The Rollei 35 Legend
This review will try to cover all Rollei 35’s. Personally I have a Rollei XF 35. (weirdest of the bunch) And use Rollei 6000 series medium format cameras. Yes, still. But I have to start out this little light review by saying there is only one Rollei camera I’ve ever had that I disliked to the extreme. A Rollei 35B. I know it was suppose to be a stripped down, relatively inexpensive compact camera when released. But ergonomically and lens wise, it was a stinker. So while I’ll show images of it here, it’s just for reference. The review is basically the 35. I was surprised so many people asked about this camera when I used a picture of one on “10 Best Stocking Stuffers“. (which was actually about P&S cameras) The picture was not meant to be a “bait and switch”,…just a pretty analog camera pic.
The Rollei 35 – A Leica Mini?
Let me start with the Rollei 35. When Rollei first came out with the concept, this was the original camera. The original 35. And amazing it was. How big is it? Just big enough to fit a 35mm roll of film in. Not one millimeter larger. It’ll fit in the palm of your hand! The only slightly smaller cameras were the Minolta TC-1 and Minox 35. The Tessar lens was a 40mm f/3.5. Very, very sharp and contrasty lens. The later S model had a Sonnar 40mm f/2.8, which while a bit faster, was just equal in sharpness. would be released. The next Tessar models were named 35T. Basically, I would say they were basically all the same with just 2 different lenses. (except the B, with it’s 40mm f/3.5 Triotar lens and weird centered viewfinder)
The lightmeters were CdS photoresistor types, and very accurate. The Rollei 35SE’s and TE’s were the same, but with “better” lightmeters. They also now had LED readouts in the viewfinders. The economy models were built after. (the B and C) Again, the Triotar was a terrible lens. Some may find it fine. Uhhh,…whatever floats your boat. The 35B, 35C and 35LED’s I would NOT buy on the used market. If you’re considering one of these little beauties, that’s all you need to know. Batteries were originally mercury, but non-mercury replacements are common on Ebay. And probably Amazon.
The E15b Flash
I don’t know why people don’t talk about the Rollei E15b flash. It works beautifully. But, of course, it’s not TTL and fits on the bottom. (see exception) But for $10 to $20 on Ebay, you can’t go wrong. Of course, any thyristor flash will work. Now on to my actual camera, the Rollei XF 35. The unsung hero, (in my opinion), of the 35 grouping. While the original came out in 1966, the XF came out in 1974. They built them to about 1980, so it was a very short production life. (I guess not by today’s standards)
The XF 35 is a “secret”, and can be had for a song and a dance. The flash connection is back on top, the film advance is more logically positioned. While it’s called a rangefinder all over the internet, it’s really a ‘viewfinder’ camera that can be used almost like a point and shoot. Shutter is in the lens, and the lens is a Sonnar 40mm, f/2.3. Again, very sharp. Takes 25 to 400 film, has a 1/250 shutter, is super, duper quiet,…and it’s beautiful.
Forgotten But Highly Rated
You can find old user guides from the 70’s on the Rollei 35’s, usually on Ebay. But they are rare. Especially the hardbound copies. Custom designs, called ‘Specials’, for the Gucci, Pucci and Fiorucci crowd appeared to have been done more for this camera than most. Gold plating, leather, denim,….and more. Why? No clue. I heard a ‘denim’ one sold recently for $11,000+. These cameras were very popular and highly rated when they came out. I’m of the opinion that if Sony or someone had partnered with Rollei to make ‘Digital’ versions, they would probably be more popular than Fuji X100’s. Of course, what I think in that realm is pretty inconsequential. Let me get back to my fixer.
Rollei Manual
To hell with you, anatomyfilms… just can’t stop clicking…
I know. We’re totally ashamed of ourselves. 🙁
… 🙂 … oops.. I missed smiley on my first post, too fast at clicking…ok, I’ll buy you a coffee..
We got ya back… 🙂
I was never crazy about viewfinder/rangefinder cameras, but about year ago, Rollei 35S came to my possesion as a gift. Black, almost mint condition, Rollei HFT Sonnar 2,8/40mm, with nice, reddish front lens color. Large, bright viewfinder.. hmm… fine, I’ll give it a try. So I just loaded cheap colour negative film to see if it works; when I saw the 5″x 7″ prints, it was a change of heart. If one can get a picture of this quality using below-standard film, what will happen with, say, Fuji Provia ? So this little black box is a permanent resident in my pocket or a camera bag. Oh, and don’t give it up if it is a “made in Singapore” .. it’s as good as German origin and it will save you some money.
On the other hand, here comes one thing that existing and future owners should know, as a very capable repairer (thank you so much, Stanley) told me:
There is a common problem with many Rollei 35’s due to retractable lens design; when collapsed, lens keeps shutter mechanism spring under tension, so after some time, shutter speeds below 1/30 sec won’t work properly, or do not work at all. To avoid this, after servicing/repair, do not keep lens in “closed” position for a longer period of time (I know, the camera doesn’t look so cool with lens in “ready” position, but…). Other than that, repairing Rollei 35 is simple and should not be expensive, at least it wasn’t for me.
Have a nice day, everybody….
Hi Steven,
One has to keep in mind that we are, in fact, talking about 30, 40, 50 year old cameras. So, whether Nikon, Canon, Rollei,…or whatever, they are made by humans. How many 50 year old cars are on the road? Cameras of that era are quite commonly up to snuff and quite usable. Well taken care of film cameras, that are occasionally CLA’d, are many times almost as good as new. A nod to an era of pride and quality. 🙂
Pardon me but I think the Rollei 35 is an overblown relic!. And I would wager to say that for the vast majority of owners the camera sits on the shelf! Or in an old camera bag in the closet! And I find it ridiculous that pricing has remained what it was when these cameras were in active duty and we’re an ideal choice for high quality snapshot type photography!
It’s like the collective owners are all misguided in their pricing so you see tons of them for sale!
Why on Earth would somebody run around and shoot with this camera often with the limited fixed focal length. The expense of film, the expense of developing it etc. Sure it’s a cool camera from a bygone era but for an active use camera it’s kind of a joke appear to a great many other cameras that are readily available.
This coming from somebody who owned a Rollie 6×6 3.5 Schneider xenotar twin lens ,Nikon f2, fm2 ,F4
Sounds like you’ve stumbled upon the wrong site. Try DPReview.
Take care
Thx for nice review and informations. I recently purchased 35S and the results are amazing with Sonnar 40/2.8 lens. The best pocket film camera, all the time with me now.
Yes, the Rollei 35 is a great little camera. I’m a retired newspaper photographer, finished my profession shooting all digital. I kept all my film cameras and sold all my digital stuff. I love the Rollei 35 cameras, Leica, Nikon, and Zeiss film cameras-so much quality. I’m glad you young people have picked up the torch and are keeping film and quality vintage cameras alive such as the Rollei 35.
Yes, James. Just like other artistic mediums, each format and every process in photography has a uniqueness that should be embraced. Hopefully forever.
Thanks for the positive comment.
AF