The Rolleicord is a

medium-format Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in photography and the related cameras and equipment that use film. Nowadays, the term applies to film and digital cameras that record images on media larger than the used in 35&nbs ...

twin lens reflex A twin-lens reflex camera (TLR) is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" (the lens that takes the picture), while the other is used for the viewfind ...

camera A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...

made by Franke & Heidecke (

Rollei Rollei () was a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by and in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included specialty and nostalgic type films for the ...

) between 1933 and 1976. It was a simpler, less expensive version of the high-end

Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei, Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's pr ...

TLR, aimed at amateur photographers who wanted a high-quality camera but could not afford the expensive Rolleiflex. Several models of Rolleicord were made; the later models generally had more advanced features and tend to be valued higher in today's market. The first Rolleicord, introduced in November 1933, was the Rolleicord I. This camera was a simplified version of the Standard Rolleiflex, with a cheaper 75mm

Zeiss Zeiss or Zeiß may refer to: People *Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), German optician and entrepreneur *Emil Zeiß (1833–1910), German Protestant minister and painter Companies *Carl Zeiss AG, German manufacturer of optics, industrial measurem ...

Triotar

lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

and a simplified film advance mechanism using a knob instead of the crank found on the Rolleiflex. The Rolleicord I was available either with a plain leatherette covering or elaborately patterned metal faceplates. The latter variant is referred to as the "

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

" Rolleicord. The models that have the letters DRP on the left and to the right DRGM on the front of the camera means that they were made before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, because DRP means 'Deutsches Reichspatent' (German Reich patent) and DRGM means 'Deutsches Reichs-

Gebrauchsmuster In German and Austrian patent laws, the ''Gebrauchsmuster'' (GebrM), also known as German utility model or Austrian utility model, is a patent-like, intellectual property right protecting inventions. The Gebrauchsmuster is slightly different from t ...

' (roughly equivalent to a design copyright). In post WW2 models you will find DBP and DBGM. They switched from "Reichs" to "Bundes" (German Federal Patent). Later models incorporated improved designs for the taking lens, a 4-element Schneider Kreuznach Xenar, which also appeared on the Rolleiflex cameras. However, while the Rolleiflex was also available with an f/2.8 lens, the Rolleicord was never offered with a larger aperture than f/3.5, thus ensuring its pedigree as an "amateur" camera. An accessory, known as a

Rolleikin Rollei () was a German manufacturer of optical instruments founded in 1920 by and in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, and maker of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord series of cameras. Later products included specialty and nostalgic type films for the ...

kit, was available for the Rolleicord (and the Rolleiflex) to enable it to accept 35mm film.

List of models

*Rolleicord I (Art Deco) (1933-1936) *Rolleicord I (leatherette) (1934-1936) *Rolleicord Ia (1936-1947) *Rolleicord II (1936-1937) *Rolleicord II, type 2 (1937-1938) *Rolleicord II, type 3 (1938-1939) *Rolleicord II, type 4 (1939-1949) *Rolleicord II, type 5 (1947-1950) *Rolleicord II, type 6 (1949-1950) *Rolleicord III (1950-1953) *Rolleicord IV (1953-1954) *Rolleicord V (1954-1957) *Rolleicord Va (1957-1961) *Rolleicord Vb (1962-1976)

Estimated market desirability

A Vb model with a serial number beginning with 2 or 3 is slightly more valuable in most cases depending on condition first and foremost.

References

{{Reflist

External links

International Rolleiclub website with details on all Rollei modelsRolleiflex/Rolleicord Repair Shops and Related Services World Wide
by Ferdi Stutterheim German cameras Rollei TLR cameras Rollei brands 120 film cameras