Rollei 35 S Review 

I still have my Rollei 35S black that my father gave to me in 1979 before I traveled with my wife to Europe for the first time. The results were absolutely magnificent! Thank you for the video.

I always lusted after a Rollei 35, such a beautiful camera, an iconic design. And please don't apologise for the film loading problems, we've all done it at some stage! Great video Max, enjoyed it a lot, thank you so much.

Some of the light leaks produced some very nice effects on the photo

I love how Greg always has a big smile after snapping a frame. He has no idea what the image will look like but he seems thrilled just to partake of the process. That is what photography is to me as well. I love going out, finding compositions, deciding my settings then capturing a frame. I am never in a huge rush to develop when I get home as the experience of just shooting is often satisfying enough for the time being.

I've had this camera for about 3 yrs now. I absolutely love it and it is quite a charmer when people realize that it is a full frame film camera. I bought a little Olympus flash to mount on the hot shoe, just turn it upside down to shoot flash.

FromJAPAN Rollei35fan enjoy Rollei35 ＩLOVE Rollei35(^^) don't speak English(*ToT)(^^)

bought an almost unused Rollei 35 "Made in Germany" for 5€ on a flea market. Very happy with it

Another wonderful video Max - I always find your style of presentation so engaging. Always appreciated!

A great video, Joy to watch as usual, made with good taste and a smooth-calm atmosphere and I really like it. Always great to watch in the evening after long work days. Thanks Max!

Great review! I love my 35s, it is my favorite tertiary travel camera.

I was lucky enough to be given a German made Rollei 35 with the Tessar lens about 4 years ago. The controls are natural for shutter & exposure, because my main cameras are Rollei TLRs, so the controls are very similar. Zone focusing is easy, and I even like watching people’s faces with I advance the film with my left hand! Thanks for a thoroughly entertaining review, now on to you Rollei TLR, then the new Rollei Ortho 25 improved film..

another proof that "the photographer takes the photo. not the camera"

Lots of good info here, I think! Thank you for sharing this review. One of the few things I actually like about the digital photography fad is that all the cameras I wanted to use way back when they were new--and I mostly couldn't afford them--are now relatively inexpensive. Which means I can indulge myself a bit. The Rollei 35 is definitely appealing and your video and commentary are much appreciated! Thank you.

Not going to grill you for the light leaks! On my first roll of film in the Rollei 35 S, I actually tore through some of the sprocket holes of the film, but luckily could still rewind the film. I had 38 frames on it! The Rollei 35 has no friction clutch like other 35 mm cameras, so once you reach the very end of the film, you may get stuck in the middle of the film advance lever swing. And without completing it, you can't even retract the lens. But don't force it! The only way to avoid this is to do as the user manual suggests: Once you exposed frame 36, stop shooting and rewind the film! Don't take chances, although you might be able to get another frame or even two! Thanks for the nice video on the amazing little camera

I'm only 3 years late.. Still have my lovely Rollei 35 (3.5 Tessar, Made in Germany) with its leather pouch and rubber lens hood. I think the Zeiss Tessar is the sharpest lens I own, it outranks my Leitz and Voigtlander lenses by a very small margin (or so I think). HM Queen Elizabeth had one and Nelson Rockefeller was another user. In common with another commenter here, I bought a Minox GT-E some years later which is great too, but the Tessar still rules (like QE2, :-) .

This may help someone sometime: there's a very good way of turning a jacket into an effective changing bag. Button/zip the jacket closed. Fold the neck over and the bottom part too. Turn the jacket over so that you are looking at the back of it. Put your arms up the sleeves from the cuff end. Of course you have to put the camera in the jacket first. I learned this many years ago from a camera book, and have often used the technique to good effect. Thanks for the videos.

Fantastic camera! I even shot slides with it since the meter is so good. But I prefer Minox 35B because it's lighter. I always enjoy your reviews.

Since I shoot with an old, crusty, and cantankerous RB67, I too, know the sorrow of something going wrong inside the camera. Since the first screw up, I start carrying a changing bag as well. I've had light leaks from deteriorating foam seals. This prompted me to learn how to replace those seals in that camera as well as the Nikon bodies I have. Errors like these are fine as long as you can learn from them.

I've been looking for one of these for several years and found one today a 35T at a street market in the UK in A1 condition. Great video

Ooooh I liked that, a real memory jerker. The Rollei 35s was my constant companion all through the 80s complementing my Rollei SL35 until the mid 90s when I bought an Olympus Mju and a Nikon FM2n; I have had various Mju variants ever since up to my new pretty red TG-3. I still have my little Rollei, probably my favourite camera of all time, the lens was tack sharp and using it seemed special. I never fixed zone focussed, though I always estimated DoF, and cant say I was bothered by out of focus photos but, I guess, I have always been good at estimating distance. It is after all a 40mm lens so it has good DoF. I recall one retro review describing it as Ordnance and I guess that is perhaps teh best discription, it seems military, precision and built like an armoured steel brick. The controls mimicking a Rolleiflex TLR which I learnt on was the icing on teh cake for me. Thanks for telling me about the battery adapter, I will look out for one of those, though now I just meter with my smart phone for all my film cameras ;-)

This is the film photographer's weakness: knowing 100% that you snapped the roll on the last frame but opening the camera anyway just to check...and turning a small problem into a huge problem. I think everyone's done it... and again and again.

Mic so great you can hear this man swallow 😂

Nice video (as usual). It’s really inspiring the calm style of your videos. Just a note about the camera, some versions have a easier battery to find a replacement. There is difference in price but it’s worth mentioning this aspect. I use one of these Rollei’s and I love the size of it and the comfort that gives you.

Blöde Frage aber was hat Greg für eine Sonnenbrille am Anfang an? Hätte die auch gerne...

I have the 35T and love it!! Totally shredded my first roll too by advancing it too far (apparently we aren't alone :P ). Thanks for the great video 👍

I remember a lot of the original marketing effort was directed at outdoorsmen hikers, climbers, cyclists and such where a small light quality travel camera was advantageous

What's up Max, thanks for this review. I think a major limiting factor of this camera is the fact that shooting at those small apertures you're not getting any shallow depth of field effect. Meaning portraits won't be as beautiful if you are not able to accurately Focus and maybe as you said shooting wide-open is out the question. Someone in my Facebook group mentions they use a Laser Rangefinder to set the distances on there medium format folding cameras. I own a voigtlander color Ultron 50mm lens which I reviewed on my channel and it was also made in Singapore yes the history fluctuates with this company and voigtlander in the latter part of their histories.

Most engaging video, with nice footage of the 35S being used in Würzburg. Nicely produced, with a fine choice of music as well. I particularly enjoyed your relating how the camera came to be designed and the design fortunately being embraced by the right manufacturer. Hut ab! Keep them coming.

Haha i love how cheesy they both are. It's like watching a classic 80's tv show. 😁

Awesome video. I came across your channel for the OM-1 review. I'm so glad I subscribed and get to watch so much other cool stuff! thanks!

My original 35 has the even earlier Zeiss Jena Tessar with the numbers. It truly is a made in Germany with the correct stamped letters. I much prefer this one for black and white photos. The later sonnar lens is better for color.

My first job many years ago was in a camera shop. At that time, the Rollei S model was becoming very popular. But even then, there were reliability issues with the shutter and film advance. One finds many of these cameras for sale today- some of which need repair. It’s my understanding that Rollei in Germany can still service these vintage cameras, but I’ve shied away from buying one in the U.S. out of concern for repairs. Any thoughts on this? Many thanks for another great video!

Great video.....I received as a gift a ROLLEI 35S gold-plated 24k in a beautiful box and a leather pouch..serial 0365....lens TESAR 2.8/40....MADE BY ROLLEI......it doesn't say anywhere on camera if made in Germany or Singapore......anyway....I have been using a full frame NIKON750 for years now.....by now I like to start using this nice small camera cause I love street photography...well.....first thing I noticed is the light meter doesn't work....maybe is the battery.....I tried to find the suggested PX625 but I cannot find one...but will try......another question: how much do you think this ROLLEI is now worth ???? thank you

Thank you so much. Great video! My Grandfather had a Rollei 35 S and I sure would like to know where it went! Keep up the good work.

An important thing to note about the Rollei 35, Rollei 35 T and Rollei 35 S models specifically: It is highly recommended to only buy a camera from a trustworthy seller who can verify it works perfectly, or if you can try it out yourself before handing over money. Unless it's very cheap it is a risk getting an untested one. All of the above models (with very few exceptions from the very beginning and end of the production) have a significant mechanical weak spot: a plastic gear used in the winding mechanism. The teeth on this gear can wear down after heavy use and forceful winding and it is not replaceable (unless you have a donor camera). When this happens, the winding can occasionally skip a notch and permanently "offset" the mechanism, not allowing you to fully cock the shutter in one stroke (making it effectively a double-stroke camera, except not fun). Some sources on the internet claim that only Singapore made versions have this problem, but this is not true: even most of the German cameras use the plastic gear. I used to own one with the issue myself. Do not let this discourage you from getting one though. The Rollei 35/T/S models are wonderfully designed little cameras with excellent lenses that handle unlike any other. I could spend hours describing the many ways they're brilliantly designed. My personal favorite is the plain old Rollei 35 by the way. Though less sharp, for some reason I prefer the Tessar's rendering over the Sonnar on the more expensive model. It's very nitpicky though. PS: Rollei 35 TE and SE do not have the plastic gear problem but are in my opinion not as well designed. Get a 35/T/S instead for the proper Rollei 35 experience.

Another top quality video on a camera i have recently been looking at picking up myself (good timing) Also i love the shot at 18:47 the light leak adds so much character Keep them up

I had an identical experience with my Rollei 35. I unwittingly advanced beyond 36 searching for that extra frame.

My Rollei and I never became friends. I had too much difficulty judging distance, was only able to use it stopped down at great distances - closer motifs with shallow depth of field were too aggravating.

Hi! What about a second review on it, for newer results? One doubt I've heard of: do you have to keep the shutter button pressed until the shutter closes? Best! (07/21) Just picked one. I'm in love!

Rollei 35 Classic has a hot shoe on the top plate, of course, it is much more expensive and has loads of limited versions. Is the shoe on the rollei 35/35s hot or cold? Hope you could do a video about the reviving kodak Tmax p3200 film, perhaps using Spur Acurol-N developer?

I just picked up a 35SE from an original owner in great condition cant wait to shoot a roll or 10. Great video fellas all the best for 2022.

This would be a perfect travel camera to use along side my Nikon F2 since I only carry a 24mm prime lens & a 75-150mm zoom lens.

I would love to be able to see your street walk from the perspective of the photographer. You did a beautiful job.

Awesome Review! As usual? One question. knowing are different cameras, if you have to pick one, which one you choose? this one or the minolta 35 7sII. Thanks

I've an original 35, evidently a bit rare, Singapore model with Schneider-Krueznach S-Xenar lens (which was used for a short time at the very onset of the Singpore locations beginnings as I understand it), inherited from my grandfather who bought it when it first came out. It remained one of his two favorite cameras of all time. Evidently this lens is considered "less desirable". Don't tell that to my late grandfather or his photographs.... and I certainly have never been anything but impressed by the Xenar.

I got one of these cameras and I got it for £27.00 and it came with the original case and camera strap and lens cap and it works well and I get good photos from it

Hello Max how are you? I think I've watched this review about three times now LOL. What is the name of the song that starts at 6 minutes and 25 second mark the guitar?

Indeed the Rollei 35S is a jewel and focusing becomes intuitive after a while!

Thank you so much, i have this 35 s version made in Singapore in silver in very good condition with which I am doing street photography, it is wonderful, clear, easy to use and very portable next to my Olympus EMD M10 MII in a small bag.Very good video and hurts those lights of light and not being able to have exposed that other black and white roll.Greetings.

Great video and great camera!

exelent video! you really save me, becaue i have one and wanna learn ebrething about this!

So nostalgic! I owned a 35T back in the late 70s. Such a little gem of a camera.

Nice! I'll hopefully be buying one of these at some point :)

Nice video, very well explained. I just have a question.... My lightmeter doesn't work, I used a new PX 625A battery and it doesn't move or simply doesn't react to light. Is it only working with the LR44 batteries or maybe the lightmeter is just broken? thank you

Just started after many years again with analog photography. Right now with a Minox 35 PL and a GT. The results are impressing and the way of shooting is absolutely contrary to any kind of digital photography I did. The video, which I enjoyed very much for it's calmness convinced me to have an eye on a Rollei 35 as well.

i just bought my rollei 35s off ebay, and the film advance leaver doesnt work. is this because theres no battery or film in it? or is it broken? (also i havent extended the lens yet)

I have a 35S. Zone focusing even at wide apertures is a pretty easy skill once you commit yourself and practice. We estimate distances in daily life all the time - riding bicycles, playing sports, etc. For critical precision shots I have this tiny German-made Rowi hotshot rangefinder that works perfectly and fits elegantly underneath this little beauty. Sonnar lens is also ridiculous...it's basically a Leica quality glass in the palm of your hand. Heck, it might even be a more charming picture taker than a Leica lens.

I had a Rollie 35 (f3.5) as a pocketable backup camera in late 1970s. It all worked well except for the jamming film on re-wind. This occurred often enough (despite care) that I finally abandoned it for that reason, believing it had a serious mechanical fault.

Beautiful camera. Great informative video as always. Keep it up Max!

My very first camera was Beirette vsn, quite similar in operation like Rollei 35 in my mind, yet without any light meter. Crappy, plasticky little DDR camera, yet it thought me photography well...

I just lucky got 1 Rollei 35s silver body from my dad..thx for sharing your experiences. Really enjoy this vdo..👍🏽

I love the light leaks =) I have 3 versions and they are all fantastic. So fast and easy to use.

really like the story behind the camera. thank you for the review.

Nice video as usual 👍

I have had Rollei 35's since right after they first came out and still have 3 in active use--one S and two Tessar 35's--all made in Germany. The Singapore versions often had light leaks and flash sync problems because of dubious quality backs, but the lens quality is excellent. I have gone on vacations and only taken the Rolleis--Color film in the S and B&W in the Tessar and have never been disappointed. Great video on a favorite camera! Thanks!

Cool video guys, very interesting camera; I've been wondering about this one for a while. Stuff happens ;))

I have this camera as the Made in Germany version with Zeiss Tessar. Here in Texas seems to work best with Ilford XP2 Super films. If I had an address, , Id send you examples Taken with it. I only meter by eye/ It’s quite an amazing camera.

Enjoyable video, Max. :) I have a 35 SE that I still haven't used. The seller said he was fortunate enough to own two and what became mine was his back-up one which never left his house before....Interesting story about the circumstances/providences involved in the design and production, and I didn't know about the brass top versus aluminium for the German, Singapore models respectively..From my recollection, the Sonnar is supposed to be a little bit sharper and better colour rendition, but the Tessar, having less elements, is actually preferred by some in b&w for its rendering of micro-tonality. Probably not much in it like you said, were the prices too far apart...Regarding the zone focusing, have you ever heard of the "human rangefinder" tool? Somebody came up with a neat little bit of geometry using the parallax effect of having one eye open to view and then swapping to the other and observing the apparent shift in position of the subject. Someone else then made a little program that you input a couple of your measurements and it outputs a scale whose distances allow you to find your range easily. Not necessarily applicable of course when you want to be quick and just use the zone focusing, but when you want to open up your aperture for more critical DoF use it would be very helpful. Here's the link to the program: tomchuk.com/misc/rf/

I just got this camera and I have a question. Is it the asa/din dial a loaded film reminder or it affects the settings. By the way, acts some turns I gets stuck.

Спасибо Вам большое за интересный обзор и комментарий этой малютки Rollei 35

I actually prefer the slower lens, I took my 35b to Lebanon and set a hyper focal point, some of my favourite shots .I took a photo in a nightclub in Brrlin too, amazing camera.

I have this camera and love it. I think due to the small form factor there is a reasonably strong force from the advance lever. I had one film come off the spool at the end on the last crank of the lever. It was a reel I had spooled myself so blamed it on my poor taping skills. Probably best to just take it easy on the last two or three frames.

AWesome stuff Max.. totally love this channel

The exact same happend to me with ripping accidently the film out when advancing the last pic😥

Hello Max how are you? I really dig the guitar music in this piece, what is the name if that one?

Analog Insights: Following your review I purchased a Rollei 35 TE from e-bay (Singapore camera with f3.5 tessar lens, Yellow and Red filters, lens hood and flash gun for £120) and waited anxiously for my first roll of Ilford HP5 to come back from the lab. Oh my...the results are fantastic. What a fabulous little camera. I need to practice my zone focusing, as I had a few that were slightly soft, but overall the Tessar lens produced remarkable results and the micro contrast is one of the best I've seen. Now I am looking to buy a Leica IIIf..following another earlier review...it is getting expensive watching your channel!

Awesome Max! Thank you for making me discover cameras I would not think of..... really interesting!

I used to shoot mine every day with TMax400 until I couldn’t. The shutter failed and it was beyond repair. First I sent it to New Jersey but then I had to ship it to California where I believe it was replaced with another shutter. I have to use it again. It makes a lot of sense to take it in your car always in a place where heat will not dilute the lubricants nor the film!

good video, but you could 'scale focus' this as well, remember the Leica MD ?, this, and early M types had no in-built rangefinder, you added it onto the cold shoe!, this could work on this camera as well, if not on a handgrip or bracket screwed into the tripod mount.

I read somewhere that for some fully mechanical vintage cameras it’s not good for the shutter mechanism to change the speed after already having cocked the shutter. So say that you cocked the shutter at 1/60th of a second, but the lighting situation changed and you want to bump the shutter speed up to 1/250th, doing so could damage those components. Is that true for the 35s?

Pity they couldn't squeeze in a rangefinder. As it is cameras like the Canonet 17 make much more sense.

I bought a Rollei 35T around 1982. I still have it but unfortunately the shutter is frozen and the light meter is kaputt ;-) I should get it fixed if I can find someone to work on it.

What's a reasonable price for a chrome 35 S model that includes a case, strap and lens cap? I see some on eBay for around $300.

How about the B 35 or C 35 with Zeiss Triotar? It looks so much cleaner. How ascot that lens based on the Cooke Triplet. Sharp enough? Corrected enough? Contrasty enough?

Thanks!

Fun as always! My Olympus Trip 35 died on me.. this might be a very good option :)

I'm selling my Rollei 35 if interested. Located in France

How strange I`ve done the very same thing with the film in my 35s . Annoying . :)

Hello Max, I have encountered a little glitsch with my Rollei 35.. Maybe you, or another follower can help me. When I advance my film, I can see that it actualy advances, but the framenumber indicator does rarely advance. So it happens that I shot my 36 frames, but the indicator is still on 5... Do you have any idea how I can kick the indicator back to life ? Vielen Dank. Grûsse aus Belgien.

Hello Max, Das Labor Deines Vertrauens ist ja MeinFilmLab. Meine Frage: in welcher Auflösung läßt Du Dir zur digitalen Weiterverarbeitung die Scans erstellen? M, L, XL, XXL oder TIF? Was empfiehlst Du mir? Viele Grüße - Tom

Mine is the SE version its my standard back up for digital, 35mm and medium format.

Hi, i did a little assembly video of this camera. Maybe interesting for you or some other people. i did not find a complete video from this camera. (But i am a beginner) ;-)

could you send me a link to a battery adapter for my Rollie 35 T

I've never understood why some prefer the Rollie 35 to the Olympus XA. The XA is smaller and lighter, a true shirt pocket. It has a clamshell design, so no lens cap or on/off switch is required. The 35mm lens is coupled to a built in rangefinder. (There is a model, the XA4 which has a 28mm lens.) I have used this little XA extensively, especially. on bicycle trips where size and weight count. I remember when this little camera appeared on the market, some highly respectable pros sang its praises. I used to have a Rollie TLR which is a wonderful professional camera, no question, a masterpiece.. The Rollie 35 seems to me like it was designed by someone who has two very small left hands.

Am Schliersee habe ich heute mein erstes analoges Bild aufgenommen. Hoffentlich ist Verschluss und Blende in Ordnung, sodass dank Belichtungsapp des Handy eine halbwegs brauchbare Belichtung entstanden ist. Benutzt habe ich den Kodak Gold 200, da es der billigste Film ist, den ich auftreiben konnte. Ich freue mich auf die Ergebnisse (dauert noch - Film ist noch nicht voll) und bin gespannt, ob ich die Schärfe richtig getroffen habe. Präventiv nutze ich Blende 5,6, damit genügend Licht eintrifft und ein größere Schärfespielraum genutzt werden kann. Hat echt Spaß gemacht.👍🏻

I accidentally opened my rollei 35 without the film being rewinded (the mechanism didn't work) is my film completely ruined since the film was completely outside the tank?

Like your review.

Imagine if Leitz were interested in the tiny prototype...

Hey, this is fantastic. Your reviews are really helpful. I'm just curious how the lens quality on this this would stack up with the Leica CL 40mm Summicron-C F/2. I have the CL and love it; however, a big downside for me is that my glasses prevent me from getting close enough to the viewfinder to see all four edges of the framelines at the same time. Yesterday I was in a camera store and held a Rollei 35S up to my eye, and I was surprised to see that I could easily see all four framelines. I'm thinking this might be a good alternative to the CL for me, but how much (if any) image quality or sharpness would I be sacrificing? Thank you very much.

Hey Max, do you remember what bag was your friend Greg carrying? Very nice video. Thanks.