TLR Twin Lens Reflex Medium Format Cameras

Twin Lens Reflex cameras reached their height of popularity during the 1940s - the 1960s and were quite the camera of choice amongst professionals and serious amateurs. These cameras were used by photographers as diverse as Diane Arbus and David Bailey.

The image quality of these cameras is still competitive with modern optics as these cameras can be an excellent value for the money if you don't mind manual operation keeping them maintained.

Cameras shown in this episode -
Rolleiflex MX-EVS
Ansco Automatic Reflex
Flexaret VII

Recommended book: the Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre by Dominic Smith

[bencushwa]

I recently picked up a Mamiya C330s. Loving it so far! It's a great camera, so simple to use, and a lovely change of pace from shooting digital.

[chriscunningham]

My baby has been a Yashica MAT 124-G. Probably shot a thousand rolls through it. It was my first Med Format. Many systems later, I still like going back to my 124-G. Sharp as a tack!

[pocketsquareformat]

My wife ordered me a home developing kit which I am very excited about. I fell in love with shooting film (35mm) a few years ago but have yet to try medium format. I may begin with a Yashica Mat first and eventually get a Rolleiflex. I have recommended your website & YouTube channel to others...your tips and insight on the art of photography has been a tremendous help! Many thanks my friend

[PPISAFETY]

Great video! I have owned a number of TLRs over decades and all of them have been great fun. I think the most flexible and cost effective set up that I ever shot seriously with was the Mamiya C330 and its variants. It didn't offer the ultimate in image quality, but you could do just about anything with it. Optical quality of the lenses was "good enough" and they were affordable, and I never had a customer complain. Of course the image quality blew away 35mm film. The bodies were built like tanks. I did a lot of weddings and portraits with them and never broke one.

Mamiya sold an accessory called a "Paramender" that installed between your camera and your tripod for closeup work. You composed your shot normally and then just before taking the picture, you operated a lever on the accessory that precisely raised your camera to the right height for the taking lens to shoot, so that your finished product looked exactly as you composed it. It even worked with the camera on an angle. No more "crapshoot". I found it indispensable.

[markl]

Nice video! I cut my photography teeth in the late 1970s on my dad's Rolleiflex 3.5, which he had bought new in 1956. It was probably the same model you have, although he bought the Rolleikin adapter kit with his, and we mostly shot 35mm film with it. I became one of my high school's yearbook photographers, and I got my best candids with that Rolleiflex. The through-the-top viewfinder enabled me to shoot surreptitiously, with the camera hanging as though I were merely carrying it, and also around corners and from under desks, and that Synchro-Compur shutter is so quiet that even after I took a picture, most of my subjects were none the wiser. Dad had my brother and me try a bit of medium-format photography on 120 film, too, and we made the most of some of the camera's other features, like the delay timer and remote shutter release. I have used many other cameras since then, like a Yashica FX-2 all-manual SLR, a Minolta XG-1 semi-automatic, a couple of Olympus fully automatic point-and-shoots, and a number of digital cameras. While I appreciated their more advanced features, none were as smooth and slick as that Rolleiflex!

[rbruce]

I received a Mamiya C220 TLR as a present and I enjoy it thoroughly! When I was a kid, my mother took me and my brothers to these photographic shops where passport photos were made. In one I saw this interesting two eyed camera, but why one on top of the other, I remember asking myself! Why the other cameras have only one eye despite the fact that we have two, then I read the prospect of a Kodak stereo graphic camera! The seed was planted and dad and his photographic affection helped raise this enjoyment that I have to this day! Then came YouTube and I discovered this channel, perhaps it was the other way around, now I can say that I am learning the answers! Cheers Mr. Forbes!

[tonybelding]

I picked up a Ricoh Diacord G in excellent condition, and I've been getting great results with it.  I had a funny experience wandering around a flea market and snapping photos -- most people didn't seem to recognize it as a camera or realize what I was doing as I stared down into the viewfinder.  Because I don't hold it up to my eye or look directly at the subject, and because the shutter is almost silent, they didn't react to having a camera pointed at them.  (And the few who recognized it were just delighted to see a TLR being used.)

[Alinamunoz]

The Minolta Autocord with f3.5 Rokkor lens is one of the best TLR cameras there is. The pictures taken with it are just incredible, crisp, sharp and beautiful both in color and B&W. It doesn't get the same hype as Rollei's but it is certainly a great contender!

[twwtb]

Ok, my 3, 5F Type 2 is currently in the shop for a CLA and a few, what I considered, minor repairs. All said and done, the service will cost almost $1k. So, "and up" is the operative term here. This camera was purchased new by my dad and I have had it sitting around for a couple of decades as well since he passed. I will enjoy using it again.

[JL-vkrs]

love your channel Ted. You have become the Mentor I really need right now. Everytime I look up a question you have a great video waiting for me on the topic

[mrNw]

Nice cameras!
I have a Yashica Mat 124G... great little thing :). Smooth and sharp enough for my needs.

[andyvan]

great video, tlrs look quite good (esp. since they are primarily manual cameras), some people have commented about mamiya C330's and their Pro cousins; just like to add the fact that mamiya made a macro accessory called a "para mender" which is essentially a post with two brackets attached one goes to camera one to tripod. this allows the camera's height to be altered, view through the top,  raise the camera and shoot away! (with no apparent parallax error) haven't seen a video on this on YouTube yet, but looks a beaut Idea though.

[cosievee]

This is the episode that first introduced me to The Art of Photography series. :) I have recently (in the last few months) gotten into vintage cameras and while researching information on TLRs, I came across this episode. I have since acquired a Ricohflex Model VII and have had great fun with it. And now I am binge-watching all of the past The Art of Photography episodes to catch up!

[thelongslowgoodbye]

I own a Voigtländer Brillant from the early 1930's and it's surprising that it gets much sharper images compared to today's point & shoot cameras. 

[eluberopaullo]

I have a Zeiss ikoflex tlr and I have to agree, it produces some incredibly sharp images

[oldschoolwarrior]

Just an excellent video. I would’ve loved a walkthrough of actually taking a photo (loading film, measuring light, choosing aperture and shutter speed, etc.). But this was just fantastic. I remember actually taking some photos with one as a kid. My parents’ friend had one and let me try it. I believe that’s where my love of photography was sparked, although not put into practice until many years Mayer.

[neilpiper]

Rolleiflex is ideal for street and storytelling portrait.
Vivian Meyer used one really well.
Rolleiflex and Rolleicord have a sliding mask to correct for parralax to avoid cutting off heads. The Rollei close up lenses come in pairs. The top one has a prism in it to compensate for parralax when shooting close.
It's not exact like a Kiev 6c say.
I still have my 1958 Rolleicord Va with a 3.5 Xenar. The prices go up and up. I keep holding on, holding back the years. Remembering when I fist used it as a wedding photographer when I was 16. My boss told me to use 250th and how to use sunny 16 using Ilford HP3 at 320iso.
He also showed me how to use bounced electronic flash, bouncing it back into the corner or top of a wall using f5.6.
The pictures turned out great.
I was so relieved

[theartofphotography]

The Nikon D40 is still a great camera - and yeah that is an unusually high speed for an slr sync. I still use mine too!

[ridealongwithrandy]

Wow, what a video find and timely! I just won a beautiful Autocord, that has been CLR'd, and
has the wide angle accessories, a nice leather case, and a 12" cable
release. It also comes with 2 rolls of film for me to get started right
away. I'll be using a Sekonic L-158 as my metering. I can't wait!!!

[analogasmr]

I may have said this before, but thanks so much for these videos! You are loaded with highly useful information.  Forever a fan