Rollei 35 S Camera test

[PFMcFarland]

It only took me fifteen years to finally get one of these.


Rollei 35 S by P F McFarland, on Flickr



It’s a solid little camera with only a couple of faults. The paint work by the Singapore factory leaves a bit to be desired. And I can’t get the meter to work, but that may be a battery issue. I think the outfit I got my Wein cells from are selling knock-offs, because when I removed the blue sticker, there was all this glue left behind, and it may have plugged up the air holes on the cell. I’ll have to tinker with it a bit.

But does it take technically great pictures! These were taken while strolling around the campus of Virginia Western Community College.


Halls of Learning by P F McFarland, on Flickr



Levels by P F McFarland, on Flickr



0.9 Meter by P F McFarland, on Flickr



Foul. Building. Weather. by P F McFarland, on Flickr


See all the photos with commentary at https://flic.kr/s/aHskDPyAse

PF

[Julio1fer]

And with a Sonnar lens! That is a nice little 35, very good optics.

I have heard that the handling of the Rollei 35 is complicated, especially compared to the Oly XA series. What is your opinion?

[PFMcFarland]

And with a Sonnar lens! That is a nice little 35, very good optics.

I have heard that the handling of the Rollei 35 is complicated, especially compared to the Oly XA series. What is your opinion?

Not so much complicated, as it is different, Julio. For one, you can't keep your eye on the finder as the winding lever sweeps left across it. The upside down flash mount is totally odd, and use of the special bracket is recommended. And don't think you can get by without the wrist strap, or you'll be picking up camera pieces all over the place. There is a lock on the aperture dial, but not on the shutter speed dial. Go figure.

But you can see the three main settings at a glance, along with the meter read-out. It will slip into a shirt pocket. There is not a cheap item on the whole camera (well, maybe the paint job on this one). And of course, the wonderful Sonnar lens just asks for anything you can point it at.

It's a take-with-you-everywhere type of camera.

PF