Rollei sl35

BobbyR · Mar 14, 2008

I just picked up a Rollei Sl35 E, and sadly I had too may logs in the fire but missed a Zeiss 85mm 1.4 for what was a very good price, off of Ebay, but,

I want to get a motor drive for it, and they are not common.
Now a gent has one for sale for over 300 bucks, but he says it needs a CLA.

Do motor drives need CLAs or is it broken and needs fixing, in your opinions.
It is not a ebay item.

Bobby

John Koehrer · Mar 15, 2008

Bobbyr
Generally speaking, If the fellow thinks it needs a cla he must be a little suspicious of it working properly. Motor drives/winders are simple(?) gear trains with motor & switches. If it's slow it may just need battery contacts cleaned or relubrication. By the same token they most likely weren't all that fast to begin with and parts for these aren't readily available.
IMO $300 is far to much to pay for an item like this unless you got a fat wallet and a real bad case of the "I gotta have its."

Ian Grant · Mar 15, 2008

don't do it.

Rollei's 35mm SLR cameras aren't that reliable, back in the 70's I almost switched to using them but I'm very glad I didn't. They look nice but the build quality just wasn't robust enough for professional use.

Use and enjoy the camera it should give excellent results but don't stress it with a motor drive.

Ian

lens_hacker · Mar 15, 2008

A bargain grade MD-4 for a Nikon F3 goes for $30 at KEH these days. $300 is way too much for any motor drive these days.

Ian Grant · Mar 15, 2008

As lens_hacker has just said you almost get a drive for free, if you shop around. I'd not owned a drive for probably 20 years, but I got one with a camera last year, for no extra, people don't want them any more.

If you need a motor drive for work, then you'd be out of work, because all your competitors would be using Digital, and streets ahead.

I always used a power drive or motor drive back in the early 70's shooting Rock concerts, and that was the only time I actually really needed them. Usually I had 2 cameras one loaded with XP-2, the other with Fuji P800-1600, and the drive made shooting a lot easier.

I can only speak for myself, as I have feet in both camps, now these jobs are never shot on film, I couldn't afford too
Ian

BobbyR · Mar 15, 2008

Ian Grant said:
don't do it.

Rollei's 35mm SLR cameras aren't that reliable, back in the 70's I almost switched to using them but I'm very glad I didn't. They look nice but the build quality just wasn't robust enough for professional use.

Use and enjoy the camera it should give excellent results but don't stress it with a motor drive.

Ian

I did checking on the Rollie cameras before I bought, and the general opinion is that unlike the original sl35, which was a redo of the Zeiss Ikon, the 35E was a beast by itself, different even from the similar appearing M and they had finally got it right; of course then they brought out the 2000, for which they never really gave the backing it needed to be a pro camera.

The motor drives for the sl35E, the only model they fit, were never produced in large numbers and it is impossible to get them at the prices Md4s go for.
The only one I saw on Ebay, if I rememeber correct went for over two hundred, but then it was said to be in perfect working order.
I can get a winder for the Rollei, but it is a small camera, by my standards and I like the weight and grip of a true MD.
Bobby

ic-racer · Mar 15, 2008

http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/rollei/Rolleilaccys.htm

Just so we are all on the same page. You are talking about a $300 Motor Drive (790 161), not the power winder, right? I have been using Rollei 35mm equipment since it was 'current issue' and have never seen this unit in real life (though I have had a few of the power winders). For one who likes using the Zeiss lenses and Rollei equipment this could be a real find!

So, you found a working SL35E! When my last 'E' stopped working last year ( (there was a url link here which no longer exists) ) I went with a practically new old stock SL35M. Boy, the 'E' is a much, much, better camera, but the supply of working 'E's seems to be drying up.

BobbyR · Mar 15, 2008

ic-racer said:
http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/rollei/Rolleilaccys.htm

Just so we are all on the same page. You are talking about a $300 Motor Drive (790 161), not the power winder, right? I have been using Rollei 35mm equipment since it was 'current issue' and have never seen this unit in real life (though I have had a few of the power winders). For one who likes using the Zeiss lenses and Rollei equipment this could be a real find!

So, you found a working SL35E! When my last 'E' stopped working last year ( (there was a url link here which no longer exists) ) I went with a practically new old stock SL35M. Boy, the 'E' is a much, much, better camera, but the supply of working 'E's seems to be drying up.

There was a flurry of them in the past two months and it seemed with each one sold, the bidding went higher for the next, but the black ones cost a fair deal more than silver ones.
And that is the drive, but doing a google search there seemed to be a few sold on the net in the past year. Old threads survive if one has the time to look long enough.

Rol_Lei Nut · Mar 26, 2008

Might be a bit late for this answer to be useful, but...

The SL35-E motor drive (not to be confused with the winder) has a reputation of being only useful as a collectable: If you actually use it, it'll break.

The SL35-E is a nice camera, but watch out for "lazy mirror" syndrome: A sign that the electronics are shot.

elekm · Mar 27, 2008

It's a shame that the Rolleiflex SLRs are such unreliable beasts because the lenses are excellent. They are really the same as the Contax lenses.

I have an SL 35 M and an SL 35 E. My M works best when you engage the depth-of-field preview, while autoexposure is whack on my E (my second E), although the manually selected speeds seem accurate.

I think the viewfinder and viewfinder brightness are outstanding. I like that the frame counter doesn't move if the film hasn't been loaded correctly. Film is easy to load into the camera. And no foam to replace (properly design light-blocking design).

It's a real shame that the bodies aren't reliable.

Rol_Lei Nut · Mar 28, 2008

elekm said:
It's a shame that the Rolleiflex SLRs are such unreliable beasts because the lenses are excellent. They are really the same as the Contax lenses.

Actually, I've read that the 35mm 2.8 and the 85mm 2.8 lenses have different optical schemes from the Contax series (not necessarily better or worse).

Also, the Contax 25mm was apparently upgraded around 1984-85. If & when this was carried over to the Rollei line is an interesting question. Fact is, my late, Rollei-built 25mm is far better than 2 earlier original Zeiss examples I had.

I have an SL 35 M and an SL 35 E. My M works best when you engage the depth-of-field preview, while autoexposure is whack on my E (my second E), although the manually selected speeds seem accurate.

Are you sure your lenses aren't the 1-pin type (= designed for stop-down metering)?
In Europe at least, SL35-Es are still commonly available. I'm still thinking of getting a guaranteed working one as a backup...

hansutrecht · Jun 21, 2008

Well, I got some:
Rolleiflex SL35, 4036093, Made in Germany by Rollei
Rolleiflex SL35 M, 4740216, Made in Singapore
Rolleiflex SL35 E, 6489926, Made in Singapore
Voigtländer VSL1 TM, 1760294, Made in Singapore
Voigtländer VSL1, 4811932, Made in Singapore
The E still in good working order, and some 16 lenses with it (25mm to 200mm - mostly CZ). The M frame spacing could be better.. but overall the gear is in good working order. You should try your luck in Europe, that's for sure.
Hans.

Rollei sl35

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency