[Rollei] Original Rollei Prototype

[todd belcher <todd_belcher >]

I recently bought an old Original Rollei camera to add to my 
collection. I wanted it because it appeared to be an early one and 
although I have several Original Rolleiflex cameras  in my collection, 
I lacked a really  early one.

The camera arrived and it is different from any other Original Rollei I 
had seen before. After some poking about in the literature, I found a 
reference to an Original Rollei prototype in Claus Prochnow's Rollei 75 
Year Anniversary book - which is in German and English. In it is a 
description of the prototype and this camera I have purchased matches 
his description. He also stated that of the 10 prototype cameras made, 
only one is known to survive and that is owned by the City Museum of 
Brunswick in Germany. I do not own any other of Claus Prochnow's books 
and do not know if he has any other info on the prototype in his books. 
If anyone has more info on this camera I would be pleased to know about 
it. I have posted pics of my camera on the Rollei Gallery:

http://www.rollei-gallery.net/-todd/folder-6095.html


An unusual feature of this camera is that the front is actually screwed 
in place with four screws that are visible in the corners of the front. 
Unlike any other Rollei TLR (other than the RolleiMagic), the lenses 
themselves move in and out to focus independently of the front cover.

todd

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