Anybody knows about Rollei XF 35

Kris · 04-07-2004

Found this one on Ebay. I know a little bit about Rollei SE but this XF has different lens, Sonnar 40/2.3 instead of Sonnar 40/2.8 on Rollei SE.

Has anyone tried this Rollei XF? What are the differences between SE and XF? Is the Sonnar 40/2.3 as good as the Sonnar 40/2.8?

Thanks
Kris

pshinkaw · 04-08-2004

I think this camera has an early programmed auto-exposure without a manual over-ride. I can't recall if it is aperture priority or shutter priority.

-Paul

iMacfan · 04-09-2004

I understand that the Rollei XF 35 is actually a compact rangefinder, as opposed to the ultra compact scale-focusers such as the 35/s/se/t/te.

David

Taipei-metro · 04-09-2004

I almost bought the xf-35 for $40 before finding the mis-allignment of focusing.
I have a book,Compact Camera Communication(Japanese) on 4-lens 'shoot-out' on Rollei 35 S,Se...,the 35 SE.Sonnar 40mm2.8 is the 2nd best lens of course.(among Summicron-C 40mm/2, Sonnar, Triotar,Tessar )
I have the Canonet 17 GIII,w/6-element 40mm/1.7(vs.5-element in Sonnar) which I know is a masterpiece lens.The wide-open apperture is going to be soft as all other lens' are(well,Leica's command $1,500 per lens,at this price their wide opens better be sharp and crisp).
If for exploring and fun,$40 is a good price(getting into Universal Studio tour is $50,PLUS $7 parking!)for Rollei name plate,make sure the focusing is accurate.
Sumimasen(Sorry) about my English.
Thank you!

ZeissFan · 04-10-2004

I owned this camera briefly in the last 1970s. I found the camera to be very poorly made.

My camera broke the second time I advanced the film. I paid $15 in 1979 for a used camera.

I see today that some are going for about $100. Too much money for a poorly made camera.

Rich Silfver · 04-10-2004

I have never really heard anything positive about this camera. I was considering getting one some time ago but the lack of positive comments anywhere made me put a hold on it.

If you do end up getting one..I'd love to hear what you think about it :-)

Kris · 04-11-2004

Thanks guys for the replies.

I won't be getting this XF because I find it overpriced (it's around US$75). I can't find any good feedback on the XF either anywhere on the net. My guess is it's completely different to the SE series as there's no dial on the front part, the film advance lever is position "correctly" on the right hand side.

BTW, I saw a Rollei SE in a shop. Guess the price they are asking; around US$500! That's an insane joke!

Kris

ZeissFan · 04-11-2004

Hey Kris, if you can find a plane jane Rollei 35 with the Tessar, then you'll have a mighty fine camera.

Another camera that I've been toying with lately is the Zeiss-Ikon S 310. It's a bit of an oddity, because it specifies four 625 1.5-volt cells.

But the unusual thing is that it's really a 3-volt camera. The two sets of batteries are connected in parallel. I guess the camera requires the extra current for the Prontor Electronic shutter.

I've discovered a way to convert the camera so it uses the more common 123 3-volt Lithium cell. So far, seems to work great.

Antonio Shalder · 03-18-2005

Kris,
I had a XF and its lens is very good. My impression is that the 40/2.8 of my 35S is slightly better. I sold it because my one wasn't very reliable. There were problems frequently with the shutter mechanism. There are several plastic parts inside, like the 35 LED. If you want a pretty decent RF, goto Konica S3 or Oly 35RD. Both are far superior.

Honu-Hugger · 03-18-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kris

Thanks guys for the replies.

I won't be getting this XF because I find it overpriced (it's around US$75). I can't find any good feedback on the XF either anywhere on the net. My guess is it's completely different to the SE series as there's no dial on the front part, the film advance lever is position "correctly" on the right hand side.

BTW, I saw a Rollei SE in a shop. Guess the price they are asking; around US$500! That's an insane joke!

Kris

Kris,
I've had a couple Rollei 35's (two or three German made w/Tessar and a 35SE, which I presently use); you really can't go wrong with any of them. Personally, I find no difference in quality between the German built and Singapore cameras -- they seem identical.

Have no regrets over not buying the XF -- it really is a poorly built camera and I found out the hard way

. Going against every bit of well intentioned advice to the contrary on the Rollei list, I went ahead and bought one anyway -- worst camera I've ever owned and couldn't get rid of it fast enough!

arkifot · 11-01-2006

I just got one off ebay (38 Euro). It's programed shutter/aperture automtics.
Look:
http://35mm-compact.com/compact/rolleixf35.htm.
As far I know it's a lovely camera - but with no override.
Regards
Jens

Seele · 11-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeissFan

Another camera that I've been toying with lately is the Zeiss-Ikon S 310. It's a bit of an oddity, because it specifies four 625 1.5-volt cells.

But the unusual thing is that it's really a 3-volt camera. The two sets of batteries are connected in parallel. I guess the camera requires the extra current for the Prontor Electronic shutter.

I've discovered a way to convert the camera so it uses the more common 123 3-volt Lithium cell. So far, seems to work great.

Hi Mike,

The Rollei 35mm cameras had been quite a hotch-potch of differently sourced designs. The SL35 and SL35E, and some of the Singapore-period compacts are their own designs, the SL35M was a modified Voigtlander VSL1 which was in turn a modified Zeiss Ikon SL706, the compact 35 was originally an Edixa design, and the Zeiss Ikon S310 was made by Rollei as the Voigtlander VF101. I rather liked the S310/VF101, but what stumped me was the need for four 625 cells: I would be most interested to learn how to converted them to use the 123 lithium.