There seemed to be the faintest trace of flare at f/2.8 but this disappeared when the diaphragm was stopped down to about f/3, a definite improvement in this respect to what we had previously seen in other lenses of similar focal length and aperture. It showed no shift of focus when stopped down.
IMAGES TAKEN WITH ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 FREE
The lens appeared to be free of astigmatism. The camera was taken to a well-equipped optical laboratory and placed on an optical bench.
IMAGES TAKEN WITH ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 FULL
It was not until the advent of modern optical coatings that the full advantage of such a design could be exploited. Practically all Automatic Rolleiflexes have up to this time been supplied with four element Tessar or Xenar f/3.5 or Tessar f/2.8 lenses. The new Xenotar is a five-element lens of the air-spaced type. Wide aperture lenses which must cover comparatively large film areas are often notoriously poor in edge definition at full aperture.
Many photographers who have used or tested the previous f/2.8 model, which this new camera supersedes, felt that the definition was not up to their acceptable standards. Optical and practical tests (which we will get to later) indicated that this was true - at least on the cameras tested.įinally we get to the most important of all the improvements - the lens. This is not the first f/2.8 lens ever put on a 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 Rollei. The makers of the Rolleiflex claim this trouble has been eliminated in the Xenotar lens. The f/2.8 lens on a previous model was a four-element objective which often gave trouble when used wide open. "The camera's most important feature is its new 80mm, air-spaced five-element f/2.8 Schneider Xenotar lens.
Shortly after the "C" model came to market, in May of 1953*, Modern Photography magazine published the following article by Arthur Kramer: While the Biometar produced much better results than the Tessar 2.8, given the tiny production, it wasn't until Franke & Heidecke brought to market the Rolleiflex 2.8 C in December of 1952 with a Schneider Xenotar 5 element lens, that Rollei proved it could produce a f/2.8 TLR that could compete with the resolution of their f/3.5 models while providing a lens speed advantage. Again, this model was only sold in the US with a mere 1,250 models produced (versus 9,870 model 2.8 A cameras) given issues with post war supplies. 1952) with a new lens the 80mm f/2.8 Zeiss Biometar constructed with 5 elements. Supposedly, the construction of these Tessars was faulty and the Rolleiflex 2.8 A was a commercial flop for Franke & Heidecke which resulted in the creation of the Rolleiflex 2.8 B camera (Feb. One source* states that half of these cameras were returned to Franke & Heidecke as part of a recall. Only sold in the US, this camera with its fast Tessar lens was poorly recieved and was frequently cited as being soft. The camera that featured this lens is known as the Rolleiflex 2.8 A model. After producing many different models with continual upgrades, in December 1949, Franke & Heidecke introduced its first f/2.8 taking lens into a Rolleiflex, namely the 80mm Tessar 2.8 (of pre-war manufacture). The Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex Camera was basically an instant success from the time the first model reached the market in 1929.