Rollei 35, what's the deal?

[________1]

Has anyone used a Rollei 35 as more than a kind of curiosity? I did

a search on Ebay and there�s zillions of them for sale; Rollei must

have sold quite a few of these. Are there particular models that are

better than others? Image quality, build quality? I need a

pocketable camera and I don't want spend a fortune. Thanks!

[john_a.]

Its just a rebaged Bessar.

[john_a.]

Ooops are you talking about the point and shoot?? Sorry I was thinking Rollei M mount RFs.

[h._p.]

They're handy little cameras but something of an aquired taste. I've had one and disliked it although it did net me some useful pictures when I did press work and a more conventional camera would not have been, ahem, appropriate. My wife had one for fifteen years or so, carried it everywhere and only parted from it when she decided to go digital.

 

The 35B is the cheaper model with the shutter limited to 1/30 - 1/500. The lens is amazingly good for a budget priced camera. The more expensive ones had 1 - 1/500 shutters and snappy little extras like Sonnar lenses. So far as I know, all had meters built in with varying degrees of coupling. None are anything other than scale focussing. As my wife proved on several occassions, if you can live with their oddities they can turn out excellent images.

[george_verbryck]

The rollei is a terrific camera lenses are comparable in quality to other zeiss lenses of the same design. They are quirky and have no rangefinder so it is all scale focusing,except the xf35 which is a little bigger and does not allow manual adajustment of the shutter,all AE.The last is agreat camera but if you want pocketable look at the 35se it is the most recent thus probably the best of the bunch as far as relaibility. Cheers George

[gregory_hopefl]

Love them! I had an original Rollei 35 from the early 70's till it was stolen in the mid 80's. Got nostalgic and picked-up a 35SE from KEH a few years back. The Sonnar lens is superb--many remarkable slides were taken with this truly pocketable gem. Don't be scared- off by scale focusing--with the 40mm lens and DOF scale it's nothing to get anxious about. A great site with lots of information and links: www.saunalahti.fi/~jsuomine/rollei/ Also, don't miss John Waller's Rollei Pages link for good prices on hard to find accessories.

[larry_mobbs]

I bought mine 30 years ago and for the next 15 years it was all I had. I did most family Christmases with it and loved the camera. It does have it quirks but the complaints I often read about the camera never seemed valid to me. Mine has the 40mm Tessar and focusing it, even in a small room was never a problem. The match needle metering worked fine as well. My biggest headache was the flash mounting bracket is on the bottom and the camera had to be turned on it's side to get the flash above the lens and even upside down to be in landscape format.

 

Rollei bragged about how it would fit in your shirt pocket like a pack of cigarettes but they never told you it weighed as much as a vending machine. It is a marvel of engineering and mine today works no different than it did 30 years ago. The lens is incredible, and the Sonnar is, I understand, even better. It is not a camera for fast action but if the lighting doesn't change focusing to infinity works outdoors and it can do fairly well. I never missed the rangefinder and found the camera quite easy to use, but it really is different. If you wear a camera on your belt that hangs vertically they are usually uncomfortable when you sit. The Rollei is small enough to be very accommodating that way. It fits perfectly in a Lowepro Z10 case.

[larry_mobbs]

I might add the the black version is perfect for hiding in your hand and seems invisible when used in public. I never had anything else that I could use that way.

[mike_elek]

I seem to recall reading that they produced 6 million of these, but that seems really high. In any case, they certainly aren't rare.

 

You have to be able to alter your shooting style (my standard warning), and some people aren't able to do that. I've owned four or five over the past 25 years, each being very reliable and giving excellent results.

 

If this was the only camera you could ever own, you would have a very fine camera capable of producing excellent photos.

 

By the way, the shutters on the Tessar, Sonnar (and Xenar) cameras run from 1/2-1/500 + B and synch with flash at all speeds.

 

I feel that the cameras with the top-mounted meter are easier to use. In theory, the Sonnar lens is an improvement over the Tessar, though in practice either is excellent.

 

Most of the cameras have dings on the corners. Make sure that the film advances smoothly. Some of the cameras used a plastic gear in a key location, and if forced, the gears would strip, rendering the camera useless.

 

Never force the film advance.

 

You shouldn't pay more than $300 for the 35S or more than $250 for the 35T or plain 35. The 35B should never be more than $100. The "Made in Germany" cameras cost more than the Singapore models.

[chris_henry1]

The 35SE gets you the last regular version made with the f2.8 lens and the most advanced lens coatings before the later collector edition models (Royal, Gold, Platinum, Japanese lacquer)were produced. I have had at least five of these cameras at different times; I think it is fair to say that they are an acquired taste. I liked the 35SE; others feel differently. The distinction between the German and Singapore produced cameras in the Rollei 35 models is of interest to collectors only. Both have the same build quality, and there is no significant difference now as most examples are used anyway. All of the late production 35s, all of the 35SE and 35S models with Sonnar HFT lenses came from Singapore.

The collector editions, which are different in some other ways, including topside placement of a hotshoe (versus underside placement of a cold shoe on all earlier models)were made with Sonnar lenses and in Europe. They also had huge prices, targeted at limited-edition collector markets.

 

They are fun to use, but coat, not shirt-pocketable.

[jay_.]

Ok, here's the definitive rundown:

 

1)The 40/2.8 Sonnar-HFT (HFT= Rollei's name for T* multicoating)on the models 35S and 35SE is far and above any of the other lenses used on the Rollei 35 series. The Tessar (35T and 35TE) is a distant second and the Triotar (35B) is a cokebottle.

 

2)The difference between the S and SE models is the S have a match-needle meter display on the top deck that must be set whil the camera is away from the eye, whereas the SE has an LED display in the finder. The S takes the PX625 1.3v Mercury and the SE takes the PX27 Mercury. Both can be converted or adapted. However do not use the Alkaline PX625A even after conversion because the discharge curve is sloped and readings become inaccurate as the battery is used up. Both meters are prone to the death of the CdS cell but it can be replaced. According to Harry Fleenor (the DAG of Rollei repairmen)the S is the more serviceable meter because once the SE's electronics go, the meter is done for.

 

3)Anyone who says the 40mm is easy to guess-focus is either a)not using it at close range or wider than f/5.6 or both, or b)has too poor eyesight to notice his shots are all OOF, or b)has never used one of these cameras but can't refrain from spouting off about it. A small, short-base clip-on auxiliary rangefinder is essential to use this camera wide open and close up. These can be found on eBay regularly for not too much money.

 

4)The quirks of this camera are left-handed film wind and flash shoe located on the bottom of all but the very expensive and collectible 35-Classic models which were resurrected in limited production about 5 years ago. In practice neither of these quirks should faze anyone who's ok with the loading of a Leica and the 1/50 flash sync (the Rolleis sync all the way to 1/500).

[o o]

You're the man Jay!

[s._c.]

I have a mint 35SE. It is easily carried in a Tamarac 5208 pouch on my belt, I don't really like the original leather pouch. The scale focusing takes a little getting used to, otherwise I love it. Small, solid feel and looks like a tiny work of art. The HFT Sonnar lens is very sharp and contrasty...great with color and pretty flare resistant in my results. I carry this camera around when I don't feel like carrying anything larger. As others have said, some of the german tessar ones are collectible and will cost more. I chose the SE because of the HFT Sonnar and the fact that the meter LEDs are in the viewfinder and easier to use for that reason, whereas some other models have the metering on the top plate and you have to remove the camera from your face to see it which may possibly cause you to aim the camera up and misread the sky instead.

[sionnac]

I have the low-end 35 LED and have been using a handheld meter due to batteries being hard to find. The lens is the Triotar 3.5. Love the size, carry it with me; still getting used to the distance focusing. Much less expensive than a Lomo -- it has a bulb shutter speed for longer exposures.

[________1]

So, looks like a 35S HFT should do the trick. Thanks one and all, what an amazing resource photo.net is

[john_collier2]

The Rollei is more fragile than my Ms. I have had several problems with the advance,

rewind and collapsing mechanisms. All easily fixed but you need to be careful when

operating the camera. My Ms get no special treatment and just keep humming along (with

the occasional finder adjustment).

 

Don't get me wrong, I like my 35s but it is just not as robust as an M.

[jay_.]

It's a hell of a lot more "robust" than a CL which is the only "M" near the Rollei 35's size and pricepoint.

[bob haight]

This is really a disgrace in camera marketing. Am I wrong, tell me.

[peter_evans4]

<p><A href="http://www.cameraquest.com/petri35.htm">This page about a <strong>Petri</strong></a> may make interesting reading.</p>

[MTC Photography]

Just as Barnack's Ur-Leica is the grandfather of all rangefinder 35mm cameras,the 1966 Ur-Rollei 35 of Heinz Waaske is the grandfather of all compact 35mm cameras (such as Minox 35, Olympus XA and great many others ).<p>

There were 2,5 million Rollei 35 series cameras(Rollei 35, 35B,35T, 35S, 35SE,35TE made between 1955-1974.

The definitive book on Rollei 35 and his creator Heinz Waaske is

<center><img src="http://www.photo.net/bboard/image?bboard_upload_id=10647784"></center><p>

 

Heinz Waaske was a very prolific camera designer, he designed

Edixamat, Edixa Motoric and Edixa 16, 16M, 16MB subminature cameras for Wirgin Wiesbaden, Rollei 35, Rollei A26, Rollei 110, Rolleimatic for Rollei and Minox 645 medium format rangefinder camera for Minox GmbH.<p>

In March 21, 1977, HM Queen ER II used a Rollei 35 taking picture

of horses at Lindsay Park Stud in South Australia, during her Silver

Jubilee tour.

<p><P><P>

 

 

I have a chrome Rollei 35 with 40/3.5 Tessar lens, and a black

Rollei 35S with 40/2.8 Sonnar HFT lens. Both lens are very sharp

and constrasty. At wide open, Sonnar is sharper.<p>

There is no rangefinder on Rollei 35, 35S. However the pair of

human eye is a built in rangefinder, I have designed a paper card

rangefinder which can quite accurately measure distances

for used on my Rollei 35, Minox 35, Minox 8x11, Edixa 16, Rollei 16....<p>

For further detail see <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003HEV">Make a Paper card Rangefinder </a>

[godfrey]

<center>

<img src="http://www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/R35pix/rollei%2035s%20silver

-1-3908.jpg"><br>

<i>Rollei 35 S Silver Anniversary</i><br>

</center><br>

I've been shooting with Rollei 35s since about 1980. They have excellent lenses (the

Tessar, Xenar and Sonnar are all good, the Sonnar is the best ... the other two get close to

the Sonnar around f/11 where the Sonnar is really good even wide open. The Triotar on

the plastic chassis 35B, 35LED and 35C models is not bad for a triplet, but it is just a

triplet.

<br><br>

Focusing. After adequate time and practice, you get very good at estimating focus if you

try a little. I've done low light, close in (4-6 feet) at wide open aperture with razor sharp

results. But normally, you leave the aperture at f/11 and remember two focus settings ... 6'

nets you 4-10 feet, 18' nets you 10' to infinity. Stick some ASA 100 to ASA 400 film in the

camera and go shooting.

<br><br>

The Rollei 35 is a superb street shooter ... particularly the pre-"E" models with the meter

on the top deck. They were designed to be pre-set at waist level ... you look down on the

top deck and controls, everything is right there so you set exposure, focus, etc. Now

shooting a photo is a simple, unobtrusive lift the camera to your eye, frame and release

the shutter. The later "E" models with more centerweighted metering and in-viewfinder

LED meter signals are very awkward because the rest of the controls were never designed

to be worked that way.

<br><br>

I still have my Rollei 35T, 35S, 35 S Silver Anniversary (commemorating the first million

35S made) and 35 Classic Platinum. They don't get as much use as they used to but

they're still amongst my favorite 35mm cameras.

<br><br>

Much more information is linked to my page, "The Rollei 35 Gallery" <a href="http://

www.bayarea.net/~ramarren/photostuff/R35pix/R35-pix.html">http://www.bayarea.net/

~ramarren/photostuff/R35pix/R35-pix.html</a>.

<br><br>

Godfrey

[pensacolaphoto]

Hi,

After reading some of the thread, I went into "search mode" at home until I found my XF35 with the Sonnar 40mm 2.3 lens. As someone has pointed out, this camera is automatic; you choose the paerture and you can see in the viewfinder the aperture chosen and the shutter speed. I wonder how good is the 2.3 Sonnar compared to other Sonnar lenses on Rollei's. I nearly sold the camera since it is not fully manual, but now I am glad that I didn't. Doe snayone here know what the red markings at the bottom of the lens mean. They seem to be for flash photography and may be guide numbers.

[pensacolaphoto]

Sorry about the typos above.

I tried to find anything written on the XF model, but it seems to be totally ignored, even by the Rollei Club. Is this camera so "cheap" or bad that it is not being considered a "true" Rollei camera? Could someone point me to a site where the XF is being discussed? Thanks.

[mike_elek]

I owned an XF for about 10 minutes back in 1980. It was a miserable experience -- all 10 minutes of it. I think it broke the first time I advanced the film. So I took it back.

 

It was very indicative of why Rollei went under.

 

Now, the letter models of the Rollei 35. Originally, there was the Rollei 35 with the Tessar (and occasionally the Xenar lens).

 

Along came the idea to slap a Sonnar on the camera, so to differentiate it from the Tessar-equipped model, which it continued to sell, there became two cameras. The 35S (and later SE) for Sonnar, and the 35T (and later TE) for Tessar.

 

Now to complicate things, Rollei decided to go downscale and use the Triotar. So it couldn't call it a 35T, because that was already used. So they called it a 35B. Later, when the cameras went LED, the 35B became the 35LED.

 

Someone else might know why it was called the 35B -- although it might be fun to come up with your own name.

[godfrey]

Mike ... I have no idea what you're talking about as it has no relation to the Rollei 35

models or timeline.

 

The Rollei 35XF was a bought-in design, probably a Voigtländer or similar, and never

surpassed the quality of competing Minolta and Canon fixed-lens RF cameras of the time.

The lens was certainly not one of Zeiss' better efforts, it was a fully program mode only

camera and simply had little to recommend it other than the badge. A sad position for

Rollei to be manufacturing such mediocre cameras.

 

The Rollei 35 line ... briefly:

1966 to 1971-2, Rollei 35 manufactured in Germany, the Tessar 40/3.5 lens carried the

Zeiss name and the cameras were heavier, with higher magnification viewfinders.

 

1971-72, production shifted to Rollei's Singapore plant. The Tessar model continued, sans

the Zeiss badge as a cost savings maneuver. The 35S with Zeiss developed Sonnar lens

was under development in Braunschweig. The 35B (uncoupled selenium cell light meter, a

plastic chassis, Triotar 40/3.5 lens, Prontor lens minus slow speeds) and 35C (same as the

35B but without meter) were released due to demand for lower priced Rollei 35 models.

These two represented a substantial simplification of the camera and sold for 30-40% less.

 

1973 to 1979, the introduction (1 year late) of the Rollei 35S with the Sonnar lens

(produced in Singapore and minus the Zeiss badge) finally happens. The Rollei 35 with

Tessar lens was renamed to 35T to distinguish it from the S model, otherwise unchanged.

For a brief year in the mid-1970s, Rollei engaged with Schneider to deliver Xenar 40mm f/

3.5 lenses as a cost savings move, but Scheider didn't meet the contract requirements and

the effort was dropped. Barely 10,000 Xenar equipped cameras were produced. The Rollei

35 S Silver Anniversary was produced to commemorate the 1 millionth 35S produced,

approximately 1979-1980.

 

At the same time, responding to pressure for eye-level metering and some updating, the

"E" models are release. First was the 35LED - a derivative of the 35B - with uncoupled CdS

meter and LED over/under indicators. The 35T and 35S were modestly redesigned with

centerweighted CdS meter pattern, coupled and with in-viewfinder LED indicators, a

different battery compartment and electronic meter board, different lens latch location.

The "35TE" and "35SE" models were the result of this effort and replaced the T and S in

production.

 

1981, Rollei in a state of financial collapse closes the Singapore plant and ends Rollei 35

production, all models. However, a large number of unassembled Rollei 35s somehow

makes its way back to Germany and is put in storage.

 

1986, a very special 20th anniversary commemorative edition was produced. 444 units

were made, total. They were built on the 35S design, returning to the coupled top-deck

meter but retaining the relocated lens latch.

 

1990, Rollei obtains a contract to equip Interpol with a small, high quality, mechanical

camera for photogrammetric work. Tapping the source of spares, the Rollei 35 Interpol is

made in modest numbers. It proved so popular that Schneider, now the owners of Rollei,

decided to put them into production as "current classics" with fancy body claddings. A

minor redesign allows mounting the flash shoe on the top deck for the first time, the 35S

match needle meter is retained and the Rollei 35 Classic (in black anodized, titanium,

platinum and gold-plated skins) was born. Production on Rollei 35 Classics ran from 1990

to 1992-3, with new ones still available on the market until well past 1996.

 

And that was the history of Rollei 35 names and productions. Source is Klaus Prochnow

(Rollei Historian) - his Rollei Reports and Rollei 35 Family books produced for the 75th

anniversary of Rollei cameras are rather fun reading and discuss many of the interesting

hiccups and experiments along the way.

 

Godfrey