thumb|right|Rolleiflex medium format camera.
Rollei () is a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by and in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included speciality and nostalgic type films for the photo hobbyist market.
Originally named Werkstatt für Feinmechanik und Optik, Franke & Heidecke, the company renamed into Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke GmbH in 1962, Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke GmbH & Co. KG, in 1979, and Rollei Fototechnic GmbH & Co. KG in 1981.
After being purchased in 1995 by Samsung Techwin, part of the South Korean Samsung Group, it was sold back to its internal management in 1999. In 2002, it was bought by a Danish investment group, and renamed Rollei GmbH in 2004.
In 2005/2006, the company headquarters moved to Berlin and the company was split into two different companies: Rollei GmbH in Berlin, owner of the Rollei brand and selling various OEM equipment, and Rollei Produktion GmbH in Braunschweig, an equipment factory which became Franke & Heidecke GmbH, Feinmechanik und Optik.
Following another restructuring in 2007, Rollei was split into three companies. Franke & Heidecke GmbH, Feinmechanik und Optik focused on the production of professional medium format cameras and slide projectors, while RCP-Technik GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg was responsible for Rollei consumer products like re-branded compact digital cameras in the European market, and with the RCP Technik Verwaltungs GmbH owning the rights to the "Rollei" and "Rolleiflex" brands. Finally, Rollei Metric GmbH took over the photogrammetry business. Since 2009 Rolleiflex medium format cameras, Rollei 35 and Rolleivision slide projectors were being produced by the DHW Fototechnik GmbH DHW Fototechnik presented two new Rolleiflex cameras and a new electronic shutter at photokina 2012. DHW itself filed for insolvency on 15 August 2014 and was dissolved in April 2015, thereby temporarily ending any further production of cameras, lenses and accessories. A new, smaller company called DW Photo was formed with reduced staffing, and more or less the same people leading the business; the manufacturing and sale of projectors and twin-lens reflex cameras, as well as that of the series 6000, was stopped, to concentrate on the Hy6 and accessories. A new battery and charger for owners of the 6000 series were however released to the market in 2019, as the original NiCd batteries could age prematurely.
As of 2015 the brands "Rollei" and "Rolleiflex" continue to be owned by the RCP Technik Verwaltungs GmbH. On 1 January 2015, the RCP-Technik GmbH & Co. KG refirmed as Rollei GmbH & Co. KG to market digital consumer cameras and accessories under the "Rollei" label in Europe.
Overview
Rollei was a German company that established a worldwide reputation with the Rolleiflex, a twin-lens reflex camera.
Rollei was founded in 1920 as the Werkstatt für Feinmechanik und Optik, Franke & Heidecke in order to make a twin-lens reflex camera. The company changed its name and legal form many times: to Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke in 1962, to Rollei-Werke Franke & Heidecke GmbH & Co. KG in 1979, to Rollei Fototechnic GmbH & Co. KG in 1981, and finally to Rollei GmbH in 2004. In 2006, the headquarters of Rollei GmbH were moved to Berlin while production was transferred to Rollei Produktion GmbH, currently Franke & Heidecke GmbH, in Braunschweig. The company underwent more radical restructuring in 2007/2008.
The frequent name-changes are an indication of a turbulent history: After the popularity of the twin lens reflex cameras declined, the Rolleiflex was supplemented with a variety of models. The company expanded its production facilities and product range at the end of the 1960s beyond what a small company like Rollei could manage. Rollei's decision to start manufacturing in Singapore in 1970 was regarded as a pioneering achievement by the photographic industry. Unfortunately, it also damaged the company's reputation as a German precision manufacturer. In 1982, after many failed attempts at restructuring, the company finally achieved success by focusing on medium format cameras along with a few other products. Surveying systems were added to the product range in 1986, and modern digital and compact cameras were included from 1991.
Over the years, many great photographers have used Rollei cameras: David Bailey and Diane Arbus (Rolleiflex 3.5F TLR with 75 mm f/3.5 Planar), Brett Weston (Rolleiflex SL66 and SL66E SLR), and Helmut Newton (Rolleiflex 2.8GX), amongst others.
Rollei cameras typically used Carl Zeiss or Schneider Kreuznach lenses, as well as lenses manufactured by Rollei based on designs by Zeiss, and occasionally lenses made by Japanese manufacturers.
Historical development
1920 to 1928
Company foundation
<!-- thumb|250px|Viewegstraße 32 (2006) -->
While Reinhold Heidecke was working as a production manager at Voigtländer in Braunschweig around 1916, he got the idea to manufacture a new type of roll-film camera. However, the company rejected his proposal because they thought there would be problems keeping the film perfectly flat. Besides, their current camera range, which used conventional photographic plates, was selling well. Heidecke tried unsuccessfully to secure financing to start his own company, so, at the insistence of his wife, he presented his concept to , a salesman and former colleague at Voigtländer. Franke was so enthusiastic he put up 75,000 M of his own money and went looking for more capital. After he secured additional funding of 200,000 M, they resolved to go into business together. In November 1919, they filed an application to register the company "Franke & Heidecke", which was entered into the German Trade Register on 1 February 1920.
In need of factory space, they rented several rooms in a house at Viewegstraße 32, which became the company's first headquarters. The house survived World War II intact and stands to this day. Other rooms in the house were used by a dancing school, who had to abandon their dancing lessons because of noise from the factory. Within a year, Franke and Heidecke had taken over the entire building. By 1922, business was so good that they were able to take out a loan to purchase the property outright.
Stereo Heidoscop
To get the company going, Franke and Heidecke decided to manufacture a stereo camera in the short term. Cameras of this type were popular, and Reinhold Heidecke was very familiar with them. As they were also in Voigtländer's product range, however, Franke and Heidecke did not want to look as if they were simply copying theirs. They purchased several Voigtländer units, and from what they learned by dismantling these, constructed the Stereo Heidoscop. It included two Carl Zeiss Tessar lenses (f/4.5, 55 mm) and, mounted between them, a Carl Zeiss Super Triplet (f/3.2) viewfinder. At that time, Tessar lenses were widely regarded as the best available; they were often used in the United States, even though locally produced alternatives were available. Zeiss had an excellent reputation world-wide, which Franke & Heidecke leveraged for their own products. More importantly, they differentiated themselves from cheaper alternatives. The camera projected an image onto glass plates of dimensions 45 mm × 107 mm. The name Heidoscop was chosen in part to remind the management at Voigtländer that they had restricted Heidecke in his work there.
The Heidoscop was a great success, exceeding all expectations. In 1923, the company introduced a Heidoscop for 117 format (B1) roll-film. It was from this product, the "'Roll-film Heidoscop"', that the name Rollei was derived, which later became the name of company.
Hyperinflation in Germany
thumb|250px|Rollei in Braunschweig (Salzdahlumer Straße)
Between 1914 and 1923, the period of hyperinflation in Germany, Paul Franke lived up to his reputation as a savvy financier: he invested the income from exports (in foreign currency) so astutely that the company came through this difficult period unscathed – a rather unlikely outcome if Heidecke, alone, had made these decisions.
During this period the company acquired new premises. The City Council in Braunschweig did not really want a noisy factory operating within a residential area and pressured the company to move its factory elsewhere. Accordingly, on 10 January 1923 the company purchased a plot of land on Salzdahlumer Straße, which at that time lay just beyond the city limits. Hyperinflation had devalued the currency so much that the land purchase cost practically nothing. Once the new factory had been built, much was expected of the new camera. However, Paul Franke proposed a temporary suspension of further development work because of the catastrophic economic situation. Heidecke concurred, believing that better times lay ahead.
Rolleiflex
thumb|Advertisement from 1920s
The first prototype of the new camera, named the Rolleiflex, was finally completed in 1927; it was built for absolute reliability and featured a rigid, injection-moulded housing made of aluminium. Heidecke wanted to avoid conventional leather bellows for focusing the lens because of an earlier, bad experience: around 1916, he conducted an experiment with a Kodak camera; he left it in a cellar, and when he later retrieved it, he found that rats had eaten the bellows. This convinced him that a camera designed for photojournalism and operation in the tropics had to work perfectly, which excluded components that might rot. He ruled out a cloth shutter curtain for the same reason, choosing instead a Compur mechanical shutter.
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Focusing in the "Rolleiflex" was achieved by moving the carriage that held both the viewfinder and the imaging lens, i.e. the camera had so-called "metallic bellows"; that is, the plate enclosed the sides of the case. It was crucial that the plate remained parallel as it moved during focusing; to achieve this, Heidecke developed an ingenious design which proved to be highly successful. Behind the imaging lens and surrounding the opening for the optical path was a large cogwheel which drove four smaller cogs located top left and right, and bottom left and right. Each of the four small cogs drove rack and pinions (toothed rails) attached to the lens assembly. This system functioned perfectly, and, thanks to high-quality components, also for many years of service. Only the viewfinder and back of the camera, both made of aluminium, had to be handled with care, which remained the case until the camera went into production.
One more prototype was produced in 1928, and then the big moment finally arrived: on 10 August, the first camera went into series production. Altogether, 14 units were made that year. Then, at 11am on Monday, 11 December, selected journalists were invited to a press conference in the festively decorated production area. Paul Franke put together press packs for the occasion, which led one magazine to publish a test report without ever actually handling the camera. Although Franke had forgotten to prepare sample photographs to distribute to the press, he neatly avoided this oversight by distributing empty, labelled cartons around the building, just for show.
1929 to 1950
New premises
Demand for the new camera exceeded production capacity by a wide margin. Even though it was quite an expensive product, orders for 800 cameras were received in the first month alone. A Rolleiflex fitted with a f/4.5 lens cost , with a f/3.8 lens it cost . This success made it possible to obtain credit to buy a new factory and thrive in the midst of the Great Depression. In the old factory, a further 23,720 cameras were produced up until 1932. In 1930, the company moved into the new factory on Salzdahlumer Straße. It comprised two floors with a total area of , sufficient space to manufacture 20,000 cameras annually. Although the site was well served by public transport, it lay some distance from the city centre, so the company built a canteen and shop for its workforce, which now numbered 309 employees.
Babyflex
Wilhelmine Heidecke, Reinhold Heidecke's wife, suggested building a "ladies camera" – a Rolleiflex that used 35 mm film. This was the first Rolleiflex to come on the market that used a crank handle to advance the film, a popular feature that emerged on the 6×6 model shortly thereafter. The Rolleiflex 4×4 – known as the Babyflex outside of Germany – used 127 format film and came in two versions with either a f/3.5 and a f/2.8 Tessar lens with a focal length of 60 mm. Unfortunately, sales were disappointing, so production never resumed after the war. The company management believed that many Rollei photographers only made contact prints from their negatives because they had no access to enlargers. However, this was not practical in the case of the Babyflex as the negatives were simply too small. As a result, it was not until 1957 that a new version came onto the market priced at 355 DM, firstly in grey, and later (from 1963) in black. By the time production ceased in 1968, over 67,000 units had been made. By this time few amateur photographers made contact prints any more, preferring instead to take 35 mm transparencies (slides), which could be viewed on a slide projector.
Studio camera
In 1932, Salomon Kahn, the owner of the renowned Fotostudios Kardas in Berlin, approached Rollei, asking if they could build him a large Rolleiflex for the 9 cm × 9 cm film format. Kahn explained as a pretext, that his customers liked to keep the negatives because they had doubts about the durability of prints. Moreover, roll film was much easier to archive than glass plates.
In fact, Kahn had concealed the real rationale behind his request because Franke & Heidecke supported the Nazi Party in order to get the workers they needed. Fearing the consequences of leasing to a Jew, the owner of his studio had already shut off his water supply. This meant that Kahn had to develop his negatives at home, whereby roll film was easier to transport than plates. A roll film camera would also facilitate house calls.
Having built a small Rolleiflex, the obvious next step was to make a larger version. Indeed, the slogan "you see what you get" had already been envisaged for it. Such a camera would make studio work more straightforward; at that time, the photographer had to stoop under a black cloth to adjust the camera, and then address the subject from this awkward position. Nevertheless, after the failure of the Babyflex, the company proceeded with caution by initially building some prototypes. One was delivered to Kahn, and the others were shipped abroad in pairs – one to be retained by the importer as a demonstration unit, the other to be delivered to a reputable studio. The project was eventually abandoned after Salomon Kahn was arrested and nobody else showed any interest in the studio camera. Of the 14 prototypes that were built, one still exists: it currently belongs to the Municipal Museum of Braunschweig.
Rolleicord
thumb|Rolleicord
In 1933, the Rolleicord, a cheaper version of the Rolleiflex, came onto the market. It had simpler Zeiss Triotar Lens, a steel back-plate, and a knob instead of a handle for winding on the film. The Rolleicord 1 cost ; altogether 2,699,505 Rolleicords were manufactured until production ceased in 1976. The later models (III - VB) uses Schneider Xenar lenses that have better optics.
Rolleiflex Automat
The release of the Rolleiflex Automat in the middle of June 1937 marked another significant milestone for Franke & Heidecke. Prior to this, after taking a picture, two separate steps were required to advance the film and cock the shutter. The Rolleiflex Automat combined the two, whereby advancing the film automatically cocked the shutter. Not only did this innovation speed up the whole process, it also eliminated accidental double exposures resulting from inadvertently forgetting to wind on the film. It also had a film-feeler mechanism that automatically started the counter, so no red window was needed.
The Rolleiflex Automat won the Grand Prix award at the Paris World's Fair in 1937, which generated a lot of interest. The company founders we so taken with their new creation that they immediately commissioned the construction of a second factory. The new factory, comprising three floors with a combined production area of , provided sufficient space to house a further 700 workers. It was completed in 1938, and by the end of that year the 300,000th camera had come off the production line. In retrospect, Reinhold Heidecke regarded the Rolleiflex Automat as his favourite camera.
World War II
During World War II, the company was required by the Nazis to support the war economy. As a result, Rollei was unable to develop any new models from 1940, and production of its stereo camera finally came to an end. Rollei also suffered massive losses resulting from its inability to collect monies owed by debtors from "enemy states". Furthermore, bureaucratic formalities and controls hindered exports to neutral countries. This situation, combined with the collapse in overseas trade, forced Paul Franke to reduce the workforce to 600 people.
Armaments production
Alongside its renowned cameras, Rollei – like its neighbour Voigtländer – was now engaged in the manufacture of equipment deemed important to the German war effort: precision optics for binoculars, periscopes, telescopic sights (for sniper rifles, for example), and theodolites for directing artillery. Although these products consumed the bulk of the companies resources, some regular product development was still possible, and work on tempered glass lenses as well as flash synchronization continued, albeit on a small scale. The cameras were used inter alia in military reconnaissance.
As Braunschweig was one of the centres of the German armaments industry, it was subjected to frequent, sometimes heavy aerial bombardment, which seriously damaged the city. On 1 and 15 January 1944, and again on 13 August, Rollei too suffered air raid damage to its factories. By the time the war ended on 12 April 1945, almost 65% of its plant and machinery had been destroyed.
The post-war period
After the war, Braunschweig ended up in the British occupation zone. The allied occupying forces wanted Rollei to survive as a company, even helping it procure lenses from Zeiss, which had ended up in the Soviet occupation zone. Franke & Heidecke started over with 72 workers, and by Christmas 1945 the workforce had grown to 172 employees. Everything the company made in 1945 was delivered to the British Ministry of Defence. The difficult supply situation forced Rollei into using lenses from the West German manufacturer Schneider as well. However, this was not a problem as Schneider's quality control was equal to that of Zeiss.
Paul Franke's untimely death in the spring of 1950 had serious consequences for the company though. Not only did his passing mark the end of an era for Rollei, the loss of his business acumen also led the company to the edge of ruin on more than one occasion.
1950 to 1963 – Horst Franke era
The golden era
After Paul Franke's death, his son Horst Franke succeeded him. Overall, he proved to be less effective as a manager than his father. In particular, he lacked the flexibility required to adapt to changing circumstances; for example, he failed to reduce the workforce in difficult times, whereas Paul Franke had done so immediately at the onset of the war.
To begin with, Rollei had no real competition, which yielded ever increasing sales of its cameras. In the 1950s, almost every press photographer owned a Rolleiflex, and quite a few amateurs did as well. The camera was so popular that it bred over 500 imitations, more than half of them from Japan. The factory grew rapidly; by 1956 – the year the millionth camera was sold – the workforce numbered 1600, and by 1957 the workforce had grown to 2000 employees.
Development of the Rolleiflex
Hans Hass, the underwater diving pioneer, approached Franke & Heidecke to see if they could make him a special housing suitable for underwater photography. As a result, Rollei developed the Rolleimarin, an ingenious underwater camera housing rated for depths up to 100 m. It was made from two cast metal parts. The top part contained a glass prism that was attached to the camera's focusing screen. There were also knobs on top of the housing for adjusting the exposure and aperture settings. On the bottom, left-hand side of the housing was the focusing knob, and on the right-hand side, the winding handle and a frame counter. There was also a filter turret. A special flash bulb could be attached for flash photography, in which case a battery pack had to be installed inside the housing. Of course, a viewfinder frame could also be screwed onto the housing.
Although there were many imitators, none could match the quality of the original Rolleiflex – that is, until the Mamiya C-Series from Japan appeared in 1956. Mamiya initially offered three sets of interchangeable double lenses for it: normal, telephoto and wide-angle. Later on, additional double lenses with focal lengths of 55 mm and 250 mm were introduced; one even had a dimmable viewfinder lens, which enabled depth of field adjustment through the viewfinder. By comparison, the Rolleiflex only had a single, fixed normal lens, although the Rollei Magnar tele-converter lens with 4× magnification was available as an accessory. This could be attached to the front of the primary lens while a mask (which did not magnify the image) was placed over the focusing screen. In addition, Zeiss offered two double lens converters which attached to the viewfinder filter bayonet and the primary lens bayonet. The 5-element Mutar tele-converter magnified 1.5×, weighed 327 g and could render an image accurately in the viewfinder up to a distance of 4m from the object. The 4-element Mutar wide-angle converter magnified 0.7×, weighed 437 g and could render an object accurately from a distance of 1 meter. In all cases, for the best image quality, closing down the aperture two stops was recommended. This explains why conversion lenses of this type were only regarded as a makeshift solution in comparison to fully interchangeable lenses.
In response to the challenge from Mamiya, Rollei created a camera comparable to the C Series and gave it to photojournalists to test. Although they were enthusiastic, Rollei did not believe – much to the astonishment of industry experts – that it could manufacture removable lenses with the required precision. Instead, as a compromise, the company introduced in 1959 the Tele-Rolleiflex with a Zeiss Sonnar f/4, 135 mm lens. This camera was particularly well-suited to portrait photography. Meanwhile, plans for another model with a 150 mm lens were abandoned. The Wide Angle Rolleiflex (also known as the Rolleiwide) with an f/4, 55 mm lens followed in 1961. It only remained in production until 1967, which today makes it one of the rarest Rolleiflex cameras – excluding special editions. Its main advantage lay in its ability to photograph large crowds at heavily attended events.
Reinhold Heidecke kept on making new cameras right up until his death in 1960, although no one bothered to admonish him over the development costs any more. One of his projects was the Magic, which required several expensive machine tools to be built – expenditure that could not be justified relative to the small number that were produced. In contrast, Agfa preferred the opposite approach, of always developing as many models as possible from an existing camera housing.
The Magic, although intended for amateur photographers, was relatively expensive at 435 DM. It featured an automatic exposure control system driven by a coupled selenium light meter which could select shutter speeds from 1/30 sec to 1/300 sec and apertures from f/3.5 to f/22. There were only two manual controls: one for focusing, the other for selecting either a shutter speed of 1/30 sec (for flash photography), or Brief (for long-exposure night photography). Its successor, the Magic II, cost 498 DM and also featured manual exposure control.
TLR accessories
Some accessories manufactured for Rollei TLRs:
- ': A set of close-up lenses, in three magnifications (Rolleinar 1, Rolleinar 2, and Rolleinar 3). A pair of Rolleinar lenses are placed on both the viewing and taking lenses.
- ': A soft focus lens for the taking lens only available in two grades, "0" and "1", which softens the definition and produce striking halo effects, particularly when used with back lighting. The Rolleisoft lens has concentric circles ground in groves and is used principally for portraiture.
- ': Instead of screwing the camera body to a tripod, this tripod head clamps down on the TLR.
- ': Rollei's polarizing filter.
- ': Allows the use of 35 mm film.
- Rollei panorama head: Attaches the camera to a tripod, and enables the photographer to take a series of aligned pictures to create a panoramic photo in an arc up to 360°.
- Rollei pistol grip
- ': underwater housing.
The situation around 1960
By the end of 1950s, the market for twin-lens medium format cameras had gradually become saturated. More and more amateur photographers and photojournalists were using 35 mm format cameras, while studio photographers preferred single-lens medium format cameras. Although they were more expensive, single-lens cameras offered film holders, which could quickly be swapped (an assistant loaded the film), as well as interchangeable lenses.
Hasselblad was the market leader in this segment. The Swedish company introduced their first camera, the Hasselblad 1600F, in 1948. However, this model was regarded as being technically inferior because its shutter was unreliable. To solve this problem, the 1000F was released in 1952 with a reduced shutter speed range, but the focal-plane shutter was still prone to failure. While it was no threat to the fully developed Rolleiflex to begin with, that situation changed when the legendary Hasselblad 500C featuring a Compur leaf shutter appeared in 1957. The management of Rollei under Horst Franke were caught napping, having failed to produce a camera that could match the latest Hasselblad. As a consequence, sales plummeted and the company got into financial difficulties. In the end, Horst Franke relinquished his position as general manager.
New products
thumb|right|Rollei P11
In 1960, Rollei introduced its first slide projector, the P11. It included two slide trays: the left-hand tray was for 35 mm (5 cm×5 cm) slides, the right-hand tray was for medium format (7 cm×7 cm) slides. The Rollei Universal Projector sold for 398.60 DM, plus 97.50 DM for a standard lens. The P11 remained in production until 1978; many more projectors were subsequently added to the range, providing a major boost to Rollei's turnover.
thumb|left|Rollei 16
In 1963, Rollei introduced the Rollei 16, Above all, there was no longer any need to alternately load the slides into two magazines. The P3800 was made in Singapore starting from 1980 and cost 1,000 DM.
Several successors followed, including the Rolleivision 35 twin (1986), MSC 300/300P (1995–1998), MSC 310/320s/330P (1998–2003), MSC 315/325P and 535P (2003–2014); the final generation of Rolleivision twin projectors also includes the 535P, a "P"rofessional (or "P"rogrammable) version which uses 250 watt bulbs.
Rolleimatic
thumb|Front view of a Rolleimatic
thumb|Rolleimatic
The Rolleimatic was the last new camera to go into production before Rollei went bankrupt. It was conceived as a 35 mm viewfinder camera of new design that would be (almost) as easy to use as cameras that used Instamatic film cassettes, but delivering better image quality. Planning started in 1977 and the cameras were manufactured between June 1980 and September 1981.
The Rolleimatic was released onto the market without being subjected to the extensive testing that was usual, with the result that it suffered from unreliability, just like the SL35 E had before it. Rollei's bankruptcy brought production to an early end.
Under Nord/LB management
Perzak's behaviour became increasingly erratic; in an attempt to save the factory at Uelzen, he got Kaiser Fototechnik in Buchen to develop an enlarger, which Rollei sold as the Rolleimat Universal. Although it was extremely popular, the market for amateur photo-laboratories was much too small to make any difference to Rollei. Furthermore, for some obscure reason, he purchased tripods and 35 mm lenses from Japanese companies, fixed focal length lenses from Mamiya, and zoom lenses from Tokina – even though Rollei had enough spare production capacity in Singapore to make them all itself. With the new Rolleinar 35 mm lenses, Rollei was finally able to match the range of focal lengths offered by its competitors. On top of that, Peperzak cancelled Rollei's appearance at photokina 1978. In the end, he left Rollei on 28 February.
The Norddeutsche Landesbank (Nord/LB) then appointed Heinz Wehling to manage the company on 1 March 1978. So, Rollei was able to exhibit at photokina after all, but not in its customary location – that had already been allocated. He negotiated a contract with IEC, the Industria De Equipamentos Cinematograficos S. A. in São Leopoldo, Brazil to manufacture Rollei slide projectors and enlargers under license. Unfortunately, Wehling was no more successful than his predecessor; in particular, he remained committed to 35 mm SLR cameras, even developing a new camera for the range, and steadfastly refused to close the factory in Singapore. Rollei was now perilously close to bankruptcy, so the search began for a new owner.
Hannsheinz Porst
Obviously, the new owner could not be a Japanese company. Since neither Agfa, Kodak nor Zeiss were interested, Deutsche Fotoholding GmbH, a company founded by , took over 97% of Rollei Germany on 1 April 1981, with the option of purchasing 75% of Nord/LB's share of Rollei Singapore in 1982. The chairman of Nord/LB's board of directors greeted this event with the words, "Thank goodness, I am finally rid of Rollei...".
The takeover by Hannsheinz Porst was met with universal astonishment as his own company ' was already in trouble. Also, many wondered who, actually, was behind the holding company. Rumour had it that Agfa had taken a share in order to avoid restrictions from the German Federal Cartel Office. The management of Rollei was shared between <!-- Dr. -->Otto Stemmer, a former employee of Agfa who became the technical director, and Hannsheinz Porst, who became chairman of the board.
Porst announced his strategy for the company:
- withdrawal from the pocket camera market, which was declining rapidly
- avoid the bottom end of the market
- 35 mm viewfinder cameras
- 35 mm and middle format cameras for the top end of the market
- slide projectors
- advanced flash units
- no more Rollei Super 8 cameras, which were hardly selling anyway
Yet nobody took much interest as all confidence in Porst, Rollei and Nord/LB had already been lost. Hannsheinz Porst was especially disappointed when he failed to gain the support of the photographic trade. As a result, Rollei's turnover declined by 20% from March 1981. In addition, the Yen and the Singapore Dollar had appreciated strongly in value, which significantly increased the cost of the products that Peperzak had earlier contracted to import from Asia. Mired in debt and close to bankruptcy, Porst finally filed an application on 3 July 1981 in the District Court of Braunschweig to put Rollei into voluntary administration. The court-appointed administrator announced that Rollei's professional products and services division would be retained, that production would continue until the end of September, and that some employees would be laid off in October. The estimated value of Rollei's unsold inventory was put at about 100 million DM. An advertising campaign was mounted to sell the remaining stock, and advertisements were placed in photographic magazines highlighting the fact that this would be the last opportunity to buy accessories for older Rollei cameras. The rights to the Voigtländer brand name were sold to the Plusfoto Group for 100,000 DM. Some 700 employees were still working for Rollei in 1981.
1982 to 2003 – Rollei Fototechnic / USH / Mandermann / Samsung / Dume / Capitellum era
New owners
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On 1 January 1982, Rollei split into three separate companies: Rollei Deutschland GmbH assumed responsibility for disposing of the remaining stock and servicing its former products, while Rollei Gebäude GmbH together with Nord/LB, its largest creditor, took over its properties and the management of its former production facilities. A new company called Rollei Fototechnic GmbH employing 380 workers manufactured, sold and (until 1 July 1983) serviced a "rationalised" range of cameras, lenses and slide projectors. This company, which had nothing more to do with the former Rollei company up until the takeover of its "leading designs", was 100% owned by USH (United Scientific Holdings). The London-based USH was founded after the war to manufacture optoelectronic instruments. Rollei initially made contact with USH through its Singapore subsidiary, Avimo Ltd.
The intention was to collaborate in the development of products for the German military. As a result, Rollei began to make 7×42 binoculars, otherwise USH exerted no influence over Rollei's camera product line. Rollei simply made the products and received test and measurement instruments from USH in return – equipment that it would otherwise have built itself. Consequently, collaboration with USH proved to be extremely beneficial to Rollei.
Rollei Fototechnic GmbH concentrated on system cameras, which were still made in Braunschweig, and slide projectors, which were made in Singapore until 1983. After that, production of slide projectors was transferred back to Germany so that they, too, could be marketed under the catch phrase "Made in Germany". The P801 slide projector was initially made by in Italy, but its successor, as expected, was also made in Braunschweig. These products were manufactured in leased premises within Rollei's former factory. Only a quarter of the available space was required; the remainder was utilised by companies unconnected with the photography industry.
After USH's strategy to manufacture for the military market failed, Rollei was sold to on 10 June 1987 for the symbolic price of 1 DM together with 14 million DM in debts. Mandermann was a German photographic industrialist, who had owned Schneider Kreuznach since 1982.
The firm followed the rangefinder trend and introduced the Rollei 35 RF in 2002. Yet the 35 RF was neither developed by Rollei, nor was it based on any of the earlier variants of the Rollei 35. Instead, it was derived from the Cosina Voigtländer Bessa R series of rangefinder cameras; The Rollei 35 was nearly identical to the camera sold as the Voigtländer Bessa R2. Like the Voigtländer Bessa R-series and Zeiss Ikon cameras from Cosina, it utilised a bayonet lens mount derived from the Leica M3. Rollei offered three lenses of its own design made by Zeiss. The Rollei 35 RF is no longer in production, and it appears that not many were sold.
DHW
DHW Fototechnik (founded in 2009 by Rolf Daus, Katherina and Hans Hartje and Frank Will) in Braunschweig a revised Rolleiflex FX-N TLR, and the DHW Electronic Shutter No. 0 HS1000, which was based on the former Rollei Electronic Shutter. The Rolleiflex 6008 AF and Rolleiflex 6008 integral 2, the X-Act<sub>2</sub> camera, the Rollei 35, and the Rolleivision projectors were continued to be sold as well.
In 2014, DHW filed for insolvency and was dissolved in April 2015.
DW Photo
After DHW's insolvency and asset sales, the same management team started the business again with a further reduced number of employees under the name DW Photo. The manufacturing of TLRs and projectors has been dropped to concentrate on the Hy6 system.
Product overview
Medium format
- Rolleiflex 3.5 F TLR with 75 mm f/3.5 Planar — as used by David Bailey and Diane Arbus.
- Rolleiflex 2.8 GX — as used by Helmut Newton
- Rolleiflex 2.8 FX-N latest version of the classic TLR
- Rolleiflex SL66 and SL66E SLR with rise and fall lens plane and exceptional close-up abilities — as used by Brett Weston.
- Rolleicord Vb — A medium format twin-lens reflex camera designed for non-professional users, like the rest of the Rolleicord line.
- Rollei 4.0 FW TLR with 50 mm f/4 Super-Angulon — classic reissue.
- Rollei 4.0 FT TLR with 135 mm f/4 Tele-Xenar — classic reissue.
System 6000
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Models of the Rolleiflex 6000 series variants with 9 or 121 crosses exist
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 professional SRC 1000
|align="center"| 1992–1995 or 1994–1996?
| with PQS lenses up to 1/1000 second, ScanPack interface (SRC)
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 ChipPack metric
|align="center"| ?
| with PQS lenses up to 1/1000 second, special version with Réseau plate for photogrammetry
|-
| Rolleiflex professional SRC 1000 "Gold Edition"
|align="center"| 1994
| Gold-plated model of Rolleiflex 6008 professional SRC 1000
|-
| Rolleiflex 6003 professional
|align="center"| 1994– or 1996–2003?
| improved electronics, faster motor-drive; like 6008, but without an exchangeable back<!-- or without interchangeable magazine? -->
|-
| Rolleiflex 6003 SRC 1000
|align="center"| 1994–1996
| like 6003 professional, with PQS lenses up to 1/1000 second
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 integral
|align="center"| 1995–2002
| integral and spot metering, master control
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 E
|align="center"| 1997–?
| no handgrip, no high definition screen
|-
| Rolleiflex 6001 professional
|align="center"| 1998–?
| studio model without exposure meter
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 AF
|align="center"| 2002–2014
| autofocus
|-
| Rolleiflex 6008 integral 2 (6008/2 integral) (#56650)
|align="center"| 2003–2014
| electronics from the 6008 AF, but without auto-focus
|-
| Franke & Heidecke / dhw Rolleiflex Hy6 (#58600)
|align="center"| 2006/2007–2013
| a hybrid optimised for both digital and analogue photography, with auto-focus
|-
| X-Act<sub>1</sub>
|align="center"| 1999–?
| professional view camera with wide-angle bellows, fixed rear standard
|-
| X-Act<sub>2</sub>
|align="center"| 1998–2015
| professional view camera
|-
| dhw Rolleiflex Hy6 mod2
|align="center"| 2012–2015
| firmware and design improvements
|-
| dw Hy6 mod2
|align="center"| 2015–present
| only sales and service - no further improvement, but some new accessories, such as a remote control with a 3 m-long wire
|-
|}
135 film format
- Rollei 35 – compact original viewfinder (Germany) with Carl Zeiss Tessar 3.5/40 lens.
- Rollei 35 T – identical to original Rollei 35, 'T' suffix added after the introduction of Rollei 35 S.
- Rollei 35 S – compact camera (Singapore) with Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/40 made by Rollei.
- Rollei 35 TE / SE – Updated exposure meter with LED indication in the viewfinder, uses 5.6V PX27 battery, Zeiss Tessar 3.5/40 made by Rollei (TE), Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/40 made by Rollei (SE).
- Rollei B 35 – compact viewfinder camera with built-in selenium meter and collapsible Zeiss Triotar 3.5/40 lens.
- Rollei C 35 – Similar to Rollei B 35 but lacks an exposure meter, Zeiss Triotar 3.5/40 lens.
- Rollei 35 LED – Updated budget variant with LED exposure indication in the viewfinder, uses 5.6V PX27 battery, Zeiss Triotar 3.5/40 lens.
- Rolleimatic – compact camera with unique film transport mechanism.
- Rolleiflex SL35 series – 35 mm SLRs produced from 1970 until the late 1980s, using Carl Zeiss optics. Other lenses, like the Schneider, and the Rolleinar (manufactured for Rollei mainly by Mamiya) were also available.
- Rolleiflex SL2000 F (SL3001, SL3003) – unique 35 mm system SLRs with interchangeable magazines, Carl Zeiss lenses, both waist level & eye level finders, and motorized film advance. The SL2000 F was introduced in 1981.
126 film format
- Rollei A 26 – compact viewfinder camera for 126 film, Zeiss Sonnar 3.5/40 lens, program auto-exposure.
- Rolleiflex SL26 – manual SLR camera for 126 film with interchangeable lens, kit lens: Zeiss Tessar 2.8/40, optional lens: Zeiss Pro-Tessar 3.2/28 and Zeiss Pro-Tessar 4/80.
Rollei subminiature cameras
- Rollei 16, Rollei 16 S – manual 16mm viewfinder camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/25 lens.
- Rollei A 110 – compact viewfinder camera for 110 film with Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/23 lens and program auto-exposure.
- Rollei E 110 – budget version of A 110 with aperture priority auto-exposure.
<gallery>
Rollei16S.jpg|Snake skin Rollei 16 S subminiature camera
Rollei A110 Camera (3289019559).jpg|Rollei A 110
RolleiE110.jpg|Silver color Rollei E 110 with Carl Zeiss Tessar 23 mm f/2.8 lens
</gallery>
Movie cameras
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Models of Rollei Super 8 cameras
|-
! Model
! Production
! Description
|-
| Rollei SL 81
| align="center" | 1970-1972
| Schneider-Kreuznach Cinevar 1.8/10.5-32 mm lens, 3× zoom, 18 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic exposure without AE lock, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by three AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| Rollei SL 82
| align="center" | 1970-1974
| Schneider-Kreuznach Cinevar 1.8/9-36 mm lens, 4× zoom, 18, 24 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic exposure with AE lock, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by three AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| Rollei SL 83
| align="center" | 1971-1974
| Schneider-Kreuznach Neovaron 1.8/7.5-60 mm lens, 8× zoom, 18, 24, 54 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 16/25 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by six AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| Rollei SL 84
| align="center" | 1971-1974
| Schneider-Kreuznach Neovaron 1.8/7-70 mm lens, 10× zoom, 18, 24, 54 fps and single frame, sound recording with synchronized tape recorder, built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 16/25 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by six AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| Rollei SL 85
| align="center" | 1971-1974
| Rollei Vario 1.8/8-48 mm lens, 6× zoom, 12, 18, 32 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic exposure, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by three AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| Rollei SL 86
| align="center" | 1972-1974
| Rollei Vario 1.8/12-30 mm lens, 2.5× zoom, 18 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic exposure, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by two AA batteries, produced by Bauer in Germany.
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | Rollei Movie 4
| align="center" | 1975-1977
| Rollei Macro Vario 1.7/8-32 mm lens, 4× zoom, 18, 36 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 16/25, 25/40, 40/64, 64/100, 100/160 and 160/250 (daylight/tungsten), powered by four AA batteries, produced by Chinon in Japan.
|-
| Rollei Movie 6
| align="center" | 1975-1977
| Rollei Macro Vario 1.7/8-48 mm lens, 6× zoom, 18, 24, 48 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 16/25, 25/40, 40/64, 64/100, 100/160 and 160/250 (daylight/tungsten), powered by four AA batteries, produced by Chinon in Japan.
|-
| Rollei Movie 8
| align="center" | 1975-1977
| Rollei Macro Vario 1.7/7.5-60 mm lens, 8× zoom, 18, 24, 48 fps and single frame, no sound, built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 16/25, 25/40, 40/64, 64/100, 100/160 and 160/250 (daylight/tungsten), powered by four AA batteries, produced by Chinon in Japan.
|-
| Rollei Movie Sound XL 8 macro
| align="center" | 1978-1979
| Schneider-Kreuznach Macro Variogon 1.4/7-56 mm lens, 8× zoom, 18, 24, 48 fps and single frame, magnetic sound track support (18 and 24 fps), built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by six AA batteries, made by Rollei in Germany.
|-
| Rollei Movie Sound XL 12 macro
| align="center" | 1975-1977
| Schneider-Kreuznach Macro Variogon 1.4/6-70 mm lens, 11.7× zoom, 18, 24, 48 fps and single frame, magnetic sound track support (18 and 24 fps), built-in 85A filter, automatic and manual exposure, auto film speed for ASA 25/40 and 100/160 (daylight/tungsten), powered by six AA batteries, made by Rollei in Germany.
|}
Digital
- Rollei Prego series – a line of 18 consumer digital cameras with resolutions up to 10.1 megapixels (as of September 2007) marketed by Rollei GmbH.
Electronic flash units
Early non-computer units were sold as Strobofix. Early computer-controlled units were sold as Strobomatic, later units have 'C' in the name. Strobofix/Strobomatic naming was dropped around 1970. Flash units which use replaceable AA-sized batteries have 'B' in the name. Units which use "Rational Energy" computer technology have 'RE' in the name.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Models of Rollei consumer flash units
|-
! Model
! Production
! Description
|-
| Rollei Strobofix E20,<br>Rollei E17 / E17 C
| 1968-1969,<br>1969-1972
| Classic style flash, built-in battery, charger type A, GN 17 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
| Rollei Strobofix E50,<br>Rollei E22 / E22 C
| align="center" | 1968-1969,<br>1969-1973
| Classic style flash, built-in battery, charger type B, GN 22 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
| Rollei Strobomatic E55,<br>Rollei E27 / E27 C
| align="center" | 1968-1969,<br>1969-1974
| Classic style flash, built-in battery, charger type B, GN 27 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei E19 / E19 C
| align="center" | 1971-1973
|Classic style flash, built-in battery, charger type A, GN 19 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei E24 / E24 C
| align="center" | 1973-1974
|Classic style flash, built-in battery, charger type B, GN 24 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei E15
| align="center" | ?
|Compact plastic flash, built-in battery, charger type A, GN 15 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei E15 B
| align="center" | 1971-1978
|Same as E15 but uses two AA batteries.
|-
|Rollei E19 BC
| align="center" | 1971-1975
|Compact plastic computer flash, uses four AA batteries, GN 19 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei E20 / E20 C
| align="center" | ?
|Compact plastic flash, built-in battery, charger type A, GN 20 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei 121 BC
| align="center" | 1973-1980
|Compact plastic computer flash, uses two AA batteries, GN 15 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei 128 BC
| align="center" | 1973-1978
|Compact plastic computer flash, uses four AA or NiCd batteries, GN 20 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei 134 REB
| align="center" | 1973-1979
|Computer flash with tilting head, uses four AA or NiCd batteries, GN 34 m at ISO 100/21°.
|-
|Rollei 134 B
| align="center" | 1973-1976
|Same as 134 REB but without computer control.
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | Rollei 100 XL / 100 XLC
| align="center" | 1976-1980
|Compact flash, uses two AA batteries, GN 10 m at ISO 50/18°.
|-
|Rollei C 26
| align="center" | 1972-1976
|Special flash for Rollei A 26, computer controlled unit with built-in battery, charger type D.
|-
|Rollei Beta 1 / Beta 2
| align="center" | 1979-1981
|Produced by Sankyo in Japan, uses two AA batteries, GN 18 m at ISO 100/21°, Beta 2 is a variant of Beta 1 with computer control.
|-
|Rollei Beta 3
| align="center" | 1979-1981
|Produced by Sankyo in Japan, computer flash, uses two AA batteries, GN 22 m at ISO 100/21°.
|-
|Rollei Beta 4
| align="center" | 1981
|Produced by Sankyo in Japan, computer flash with 3 f-stop combinations, uses two AA batteries, GN 24 m at ISO 100/21°.
|-
|Rollei 20 REB
| align="center" | 1990's
|Special flash unit delivered with the Rollei 35 Classic cameras, uses two AA batteries, GN 20 m at ISO 100/21°.
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Models of Rollei professional flash units
|-
! Model
! Production
! Description
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | Rollei Strobomatic E66
| align="center" | 1967-1971
| World's first computer-controlled flash, removable NiCd battery.
|-
| Rollei Strobofix E60
| align="center" | 1967-1971
| Same as E66 but without computer control.
|-
| Rollei E34 C
| align="center" | 1970-1972
| Second generation computer flash, removable NiCd battery, charger type C.
|-
|Rollei E36 RE
| align="center" | 1973-1981
|Computer flash, offers 3 f-stop combinations for a given film speed in computer mode, removable NiCd battery, charger type C.
|-
|Rollei 140 RES
| align="center" | 1973-1980
|More consumer-oriented computer flash, built-in battery, charger type E.
|-
|Rollei 140 S
| align="center" | 1973-1975
|Same as 140 RES but without computer control.
|-
|Rollei Beta 5 / Beta 5F
| align="center" | 1981
|Made by Rollei, 8 f-stop computer flash with optional external power and sensor, uses four AA or NiCd batteries, GN 34 m at ISO 100/21°, Beta 5F is a special model for SL2000 F / 3001 / 3003 cameras.
|-
|Rollei Beta 6
| align="center" | 1981
|Made by Rollei, 8 f-stop computer flash with a grip which attaches to flash bracket and optional external power and sensor, uses four NiCd batteries, GN 40 m at ISO 100/21°.
|}
Projectors
Slide projectors for 5×5 cm frames (35 mm slides)
- Rollei Rolleiscop (P18.0) (1965-1966)<!-- for individual stacked frames for slides 12×17mm to 4x4cm -->
- Rollei P35 (1968)<!-- straight tray, 150W -->
- Rollei P35A (1964-1965); utilizes a Rollei TLR camera as projection lens<!-- no tray, 40W, manual focus -->
- Rollei P66A (1978)
|}
See also
- Rolleiflex
- Rolleicord
- Rollei 35
- Rolleiflex SL35
- Medium format cameras
- Twin-lens reflex camera
- List of digital camera brands
- Maco Photo Products (Licensee of the Rollei brand for photographic films)
- Minox (Licensee of the Rolleiflex brand for miniature replica cameras)
Notes
References
</references>
Further reading
- Includes contemporary articles on the Rollei family and its products.
- Cameras, lenses and accessories.
- Cameras, lenses and accessories.
- Cameras, lenses and accessories, advertisements and magazine articles.
- A chronology and comprehensive guide to Rollei's products, including Voigtländer products made under Rollei ownership between 1972 and 1982.
- One hour video documentary.
External links
- DW Photo (Official website of manufacturer of the modern medium format Rolleiflex cameras and repair) English and German
- Rolleiflex Repair Shops worldwide by Ferdi Stutterheim