Who is shooting with the Rolleiflex Gold Edition?
To commemorate the brand’s pioneering achievements in camera manufacturing, Franke & Heidecke is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the legendary twin-lens reflex with a limited edition Rolleiflex pack in gold. The company was started by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke, whose names have become synonymous with the golden age of twin-lens reflex cameras. The limited, special edition set comprises three cameras – Rolleiflex 4.0 FW, 2.8 FX and 4.0 FT. Only 80 sets of this special edition with 14-carat gold-plated trimmings will be made. Each set will be supplied in a precious walnut-wood presentation case that also accommodates the accessories supplied, such as the CNC-milled lens hoods and filter adapters. A booklet will inform the reader about 80 years of camera history and also includes a short description of the most important twin-lens camera models from 1929 up to the present. The unique camera set for Rolleiflex friends, numbered from 1 to 80, will be available from late 2008 under Cat. No. 80888, for a price of EUR 29,000 ($37,765) each.
Modern Rolleiflex
Did you know that Rolleiflex is still producing its high-end analog twin-lens reflex cameras? Apparently there’s enough photographers out there buying them for there to be a small, niche market, because Rollei is planning to show off a new model at Photokina 2012 next week.
The FX-N is a 6×6 medium format TLR camera that is an updated version of the Rolleiflex FX, a camera that costs over $5,000. The only difference it has with its predecessor (or sibling) is that it features a new Heidosmat 80mm f/2.8 viewfinder lens and a Rollei S-Apogon 80mm f/2.8 main lens that offer a shorter minimum focusing distance of 55 centimeters.
There’s also an updated version of the Rolleiflex Hy6, a $7,900 medium format camera that can be used with both film and digital backs:
The difference between this latest refresh and the original version is that that the new camera features a new grip, updated firmware, a reinforced tripod platen, and redesigned mechanics inside the camera that reduce mirror movement.
To be clear, Rolleiflex is simply a brand that was originally used by the German company Franke & Heidecke. The original Rolleiflex hit the market in 1929. After the company became insolvent in the late 2000s, employees left to create a new company called DHW Fototechnik GmbH, which revived a number of Rollei lines… including the two cameras discussed here.
I’m guessing PetaPixel readers aren’t the types of photographers who would even consider dropping a fat chunk of dough on these two cameras, but it’s interesting seeing that cameras like the FX-N are still being made.
TLRgraphy 