Got another fixed lens RF...

[Kent]

... a Rollei XF35.

I just love these little machines. 😉

 

[eli griggs]

Very nice! How many have you had before and what do you like best about them? I've never used one and I'm curious.

Cheers

 

[titrisol]

Nice one!
Enjoy it, and post picutres

 

[ZeissFan]

I'm divided on these cameras. On one hand, you gotta love the Sonnar, and there are no foam seals to replace (because it's a German design).

On the other hand, the quality of construction is average at best. The rangefinder mechanism seems to have a bit too much play. And it's sort of loud -- lots of "clack"-ing when using the camera.

If course, that hasn't stopped me from buying one. 🙂

 

[Kent]

Very nice! How many have you had before and what do you like best about them? I've never used one and I'm curious.

Cheers

Apart from my FED-3b with J-8, I-61 and J-12 I have these, fixed lens, rangefinders:

1. Yashica Electro 35 GS (I guess my favourite RF cam, fantastic lens, well built, but heavy and bulky.)
2. Minolta Hi-Matic E (Bigger and heavier than the "F" but a great lens that offers f1.7.)
3. Olympus 35RC (Well built and a really great lens, although f2.8.)
4. Minolta Hi-Matic F (My first rangefinder cam, well built and a nice lens but "only" f2.8.)
5. Ricoh 500RF (A somewhat plastic feel, but it's got a nice lens, also f2.8.)
6. AGFA Super Silette Automatic (Rather big but well built.)
7. AGFA Super Silette (My oldest rangefinder cam, pretty fast - f2.0 - for its age. Nice lens but my copy has a slow shutter from 1/15 on.)

> Rollei XF35 (The first roll is loaded. Lens sounds nice: Sonnar 2.3/40. I will see... )

 

[Kent]

I'm divided on these cameras. On one hand, you gotta love the Sonnar, and there are no foam seals to replace (because it's a German design).

On the other hand, the quality of construction is average at best. The rangefinder mechanism seems to have a bit too much play. And it's sort of loud -- lots of "clack"-ing when using the camera.

If course, that hasn't stopped me from buying one. 🙂

Yes. I guess this Rollei is a mixture between the Olympus 35RC (+++ lens quality) and the Ricoh 500RF (- built). 😉

 

[ZeissFan]

I first bought one of these in 1980 for $15. I had gotten less than 100 feet from the camera store when it stopped working. I returned it for a refund.

Fast forward to 2000+, and now these had more or less achieved cult status and were selling in the $40+ range.

So I picked one up, adjusted the rangefinder as best that I could and loaded it with some film. I finally finished the first roll and will drop it off later today.

I wish that it had some manual controls (like the Olympus 35 RC), but I'm not surprised that it doesn't. It's similar to the other small rangefinders from the 1970s in size and features, especially the program-type trap-needle autoexposure.