Any thoughts on the Rollei XF 35?

DougK

DougK

This space left blank
Local time
6:37 AM
Joined
Sep 14, 2004
Messages
1,637
There's one on eBay right now, trying to decide if it's worth adding to my collection. Decent camera? Anyone have any experience with it?
 
Well, I guess I'll find out what it's like... I gave in to temptation :)

Still, any feedback on what I can look forward to with this camera will be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Is this one of their tiny 35's, Doug? Have to assume it's not one of the SLRs...
 
It's a somewhat bigger 35 rangefinder with a 40/2.3 Sonnar. A nice little machine, for what I've heard. Enjoy!
 
I have used a Rollei 35SE with 2.8 Sonnar for years, bought the XF 35 and was somewhat disappointed. The lens is not as sharp as the 35SE and does not make up with some other characteristic, such as the wonderful highlight contrast of the Canonet 1.7 GIII. The slow shutter speeds are limited to 1/30 and the ISO to 400. It is a nice size but I found it slightly clumsy to use. On the plus side it has a very nice, clear, uncluttered viewfinder, much nicer than most. Hope this helps a bit.
 
Thanks for the information folks! My German is a little rusty (and my French almost non-existent) but I think I got the gist of those links above. It'll be interesting to see how it performs once it arrives. The ISO limitation shouldn't hinder me too much as I mostly shoot outdoors in daylight with ISO 100. Plus I'll soon be able to say that I have a Rollei in the collection :)

Now I gotta start saving my pennies for the day Leica lust overcomes me ...
 
Doug K.,
I gave in to the temptation for one years ago; the specifications blinded me to the advice I was getting to the contrary from the Rollei list (a brutal place -- not at all as civil as this site, but a wealth of information if your ego can take the beating:D ).

On paper it appears to be a slightly larger Rollei35 with rangefinder capability, which would be great . In reality the overall quality of the camera is poor, not up to Rollei's usual high standard. Fortunately I kept the R35SE (my plan was to replace the SE with the XF) which I still use often.

D2
 
Thanks for the links, Jeroen! From the French I was able to make out the features. Looks like a nice little rig if you accept the auto-only exposure.
 
Well, so far it appears folks either love it or are disappointed by it. Oddly, I find that makes the anticipation even greater (there must be a screw loose in my head somewhere)... now I'm very eager to play with it and see if I've obtained a shooter or a shelf queen...
 
I've been sorta curious about the XF35. How does it compare to an Oly RC35 in size?
 
Well, according to a couple of 'Net sites, here's the dimensions

Rollei XF35:
112x32x71mm, weight 355g

Olympus RC35:
111x76x55mm, weight 410g

Pretty darn close, it looks like, although I think the dimensions are in different order for the two cameras. It was the best info I could find.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom