Rollei 35 RF

[QuillianSW]

Quilian, many rangefinder photographers shoot with available light & don't use flash. This is based on the belief that lack of mirror slap allows the camera to be hand held at slower shutter speeds & the fact that rangefinder lenses seem to maintain their quality at maximum aperture unlike SLR lenses which seem to show a more significant drop in performance wide open.
Huck

Thanks Huck - couldn't make my fingers type those words - on an SLR lens (for others reading) "max app" is often unuseable, meaning to say that if the lens opens to f/1.4, you probably can't get good resolution that wide open, but you will get a nice f/2.0, etc. Now 'news to me' is that with an RF, I can really get good shots - no distortion, etc., at a lens' maximum app?

 

[Alex Shishin]

I've seen and held this Rollei and am not particularly impressed. It is an essentially an R2. The silver is painted on. The lenses are overpriced. The French photo journal Chausser d' Images does not give either the 40 or 80 terribly high marks. The grip material seems considerrably better than than on the R2 or the current R2A-R3A. The crass Rollei logo absolutely is a good aesthetic reason not to get this camera.

The much cheaper R3A is a better deal.

Voigtlander is available in the US. Cameraquest and Photo Village (NYC) are two sources with about equal prices.

 

[Huck Finn]

The much cheaper R3A is a better deal.

Voigtlander is available in the US. Cameraquest and Photo Village (NYC) are two sources with about equal prices.

Alex, your comment about price is not correct. The Rollei 35 RF is cheaper than the the R2/3A. Current price at B&H is $499, while the R2/3A is $549.

Yes, it is essentially an R2. What's wrong with that? Plenty of R2 owners are pleased with their cameras. The close focus distance of 0.7 meters is an upgrade over the R2 (0.9 minimum focus distance). As compared with the R3A on which the 40 mm frame lines can't be seen by most people, the 40 mm frame lines are viewable even with glasses. The choice of 40/80 frame lines offers a nice 2-lens travel kit. 80 mm frame lines, in particular, offers the best combination of focal length & lens speed for this base line. It stretches the 75 to a more useful length, but doesn't restrict your longer lens to f/3.5, as is the case with the CV 90. The frame lines are uncluttered since none of them do double duty - unlike the R2. And the grip material is an improvement from the R2, as you mentioned. All of these are nice touches from Rollei in adapting the camera.

I have no idea what the aesthetic appeal to your sensibilities of silver or the Rollei logo has to do with the capabilities of this camera for taking pictures. The silver color means that there is an R2 on which you can mount silver/chrome lenses if that is your preference whereas the R2 comes only in black. I have no idea how Cosina achieved the silver color. If they painted it on, what's the problem? Leica uses black paint on their $3000 cameras.

If Chausseur d'Image didn't like the lenses, that's their problem. Amateur Photographer did like them. But rather than refer to lens tests, you can argue with 30 years of photographers who have been using the 40 Sonnar on the Rollei 35 or the medium format photographers who have been using the 80 Planar. They regard these as superb lenses. Nor have I found a single post from an owner of the current versions of these lenses who would agree with the Chasseur d'Image assessment of the lenses. There have been numerous posts on Photo.net in particular about the 40 Sonnar & they have been uniformly positive.

By what standard are the lenses overpriced - other than that all RF lenses seem pricey due to their limited sales volume in a small niche market? They are not at CV prices, but then they are subject to the same stringent quality control standards that Zeiss requires of all its licensees & which CV lenses are not - the only criticism which I have of Cosina. The 40/2.8 is far cheaper than anything in the new Zeiss lens line & the 80/2.8 is half the price of the new Zeiss 80/2 & cheaper than the Leica 90/2.8.

Since you obviously have not used either the camera or the lenses, I don't understand how you have achieved your negative assessment.

Cheers,
Huck

 

[QuillianSW]

I give up. Someone just tell me what to do. Ideally I'd get the Zeiss Ikon but (1) it's not available (2) Lenses will be stupidly expensive, so (3) I'll wait. So I'm trying to decide between the R2A and the Rollei 35 RF. The R2A has more framelines in common with the Zeiss, and AE, but the Rollei has a longer warranty and is bundled with that nice Sonnar lens. I'll probably use the camera primarily for available light "environmental" portraiture, which means eventually I'll want something longer than 50mm - the Planar 80mm (Rollei) or whatever with the Bessa. (I like to take photos of people). So - how's the AE on the R2A? And what are the lens choices in 75mm for the R2A? If I eventually upgrade to the Ikon - I can probably use the Planar 80 easier with it than a 75mm CV, dontchathink? PS, the camera's going to a hot dusty place.

 

[Huck Finn]

Stone, I like the Rollei 35 RF very much & the optics are excellent. You can't go wrong with this purchase & at current prices, it is an excellent buy IMHO. However, it was never designed to be a comprehensive system. Rollei only proposed 3 lenses for it & ultimately only produced 2 of them. I think of it as a modern day Leica CL, i.e. a light weight, 2-lens travel kit (40/80) with the option to mount a faster 50 for those who want to do low light shooting. I think that it is perfect for your current needs of photographing your travels in Iraq. In fact, I would substitute the Voigtlander 75/2.5 for the Rollei 80/2.8 because it is cheaper, more compact, & lighter weight and is therefore better suited to the concept of a compact, light weight travel kit. when Popular Photography tested the CV 75/2.5, they found that it is actually about 77 mm long, so the difference between it & the Rollei 80/2.8 is negligible & it will work quite well with the camera's 80 mm frame lines. It is an excellent lens.

If you were to buy the Rollei 35 RF, I would recommend buying it for what it is but not as an introduction to a comprehensive system. Like you, I've been bitten by the ZI bug. The Zeiss Ikon IS a comprehensive system in that the frame lines support lens options from 28 to 85 & Zeiss supports it with a full range of lenses. Its long base length offers greater focusing precision expecially on longer & faster lenses & so is less limited than the Bessa series or the Rollei version. If that is your ultimate goal, then the Bessa R2A would be a better option for getting started because the 35/50/75/90 frame lines offer a broader range of lens selections & you will be able to use these same lenses on the ZI. For your immediate purposes, you'd have more difficult choices to keep your kit small & compact, but a 35/2.5 & the 75/2.5 should prove to be a good combination - compact & light weight. If you think that you'll be in situations where you'll need a longer reach, then the CV 90/3.5 would be a good choice. Although the ZI is not available yet, most of its lenses are, so you could start out with the ZM 35/2, which is purported to be a superb lens although it is not as compact as the CV 25/2.5 or the Rollei 40/2.8.

Finally, an important differemce between the 2 cameras for your purposes in a harsh environment is that the R2A is battery dependent & the 35 RF is not. I don't think that this should be a problem & that you would just have to bring a supply of batteries with you. but you know the environment better than I do & if this is at all an issue, the Rollei would be the better choice.

Good luck with your decision.

Huck

 

[Doug]

I think you'll find the 35/40mm lenses great for environmental portraits, where you can move into the person's space and still show contextual surroundings. Indeed I often go wider with 28mm for that. The 75 Heliar is a very nice lens, a good companion to the 40, and great for when you cannot get right into your subject's face. 🙂

I live in an area that is pretty hot, windy, and dusty in season; in fact I'm adjacent to a huge Army training area dedicated to simulating the operating environment of Central Asia and SW Asia. My cameras are surviving it well; just a good idea to find a bit of shelter when changing film or lenses. Battery dependency is a modern fact of life; not so hard to carry a few spares.

Listen to Huck; he's one of the most rational guys in RFF. 😀

 

[Peter]

Just discovered that the price of the Rollei 35RF has come down to $499.99 at Adorama! I want it so badly! I must complete the circle of my Bessa R2 collection! (Olive, Black and Silver) 😛

 

[jeffrey kane]

I'm pretty sure I just bought the last one at Adorama ... I think B+H has one but upon inspection I felt that the rangefinder was off a bit.