Autumn Stroll with a Rolleiflex 6008i – The whole Roll of Agfa Ultra 50

I shot these long ago,  back in 2013. It was a late November and a fine day had dawned; rare I know (here in Britain anyway) so I heaved and lugged my Rolleiflex 6008i out to give it some use, in case it decided to fail and cease on me like an old 2 stroke, after leaving it decorating a desk for many a month.

I popped in a long expired roll of Agfa Ultra 50 and with fingers crossed made my way to Epping Forest, an expanse of ancient woodland in the North East outskirts of London. Epping Forest, along with much other such land in and around London is owned by the Corporation of London, or the City of London. The City itself is the ancient heart of London, having its own Police Constabulary, laws, customs and traditions – even the Monarch has to bow and has no power in The City; which is run by Banksters and their ilk, with the nominal head being The Lord Mayor of London (NOT Sadiq Khan).

“..The City of London functions as a self-governing entity with its own government, known as the City of London Corporation, which includes the Lord Mayor of London, the Court of Aldermen, and the Court of Common Council. It has its own police force, the City of London Police, and its own flag and crest. This special status dates back to the Middle Ages, when the City was granted privileges by monarchs, including the right to govern itself and collect its own taxes…The City of London is the historic and current financial heart of the UK, home to the Bank of England and many major financial institutions. Despite its small size, it holds significant economic influence. The City of London also has unique electoral systems, where voting involves medieval guilds and modern companies, and certain laws passed by Parliament do not apply to it…”

The City of London Corporation owns a significant amount of land across London, with its holdings extending well beyond the Square Mile. It manages approximately 12,000 acres of green space, including Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, and maintains substantial property interests throughout the capital. In terms of land area, the Corporation ranks as one of the largest landowners in London, with over 17 million square feet of property. Its ownership includes historic estates, commercial developments, and public spaces, reflecting its long-standing role as a key landholding entity in the city’s development

The City and its Laws also hold sway in Epping Forest, so any Filming or Photography can be stopped immediately. I remember back in 2005 I was with some guys making a short Film in Epping Forest one wet and wintry late afternoon; we were soon approached, while in the middle of nowhere, by Goons in Uniforms informing us that we must acquire a permit to Film here! I was with a bunch of teenagers making a horror flick on a VHS camcorder!

Anyway I digress, there is a place nestled inside the forest called Strawberry Hill Ponds. It’s one of my very few favourite places in the whole wide world, ,a place where I used to often visit, alone, to reflect upon life, the universe and everything in it. There’s an old Oak Tree in a glade by the Pond which I absolutely love; I’m sure there are Dryads living in it, so I used to talk to it. Some twit had sprayed the number 4 on it; for identification purposes no doubt, this, along with coming across any other wanderers who strayed too close to my tree annoyed me considerably.

The day was sublime and the colours were gorgeous, as they always are here in my little world. I was quite pleased with the results, I had expected huge colour shifts and loads of grain – but considering the Film was long expired, I did get the punchy colours and the contrast I expected. ah, fond memories; since moving away I have yet to return to my old haunt, but one day. These are the lab scans, which I am glad about, as my scanning skill with C41 is crap.

I shot what? 12 exposures, and there was only one dud shot (the House) – plus another two (below) which were more or less doubles. Not bad for a huge heavy lumbering beast of a camera with expired Film.

The camera is is very very well made, built like a brick, weighs a ton and is very precise and easy to load and shoot with (being almost all electronic bar the manual Focus Zeiss HFT lenses I had). The waist level viewfinder is crystal clear big and very bright – much better than any other such I’ve tried on various 6×6 cameras.
I did feel a bit silly lugging this around, I am guessing it was made to be used in a studio, so its not Rollei’s fault.

Here he is with his little brothers and sisters. I sold it on, do I miss it? No. Though I do miss the 6×6 format and the lenses.

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