Rolleiflex 6008, 6001, 6002, 6003, 6006 – Beyond Hassy?

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Rolleiflex 6000’s

I’ve owned the Rollei 6008 non-AF model with 80mm Zeiss lens for years, but I had to borrow specs from Wiki and Philip Greenspun. (and comments on Luminous Landscape to a lesser degree) This is a VERY complicated camera, as you’ll soon see. Very technologically  advanced for its time. And, yes, they do have a model that is fully compatible with digital backs. But I only used film. And I’m not a very techie guy. When most people think of Rollei’s, they think TLR’s used by Helmut Newton or Vivian Maier. This is a very different camera.

 

Rollei 6008

 

A Supercharged Hassy

The Rollei 6008 Integral is a medium format SLR, ala the Hasselblad 500 series.  The 6008 is part of the successful 6000 series which launched in the mid 80’s. There was the SLX, 6006, 6002, 6003,(a cheaper 6008) The 6000-series introduced major electronic features such as multiple light metering modes in body, making it light years ahead of my 503 Hassy. Which had just had a shutter failure. So when I brought it in to be fixed, this was sitting in a display at Wall St Camera, so I said “what the hey!’ (I usually went to Adorama, but WSC had a quicker repair turn around on the Hassy)

Also had TTL auto flash metering, programmed exposure control, auto bracketing, the built-in roller dark slide, and eventually,  autofocus. Although mine is manual focus. The Rolleiflex 6000 series blew away the others at that time , namely Hasselblad and Mamiya. Weirdly, they never caught on in a big way. Probably because they were a bit too automated, and most photographers were uncomfortable depending on the rechargeable batteries they required. (guess that’s changed in the digital era) Image wise, the Zeiss lenses are identical to Hasselblad in every sense. So, the images are identical,…square format and all. Of course, eventually even Hassy’s had batteries, as do all digital cameras. For the 6000 series, digital backs were also available later. The lenses contain a fast linear motor driven leaf shutter (max. speeds 1/500 or 1/1000 sec.) and motor drive. Almost like a medium format Nikon F4s/F5.

All the 6000s are Awesome

The Rollei 6008 is really an amazing machine, and I think Hasselblad was caught off guard at the time. I have no problems going back and forth between a Hassy, Nikon F5 and this medium format auto drive wonder.

Some say they were copying the 6×6 format of the Hassys. But remember, the TLR Rolleiflexes used by a Helmut Newton, etc., are also 6×6. Lenses, film magazines and viewfinders are interchangeable. Each lens is a leaf shutter and diaphragm electronically controlled from the camera body. In fact, you can get Rolleigon, Zeiss or Schneider- Kreuznach lenses. I use Zeiss, but was told (anecdotal), that the Schneider images would cut you like a straight razor. I don’t see how they could be sharper than the Zeiss, but I think the pricing is over the top for a ‘maybe’ incremental increase in sharpness or contrast. And, anyway, I shoot people/fashion, not detailed landscapes.

 

Rollei 6008
Miles Davis by © William Coupon

 

The Bad

One bad thing, (when new), was same focal length lenses were about a $1000 more. Nowadays, they are about the same. The other deal is it has a rechargeable battery. This was the main objection by the Hassy crowd. However, I’ve never had a battery go bad or drain on a job, and have spares anyway. I think the “mechanical” everything guys were trying to over think a “what if” scenario.

Lots of film backs are available, including 120, 220, 70mm, 6x6cm and 6×4.5cm, and Polaroid of course. Moving a handle took care of the dark slide. You can’t remove the back without first doing that. What a GREAT idea. No more forgetting the darkslide! The ISO dial coupled to camera makes it almost impossible to not get the right ISO dialed in and coupled to the meter. But, one of the greatest things I like is only needing one back. Instead of having pre-loaded backs, I just have multiple pre-loaded inserts. And they are easier to change out than the Hassy A12 back. 

 

Rollei 6008

 

It’s true the Rollei backs were more expensive than Hasselblad’s. But not anymore, and you only need relatively inexpensive “inserts”. (see video) And while the motor drive can only attain 2 FPS, for medium format, that’s pretty good, and a Godsend for people/fashion. (and probably weddings)

Autoload Film

Loading film is almost as easy as an F5 with it’s autoloading motor drive. Maximum sharpness is a breeze. (by keeping a totally flat film plane with the autoload) Viewfinders are an easy change from the stove pipe to the 45 and 90 prism finders. When not in the studio, the  Rollei 6008 TTL flash works well with the Metz and compatible SCA module employed. However, with the built in motor drive, 9.6V battery, etc. the camera is heavier than any 500 series Blad. (although much lighter than a Mamiya RZ67) Also, the action grip is optional,… but I consider a must have for handheld work. (in my opinion)

 

Rollei 6008
Rolleiflex 6000 series with ‘Action Handle”

 

The meter LED’s are quite visible, even in bright sun, and the viewfinder is about equivilent to a Hassy with an optional Britescreen. So, no 3rd party screen is necessary.  And metering is always spot on! Spot, Center Weighted, and Multi-Pattern. Almost like a Nikon F5. (Nikon is a little better on the Multi in backlighted situations,…but that was always Nikon’s forte)

 

Rollei 6008
© Federico Mastrianni with 80mm Zeiss lens on Rollei and Kodak Tri-X

 

Rollei 6008 (and others) Joy

In essence, the camera is a joy to use. My only caveat would be that it is an electronic camera. And failure would, in all likelihood, be catastrophic. (batteries are easy 10 second changeouts,…I’m talking about some circuit board,…which I’ve never heard of happening) But then, so would your Canon 5D. A PDF datasheet from Rollei for the 6001, 6002 and 6008 is available HERE.

Rollei made the 6001, 6002, 6003, 6006 and 6008 models. They are all equally awesome. And cheap right now. Not easy to find, but if you love the square, (or 645), format, this is the ticket. Having used both the Mamiya and Hassy,… it’s “my opinion”. Although a slightly kludgy and heavy Mamiya RB67/RZ67’s illustrious 6×7 negative is hard to argue with. 😲

Rollei 6008

Rollei 6002

Rollei 6006

 

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Paul Jansen

    Thanks for posting this.
    I also own and use a 6008i with great joy. I have the camera body, plus action grip, and the 45° prism. My glass: the Zeiss 40 f/4.0 FLE, Distagon 50mm f/4.0, Planar 80mm f/2.8, Makro-Planar 120mm f/4.0, and the Schneider Tele-Xenar 180mm f/2.8. The 50mm and 80mm are the EL version which meant that the glass came from Zeiss but were assembled by Rollei. These lenses were cheaper than the proprietary Zeiss version and lacked the 1/1000s shutter times, and the bayonet filter mount. They reach ‘only’ to 1/500s and use a threaded filter mount, but I am not troubled by that. I realize that I am a lucky bastard with these beautiful optics. Although I must add that I bought the 120mm and the 40mm second hand. I remember that in 2001, when I bought my gear, the 40mm went for a RSP of 5400 euro, ough! I luckily got it a few years later, used, for a third of that.

    I shoot the 6008i regularly, as hobby, and mainly shoot slide film Fuji Provia, and Kodak Portra. Having to use a battery isn’t such a bad thing. My first battery has been refurbished. There are a couple of German companies who run this service. I don’t have any battery issues and mine works fine, although I don’t shoot much, maybe 20 rolls per year. Using my camera is a great joy. I must admit that lugging it around with my complete lens set is an endurance test of my 1.9m non-fit frame, but strangely enough that sort of in my mind goes together with using 6×6. It is heavy gear and it does take an effort. Even doing a hand-held portrait session using only the 180 mm f/2.8 is a small workout. Camera, prism, and Tele-Xenar combo then weighs 4.5 kilo! Nevertheless, the results are amazing. When viewing slides on the light table, I am always astonished by the image quality.

    The kicker, however, is projecting slides on a screen at least 1.5 x 1.5 m. For this, I also went overboard and bought the Rollei 66 dual P projector included with the AV-Xenotar 2.8/150 mm HFT. Oh goodness! Once a year I run a 6×6 slide show for my digital shooting photo friends. When they watch 6×6 slides projected for the first time, or even for the umpteenth time, they always fall of their seats as they get hit in the face by the tone, depth, sharpness, and overall awesomeness of medium format in this digital age. The reactions of my friends to the projected images are priceless.

    The camera was and is always overshadowed by Hasselblad, Mamiya, Pentax, and Contax. Try to find more than one comprehensive video on the 6008i, or even the whole 6000 series, on YouTube? It’s not there. There’s a short one in Italian, and an English one showing how to load film. That’s it. But there must have been thousands of owners of these cameras!? Maybe it doesn’t have the cool-factor in the eyes of the cool-dude-hipsters who run the YouTube channels. They don’t know what they’re missing! The Rolleiflex 6008i has all the hallmarks of a classic.

    Happy shooting!

  2. Wil

    I totally with your assessment of this wonderful camera system. Who are the German companies that rebuild 6008I series batteries?

  3. AnatomyFilms

    Hi Wil,

    I’ve just replaced batteries, (actually only once), by buying them on Ebay. However, if you go to https://rolleigraphy.org/repair.php you will find a list that covers many countries with repair/CLA facilities for the 6000 series Rolleiflexes. Mine is still going strong.

    Federico

  4. AnatomyFilms

    Thanks for the links Hendrik. 😊

  5. Eric Hiss

    Nice article!
    The evolution of the 6000 series really starts with the SL 66 introduced in 1966, then came the SLX, then the 6006, 6002, several 6008’s, then the Hy6 and currently in production (Oct 2020) Hy6 Mod2 with firmware v3.31. There isn’t really anything to Rolleiflex copying the Hasselblads. There is some truth to the Schneider lenses being sharper than Zeiss – in many cases they are newer designs than the Zeiss and they are sharper wide open than the Zeiss counterparts generally though by f/8 they are very close the same. One notable exception is the Zeiss 110/2 for Rollei, which I believe is better than the Hasselblad version. Zeiss and Schneider also render bokeh and color differently. The Schneider line up for Rollei are all color matched and have similar bokeh, so if you were doing a film shoot, you would get the same look without regelling lights even if you changed focal lengths during the job.

    Great to see one of William Coupon’s images here – he’s got a beautiful book of his portraits available – check it out!

    As far as batteries for 6000 series go, many places will rebuild them. Wiese Fototechnik has the lithium solution and it’s great. Paepke in Germany can rebuild the batteries as well, and in the US, I can recommend Key Camera Service though there are many others. The big thing to avoid about the NiMH batteries is them getting hot which destroys the chemistry.

  6. Volker Muth

    This is a omment from Volker sent to me offline, due to his having issues with posting. (????)

    I use a 6008 professional since several years. When I bought the camera it came with the old NiCad cells. They worked well but discharged after several months. Anyway I never have lost a photo due to low batteries. I currently use Ni-MH (nickel metal hydride) cells with 1300 mAh from Paepke Fototechnik in Duesseldorf (Germany). This requires either a new and much smaller charger from Paepke or the modification of the Rollei charger C. Since that time, discharging cells is not an issue any more. The use of Lithium polymer cells was never approved by Rollei. Especially DIY solutions but also Lithium polymer cells can damage the motherboard of the camera as comprehensive knowledge on the internal voltage is required. In the US the new charger and new cells can be bought at Rolleiflex USA, an authorized dealer: https://rolleiflex.us/collections/batteries

    Best regards,
    Volker

  7. Piero

    Nice camera, but apparently no company still repair it anymore. Not Paepke nor DW and certainly not Rolleiflex US. And failures do happen. A point to consider before buying one second hand.

  8. Anatomy Films

    Hi Piero,

    Actually, both Harry Fleenor, (https://www.rolleirepairs.com/), and Mark Hansen, (http://www.zeissikonrolleirepair.com/), will repair various Rolleis. However, this is a valid issue for many film cameras. And don’t forget the service list provided by Rolleiflex USA. (https://rolleiflex.us/pages/frontpage) But that still hasn’t deterred 20% of Japanese still shooting film and Pentax from releasing a new film camera this year. 😀 And other than replacing the battery after 20 years on my 6008, (https://www.anatomyfilms.com/rollei-6008-6002-6003-6006/), the camera has been humming along for a couple of decades! (knock on wood)

    Cheers
    AF

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