Rollei was a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke in Lower Saxony and was the maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included speciality and nostalgic type films for the photo hobbyist market.
They set the standard for Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras and had great success with them, especially during the 1950s when almost every newspaper photographer used a Rolleiflex.
By far the most famous 127 camera’s are the baby Rolleiflex’s. The original baby Rolleiflex was introduced in 1931 and discontinued in 39, following the launch of the Rolleiflex “sport” (1938-41). The Sport features a 2.8 lens – allowing it to capture fast-moving action more easily. However, the easiest way to tell these apart is that […]
Overview When the Rollei 35 was first released in 1966, it was the smallest 35mm film full-frame camera, a title it held for quite some time. The camera was designed in the early 1960s in his spare time by Heinz Waaske, chief engineer of German camera maker Wirgin. He had also engineered and designed the […]