Rollei 40mm f2.8 HFT Sonnar

back alley · 04-10-2007

what can you tell me about this lens?
i can find very little info on it.

joe

rover · 04-10-2007

This is the Sonnar sold with the Rollei RF correct. Huck Finn has one and is very impressed with it.

ferider · 04-10-2007

Look for photos shot with the Rollei 35S or 35SE, Joe. It's the same design.

Roland.

sepiareverb · 04-10-2007

I have a pdf of the Rollei RF system- can't post a pdf it seems, but I will quote:
"Sonnar 40mm f/2.8 HFT
The famous candid lens of the legendary Rollei 35S. The ideal focal length for indoors and out. A lens ideally suited for news photography. Its initial aperture of f/2.8 gives it a wide margin for shooting in low light with excellent results.
FIlter thread: M 39

Specs:
Aperture range: f/2.8 - f/22
angle of view, diagonal/horizontal: 54.9°/46.8°
optical system: 5 elements/4 components
focusing: 0.7 m - infinity
diameter: 51 mm
length: 30.5 mm (w/o lens hood)
weight: approx. 175 g
filter size: E 39"

I can send you the pdf of the whole brochure (2.1 MB) or just the lens info trimmed out of it (180 KB).

WIll have to be tomorrow afternoon, I've got to get packed for tomorrows sunny day!

added- I haven't shot with this lens, longed for it, but have the hood & VF for my 40 'cron (the 'cron was cheaper). They are the CV pieces I believe- and are quite nice. The VF is bright, the hood metal and extremely nicely finished.

back alley · 04-10-2007

i wonder about it on an r4, a kit with 25 & 40, using the 35 fl. but i would only be interested if the sonnar 'look' was prevalent.

joe

back alley · 04-10-2007

thanks bob, i'm hoping for a few user comments more than anything.

joe

FrankS · 04-10-2007

The same as on the Rollei 35S. That's interesting! I've got one of those.

back alley · 04-10-2007

so, what do you think of the lens frank?

FrankS · 04-10-2007

It is a recent purchase and I haven't had a chance to scan any negs from the 1 roll of film I've put through it.

back alley · 04-10-2007

i just found a bunch of info on the lens. i didn't realize it was the lens from the cosina built rollei 35.

but i still have not read much about it's sonnar look (or not).
there are 40mm summicrons and rokkors aplenty if one just wanted the 40 fov and petite size.

espressogeek · 04-10-2007

I wouldnt mind seeing if it had " the look " . Of course I still want the 80mm f2.8 they put out for the same body.

Trius · 04-10-2007

joe, you could always just sell it if you didn't like it.

back alley · 04-10-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trius

joe, you could always just sell it if you didn't like it.

no doubt!

Rhoyle · 04-11-2007

I've got one that came with the "kit"...Rollei 35RF w/40mm Sonnar. Coming from SLR (old Pentax mf stuff), it and the Zeiss Biogon 25 that I picked up at the time both offer very noticible improvement in color, contrast and clarity. There are those who say it's a little soft, but I haven't noticed that.

awilder · 04-11-2007

I've got some sample comparison crops comparing the 40/2.8 Sonnar to the 35/2 Summicron ASPH. here: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=672238. Image quality is indistinguishable.

back alley · 04-11-2007

thanks for the sample shots.
it seems like a great lens.

cfoto · 04-11-2007

I have the Sonnar with the Rollei 35RF. I really like it. Mechanics are very smooth. Nice weight. Nice size. Seems sharp with good color.

Bare in mind that my only other RF lenses are the Heliar and Ultron, and that I'm new to the RF world. Having shot SLR for about 25 years and counting.

I have several shots taken with the Sonnar on my Flickr photo stream.

The ones tagged with "Sonnar" are here:

http://flickr.com/search/?w=48421455...=sonnar&m=text

furcafe · 04-11-2007

Some of my shots w/the Rollei 40/2.8 (have some more recent shots, but haven't gotten around to doing post & uploading them):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/rollei4028sonnar/

It's a fine lens, but I don't think the Sonnar signature comes through that much because it's only an f/2.8 lens. I wish Rollei had not been so committed to recreating their old designs w/their 35RF lenses & produced a 40/2.

Huck Finn · 04-13-2007

This is a superb lens in every way. The Sonnar look comes through when shooting wide open - although not to the same degree as f/1.5. More of a look that is not razor sharp with a little softening in the corners. Stopped down it is quite sharp. Build quality is also superb; it is one of the few modern lenses you'll find that is actually made of brass. Comes with a Leica-style tab.

What I like best about pictures taken with this lens are color & tonality plus the fact that it just does not flare. As a walk around lens, it is very compact & is fast enough for almost any situation you'll encounter.

One advantage that it has over other 40's is that it is easily adapted to 35 mm frame lines because it is LTM. If you want to bring up 35 FLs instead of 50, just change the adapter. It works quite well with the 35 frame lines on my ZI.

At its current price, I compare its position in the current Zeiss M-line to the 50/2.8 Elmarit in the Leica line-up. it's the cheapest Zeiss design currently available for an M-mount camera.

cfoto · 04-13-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huck Finn

One advantage that it has over other 40's is that it is easily adapted to 35 mm frame lines because it is LTM. If you want to bring up 35 FLs instead of 50, just change the adapter. It works quite well with the 35 frame lines on my ZI.
.

H'mmmm. So, in your opinion, Huck, this lens, with a 35mm adapter, should work well with the M8 with the 35mm framelines?

Huck Finn · 04-13-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfoto

H'mmmm. So, in your opinion, Huck, this lens, with a 35mm adapter, should work well with the M8 with the 35mm framelines?

Yes, I do.

When they did a review of the Zeiss Ikon for Shutterbug last year, Roger Hicks & Frances Schultz did an interesting comparison of frame lines from various viewfinders. They found that the 35 mm frame lines from the ZI show a little more (6% more) than those from the MP, which I believe has the same frame lines as the M8. Correct? So, if I'm not having any problems with the 35 frame lines on the ZI, I would expect that it would be just fine on the M8 - if not better.

I believe that Popular Photography measured the Rollei 40/2.8 at close to 42 mm (41.68 mm) when they tested it. So, this would make it a longish 50 on the M8 - about 55 mm.

cfoto · 04-13-2007

Thanks, Huck!

rover · 04-13-2007

With all due respect to the wonderful Rollei 40, there is a CLE Rokkor 40 in the classifieds now for $225. You will not find a better bargain in 40mm lenses than this one in a very long time.

ferider · 04-13-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rover

With all due respect to the wonderful Rollei 40, there is a CLE Rokkor 40 in the classifieds now for $225. You will not find a better bargain in 40mm lenses than this one in a very long time.

Yep - cannt believe this is still around. Took me a while to find mine ...

Roland.

back alley · 04-13-2007

there are actually 2 of them in there now, one is an older ad and the lens might be sold tho.

i am still considering it as a third lens in the 35mm range. just trying to figure out if i have the $$ for it.
joe