Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

By Hamish Gill

18 July, 2015

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As I come to the end of one review, I like to overlap it with the next. In this case, I am coming to the end of my Leica M6 review, but for one reason or another I can’t decide which camera to follow it with. The Rollei Qz35w, the Konica AiBorg or Petri Color 35.

All three of these cameras are pretty odd in their own right, and I think that might be what is stopping me from coming to a decision.

The Rollei was aimed at the same market as the likes of the high end Contax cameras, Ricoh GR1 etc. It has a very high quality feel to the build and is fairly unique as a compact in that it has full manual controls. Though the word “compact” is quite a stretch.

The Konica AiBorg is one of the most ugly cameras I have even laid eyes on, yet reputedly has a surprisingly good lens, it also has some interesting features like interval shooting that I intend to think up some of use for.

Lastly there is the Petri Color 35, a camera I have had for ages, but haven’t got around to shooting with in any meaningful way. Like the Rollei 35SE it is a metered, fully manual, 40mm f/2.8 retractable lensed camera with an unusual method of controlling the settings. Unlike the Rollei, it is widely regarded as being very intuitive to control.

So…

[poll id=”3″]

Cheers for you input…

Hamish

Update…

Looks like I’m reviewing the AiBorg first then…

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About The Author

By Hamish Gill
I started taking photos at the age of 9. Since then I've taken photos for a hobby, sold cameras for a living, and for a little more than decade I've been a professional photographer and, of course, weekly contributor to 35mmc.
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ehpem on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

I love the look of that Petri - very reminiscent of the original Olympus Pen and later Olys. Hence my vote for the Petri.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

It is a lovely little camera... I've no idea why it's taken me so long to not review it so far!

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jeremy north on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

I too voted Petri. Normally the Rollei would have got my vote but somehow it seems less appealing, I wonder if it is a genuine Rollei product rather than a licensed name jobby. The Petri is quite the opposite. Rangefinder focus etc.It's a no-brainer.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

The Rollei was £1500 in its day Jeremy ... Can you believe that!? The Petri is actually only zone focus ...

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Isaac on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

There are few reviews of the Rollei on the internet, so I chose that one.
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 18/07/2015

Thanks Isaac

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Carl on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 19/07/2015

Well i voted for the AiBorg, because, just why Konica! Forget the Hexar and the Big Mini, this abomination deserves some love
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 19/07/2015

Haha... Love... or a skip... That is the question! :)

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david hill on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 17/01/2017

I voted (too late) for the Petri, because it looks like a Rollei 35 done right. So .. is it? My first inclination was the Rollei QZ -- superb lens, nice features .. what's not to love? But it already has the love. The cyborg AiBorg is.. good god.. I mean.. like really..
So get back to the Petri soon, will you?
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 17/01/2017

Here you go - http://www.35mmc.com/05/09/2015/the-petri-color-35/ :)

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David Hill replied:

Comment posted: 17/01/2017

Ooo. Thank you. This Petri 35 review is surprisingly opportune for me. I've been muddling around to fix the lens on my Rollei 35 S (well, actually its my 82-yr mother's 35 S, and over Christmas I asked if I might borrow it for a time, and she said sure but there's something wrong with the lens ...) to wit, the front lens-name trim-ring thing is popped off, two of the three screws holding the focus dial are missing, the focus stop ring is gone, and .. well, it needs fixing. So I spent 2 weeks searching hither and yon for the right fiddly bits (in the end, John DeLoach had what I needed) and those arrived just today. And while it seemed I might *not* be able to find the right parts, I was scanning ebay for parts-cameras, and that got me to similar gadgets, which in a roundabout way got me to thinking about the Petri 35 .. And then you (Hamish) proposed reviewing it, and.. so here we are. At any rate, your remark about the relationship with a camera that goes hand in hand with fixing it -- that's striking home and I'm more anxious than ever to get the Rollei into use. But I'm still intrigued by the Petri. And if I can find a firesale... Bah. I have repairs to do.

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Eric on Poll: Which of these oddities should I review first…

Comment posted: 04/08/2022

Never tried the Rollei, have a different Petri (7S. Mainly purchased because my inner 8 year old thought the name was funny.), but my vote is for the AiBorg. Currently own this awful camera that I adore. Curious to read what you think about it.
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