Your rewind knob was simply misaligned when camera was out back together! It’s an easy fix you can do yourself: 1. Unscrew with thin pliers the screw on the leaver and remove it 2. Remove the washer 3. The center pin that leaver screw is mounted to has one flat side on it’s inner part - rotate it with pliers so that flat part faces to the right side (where battery compartment is) 4. Wiggle the pin out of the camera with pliers Now put everything back together in proper order: 1. Start inserting the inner pin with flat side facing to the right, but don’t push it in completely just yet. It’s probably the only hard part about the whole process because you have to insert it in place around the retainer spring that is to the right (that’s why flat side also has to be on the right) 2. Just after inner pin is barely inserted around the retainer spring, rotate it with pliers counter clockwise 90 degrees 3. Push it in completely - will probabile make a click 4. Insert the washer 5. Attach the lever in down position (aka NOT rewind :D) 6. Screw in the screw with thin pliers Now if you pull it fully up - camera will be properly set to “rewind”, ta da!
Back in 1967 (54 years ago) when I was on my way to the Middle East for work, I bought a Rollei 35 at the Amsterdam Airport. I used it all the 3 years I was working there, and later in Canada in 1971. Back in Canada bought a Rolleiflex SLR with extra lenses. Recently we have downsized, and also checked my slides from that time. Most of my slides are Kodachrome 25, available everywhere and the best film. I always wanted to have another Rollei 35, and this month bought one on eBay. - It now sits on my shelf, keeping watch over me. My plan is not to use it, but to enjoy being able to have one and seeing one close by. This one is made in Singapore in 1972, according to the serial number.
Got two 35S and a 35. Great cameras, incredible lenses. The best camera to always have with you, for its size and quality results, as your images show. Very nice! My best!
Your particular 35S was probably opened up for repair and not put back together properly - which is why your rewind lever doesn't work at its intended positions. I know because I had to open mine up after receiving a broken 35S from ebay. It took a couple of tries to assemble the rewind lever so that it works as intended. I liked your review and pictures. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
@@islandbyfilm I agree as well. Shooting mode has the lever straight down, rewind is all the way up and confirmed in the Rollei manual. Something was assembled out of sync. Great little cameras and I enjoyed the review.
Over from Dan King's place! Greats stuff! Thanks! I've smashed all the smashers! Salutations from astonishingly grey, chilly & still relatively locked down Ireland! ☘️☮️🤘🏽🤠👍🏽☮️☘️
Please download the Rillei 35 instruction manual. You have the rewind lever wrong. Up is rewind, down is shooting mode. Your rewind lever may be broken.
To do any work in the camera from the top plate (meter adjustments, lube and adjust shutter speeds), you have to physically remove the lever which shifts from film advance to rewind. Particularly for a DIY repair and even for repairmen, the removal and re-installation of the lever isn't very apparent, so it is more likely that someone pulled the top plate and did a crap job when reassembling the bits and pieces.
Lots of people refer to the 35 as 'zone focus' but I don't think it is. It has an infinitely variable focus ring which you set, by guesswork and experience, to subject distance and allow for the aperture you're using for DoF estimation. Zone focusing is the technique this set up promotes. My Olympus Trip is a zone focus camera; it has settings for all the way over there, not too far off, pretty close and in your face, which you have to set in advance. Shooting it is like shooting the 35 except the 35 allows a lot more exposure control. The Trip, for example, doesn't have shutter speed selection. Anyway, a friend loaned me 35S his to try it out so now I'm going to buy my own.
"The batteries are hard to come by." If you mean that they have not been made in a quarter century, and the last in the market were bookleg product from China, and they are illegal to sell in the US, then I suppose they are hard to come by. It is very convenient to be able to use the on-board meter. Options are to have a shop adjust the meter to use the readily available alkaline batteries or use the unmodified meter with Wein cell batteries. Because the camera has no "off" switch for the battery circuit, you will blow through a battery fairly quickly. His winding and rewind problems described here are new to me, and I've owned/used versions of this camera for 40 years. The rewind lever should in the fully down position for normal use and film advancement, and in the fully up position to rewind film. His camera needs a trip to a shop which specializes in the Rollei 35. These cameras are outstanding picture takers. The compromises made for ultra compactness do take a bit of getting used to. For the same basic camera and an on-board meter which takes conventional batteries, look for the Rollei 35SE, or 35TE if you prefer the Tessar lens version. The meter circuit for only these two models takes a different type of battery and it not hobbled by the being voltage dependent to give accurate readings, nor is it "always on", as are all other Rollei 35 models.
I need to shoot more of my range cameras that I have. In hand but I find myself shooting with SLR cameras more only because i like seeing through the lens as suppose to a range finder that you with mentioned in your video zone shooting or matching up the two square patches and press the shutter button!
Nice video. I've had my Rollie 35S for a long time. It had lain forgotten in a cabinet for many years. Recently retrieved it and starting to use it again. Couple things that may interest you. Using the hotshoe with a flash. Because the hotshoe is on the bottom , it renders a weird shadow "above" your subject. Just flip the camera upside down when you take the photo. Problem solved. Also, I frequenty had issues running 36 exposure film as it seemed to stuggle winding that much film onto the take up reel. Switching to 24 exposure solved that issue. My lens cap does not stay on well. Discoved that the lid for a 35mm kodak film canister fits on the lens quite well. Free lens cap! Bonus ! Fun little camera !
A lovely copy. The world is afire over the uber popular Contax T2 but I'd take this camera any day of the week over that one, twice on Sundays. I have had my grandfather's 35 (Singapore Scheider-Kruesnach 3.5 version) for a number of years and it's one I'll never part with. If any are looking for one of these I strongly suggest that model; it gets poo-poo'd quite a bit because it is not the Sonar, but I've shot both and if I'm honest I prefer the rendering on the S-Xenar overall.... And I would gladly challenge anyone to pick out a Sonar 35 shot from a Xenar 35 shot in a blind test. You likely know this, but in case you don't and in case others don't.... The metal-grommeted hole in the side of the leather case is meant to pass the camera strap through, allow you to keep the case handy (dangly) while using the wrist-strap. A nifty (yet another) little design detail.
Thank you so much for watching my video and I couldn’t agree more. It is one of my favourite cameras for sure and to be honest I shoot at f8 What’s the time anyway :-)
Awesome video just picked up a 35SE purely by chance good condition made in Singapore cannot wait to slip a roll of RPX through it. Thanks for vid great channel liked and subbed
i just have a basic doubt . How do we adjust the shutter speeds !? i didnt see anything for that . If iam using a phone app as a lightmeter , how to go forwards with the shutter speed ?
Hi there I have a question I recently picked up Rollei 35s I was wondering the ASA dial if I forgot to change it before loading the film and took 1 or 2 pictures already would that affect if I change it now and shoot the remaining roll on the correct asa matching the iso of the film
No you can change it anytime you like even Midroll. It pretty much works the same as an exposure compensation dial so you’re good to go. Hopefully that helps :-)
The ASA dial is coupled to the light meter. If your meter is working (good for you) and if you followed the meter's exposure suggestions then your first two photos might not be properly exposed. If you're shooting B&W film, then you may be o.k. as there is a lot of latitude with B&W. Enjoy your Rollei 35!
What an awesome little camera. Too bad the autofocus on your recording video camera wasn't on spot. Cheers! Edit: Wow! You really nailed those images with zone focusing. You're right, that lens is awesome. I think I might keep my eye out for one of these neat little cameras to add to my collection. My small camera is an Olympus Pen FT.
That's a beautiful camera for sure, and if you can find a broken one that say made in Germany, you can change the door and your camera became a made in German 😂. Cheers my friend 👍
@@islandbyfilm I'm not saying I would do that 😅, but I have hear some people talking about that. For me, cameras are made to use and have fun, some leicas are made in Portugal and say made in Germany, but that is another story. And maybe you have a German one with a different door too, we never know. Big hug my friend 👍
@@filmlovephotography As I mentioned in another comment, a funny idea above.... but the Singapore models are every bit as perfectly manufactured as the German variants. With the prices that the German varieties have risen to, the Rollei 35 S-Xenar is an absolute steal yet these days.
Well, the back is not the only difference between cameras made in Germany x Singapore - at least for those who know something about it. But most people don't :) Also, the one that used a Schneider Xenar lens was the 35, not the 35 S. It happened for a brief period during the second or third year of Singapore production, when Zeiss couldn't deliver that many Tessars.
Where ever film cameras (used) are sold. Photo shops in larger cities, on ebay. If you add up all of the variant versions of the Rollei 35 which were made, it's well in excess of a million cameras, so finding one is not usually an issue. Prices vary widely. There are few repairmen who really know how to work in these fairly complex mechanical cameras, so IMO is should be preferred to pay a bit more for a nice condition model rather than buying a cheap camera and risk paying for a repair, which isn't cheap.
Your rewind knob was simply misaligned when camera was out back together! It’s an easy fix you can do yourself:
1. Unscrew with thin pliers the screw on the leaver and remove it
2. Remove the washer
3. The center pin that leaver screw is mounted to has one flat side on it’s inner part - rotate it with pliers so that flat part faces to the right side (where battery compartment is)
4. Wiggle the pin out of the camera with pliers
Now put everything back together in proper order:
1. Start inserting the inner pin with flat side facing to the right, but don’t push it in completely just yet. It’s probably the only hard part about the whole process because you have to insert it in place around the retainer spring that is to the right (that’s why flat side also has to be on the right)
2. Just after inner pin is barely inserted around the retainer spring, rotate it with pliers counter clockwise 90 degrees
3. Push it in completely - will probabile make a click
4. Insert the washer
5. Attach the lever in down position (aka NOT rewind :D)
6. Screw in the screw with thin pliers
Now if you pull it fully up - camera will be properly set to “rewind”, ta da!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information. That’s why I love the film community.
@@islandbyfilm yeah, same for me :D did you try it though? :D
@@Stanlyok It is on my to-do list for sure :)
@@islandbyfilm drop an update here if get to it! It's honestly a 5 minute fix and I'm not a technician even X)
The rewind knob is satan's work
It took me one hour to figure out how to do it
Back in 1967 (54 years ago) when I was on my way to the Middle East for work, I bought a Rollei 35 at the Amsterdam Airport. I used it all the 3 years I was working there, and later in Canada in 1971. Back in Canada bought a Rolleiflex SLR with extra lenses. Recently we have downsized, and also checked my slides from that time. Most of my slides are Kodachrome 25, available everywhere and the best film. I always wanted to have another Rollei 35, and this month bought one on eBay. - It now sits on my shelf, keeping watch over me.
My plan is not to use it, but to enjoy being able to have one and seeing one close by.
This one is made in Singapore in 1972, according to the serial number.
That’s fantastic and what a great story. Thank you so much for watching my channel
I'm sure you'll ejoy your little Rollei35. I'm hoping to get one as well soon.
Thank you for the story!
Super video Wes 👍… I just got my rollei 35 mm and will load it up and go shooting very soon .. great photos keep up the good work..
Cheers
Tom.
Thank you so much, Tom. I’m glad you enjoyed it. You will thoroughly enjoy the Rollie 35.
Got two 35S and a 35. Great cameras, incredible lenses. The best camera to always have with you, for its size and quality results, as your images show. Very nice! My best!
Your particular 35S was probably opened up for repair and not put back together properly - which is why your rewind lever doesn't work at its intended positions. I know because I had to open mine up after receiving a broken 35S from ebay. It took a couple of tries to assemble the rewind lever so that it works as intended. I liked your review and pictures. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
That makes so much sense. Thanks for the information and thanks for watching my channel
@@islandbyfilm I agree as well. Shooting mode has the lever straight down, rewind is all the way up and confirmed in the Rollei manual. Something was assembled out of sync. Great little cameras and I enjoyed the review.
This little gem taught me photography!
It sure is a fantastic little camera...
Over from Dan King's place! Greats stuff! Thanks! I've smashed all the smashers! Salutations from astonishingly grey, chilly & still relatively locked down Ireland! ☘️☮️🤘🏽🤠👍🏽☮️☘️
Please download the Rillei 35 instruction manual. You have the rewind lever wrong. Up is rewind, down is shooting mode. Your rewind lever may be broken.
To do any work in the camera from the top plate (meter adjustments, lube and adjust shutter speeds), you have to physically remove the lever which shifts from film advance to rewind. Particularly for a DIY repair and even for repairmen, the removal and re-installation of the lever isn't very apparent, so it is more likely that someone pulled the top plate and did a crap job when reassembling the bits and pieces.
Lots of people refer to the 35 as 'zone focus' but I don't think it is. It has an infinitely variable focus ring which you set, by guesswork and experience, to subject distance and allow for the aperture you're using for DoF estimation. Zone focusing is the technique this set up promotes. My Olympus Trip is a zone focus camera; it has settings for all the way over there, not too far off, pretty close and in your face, which you have to set in advance. Shooting it is like shooting the 35 except the 35 allows a lot more exposure control. The Trip, for example, doesn't have shutter speed selection. Anyway, a friend loaned me 35S his to try it out so now I'm going to buy my own.
"The batteries are hard to come by." If you mean that they have not been made in a quarter century, and the last in the market were bookleg product from China, and they are illegal to sell in the US, then I suppose they are hard to come by. It is very convenient to be able to use the on-board meter. Options are to have a shop adjust the meter to use the readily available alkaline batteries or use the unmodified meter with Wein cell batteries. Because the camera has no "off" switch for the battery circuit, you will blow through a battery fairly quickly. His winding and rewind problems described here are new to me, and I've owned/used versions of this camera for 40 years. The rewind lever should in the fully down position for normal use and film advancement, and in the fully up position to rewind film. His camera needs a trip to a shop which specializes in the Rollei 35. These cameras are outstanding picture takers. The compromises made for ultra compactness do take a bit of getting used to. For the same basic camera and an on-board meter which takes conventional batteries, look for the Rollei 35SE, or 35TE if you prefer the Tessar lens version. The meter circuit for only these two models takes a different type of battery and it not hobbled by the being voltage dependent to give accurate readings, nor is it "always on", as are all other Rollei 35 models.
Thanks very much for your comment and the additional information. It is much appreciated.
Mercury batteries can still be found new from several large countries that didn’t ban them…
This video was very helpful thanks for making it
I need to shoot more of my range cameras that I have. In hand but I find myself shooting with SLR cameras more only because i like seeing through the lens as suppose to a range finder that you with mentioned in your video zone shooting or matching up the two square patches and press the shutter button!
Hey Lang. I definitely prefer the SLR type system. I just purchased a Minolta XE-7. I’m excited to put some film though it and do a review.
You can use the tripod mounting socket for your Peak Design wrist strap.
Nice video. I've had my Rollie 35S for a long time. It had lain forgotten in a cabinet for many years. Recently retrieved it and starting to use it again. Couple things that may interest you. Using the hotshoe with a flash. Because the hotshoe is on the bottom , it renders a weird shadow "above" your subject. Just flip the camera upside down when you take the photo. Problem solved. Also, I frequenty had issues running 36 exposure film as it seemed to stuggle winding that much film onto the take up reel. Switching to 24 exposure solved that issue. My lens cap does not stay on well. Discoved that the lid for a 35mm kodak film canister fits on the lens quite well. Free lens cap! Bonus ! Fun little camera !
A lovely copy. The world is afire over the uber popular Contax T2 but I'd take this camera any day of the week over that one, twice on Sundays.
I have had my grandfather's 35 (Singapore Scheider-Kruesnach 3.5 version) for a number of years and it's one I'll never part with.
If any are looking for one of these I strongly suggest that model; it gets poo-poo'd quite a bit because it is not the Sonar, but I've shot both and if I'm honest I prefer the rendering on the S-Xenar overall.... And I would gladly challenge anyone to pick out a Sonar 35 shot from a Xenar 35 shot in a blind test.
You likely know this, but in case you don't and in case others don't.... The metal-grommeted hole in the side of the leather case is meant to pass the camera strap through, allow you to keep the case handy (dangly) while using the wrist-strap. A nifty (yet another) little design detail.
Thank you so much for watching my video and I couldn’t agree more. It is one of my favourite cameras for sure and to be honest I shoot at f8 What’s the time anyway :-)
A nice small camera. Thanks for the video; I enjoyed it!
Thanks so much for watching :)
Thanks for a great video 👍🏼
hi, can you share the setting that you used? thank you, nice video
Love it, you have a great camera
For sure
very good content, good luck always friends❤️❤️
Awesome video just picked up a 35SE purely by chance good condition made in Singapore cannot wait to slip a roll of RPX through it. Thanks for vid great channel liked and subbed
Thanks Paul for your comment and thanks for watching my content . You will love this camera. It’s a zone focus dream 😊
@@islandbyfilm looking fotward to giving it a whirl mate cheers
i just have a basic doubt . How do we adjust the shutter speeds !? i didnt see anything for that . If iam using a phone app as a lightmeter , how to go forwards with the shutter speed ?
Hi there I have a question I recently picked up Rollei 35s I was wondering the ASA dial if I forgot to change it before loading the film and took 1 or 2 pictures already would that affect if I change it now and shoot the remaining roll on the correct asa matching the iso of the film
No you can change it anytime you like even Midroll. It pretty much works the same as an exposure compensation dial so you’re good to go. Hopefully that helps :-)
The ASA dial is coupled to the light meter. If your meter is working (good for you) and if you followed the meter's exposure suggestions then your first two photos might not be properly exposed. If you're shooting B&W film, then you may be o.k. as there is a lot of latitude with B&W. Enjoy your Rollei 35!
Sorry your Rewind lever isn't working properly that really sucks.
could you link where you found the shutter release button?
www.ebay.ca/itm/284216790685
Here you go. :)
Victoria baby!!! Didn’t know you were from the island.
You bet! Nanaimo is home :)
Brilliant
Thanks so much for watching
Where can I buy this kind of camera?
eBay would be a great source
What an awesome little camera. Too bad the autofocus on your recording video camera wasn't on spot. Cheers!
Edit: Wow! You really nailed those images with zone focusing. You're right, that lens is awesome. I think I might keep my eye out for one of these neat little cameras to add to my collection.
My small camera is an Olympus Pen FT.
So true. Thanks for watching
That's a beautiful camera for sure, and if you can find a broken one that say made in Germany, you can change the door and your camera became a made in German 😂. Cheers my friend 👍
That’s a fantastic idea and a little sneaky too :-) I love it
@@islandbyfilm I'm not saying I would do that 😅, but I have hear some people talking about that. For me, cameras are made to use and have fun, some leicas are made in Portugal and say made in Germany, but that is another story. And maybe you have a German one with a different door too, we never know. Big hug my friend 👍
@@filmlovephotography As I mentioned in another comment, a funny idea above.... but the Singapore models are every bit as perfectly manufactured as the German variants. With the prices that the German varieties have risen to, the Rollei 35 S-Xenar is an absolute steal yet these days.
Well, the back is not the only difference between cameras made in Germany x Singapore - at least for those who know something about it. But most people don't :)
Also, the one that used a Schneider Xenar lens was the 35, not the 35 S. It happened for a brief period during the second or third year of Singapore production, when Zeiss couldn't deliver that many Tessars.
Where can you buy this camera?😊
Where ever film cameras (used) are sold. Photo shops in larger cities, on ebay. If you add up all of the variant versions of the Rollei 35 which were made, it's well in excess of a million cameras, so finding one is not usually an issue. Prices vary widely. There are few repairmen who really know how to work in these fairly complex mechanical cameras, so IMO is should be preferred to pay a bit more for a nice condition model rather than buying a cheap camera and risk paying for a repair, which isn't cheap.
Out of focus blurry camera video is blurry and out of focus.