At 20:44 6/1/00 , Gary Schloss wrote:
>All three have solid metal construction, CdS meters inside the lens
>perimeter -- good for filter usage, normal flash shoes located where
>you'd expect them to, and each will cost a fraction of the exhorbitant
>sums one has to shell out for even most basic of the Rollei 35's (the
>latter have more shutter speeds though). No reliability problems either.
Hope you didn't mean the sub-mini Rollei 35 RF's have a reliability issue
in general. The bulk of non-functioning ones have been battered and
abused. First thing to go on an abused one (with the match-needle meter)
is the meter movement, usually from being dropped or similar severe shock.
The primary issue for the "unabused" is the same as any mechanical shutter
"closet camera" stored for years without use. They can lose slow shutter
speed accuracy requiring a CLA to get them running right. The "unknowing"
can also damage one by forcing the lens to collapse without cocking the
shutter first (and it does take some real force to do this).
Oddly they didn't have the "prestige quotient" when they were in production
(1966-1982) that they do now. IMO a combination of name, superb lenses and
reliability that gained the "cult following" years after T and S production
ended in 1980, and the TE and SE ended in 1982. I won't claim having
foresight of this when I bought a "T" in 1978 and an "S" about 1979 near
the end of their production. They just seemed to be extraordinarily well
made, and I happened to be living in Germany. Yes, used ones in EX to LN
condition are expensive compared their contemporaries. For _real_ "Posh &
Shoot" wrist jewelry see the Contax T description below.
35mm Rollei's with known reliability problems are several SLR models dating
to the German camera manufacturer shake-up in the early 1970's. To make
matters worse, the sub-mini Rollei 35 model designations can get confused
with the Rollei 35 SLR model designations. Nearly all of them are "Rollei
35 XXX". In rather rapid succession: Zeiss Ikon absorbed Voigtlander,
then Zeiss Ikon was liquidated (by the Zeiss Foundation), portions of which
were sold to Rollei. A couple of these SLR models were originally
Voigtlander designs, continued by Zeiss Ikon, and then by Rollei, which
eventually went bankrupt itself (1982?). Ownership and management shake-up
combined with tenuous economic footing, including taking a severe beating
from Japanese manufacturers in pricing, was not conducive to the design
improvements needed for better reliability.
You did give a good list of alternatives (albeit they're larger than the
rollei). Also on the "forgotten" list:
(a) Canonnette GIII and/or QL-17. They are _very_ good. Examples in
excellent or better condition can be had for about $100 or so in the U.S.
Unique feature: the dedicated flash for it sets the flash power based on
camera focus distance making flash exposure _very_ accurate. You will also
find QL-19's ("17" = f/1.7 lens; "19" = f/1.9 lens).
(b) Minox 35 sub-mini (circa 1974). These have excellent 35mm f/2.8
Minotar folding lenses, but unfortunately also have a "cult following."
Some don't like the amount of plastic used in making them. The "cheap"
alternative to the Minox is the Ukranian Kiev 35A "clone."
(c) Contax T (circa 1982). A rebirth of the Contax name on an RF with the
body made by Yashica (Kyocera), it is very small, has a folding front with
a 35mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss T* Sonnar, and a rangefinder. Unfortunately it is
aperture priority AE mode only (has a +1.5 EV backlit exposure compensation
button), rare, requires the companion T14 dedicated flash if you want to
use flash, and is _very_ expensive if you can even find one. The Contax T
definitely qualifies as a prestige factor "Posh & Shoot." Its design
concept was done by the Porsche Design Group, and has a titanium body with
synthetic sapphire shutter release button!
-- John
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