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.

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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