Rollei

Steve Bellayr

Steve Bellayr

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I just purchased a Rollei 35. I am not sure if the meter works. There are two needles. One with a hole or circle and a second. The second does not appear to move when I turn either the shutter or f stop. There is also an orange piece of metal with a hole in it. The needles with the hole moves when I adjust the f stop or shutter speed. Does anyone have this camera and can advise if the smaller needle without the hole is supposed to move?
 
I have the SE with LED readout in the finder, but from what I know the meter on the 35 works by adjusting the aperture and/or shutter speed until the needle (with the hole) is over the other needle. The straight needle should move according to different lighting conditions.

Hope this helps & someone with more experience chimes in...

Peter
 
Yes, the white needle should move. When it centers with the lolipop the exposure is correct. Make sure your finger is not covering the light meter window above the aperture dial or check the battery. You will need to find a PX625 battery replacement. Try to get a silver-oxide, not the alkaline. (There is more about mercury battery replacements here and on the net.) There is no power swith for the light meter. The user manual for your camera is here: http://www.stutterheim.nl/rollei/download/rollei35.pdf - assuming of course, that you are the proud owner of a Rollei 35, 35T or 35S. As for the little orange tab with smaller hole at the left side of the meter indicator window, I have forgotten. Remember to wind the film before collapsing the lense, or else you will a) rip the sprocket holes in the film, b) ruin the film advance mechanism or c) mess up the lense alignment if you try to force it. This a great camera with an even greater lens. A real classic that still has a lot of life left. Be kind to it.
 
Steve,

The white needle moves according to the light level. The orange one with the hole in it moves with the aperture and shutter adjustments. This may be a dumb question, but did you put a fresh battery in it?
 
Thanks. Now to answer the dumb question. The camera came without a manual. How do I access the battery which I now suspect may be dead?
 
Regarding the red tab at the left of the meter window on top, the manual says on page 4: "The measuring range starts where the meter needle 16 becomes visible outside the red area." So it would seem that when the white meter needle is under the red tab there is not enough light for a meter read-out. However, it would be interesting to know the significance of the little hole. Is it a reference point for a "good" battery?
 
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Steve Bellayr said:
... How do I access the battery which I now suspect may be dead?
Click to expand...

I think the battery is hidden up above where you put the film canister in... Sorry I can't be more specific.

Peter
 
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borrel said:
... However, it would be interesting to know the significance of the lttle whole. Is it a reference point for a "good" battery?
Click to expand...

I think I remember reading somewhere that it might be used for meter calibration... Don't quote me though!

Peter
 
Steve Bellayr said:
...A rather different way of putting the battery in.
Click to expand...

Everything is different about the Rollei 35's :D

I love these great little cameras!

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My fingers are crossed that you find your meter is fully functional after installing a battery.

Peter
 
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As correctly pointed out the fixed orange tab on the left is the low light zone that can't be metered and the hole is for checking meter calibration. The meter is properly "zeroed" if the white needle coincides with the hole when the battery is out. The biggest drawback of the meter is it's lousy sensitivity on the low end: down to EV 7 @ ISO 100! That's 1/15 @ f/2.8 @ ISO 100. Even most selinium meters are more sensitive. Typical 35mm compacts with CdS meters from the late 60's are 4 stops more sensitive, i.e. down to EV 3. Worse still with the Rollei 35 line, it never got better even with the last model, the SE. Your camera's meter requires a mercury cell (PX 625) which are no longer made. Unless you send it to a repairman for recalilbration and retrofit for a modern battery, it makes more sense to buy an external meter given the camera's limited meter range to begin with.
 
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Congratulations on finding a battery. Where did you get one? They are not available in the USA (except possibly Washington D.C.) because mercury cell are banned in all states.
 
The battery cover is visible after you remove the back it is at the top of the cassette chamber, coaxial with the cassette, you need a small coin, maybe a nickle, to fit into one of the two sets of slots.

I hope there is not a corroded battery in situ. If there is you need to be careful as the Hg is well toxic.

Ok guys sorry missed an whole page...
 
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