The Twin-Lens Reflex: Some History

 Abandoned Maverick. Grundy County, Tennessee.

 In many ways the history of the twin-lens reflex is the history of the Rolleiflex.

Invented by the German company Franke and Heidecke in 1929, the Rolleiflex was the first of its kind and soon became so popular that by 1940, 400,000 cameras had been sold. The TLR was the camera of choice for both amateur and professional photographers from the 1930s to the '70s. 

Of course, such success spawned many imitators, most of which were short-lived. Some, however, such as the Zeiss Ikon Ikoflexes, the Yashcamats, the Minolta Autocords, and the interchangeable-lens Mamiyaflexes survived to the end of the twin-lens era. Rollei itself produced a less expensive model called the Rolleicord.

The 1825 Fayette County Georgia Courthouse.

The TLR was used by a great number of notable  photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Robert Capa. I have even seen a photograph from the 1940s of W. Eugene Smith, up to his chest in water, photographing with a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex.

The twin-lens era was pretty much over by 1980, with only a few wedding photographers and others hanging on to their TLRs. The last Rolleiflex was produced in 2014.

The photographer most closely identified with the twin-lens reflex was Fritz Henle. His work with the Rolleiflex in fashion, advertising, magazine, and industrial photography, and his many travel books earned him the name "Mr. Rollei." I wrote a series of posts about him in 2020. You can read the first one here.

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Photography and text copyright 2026 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: photography   Rolleiflex camera   cameras     film cameras    twin-lens reflex    TLR    Minolta Autocord camera    Rolleicord camera    Yashica camera    Mamiyaflex camera    W. Eugene Smith     Fritz Henle    Rolleicord camera

 

The TLR Film Project

My Minolta Autocord twin-lens reflex with my seven rolls of Fuji transparency film

Although I've been almost exclusively a digital photographer for many years, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for film cameras and still have several of them -- a Canon EOS A2, an Olympus OM2n, a Canon AF35ML, and most especially, a Minolta Autocord twin-lens reflex, or TLR.

From my beginning in photography in 1968 through the early 1980s I owned Rolleicords and Yashicas and used them frequently before moving on to medium format single-lens reflex Bronicas, Hasselblads, and Mamiya RB67s. But I always liked to keep at least one TLR around.

If you'd like to know more about why I like twin-lens reflexes, you can read about it here, in one of my earliest blog posts.

 Currently, I have only one TLR, a Minolta Autocord that I bought nine or ten years ago. It makes beautiful pictures, but to my shame, I haven't used it very much. 

Also to my shame, I have seven rolls of 120 color transparency film -- Fuji Provia and Astia that have been in my freezer for years. 

Reading up on longevity statistics, I found that a man my age has an average life expectancy of four years. That spurred me to determine that, if possible, I would not leave this life with those rolls of film unexposed. 

So my new project is to carry the Autocord with me everywhere until all the film is used. This may take a while, because this is not the best time of year for photography, unless we get some interesting weather.

And then, after each roll of film has been exposed, it will have to be sent away for processing. And when the transparencies come back, they will have to be scanned. Then, finally! -- I'll have pictures to post.

So we'll get there eventually.  

And when all the film has been exposed and processed, I will sell the camera and kiss that chapter of my life goodbye.

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Photography and text copyright 2026 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: photography   film photography    cameras     film cameras    twin-lens reflex    TLR    Minolta Autocord camera    Rolleicord camera    Yashica camera    Fuji Provia film    Fuji Astia film    120 transparency film

I've Never Owned a New Car: Part II

 Seven-months-pregnant Louise with our 1963 Plymouth. A great road car. Miami, 1968.

As I mentioned in my first post about used cars on December 29, we moved from Miami to Chattanooga in 1970. By this time we had sold the Plymouth and bought a 1962 Chevy Nova wagon from missionary friends who were moving out of the country. It served us well.

The Mercedes 240D in the driveway of our suburban home before we moved to the farm.

 In 1982 I landed two really profitable contracts for audio-visual productions and splurged on a 1978 Mercedes 240D with only about 70,000 miles. Diesel was cheaper than gas in those days, and it averaged about 25 miles per gallon over the years we owned it. It had about 265,000 miles on the odometer when we finally kissed it goodby.

When we bought our farm property in McLemore Cove in 1985, we bought a low-mileage Ford Courier long-bed pickup. It served us well for many years until we replaced it with a Ford diesel full-size truck which did not serve us well.

In 2000, as Louise prepared to go back to school for her Masters degree in nursing, which involved a long drive several days a week, she bought a new Saturn, which was a really good car. It was the only new car we've ever owned, and Louise bought it herself, with her own money. After she graduated she bought a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan and I inherited the Saturn.

I drove the Saturn until 2008, when Louise bought a 2007 Grand Caravan. I sold the Saturn and began driving the 2002 Dodge. I drove that car all over Georgia while working on my books, finally winding up with 245,000 miles on the odometer. In 2016 we bought a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country van for Louise (which we still have), and and I sold the 2002 Dodge and began driving the 2007. I firmly believe that 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan was the best car we ever owned.

The 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. The best car we've ever owned.

 But in 2018 we bought a 22-foot Starcraft travel trailer and soon realized that neither the Dodge nor the Chrysler was up to pulling it. Something had to go. Sadly, it was the Dodge. So we sold it and bought a 2006 Chevy pickup, which we drove on a 7000-plus mile trip to South Dakota, Wyoming,Idaho, Utah, and Arizona in September, 2018, seeing not all, but most of the sights. It was the trip of a lifetime.

Leaving Deer Run Farm for our trip west. September, 2018.

 We also drove that rig to Florida twice, to Indiana, and to Nova Scotia. I ultimately sold the Chevy to buy the massive Ram 3500 diesel that we thought we needed when we moved into a 35-foot fifth wheel trailed in 2021.

Nowadays we still have the Chrysler as well as a very civilized 2016 Kia Sorento which we bought (used, of course) in 2023 in immaculate condition with only 73,000 miles. I hope we're around to drive it another 200,000.

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Photography and text copyright 2026 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography    used cars    1963 Plymouth Belvedere    1962 Chevy II Nova    2006 Chevy pickup    2002 Dodge Grand Caravan    2007 Dodge Grand Caravan     2013 Chrysler Town and Country     2016 Kia Sorento     1978 Mercedes 240D     2000 Saturn     Starcraft travel trailer     Ford Courier pickup

 Sea Otter giving me the eye. Alaska, 2015.

The sea otter giving me the wary eye has nothing to do with today's post. But this is a photography blog, so I always like to give my readers (all both of them) a picture or two to look at.

I apologize for my prolonged absence. Since just after Christmas I've been laid up with a monster sinus infection that had me going through Kleenex by the gross (the whole business was gross, actually), while feeling weak and detached and incapable of doing much beside lying around and blowing my nose.

I'm better now, although not 100%, and ready to get back to blogging. I hope I can come up with some new material that will keep both of you readers happy.

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Photography and text copyright 2025 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: photography   travel photography    sea otters     Alaska

Some Favorite Photos Posted in 2025

Jan. 28: An island of rocks and trees in a field in Middle Tennessee.

I decided to lead off the new year with a recap of some of my favorite photos I published in 2025. I hope you like them.

Feb. 24: My tree ornaments. I count five male cardinals and one female at our feeders.

March 14: Abandoned House, Armuchee Valley, Georgia.

 

April 14: Old gates on George Queener's GDQ Ranch, McLemore Cove, Georgia.

 

May 9: W. L. Coker's New River General Store, TN Hwy. 116, Anderson County.

Strangely enough, this obscure, non-descript building in the middle of nowhere got more views than almost anything else I posted in 2025.

 

June 23: Gulf Station. Georgia Highway 169, Tatnall County. 

 

 

 July 9: Loading our first camper for one of our first camping trips.

 This is my favorite of all the photos I posted in 2025.

 

 July 23: Louise in our '66 Corvair Corsa in the northeast Georgia mountains. 

 

August 6: Louise and me, with two sons, two daughters-in-law, two granddaughters, one grandson-in-law, five great grandchildren, and one dog (Georgia) celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. 

 

 

September 19: Pedicab driver waiting for a customer. Charleston, SC, 2007.

 

November 26: Thanksgiving tableau, Fannin County, Georgia.

 

December 19: Blue on Blue. Florida beach scene, 2007.

 

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Photography and text copyright 2025 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags: photography    personal photography     travel photography    art photography    family photography    photographic prints for sale