Rollei RF 35

[Dave Wooten]

Any feed back on this camera....Sonnar HFT 2.8 and an 85 mm is also available

Thanks

 

[DBP]

I believe that is a rebranded Voigtlander Bessa R2. I have the Bessa R, which is a superb little rangefinder. The R2 is said to be a bit more solid, and uses the Leica M Bayonet in lieu of the 39mm screw mount. You might want to check www.cameraquest.com for more details.

 

[elekm]

This camera has been available for roughly three years and is a slightly modified/rebadged version of the Cosina Voigtlander Bessa-R2.

It has a mechanical shutter, a Leica M mount with a different body covering and paint scheme. Operation is identical to the R2.

The 40mm Sonnar is a sweet little lens although not the first choice if you're a speed freak. Nice color rendition and very sharp. Focusing the lens is accomplished via a tab.

The lens is surprisingly heavy, probably uses lots of brass and steel.

I haven't used the 80mm, although I've read some nice things about it.

 

[George Papantoniou]

I tested it with the Sonnar 40mm for the needs of a magazine article. Liked the plasticity of the lens, too. The looks of the image made me feel I was using an old Sonnar on a Rollei 35, maybe it was auto-suggestion, maybe not.

I didn't like the camera itself, but I will not start writing "inflamatory" stuff again for I will end up getting banned from the rangefinder forum
I still have to write that I can't understand why they couldn't incorporate a lens-autosensing system to change the frames in the viewfinder. Now the user has to change the size of the frame everytime he/she changes the lens and this will most probably lead to mistakes in the composition if he/she forgets to do it. The frames in the viewfinder only cover the 40, 50 and 80mm lenses. The WA's have to work with external viewfinders.