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.
View profile →tlr-medium-format
The Rolleiflex 2.8E2 (~1959) is the second sub-variant of the Rolleiflex 2.8E, distinct from the original 2.8E by the introduction of a **removable focusing hood** -- the waist-level finder detaches to allow fitting of an accessory prism or sports finder directly. Optically and mechanically, the 2.8E2 is otherwise the same as the 2.8E: **Bay III** fitting, **Synchro-Compur** leaf shutter (1s - 1/500s + B), and a choice of **Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8** or **Schneider-Kreuznach Xenotar 80mm f/2.8** taking lens.
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.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
Develop — film
We're growing the lab directory near you. Browse all labs.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The 2.8E variant with a refined removable finder and no selenium meter - the cleanest no-meter 2.8 body before the 2.8F.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 film, 6x6cm (12 exp per roll) |
| Mount | Fixed, Bay III accessories |
| Taking lens | Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 OR Schneider Xenotar 80mm f/2.8 |
| Viewing lens | Heidosmat 80mm f/2.8 |
| Years | ~1959-1960 |
| Shutter | Synchro-Compur leaf: 1s - 1/500s + B |
| Flash sync | X-sync |
| Meter | None (on standard E2 production) |
| Exposure modes | Manual |
| Film advance | Crank (shutter auto-cocked) |
| Viewfinder | Removable waist-level hood; matte + sports finder |
| Battery | None |
| Weight | ~ |
The 2.8E series (1956-1960) divides into three sub-variants: the original 2.8E (selenium meter on front panel), the 2.8E2 (~1959, removable hood, revised meter arrangement), and the 2.8E3 (~1961, final iteration). The 2.8E2 sits at the transition between the selenium-meter-standard 2.8E and the E3, which refined the meter further in preparation for the 2.8F (1960).
The removable hood introduced on the E2 was a meaningful ergonomic improvement: the original 2.8E's hood was fixed, requiring a clip-on adapter to use a prism finder. The E2's detachable hood made it simpler to switch between waist-level and eye-level configurations -- a feature Rollei carried forward through the 2.8F and all subsequent Bay III bodies.
The 2.8E2 was in production only briefly, approximately one year or less, before the 2.8F arrived in 1960. It is therefore less commonly encountered than either the 2.8E or the 2.8F.
For photographers seeking the Rolleiflex 2.8 optics -- the Planar or Xenotar 80/2.8, among the most highly regarded medium-format lenses of the postwar period -- at a discount from the 2.8F's used price, the 2.8E2 offers an attractive combination: the same optical formula, the removable hood of later bodies, and (on meterless examples) no failing selenium cell to worry about.
The 2.8F commands significant premiums on the used market partly for its cosmetic refinements and partly for its metered finder. The 2.8E2 produces identical image quality and costs less. The trade-off is a less polished body, slightly older shutter mechanism, and limited service documentation compared with the better-studied 2.8F.
Bay III accessory compatibility is fully retained -- any Bay III filter, Rolleinar close-up set, or prism finder usable on a 2.8F works equally on a 2.8E2.
The taking lens is fixed. Bay III accessories are fully compatible across all Bay III Rolleiflex bodies:
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →Rollei
Image coming soon