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The Rollei 35 SE 
     Rollei has produced some of the world's best photographic equipment, and many of their older or discontinued models are still heavily sought after by both collectors and users. When I had the opportunity to purchase the Rollei 35 SE back in April 1998, the decision was a no-brainer. The Rollei 35 series cameras are, in my opinion, some of the best cameras Rollei has ever produced, and the 35 SE has the exceptional 40mm f2.8 HFT Sonnar lens.
     For me, this camera is an excellent carry-everywhere camera. The solid construction, wonderful optics, and full manual control make this camera a true gem and a pleasure to use. However, I must admit that the Rollei 35 is not necessarily the easiest or fastest camera to work with. It's a rangefinder camera which introduces some parallax and framing problems, the lens is scale focusing, and the metering is manual (no autoexposure to speak of in these beauties). But despite these limitations, the Rollei 35 has become one of my favorite cameras to work with.
     In fact, I sometimes use this camera more than my Eos equipment. This is for a number of reasons; first, the Rollei is much easier to carry everywhere, and the optics are on par with those of an SLR. Second, I find that the 40mm perspective very interesting to work with.  Third, I enjoy doing some straight photography (photographing people as they are in real life, as if the camera isn't even there), and a compact camera such as the Rollei doesn't draw attention like my Bronica or Eos equipment does. In all, this camera does very well for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an extremely compact, all manual camera.

Features:

  • Compact 35mm rangefinder camera (2 1/2 inches high, about 4 inches wide, and just over an inch thick)
  • 40mm f2.8 HFT Sonnar lens (scale focusing), f2.8-22
  • Shutter speeds from 1/2 second to 1/500th, plus Bulb
  • Built in light meter with LEDs in the viewfinder (ISO 25-1600, set manually)
  • Takes PX-27 battery for the meter (very hard to find, but Minox can provide replacements)
  • Flash sync at all speeds due to leaf shutter in lens
  • Solid metal construction
For more information on these cameras an the other models available, visit the Rollei 35 Web Site or the Unofficial Rollei 35 Fan Page. There's a great deal of information there, and links to other sites.
Buyer's Guide Main Page

Medium Format Cameras - User's Guide to Buying and Shooting
by Peter Williams is now available from Amherst Media!! [1/2001]