Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/27

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Subject: Rolleiflex 3003 System
From: Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 16:38:27 -0400

At 09:37 AM 8/27/97 -0800, Donal Philby wrote:
>The 3003 is the 35mm system, yes?  I remember looking at it some years
>ago as the one truly innovative system.  Especially for us location
>shooters working with lights and needing a polaroid back, it seemed
>wonderful.  Even the way it fit the hand.  The lenses were reported to
>be excellent (typically Rollei), if limited in scope.  
>
>I especially loved the interchangeable backs.
>
>Is the system still made??  Perhaps it was just too innovative for the
>traditional market.

The 3003 was withdrawn from commercial sales in 1995, though it does remain
available for technical and industrial applications, especially in a
photogrammetric variant with a Reseau screen.

I am a bit surprised by the remark about a 'limited' lens line:
Rollei-marketed lenses for the system (1-pin for the SL35, 2-pin for the
SL350 to SL35/Voigtlander VSL3-E, and 3-pin for the later models) ranging
from the 3.5/15 Distagon (identical, of course, to the Leica Super-Elmar-R)
to the massive 5.6/1000 Mirotar.  The 3003 really was the inexpensive way
to get into Carl Zeiss lenses, as most of the Rollei QBM variants cost a
bit less than the Oberkochen Contarex lenses or Kyocera Contax SLR gear.

Marc


msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!