Rollei Rolleicord III1950

History

Following the disruption of World War II, Rollei resumed production at the Braunschweig factory and worked to modernize the Rolleicord line. The Rolleicord II had been the last prewar variant; the III was the postwar successor, bringing the body design closer to the contemporary Rolleiflex standard while retaining the cost-saving measures -- knob advance, simpler viewing optics -- that kept the Rolleicord below the Rolleiflex in price and positioning. The addition of the Synchro-Compur shutter with dual sync contacts was the most meaningful functional improvement over the II. The III was succeeded by the Rolleicord IV, which introduced further refinements to the body and film transport.

Why It Matters

The Rolleicord III marks the point at which the Rolleicord line became a fully modern postwar camera rather than a pre-flash-era holdover. Flash sync had become a practical requirement for any camera sold into portrait and wedding photography by 1950, and the III's Synchro-Compur ensured that Rolleicord users could work alongside photographers using Rolleiflex bodies without a meaningful functional disadvantage for most assignments.

The Xenar-equipped version delivered image quality closely comparable to the Rolleiflex's Tessar at equivalent apertures, which reinforced the Rolleicord's position as the sensible alternative to the more expensive body. For photographers who did not require the faster crank advance of the Rolleiflex and were willing to accept the knob transport, the III was a credible professional tool.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• The Rolleicord III was in production during the height of postwar European amateur and semi-professional photography; it appeared in the hands of portrait and press photographers across Germany and the UK during the early 1950s, though specific named photographer attributions are difficult to verify.
• Wedding and portrait studios in Europe and North America adopted postwar Rolleicords as secondary bodies alongside Rolleiflex cameras through the 1950s.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Rolleicord
• Wikipedia: Rolleicord
• Rollei TLR -- The Complete History -- Claus Prochnow.