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Rollei HFT Distagon 35mm f2.8
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:06 am    Post subject: Rollei HFT Distagon 35mm f2.8 Reply with quote
I have owned the Rollei HFT Planar 50mm f1.8 for quite a long time, and it is a splendid lens.
I have wondered about the Distagon 35mm and recently got a chance to try it.
While, mechanically it isn't in the same class as a Takumar, optically it is superb.
Here are a few shots taken with it.
Tom


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Like 1 Like 1 Like 1


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Can't comment on the merit's of the Rollei's, but man, those shots of broiling seas are a sight for sore eyes. All I seem to see these days are long exposure dreamscapes when it comes to bodies of water.

Cheers Thom. I was brought up half a mile from the beach and that's what big water looks like. Like 1 .


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks Edgar.

Sciolist wrote:
Can't comment on the merit's of the Rollei's, but man, those shots of broiling seas are a sight for sore eyes. All I seem to see these days are long exposure dreamscapes when it comes to bodies of water.

Cheers Thom. I was brought up half a mile from the beach and that's what big water looks like. Like 1 .


Thank you Sciolist.
I missed the bigger swells as I got there at mid tide, but the seas are building and tomorrow should be better still.
Here is another for you Sciolist.
Tom


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
That's weird. 35mm is a focal lenght I use very often, so I tested dozens of lenses in this focal range. Out of the 4 Rollei 35/2.8 I had (three were Zeiss branded) none performed decently. They started being fairly sharp at the edges (on an APS-C/Super35 sensor) only after 5,6. What's more, build quality wise, they were pretty bad, with visible play between the focusing elicoids. Which is weird because the Ultron 50/1.8, tha has a nearly identical barrel, has a top-notch mechanic. Maybe I've beeen very unlucky...


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
Here is another for you Sciolist.
Tom





Thank you sir. Appreciated Like 1 .


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lucio wrote:
That's weird. 35mm is a focal lenght I use very often, so I tested dozens of lenses in this focal range. Out of the 4 Rollei 35/2.8 I had (three were Zeiss branded) none performed decently. They started being fairly sharp at the edges (on an APS-C/Super35 sensor) only after 5,6. What's more, build quality wise, they were pretty bad, with visible play between the focusing elicoids. Which is weird because the Ultron 50/1.8, tha has a nearly identical barrel, has a top-notch mechanic. Maybe I've beeen very unlucky...


In Rollei mount, the Schneider Angulon is a solid good lens.


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lucio wrote:
That's weird. 35mm is a focal lenght I use very often, so I tested dozens of lenses in this focal range. Out of the 4 Rollei 35/2.8 I had (three were Zeiss branded) none performed decently. They started being fairly sharp at the edges (on an APS-C/Super35 sensor) only after 5,6. What's more, build quality wise, they were pretty bad, with visible play between the focusing elicoids. Which is weird because the Ultron 50/1.8, tha has a nearly identical barrel, has a top-notch mechanic. Maybe I've beeen very unlucky...


Although my lens doesn't show any signs of any mechanical problems I wouldn't rate it very high as well (I have the identical Voigtlaender branded version in M42). IMHO the Minolta MD 35mm/F2.8 is the far better lens in direct comparison. I've tested more than 10 different 35mm MF lenses and I didn't find any better legacy SLR lens in this class up to now.

Tom's pictures look indeed great (as usual). But consider that they are quite small (1024px on the long side) and APS-C only.


PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
To be clear, the lens that I used is the version made in Germany, while the excellent Planar is Singapore made and both are in QBL mount.
Here are some more from this very nice lens
Tom


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
And here is one image in a larger size if that may help.
Cheers
Tom

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
To be clear, the lens that I used is the version made in Germany, while the excellent Planar is Singapore made and both are in QBL mount.


That doesn't make any difference. When Rollei started with the SL35 they took over the Voigtlaender factory in Braunschweig and started 1972 with the lens production there. In 1974 they shifted the production to Singapore and moved also the machinery from Braunschweig. Obviously the labour cost was the main motivation for this movement but the production process didn't change. The Rollei lenses have been marked Zeiss for the early ones and Rollei for the later ones. The lens designs came from Zeiss. The Voigtlaender branded ones have been available in M42 additionally but these lenses are all identically until they closed the Singapore factory and bought the lenses from Mamiya and Tokina. Also noteworthy might be that the early German made lenses have been available in HFT and non-HFT versions but as soon as they moved to Singapore all lenses have been HFT coated, irrespective of markings.
It's still unclear whether at all any SLR lenses have been produced by Zeiss in Stuttgart which closed down the production in 1972 (when they outsourced the production to Yashica) as all the lenses for the Zeiss Ikon SL have been already produced by Voigtlaender in Braunschweig before, even those marked as Carl Zeiss. I have my doubt's.
A quite confusing history. Wink


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
An enlarged section of one of the images above to show detail.
A good lens.
Tom


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tom, thanks for the additional examples.
From my tests with my Sony A7R II the Rollei/Voigtlaender 35/2.8 lens is apprx. on the level of the Pentax Takumar 35/2 at F2.8. The Minolta MD 35/2.8 is visible better in the corners at F2.8 and the Voigtländer CV 35/1.7 LTM lens is apprx. on the same level of the Minolta lens already at F1.7. That said, the Rollei lens isn't bad but not really recommendable for wide open usage on full frame, particularly when corner sharpness is required. Same is true for APS-C usage (Ricoh GXR-M).
As from F5.6 you would barely notice any differences and all troubles are gone. Wink

Last edited by tb_a on Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:55 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am very happy with this lens.
Here is a shot at widest aperture, and I really don't care about the corners.
Smile
Tom


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
Here is a shot at widest aperture, and I really don't care about the corners.


Well, I know. A member noted recently in another thread: you manage to make excellent pictures even with the bottom of a beer bottle. Wink


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
Here is a shot at widest aperture, and I really don't care about the corners.


Well, I know. A member noted recently in another thread: you manage to make excellent pictures even with the bottom of a beer bottle. Wink
Laugh 1

Thank you Thomas
Laugh 1


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:



A very familiar scene Tom Like 1 . Memories started flowing.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
While the sewing lesson was in progress, my other grand-daughter started preparing dinner.
Also shot at full aperture.
I love the way this lens paints.
Tom

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, it's indeed usable, at least indoors. Wink
Example picture from my Rollei HFT Zeiss Distagon 35mm/F2.8 (Voigtlaender Color-Skoparex in M42 from Singapore) shot wide open at F2.8 with Sony A7R II:



PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 8:03 pm    Post subject: 35\2,8 from Singapore Reply with quote
I understand that the Swiss Alpa factory who had a long history bying Alpa lenses from Angenieux, De Oude Delft, Kinoptik, and so on considered buying from Rollei-Singapore. According to the master historian of such matters, they tested the prototype 35 and 135s and found them wanting. Possibly only the mechanics.

p.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great shots indeed, Tom, and a very fine rendition of the sea colours and nuances! Thank you for sharing.


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
Great shots indeed, Tom, and a very fine rendition of the sea colours and nuances! Thank you for sharing.


Thank you Alex.
Here are a few more - mostly mono.
Tom


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Two more images with this excellent lens.
Tom

Sewing Lesson
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Homework Time
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2019 6:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Like 1 Like 1


PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2024 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If some is interested here is a review of the Rollei Distagon 35mm f/2.8. https://otherphotosite.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/rollei-35mm-f28-qbm/
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