Rollei's Rolleiflex 3.5B (MX-EVS) TLR — 6x6 on 120, EVS exposure, leaf shutter, 1954.
The Rolleiflex 3.5B, also known as the MX-EVS, continued the f/3.5 Rolleiflex line from Franke & Heidecke in the mid-1950s. Introduced in 1954, its EVS designation refers to the exposure-value system that coupled shutter and aperture settings, a feature of this period of Rolleiflex design. It sits among the f/3.5 bodies of the post-war range.
This is a twin-lens reflex (TLR) exposing 6x6 frames on 120 roll film, using separate viewing and taking lenses on one front standard with a waist-level finder over ground glass. The f/3.5 taking lens sits behind a leaf shutter in the front standard, and the body adds the EVS coupled exposure-value system plus M and X flash sync. Confirm the taking-lens and shutter engravings on the specific example.
The 3.5B suits composed portrait, documentary and slower reportage work in the square format, with the EVS coupling offering a linked approach to setting exposure. The waist-level finder and front-mounted controls follow the familiar Rolleiflex handling, giving mechanical, battery-free operation.
When buying used, compare taking and viewing lenses for haze, fungus and separation, remembering only the taking lens affects the negative. Check focus-knob smoothness, verify the leaf shutter and aperture work across speeds on the front standard, test the EVS coupling, film-wind and counter, and inspect ground-glass brightness.