5 Frames testing two Rollei A110 cameras

This is a tale of a test roll, well a test cassette, loaded in two Rollei A110 (110 format) cameras. Bottom line: one camera produced over 15 frames before failing while the other failed immediately. The shutter on one gradually failed while the other never advanced to the next frame. But the images that were made were better than expected. It’s cute. A passerby even told me as much.

And could not agree more with this:

With the recent launch of the Lomomatic 110, 110 photography is definitely on the rise. 35mmc has a recent 5 frames article on 110 film 5 Frames with Lomography Orca 110 monochrome film. I also knew from this review that the Rollei A110 was a high-end scale-focus camera with a glass lens and other features. Initial price: over $1400US adjusted to today’s currency. 

Several months ago, two Rollei A110 cameras arrived – one bundled with a Rollei 16s (16mm still camera) and the other on offer on a site with a Rollei A26. The Rollei A110 and A26 were both designed by Heinz Waaske, of Rollei 35 fame. That’s another story.

After the first two sets of cameras arrived (one from across the pond) it was time to test with Lomography film – the only option without having to reload a 110 cartridge.

Fortunately Freestyle Photo stocks Lomography 110 cassettes. Selected Orca, (ISO 100 b/w) and Tiger (ISO 200 colour).

The Rollei A110 is an easy carry. Without the ubiquitous chain, I managed to hook a removable strap that works, albeit ugly and out of scale. Ready to go with one camera in hand loaded with b/w and the other cossetted in a cross body bag along with an Altoids tin containing the other cartridge.

110 cameras are easy to load, advance to the first frame to start and then to subsequent frames. At the end, there’s no rewind. Just advance a few frames and then remove the cartridge for processing.

But 110 film is supposedly crappy. In general yes. But you be the judge.

Testing

There were two goals in mind – to see whether: 

1. The cameras worked (and all that that entails).
2. The Rollei A110 was a match for me, and therefore worth pursuing (even though they both failed).

I could have opted for “test” shots. But that’s boring and it is not a very good use case. Instead opted to photograph something interesting, focusing near/far and taking it out just like any other camera. The small format supposedly doesn’t lend itself to grand views… Really?

Twenty-four frames might not seem like a lot. Seven frames on a 116 camera seems right. But that’s just me. It took several trips to finish. I was just being selective.

After finishing, off it went to IconLa, after a bit of work. This seemed simpler than hand-processing. Just removed film from cartridge, stored it in a 135 canister with the top on and taped (saving the cartridge for reloading) and told them the film type to process at box and leave uncut.

In preparation I had 3d printed a frame for flatbed scanning at the Octavia lab. I had to redesign and print it, adding yet another delay.

Yes there were problems scanning. But I found workarounds.

The images

Takeaways

The Rollei A110 images are rather sharp.

I wonder how the colour Tiger Lomography film will fare.

Let’s just say playing with the Rollei A110 cameras was an experience. An enjoyable one at that. Totally different from the other scale-focus cameras. I’m hooked.

Now to fix the two Rollei A110 cameras. I have a third Rollei A110 for parts/repair. And a Rollei E110 arrived later – aperture priority, more like the Lomography Lomomatic 110 with one additional aperture (f/16) to the two of the Lomography Lomomatic 110 (2,8 and 5,6).

Here’s an idea of why one might consider the subminiature camera space, even after examining the larger format 116 cameras. Ari Jaaks alludes to this in his review of the Lomomatic 110: to reinvigorate creativity, encapsulated in three well-known phrases:

• The perfect is the enemy of the good, attributed to Voltaire. Think pixel-peeping, and a shooting experince that might provide an antithesis.
• Less is more – or minimalism in design, the motto of the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In opposition, the architect Robert Venturi coined :  Less is a bore
• The paradox of choice, in Poetics of Music, Igor Stravinsky states this clearly:

My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint diminishes strength. The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self of the chains that shackle the spirit.

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