Front View (from Right) of Olympusflex TLR Camera

Front View (from Left) of Olympusflex TLR Camera

Rear View of OlympusFlex TLR Camera

Special Thanks to Todd Belcher for Providing These Exciting Photos!

See our Twin Lens Reflex Camera Pages for general resources on TLRs and listings of popular consumer models. The postings below provide some useful insights into these cameras. As the photos show, these TLRs are nice copies of the Rolleiflex models. They can often be found for $100 and up. Note that the bayonets on these TLRs matched that of the Rolleis (and other standard Bayonet mount TLRs), making finding filters and accessories easier. Some of the surprisingly inexpensive Olympusflex TLRs feature f/2.8 taking lenses, for those who need or want faster than the usual f/3.5 optics usually found on such clones.

From Rollei Mailing List:
Date: Sat, 09 Oct 1999
From: todd [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Rollei] Re: OT: Olympusflex TLR

The Ace is an interesting camera. What about that Olympus Standard produced in 1937?

I am not certain why the Olympusflex is so rare and why they are so inexpensive as listed in Mckeowans; although Mackeowans does list three reasons for rarity (improved Rollei, American occupation of Japan ended, and the Korean war ended), why were other Japanese TLR makers able to sell their cameras in numbers sufficient to continue their lines - Yashica for one. It seems that the five models of Olympusflex were produced within a span of only five years or so before Olympus gave up on producing a TLR. There doesn't appear to be a better featured or better built TLR comming from Japan during this time. Granted there was the Airiesflex with Nikkor lenses, but this camera was not nearly as well built as the Olympusflex. And interestingly, the Airiesflex can be found not only with Nikkor lenses, but also with Olymous Zuiko lenses.

Todd

From Rollei Mailing List:
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999
From: todd [email protected]
Subject: [Rollei] Re: OT: Olympusflex TLR

Tony,

I have one of these things in the original box. The viewing lens is a Tessar-type four element lens and the taking lens is indeed a six element optic. The camera is almost as solidly built as a Rollei, with a very high quality feel to it. What is nice is that the shutter release is very close to the focus knob so that one can focus and actually trip the shutter with the same hand, at the same time.

McKeowans lists a few models of Olympusflex, but in over 10 years of collecting TLR, I have never seen another Olympusflex for sale, of any model. I wonder where McKeowan tallied his sales data from for this camera?

Todd

(A TLR I'd really love to get my hands on is the Olympus Flex B I
with a 6-element 75mm f/2.8 Zuiko taking lens....I've yet to see one for
sale.)

regards,
Tony Zoccolillo