GAS attack... help me choose a camera

[*chris]

well i have become a victim to the ever so rampant GAS

right now it is coming down to a yashica electro 35 gsn with the color yashinon lens, or a rollei 35 with a tessar lens which i am leaning more torwards. but which will i get more out of in the end picture wise?

i know theyre two different types scale focusing vs rangefinder but i can't decide which one to get :bang: ... currently have a oly 35 rc but the tessar on the rollei seems like an awesome lens. another thing to note is that i would be adding another mechanical camera if i went with the rollei as opposed to the yashica which needs batteries to fully function i believe

 

[gb hill]

Don't waste your time with a GSN. More trouble than they are worth with the POD problems these cameras have. You already have a better camera in the Olympus RC.

 

[Godfrey]

Rollei 35 with Tessar or the Rollei 35S with Sonnar even more so. 33 years since I bought my first one, and still my favorite ultra compact 35mm camera.

G

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Since you have Oly 35RC, I would think you should try scale focusing with Rollei 35. It is a delightful little machine.

 

[*chris]

Rollei 35 with Tessar or the Rollei 35S with Sonnar even more so. 33 years since I bought my first one, and still my favorite ultra compact 35mm camera.

G

i found an original 35 but made in singapore but can't seem to find a 35s that is reasonably priced. i was reading too that the 2.8 doesn't make too much of a difference because they shoot much butter when stopped down a bit anyways


thanks guys i have been looking at even more pictures taken with the rollei 35 and the results are quite impressive. i'm sure getting used to scale focusing will not be much harder than first learning how to use a rangefinder

 

[hausen]

Gotta be the Rollei. Waiting for my 35S to arrive from Germany and it will join the 35 I already have.

 

[Godfrey]

i found an original 35 but made in singapore but can't seem to find a 35s that is reasonably priced. i was reading too that the 2.8 doesn't make too much of a difference because they shoot much butter when stopped down a bit anyways ...

The Sonnar produces more even illumination across the field of view wide open and down to f/5.6. It's also sharper at corners and edges. By f/8, they're hard to tell apart. Also, Sonnar performance is more even across the focusing range as it is a unit shift lens, the Tessar is a front element focuser.

But they're both excellent.

The Rollei 35 was manufactured in Germany until about '71-72 when the Singapore plant was opened, then production shifted there. There are minor differences between the German and Singapore made models. All Rollei 35S units, excepting a very few pre-pro units, were made in Singapore. After the 35S shipped, the Tessar Rollei 35 was renamed Rollei 35T.

G

 

[*chris]

The Sonnar produces more even illumination across the field of view wide open and down to f/5.6. It's also sharper at corners and edges. By f/8, they're hard to tell apart. Also, Sonnar performance is more even across the focusing range as it is a unit shift lens, the Tessar is a front element focuser.

But they're both excellent.

The Rollei 35 was manufactured in Germany until about '71-72 when the Singapore plant was opened, then production shifted there. There are minor differences between the German and Singapore made models. All Rollei 35S units, excepting a very few pre-pro units, were made in Singapore. After the 35S shipped, the Tessar Rollei 35 was renamed Rollei 35T.

G

i wish i could get a 35s but from the looks a tessar 35 is more realistic. the one i'm planning on purchasing is a standard 35 but an early singapore model before the 35s since it isn't labeled as 35 t.

what are the differences in the shutters? i think i read that the german 35 had a better quality shutter

 

[Godfrey]

i wish i could get a 35s but from the looks a tessar 35 is more realistic. the one i'm planning on purchasing is a standard 35 but an early singapore model before the 35s since it isn't labeled as 35 t.

what are the differences in the shutters? i think i read that the german 35 had a better quality shutter

I've had both and never seen any difference at all between the shutters.

The German made Rollei 35 has a couple of very small differences:

- slightly higher magnification in the viewfinder
- brass instead of steel film transport gears (they feel just slightly smoother, but the steel gears are more durable.)
- Zeiss branding on the lens (the lenses, both Tessar and Sonnar, were exactly the same, made by Zeiss, but Rollei worked a deal to not display the Zeiss brand on the bezel to save a little money in licensing/branding costs on the Singapore production line)
- Made in Germany instead of Made in Singapore inscription

The only way you can see the differences in the film transport is to have both cameras, in equally excellent condition, in your hand. Completely irrelevant to use of the cameras... 🙂

The only real difference between the shutters might be that the German production cameras are a bit older and therefore more liable to need a CLA at this point in time.

BTW, the Rollei 35 with Tessar lens takes 24mm filters, which are a bit hard to find. I think it's Heliopan that makes a 24 to 30.5 mm step up ring, which allows you to use rather plentiful 30.5mm filters and lens hoods. The Sonnar lens takes 30.5mm filters.

G