Rare! 1932 4x4 Baby Rolleiflex with 2.8/60mm Tessar, Freshly Serviced, CLA’d

 Cleaned, Lubricated & Adjusted. Ready for immediate use

Larger Rolleiflex not included.

This is a very hard to find 4x4 Rolleiflex camera built prior to WWII and designed to use 127 roll-film. It was a superb camera that featured a fast f2,8/60mm Zeiss Tessar lens and sported a high end Compur shutter. Sold as the little sister to the full sized 6x6 Rolleiflex of the period, this is essentially a miniaturized  version of that camera. A camera we now refer to as the ‘Old Standard”.

This 4x4 model was only produced in limited quantities in German from 1931 to 1938. Manufacturing ceased after that because of shifting priorities in the months leading up to WWII. While it’s true that Rolleiflex produced another 4x4 camera after the war, this newer design is completely different, quite common and not in high demand. (In short shouldn’t be confused with the original.) 

Understandably an elusive 4x4 Rolleiflex is a desirable and significant camera. Many were used by war photographers during WWII and subsequently worn out or lost in action. Due to the small production run, the low survival rates after 90 years combined with the tendency of collectors to view them as investments, this means that excellent, fully functional examples are quite difficult to acquire.

This camera is in beautiful condition and has been carefully cleaned, lubricated and adjusted. Focusing is accurate. The camera is just as it left the factory and still has its original viewfinder mirror. The mirror has some age related marks but this has no effect on the viewfinder image which is clean and clear.  The Compur shutter works well and all speeds (T,B & 1 Sec-1/300th) are appropriate. The slow speeds buzz along nicely and the faster ones are clean and snappy. The sharp Zeiss 2.8/60mm Tessar lens (four elements in three groups) is in excellent condition. The lens is clean and clear with just some light cleaning marks (but you’ll need a magnifier to see them) and it’s capable of producing lovely photos with modern color and B&W films.

(127 film is available on the internet.)

It comes complete with its original brown leather case and lens cap.

So if you’ve been looking for one of these fine prewar cameras to admire and use, then you’ve just found it. All in all, a real gem. 

Search terms: Carl Zeiss Jena, Tessar, 75mm, 7,5cm, Compur Rapid shutter, medium format, TLR, twin lens reflex, prewar, pre-war, camera, Heidoscope, Rolleidoscop 120 film, authentic, original, vintage,  WWII, WW2, reenactor, re-enactor, signal corps, USAAF, war correspondent, war photographer, Frank & Heidecke, Germany