Took The Plunge

[generowe]

So after all the discussions on a previous thread I decided to take the plunge and bought myself a Rollei 6008 Integral 2 with 80mm PQS lens, among other accessories.

So some questions for you guys:
1). what additional lens would you buy? wide or tele? I shoot mostly people with a reportage style...although I wouldn't mind getting into some landscape with fall and winter season coming. I can only afford one more lens at this time.
2). I have a Metz 45CT5 flashgun...can I use this on the Rollei? If not, is the Metz 54MZ3 (I think that was the model #)worth the price? I've already searched the internet where I can purchase the 54MZ3 in Canada or USA but no such luck yet.

Again, thanks for all the info and I am really excited about shooting with this camera.

 

[colin]

Yes, you can use this 45CT5 with your Rollei.
You will need SCA number 356 and adaptor cable SCA500C. Both should be available from your Metz dealer.
Additional lenses are a very "personal" choice.For people photos. a short (150mm) tele. is preferrred. For landscape work a wideangle is sometimes a better choice.For my Contax 645 I initially purchased the 80mm and then the 45mm w/a as I am very much into landscape work. I do intend to purchase the 140mm asap. This short tele. is also useful for lanscapes.
Hope this helps
Colin
ps I don't think you should spend the money on the 54MZ3. It's a fine flashgun, but you already have one! Save your $$ for additional "don't have" items.

 

[sonovo]

Hi Generowe,

I always suggest to people when buying a new camera *not* to buy additional lenses and stuff (unless you've been shooting long enough to already know what you need, in that case you wouldn't have asked . Use the camera and lens you have for a year (yes, a whole year) and learn to utilize it's potential. Your images will thank you for it and you'll learn all the ins and outs of your setup.

This method also has the advantage of showing you through your own usage what you need, instead of us telling you After a while you'll figure out what kind of wide angle or tele fits your way of seeing, then you can rent/borrow a few and choose the one you prefer. I like a 40mm in wide, many find it too extreme, f.x.

The 45CT5 will work fine (I have the same flash), but without all the TTL goodies. Better to learn to use it manually first before you let the camera decide everything for you.

So, my recoemmendation is to put the money in the bank (in an account you don't normally use so it doesn't get eaten up) and enjoy the camera and 80mm for a while, learn to solve problems with what you have (i.e. move!) and after a while your needs will become clear.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Thor

 

[sonovo]

Oh, almost forgot,

Congratulations!

Thor

 

[geoffrey]

I agree with Thor's notion of not running out to buy lenses - too often they sit on the shelf. On the other hand, I shot for 15 years with a Leica M3 and a 35 mm lens as my only lens; with the Rollei, my standard is the 60 mm Schneider lens. Depth of field is enhanced (quick focus is not a problem with the lattitude of the wide angle lens) and there is little distortion. I love this lens a lot and highly recommend it.

I have a few others - the 55 PC (bought in "user condition, not too pretty), the 90 mm, the 150 mm, but they are more specialty lenses, not for general use for me, for what its worth.

Geoff

 

[perrycas]

> I am inclined to agree also, I bought an outfit, an SL 66 with the wide angle(50) the 'standard' (80) and the short tele (150) I find i hardly ever use anything but the 80. Now and again of course i find something that will benefit from the other 2, but to be honest i am still exploring the 80mm. I am also inclined to think its the sharpest. The 50, hmmm, like i said i havent used it a lot, but I suspect it the way i suspect lots of 'wide angles'. Perry

 

[lynn_jones]

> I'm an SL66 user since 1970. Ive used all of their lenses including a couple of non Zeiss Japanese lenses and tele extenders. All were sharp. I currently own 50,80,150, and 250, all are old Zeiss technology, but good. Note that all SL66 lenses are externally bayonetted to be used in reverse mode of close up use. When you swing the lens, be sure not to jam the focus drive, it is a curved rack and pinion made of delrin plastic and breaks or tears fairly easily -AND- you can't get a replacement part for it. This camera has the least vibration and mirror shock of any medium format camera in the world. If you're good at hand holding, this camera will give more sharp pictures at longer shutter speeds than any other camera.

Lynn Prof. H. Lynn Jones, lynn@austincc.edu

 

[perrycas]

Well Lyn, dont get me wrong, I like the camera, a lot, but not sure about the slow speeds hand held, I recently shot a procession with it and used the flash as it was a bit dim, late in the day and I was trying to be careful because of that 1/30 sync speed, and a couple of frames were good but quite few weren't. I wish they had sync'd it with 1/60th. I have an attachment a handle for hand holding but perhaps I'm not used to it. If anything its impetus to use a tripod and i do, a lot, these days. Perry

 

[esko_ppo]

I have the same outfit as Perry in SL66,only instead of 50mm mine is = 40mm.I've noticed that size matters. 80mm is the smallest, thus easiest = to carry and use. Certainly, however,40mm wide angle has produced = stunning results in landscape and tight interior photos,mostly used with = tripoid.Esko=20

 

[perrycas]

> Thats interesting that you use the 40mm for landscape. I attempted to use my 50mm for this but the far detail was just not good enough when enlarged, so I use the 80 and shoot panoramic sequences. Sometimes the 150 depending on distance. This is really what i bought the thing for in the first place, but the more i used it the more i liked it, and as a result I now hardly ever use my 35mm cameras except for snaps. I guess one of the by-products of owning this camera is that i have gone 'back' to using my ancient Nikkormat, when i do want to use 35mm. I have become quite distrustful of AF, that and I have some good lenses for the Nikkormat. I am sure some of the 'better' and this means exy hi end AF cameras, and this would probably include the Integra that was originally being discussed here are very good, but there is no way i could affor this sort of thing. In a few years digital cameras will stop being toys and become affordable and 'good'. That may changethe way i look at things. Perry

 

[colin]

Where do you find batteries for the Nikkormat lightmeter, these days?
Colin

 

[perrycas]

> Sorry, didnt even realise these batteries were an issue. I had the battery changed (I think ) when i had the camera serviced about a year and a half ago and this was largely because the light meter was a bit sticky. Usually use a spotmeter so not even sure how accurate the meter is if it has had some sort of repacement. I guess I am assuming your are saying that the original was a mercury that is no longer available? P

 

[colin]

Yes. My recollection is that meters from that era used the good old PX625

 

[danielson53]

> Hi all,

Well, I feel my time with my Rollei SL66 is drawing to a close. Unfortunately, it doesn't really see enough work to warrant keeping and I can't afford to keep it for personal use. The vast majority of my work is now digital so I've decided to sell.....

Just wondering if anyone is interested in buying in part or whole or if you can recommend a good used Rollei shop in the UK. I'm based in London, UK. All of it is in great condition and has seen light use. The previous owner was a photography equipment collector hence the great condition of it all....

Rollei SL66 (original model) 30mm Distagon Fisheye 50mm 80mm 150mm 2 120/220 Film Backs 1 Polaroid Back (later model with 645 option and ISO settings) Grip Metered Viewfinder Prism Viewfinder and a few other odds and ends

Give me a shout if you want more details/photos etc....

Cheers

Dan

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photography@danielpaulwilton.com

 

[cmdr]

Dear Generowe,

As far as recommending a flash, I think you'd be happy with the Metz 54MZ3 flash, in conjunction with an SCA 3562 module. This combination will permit you to take advantage of the upgraded electronics of the 6008 Intergral 2 version, which provides for flash data transfer between the lens and body. With the Metz 45 flash unit and the SCA 356 module, you will miss out on having data transfer between the flash unit, body, and lens.

As far as picking up another lens, you will first have to decide if you want to go with a wide angle or a tele lens. For wide angle, I would recommend the Schneider 50mm 2.8 Super Angulon. If your style of photography is reportage, I think the Schneider 180mm 2.8 Tele Xenar would be a good choice. The 2.8 speed is often sufficient for existing light shooting, and the background blur at this aperture is quite pleasing. The 150mm 4.0 Sonnar is another fine lens for reportage style shooting, but the 4.0 speed is sometimes a little slow unless you mainly use a tripod and fast film. The background blur with the Sonnar is not quite as pronounced as compared to the Tele Xenar, so it's more of a personal choice as to your preference.

Regards,
Dale

 

[cep]

Please be aware of the different Metz CT and CL models of the 45 and 60 line!

45CT1 - no TTL, high voltage synch

45CL1 - no TTL, low voltage synch

45CL3 - SCA300, low voltage sync

45CL4 - SCA300, low voltage sync, additional fixed reflector

45CT5 - SCA500, high voltage sync

60CT1 - no TTL, high voltage sync

60CT2 - SCA500, high voltage sync

60CT4 - SCA500, low voltage sync

Please be careful, using a "high voltag sync" Mecablitz on a Rollei. It does not do any harm immediately, but the arc causes contact burn, which will make a repeated service unavoidable under heavy use.

 

[cep]

I forgot to mention:

SCA500 devices are not availabe from Metz any more. The adapters werde called C50, C70 and so on. I'll grab an old manual for the code of the Rollei device.