2026-05-27 Rollei F19BC Flash

There were two Rollei flash that looked pretty much the same (see below). This is the more recently collected F19BC. It takes 4-AA batteries, has the standard locking PC cable attachment, as well as a standard hotshoe connection. It has one auto setting for use at 3.5 m / 12 feet and less. At ASA 12 / DIN 12 the auto setting would be f/2.8. At 100 ASA / 21 DIN the auto f/stop would be f/8. At the far end of the calculator using 1600 ASA / DIN 34 film, the auto f/stop is well below f/22 (maybe f/32-f/64).

Rollei has a curious switch that—

locks and slides to unlock the PC cable
when slid it fires the flash manually

   These flash have a captive battery door that slides a bit to unlock and then flips open.
   Of note is the depth of the auto cell’s mount. The cell has tunnel vision of the field in front of it! The cell cover—that closed results in having a manual flash—has several small detents but the flash should have the cover either entirely open or entirely closed.
   On Rollei 35 cameras these flash are mounted on the bottom of the camera and the flash reflector is reasonably centered below the lens. This results in unnatural looking images as the shadows cast by the flash angle up instead of down. I suspect Rollei 35 users take flash photographs with the camera held upside down.

# 450010 F19BC 1971-1975 Germany & Singapore, 168,000 pieces.
# 451000 128BC 1973-1978 Singapore, 249,000 pieces. Was also made in limited quantities in gray (1974).

Four AA batteries for 75-200 flashes, interval 6-14 sec, duration 1/2000-1/3000 sec (128BC), 1/1300-1/3000 sec (E19BC).

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Edmonton Photographic Historical Society

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