Modify Rollei 35S Meter?

[Frank Petronio]

I was lucky enough to receive a Rollei 35S for Christmas, purchased by one of my females from Etsy no less! Of course it was advertised as an antique in good condition, and it is overall. But of course the meter is shot.

Does anyone convert these to use modern batteries? Are the old cells replaceable? And who does a good general CLA of a Rollei 35?

Thanks

 

[ferider]

Don't know about the CLA. But I use a Chris adapter in my 35, Frank.

 

[MaxElmar]

The best Rollei people still work on them, including (Marflex?Krikor?) in NJ and Harry Fleenor (Oceanside) in CA. I haven't heard anything about meter parts not being available. Essex Camera Repair in NJ may be a less-expensive alternative for a less-expensive Rollei. A great little camera - makes a delightful companion to a meter-less Rollei TLR.

http://www.rolleirepairs.com/r35-batt.htm

 

[KoNickon]

Krikor works on them. He may not be able to do anything about the meter, if it's a matter of needing parts.

 

[neelin]

I've been using the ubiquitous LR44, loose sideways but no chance of any shorting but fits tight. It lasts for a long time. I use another meter to calibrate (usually about weekly), and adjust ISO accordingly. Simple, cheap, pretty good.

 

[Godfrey]

I was lucky enough to receive a Rollei 35S for Christmas, purchased by one of my females from Etsy no less! Of course it was advertised as an antique in good condition, and it is overall. But of course the meter is shot.

Does anyone convert these to use modern batteries? Are the old cells replaceable? And who does a good general CLA of a Rollei 35?

Thanks

Presuming that you're talking about the original CdS meter with the follow-pointer on the top deck, best battery solution is the CRIS MR-9 adapter:

http://www.criscam.com/mercury_battery_adapters.php

No recalibration required, modern and easy to obtain batteries.

Marflex and Harry Fleenor of Oceanside will service a damaged meter.

 

[joeswe]

I was lucky enough to receive a Rollei 35S for Christmas, purchased by one of my females from Etsy no less! Of course it was advertised as an antique in good condition, and it is overall. But of course the meter is shot.

Does anyone convert these to use modern batteries? Are the old cells replaceable? And who does a good general CLA of a Rollei 35?

Thanks

I had an Rollei 35S with defunct meter repaired just last years by these guys:
http://www.ffs-service.de/
This is the official repair shop of Rollei in Germany. I realize you live in the US and this is of limited help to you. I still post it here in case you run out of options over there. FFS overhauled the shutter, cleaned the finder, repaired the meter and adjusted it to use for 1,5v cells. Cost was 100 Euros net. I know it's not cheap if you convert it to US$, but for me it was worth it.
John

 

[FrankS]

CRIS adaptor, like Roland and Godfrey said.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

For a full explanation of battery replacements and adaptors go to <http://www.butkus.org/chinon/batt-adapt-us.pdf>
I use the ones made by Franz de Gruijter from Holland to replace the original PX625 Mercury batteries in my Nikkormats. Cost about $21 and half the next option.
The MR-9 adaptor (made in Japan) from CHRIS or The Small Battery Company (UK) also does the job but being slightly thicker it doesn't fit all battery compartments if they are too tight to the original battery height. Many have a sprung contact though and that will accommodate the MR-9 type. But the SBC has quite a range of other batteries too. <http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/index.htm>

 

[joeswe]

CRIS adaptor, like Roland and Godfrey said.

Sorry for being blunt, but this doesn't make sense. OP's problem is a dead meter and an adapter like the CRIS will not make a dead meter work. So, the meter has to be repaired anyway and it can be adjusted to work with the modern 1,5v batteries by a competent repair shop (like ffs or Oceanside) easily while the meter is being worked on, so there is absolutely no need to spend another 36 bucks for an adapter... 🙂

 

[Mablo]

You don't know if the meter works or not if you have no battery in the camera.

 

[joeswe]

You don't know if the meter works or not if you have no battery in the camera.

Sorry if I misunderstood the OP, but "shot" in my ears sounded like "kaput".
But even if he was still unsure if the meter works or not, it's not the best idea to buy a 36$ adapter just to test, because these meters do indeed go bad. A cheap PX625A battery is all it takes to check if the meter works at all. In case it is the meter, he will get the 1.5V-conversion for free when he has the meter repaired and the CLA made...