oldwino
Well-known
Which do you prefer? Which is preferable? Does the 10-blade aperture in the C really make that much of a difference?
rajb
Newbie
Ooooh interested for know about the 10 blade aperture too.
Freakscene
Obscure member
The 10 bladed aperture does not give you ugly pentagonal specular highlights in your photos like other Rolleis have. It also means, at least in my experience with 2 x 2.8Cs with the 10 bladed aperture and 2 x 2.8Es (I like meterless Rolleis, so I prefer Rolleiflex E to F) more frequent servicing (3-5 yearly as opposed to 5-10 yearly) but that could just be age. None of these are young cameras anymore.
I don't have any comparisons, or any photos with specular highlights actually. But also all the Rollei shots I can find are from the Cs.
Both 2.8C with Neopan 400 (sniff) in Xtol 1+3.
Marty
I don't have any comparisons, or any photos with specular highlights actually. But also all the Rollei shots I can find are from the Cs.
Both 2.8C with Neopan 400 (sniff) in Xtol 1+3.
Marty
raid
Dad Photographer
My 2.8D has been working flawlessly for the past thirty years. I recently got a 2.8C with rough aperture controls. It needs a cleaning job. I bought the C to try out the ten blades bokeh.
Beemermark
Mentor
Buy the cleanest, cheapest, model Rolleiflex you can afford. Then send it off to be overhauled. My 2 cents.
Charlie Lemay
Well-known
The 2.8C Planar is one of the best cameras I own. I seldom shoot at 1/500 sec., so it’s quirkiness has never been a problem. I had Harry Fleenor at Oceansisde Camera overhaul it years ago after I bought it and he did an amazing job.
oldwino
Well-known
What is the “quirkiness” at 1/500?
raid
Dad Photographer
This is a good advice. All old cameras need CLA jobs, so you might as well budget it in. I bought the 2.8C inexpensively with the goal to have it get a CLA. The 2.8D was bought locally from a camera repairman who was using this camera as his personal camera (which he CLA'd).
Shoom
Newbie
The shutter has a stop between 1/250 and 1/500. Once you've cocked it, you can't change the speed past the stop. You either get B - 1/250 or just 1/500 so if you plan to use 1/500 you have to know that before you cock the shutter.
I upgraded from a Yashica Mat to a Xenotar 2.8 C and the C definitely has a lot of quirks compared even to other Rolleis. The shutter and aperture controls are also stepless and have a locking button I haven't seen on any other Rollei. The strap connectors are also different from what would later become the standard so finding straps that actually use them is even more difficult/expensive than normal. The shutter button and flash socket locks are also unfortunately made of plastic instead of metal and are thus often found broken off. And of course there is the 10 bladed aperture, which does give perfectly circular specular highlights at all apertures.
It's a beast with a lot of character but it has some of the most absolutely wonderful rendering of any of the cameras I have owned. Prints from its negatives just have a certain brilliance that the Yashica was lacking.
oldwino
Well-known
Thanks. I have a couple of old folders that share that shutter operation.
Does that locking button work like on the Hasselblad, where you can lock in an EV?
shawn
Mentor
No, it doesn't have EV system. It is a physical lock on each dial to prevent it from turning unless it is depressed. It is right on the edge of the dial so you can press the lock and spin the dial with the same finger.
Shawn
Shawn
When I could see well enough to focus Rolleis and wanted the nicest bokeh from a round aperture opening I just shot wide open. Same for view camera and SLR lenses.
Imagine dropping $20k on a 1990s Hasselblad kit back in the day and finding out the Compur shutters were all pentagons to save a few bucks.
Imagine dropping $20k on a 1990s Hasselblad kit back in the day and finding out the Compur shutters were all pentagons to save a few bucks.
viboons
Established
Have you got your 2.8C back from CLA? I believe it should work great. If you don't mind, show us some photos of your CLA 2.8C. I am considering doing the same like you, buy a 2.8C and then CLA.
campy
Member
I know this is an old thread but I just ordered a 2.8C with the Xenotar lens that has very slight edge separation which should not show in any pictures. I also have a 2.8E with the Planar lens also with slight lens separation. I had a beat up 2.8C with the Xenotar lens a couple of years ago and sold it and have regret it since. I think it had better contrast and is sharper than the Planar. I sent the 2.8E Planar front lens group out to be repaired and may do the same for the 2.8C at some point.
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