caila77
Well-known
Is there anyone that had experiences with QBM lenses?
QBM Lenses advice
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santino
FSU gear head
Yeah. Basically Contax/Yashica Zeiss lenses with different coating in an odd mount. They are hard to adapt, unless we’re talking mirrorless. Quality wise they are flawless and I highly recommend them (if you can get them at a decent price, otherwise I‘d choose the c/y versions for the reasons mentioned above).
Garden Maniac
Newbie
Optically they are really great, in some cases where lens designs mostly match maybe nicer more neutral color balance than the c/y but also not as well corrected in some cases like the zeiss 35 2.8
I personally love the rendering and I hate to say it because I love Rollei everything but mechanically (build quality, repairability) they are pretty awful compared to the c/y
I personally love the rendering and I hate to say it because I love Rollei everything but mechanically (build quality, repairability) they are pretty awful compared to the c/y
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
Yeah. I used to have a few Rollei 35 bodies....SL35 German, SL35E, and a 2003 (system camera). The lenses were excellent....I had both Singapore versions and German Zeiss versions. Great lenses that I don't think I have anymore. I know I sold off a bunch of my 35 Rollei stuff in the "big purge". I do miss them but not too much. I still have soooo many excellent lenses in the cupboard.
If you get into QBM lenses, you'll like em.
If you get into QBM lenses, you'll like em.
David Murphy
Veteran
I can recommend the Schneider Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.8 - not too expensive and amazing optics
caila77
Well-known
thanks for the replies.
I found different opinions on the internet (partly confirmed here). According to some, the optics are not up to the standards of the cameras and the brand Rollei. According to others, however, these are very good optics (albeit not always excellent). Unfortunately, as often happens, now there are only digital tests on internet, with all the limitations and differences for those who would like to use them on film
I found different opinions on the internet (partly confirmed here). According to some, the optics are not up to the standards of the cameras and the brand Rollei. According to others, however, these are very good optics (albeit not always excellent). Unfortunately, as often happens, now there are only digital tests on internet, with all the limitations and differences for those who would like to use them on film
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
If I remember correctly, the only QBM lenses with less-than-stellar performance were some the later Singapore (and other?) lenses. Most of the earlier prime (fixed focal length) lenses are very good. Very good. I remember being quite impressed with the Zeiss 50/1.4, and the Rollei HFT (Singapore) 50/1.8 was clearly above the crowd. Same with the 135 and 85. I think I had a 35 as well but it had issues from its previous owner. The only zooms I used on the Rollei35 bodies were Tamron lenses. I find that most zooms made before the 2000s/2010s aren't stellar performers. That likely includes any Rollei QBM offerings....yes I know there exceptions out there. BTW the Tamron 17mm lens was great on those bodies.
Most QBM lenses are pricey quality Zeiss glass. The lower priced 2nd tier were Rollei labeled lenses which sometimes offered choices not available in the Zeiss lineup.
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
I had to look these up, since I'd never heard of them. The Rollei SL35 family is one of the few SLR lines I haven't delved into. Good information here.
David Murphy
Veteran
One thing to keep in mind about the QBM is that it adapts to M42 preserving both infinity focus and auto-aperture actuation. Thus an SL35, for instance, can become a fairly modern M42 SLR with the M42 to QBM adapter. The adapter for this is not too hard to find at modest cost on eBay. This obviously expands the possibility of lens use well beyond native QBM lenses.
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
Wow -- didn't know that. Nice way to get newer Zeiss lenses for your M42 (in addition to the older CZJ M42s).
Garden Maniac
Newbie
I gave up on rollei qbm for film usage after a few years because beyond the lens mechanical problems the bodies are all really awful and prone to issues - the last of the mechanical ones the sl350 is priced higher and worth it for the better viewfinder
both the zeiss and schneider 50 1.8 lenses are wonderful with great thick line contrast and punchy imagery even wide open, probably the best value in the system
If I absolutely had to shoot rollei qbm lenses I would buy the few slightly rarer versions that were made in m42 mount and shoot them on a spotmatic or chinon or anything but the rollei 35mm slr bodies which are somehow worse handling and more prone to issues than even the cheapest japanese SLR - I don't think the entire product range was made this way but there are at least 50 1.8s and 35 2.8s like these listed on ebay , linking to random auctions of these here - these examples below are not the mamiya made rolleinar stuff but the zeiss designs
50 1.8 with voigtlander badge , same lens as the qbm 50 1.8 planar
35 2.8 with voigtlander badge, same as the 35 2.8 distagon for qbm
the names get confusing because the product lines were a mess with tremendous overlap at the time - there are also voigtlander rebadges of the mamiya made lenses as well which share similar names but added AR and feature the same barrels as the mamiya made lenses for the QBM system
compare with this voigtlander badged mamiya lens for qbm for example
all in all, for collecting, adapting to mirrorless for "character" and shooting once in a blue moon the qbm lenses are great, get a clean sl350 if you can find one for a good deal ($200) but I would advise against them for shooting regularly other than the option of using the m42 versions on better bodies
obviously i'm only stating all this from my own experience, maybe somebody else has had a better run with the bodies and lenses but for me it was heartbreaking stuff, I was quite happy to give my qbm lenses away a few years ago - with that said if there was a good way to shoot that 50 1.4 planar with it's pleasant rollei reddish color rendition as opposed to the contax i would be happy to use that lens for 95% of my color 35mm photography but sadly there isn't
both the zeiss and schneider 50 1.8 lenses are wonderful with great thick line contrast and punchy imagery even wide open, probably the best value in the system
If I absolutely had to shoot rollei qbm lenses I would buy the few slightly rarer versions that were made in m42 mount and shoot them on a spotmatic or chinon or anything but the rollei 35mm slr bodies which are somehow worse handling and more prone to issues than even the cheapest japanese SLR - I don't think the entire product range was made this way but there are at least 50 1.8s and 35 2.8s like these listed on ebay , linking to random auctions of these here - these examples below are not the mamiya made rolleinar stuff but the zeiss designs
50 1.8 with voigtlander badge , same lens as the qbm 50 1.8 planar
35 2.8 with voigtlander badge, same as the 35 2.8 distagon for qbm
the names get confusing because the product lines were a mess with tremendous overlap at the time - there are also voigtlander rebadges of the mamiya made lenses as well which share similar names but added AR and feature the same barrels as the mamiya made lenses for the QBM system
compare with this voigtlander badged mamiya lens for qbm for example
all in all, for collecting, adapting to mirrorless for "character" and shooting once in a blue moon the qbm lenses are great, get a clean sl350 if you can find one for a good deal ($200) but I would advise against them for shooting regularly other than the option of using the m42 versions on better bodies
obviously i'm only stating all this from my own experience, maybe somebody else has had a better run with the bodies and lenses but for me it was heartbreaking stuff, I was quite happy to give my qbm lenses away a few years ago - with that said if there was a good way to shoot that 50 1.4 planar with it's pleasant rollei reddish color rendition as opposed to the contax i would be happy to use that lens for 95% of my color 35mm photography but sadly there isn't
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
German made SL35 served me well and was as tough as my Nikon F2. My Singapore made SL35E didn't hold up as well. The 2002, 2003 bodies were very Hasselblad-like in many ways... including the level of finnicky-ness.
My Zeiss QBM lenses were excellent.... I'll say it again. In fact I looked in the closet and noticed I kept one QBM lens after selling all the rest. A Zeiss 50/1.8
My Zeiss QBM lenses were excellent.... I'll say it again. In fact I looked in the closet and noticed I kept one QBM lens after selling all the rest. A Zeiss 50/1.8
