i got a rollei 35 rangefinder today

[Mike Panic]

silver, german model w/ the 40mm zeiss lens on it

this thing is truely a piece of art

http://www.mediajoy.com/en/cla_came/rollei35/index.html

im going to try shooting it sunday me thinks...

 

[Beniliam]

I had the 35SE. Good camera. The controls are different to the rest of the cameras that I used. Have a nice 40 mm. My prefer focal length. These cameras are great for snaps. Use the sunny 16 rule if dont have meter funcionally. Good viewfinder. But I dont like the guess distances focus. I miss shot when the light is poor. Why a 2.8 lens if you can get a focus accurate?

 

[peter_n]

hey Mike congratulations! I've seen some shots taken with that lens and its really good. Enjoy the cam and post some shots in your gallery!

 

[aizan]

check out the rollei35 website. got some nice photos there.

http://rollei35.com/

 

[Mike Panic]

thanks peter - im a bit worried about the focal length but im sure ill figure it out.. im sure most of what ill be shooting will be on infinity anyway

thanks aizan, ive been poking around http://www.rolleiclub.com/rollei/index.htm lately as well

 

[Huck Finn]

Mike, it's not a rangefinder. Use scale focus. Great little camera witht the best lens they made for any of the models in this series. Enjoy!

 

[Mike Panic]

sorry for the ignorance, what is scale focus?

 

[Film dino]

Congratulations Mike. "Scale-focus" isn't focussing at all but estimating the distance to your subject & then setting this using the distance ring on the lens; & using the depth-of-field indicator. I tend to estimate short distances (4-10ft) by comparing distance to subject with my own height. Otherwise leave the distance ring set at infinity & choose subjects accordingly.
The Rollei 35 is a quirky design! Hope you enjoy it as I do mine
David

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Film Dino is right on focussing.

The other method I use is "Hey Bob, how far away from me do you think you are?" If he says 10 feet, then I set focus on ten feet. This method does not work well with landscape photos or animal photos.

Wayne

 

[Mike Panic]

ok... sorry - didn't know the tech name for it... very familiar w/ that technique, use it w/ my holga and w/ my zenitar 16mm fisheye on my eos a2 and eos 10d camera's

 

[zpuskas]

Mike, this is a wonderful camera. I have a black 35S. I use it when I travel for work since it's so small. Sharp lens. For some reason I keep thinking I want to sell it. Then I use it and never get around to actually putting it up for sale.
Controls are unique but easy to use.

 

[hoot]

The other method I use is "Hey Bob, how far away from me do you think you are?" If he says 10 feet, then I set focus on ten feet. This method does not work well with landscape photos or animal photos.

Hahahaha, watch out for this guy; great sense of humor there. 🙂

 

[Poptart]

My Beirette is scale focus but I've found that with flash, you can shoot almost everything at f22!

 

[plastidecore]

Welcome to the club. I own a Rollei 35 SE and I always carry it around!

 

[Theo-Prof]

I just joined the Rollei 35 ranks as well.

I just traded for a mint 35T yesterday I had been looking for a 35S but I got a great deal on the 35T. There is not a mark on the camera. The camera, case, cap and strap all look like they were taken out of their original packaging just days ago.

It is clear that the camera has not had much use during its life; thus the reason for this post. The slow speeds are slightly sticky. Can any of you recommend a good repair shop that I can trust to do a CLA on this camera? I have exercised the shutter but to no avail, the speeds are still sticky. (1/2 and 1/4 are a little slow and work properly only if I hold down the shutter button. When I press the shutter quickly the slow speeds all act as if the dial is set to "B.") I would be greatful for any suggestions of a good repair shop.

Kevin

 

[Mike Panic]

keh.com?? i know they stand behind all their work

 

[Theo-Prof]

keh.com?? i know they stand behind all their work

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually e-mailed a Rollei repair specialist and he indicated that the problem with which I was most concerned was normal for this camera. I noticed that the shutter would close immediately if I removed my finger from the shutter button when fired at slow speeds (1/2, 1/4). I thought this was a fault but he indicated that it was normal. I had always fired mechanically shuttered cameras using a cable release when I was shooting at slow speeds. I never knew that the shutter would close if I did not maintain pressure on the shutter button. On the other hand, the shutter on my Nikon FM will stay open at 1sec, 1/2, 1/4, etc. if I take my finger off the shutter while the shutter is open. I guess there is just a diffenence in the design between the two shutters. If anyone thinks differently I would like to know.

I went ahead and loaded a roll in the camera today and took some shots with it at a conference I was attending today. The slow speeds are still "very slightly" slow. If the other "problem" is not really a problem then I am just going to keep using the camera.

Kevin