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Rollei 35 S


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<p>After my Canonet deciding to die today and not being sure if I want to part with my DSLRs to puchase an M I was wondering about the little Rollei 35 s. How are they for reliabilty and apart from batteries maybe being hard to find are there any know problems with them. How is the sonnar 40 mm 2.8 I would guess it should be better than the lens in the Canonet but is that really the case. Has anyone here used one continuously for a number of years and how did it hold up to daily use.</p>
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<p>I've had one for quite a while but use it little. Odd little camera to handle, everything is done from waist level except framing the shot. These are not rangefinder cameras but scale focusing viewfinder cameras. You must be good at estimating distance and if you are wide open and close, say 3 to 6 feet at f2.8 you won't have much DOF to cover focusing errors. Pretty little camera with jewel like construction but an Olympus RC would be a better daily shooter and almost as compact.</p>

<p>As a side point, I notice many people call any camera with a viewfinder a rangefinder but there is quite a difference in use between a superimposed image combined range/viewfinder and a simple viewfinder. To be sure there are occasions when one wants to preset the focus by scale and then bring the camera quickly to eye to frame and shoot without attracting too much attention to yourself, however, with a correctly adjusted rangefinder you should hit a higher percentage of in focus frames.</p>

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<p>The Rollei 35S (Sonnar like lens) is very nice in b&w while the Canonet is probably better in color and as for use IMHO the Canonet is probably better and although prices are rising it will be less expensive. For a less expensive fixed lens the Yashica GSN is very sharp and excellent in B&W. All in all neither are an M. If you can afford it go for the M. They are better cameras and the optics are fantastic as there are a vast array of lenses available for them. Your two choices on the Ms are 1. meter or not meter & 2. which framelines do you want.</p>
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<p>I've had two Rollei 35SE cameras over several years. I had no complaint about the lens quality, the Sonnar is excellent, especially with b&w film. I didn't mind the quirky handling, the left hand film wind was fine with me, and I liked the fully manual exposure setting. Occasionally I'd forget to focus. Mine had electronic problems and the meter would go dead, the 35S may be more reliable. They are durable but the outer metal shell dents easily and rough handling shows on the camera. </p>
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<p>It seems like all of us have owned one of these cameras as some time; me included! Their appeal is their superb build quality, small size and excellent lens. The 40 Sonnar is a nice one. Their disadvantages are that it is slow to operate and awkward to use (although you get somewhat used to it). Also for the price they are expensive considering there is no rangefinder so you have to guess focus. Not so easy with a 40mm lens. They are also very dense, so not very good in the pocket. Personally a better camera for me is the Minox 35 - smaller, lighter, with an excellent lens and truly pocketable and with auto exposure that is pretty good. It goes without saying really that a good lens is not so useful if you cannot accurately focus it - this is a disadvantage of both the Rollei and the Minox, but at least with the Minox it handles well.</p>

<p>Personally, I would look for something that has a rangefinder in it. How about the original Contax T if you can find one? The Contax T is the Rolls-Royce version of the Minox 35. There is the Olympus XA of course, but I have to say I was never impressed with the optics in that camera. These are all about the same size as the Rollei (although all are lighter).</p>

Robin Smith
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<p>Rollei 35, be it Sonnar or Tessar, is a fine but not stellar performer. Mine is an early Tessar and it's a joy to use once you familiarise yourself with the few quirks it has. My only gripe with it is the light meter. It's not unreliable but it needs a certain amount of light to wake up. So I mostly use sunny-16 ( darksy-5.6 here in Helsinki) anyway.</p>
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<p>I've have one with the rare Schneider S-<a title="Xenar (page does not exist)" href="/w/index.php?title=Xenar&action=edit&redlink=1">Xenar</a> lens. A well made camera that's clumsy to use. Mine is from 1972 and it still works perfectly so reliability seems good. My Canonet 17 G-III QL lens is better. The Pertri Color 35 is a much nicer camera to shoot with if you have the jones for one of these solid little compact, scale focusing cameras. Personally, if you want a very compact camera with a good lens and a <em>real</em> rangefinder check out the Ricoh 500G. </p>
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<p>Hey thanks alot for all of your suggestions. I shall think about the Rollei. Although I do like the size of it I can see that guessing the distance while shooting wide open at close range may not lead to the sharpest photos. I would mainly be using it for B&W film. It is a shame the Canonet stoped working today.</p>
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<p>I remember being interested in owning one back in the 70's, but man, there sure are more convenient cameras to use than a little Rollei. At the time, circa 1975, I ended up deciding the Rollei 35 was a high-quality toy for rich boys, and I bought myself a nice, black Konica Auto S3 instead. I don't think 35 mm is exactly the best format to be restricted only to guess focusing, unless you really have to.</p>

<p>As for durability, I don't know. I have a little matching Rollei mini flash I bought in 1975, and it still works just like new, touch wood.</p>

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<p>I've got a Rollei 35. I think it's a great camera, if more than a little odd in more ways than one. I heartily recommend it, but it's a very different device than a Leica. If they were to cost the same, I'd take the Rollei, but my experiences with Leicas have not been particularly satisfying. I guess I'm just a Contax person in that great divide.</p>
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<p>I collect all 70's 35mm cameras that use 40mm lenses and have an example of each type of Rollei 40mm lens. Im guessing your older Canonet was a QL17 rather than a QL28. The 40mm Sonnar is a better lens than the Canon 40mm f1.7 but on average the Canon will give you a greater amount of sharper pictures. As others have pointed out the Rangefinder focus of the Canon makes a world of difference. I find the Sonnar is often not used to its full potential because of slightly off focus especially at closer distances and wide open. I disagree with the comment the Canon would be better for colour, colour shines with the Sonnar lens. The size and character are appealing with the Rollei and make them a favourite however. The ultra compact nature make them idea to carry everywhere but if the size isnt absolutely critical then go with something with a rangefinder. If you specifically want a Sonnar I would go with a Leica CL body and a 40mm Sonnar RF. Great compact combination and you have the bonus of interchangeable lenses, a rangefinder and your flash shoe on top.</p>
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<p>I owned a Rollei 35S. Due to its very light weight, I had the camera with me more often than my Leica. The scale focusing was no problem and of all the pictures I took with this camera, I probably only missed two shots due to forgetting to focus. All pictures were sharp, even at f2.8. The lens was excellent (40mm Sonnar)<br>

When I bought it, the camera looked mint, but the meter did not work. I had a Gossen Multi-Pro, so the camera meter was easily done without. What I really liked was the between-the-lens shutter, which allowed easy flash fill-in.<br>

I took the camera to work with me quite a bit, which meant it was in the camera bag, riding on the floor of my truck. Lots of vibration. After around three years, the camera just self-destructed. The lens would not collapse and the shutter would not cock. It could have been repaired, but I just picked up a Leica M4-P. I think Leica should make a camera like the Rollei 35S, with 28mm lens, but the days of the film camera is pretty much past.</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>As others have pointed out the Rangefinder focus of the Canon makes a world of difference.</p>

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<p> I am still thinking about the Rollei due to its size</p>

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<p>Of course, you can do what I do when you have a nice camera with a good lens that only has scale focus...add your own rangefinder! Works like a charm but, with a sub-mini like the Rollei 35 it does add some bulk. It still fits well into a small belt bag though.</p><div>00W2sI-230721584.jpg.a8eb131e1eda717f10d447c447ee617d.jpg</div>

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<p>I prefered the Tessar (TE) model, owing to its apparent (magazine reviews) better rendition in black and white (I was very pleased with the results but never had an opportunity to compare it to the Sonnar model). It became a bit of a paperweight when its meter stopped working (Rolleis are apparently quite expensive to repair), so I used it up until a few years ago as a dedicated I-R camera with red filter. The simpler Tessar 4 element lens behaved better than a more complex lens in bending the I-R rays. It didn't mind being left in the fridge in a sealed plastic bag in between shootings. Not sure what it will become, now that Kodak has cancelled their I-R film. A camera like that of Louis might tempt a return.</p>

<p>I also use a Minox 35 GTE which is a very good performer as well, and even lighter than the Rollei. </p>

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<p>I have an original 1966 German Rollei 35 and a later Singapore model. They are quite heavy for their size. I find the lenses on both to be very good. If you're not doing too much close shooting they are fine. There are many good alternatives which are fairly small and have RF focusing. None of these is as sturdy as a Nikkormat or SRT 101 or Canon FTb. Some small fixed lens RFs I like include the Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII, Konica Auto S3 and Olympus 35RD. These all have fast lenses. The Minolta and Olympus allow full manual control. If you can use a camera with a slower lens and without full manual control then a Konica C35 would also be good.</p>
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  • 1 year later...
<p>I have owned a Rollei 35 (Xenar 3.5) in the early seventies and now I have a Rollei 35S (the match needle metering is much more intuitive than the LED metering of the SE, TE). The Sonnar is as sharp as a samurai sword. As for scale focusing I use ISO 400 film which means that with the shutter set at 1/500 s (nearest reciprocal) and the distance set at infinity, the aperture is rarely wider than f8 in sunny outdoors and even if I forget to set the distance every time everything from about 30 ft to infinity is in focus. At smaller f stops everything from about 6 feet to infinity is in focus with 400 ISO film. The Rollei 35 is thus ideal for "street" photography and travel photography. I set the shutter at 1/250 s or even 1/125 s when I am not sure of the depth of field and then the apertures are 1 and 2 stops smaller and I am guaranteed a huge depth of field.</p>
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  • 3 months later...

<p>Help needed!<br>

I have a Rollei 35s but there is no battery screw cap. Does anyone know where i can get a battery screw cap and if its possibel to put a film inside without battery screw cap and battery?<br>

Can someone send me a picture of the battery and the battery screw cap for the 35s to: nicohosa@hotmail.com?<br>

I would apreciate it very much. Because i have to 35s without a battery screw cap and its driving me crazy! Happy greetings from Sweden!</p>

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