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You are considering this absolutely stunning, Rollei 35 S, miniature, rangefinder-style 35mm camera with its equally stunning Rollei-HFT 40mm f/2.8 Sonnar lens. It is in 98% of new condition. The only reason I don't rate it as 99% is because of a tiny scratch on the top plate and maybe, MAYBE a few rubs on the bottom plate. Other than that I see no signs of use. No paint loss or rubs. No bright spots in the chrome. No scratches. No dents or dings. Also included in the Rollei 121BC flash. Of course both work as new. This thing is nice! I found the following online:

The Rollei 35 S
Sonnar 2,8/40mm

The Rollei 35 S (The S stands for Sonnar lens) series consisted of two identical models; in silver and black.

Made in Singapore, from September 1974 until February 1980, 260,000 of these cameras were made. The black model production (with black coated aluminum covers) started mid 1976. Serial Numbers run from 6.500.000 to 6.799.999, thereafter the lens number was the serial number.

The Introduction of this top-of-the-line model with the newly designed 2,8/40mm Sonnar lens (5 elements) was the reason to rename the original Rollei 35 with Tessar lens into Rollei 35 T.

Starting in 1977, feet and meter scales were printed next to each other on top of lens.

Camera weight is 345 grams (brass covers), 325 grams aluminum covers. Size 97x32x60mm.

Camera price in `1976 was about $250 USD.

History

The Rollei 35 series of sub-compacts enjoys one of the longest production runs for a camera of its type.  Shown at the Photokina in 1966 and released into manufacturing in 1967, production of the original model design ran thirteen years years through 1980.   Several variants with a different metering design ran two more years after that into 1982.  Original production began in Germany and was transferred to Singapore in 1973 to reduce the cost.  While collectors will pay a premium for the "Germany" model, consensus among long time users finds no difference in materials or build quality between the "Germany" and "Singapore" versions.

 

The following table shows the various models produced during the full production years.
 

Model Years Lens Battery Notes
35 1967-1975 f/3.5 Tessar PX-625 Original "Germany" Model
C 35 1969-1971 f/3.5 Triotar None No metering
B 35 & 35 B 1969-1978 f/3.5 Triotar None Uncoupled Selenium meter
35 "S-Xenar" 1972-1973 f/3.5 Xenar PX-625 35 with Schneider-Kreuznach lens
35 S 1974-1980 f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 "Singapore" 35 with Sonnar HFT lens
35 T 1976-1980 f/3.5 Tessar PX-625 "Singapore" 35
35 LED 1978-1980 f/3.5 Triotar PX-27 Viewfinder LED metering
35 TE 1980-1982 f/3.5 Tessar PX-27 Viewfinder LED metering
35 SE 1980-1982 f/2.8 Sonnar PX-27 Viewfinder LED metering

The most commonly found models are the "Singapore" 35 T and 35 S followed by the original "Germany" 35.  After that is the 35 SE followed by the 35 TE.  The remaining Triotar and Xenar lensed models are relatively rare, but amazingly they not as sought after by collectors.  The most highly prized by collectors are the 35, 35 S and 35 SE, perhaps because the 35 represents the original "Germany" production; the 35 S and 35 SE represent the zenith of the model line with the faster (and better) Sonnar lenses.  A few prototypes of the 35 S may have been made in Germany.  If true, they would be highly prized by collectors also.  The problem would be proving provenance, possibly with the lens or body serial number.  The place of manufacture is on the removable back but not the model name.  Switching backs between an early "Singapore" 35 S and a late "Germany" 35 could be easily done to create a fake "Germany" 35 S.

There were a number of commemorative models during the standard production years and a number of commoratives released after standard production ended; all had limited production runs.  During production, the commemoratives were a 35, 35 T or 35 S with gold or silver body caps and leatherette body coverings.  Following production, the commemoratives have all been a "Germany" made 35 S with hot shoe relocated from bottom cap to top cap, and lens release relocated from top cap to the body front.  Post production commemoratives have various body colors including gold and titanium without leatherette covering.  The following table shows the production and at least some of the post-production commemoratives:
 

Model Years Lens Battery Notes
35 Gold 1971-1972 f/3.5 Tessar PX-625 1200 made for 1.5 million 35 production
35 S Gold 1974-1976 f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 1500 made for 2 million 35 production
35 S Silver 1979 f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 8000 made for 1 million 35 S production
35 Platin 1986 f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 Ti finish; 444 made for 20th Anniv. of the 35
35 Classic 1990-199? f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 Various finishes
35 Metric 1990- f/2.8 Sonnar PX-625 Not a commemorative, but for photometrics

The one odd one in the table is the 35 "Metric" which is not a commemorative although it was begun after regular production ceased in 1982.  It is a 35 S with the post production changes in hot shoe and lens release but with normal body caps and covering.  The difference is that it also exposes the film with an overlaid grid for photometric use.  It is intended for highly specialized uses requiring ability to record lengths and areas of objects using photography.  It is the world's smallest full-frame 35mm photometric, and a world-class one at that!

Lenses

          Four different 40mm focal length lenses were used on various model variants:

          f/3.5 Triotar

The Triotar is a single coated Carl Zeiss design using three elements in three groups based on the Cooke Triplet.  I have been unable to date its design by Carl Zeiss.  The concept for it dates to the late 1800's.  The lens design has been used extensively by Carl Zeiss to produce an inexpensive, optically simpler alternative to the other more expensive lenses of similar focal length.  Its three element design makes is much more susceptible to astigmatism.  Hence this lens was used on Rollei's lower end models.

In spite of limitations it is still a good lens design with has very good contrast and resolution.  Compared to many inexpensive P&S cameras on the market today, it is still a better lens.  Collectors do not prize the Triotar models as highly as the others, nor do definitive users.  As a result the price on a Triotar model is much less than for one with a Tessar or Sonnar, or even an S-Xenar.  Some of this is due to the lens and some due to the fact the body was simpler with fewer features.  Models made with the Triotar were an effort by Rollei to provide a less expensive alternative to the Tessar lensed models and capture greater market share.

f/3.5 Tessar

The Tessar is also a single coated Carl Zeiss design using four elements in three groups.  The Tessar design by Dr. Paul Rudolph dates to 1902 and was originally used on large format view cameras.  It is based on the Cooke triplet with an additional lens element.  The first was an f/6.3 which is quite slow compared to modern lenses.  By 1917 successive efforts including those from other Carl Zeiss engineers raised it to f/2.8 which is the fastest I have found on primarily pre-W.W.II cameras.  The f/2.8 Tessar was used extensively by Zeiss Ikon on many of its 35mm models.  As the patents ran out in 1920 the Tessar became one of the most copied lens designs of the 20th Century.  I found no less than twenty-one major lens manufacturers that have used this lens under a variety of names.  It is relatively simple, has exceptional resolution and extremely high contrast with low distortion in a flat field.  The one drawback to the Tessar is its limitations for very fast lens designs.  Carl Zeiss never implemented it at faster than f/2.8; virtually all post-W.W.II implementations are f/3.5 which is acceptable but slower than more modern lens designs allow for a standard lens.  Nevertheless its basic design is still heavily used.

Very early "Germany" 35's used Tessar's made by Carl Zeiss.  After that, Rollei obtained licensing to produce the lenses themselves. An unusual provision in the license allowed use of the Carl Zeiss lens name.  While collectors might prize a Carl Zeiss Tessar model, there is no detectable difference in materials, build quality or optical performance between the Rollei and Carl Zeiss versions.  Rollei's quality control was quite high.

f/3.5 S-Xenar

The S-Xenar is one of the rarer lenses found on Rollei 35's made during two production years in 1972-1973.  It is a single coated Tessar clone by Schneider-Kreuznach.  During the early 1970's Rollei wanted to bring its pricing down and the S-Xenar was less expensive.  When Schneider could not meet delivery schedule for Rollei production requirements, Rollei dropped the S-Xenar and went back to producing the Tessar under its Carl Zeiss license.  As with the practical difference between the "Germany" and "Singapore" models, consensus among long time users finds no difference in materials, build quality or optical performance between the Tessar and S-Xenar.  Collectors however downgrade the pricing on an S-Xenar model.  Schneider-Kreuznach is also one of the finest German lens makers ranking possibly second to Carl Zeiss.  Today Schneider-Kreuznach is noted for exceptional cinema and projection lenses.

f/2.8 Sonnar HFT

The Sonnar is the best and fastest lens used on the Rollei 35's.  It was designed by Carl Zeiss with five elements in four groups and has Rollei's HFT multi-coating.  The Sonnar is one of the finest lenses of the 20th Century designed in 1930 by Ludwig Bertele, one of the finest lens designers of the 20th Century.  Bertele originally worked for Ernemann, one of the premier German optics houses.  When Ernemann was absorbed into the Zeiss-Ikon combine in 1926, Bertele began working for Carl Zeiss.  The original was an uncoated f/2 5cm focal length with six elements in three groups specifically created for the Zeiss Ikon Contax.  In 1932 it was reformulated for an f/1.5 5cm with seven elements in three groups.  At some point after the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa/IIIa ceased production in 1961, the Sonnar was reformulated into the configuration commonly found now using five elements in four groups for a slower f/2.8 lens.  However, its design principles are essentially the same as the original Sonnar.  The Carl Zeiss Sonnar has been used as the premier lens on numerous 35mm cameras.  As with the Tessar, from the 1960's and beyond it is normally found in the slower f/2.8 five element, four group configuration.

Rollei wanted a faster lens for its top Rollei 35 model and Carl Zeiss reformulated the Sonnar using Rollei's HFT multi-coating resulting in the 40mm f/2.8 with five elements in four groups.  It is a stunning lens noted for near zero distortion in its very flat field, very low falloff, exceptional resolution and very high contrast; all the attributes sought for in a superb lens.  As with the later Tessar's the Sonnar HFT was manufactured by Rollei under license from Carl Zeiss.  Compared to the Tessar, the Sonnar is a better, faster lens but is much more difficult and expensive to manufacture.  The Sonnar has extremely tight tolerance requirements for its complex element shapes and their spacing.  In spite of the age of its design, it is still a world class lens and holds its own quite easily with the very best of modern lenses.

Current Hardware

At one time I had both a black Rollei 35 T and a chrome Rollei 35 S.  Both were bought in Germany about a year apart in the 1978-1979 time frame near the end of their production.  The Rollei 35 T was bought first as none of the 35 S's were currently available and I needed a camera.  As I was in the service at the time, its small size allowed stuffing it into an extra ammunition pouch.  As a result it went on many field exercises and was used in all sorts of weather and climate conditions from high heat and humidity to sub-freezing and snow.  With protection from severe shock, abrasion and direct exposure to precipitation, it more than survived and functioned flawlessly.  It is a testimonial to the ruggedness of its design.  The one portion of the match-needle models that will not tolerate severe shock is the meter.  The body caps are also susceptible to dents and dings if not protected, although if the meter survives, cap dings do not normally affect other camera operation or the alignment of the lens.  After the purchase of the 35 S, the 35 T continued to serve in its roll of a field exercise camera and the 35 S was reserved for use in less harsh environments for vacation, holiday and other general photography.

The Rollei 35 T was sold recently as it was hardly being used.  The 35 S continues to be used regularly.  The chrome 35 S has several accessories including the lens hood, a Rollei UV filter, soft case and wrist strap.  Since the 1.35 Volt Mercury PX-625 battery is no longer available in the U.S. (due to its Mercury content) it has an adapter in the battery box for a 1.5 Volt Silver MS76 that drops the voltage to 1.35-1.4 Volts.  Other adapters are available that allow PX-675 1.4 Volt Zinc-Air hearing aid batteries.  These work well but do begin their life span when the tape is pulled off to allow air in to activate the battery and are smaller in capacity (milliampere hours) than the original.  The PX-675's however are relatively inexpensive and can be found on the hearing aid battery rack in nearly any drug store.  Also available from Wein is a PX-625 Zinc-Air with the exact same size and shape as the original Mercury.  They are more expensive and harder to find, but will last longer.

Comparatively, the 35 T had slightly greater contrast with its Tessar and the 35 S's Sonnar has slightly higher resolution.  The results with either are stunning and never cease to accrue remarks about resolution and contrast.  It is proof that world-class glass on even a sub-compact manual predecessor to the current P&S's does make a difference in the technical quality of the photography.  Obviously the artistic qualities are still the exclusive domain of the photographer.

Whew! I hope that you found all that text informative. So, here's the bottom-line: if you have  been looking for a collection-worthy example of a Rollei 35 S, then your search is over. Grab this one now before someone else does! I'm asking $279 for this gem. The original strap and soft case are included. This item would make a great holiday gift!

 

Shipping with tracking to US addresses only is $12.