I am sure you are right, Jan, about the Rollei 35S. I would have loved to come
across one. I just never did. I bought the Tessar version on a whim, when I saw
in in a camera store in Oslo. I really wished it had been a Sonnar version.
Which camera on a long distance hike? Out of the ones you mention, I'd probably
go with the Rollei 35.
The IIIg was a camera I wanted to have every since the 70's when I worked in a
camera store and the owner talked so highly of it. Late in life I ran across
one in a camera store in La Grange (outside of Chicago). I've had it cleaned
up, adjusted and what-not, but I find that I prefer my IIIf or IIIc over it. It
doesn't look like it, but it is slightly larger, significantly heavier so it
gets put into the league of an M2 when it comes to those variables. The IIIc
and IIIf with the Elmar are just so compact and definitely lighter.
Now ... if I ever run across a Rollei 35S and am still shooting ...
Best,
Daniel
--
Daniel Ridings
Bräckavägen 17
S-43742 Lindome
Sweden
+46 70 729 12 53
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Wednesday, 13 January 2021 22:31, Jan Decher <wanderjan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Daniel,
you might come to a different conclusion o the lens quality of the Rollei 35
if you try the 35S with the 2.8/40 mm Sonnar.
I have been thinking which (analog) camera I would take on a long-distance
hike or challenging pilgrimage, like the Camino. The Rollei 35 is right up
there, but I also miss the rangefinder. The Leica IIIg with collapsible ELmar
was my next thought.
Or even something as odd as the Contafex I with earlier flat 2.8/45mm Tessar.
No built-in meter but great viewfinder. Good close-up capability with a
compact set of 4 Proxars. I recently had one fixed by G. Wiener in Munich and
it feels great, and is very intuitive to use. Loaded it with a 24 exp roll of
Kodak 400 ASA neg. film and hope to post some pics in a while.
A completely different - more modern - approach would be a Pentax MX with the
hard-to-find 2.8/40mm M pancake lens.
Since I like medium format a lot, a postwar Super Ikonta 531 would be my
choice there.
Jan
On Jan 13, 2021, at 9:06 AM, Daniel Ridings (Redacted sender "dlridings"
for DMARC) dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi Louis and thanks for your remarks.
I am not an expert on Rollei 35's, but this one has the Tessar and is from
the time Rollei made them in Singapore. As far as I can tell, you would
never know, if it wasn't stamped onto the body.
As to how I like it, it is probably not a fair review from my part. I
definitely prefer a Leica IIIc or IIIf with an Elmar. I pulled this one out
of the closet simply because I had it. I remember that it got set aside
because I wasn't happy with the lens. It focuses by means of the front
element only, you have to guesstimate (I now use an external Voightländer
rangefinder intended for their folders) and even if you can get it sharp
enough in the center, the edges will always be less than optimal, and the
"edges" start about halfway out from the center.
Still, now that I pulled it out, there will always be a roll of black and
white in it, particularly now when my IIIc and IIIf are off for CLA. I've
been using the pandemic to get all of my Rolleiflexes, Rolleicords and
Leicas fixed up. I don't do much "consuming" these days, so there is a
buffer in my daily budget that I am using.
It does give a nice solid, confident building feel when you handle it. That
Rollei could pack so much into such a small package is very impressive.
They probably just wanted to show off (smile).
Daniel
--
Rollei List
- Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe'
in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org
- Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org
- Online, searchable archives are available at
//www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list
