Impulse Buy!

Darkhorse

Darkhorse

pointed and shot
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Mar 28, 2009
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I've been in a gassy mood lately. I've been looking at larger medium format systems, but in my heart of hearts I'm fundamentally a light-weight shooter. I don't like packing heavy gear, and I just like things small. This is one of the reasons why I love the OM system... a system that's been getting bigger with the addition of more lenses.

I've considered getting a Leica, but the cost is rather high. Maybe I'm just frugal, I don't know. But I've been getting the urge to get some German glass.

Suddenly today I remembered the local shop had a Rollei 35 and I jumped right in.

r35a.jpg


The price was fine, and it also came with a flash. Glass looks totally clean, came with the lens cap an a UV filter as well. Speeds seem OK, but struggled a bit at the lower end, but now seems fine after a few shots.

There is, however, the issue of the battery. I'm not sure what to do here. Aside from that, looking inside I discovered there's no cap for the battery:

r35b.jpg


This being a mechanical camera, I know I don't need the battery. Still, I don't want to have to drag around a light meter as well... or Sunny 16 things.

Any tips?
 
Looks beautiful. As for MF, just a hunch, but for the type of shooting I've seen you do, I think you'd be really happy with an old Rollei TLR. They're not that heavy, the VF is thrilling and the fixed lens will quell any system-building compulsions...
 
FrankS said:
That's a classy impulse buy!

Pictured IS the cap to the battery chamber. Unscrew it.
Click to expand...

OK now i just feel silly. Honestly, at first glance I thought that was the hole in which the battery was supposed to go. Just opened it up and there's a battery in there! I didn't see any signs of life to the meter in the store. Just now I went outside and there are just barely signs of life. The sun gave a reading of ƒ2.8@ 1/30. I think it's dead.

snausages, I have an Autocord, and that's a perfectly light weight and optically wonderful camera. Regrettably I don't use it all that often much to my chagrin. Maybe I need a different focus screen for it because I constantly second guess myself while awkwardly trying to focus. I realize this is scale focus, but it's more easy to see the distance markings on this than a TLR.
 
Darkhorse your not the first to have thought that about the battery, I did wonder too when I picked up these two a short while ago. Though I'm only on my second roll in both I'm already finding I prefer the 35. I think it's to do with the viewfinder being on the corner. Being a spectacle wearer I think it makes it a tad easier. May sell on the LED but not decided for sure.

5370284785_74d3b35bd4_z.jpg
 
I use a criscam converter, a little pricey but that's that no need to worry. Also, Kohscamera has hoods and I believe filters for the Rollei 35.
 
That´s a nice camera, darkhorse. Don´t think about the battery, it´s not so difficult to estimate the right exposure.
 
Don't these take mercury batteries? If you don't want to estimate, then a converter for a silver dioxide battery is probably the way to go.
 
Mine has the battery conversion job done but still the meter is almost useless. One day I just tossed the battery and never looked back.

Rollei 35 is a great camera and it has killed my GAS for a Barnack Leica.
 
Well done a great buy and looks nicer than mine, as for the cap, hey weve all made mistakes, anyway the lens on the 35S is superb and the shutter nice and quiet, congratulations
 
If you send me a print of one of your pictueres I will send you a rubber lens hood for the Rollei 35 S :)


(PM me your adress)
 
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I've only been able to test the camera by taking a walk around the block. Using it reminded me of using my oft missed Oly 35RC... except the winder is on the other side of course. Actually composing with the camera is simpler because you don't have to worry about focusing through it... focusing itself is another challenge, and that'll just come with experience I think. I did OK in that regard... although one shot I really wanted was too blurry.

It's hard to gauge the sharpness of the images with my V500. Although I will say that I needed to sharpen the sharp shots significantly less than I do with shots from my OM system.

These are from a roll of Tri-X I metered at 250 and put in Rodinal 1:50 for about 9:30. I wanted some shadow detail, and indeed got some, but the negs weren't that dense. Probably could've used another minute maybe?

I have some 160NC in the camera now.

r35s1.jpg


r35s2.jpg


r35s3.jpg


r35s4.jpg
 
I love everything about my Rollei 35SE except the scale focusing - for a guy who likes to shoot in low light with ISO1600 film, it's a lottery with no room for error.
 
Photos look good. You are doing fine with that camera and development from the looks of it. Of course, since this is internet and an uncalibrated monitor, you may be right about needing another minute. I used to lust for one of those cameras. Now that I have the XA, I am well satisfied.
 
Thanks.
I had an XA, but not for very long. Trying to adjust the faint RF patch with glasses on was tough, plus I didn't find the lens sharp enough to my taste. But I can fully appreciate the appeal of that camera.
 
I recently got one too! Mine has been converted to use modern batteries. So far it seems the meter works perfectly in bright light when you could easily use sunny 16, and is not very accurate in lower light when you really need it. I don't plan to use it as a night time camera, so it's not a big issue, but I will have to learn a similar rule to sunny 16 for shooting indoors.

I've posted this before on another thread, but just can't resist, here it is hanging around in my kitchen:

5313311506_4cc15d7aae_z.jpg


Cheers,
Rob
 
I have a cheat sheet taped on the back of my 35. It helps sometimes:

ISO 400 - Outside:
1/250 - f/11 - bright overcast or regular day
1/250 - f/8 - overcast (indistinct shadow)
1/250 - f/5.6 - heavy overcast (no shadow)
1/250 - f/5.6 - subject is in shade
1/250 - f/4 - sunset
ISO 400 - Inside:
1/60 - f/4 - bright fluorescent light
1/60 - f/4 - subject in window light
 
Mablo said:
I have a cheat sheet taped on the back of my 35. It helps sometimes:

ISO 400 - Outside:
1/250 - f/11 - bright overcast or regular day
1/250 - f/8 - overcast (indistinct shadow)
1/250 - f/5.6 - heavy overcast (no shadow)
1/250 - f/5.6 - subject is in shade
1/250 - f/4 - sunset
ISO 400 - Inside:
1/60 - f/4 - bright fluorescent light
1/60 - f/4 - subject in window light
Click to expand...

Thanks Mablo. I'm going to copy the last two lines onto a piece of tape and stick it to my camera! Also in other words indoor window lighting is 6 stops below sunny 16. It might help me if I can find a way to remember it too: the Indoor 10 rule.

Cheers,
Rob
 
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