Rollei 35SE

Rollei 35 – My Experiences and Love for these Little Cameras

By / April 18, 2021 / Scale Focus / 31 Comments

There’s a lot of cameras in the world, but in my opinion, there are only a few that look as good as the higher-end Rollei 35 series cameras. There are probably equally as few that succeed as well at what I perceive as being their design goals too.

I now have two Rollei 35 cameras – an early German Rollei 35 with the Tessar lens and a later Rollei 35 SE (previously reviewed here). Though I don’t shoot them very often, for the way they look and their success as cameras, I can’t help but absolutely love them.

group of messengers setting in a line

Street Portraits of Bike Messengers – Standing by with the Rollei 35 SE – Trevor Hughes

By / February 2, 2021 / Photos & Projects / 59 Comments

This is a look back at a series I photographed while working as a bike messenger in Toronto in the 1990’s. All the images in the article were taken with a Rollei 35 SE.

It occurred to me while working as a messenger that it would be a great idea to combine my love of cycling with my love of photography and to start documenting my fellow messengers. The Bike Messengers 1992-1999 series was shot mainly in downtown Toronto and I started during a time that many messengers themselves think of a ‘golden age’, a time when there were many companies, many jobs, and the only competition, in terms of speed for the transfer of documents, was the fax machine.

5 frames with a Rollei 35SE – By Pierre-Alix Favillier

By / May 19, 2020 / 5 frames with... / 3 Comments

After using a DSLR for years I listened to an old friend of mine and spent £221 of my hard earned cash on a beautiful mint Rollei 35 SE which I bought from a German camera shop through ebay. What I liked the most about it is its tiny size, reputation for a stunningly sharp lens (Sonnar 40mm f/2.8) and minimalist look and feel. I also liked the idea of owning a camera that was older than I was, it felt like I was holding a piece of photographic history when I opened the parcel.

Rollei 35SE Review – and some wider thoughts about shooting a zone focus camera

By / February 1, 2021 / Gear Theory, Scale Focus / 36 Comments

The Rollei 35SE is a beautiful camera, I don’t think there is any doubting that. But for anyone lured by its charming looks, there are no shortage of concerns and caveats spoken about its usability to counteract that lure. I was given mine, and like many gifts it was a surprise; I didn’t choose it. …

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