The 1952-55 Rolleiflex 2.8C was the first commercially successful Rollei TLR camera with an f2.8 taking lens. The Rolleiflex 2.8A of 1949-51 was Rollei's first attempt and had been fitted with a Zeiss 80mm f2.8 Tessar lens which, while faster than the standard f3.5 taking lens, did not produce the sharp results that professional photographers had come to expect from Rollei. Fewer than 10,000 were made, and some cameras were recalled by Rollei for lens replacement. The Rolleiflex 2.8B that followed in 1952-53 only had a production run of 1250, making it one of the rarest standard-production Rollei cameras. In fact, Rollei hardly advertised the 2.8B with its unique Zeiss Biometar lens, instead focusing its efforts on a brand-new model that could take advantage of the new Zeiss Planar and Schneider Xenotar 5-element 80mm f2.8 lenses. This camera arrived in December 1952 in the Rolleiflex 2.8C, which provided the blueprint for the greatly successful f2.8 Rolleiflex line that continued until the end of Rolleiflex 2.8F production in 1981. 

The Rolleiflex 2.8C is distinguished from later f2.8 models by several unique features. Behind the familiar Rollei aperture and shutter dials are two chrome locking tabs that must be depressed in order to adjust the aperture or shutter — a potentially useful feature, but an extra step in the shooting process that Rollei discontinued in future models. Another detail specific to the 2.8C are the plastic shutter and flash sync locks surrounding the shutter and flash port. Replaced with metal in later models, these plastic locks were often cracked during professional use and it is not uncommon to see Rollei 2.8C’s that are missing them entirely. The 2.8C also features unique viewfinder eyepieces that can be raised or lowered by hand to adjust for eyesight instead of interchangeable diopters. In practice, adjusting the eyepiece in this method is cumbersome and Rollei discontinued it in the 1955 Rolleiflex 2.8D.

Despite the quirks detailed above, the Rolleiflex 2.8C also introduced design improvements that Rollei retained until the end of TLR production. The 2.8C features a much larger diameter focusing knob than previous models, reducing the revolutions required to focus and improving focus accuracy. It was also the first Rolleiflex to incorporate a multi-exposure mechanism that bypassed the shutter / film advance interlocks, allowing for creative double-exposure effects. 

The most important advancement in the Rolleiflex 2.8C’s design are the Double-Gauss, 5-element Schneider Xenotar and Zeiss Planar lenses. These optics are far superior in sharpness, resolution, and field flatness than the (also excellent) 4-element f3.5 Tessar and Xenar lenses found in the earlier Rollei models. Rollei updated the f3.5 Rolleiflex line with similar 5-element lenses in 1956, and the f2.8 Planar and Xenotar lenses continued service through the end of Rolleiflex TLR production.

Planar-equipped Rolleiflex 2.8C’s are somewhat harder to find than the Xenotars. Early Schneider Xenotar lenses had softer coatings and many Rolleiflex 2.8C’s exhibit substantial coating loss on the taking lens. In practice, this issue is mostly cosmetic, as even very worn Xenotars are excellent performers, especially for portraiture. The 80mm f2.8 Xenotar has a beautiful, plastic rendering with very fine bokeh. The Rolleiflex 2.8C is the last Rollei f2.8 TLR to have a 10-blade aperture (later models have 5-blade), giving a much smoother bokeh rendering. 

Rollei sold around 30,000 2.8C cameras, a marked success compared with the 2.8A and 2.8B. Many of these cameras saw hard professional use, but the inherent durability and quality craftsmanship of Rollei cameras means that a good number are still in useable condition. 

If you come across a Rolleiflex 2.8C in good shape, pick it up. There is a strong case that it is the finest “standard” TLR camera for portraiture ever made.