In 1966 my brother graduated from high school and joined the Navy,leaving me, the youngest of four siblings something like an only child. My brother was my best friend as we moved from place to place and we grew up as government brats. I always had friends, but Ernie was my friend AND brother. A lot of things changed.
I had many hobbies and interests. I suppose that might be called ADD today, but I prefer the term Renaissance Man (boy). Honestly, I had the energy and mental grit to keep up with all of them. Guns, knives, martial arts, outdoor survival lore, reading, guitar-playing, swimming, golf, dogs, reptiles, fishing, hunting, basketball, track and field, history, scouting, girls, HAM RADIO, mischief, rodeos, stock cars, mortals ... AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
I was then in the seventh grade. I had taken photography up in earnest while living in Alaska, while in the fourth grade. I bought photography magazines fairly regularly. I had a usable and decent camera. I wasn't that greedy, but I would pour over the camera articles and ads, lusting after various pieces of photo gear. I knew a lot about camera from reading every book every library that I could access had.
The reports that came out of Photokina 1966 included two interesting announcements. One was the Rollei 26, which I have already reviewed; the other was the Rollei 35--the world's smallest full-frame 35 mm camera. During 1967 less than 15,000 Rollei 35's were made in Germany. They were black and chrome. The camera went on to become one of the most popular and best selling cameras in the world. They weren't cheap either.
Note broken viewfinder frame above. It is only cosmetic and is typical to find on these cameras that have seen a lot of use.
It was a few more years before I actually used a Rollei 35. It was certainly compact. It would almost fit in my palm. But is was fairly heavy and the construction was nothing short of a marvel. Obviously, years of design thought went into it. This is a story worth reading of itself, if you care to do an Internet search and find it. But I didn't know about all of that at the time. All I knew was it was a cool little handful that made great pictures. The clandestine opportunities for takinjg pictures is what first struck me. With the little case, it could be carried virtually anywhere. I liked that, as I had a nose for news and stories. This one has the original super-sharp 3.5 Tessar 40mm Zeiss lens that pulls out from the body.
You know digital photography hasn't been around that long--relative to this old man's measure. I thought it was high-tech when I was able to develope E-6 slides in the field, and scan and upload to my first laptop about the itme of the confict in the Balkikins--as a historical benchmark. to me it was just a blink ago.
I don't know what happened to my first Rollei 35. Many years of adventure and travel have ensured since those days. The little mighty might accompanied me into my own Viet Nam era hitch in the US Navy and for some time thereafter. Somewhere along the line we parted company. Maybe in the jungles, urban, or tropical, or both, the world over. I probably gave it to a budding photographer in a god forsaken memory long since buried, or bartered it for food or of my life or something else that I more than casually needed at the time. I've owned others since.
But the one reviewed here is very much like my first one. Black and Chrome and made in Germany. It has a broken viewfinder frame outside--the black plastic part. It functions just fine. I just never got around to repairing it--best laid plans and all that jive.But I have seen this flaw on several of these camera's, so it does have to be considered a design flaw--after agreeing that one should never drop their camera anyway and expect it to survive. This one came to me like this, bought secondhand. It also comes with the soft black case that I somehow failed to picture.
I have not been alone in my adventures with a Rollei 35 in tow. A gazillion of them were produced and taken places in wild jaunts and wars and vacations by everyman--a testimony beyond any flowery review that I can provide here. It is one of the consistently followed cult cameras today. I will say that if you have but one camera to travel everywhere you go--the Rollei 35 would be on my sort list of recommendations for sure.
The Rollei 35 manufacturing was eventually moved to Singapore. Models were produced in more variations than I can readily count--and commemorated in various special editions and color schemes. They are all still very popular, but none more so than the original model made in Germany--like this one.
I know I have said of my early days as a photographer, that I scoffed at 35 mm cameras for the most part. I considered them inferior toys--at least for the quality results that I wanted. But with time and film and technologyical advances, that changed, as you Will see when I get past all of my medium format reviews. I've owned and loved a slew of 35 mm cameras as well. This was one of my first favorite models. I include it here as it seems to fit with all my other Rollei's.
http://www.rolleiclub.com/cameras/35classic/info/index.shtml
http://johnlind.tripod.com/rollei/rolleiframe.html
http://www.rolleiclub.com/cameras/35classic/info/35-original.shtml
