Rollei XF 35 – First Impressions

I ran into this camera almost by accident. I was meandering through a vinyl record and camera store* and saw the small Rollei XF 35 hiding in a glass counter next to the register. I had been looking for a smaller 35mm camera for a while, browsing anything from Pentax point-and-shoots to Zeiss Ikon fixed lens cameras. I figured since I hadn’t bought anything photography-related for a while, I’d give it a shot.

*Gentry Studio / John’s Camera Corner in Blacksburg, Virginia

Specs

The Rollei XF 35 is a fixed-lens rangefinder released in 1974. A highlight would be the 40mm f/2.3 Sonnar lens, produced by Zeiss. It is, of course, manual focus, although it is fully automated other than that. The camera will choose between f/16 at 1/650th of a second to f/2.3 at 1/30th of a second. (You can use Bulb mode as well.) The ISO is selectable between 25-400.

Powering all of this requires a PX-625 mercury battery. These Mercury batteries are no longer available. Also, almost all modern 625 batteries are 1.5V, while the intended battery is 1.35V. This, however, can be resolved with an MRB625 battery from the likes of Weincell. These match the intended 1.35v battery’s voltage and are mercury-free. Something interesting happens if you decide to use the cheaper and more common 1.5v battery though. Running the 1.5v battery essentially changes the ISO range by pushing it a bit over 2-stops, so say ~160 to ~2000 ISO. This would give *an* option for shooting films faster than 400. I will say I have not experimented with this, and it would require testing. (I wouldn’t be surprised if the higher sensitivity at the 1600 range is unreliable.)

Build

The Rollei XF 35 is small, angular, and refined looking. The largely metal build is cohesive to it feeling very solid and premium. The build also makes it feel durable enough to not worry when tossing it into a bag. The exception to this is the rewind lever, which does feel a bit cheap. This is exacerbated by its looseness (at least on my example.) Of course, the camera is around 50 years old, and it doesn’t feel like it’ll break, just loose. In my experience the rangefinder is bright, though depending on how well taken care of your example is, it could be slightly misaligned. This Rollei is not especially heavy, but it has a nice, evenly distributed weight which makes it feel great in the hands.

The first word I thought of when describing the design of the Rollei XF 35 is suave. Black on black with subtle accents for lettering gives this Rollei a very subdued yet stylish presentation. Another note, the small, cargo-pants pocketable size and lack of bright silver bottom and top plates gives a nice discreteness to the camera. This makes the camera great for street photography, especially when you don’t love confrontation.

Personal Experience and Opinions

The Rollei XF 35 is best approached from the mindset of a point-and-shoot, and not a Rollei 35 with a Rangefinder. It may be slightly bigger than the original 35, but still, in the world of premium point and shoots, the XF 35 does great. No you don’t have manual controls, and yes it requires a battery, but this means you can often find them at half the price of the original 35. There are plenty of reasons you might want this camera over a real 35 too. The film loading is way easier and much more normal, focusing the rangefinder is easier than scale-focusing, and the Auto shooting makes it convenient for quick in-the-moment photography. Of course, this may not be the camera for you, but it doesn’t have to be, and these provide a great option for those looking for a small but well-built point-and-shoot at a more reasonable price than many other offerings.

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the camera so far. 40mm is a nice focal length for daily use, especially in my current surroundings. I don’t have to get too “in your face” for street photography, but I also don’t have to worry about not being able to fit a whole scene in the frame. Taking the camera around has been pleasant. It doesn’t take up much space, and I don’t feel like I am missing out on many of the manual controls in my day-to-day shooting. I have other cameras for more specific photography needs anyways. There are few reasons not to bring it with me with all of its convenience. So far I’ve found the XF 35 to be somewhat of a hidden gem, and I am excited to continue shooting mine.

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