Episode 108 of the Camerosity Podcast is devoted entirely to Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras, a topic the hosts realized they had touched on frequently over the show's run but never covered in a dedicated episode. Hosts Anthony, Paul, Stephen, and Mike (Theo was absent) are joined by a large roster of callers, including first-time caller Sarah Davis, a young camera technician who specializes in repairing mechanical TLRs as well as Nikon and Canon film cameras, having trained under respected technicians. Her presence is highlighted as a hopeful sign for camera repair services amid the retirement and passing of longtime technicians.
The nearly hour-and-forty-minute episode ranges widely across TLR history and gear, starting with the original Rolleiflex (which used 117 film) and moving through beloved medium format models like the Rolleicord, Rolleiflex, Yashica-Mat, Minolta Autocord, Ricoh Diacord, Mamiya C-series, and Meopta Flexaret, as well as oddities like the Voigtländer Superb, Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex, Welta Superfekta/Perfekta, and the Rollei Magic. They also dip into smaller formats, discussing 35mm and subminiature TLRs such as the Agfa Flexilette, Bolsey Model C, Samocaflex 35, Tessina 35, and Goerz Minicord, plus "pseudo-TLR" designs like the Argus 75, Lubitel, and Kodak Duaflex. Callers share personal experiences—some praising specific models' durability, ergonomics, or optics, others admitting they dislike shooting TLRs altogether due to the flipped viewfinder image and difficulty achieving straight horizons. Related technical topics include focusing screen brightness and Fresnel/Rick Oleson bright screens, and a deep dive into leaf shutters versus focal plane shutters, including why most leaf shutters top out around 1/500th and how cameras like the Kodak Chevron/Tourist (1/800th), Graflex Super Speed Graphic (1/1000th), and Minolta V2/V3 pushed beyond that limit.
Overall, the episode serves as a broad, GAS-fueled celebration of TLR design in all its forms—mainstream, rare, oversized, and miniature—rounded out with repair insight, historical trivia, and candid opinions both for and against the format. The hosts close by previewing their next episode, a return to Canon rangefinders, inviting listeners to join future recordings via their Discord, Facebook group, and website.
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Episode 108 is all about a topic we’ve touched upon in a large number of Camerosity Podcast episodes, but after reviewing our show notes, we realized we had never covered thoroughly in a single show. Since you’ve probably already read the title of this post, I can’t really hide that I’m talking about TLRs, or Twin Lens Reflexes for those of you who are acronym-adverse.
Theo was absent for this one because he only likes cameras that involve 7 of something, but joining Anthony, Paul, Stephen and Mike are callers A.J. Gentile, Brian MacDomhnail, Chris Sherlock, Ethan, Joao Gomes, Howard Sandler, Jeremy Scott, Norris Liu, Robert Rotoloni, Sarah Davis, and Will Pinkham.
We quickly get started with some TLR history and then introduce a couple of our first time callers. One such caller for the show was long time listener/first time caller, Sarah Davis who repairs cameras and specializes in TLRs. What Sarah lacks in gray hairs she more than makes up for in experience. Studying under some well respected camera technicians, Sarah has learned from the best and can now tear down most mechanical TLRs and Nikon film cameras, bringing them back up to life. We regularly hear of long time technicians retiring or passing away and it is refreshing to have a new option for your camera repair needs.
As you should expect, we cover a tremendous amount of GAS including some of our favorite models medium format, 35mm, and subminiature TLRs. In the roughly hour and forty minutes runtime, we cover the gamut from some of the most popular Rollei and Yashica TLRs to some really wild and rare models like the Welta Superfekta, the Tessina 35, AGFA Flexilette, and we even take the opportunity to talk about our beloved Chuzhao (which isn’t actually a TLR). Mike discusses the closest he’ll ever come to shooting a Nikon TLR, why he hates the label “Pseudo TLR”, and shares some trivia about interchangeable lens TLRs.
If you were to assume that an entire episode about TLRs would attract everyone who loves shooting TLRs, you’d be mistaken as we hear from a couple callers who aren’t fond of the design, especially the horizontally flipped viewfinder, and why it can be difficult to get perfectly straight horizons.
In addition to TLRs, we cover topics that are TLR-adjacent such as some of the different designs of focusing screens, why Rick Oleson’s screens are better, and some fascinating pros and cons to leaf shutters, including why most of them can’t actually move any faster than 1/500th of a second.
As always, the topics we discuss on the Camerosity Podcast are influenced by you! Please don’t feel like you have to be an expert on a specific type of camera, or have the level of knowledge on par with other people on the show. We LOVE people who are into shooting or collecting cameras, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, so please don’t consider your knowledge level to be a prerequisite for joining!
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
For our next episode, we will be revisiting Canon rangefinders (again). We tried to do this for Episode 108 but had to push it back due to a scheduling conflict, but we’re giving it another go! The last time we spent a majority of an episode on these wonderful cameras was way back in Episode 18, so we thought it was time to invite some newer fans of the show to call in and share which models they love and whatever else they want to talk about! We will record Episode 109 on Monday, May 18th at 7pm Central Daylight Time, 8pm Eastern Daylight Time, and 6pm Canada Saskatchewan Time. For more time zones, please consult the World Time Buddy calculator and plug in your time. Make sure you set your calendars and look out for the show announcement at the usual locations and be prepared to join us!
In This Episode
Quick TLR History / The Original Rolleiflex Used 117 Film- Original Rolleiflex compared to Rolleiflex T (photo)
- First-time caller Ethan has four TLRs, but confesses he doesn’t like shooting them
- Stephen Strangways find he tilts not only film TLRs, but also the digital Chuzhao and Paul Rybolt figures it’s due to shutter button placement
- Paul likes the Rolleicord and Rolleiflex, but hates identifying them. Xenons, Xenars, Planars, and Tessars, oh my!
- Sarah Davis fixes Yashica, Rollei, and Mamiya TLRs, as well as some Nikon and Canon SLRs
- Chris Sherlock of Retina Rescue has repaired some Tele Rolleiflexes: “try and take note of what I took apart, and put it back together so it works.”
- Sarah shares why the Yashica TLRs, after the Pigeonflex and Yashima Flex, are so durable
- Brian MacDomhnail took Mike’s advice to pick up a Yashica-D to replace his Lomo Lubitel
- Mike finds the non-Mat TLRs are simpler and smoother, Sarah recommends the Yashica-Mat LM and EM
Anthony Rue had a Rolleiflex 2.8E that he traded for a Leica M4-2, but kept his Yashica Mat 124, but shoots his Meopta Flexaret VI the most,- Anthony also loves his Voigtländer Superb, and Mike has a theory as to why it’s so different
- Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex “coffee can”
- Focusing screen brightness, Fresnel lenses, Rick Oleson Bright Screens, Martin Seelig’s mirrors
- A.J. Gentile has tips on shooting with TLRs
- Howard Sandler thinks the Minolta Autocord and Ricoh Diacord have great ergonomics, Sarah has some repair insights into them, and Mike explains the Autocord’s backwards film loading
- Leaf shutters vs. focal plane shutters, and the tricks used to get leaf shutters beyond 1/500th, as on the 1/800th Kodak Chevron and Tourist, the Graflex Super Speed Graphic’s 1/1000th, and the Minolta V2 and V3
Are the Mamiya C-series cameras, TLRs with interchangeable lenses, huge and reliable, or just huge?- The Koni-Omegaflex M is even bigger / Rex Reflex
- The reason for TLRs, and medium format film
- Going smaller: Agfa Flexilette, Bolsey Model C, Samocaflex 35, the Gakkenflex DIY kit
- Even smaller yet: Tessina 35, GemFlex, Goerz Minicord
- Is it a pseudo-TLR, or something else? Argus 75, Voigtländer Brillant, Lubitel, Kodak Duaflex, Bedfordflex, Windsorflex
- Paul’s Rollei Magic Rant, and why it breaks Mike’s brain
- João Gomes on the underappreciated Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex and Ikoflex III
Norris Liu’s funky Toyocaflex 35, Welta Superfekta and Perfekta- Paul’s 1937 Minoltaflex (photo he sent in FB group chat)
- Jeremy Scott brings up f/2.8 TLRs with his Rollei, and Mike has a Fujicaflex
- Anthony’s Ansco Automatic Reflex 3.5 regret, Mike expands on the history of them, and Norris has a Rocca Super Reflex
- Will Pinkham opens a can of worms about viewing and taking lenses
- Stephen didn’t think his Mamiya C330f was too huge, just too convoluted, and servicing simpler cameras to keep them working
- Wrapping it up with some one-off TLR models
- A surprise guest swoops in like a Seagull
Links
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, Stephen, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
Order Your Very Own Camerosity Podcast T-Shirt! – https://www.zazzle.com/z/tbykl0hg
Sarah Davis Photo and Repair – https://www.sdavisphotorepair.com/
Chris Sherlock – Retina Rescue – https://retinarescue.com/
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Camerosity in Spanish Podcast – https://camerosity.es/
Theo Panagopoulos – https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt – https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris – https://thisoldcamera.net/
Anthony Rue – https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
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Podcast Addict – https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/camerosity/3600607
Mike this is a great episode, thank you. I’ve always been curious about TLRs but always got overwhelmed with the amount of information out there.
It was also really cool to hear from Sarah, someone younger who is fighting the good fight
Great episode, I learned a lot. As a bit of a TLR guy, I now have a few additional things on my list. Thanks (I think!) The British made MPP Microcord is a nice camera and a clone of the Rolleicord. Well made with a nice Ross Xpres lens. The more expensive Microflex has the unusual Taylor Taylor Hobson ‘Micronar’ lens at 77.5mm focal length and has the reputation of being a great lens and one that is exclusive to the camera. I have tried to find out more about the lens, and a number of sources say it is a 5 element lens. However, the user manual says it is a 4 element and doubt the manufacturer would have got that wrong, so probably just a nice Tessar clone. Can’t find a lens diagram anywhere. I have one, but have only shot a couple of rolls through it thus far. Sharp, but reserving judgement on other characteristics until I’ve put a bit more film through it. The screen is really dim, so I may get a Rick Oleson replacement in due course and a new mirror, although mine is surprisingly clean. It also has a reputation for advance problems and a complicated re-load sequence together with a double exposure lever that allows you to cock the shutter without advancing the film, which seems a needless complication. It should have been made by Zeiss really!