richard_laepple

Original straps can often be found at eBay. You won't regret the, perhaps, extra money.

I'd take a 35mm camera with 300mm tele lens instead.

Never heard that one is sharper than the other. I'd get a AF version for the D70.

I was a bit disappointed with the 85/1.4 AIS wide open. For a lens which I don't use at 1.4 very often because of the softness I found it too bulky and too expensive. That was the reason I sold it again and picked up a 85/1.8.

Hi Per, can't comment on the Tamron or Tokina, but I use an old Sigma 2.8/90 with my D70. Works perfectly. It's a well built lens, full metal barrel, as compact as the 1.8/85 Nikkor. For my needs it's perfect (I don't need a 1:1 magnification). Here is a review:

<p>http://wendigo.altervista.org/sigma_90_macro.htm

For snap shots "round the corner" a WLF can be great.

Hmmm... a large neg is not everything. Keep in mind that a GL690 w/lens is a quite heavy brick. You need strong arms and, of course, a light meter. Depends on what you plan to do.

Don't worry, this is normal.

I'd consider the above mentioned Bronica RF645 or the Fuji rangefinders (GA645, GA645Zi) or a Mamiya 6/7. The only problem with rangefinders are head shots, you can't get very close.

Thanks very much to you all for sharing your experiences. After reading the comments I decided to go for a 100/2.8 or 135/2.8 or the 90mm Tamron, depending on price and condition and what passes by first to make a self-test. I have just made these thoughts when only a few minutes later I found a 100/2.8 for a good price at a well known auction site. I hope I did not click a lemon.

Hello OM users. I want to add a shorter tele lens (85...135mm, 100mm

would be perfect) to my OM-1n with 50/1.8 and 35-70/3.6. I want the

lens mainly for portrait work. The options are the 85/2, 100/2.8,

135/2.8 (3.5) or a third party macro like the Tamron 90/2.5 adaptall.

The Zuiko 100/2 and 90/2 are out or my budget. I checked some reviews

and found that there are many different opinions about the 85 and

100mm Zuikos, often depending on multi coating. I'd like to hear some

experiences from PN people. Did anybody make a comparison between MC

and non-MC versions? Perhaps there are more options I did not mention

so far?

The Rolleiflex SL 35 E was the quietest SLR I have ever hold in my hands, quieter than OMs. The only other camera that came close to it is the Nikon F70/N70.

I got an old Sigma 90/2.8 AF macro. The 1:2 magnification is enough for me. For closer shots there is an 1:1 attachement. The compact design is great, the movement of the inner barrel is only about 2cm from infinity to the nearest distance. That means AF speed is rather fast for a macro. Image quality is very good, prices on the used market are low these days. review here:

<p>http://wendigo.altervista.org/sigma_90_macro.htm

<p>Another option may be a new Vivitar 100/3.5.

Proxar is the older name for these lenses. Proxars were only made in two versions. Als said above, the later Rolleinars came as no. 1, 2 and 3. First the viewing unit came in two parts, Rolleinar + Rolleiparkeil (=parallax prism). The later versions of the viewing unit came as one piece, lens and prism together. The three Rolleinars cover the distance between 1m...24cm. All work great on both 'Cords and 'Flexes.

Prism finder? A TLR usually has no prism finder but a screen, a mirror under the screen and a viewing lens in front of the mirror. For some models you can get a prism as an accessory for eye level viewing. You have to remove the waist level finder to use it. Most old TLRs have dirty mirrors, they get yellowish with the years. A replacement is the best cleaning method. A modern brightscreen is also an improvement for a better view.

I'm not sure if modern magnesium bodies are more solid in the end. Several newer AF film bodies I have owned cracked round some screws, even my F4. This doesn't happen with the good old brass bodies (F, F2, F3, FM, FE series...). On the other side when plastic gets old it usually cracks easier than new. But how long do we use a D70? The weakest part of the D70 body is the pop-up flash, the old F70/N70 had a better pop-up design IMO.

Ned, I would have ordered a 49mm step-up ring because the size comes closer to bay II. A lens hood will probably cover the viewing lens a bit but if you get a rubber hood, you can press it down while you are looking through.

Heliopan makes a step-up ring from bay II to 35.5mm thread.

The E-series 100mm f/2.8 is great and cheap.

You can use every battery which has the same size and 1.5 V.

I would buy it again. It weighs almost nothing and is a good performer for the price. I mostly use my 18-70 kit lens and do not need a 200mm lens very often, so I can live with the poor built quality. I first tried the Sigma 55-200 which performed also quite good but is very noisy compared to the Nikkor.

What is the exact question, Heinz? Going to digital? D200 or D70s? ...

Thanks CPeter, I wrote my answer before I have noticed yours.

The model numbers are confusing because they did not add an "E" or "C" to the no. when they upgraded from a Tessar to a Planar/Xenotar. Later they added "E2", "E3", "F". I think this is the reason why people speak about C- an E-models of the 3.5. I doubt that 3.5C and 3.5E are official Rollei names.

<p>Yes, if the sides of your finder move together your camera seems to have a newer finder (as the F-models).

According to my informations your model ist just called Rolleiflex 3.5, the factory name is K4C, therefore many call it 3.5C (predecessor Rolleiflex 3.5 with Tessar = K4B). There was no 3.5E, only a 2.8E and later a 3.5E2. The film indicator wheel is just a help to remember the film type inside. For a CN400 you can set pan. But this setting does not effect the exposure.