bay II. The little I've used it I've not seen a degradation in the image. It's a good accessory to have. If memory serves me, there are two versions of the Rolleinar. The old model has 3 parts, the newer model just 2.

Brian

[Kyle]

Thanks for the input, guys.

Wayno, great shots there. The expression on the child's face is great!

[nksyoon]

The thicker piece (this may be in 2 parts) which corrects for parallax goes on the viewing lens, the thinner on the taking lens.

Rolleinar 2 on Rolleicord Vb (Bay 1) - shot in colour, B&W converted and soft focus added in Photoshop.

[Kyle]

Very nice, Nick!

Now I'm going to need to pick up one of the Rolleinar sets...

[JCT]

If I'm not mistaken, Richard Avedon did most of his portrait work with a Rolleiflex and a Rolleinar.

JT

[Wayno]

That's a great portrait Nick! Here's another Rolleinar shot from a few days ago:

[andrew]

Perhaps it's a bit blasphemous to say here (Rolleis tend to have a similar following to leicas in terms of purist attitudes) but I've used a Yashica bay 30 close up filter on my Rolleiflex when I had one. I now use the Yashica Close Up filter sets (I have a #1 and a #2) on my Minolta Autocord and I really like the results. The Yashica filters only came in Bay I (Bay 30 is the same thing) so it may not be the option for you, but they're much, much cheaper (I think I paid $12 for each and the image quality is quite good).

Here are a couple of shots I took in Costa Rica last summer (with the Rollei):

http://www.andrewroy.com/node/364
http://www.andrewroy.com/node/357

And one closer to home:

http://www.andrewroy.com/current/lookingandseeking/17

Sorry for the links but, I've never inserted an image into a post (I'm sure it's easy to do, I'm just lazy right now).

Just my two cents, but I'd say don't be afraid to try a non-Rollei brand (if they exist in Bay II or Bay III is another question) and whatever brand you choose, the close up filters add some fun to shooting TLR (which is already one of my favorite ways to shoot).

[Wayno]

Nice Andrew - btw missing an "h" at the start of your second link. I had a Walz brand set that I passed on to somebody else & he's getting great results with it, so there's another option.

[andrew]

Thanks Wayno, and I fixed the typo (and another one I found). I've heard that the non-Rollei/off brand tele and wide adapters have more image quality issues than the close up filters, but I've never used any.

[Wayno]

Originally Posted by andrew

I've heard that the non-Rollei/off brand tele and wide adapters have more image quality issues than the close up filters, but I've never used any.

Me neither, and the Rollei ones (Mutars?) cost a million dollars... That's when I reach for the Mamiya C330

[MelanieC]

Bud Green has some fab stuff on Flickr with all three Rolleinars, I think. Those photos are what made me start looking for them.

I have the Rolleinar I in Bay III for my 2.8F but haven't really played with it much. I paid $40 for my set, seen here (is it possible for me to post this photo in more threads? not sure):

[KoNickon]

I have the Rolleinar 1 in Bay I and the Minolta equivalent (which yields really nice results with an Autocord). I've been using the Rolleinar 2, Bay II with the 3.5F this past week to take floral closeups. I probably should have put the camera on a tripod but the closeup attachments are so darn convenient it's fun to just get out there and shoot. I need to find a 1 or 2 in Bay III now, for my new to me 2.8E.

[Kyle]

Anyone wanna sell me a Rolleinar?

[Ben Z]

I have the Rolleinar #1 in Bay I and Bay III for my 2 Rolleis. I haven't found any significant image degradation in practical shooting but as with any lens attachment there must be some if you've got a test bench or are into shooting charts. Most of the aberrations are probably near the edges so if I'm shooting something with detail throughout I'll tend to stop down some. Portraits aren't a problem wide open, except that from a perspective standpoint (facial proportions) I prefer to hang back some and crop most of the time.

[rolleistef]

wow Melanie your 2.8F is absolutely beautiful!
What about parallax?

[Wayno]

Originally Posted by rolleistef

What about parallax?

The framing is corrected by the prism in the viewing part of the Rolleinar, but you still have to be careful because of the different perspective of the two lenses. What you see on the ground glass is not exactly what you get on film.

[rolleistef]

oh there's a prism? How does it work?

[Wayno]

The part of the Rolleinar that goes on the viewing lens has a prism (as well as the close-up lens) that allows the viewing lens to achieve the same framing as the taking lens (this is why that half of the Rolleinar is much thicker than the other half). The viewing part of the Rolleinar has to be correctly oriented (red dot on top) for the prism to work correctly. The prism does a pretty good job of correcting the parralax error, but as I noted above it's not perfect because the two lenses still have a different perspective on the subject.

[timexchen]

Do we need to compensate the exposure when using these Rolleinars ?

I guess maybe increasing 1EV is correct??

Anyone knows about this?

[uhligfd]

No exposure compensation needed with Rolleinars. They work just like diopters. No extra extension "ring", no darkening. Just standard exposure.

[Disaster_Area]

I love mine!... I have all three and don't see a difference in sharpness... here's one taken with the #2 on my 124g:

[Vince Lupo]

A shot with a Rolleinar (I think it was #2).

[Richard DeYoung]

It is my understanding that there are 3 different sets of Closeup attachments (mine happen to be Vivitar.)
Lens set 1 is focusing between 18 and 39 inches
2 is for 13 to 18 inches
3 is for 8 to 13 inches.
Mine work great when I have used them.
Richard DeYoung