Rolleiflex and Portraits

[Ektagraphic]

Hi Guys- I am wondering if anyone out there uses the Rolleiflex often for portraits. It seems to me like it would be great but the lens could be longer? Any thought? I will be doing outdoor and possibly some studio.

Patrick

[Morry Katz]

A properly exposed image on medium speed 120 film gives you lots of scope to crop your portrait shot into any shape you like. Or you could find yourself a Tele Rollei with its 135 mm (I think) taking lens, use a Mamiya TLR with a 150 mm lens (or thereabouts) or find a Rollei SL66 and 150 mm lens. The first option is the most practical. Many great portraits have been done on Rollei TLR's.
Have fun.

Morry Katz, Lethbridge, Canada

[Ektagraphic]

My current Rollei is the standard lens....

[2F/2F]

Portraits can be shot with a lens of any focal length. It is up to you to decide what tools work best to achieve the desired image to express your concept. If the lens is too short for what you want, then the lens is too short. I would not say that it is too short in general, however. Most of my favorite portraiture was shot with normal to medium-wide lenses. If you want to do commercial head shots or glamor photography specifically, the normal lens might give you effects that you are not looking for with many models in tight compositions...but for general-purpose portraiture it is just fine.

FWIW, most of my favorite landscape shots are also either shot with normal lenses, or short or long lenses that are just a moderate distance from a normal lens. Perhaps 35 - 70, speaking in 35mm terms.

[fotch]

If your taking portraits from the waste up, you probably will be OK. Any closer, may notice distortions, like the nose being out of proportions.

And, you have enough negative that shooting from a little bit farther, then cropping, will work fine.

[Rolleiflexible]

A Rolleiflex is a great portrait camera.
So is a Tele Rolleiflex. I use both and
love both.

[Tom Nutter]

Go to williamcoupon.com....he has made a career out of shooting portraits with a Rolleiflex.

[Jeff Kubach]

I have done a few portraits with my Rolleiflex and the shots came out excellent.

Jeff

[jnanian]

Go to williamcoupon.com....he has made a career out of shooting portraits with a Rolleiflex.

YES!

[Ektagraphic]

Go to williamcoupon.com....he has made a career out of shooting portraits with a Rolleiflex.

I would love to do this....I would attempt to be a photographer professionally if I knew I would be able to do it on film and develop it myself.