Roll up for baby Rollei ?

[dee]

I found a near mint-plus-dint Rollei 35 in a charity shop for £5 , which prompted a vaque recollection of a similar £5 outlay upon a Rollei 35T , with considerable dinting , comensurate with being [not] bounced .
I assumed that it was dead , but it was so neat .

Sure enough I unearthed it and tried the shutter speeds etc by looking through the lens with the back open .

Frankly , loading seemed a pain until I encountered a Leica II and various Zorkis !

Does anyone know anything about the abilities of these tiny cameras ?
Thanks dee

[olroy2044]

Dee, you have obtained what is IMHO one of the finest "miniature" 35mm cameras ever built! They are a bit quirky, but are built like a fine watch, and have exquisite lenses.

I have a 35 S with a Sonnar f2.8 lens. It was built after production was transferred to Singapore. If yours was built in Germany, it is a more valuable collector piece than mine, but quality of build and results are equivalent. There were two lenses used during the production, a Tessar f3.5 and the Sonnar f2.8. It seems that the Sonnar is the more desirable lens, but both are pin sharp.

The only photo that I have ever had published was taken with my 35 S. It was the cover photo for a regional outdoor magazine.



It also renders terrific b&w


My example:


A couple of caveats:
1) The meters tend to be a bit dodgy. I use a hand meter with mine, or "sunny 16."
2) Be sure the shutter is cocked prior to closing the collapsible lens.

I'm sure that fans of the Minox, Chinon Bellami, and Oly XA series will dispute my opinion, but that is what makes the world go 'round!

Load it up and shoot some pics! Enjoy

Roy

[melek]

The Rollei 35 is a marvel of German engineering (even for the ones made in Singapore). It was designed by Heinz Waaske, who was unable to convince a number of companies to make it, including Leica.

If you only have one shooting style and are unwilling or unable to try something different, you won't be able to use the Rollei 35, as it requires some adjustments to your thinking and your approach.

It has a lot of backward controls. It took me about five minutes to use and fall in love with a Rollei 35. They're great cameras fitted with superb Tessar or Sonnar lenses. Avoid a heavy-handed approach.

[drako]

This camera has been tops on my list for years. The quirky charm, fine engineering and construction and tiny size add up to DESIRABILITY for me.

[daveh]

JD, to combine two threads here:-

On the competition thread you said of your wife "Thank you, Roy. She IS incredible. You can imagine with such a great model that I have a number of other wonderful shots of my dearest."

Does your last post here also refer to her (with camera inadvertently replacing her name)?

[melek]

Drako, you would really love this camera. I've shot with the Sonnar and Tessar versions. I sort of like the Tessar camera.

Here are some that I took a long time ago with the Rollei 35T:








One day, my wife and I were going somewhere, and I told her, "Hold this for me."

That was the last time I ever saw that camera. Oh well. That was around 1992. I've replaced it since then.