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Rollei TLR Photographers

Classic Rolleicord IV Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Camera

Built between 1952 and 1954 the Rolleicord IV is a superbly built, rugged film camera with wonderful optics that does not have a built-in metering system, does not take interchangeable lenses or batteries.

The Rolleicord IV is a very tactile camera from loading the film to cradling the camera in the palm of your hand for taking pictures to removing the film. The camera is covered with embossed leather and has metal plated edges on the front and back.

Knobs are turned for focusing and advancing the film. The shutter speed is set by moving the lever to the right of the taking lens up or down until the required speed appears in the peep window above and to the right of the taking lens. To set the aperture move the left-hand lever up or down until the required aperture number appears in the peep window immediately above it. The shutter is cocked manually by pulling the lever below the taking lens to the right and is released by pulling the lever to the left.

The original case for the camera is leather as are the cases for the lens hood and close up supplementary lenses known as Rolleinars.

And the camera is extremely quiet as well. It makes a lovely, soft whirring sound as the picture is being taken especially on long exposures.

Because the size of the film is 6 x 6cm (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches), the camera records an amazing amount of detail. Everything I saw through the viewfinder is on the film. When I look at my transparencies under a lupe, I usually notice even more details that escaped me while I was looking at the scene.

How does a TLR work?

The two lenses placed very close together on a single front plate move in and out of focus together. The twin lens is like having two cameras in one body where the bottom lens produces the picture on the film and top lens shows what will be in the picture and whether it is sharp. Whatever the bottom lens sees, the top one shows it on the ground-glass screen. When the picture is actually taken the top viewing lens never blacks out so you always have an uninterrupted view and can see if anything spoils the picture.

Seeing square

Looking through the waist level viewfinder with the physically large viewing screen takes some getting used to because you are peering down onto the ground-glass screen with both eyes and seeing the whole image upright in a square format that is reversed left to right. So if your subject is moving to the right you must remember to move the camera to the left i.e. in the opposite direction. By watching your subject on the viewing screen you soon get used to doing this. The flip-down focusing magnifier meant to be used close to the eye shows an enlarged view of the screen approximately 2.5 times magnification for critical focusing. While composing the image you decide exactly how you want your final image to be, for example horizontal or vertical, and then allow enough room for cropping.

Loading film

The Rolleicord uses 120-size medium format roll film with 12 frames to a roll. The roll film has a paper backing that runs the full length of the film. The negatives or transparencies are 6 x 6cm (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches) in size. Commonly referred to as the 6x6 format, the 6X6 image is composed of a vertical 6X4.5 and a horizontal 6X4.5. With a negative this size you can enlarge any part of the final image and still have fine, sharp detail.

Unlike the 35mm canister film that you simply drop into the back of the camera, 120 roll film comes on a spool wrapped in a sealed foil pouch that you tear open to get to the film. After removing the glued piece of paper that seals the film spool closed you put the film in the lower chamber colored and printed side outwards and pull the beginning of the backing paper over the rollers up to the take-up spool and insert the tapered end into the take-up spool as far as it will go. With the back still open advance the film until the arrow on the film lines up with the little red dot at the side of the film gate. Close the back of the camera, lock it and turn the film advance knob until it automatically locks at the first frame. The number 1 will appear in the round film counter window.

Double and multiple exposures

At any time double or multiple exposures can be made with the Rolleicord IV. To make more than one exposure on one negative simply push the little round serrated stud that is to the left of the viewing lens down so that a small red dot is uncovered. In this position the shutter setting lever can be set and released as many times as required without having to wind the film.

When finished, wind the film to next frame and push the stud upwards so the red dot is no longer showing. Now single exposures can be made until a double exposure is again required. The red dot is intended to serve as a warning that double exposures are possible because it is so easy to forget to reset the stud and when not thinking or working in a hurry forget to advance the film to the next frame for single exposures.

Time exposures

For exposures longer than one second set the shutter speed to 'B'. If not using a cable release push the shutter lever to the right and then holding the camera in position push the shutter lever to the left holding it in position for the length of the exposure. Let go of the shutter lever to close the shutter.

A cable release can be screwed into the cable release socket that is pointing downwards and slightly outward just below the taking lens. When a cable release is screwed into the socket it does not interfere with any lens accessory. When shopping for a cable release it is advisable to take your camera with you to the store to make sure modern-day cable releases work with your camera. Not all cable releases sold today will work with your Rolleicord IV.

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Free Rolleicord and Rolleiflex TLR manuals and brochures - Links to other web sites

A big thanks to these people who are offering their scanned manuals and brochures for free or a very small donation.

Rolleicord IV in practical use instruction manual fully describes the camera's features as well as the correct methods of handling the camera. Includes many hints, photographs and rules.

Rollei Manual: the complete book of twin-lens photography, 3rd edition by Alec Pearlman includes the Rolleicord IV camera. Excellent reference handbook on Rolleiflex and Rolleicord cameras. This link takes you to the page where the book has been divided into 4 pdf format files for ease of downloading. The 3rd section discusses the Rolleicord IV in detail complete with diagrams. Be sure to check out the link to the main menu for more Rollei manuals and booklets.

Rolleiflex / Rolleicord Booklet is a 22-page booklet in a pdf format file giving you an overview of Rolleiflex and Rolleicord cameras and accessories. Includes reference to the Rolleicord II camera. Photographs show what you can do with the Rollei cameras.

Rolleiflex / Rolleicord practical accessories gives detailed instructions for using Rollei accessories such as Rolleinars, Rolleikins, filters, plate adapters, panorama head, Rolleifix tripod head, Rolleimeter for the Rolleiflex, and Rollei flash.

Photo Manual Index includes Rollei manuals and brochures for the Rollei green filter, Rollei orange and red filters, Rollei pistol grip, Rollei practical accessories (1954), Rollei practical accessories (1960), Rolleiflash 2, Rolleiflex MX-EVS, and Rolleiflex Standard. Some of the manuals are multi-lingual including the English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese languages.

1961 Rollei Catalogue scans from the R.F. Hunter Ltd, London catalogue.

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Rolleicord IV specifications

Rolleicord IV camera with accessories

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Document last updated 2011 October 15

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• Photographs and text © 2004 - 2011 Kathy Voegtle. All rights reserved.