Rolleicord Vb, a roll of Portra 400 and the Reggia di Venaria

After the first test of my Rolleicord Vb with Ilford HP5, I wanted to try a color film, and my choice fell on Kodak Portra 400, a film considered a milestone by many. The cloudy day was perfect for going out and taking some soft-toned photos. So, I accompanied some friends to visit the Reggia di Venaria, one of the royal residences of the Savoy family, a few kilometers from Turin in Italy. The entire Baroque-style complex was designed in 1675 by Amedeo di Castellamonte and was used by the royal family as a hunting lodge. After the Napoleonic battles, it was used as a military depot until the end of the last century when the largest restoration project in European history brought it back to its ancient splendors, so much so that since 1997 it has been part of the UNESCO Heritage List.

I loaded the film into my Rolleicord and set off. Upon arrival and entering the building, I immediately realized that, especially in the darker rooms, it became challenging to shoot without a tripod (which I didn’t have with me). Additionally, the viewfinder of my 60-year-old Rolleicord wasn’t bright enough to allow me to focus easily. Regarding this, I should look into replacing it; I know there are much brighter screens available in the market (if anyone has any advice on this, please let me know in the comments).

Fortunately, the Reggia di Venaria is also known for some magnificent halls where light is abundant, such as the Galleria Grande, where I could finally start taking some photographs. I find that the use of Portra in these pastel-toned environments has enhanced the beauty of these rooms. I had previously taken digital images in this place, but nothing compares to the result obtained shooting analog with my Rolleicord.

We then went outside the building, into the gardens, where I could still take some photographs of the building. It was after these shots that I noticed how the Rolleicord Vb with the Schneider Kreutznach Xenar 75 provides a potentially excellent level of detail to the images. The examples attached here are low resolution, but I’m including a 100% crop of an image so you can better understand.

I said “potentially” because I realize that to obtain impeccable images, some precautions are necessary. First of all, it’s better to use a lens hood. I noticed that in some situations, strong incident light on the Xenar (not necessarily just direct sunlight) can decrease the level of detail in the image. I should note that there’s nothing wrong with this, and sometimes, some photos gain more character and charm with these “effects.” However, if you want to achieve a clean and well-defined image, it’s better to always protect the lens with a lens hood.

Another consideration I can make about the Rolleicord concerns the importance of using the distance scale on the focus knob. Unlike some modern and inexpensive optics, the focus of the Rolleicord at infinity is genuinely precise and reliable. With a sufficiently closed aperture, you can exploit hyperfocal method to achieve impeccable results. On the contrary, using the lens to focus by hand when you want to photograph a relatively distant object or a panorama can sometimes be difficult, and mistakes can be made. So, my advice is to use the focus knob with great apertures and subjects not too far away. In all other cases, with hyperfocal focusing, you always get excellent results. It’s just a matter of experimenting and noting the results. For example, I know that with the focus set at 20 meters and aperture from f8 upwards, I get a very valid focus from 7/8 meters to infinity, so I don’t even waste time checking with the lens in the viewfinder, and the results are superb.

The Portra behaved as I expected; I found good latitude and very pleasant tones without excesses. The grain is indeed present but is visible only at good enlargements, which is ultimately what one expects from a roll of such speed. The next film I will test will be Kodak Ektar 100; I have a trip planned to Lake Geneva, and I will bring my Rolleicord with me.

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