The Rolleicord III

In October of 2023 I went on a trip with my family to New York to see my grandmothe. While I was there my Uncle took me around to a couple of his favorite second hand shops. I saw the usual Land Cameras and older Kodaks that tend to pop up in those places, but hidden among some “collectibles” was a small Rollei box. That caught my eye immediately, but when I went over to inspect I found that it was just a couple of filters by themself. No camera. I picked it up anyway because I figured I could use it with my Rolleiflex, and I love the beautiful Rollei boxes for decoration.

Then I saw the familiar sight of the brown leather Rollei case in a glass cabinet. I quickly saw that it was a Rolleicord and had no price tag on it. My uncle went to one of the workers who he knows from his times visiting there, and asked how much. They asked $200, but I was not going to pay that for a Rolleicord when I already have a Rolleiflex. Quickly looking it over, I saw there was no rust and the leather was pretty good. I told him it was probably worth $100 and I don’t know if it works. The guy wasn’t happy with that offer. Then the owner walked over and he said it was fine. I was happy and surprised. I was over the moon because I hadn’t found a good camera in the wild before.

It flew back with us in my carry-on back to Florida. As soon as we got home I got to inspecting it and loading it. After some research and a couple test rolls, I found that the shutter works, and it is a Rolleicord III from the early 1950’s. So let’s get into some info on the Rolleicord.

Just a reminder as with all of my reviews, if you prefer, you can watch my video review instead located at the end of this article.

The Rolleicord III

Franke and Heidecke were well known for high end and pricey cameras by the time they introduced the Rolleicord. If you want to learn more about their beginnings, check out my review of the Original Rolleiflex. But today I’m going to talk about the Rolleicord.

This model was one of the most common ones sold with some 87,000 examples out there. According to my 1962 edition of The Rollei Way, once Rolleiflex started using automatic film transport, they were able to introduce a less expensive model. It goes on to say it was for the photographer who was interested in a twin lens reflex camera without the trimmings of a Rolleiflex. Made to the same standard of precision but with less refinements of operation. I think that is a great way to describe the two sisters.

The Specs

The taking lens on my variant is a coated 75mm Schneider Xenar f/3.5. The viewing lens is a Heidosmat 75mm f3.2. The ground glass on mine is pretty dim. I don’t know if it can be replaced or if it’s worth doing so. It has been an issue when in lower light.

The button in the center of the film advance knob has to be pressed after each frame in order to advance. The shutter then has to be cocked using the lever under the taking lens and then pushed the opposite direction to take a photo. It feels very simple, like an old folding camera, while at the same time having modern features like the automatic stops.

The shutter is a Compur-Rapid with speeds of 1 second up to 1/500th and Bulb. The shutter speeds and aperture are adjusted by two separate levers. While looking down into the camera, you can see the small windows to make these adjustments in the same position.

The Rolleicord uses 120 film and gives 12 frames in square format. The pressure plate inside the door can be pushed to accept 35mm film for using the Rolleikin adapter.

My Experience with the Rolleicord III

This camera, when I compare it to my Rolleiflex Automat made during the same time, is lighter and doesn’t feel as refined. The film advance knob vs the crank on my rolleiflex takes a little more time and makes it feel simpler. The shutter cocking lever on the Rolleicord also contributes to this primitive feel when compared to the Rolleiflex.

However, those things don’t take away from the value of this camera in terms of it doing its job. The Rolleicord III may be the simpler, plain Jane version of the Rolleiflex, but it does the same job.

Ive enjoyed taking this camera on family walks because it is lighter around my neck than my Rolleiflex, and it being a TLR, I found myself less afraid to take photos because I wasn’t blatantly holding up a camera to my eye where everyone could see and get suspicious.

As for picture quality, that comes from the quality of the lens and of the shutter. You can see in several of my photos there is quite a bit of lens flare and a little vignetting. To me this gives it that vintage camera feel that some people may be looking for. For others, it may be a downside of the Rolleicord.

Rolleicord III VS the Rolleiflex Automat

While this isn’t an article comparing the Rolleiflex to the Rolleicord, I suspect that you’re here because you’re trying to choose between a ‘cord or a ‘flex. I would say that my Rolleiflex Automat produces much clearer photos and feels every bit of the price difference when compared to my Rolleicord. When comparing the process of taking a photo with the two, I’d say the Rolleicord is more complex despite it being made for simplicity just because it takes more steps.

With my Rolleiflex I set the speed and aperture with two wheels on either side of the taking lens, and take the photo with a button. The film is advanced and the shutter cocked with one motion of the crank forward and then slightly back. The Rolleicord is set using two separate levers on either side of the taking lens. The shutter cocked by another lever under the same lens, and picture taken by then pushing that lever the opposite direction. Then film is advanced by first pushing in the button on the advance knob before turning the knob to the next frame.

These are all very simple differences. I just wanted to lay them out for anyone who may be trying to decide which one is worth their money, and suited for their needs.

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Final Thoughts

This camera is very special to me because it will always be attached to the memory of my grandmother, who I saw for the last time right before I went to that store that day and found it. You can read about that here. 

I hope that if you are reading this before you purchase a Rollei that it has been some help to you. If you’re here because you love cameras, I hope that you have enjoyed my Rolleicord III journey so far. I have reviewed a 1929 Rolleiiflex Original and I’ve written about my Rolleiflex Automat if you’d like to check those out. I’ll be properly reviewing my Automat soon. I thought I had already! So stay tuned for that.

Let me know in the comments if you prefer a Rolleicord or a Rolleiflex. Do you like TLR cameras or do you prefer SLR’s? Talk to me.

Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.

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