Recently, while wandering around taking photos, I stumbled on a little camera half-buried in dirt and debris. Finding a camera while out taking photos - it’s like it was meant to be. It was a bit beat up, coated in grime, and looked like it hadn’t clicked a shutter in decades. But come on, you never walk past a mystery camera. So naturally, I picked it up and took it home.
On a quick side note - the place I was taking photos of, I had permission to be on the property, and permission from the owner to take the camera home.
A Rollei XF 35. I had never heard of this particular model. But after a deep clean with alcohol, Q-tips, swabs, and a damp cloth, I gave the flash a shot with some fresh batteries—and to my surprise, it worked. I loaded up some film, shot a test roll, and I have to say I really enjoy the images that came from this little test. The images were sharp, and full of character. The 40mm f/2.3 Sonnar lens is what makes this camera more than just a forgotten relic—it’s what puts it squarely in the “hidden gem” category. I’ll be carrying this little rangefinder with me often from now on.
Before we dive further, let’s clear something up—what even is a rangefinder camera?
A rangefinder uses a separate optical system to help you focus your shot. Instead of looking through the lens like you would on an SLR (where a mirror shows you exactly what the lens sees), you’re looking through a separate viewfinder that overlaps two images—one fixed, one moving. You turn the focus ring on the lens until the two images line up in the viewfinder’s center patch. When they do, your subject is in focus.
It’s a bit of an adjustment if you’ve only used SLRs, but once you get used to it, it’s fast and intuitive.
Released in 1974, the XF 35 was Rollei’s swing at the booming compact rangefinder market. Olympus had their 35 RC, Canon had the QL17, Minolta had the Hi-Matic 7sII—and all were killing it with small, capable, fixed-lens cameras. Rollei, better known for their medium format masterpieces, decided to throw in—and the result was something both minimalist and magical.
The camera was produced in Singapore, and the Sonnar lens was the real deal. Rollei gave it their proprietary HFT (High Fidelity Transfer) multi-coating, which helps reduce flare and boost contrast. That alone makes this camera worth a second look. I realized while doing some research that this camera was praised up and down for the lens, and after shooting that test roll, I can wholly agree. Man, wholly is such a weird word to write.
Anyway, this lens is the heart of the machine. A 40mm f/2.3 Sonnar, HFT-coated, sharp in the center, dreamy around the edges, with a contrast profile that makes black-and-white film sing and color pop just enough without feeling modern and plastic. Looking at the images, it’s hard to imagine them coming from such a compact little point-and-shoot camera.
That 40mm focal length—it captures just a bit more than your average nifty fifty, but still frames up tighter than a 35. It’s natural, cinematic, and looks good almost no matter what you throw in front of it. And wide open at f/2.3, it gives you shallow depth of field and low-light performance in a compact package.
This is a lightweight camera, which makes it perfect to carry all day. The focus ring is smooth, and the viewfinder is surprisingly bright for a 70s rangefinder. Shutter speeds and aperture are handled automatically, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on the level of control you desire.
Now, it’s not without quirks. You’ll need a battery to operate the meter and shutter. And if that fails, you're stuck. No mechanical backup. I just grabbed a 3-pack of batteries for it on Amazon, so I should be good to go for a little bit. Also, the ISO tops out at 400, though the camera does have a bulb mode, if you want to do some long exposures on a tripod.
The focus throw is a bit long, but the rangefinder patch is easy to use and reasonably accurate once adjusted. Plus, it has that quiet, satisfying shutter snick—no clunky mirror slap, no motor drive grind. Just you and your subject. But let’s be honest while we’re on this subject - I love the heavy clunk of the mirror when using medium format cameras like my Mamiya 645 Pro. Something about it feels so good, and solid.
This camera sits right up there with the Minolta 460Tx I picked up for $2 at an antique store. I’m glad I was able to clean up this fantastic little camera and save it from further damage. The most surprising thing is that the flash still works. So many cameras just had a different build quality back then.
Here’s a quick specs chart for the camera:
For the test roll I put through it, I chose Ilford HP5, one of my favorite black and white film stocks, if not my favorite. Developed in some fairly old Kodak HC-110. I need to get to replacing that, but it has held on.
Speaking of film and film supplies, I'm officially able to start carrying some things here on Odd World Studio. So pretty soon, Odd World Studio will begin offering film and other analog photography products. I've always tossed around the idea of what else I would like to have as an additional product here, and eventually decided on that, because why not offer something I love, while at the same time doing whatever I can to bring another resource for film photographers, all while doing even a little bit to help keep analog photography alive. Thankfully, it has seen a huge amount of growth in recent years, which has been so awesome to see. More and more people are falling in love with the art of the entire process.
