Rollei 35 RF

[MP Guy]

Anyone on this site use one before?

High-quality 35mm range finder camera with metal body and interchangeable German made Carl Zeiss lenses
(lenses which also fit Leica M Bodies)
Click here for a brochure (PDF)

Rollei 35 RF

Rollei 35 RF: A camera with convincing classical qualities

Photography has a new highlight – the Rollei 35 RF. A camera in a class of its own. There are few phenomenal technical concepts that never lose their validity. One of them is the classical rangefinder camera with high-end features. Its success is based on its mechanical and optical perfection valued by true aficionados and accomplished photographers. Its brilliant viewfinder image, the compact design and precise distance measurement are traditional values explaining the popularity of this type of camera. Add to this the features of modern high-performance lenses that are certain to retain this appeal in the future. But at the bottom line it is a well-known and well-established marque that ultimately gives a rangefinder camera its treasured cult status. The Rollei 35 RF with Sonnar 40mm f/2.8 HFT will be available during the 1st quarter of 2003.

The Rollei 35 RF is an uncompromising embodiment of this trend. Rollei of Brunswick/Germany has historically been a pioneer of high-end 35mm photography. The company proved with the introduction of its legendary Rollei 35 as early as 1966 that it can achieve great results in the development and making even of small cameras. Today, several decades later, this glorious past is projected into a promising future by an impressive new development.

And these are the pillars of the Rollei 35 RF concept:

• Professional 24 x 36mm format
• Featured to satisfy the accomplished photographer
• Cutting-edge performance of interchangeable ZEISS lenses
• Durable, high-quality metal body
• Well-balanced, timeless design
• Complete functional range even if batteries are low (except for
exposure metering)

The Rollei 35 RF is a camera designed by shutterbugs for shutterbugs. That's something you will feel the first time you look through its viewfinder and press its shutter release. Precise trigonometric focusing in a permanently brilliant viewfinder ensures pin-point focus even in critical lighting conditions.
Its range-viewfinder is an optical tool of the utmost precision and guarantees a precise manual focusing.

The laminar metal focal-plane shutter makes shutter release an aesthetic pleasure. A very exact sounding shutter release tells you that your picture has been recorded on film. A wide range of shutter speeds from a slow 1 second to a fast 1/2000 s covers even demanding shooting situations. And – what is more – all this simply based on top-notch precision mechanics.

When it comes to exposure metering, the Rollei 35 RF is a true child of its times: Center-weighted TTL average metering is activated by lightly pressing the shutter release and combines high metering accuracy with truly simple operation. Correct-exposure display and warnings against over or underexposure are very user-friendly.

There will be three interchangeable lenses for the Rollei 35 RF
(all lenses can also be used for Leica cameras)

Sonnar 40mm f/2.8 HFT SILVER Carl Zeiss design made in Germany

The famous candid lens of the legendary Rollei 35, with its ideal focal length for outdoor and indoor photography. 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 focusing results.

Sonnar 40mm f/2.8 HFT BLACK Carl Zeiss design made in Germany

The famous candid lens of the legendary Rollei 35, with its ideal focal length for outdoor and indoor photography. 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 focusing results.

Planar 50mm f/1.8 HFT SILVER Carl Zeiss design made in Germany

The typical standard lens, with outstanding correction and sharpness, light in weight and very compact. A focal length well adapted to available-light photography. Well-suited for a wide range of subjects, from interiors up to half-length portraits, without or without artificial lighting or flashlight, even in unfavorable lighting conditions. (in preparation for the first half of 2003)

Planar 80mm f/2.8 HFT SILVERCarl Zeiss design made in Germany

A medium focal length for portraiture, also well-suited for landscape details and candid shots from a certain distance. In medium-format photography, it became famous for its excellent flatness as the standard focal length of the well-known twin-lens “Rolleiflex”. Experts consider it one of the best available lenses for creative photography.

Further interchangeable lenses are in preparation.

Rollei 35 RF – that's photography at its best, high-end technology for great pictures. A camera that keeps alive an important part of our photographic heritage.

Precision mechanics and high-performance optics for the purist – a high-class counterpoint to mass-market products.


Technical specifications
Rollei 35 RF

• Negative size: 24 x 36 mm on size 135 film

• Lens mount: M bayonet

• Shutter: Vertical-travel laminar metal focal-plane shutter; 1 s – 1/2000 s and B

• Camera body: Made of die-cast aluminum

• Focusing: With coupled coincidence-type rangefinder

• Exposure display: Overexposure warning, correct exposure, underexposure warning

• Metering system: Center-weighted TTL average metering upon light depression of shutter release

• Metering range: EV 1 – 19 (ISO 100/21°; 1 s at f/1.4; 1/2000 s at f/16)

• Flash synchronization: PC terminal and hot-shoe contact; sync speed 1/125 s and slower

• Film advance: By one or several turns of advance lever; double-exposure lock; optional T Winder can be attached to bottom plate

• Film rewind: By crank in rewind knob

• Frame counter: Additive, with automatic reset when camera back is opened

• Film-speed setting range: ISO 25/15° - 3200/36° in one-third increments

• Exposure-meter power supply: Two 1.5V alkaline-manganese (LR44) or silver-oxide button cells (SR44)

• Dimensions (mm/w x h x d): 135,5 x 81,0 x 25,5

• Finish: Metal cover plates silver-finished

Subject to change without notice.

[Peter]

It looks like a Voigtlander Bessa R2 and I am quite sure Cosina made the body to the specification of Rollei.

[mfs]

I looked at this camera recently. The body is made by Cosina and is essentially an R-2. The lens is made of Zeiss elements (made by Rollei under a license from Zeiss) in a Cosina built metal lens body.

In the U.S. the price for the body and lens is $1800, and the Sonnar 40 mm lens (Leica M mount) is sold separately at $ 1000.

It seems like a lot of $$ for an R-2 with a Zeiss lens (assembled by Cosina with elements made by Rollei under license from Zeiss.

I have seen no reviews of the camera. I wonder if any one else has??

Initially, I thought that this would be a worthwhile addition (Zeiss lens in a Leica M mount). However, the price seems to me to be a big deterrent.

I believe that sales in the U.S. are poor.

Martin

[jdos2]

Love the idea of Zeiss lenses too- in an 'M' mount, but it's too expensive for my blood.

[Picture Guy]

Seems like the ONLY difference from the Bessa R 2 is that it has a 40mm frameline to the Bessa R 2's 35mm frameline.

[Picture Guy]

Oops!

And a 80mm frame line to the Bessa R 2's 75 (duh!)

[SolaresLarrave]

I read about it a while ago, at the Rollei website, when it came out about two years ago... Again, price is a big deterrent. Plus, if someone is really itching for a Rollei, it's easier (and cheaper) to get a C/V body and a bunch of lenses, cut out the Rollei logo from a web printout and stick it on the camera body.

[pvdhaar]

Just a thought;

Given the frameline 'accuracy' of rangefinders, would the difference between 35 vs. 40 and 75 vs. 80 really matter?

And as an afterthought;

Is anyone sure that the framelines are really different, or are they just labeled differently?

[rover]

PP&I's review this month is the basic stamp of approval. Other than the frame lines there is no difference from the R2. Surely Cosina will have an accessory viewfinder with twin 40/80 brightlines. Then there will be more of a reason to buy an R2, Leica, and Zeiss glass to go along with the CV glass.

[Huck Finn]

Originally posted by rover
PP&I's review this month is the basic stamp of approval. Other than the frame lines there is no difference from the R2. Surely Cosina will have an accessory viewfinder with twin 40/80 brightlines. Then there will be more of a reason to buy an R2, Leica, and Zeiss glass to go along with the CV glass.

I thought I'd pull out this old thread because of Rover's comment. Actually Cosina does make a 40mm accessory viewfinder, but more importantly they make a 40mm lens! I saw this on their Japanese website, but I don't see it offered by any of the American dealsers. Does anyone know why you can't get the ful range of Voigtlander lenses outside japan?

[Doug]

Yes, I have the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 Ultron, a very nicely made item. But these are made only in various SLR mounts, and in several longer focal lengths too. See the Cameraquest webpage. I got mine from B&H, but it took them over a month to deliver, not too surprisingly.

I am not aware of any Voigtlander RF lenses that aren't available in the US. Can you point them out?

[Huck Finn]

Thanks, Doug for the information. Since I don't read Japanese, I couldn't tell anything about the lenses on the Voigtlander website other than their focal lengths & maximum apertures. I assumed that they were all rangefinder lenses. I didn't know that Cosina produced anything else under the Voigtlander name. i'll have to assume that the other lenses that I saw on their site were also non-RF lenses. I learned something today. I never noticed this information on cameraquest, so I'll go back & check it out. Thanks for the tip.

[rover]

Cosina is very resourceful in their product development. They have marketed and used the same basic body numerous times. Like a Detroit car maker, change the fit and finish of a Chevy and call it a Buick. In the case of Rollei, they are charging premium prices for a product who's development cost was zero. Hopefully Cosina's cost controls will allow them to keep developing and introducing new Voigtlander products.

[Huck Finn]

Rover, I agree with your comments on the resourcefulness of Cosina.

In regard to the Rollei 35 RF, however, I think that they have gotten a bad rap on the pricing - to a certain extent. I agree that they are overpriced - but not to the extent that the critics claim. I found a kit for $1600 new, so that's my frame of reference. Here's my thinking :

Word out of Photokina a year & a half ago when this camera was announced was that it was developed for the Japanese market but that eventually Rollei decided to make it available world-wide. "Make it available" is the operative term. In the USA, Rollei has done nothing to advertise or promote the camera. Heck you can't even find it in the B&H catalogue. And yet unlike CV products it comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty & is imported through established corporate channels. Voigtlander products are essentially grey market products. Cosina has no corporate presence in countries outside Japan. Service, repairs, & availability of parts have been an ongoing problem. Many Voigtlander users have been happy with their purchases, but these are the ones who have not had to access such services - yet. Look at the price of a comparably priced Nikon FM3A & compare USA price with a 1-year warranty vs "import" price (grey market). Throw in an extra year on the warranty & you're talking a difference of $100. You have a choice - grey market vs USA. Depends on your risk aversion level.

IMO, the fit & finish of the Rollei is an improvement over the Bessa R2 models & worth another $50. Rollei includes a lens adaptor with the kit - another $50 item (minimum price from CV dealers) & an upgraded leather camera strap - a $25 item. So add on the $225 (upgrade from grey market, higher grade finish, strap, & adaptor) to the B&H price of $500 & the cost should be $725. The body is half of the $1600 kit, so the price you pay is $75 higher @ $800. Color alone can sometimes account for such a price difference that remains. The blue Bessa T Heliar 101, for example, sells for $100 more than the same camera in any of 3 other colors. There are many other examples of cameras by various companies that sell for different prices depending on whether they are black, chrome, silver,etc.

The other half of the kit is the Carl Zeiss designed Sonnar lens at $800 - again "USA" with a 2-year warranty & much more expensive than a CV lens of comparable focal length & speed, but comparable in price to a Leica 50 Elmarit, for example. I've done a lot of research on the lens & users tell me that it is superb. Is it worth $800? To fans of Zeiss lenses it may be since it allows them to use Zeiss optics with solid metal construction on a manual focus rangefinder camera. It is the lenses that are the key to the appeal of this package - to the extent that it has appeal.

It seems clear to me that the price of this camera is driven at least in part by the fact that it is a limited edition release. As such, its price cannot be brought down by the economies of scale & mass production that accompany a camera which will sell 100,000 units - or even 10,000 units. The limited release blue Bessa T Heliar 101, for example, sells for $1050 - this for a camera with no rangefinder, a slow f/3.5 lens, & a body that is not on par with an R2.

Ultimately the market will determine the price as it does for anything else. Remember that the list price for the Bessa R when it was released was $1210. Street price was quickly down to $650 & now it goes for about half that. Those who want the Rollei now & are willing to pay a premium for it will do so. Others who want a "silver R2" but not at the current cost will wait for the price to come down. Others won't care.

To me, the good news is that the combined efforts of Rollei & Cosina have opened up an established corporate channel through which to bring in the R2 in whatever form & to guarantee parts availability & other services. This will benefit all Voigtlander owners. In fact, now that Photo Village has become one of the USA distributors, they are using the same repair service that Rollei-USA contracted with. This has enabled Cosina to begin to offer a manufacturer's warranty with new purchases now that there is reliable service & parts availability. We will see if the new USA Voigtlander distributorships (Photo Village & Cameraquest) last since Cosina has had an uneven relationship with past USA distributors, which ultimately led to the demise of these partnerships. The future prospects of Rollei, of course, are not as tenuous.

The other piece of good news is that the lens line for M-mount cameras has now expanded to include 2 classic Zeiss designs with plans for a third to be announced at Photokina this fall. Regardless of the current prices, these will eventually work themselves onto the used market at lower prices & will be available to anyone who would like to try Zeiss optics of modern manufacture on a true rangefinder & see how they compare with Leica, Cosina, or Konica built rangefinder lenses.

On balance, I think there is more of an upside to the Rollei 35 RF than might appear at first glance.

[Doug]

Hi Huck -- Cameraquest's site is such that it's hard to pinpoint a page with a URL... If you go to the Price List at http://www.cameraquest.com/inventor.htm and then look at the panel to the left, under Voightlander Price List see the next-to-last item "SL SLR Lenses" and click there to take you to the page with the SL serices of premium SLR lenses I think you saw on the Japanese Cosina site.

I think as I ordered my 40 f/2 last summer B&H was just forgetting about this stuff after nominally offering it, if you could find it on their site! I say nominally, since even if you could find it, there was no way online to specify which SLR mount you wanted for your order. I got it in Pentax K mount through a telephone order, and by that time the SL lenses had been removed from the B&H site.

There's a pair of Voightlander Bessaflex threadmount SLR bodies too, and a "re-creation" of the 58mm f/1.4 Topcor, so not all modern Voigtlander gear is RF-oriented! :-)

[rover]

Great post Huck. In the end we are all better off having yet another RF option in the market. As a Hasselblad owner I can't state strongly enough my confidence that the Zeiss lenses will prove to be at least the equal to the best of their competition at each of their focal lengths.

[Huck Finn]

Rover, thanks for the kind words. You noted in your comment last summer that Rollei only had to change the framelines to match the focal lengths of their lenses. I'll bet all they did was remove the 90mm framelines. Since the R2 framelines only give 87% coverage, I would think that the existing 35mm & 75 mm framelines work just fine for the 40mm & 80mm lenses - maybe even better. Ahhh . . . the ingenuity of old wine in new bottles. But I actually do like some of the things that Rollei & Cosina have done to give the R2 on a new look.

BTW, how are spring photo ops in Connecticut this year?

[rover]

I think I noticed in one of your post a mention of Camera Wholesalers in Stamford and thought that you must be somewhere close.

Recently I have combined my photo trips and explorations with my son. Last Saturday we had a great day at Mystic Seaport. He really likes looking down on the focusing screens of my Hassy and Yashica Mat, so I have been shooting a lot of medium format, some exposures are nothing more than snap shots, but he really is having fun. I hope that some day he will appreciate that he is learning photography at 4 years old with a Hasselblad. I am actually comfortable in saying that he will realize this, because that Hassy will last a lot longer than I will.

[Huck Finn]

Although originally from New York, I live southeast of Hartford. I'm itchy to get out & do some shooting. At times like this I miss all ot the opportunities for great street photos in New York. Nothing like it in CT. When things get busy, Mystic can be a great spot. Maybe the UConn campus at this time of year. Any other ideas?

[rover]

Then we are neighbors Huck.

Lets see, photo spots?
UConn will slow down very soon, only a week or so left in the semester, but try the barns and Dairy Bar during the summer.
Street shooting, The village of Mystic and Essex hopping with visiters, with a lot of nice shops. West Hartford Center, the Center of Putnam.
Then all of the tourism stops, Mystic Seaport and Aquarium, Gillette Castle, Sturbridge Village in MA.
State parks, Harkness Park in New London, Mansfield Hollow Dam, Goodspeed Opera House, Devil's Hopyard, Roger Williams Park and Zoo in Providence.
Nature, any place along the shore or CT River.
Late summer there are Fairs every weekend.
Night life, for the first time in many many years I was in New Haven last Friday night. It is hopping! Lots of clubs attracting the young and beautiful all around Yale University. A walk around New Haven and Yale during the day is nice.
I don't have time right now to go out to photograph at all these places, but I normally have a camera with me when I go there for other reasons. I stop a lot along the road while driving when I see something that looks intersting. How far southeast of Hartford? Have you been up around the apple orchards in Glastonbury off New London Turnpike? Lyman Orchards in Middlefield?

[Huck Finn]

Wow! And to think I was stumped. I'll have to get my head out of my a**. Thanks for all the great ideas. Actually we have family up from the city every fall to pick apples in the Glastonbury orchards. I got a whole set of spectaular pictures there last October. Billiant, sunny, autumn day. Thanks again.

[Huck Finn]

The price for the Rollei 35 RF with Rollei/Zeiss Sonnar lens has just dropped to $1499 at Adorama!

Yes, it's just a re-badged Voigtlander Bessa R2, but it's not a grey market import. It comes with 2-year manufacturer's warranty, deluxe camera strap, M-mount adapter, & a cool silver body, making it a deluxe, limited edition R2 worth a couple of hundred $$ more than the $500 R2 (body only) - all in all, a nice introduction to the world of Zeiss lenses & now at a more reasonable price than the $1900 that it sells for at B&H

This is Adorama's second price reduction in the past 6 weeks. It will be interesting to see if the press continues to come down. It will be a great buy if it gets to $1200, IMHO

[Huck Finn]

I came across a dealer in Japan who has dropped his price on the camera/lens kit by 40% from $1712 USD to $1020. Likewise, price on the 40mm & 80mm lenses have been cut by 45% & 33% respectively. This leads me to expect more cuts by American dealers in the near future.

Since Japan & Southeast Asia were the marketing targets for this camera, it is possible that they are more overstocked than American dealers with expectations for sales being much higher there. If so, price cuts could be more drastic there than here in the states.

It should be interesting to follow the progress of future developments.

[Taipei-metro]

If someone wants a Leica mount w/40mm(one 40mm on Canonet GIII is enough for me now) Sonnar Rollei RF,why not Leica CM($995)? both auto or manual focus. You want to change lens? get a used CLE or R2 body all around $400..
Zeiss,Leica 40mm,probably have the same character in performance.
How about Rollei AFM 35?
Just my 2 cents.

[Huck Finn]

No reason not to buy a Leica CM or Rollei AFM 35, Taipei-metro. Of course, each is a whole different beast than an all manual, mehanical camera & you cannot change lenses. A CLE? 25 years old. No quality control when buying used. Harder & harder to find parts.

Now the real question is: why not an R2? If you're are budget conscious, buy the R2 - although you'll pay closer to $500. And buy a Voigtlander lens to put on it - & you will be very happy with it. However, if you want to try Leica or Zeiss quality optics in a moderately wide lens & if you prefer to buy your equipment new, this is the best deal around. A 35mm Leica lens at f/2 costs at least $1700. Leica does not provide a lower cost f/2.8 alternative in this focal length. You can get f/2.8 in a 50mm lens for $745, but then you live with the narrower point of view. If 50mm is what you want, then you can do that for $1245 with an R2. But if you want something a little wider, the price for a Rollei is $1499 & dropping.

Furthermore, buying an R2 from B&H or Adorama means buying a grey market import with a one-year store warranty. The Rollei comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty & Rollei's backing for parts availability to service the warranty or future repairs. Grey market is a great way to save some money, but given the choice, I'd rather pay extra & buy the "USA" model.

Thanks for pointing out the alternatives. It's good for rangefinder fans to have some alternatives. For a long time theri were few if any.