Digital backs
I am a film photographer and have never used a digital back. Therefore I cann’t be of much help. I do have some general information to get you on your way. A number of digital backs can be used with cameras of the Rolleiflex 6000 System. You have to look for used backs. You will also need the proper adaptor and in most cases the proper cable. Digital backs on the Rolleiflex 6000 AF will usually work without a cable.
Phase One
The Rolleiflex 6000 AF was sold with a Phase One P20 back as Rolleiflex 6000 AF db 20P. It has a square sensor.
Ixpress and Hasselblad digital backs
CF and CF-MS backs can successfully be mounted on 6000 series cameras with an adaptor plate. Rolleiflex US mentions CF-39, CF-39MS, CF-22, CF-22MS, CF-528 and also the older backs 96, 96c, 384, 384c, 132, 132c, and 528c and advises to stick to the C versions.
The owner of a Rolleiflex 6000 Professional and a Hasselblad CF-39 back kindly informed me of the procedure and the points to watch. Find more information in the CF-39 leaflet.
“I wish to report complete success with using a 6008 Pro and a Hassy
CF39 (not CFV), but you need to know three things .....
1) The contacts on the back mount adapter and the camera body appear
to do nothing, on a 6008 Pro. You must use the special Rollei
twin-wire (red and green) connecting cable.
2) These early digital backs need to be ‘woken up’, before they
can take a picture. On a 6008 Pro, the act of taking a camera
exposure reading, before a shot, effectively communicates with the
back and does this. No exposure data is transmitted, just the ‘wake
up’ call.
3) As with interchangeable film backs, no ISO sensitivity data is
transmitted by the back to the 6008 Pro. Therefore, the camera
assumes 100 ISO. If the digital back is set to (say) 400 ISO, the
camera’s exposure compensation dial needs to be set to -2 (etc).
Actually, to preserve highlights, I go a little further.
And that’s it!”.
Only the Rolleiflex 6000 integral 2 and the 6000 AF work without the (red and green) twin-wire cable. Earlier digital backs work with a different (single) cable.
Sinar
The Rolleiflex 6000 AF was sold with a Sinarback eMotion22. I suppose the backs can be used with earlier Rolleiflex 6000 cameras with the proper cable. Other suitable Sinar backs include the Sinarbacks eVolution75 H and eVolution86 H.