Rollei 35RF the bargain Cosina? Price table included

[snaggs]

Prices are in Aussie dollars, and are the cheapest combinations I found from Robert White, Dr Yao, MainlinePhoto.com.au, CameraLane.com.au. All are new/demo stock with full warranty.

Rollei 35RF & 40mm f/2.8.................$1200
Bessa R3-A & 40mm f/1.4................$1250
Bessa R2-A & 35mm f/1.2................$1800
Zeiss Ikon & 35mm f/2.0..................$2900
Leica M6 TTL & 35mm f/2.0 Asph......$5850
Leica MP & 35mm f/2.0 Leicavit Ki....$7650

Seems like Rollei RF is the real bargain at the moment. Maybe someone could update these tables to include the cameras baseline.

PS. Doesnt the M mount offer wealth of options!
PSS. Found a PDF review Rollei 40mm f/2.8 HFT Sonnar & 80mm f/2.8 HFT Planar
http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=811.

 

[Nikon Bob]

The Rollei RF body must be a lot more expensive than the Bessa R3-A body to be only $50 less with a lens that is 2 stops slower. The Bessa R2-A body is paired with an extremely fast 35mm lens which is again about (not quite) 2 stops faster than the Zeiss or Leica bodies with their F2.0 lenses. One lens out of them all is an asph. lens. One of the camera/lens combos listed has a rapid winder attached. So, yes apples and oranges are a different price and some are apparent bargins.

Bob

 

[snaggs]

The Rollei RF is just on mega special, it was US$1400 (~A$1750) and the lens was about US$1000! They just didnt sell well, and you can see why at that price! Even though the lens is slower, the glass is made by Zeiss and assembled by Rollei.

From what I have read about the body.. its a Bessa R2 with a few costmetic changes, extra layer of QC, rangefinder adjusted for 40mm & 80mm (makes it an ideal partner for the Nokton), and apparently one person has mentioned it has a longer baseline, since it has a closer focussing distance. Heres a brochure link

http://www.rollei.de/cct/files/rollei/data/Prospekt35RF e.pdf

Still trying to sort through it all myself. From what I gather the only difference between R2 and R2A is electronic shutter?

Daniel.

PS. Just checked, the clossest foccusing distance is the same as the R2, so I'd say it mostly the same camera apart from slight cosmetics.

 

[hth]

Why not get the Rollei RF with the Nokton 40/1.4 instead and let me have that slow Sonnar? Price would be the same and you gain two steps...

Let me know if anyone is interested...

 

[brianlee]

As a Rollei 35 RF owner, I would have to say that with the 40 Sonnar, it is a nice combination. I am not sure that the baseline is any different from the R2 but it does focus down to 0.7m. Other than that, from what I can tell, it is pretty similar to the Bessa R2 barring cosmetic changes (enhancements?)

Now if I can just find one of the 80 Planar for a reasonable price.....

 

[Huck Finn]

Snaggs, the base line is identical to the R2. There was no need for a longer bae line to obtain the closer focus distance. In fact, once Rollei paid for Cosina to make the improvement, Cosina incorporated into the R2/3A with the same base line. I don't think that there's anything definitive about upgraded quality control. If there's anything to that, I would guess that it applies to the lenses but not to the body.

As Brian says, it's otherwise the same camera - essentially a spcial edition of the R2. It's the Zeiss glass that's the selling point. Rollei makes it a little more attractive by including an extended warranty, a deluxe strap, & better packaging. IMO, the packaging isn't just a cosmetic improvement. There was a long thread back in January about damage to a Bessa in shipping due to poor packaging. You're not likely to see that with the Rollei; it will ship better.

 

[Huck Finn]

Now if I can just find one of the 80 Planar for a reasonable price.....

Brian, I've found that the CV 75/2.5 Color-Heliar is the perfect mate to the 40 Sonnar on this camera. Consider the following:

1. When Popular Photography tested the CV 75/2.5, they found that it actually measured 77/2.7. It works beautifully with the 80 mm frame lines on the 35RF. The 3 mm difference between focal length & frame lines is insignificant. Given that advertised lens data always vary a little from the actual measurements, this could just as easily have been called an 80/2.8, same as the Rollei.

2. The design of this lens, as shown on the Cosina website, has Sonnar written all over it. The front 3-element component is identical. The rear 3 element component is slightly different, but not much. This is the part that's used to correct spherical aberrations once the light has passed through the front elements & the shutter. It may be that with computer assisted lens design, Cosina found a little bit better way to do this. IMO, if Zeiss produced this lens it would be called a Sonnar.

3. Rollei chose the Planar design because they already had it available in their arsenal. However, the fingerprint of the Sonnar is generally considered a better option for a portrait lens.

4. Reviews of the CV Color-Heliar & user reports are at least as good as those for the Rollei Planar. It is one of the best of the Voigtlander lenses.

5. The Color-Heliar is more compact, it has a substantially closer minimum focus distance, & it is much cheaper.

With this 2-lens combination, I just think of it as 2 Sonnars, not just one. 😉

 

[QuillianSW]

Yes but I'm still interested in the Rollei and am hanging on Brian Lee's every word. Looking at the price comparisons above (and having a similar table, but in US $ in my head now), the Rollei does compare very well. Not having use of either the CV f/1.4 or Rollei/Sonnar f.28; I can only guess the camera's cost is $50 higher (body alone listed with major US mail order retailer for USD $ 499; w/ f/2.8 as "kit" for $1019). Substantially less than the introductory price. Of course that only makes me think Rollei will orphan the thing, just like they did my AFM 35.

 

[Huck Finn]

Quillian, Rollei discontinued production of the 35 RF & its lenses a year ago, so in that sense they have already "orphaned the thing." However, it comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty, so they will be available to support it at least for a couple of years. With the ability to mix & match lenses from a variety of manufacturers - both old & new - with M-mount cameras, I don't see any down side to such a camera being "orphaned" these days.

 

[QuillianSW]

Those wisenheimers- now on the official Rollei website, it still shows up under "current products" whereas the AFM 35 (just a nice P&S) doesn't, appearing in the 'historical' section of their site. Rollei I suppose does the opposite of Nikon who runs the same line for years & years. Long as it's reasonably repairable - and certainly if they're "M" mounts...you're right, 'not a big deal' if they halt production.