This Old Camera: Rollei 35 LED.
I in a recent post…
…I mentioned that I had a two Rollei 35 film camera post in the works.
Well, this is that post.
One would think that given my interest in and great appreciation for the newly minted (Bad pun intended.) Rollei 35AF…
…I would already own an older model. To say I like this newer camera would be an understatement. I had the pleasure of being the first person to add this camera to Lomography.com, now to the tune of 13 pages worth of images. The product of having run more than 20 rolls of film through it. Also had the honor of Camera-wiki,org using my image of it for their Rollei 35AF page.
So, you would think I was a fan of the original. But that was not the case. The original Rollei 35 cameras were zone focus. Previously, I would have said that I was not a fan of zone focus cameras.
This had no bearing on my appreciation for the new Rollei 35AF. While it looked the part, this was a different camera. Not only does it have AF, but ridiculously accurate in any lighting LiDAR AF.
So what changed my mind? Well, another camera that I really like softened my opinion on zone focus cameras.
With that, I decided to give an OG Rollei 35 a try. But which one? They made a mess of variants. Hamish Gill wrote an excellent Rollei 35AF, that was an excellent resource. Camera-wiki has plenty of information as well. But I chose an easier way to choose the model for me. Some were made in Germany and some in Singapore. Some have ZEISS branded glass and some do not. Some have f/2.8 lenses and some are f/3.5. Some have the shutter and aperture controls on the lens and others on the front of the camera. Prices were all over the place. But, I found a real reasy way to choose the one for me. I went to KEH searched for Rolei 35 and purchased the least expensive example in EX condition. As a result, I present you with the Rollei 35 LED.
The run down.
This old Rollei 35 LED has a three LED light meter display in the viewfinder, hence the name. Technically functional, but as is usually the case with these older cameras, pretty awful. Lead batteries are no longer available, of course, and the bootleg replacement, three LR44 batteries stacked, does not seem to match the voltage, so it does not seem accurate. And even if it were accurate, getting the middle light to light up green by adjusting the tiny controls that are all on the lens with my beef mitts is challenging. The end result is a dance of lights flittering between the underexposure red light and the overexposure, with brief appearances of the green light in between. So I went with Sunny 16.
And as mentioned in that earlier post the first test roll netted some great results. My favorite pic from the day.
But there were more that I really liked. The setting was a local “downtown” area. I must admit that due to user error, I lost about 10 exposures. In short I fed the film lead through the wrong side of the slot on the take up reel. So I reloaded the film, advanced about 10 exposures in and soldiered on. Here are the survivors followed by some thoughts.
Thoughts.
Well, for starters this non ZEISS branded f/3.5 lens is amazing.
- Very sharp.
- Resists flaring.
- Great tones.
I am now looking to get a roll of color film through it.
Zone focus was a breeze. And the camera feels great in hand.
Compared to the newer Rollei 35AF.
These are two entirely different cameras that happen to favor each other.
One is AF and the other is zone focus.
One is aperture priority when you wish with manual focus metering and the other has old tech three LED set up that really encourages you to just use Sunny 16.
One is $799 new and the other can be had in mint condition for less than $200.
That is not the case for all of the Rollei 35 models. Some start to approach and surpass the asking price of the newer Rollei 35AF. Especially if you are shopping on Film Furbish’s website.
Worth it?
After trying this one? Yes.
I have read some lament the less solid build of th enewer camera and I get it. The Rollei 35AF does feel a little light in the pants compared to the older model. And the newer model is a bit bigger. But that is not a surprise considering the addition of a built in flash and LiDAR AF.
But I do not see this as a competition. I appreciate both, and would not trade one for the other.
Welp. That is all for now.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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