Too bad they don't make one of the Cosina Voigtlanders with the Rollei QBM
My beloved SL35E, that I have had since 1986, finally stopped working and in the same month a SL2000F also stopped. I still have two 3003s left but I was without a 'conventional' type 35mm body.
I picked up a nice small compact manual Yashica, with the Contax mount, however, all the Zeiss lenses are much, much more expensive in the Contax/Yashica mount. It is a shame that I have so many of the Rollei 50mm Planar lenses lying around I use them as paper weights. But to buy just a 50mm Planar with the Contax/Yashica mount on e-bay costs almost $200!!! The "Yashica" 50mm lens on the camera is pretty bad. Even at f8 I was just a 'film waster.'
So, I figured, even if they DID make a Voigtlander with the QBM, it would probably cost about $300 or more. So I budgeted myself to just pick up an an older manual Rollei body.
I found an 'unused in box' SL35M and got if for about $160.
Boy, this is an OLD design, the body is big and has a little 'peep hole' to view the screen. It has the ancient horizontal, non-rubberized cloth shutter that goes to 1/1000. My first camera when I was 12 years old (in 1973) was more advanced than this.
The SL35E was a lot better design, though, I don't think either can be counted on lasting another 10 years. I kind of have this feeling that the electronics in all the SL35Es out there have broken down and there are really no good ones left, that is why I went with the older, manual camera.
Of course, the MADE in GERMANY SL35 is probably the one to get, but the 'collectors' are hoarding these and they are a little expensive.
A little irony in this whole situation is that the camera I wound up getting (the SL35M) IS actually a Voigtlander VSL1 that Rollei marketed as a Rollieflex with the QBM.
The picture shows my old SL35E with the recently broken shutter and my 'unused in box' SL35M.
I have never been a big fan of Canon, but I do see the Canon/Rollei QBM adapters on e-bay. Perhaps I will give that a try also.

My beloved SL35E, that I have had since 1986, finally stopped working and in the same month a SL2000F also stopped. I still have two 3003s left but I was without a 'conventional' type 35mm body.
I picked up a nice small compact manual Yashica, with the Contax mount, however, all the Zeiss lenses are much, much more expensive in the Contax/Yashica mount. It is a shame that I have so many of the Rollei 50mm Planar lenses lying around I use them as paper weights. But to buy just a 50mm Planar with the Contax/Yashica mount on e-bay costs almost $200!!! The "Yashica" 50mm lens on the camera is pretty bad. Even at f8 I was just a 'film waster.'
So, I figured, even if they DID make a Voigtlander with the QBM, it would probably cost about $300 or more. So I budgeted myself to just pick up an an older manual Rollei body.
I found an 'unused in box' SL35M and got if for about $160.
Boy, this is an OLD design, the body is big and has a little 'peep hole' to view the screen. It has the ancient horizontal, non-rubberized cloth shutter that goes to 1/1000. My first camera when I was 12 years old (in 1973) was more advanced than this.
The SL35E was a lot better design, though, I don't think either can be counted on lasting another 10 years. I kind of have this feeling that the electronics in all the SL35Es out there have broken down and there are really no good ones left, that is why I went with the older, manual camera.
Of course, the MADE in GERMANY SL35 is probably the one to get, but the 'collectors' are hoarding these and they are a little expensive.
A little irony in this whole situation is that the camera I wound up getting (the SL35M) IS actually a Voigtlander VSL1 that Rollei marketed as a Rollieflex with the QBM.
The picture shows my old SL35E with the recently broken shutter and my 'unused in box' SL35M.
I have never been a big fan of Canon, but I do see the Canon/Rollei QBM adapters on e-bay. Perhaps I will give that a try also.
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