1933 Old Standard Rolleiflex

This is an original “Old Standard” Rolleiflex produced by Frank & Heidecke in Germany between 1932 to 1938. It was the very first Rolleiflex specifically designed to use 120 roll film. (The previous model in addition to being rather fragile, had used 117 roll film, which only produced six exposures per roll.) The Old Standard was a very successful design and put Rolleiflex on the map. It defined what a great medium format TLR was capable of and the features it needed to do this expeditiously. Many of these cameras were used by war photographers during WWII and subsequently worn out or lost in action… This camera was very significant historically. Over eighty years later, it can be difficult to find exceptionally clean, fully functional examples.

The photos below were taken with an “Old Standard” Rolleiflex which was we had the pleasure of having in our shop. It’s fitted with a 3.5/7,5cm (75mm) Carl Zeiss Tessar lens which is highly respected for its lovely rendition. In the photo of the statue, notice how the focus rolls off the main plane of focus into a soft creamy background bokeh.

The owner hails from the USA and he was kind enough to share his photos with us. Thanks Mike.