Rollei 35 S loose focusing and front ring...

[maciek_stankiewicz]

<p>Hi All,<br />My new Rollei 35 S (with Sonnar lens) is in very good condition without any dents or scratches but I noticed that focusing is loose, without proper damping and moving front-back with the slightest visible amount...<br>

Also the front ring ( ring that You hold while pulling out and twisting the lens) is quite loose with very little bit of playing. It's not visible but I can feel it moving a little... Main (chrome) lens barrel is sturdy and tight with the camera body, only these two front rings are little loose...<br>

<strong>Since it's a faster Sonnar f2.8 lens Do You think these loose elements may affect lens' performance?<br /> </strong><strong> </strong><br>

Thanks,<br>

M.S.</p>

[maciek_stankiewicz]

<p>There are four holes in the outer ring (one is visible). Are there a screws? Slotted? Philips?</p><div></div>

[michaelging]

<p>Great little camera with a razor sharp lens. Mine,once I pulled it out and locked it did not wiggle, so I would say that this is not normal. If the lens is not parallel to the film plane you are going to have sharpness issues. I never worked on one before, but there are lots of videos on Youtube.</p>

<p>http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rollei+35s+repair&oq=rollei+35s+repair&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=youtube-psuggest.3...2345.18026.0.20825.36.36.9.1.1.0.127.3014.0j26.26.0.</p>

[maciek_stankiewicz]

<p>As I said it's not the lens' chrome barrel that is loose, <strong>but two black front elements (rings)...</strong><br />Thanks for the link.</p>

[john_robison3]

<p>Maciek;<br /> On this cameras lens, under the front trim ring, there are 3 screws set in slots that can get loose. I know this because it happened on my 35S. The trim ring, the ring around the front element that says 'made by rollei sonnar 2.8/40 rollei htf (serial #)' is held on by a bit of glue in several spots around the ring. Mine practically fell out, the glue was dried up, but yours may be more firmly attached. It appears that to remove the ring you must *gently* insert a tiny flat screwdriver several places around the edge and pry it out.</p>

<p>Ring out? Good. Now here's the rub. Those three screws ride in slots. That is so the focusing scale can be adjusted to line up correctly with the lens focused at infinity. The focusing can be turned short of infinity so you can not just turn the focusing all the way back in until it stops and then tighten the screws. If you do the scale will not indicate correct distance.</p>

<p>You will have to:<br /> Set the shutter to 'B' and keep it open with a locking cable release.<br /> Set the aperture to '2.8'<br /> Tape a fine ground glass to the film gate rails. Frosted scotch tape applied to a properly sized piece of clear plastic will suffice. Frosted side in same position as film, of course.<br /> Point the camera toward a distant, well lit object. Anything more than 4 or 5 blocks away will be fine.<br /> Turn the focusing to the point where the image on the ground glass looks the sharpest. You will need a 5X or stronger magnifier to determine this. A normal 50mm lens, wide open, from a SLR makes a dandy magnifier.</p>

<p>When you have reached infinity (and checked it twice to be sure), then loosen all three screws just enough to reposition the focusing scale without changing focus so that the infinity mark lines up with the triangle on the lens bezel. Then tighten the screws and lock them with a very small dab of clear nail polish. Replace the trim ring, holding it in with some rubber cement (not too much) applied at 3 points around the circumference.<br /> This is how I repaired mine. It worked fine and the negatives were sharp and in focus so I was able to set the scale focus to within nominal limits.</p>

<p>Hope this long winded reply helps.<br /> John R.</p>

<p>Another thought, if, when you get the trim ring off, the screws are so loose that you can't turn the focusing without it slipping then you will have to tighten them just enough to make the focusing adjustment described above.</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<p>In general: the German Rollei 35 cameras have slotted screws, the Singapore cameras have Phillips screws. The 35S cameras were made in Singapore.</p>

<p>I own 2 Rollei 35 cameras with Tessars, not the 35s with Sonnar. On one the focusing ring is well dampened, on the other one the focusing rings turns lighter without being too loose. The second ring on both cameras, the one with the aperture scale for DOF reading, is tightly fixed to the barrel without any play. I do not know how it is fixed. No screws are visible on mine.</p>

<p>People who do not know how to retract the barrel into the body tend to force things resulting in damage. The fault on your camera could be minor and easily corrected but on the other hand there is the chance it was inexpertly handled at one time before it was sold to you. I really cannot say. I do not work on the cameras.</p>

<p>(This post was written before I could read John Robison's post).</p>

[maciek_stankiewicz]

<p><strong>John</strong>, <strong>Ferdi</strong>, Thanks for Your great and interesting responses!<br /> Probably I'll test it first with film, using a ruler, measuring tape and checking focus on 1m, 2m... Then the Infinity... <br /> If I will find focusing problems I'll try to do what John just explained... <br /> Do You think I can mess up the lens? Is there collimation requied? I hope tightening screws will not change lens' collimation...<br /> Here is another idea...<br /> <a href="http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/repair/collimate/">http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/repair/collimate/</a></p>

[john_robison3]

<p>Maciek;<br>

My focusing ring was a little loose when I first got the camera. It just became looser and looser the more I used it. What made it easy for me to discover the problem was that the trim ring came loose and almost fell off the front of the lens. The glue holding it on had completely dried up. If the trim ring had been firmly attached it would have been much harder to find out what was going on. Your option is to have the camera checked by a trusted camera repair service. More expensive but with greater piece of mind.</p>

<p>Hope you can sort it out. The camera has a brilliant lens. I have way too many cameras and my 35S didn't get used as much later on. I finally sold it and a bunch of other stuff to help clear the camera shelf and offset the purchase of a Leica M4-2 and some CV lenses.</p>

<p>I still have way too many cameras. (And way too little talent as a photographer)</p>

[john_robison3]

<p>Oh, one more thing. The trim ring is just a cover for the front of the lens. After I fixed my 35S I left it off for a couple of weeks to make sure the screws weren't going to get loose again as I used the camera. Then I attached it with a bit of rubber cement.</p>