Ciro-Flex: The American TLR

TLR:  German Dominance after WWII

Most of us weren't around for the "TLR craze" right after WWII, but there were many budding photographers who were very intrigued by the quality of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord's that were coming out of Germany.  At that time, a Rollei would set you back $157 (around $1,570 today), so it wasn't a small purchase.  And that left the door open for some American camera companies to step in and fill a gap.

The Ciro camera company was one such company.  They introduced the Ciro-Flex TLR and it was $89 (around $890 today).  

It wasn't as fancy or refined as the Rollei, but with a slightly longer coated 85mm lens over the German non-coated 75mm, and a triplet lens design similar to the Rolleicord (a Tessar-type lens would be introduced later on the f/3.2 Model F). It provided superior edge-to-edge performance at a lower cost than the Rollei.  The Ciro-Flex was a hit.  Things were going along great for American companies, until Japan started making TLR's too, and they had brighter screens, more features and cheaper prices.  The Ciro-Flex company fell by the wayside.

And now, in 2014, the price difference is MUCH more.  A nice Rolleicord III goes from $250-450...and that's why I first got my Ciro-Flex...for a whopping $20.

Comparing a Rolleicord III and the Ciro-Flex Model C

I recently fixed the infinity focus on my buddies Rolleicord III and got a chance to put a roll of Ilford XP2 through it.  

Let's just get this out of the way.  

The Rolleicord is a much more refined piece of machinery, and I can see why people lust after them.  Smooth focus, small, light and robustly built.  The WLF is dim, but not as bad as I had heard.  Nowhere near the brightness of a Yashica 124, but you can upgrade the Rollei and the Ciro-Flex to a fresnel screen if you want. But what I found interesting was the results from the Rolleicord III.  They were good, but 10 times as good?

Here's a shot from the Rollei:

It came out great!  The f/3.5 75mm lens is no slouch.  It has an advance lock mechanism, so you don't have to look through the red window and hand advance the film, but I found the spacing to be inconsistent in the one that I was testing.

Great detail and contrast is abundant in it, but as I looked through the shots I took, I wasn't as blown away as I thought I should be.  Of course this was no fabled Rolleiflex f/2.8 version, and I've seen some AMAZING stuff with it, but at my budget that camera is not happening any time soon.

Back to the Ciro-Flex Model C

After returning the Rollei to my friend, I decided to take out my Model C Ciro-Flex again.  I threw a roll of XP2 (just like I did with the Rollei) and tried to compare.  Yeah, it's a little more clunky, but not by much.  It's just not as "smooth" as the Rolleicord in every respect.  But I found that my finder on the Ciro-Flex was brighter than the Rollei and I really like the shutter cocking mechanism better on the Ciro.  And actually, I really found myself not missing the auto-lock advance of the Rollei.  Just open the red window, wind to the next number, close red window door, and off you go.  Maybe if the Rollei had the crank winder version it would feel better, but I liked the simplicity and perfect spacing I got with the Ciro.

The Ciro-Flex is bigger and bulkier than the Rolleicord...more brutish feeling in the hand, but it's still easy to shoot and not horribly large or heavy.

So, with shooting being about the same, I was anxious to see the results.  And maybe it's the magic of working with the Ciro again, but I actually think the results from the Ciro-Flex's f/3.5 85mm lens are better, especially in the corners. 

Note:  Some of the shots have dark corners, but that's my fault for not pushing the lens hood on far enough, and is not indicative of the camera.

I found the Ciro has that unique vintage feel I have seen from some of the Rolleiflex f/2.8 with razor sharpness.  The three element lens really does a great job, and the shutter fired perfectly each time.

Looking for The American TLR

So, you've been intrigued by the American TLR, what do you do next?  Well, Ciro-Flex made a few versions of the camera, and I only recommend a few: