C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Rollei SL66 (1966) is a 6×6 cm medium-format SLR designed and manufactured in Braunschweig, West Germany by Rollei-Werke. It mounts lenses with integrated Compur/Prontor leaf shutters (syncing at all speeds), incorporates an 8-degree forward tilt for the lens standard (enabling Scheimpflug plane-of-focus control), and accepts interchangeable film backs (120 or 220). The body weighs 2.4 kg — it is a tripod instrument designed for careful, deliberate work, not handheld shooting. Unlike the Hasselblad 500 series, the SL66 has a built-in focal-plane shutter capability (though leaves are the primary shutter); later versions added EV-coupled meter prisms.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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About this camera
West Germany's answer to the Hasselblad — a 6×6 SLR with an 8-degree forward lens tilt, leaf shutters in every lens, and Zeiss or Schneider glass. The camera Ansel Adams ordered when he wanted depth-of-field control in medium format.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 / 220 film (6×6 cm, 12/24 frames) |
| Mount | Rollei SL66 bayonet |
| Years | 1966–1982 |
| Shutter | Leaf shutter in lens: 1s – 1/30s (body); extended to 1/500s in lens |
| Flash sync | All speeds (leaf shutter) |
| Meter | None built-in (metered finder optional) |
| Modes | Manual |
| Finder | Interchangeable — waist-level standard; metered prism optional |
| Lens tilt | 8° forward tilt |
| Weight | ~2,400 g (body only) |
Rollei had dominated medium-format photography with the twin-lens Rolleiflex TLR but found the SLR market dominated by Hasselblad from the early 1950s. The SL66 was their response: a 6×6 SLR with a key technical differentiator, the built-in lens tilt, borrowed from large-format view camera practice. The tilt allows the photographer to control the plane of focus independently of the film plane — tilting toward the subject plane to render a slanted surface sharp throughout, or away to selectively defocus foreground and background while keeping a middle plane sharp. It was used extensively in product photography, architectural interiors, and landscape work where large-format technique was needed but portability mattered. The SL66 was succeeded by the SL66E (1982, built-in exposure memory) and SL66X (1986, added TTL metering). Rollei's camera division underwent bankruptcy and restructuring multiple times; the SL66 line ended in the late 1980s.
The Rollei SL66 is one of a very small number of medium-format SLRs that offer view-camera-style lens tilt without the weight and complexity of a technical camera. For controlled photography — product shots, table-top food photography, close-up still life — the 8-degree tilt transforms what is possible with medium-format film. Combined with Zeiss Planar or Distagon lenses (which cover 6×6 with massive image circles to accommodate tilt without vignetting) or Schneider Kreuznach alternatives, the system delivers image quality that rivals 4×5 large format at a fraction of the setup time.
The camera is mechanically demanding and heavy. It is a studio instrument, not a travel camera. But for what it does — controlled, deliberate medium-format photography with tilt capability and all-speed flash sync — nothing in the 6×6 SLR category matches it. The Hasselblad 500 series cannot tilt. The Bronica SQ cannot tilt. The SL66 can.
Rollei SL66 bayonet. Native lenses all contain integrated Compur/Prontor leaf shutters. Key lenses: Zeiss Distagon 40mm f/4, 50mm f/4, Planar 80mm f/2.8 (standard), Planar 110mm f/2 (rare, fast portrait), Sonnar 150mm f/4, Sonnar 250mm f/5.6, Tele-Tessar 500mm f/8. Schneider alternatives: Super-Angulon 50mm f/4, Xenar 80mm f/2.8, Tele-Xenar 250mm f/5.6. Accessories: waist-level finder (standard), metered prism finder, 45° sports finder, 120 and 220 backs, Polaroid back (with adapter), extension tubes, bellows unit for close-up.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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