Is the Rollei 35 a flare fighter?

[jett]

I have a Contax T2 and I would like to replace it with a Rollei 35, Sonnar.

I have a Rollei 35, Tessar, and it is an amazing camera, one of my favorites. However, my Rollei 35, Tessar flares in tough lighting.

Is the Rollei 35, Sonnar, in the same league as the Contax T2 in terms of flare resistance? What about contrast (this isn't a big deal to me)?

 

[ZeissFan]

Is your Rollei 35 a "Made in Germany" model? I think those lenses are single-coated. The later Rollei-branded Tessars seem to have a much deeper coating. And the Sonnars use Rollei's HFT coating.

I've not had a problem with lens flare on the later cameras. And o course, haze or a slight film or smudge on the lens can contribute to flare.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Is the Rollei 35, Sonnar, in the same league as the Contax T2 in terms of flare resistance? What about contrast (this isn't a big deal to me)?

Isn't it the exact same lens? My understanding has always been that the Rollei 35S lens was so good it was used in the Contax T2.

 

[jett]

Yes, my Tessar is made in Germany.

I do not need the speed. I just appreciate more flare resistance, for certain lighting conditions. The flare, really isn't all that bad but the flare-resistance on my Contax is noticeably better.

Would the coated Tessar be as good/better than the Sonnar?

And I didn't know that the Rollei 35S lens is the same as the Contax.The Rollei 35 is 40mm and the Contax is 38mm. Maybe this difference is a minor...but are the coatings the same?

 

[jonmanjiro]

Ok, now that I think about it, I think I got the lens in the Contax T2 confused with the Sonnar 40/2.8 LTM lens that was released for the Rollei 35 RF (basically a Bessa R2 in Rollei livery). The Sonnar LTM lens is the Rollei 35 Sonnar lens in an LTM mount. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if the Contax T2 lens is the same, or a slightly modified version of the Rollei 35 Sonnar lens.

I've used several Rollei 35 Tessars and several Rollei 35 Sonnars, and the sonnar lens is definitely more flare resistant. The sonnar is also marginally sharper in the center, but you have to pixel peek to see differences.

 

[k__43]

I find the T2 is quite flare resistant but when it flares it gets ugly

 

[Sonny Boy Havidson]

Whereas the Tessar is really prone to flare, the Sonnar is not. I have never heard a multi-coated Tessar on a Rollei 35. There is also a difference in contrast between both lens, something like the difference between Tessar and Planar for Rolleiflexes.

 

[awilder]

Upon inspection, the 40/2.8 Sonnar on the 35S/SE with HFT multi-layer coating applies to only one or two air-glass surfaces at best. The other glass surfaces are single layer coatings. The Contax T/T2 38/2.8 is a similar optical design but with most or all air-glass surfaces T* multi-coated. To me, flaring is much less of an issue on these Sonnar designs compared to corner fall-off in illumination at larger apertures. I think the Tessar design is a little better in that respect.

 

[kanzlr]

well, you can always use a 30.5mm hood on the Rollei 35S, thats what I do and I never have any flare problems.

 

[lxmike]

I have owned and used both the 35 and the 35 S, like most lenses I found a hood was best for alleviating flare

 

[Ko.Fe.]

My I-22 is very flare resistant. So was rigid I-50. No hoods need.
But Tessar is Rollei... For the lens with front element sitting deep enough already....
I have German and later, both flares, badly.
But if no flare, which is in 90%, pictures taken are very good.

 

[Mablo]

I just bought a metal hood from *Bay for my early 35 Tessar. 6$, postal charges from China included.

 

[sevo]

Tessars are very low flare by design - the reason why they were considered superior (for medium angular coverage and speed) to other lens designs before coating became common. If yours should flare, it might benefit from a cleaning.

 

[Gregoris]

My Rollei 35 (Germany) flares like there's no tomorrow - even with a hood. And always at the same spot, top edge of the frame - in the middle. I wonder whether I should get another hood, the one I got is quite big - to the point of obstructing my viewfinder.

 

[Godfrey]

Upon inspection, the 40/2.8 Sonnar on the 35S/SE with HFT multi-layer coating applies to only one or two air-glass surfaces at best. The other glass surfaces are single layer coatings. The Contax T/T2 38/2.8 is a similar optical design but with most or all air-glass surfaces T* multi-coated. To me, flaring is much less of an issue on these Sonnar designs compared to corner fall-off in illumination at larger apertures. I think the Tessar design is a little better in that respect.

The Rollei 35S' Sonnar has much more even illumination at larger apertures than the Rollei 35's Tessar, in my experience. The Tessar is best when stopped down to f/8 or f/11.

Both are excellent lenses and don't suffer from too much flare in my experience, but I do use a lens hood when I take the time to fit it. The lens hood for the Contax TVS is a perfect fit for the Rollei 35S Sonnar.

G

 

[Godfrey]

My Rollei 35 (Germany) flares like there's no tomorrow - even with a hood. And always at the same spot, top edge of the frame - in the middle. I wonder whether I should get another hood, the one I got is quite big - to the point of obstructing my viewfinder.

That sounds like either a fault in that particular example of the lens or the camera. There might be something in the lens tube or at the edge of a lens element that is bright and shiny.

G

 

[summaron]

I've used the Sonnar version for years – if finally gave up the ghost last week. It's a sharp and dutiful lens with nice out of focus, though nothing as lush as the 1.5 Sonnar. It handled flare quite well. The Triotar, which I used in Greece one year and will be using again soon until I get a new Sonnar version, was sharp wide open (might have been a good sample) and contrasty and had a great deal of punchiness – all this in spite of its lowly reputation.

What I did notice in the Rollei 35 series is that the shutter release buttons varied – some of them were sunken in a surrounding ring, concave in effect, and would probably need a soft release. Others – my 35 SE and B – were not.

Now I will attempt to link a photo taken into the light – the light spatters about on the glass door but doesn't really flare.

http://canariesinthemorning.tumblr.com/

 

[Godfrey]

..
What I did notice in the Rollei 35 series is that the shutter release buttons varied – some of them were sunken in a surrounding ring, concave in effect, and would probably need a soft release. Others – my 35 SE and B – were not. ... [/URL]

The notion of the shutter button guard is to rest your finger on the guard and roll it onto the button, rather than just pushing down. This reduces camera shake.

I've tried soft release buttons many times over the years. None of them work as well as the shutter release guard for me, and they're constantly getting caught on things in my bag. I tossed all of them ages ago.

G