Film cameras
Rolleiflex SL35 User manual
User manual for Rolleiflex SL35. 50 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
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Document details
- Brand
- Rollei
- Model / document
- Rolleiflex SL35
- Document type
- User manual
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 50
- File size
- 4.8 MB
- Category
- Film cameras
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 1 · Read text
Qolleiflex www.butkus.us SL35 Lenses made by Carl Zeiss, OLre.kochen, West Germany, or made by Rollei, licensed by Carl Zeiss. Reg. trade mark: Rollei-HFT@ in pr;stical useView original page 1
Page 3 · Read text
Shooting in a nutshell
B Film loading Pull up knob A until back
seec opens. Load the film - page 8.
D Pull up ring B, turn and en-
gage ASA or Dll\l speed. AIter-
nately release button C and
wind up lever D until counter
E shows '1 '
Shutter speed Turn speed dial F and set, for
selecting instance, to r/rzs second.
Subject Sight subject in finder, and
focusing turn ring G until image
appears sharp in spot H.
Exposure Turn aperture ring J to centre
setting needle K while pressing down
aperture knob L.
Shooting! Press shutter release M fully
down, then rewind lever for
next picture.View original page 3Page 5 · Read text
Gamera controls and componentg F
1 Serial number of camera 23 Lens bayonet
2 Camera bayonet 24 Red dot on camera bayonet
3 Serial number of lens 25 Instant return mirror h 4 Eyelet for carrying strap 26 Camera body
5 Camera back 27 Shutter speed dial
6 Rewind knob 28 Shutter speed index
7 Exposure counter 29 Changeover switch for automatic (A)
8 Rapid winding lever for or manual (M) aperture setting
film transport and shutter tensioning 30 Coupling pin for aperture automation
9 Film speed setting rim 31 Cable release socket
10 ASA/DlN index 32 Self-timer tensioning lever
11 Stop-down key for exposure measurement 33 Self-timer start button
12 Release button 34 Rewind crank
13 Lens 35 Rewind release
14 Focusing ring with 36 Cover of battery compartment
distance scale in feet and metres 37 Tripod bush
15 Aperture ring 38 Blanking screw for accessory shoe
16 Finder eyepiece 39 Locating pin for accessory shoe
17 Aperture and distance index 40 X-synchronising outlet for electronic flash
18 Infra-ied index 41 FP-synchronising outlet for flash bulbs
19 Depth of field indicator 42 3-point camera support
20 Mounting groove for finder accessories 43 Coupling link for aperture automation
21 Locking button of bayonet mount 44 Screw thread
22 Red dot on lens bayonet for filter and lens hood
4View original page 5Page 8 · Read text
www.butkus.us The ever-ready case to remove the camera: Snap open the rear press button, fold open the front 45 of the case. Release the lugs 46 at both sides. lhread the carrying strap as shown, with the seam inside, through the loops of the non-slip pad 47 and then through the eyelets 4. Secure the ends at the required length. Inserting the camera: Proceed in the reverse order, leading the lugs 46 behind the eyelets 4 and close. The front 45 is fully removable; release with the sliding button. The ever-ready case is designed to permit rapid film changing and therefore has no triPod bush. The lens cap for the intercnangeable lenses and the blanking cap for the camera body (the latter available as an accessory) protect the equipment against dust and damPness. Insertion and removal of the blanking cap in the camera body: See page 14 - Changing 'lenses. Inserting a batterY Proceed as described on page 28 - Changing .the battery.View original page 8
Page 10 · Read text
Checking the correct film advance: The rewind www.butkus.us knob 6 should rotate during tensioning (with 2O-exposure or 12-exposure cartridges or short bulk lengths it may only start turning after several exposures). Setting the film speed Move the winding tever 8 into its starting posi- tion as shown (this facilitates handling for in- stance when wearing gioves). Pull up the rim 9 and turn until the speed figure of the film loaded in the camera engages opposite the index mark 10 (the dots indicate intermediate speed values). The setting range covers trom 12 to 6400 ASA (12 to 39 DIN) as shown in the table below: ASA DIN ASA DIN ASA DIN ASA DIN 12 12 64 19 320 26 1600 33 16 13 80 20 400 27 2000 34 20 14 100 21 500 28 2500 35 25 15 125 22 640 29 3200 36 32 16 160 23 800 30 4000 37 40 17 200 24 1000 31 5000 38 50 18 250 25 1250 32 6400 39View original page 10
Page 11 · Read text
The correct camera hold
follows almost automatically from the handy
shape and functional layout of the controls:
For horizontal shots
hold the camera in the right hand with the index
finger on the stop-down key 11 and the release
button 12. The left hand holds the lens 13 ancj
operates the focusing mount 14 as well as thet
aperture ring 15.
Press the eye closely against the finder eye-
.;ii: " piece 16, supporting the camera against the
forehead.
K 31-14 For upright shots
hold the camera in the same way, but turnecl
through 90o.
This hold permits rapid switching from hori-
zontal to upright shots, although other camera
holds can also be used if preferred.View original page 11Page 12 · Read text
www.butkus.usFocusing Sight the subject so that the main object appears within the microprism spot 50 or the screen ring 51 or the focusing screen 52. Turn the focusing mount 14 until the image appears fully sharp without any blur or "shimmering" effect. Depending on the subject conditions, use the above screen areas as follows: The microprism spot yields abrupt definition change from unsharp to sharp. Use for quick focusing e. g. sports, action and feature photo- graphy. The screen ring surrounding the microprism spot is evenly bright and finely matted. Use for central focusing in place of the microprism spot, e. g. at small apertures and/or with close- up, macro and photomicro subjects. The focusing screen has an extremely fine Fresnel lens structure for even illumination from the centre to the edges. Use for general focusing of main subject points outside the centre, also at small apertures - e. g. in close-ups, macrophotography and photomicrography and for copying where the sharpness needs checking right to the edges of the field.View original page 12
Page 13 · Read text
With infra-red film
(of maximum sensitivity at a wavelength of
800 nm) first focus as described above. Then
read the distance opposite the index'17, mount
the infra-red filter and reset the distance read
against the infra-red index 18.
Depth of field
Direct assessment: Fully depress the stop-
down key 11, thus closing the aperture to the
preset value. The expected depth of field in
the image can then be judged directly on the
focusing screen 52 (suitable only for bright
www.butkus.us lighting and with not too small apertures).
From the depth of fleld indicator: Here the
aperture marks corresponding to the preset
lens aperture on the scale 19, to each side of
the index mark 17, point to the depht of field
zone on the focusing ring 14 (circle of confu-
sion z : 50 microns or 0.002 inch; further stop-
ping down is necessary for utmost sharpness).
Example: 50 mm Planar f/1.8, stopped down
to f/16 and focused to 10 feet: depth of field
from approx. 51lz feet to oo.
From tables: A depth of field table is available
separately, with exact values for all lenses.
12View original page 13Page 14 · Read text
www.butkus.usFraming the subject The prism finder shows a bright, laterally cor- rect and parallax-free image with optimum con- 54 formity to the view recorded on the film. lf the required subject field or the aspiredperspective view cannot be covered with the O lens attached by changing the shooting direc- tion or viewpoint, use interchangeable lenses (see page 14 - Changing lenses). Finder accessories The mounting groove 20 on the finder eyepiece 16 takes an eyepiece cup 53 to screen off ex- ternal glare. Spectacle wearers may use a correcting lens 54 made up by any optician (outside diameter of the lens 26 mm). lnsert the lens directly in the inside mount of the cup 53 by pushing in until it engages. Remove by pushing out in the op- posite direction. The groove 20 will also take a right angle finder which is used for low-level shots (worm's eye views), for shooting round the corner and when using the camera on a microscope etc.View original page 14
Page 16 · Read text
www.butkus.usNever touch the instant return mirror 25. When
no lens is mounted in the camera body 26
close it with the blanking cap 56, available as
an accessory (fit and remove this like an inter-
changeable lens).
Protect the front and rear lens of interchange-
able lenses, when not on the camera, with the
caps 57 and 58.
Interchangeable lenses
with distance scales in feet and metres, quick-
change bayonet mount, depth of field indicator,
infra-red index, automatic spring-loaded aper-
ture control, filter thread, and click stop aper-
tures with half stop intervals:
Carl Zeiss
ultra-wide angle 25 mm Distagon t/2.8 -
35 mm Distagon 't/2.8 - normal wide- angle
standard 50 mm Planar t/1.8 - medium long 85 mm Sonnar t/2.8 - focus
telephoto135 mm Tele-Tessar f/4 -200 mm Tele-Tessar f/4 '- telephoto
further details see page 47. 9@oView original page 16Page 17 · Read text
The lens case 59 protects the lens against dust
and moisture. Remove the internal lid 60 when
the lens is inserted with the front and rear caps
in position.
The same lens case takes the 35, 50 or 85 mm
lenses.
Lens cases with extra lenses can also be fitted
on the camera carrying strap. A second strap
may carry further lens cases 59 with inter-
changeable lenses or accessories.
16View original page 17Page 18 · Read text
www.butkus.usThe exposure meter The full-field exposure measurement method at the working aperture has been designed by practical photographers for practical photo- graphy. ln the large majority of cases this well planned system directly yields the optimum reading. lt works reliably even in difficult spe- cial cases if a few simple rules are followed. @The exposure meter is a precision instrument of high sensitivity with a specially extended mea- suring range (1 second atf /1.8 tol/rooo second at f/16 with 100 ASA or 21 DIN film). lt assesses the average brightness of the subject field covered and uses two cadmium sulphide cells to measure the light coming through the lens. This "TTL measurement" automatically allows for all brightness variations due to fil- ters, extension tubes, extension bellows, effec- tive lens aperture changes etc. Moreover, the Rollei measuring system accordingly weights the important image centre more than the edge of the field. The illustration shows the shape and position of the central area whose bright- ness contributes about 90 per cent of the rea- ding.View original page 18
Page 19 · Read text
Measuring the exposure
With preselected shutter speed
Turn the shutter speed dial 27 in either direc-
tion until the required shutter speed engages
opposite the index 28. This can be done with
the shutter tensioned or not tensioned.
The figures on the shutter speed dial indicate
fractions of a second. No intermediate values
can be used.
The B setting (for time exposures of any length)
cannot be preselected for exposure measure-
ment.
Set the changeover switch 29 to "A" (automatic
spring-loaded aperture). Sight the subject
through the finder eyepiece 16 and depress the
stop-down key 1'l: this switches on the meter
system. Turn the aperture ring 15 to centre the
meter needle 61. The aperture ring engages
at half stop intervals down to the smallest stop
www.butkus.us but one; however, intermediate settings can
also be used.
When the meter needle is centred in the cut-
out, the correct aperture is set for the prese-
lected shutter speed. Then release the stop-
down key: this switches off the meter system
and the meter needle returns into its rest posi-
tion pointing obliquely upwards.View original page 19Page 20 · Read text
www.butkus.us lf the meter needle does not react or cannot be centred, preselect a different exposure time: lf the needle stops too high up, use a shorter time; if the needle is too low down, use a longer time, as given in the table on page 50. Applications: Exposures requiring fast shutter speeds to arrest rapid movement (action and sports shots, street scenes, children, animals etc.) or to avoid camera shake (when shooting from a car, train, ship or aircraft, when moun- taineering etc.). lmportant: The large measuring range permits shots under virtually all light conditions. The usable setting range and appropriate time for preselection are shown in the table on page 50.View original page 20
Page 21 · Read text
With preselected aperture
Set the changeover switch 29 to "A". Turn the
aperture ring 15 to the selected value. Sight
the subject and fully depress the stop-down
key 11. Centre the meter needle 61 by turning
the shutter speed dial27. Always let the shutter
speed dial engage fully; no intermediate values
can be used. lf this procedure brings the B set-
ting into play, see pages 27 and 50.
When the meter needle is centred in the cut-
out, the correct shutter speed is set for the
preselected aperture. Then release the stop-
down key.
lf the meter needle cannot be centred, prese-
lect a different aperture:
lf the meter needle stops above the central
position, use a smaller aperture; if it stops
below, preselect a larger aperture.
Applications: Subjects requiring a specified
depth of field as determined from the indicator
19 or the depth of field table (architecture, indu-
strial shots, macrophotography etc. mostly re-
quiring maximum depth of field; fashion, por-
trait and advertising shots often requiring mini-
mum depth of field for differential focusing)-
20View original page 21Page 22 · Read text
www.butkus.uslmportant: lf turning the shutter speed dial 27 fails to centre the meter needle, a subsequent "fine adjustment" with the aperture ring 15 will do the rest. Without automatic spring-loaded aperture Move the changeover switch 29 to "M" (manual setting). Fully depress the stop-down key 11. Centre the meter needle 61 by turning the aper- ture ring 15 and/or the shutter speed dial 27. When the needle is centred in the cut-out, the aperture and exposure time are correctly set. Applications: Subjects requiring direct depth of field control without pressing the stop-down key; also shots with the lens in its retro position (see page 32) or with lenses of other makes in the intermediate adapter (see page 3B).View original page 22
Page 24 · Read text
www.butkus.usAfter the exposure Smoothly and fully (!) pull out the rapid winding lever 8 and let it swing back into its starting position. This advances the film by one frame, retensions the shutter and gets the camera ready for the next shot. With rapid picture sequences the camera may remain against the eye in shooting position. The rapid winding lever can be worked in a single stroke or in several (usually two) strokes; on letting it go it returns to its starting position. When not in use, fold it back against the camera body. The exposure counter 7 shows the number of eposures made on the film. The twentieth and thirty-sixth exposure (for 2O-exposure and 36- exposure cartridges) are marked in red; the second and all subsequent odd numbers are marked by dots. After the thirty-eighth ex- posure (also marked in red) the exposure counter stops counting. Further exposures may however still be made if the film is long enough. The exposure counter 7 springs back to zero on pulling up the rewind knob 6.View original page 24
Page 25 · Read text
Unloading the film
After the last exposure: swing out the rewind
crank 34, briefly press in the rewind release 35
and turn the crank 34 in the direction of the
arrow until the resistance of the film tension
suddenly slacks off (during the next film trans-
port movement the rewind release 35 springs
out again).
Fold in the crank 34 and pull up the rewind
knob 6. The camera back 5 springs open;swing
it fully open. Fully pull up the rewind knob 6
and remove the film cartridge.
Unload the film at least in the shadow of your
own body; avoid brilliant sun and dusty con-
ditions.
Exposed films (especially colour films) should
be processed as soon as possible, as they
only keep for a limited time.
24View original page 25Page 26 · Read text
www.butkus.usPractical hints Selecting the best shutter sPeed / lmage sharpness depends, among other things, .&on the use of a sufficiently fast shutter speed. r/ro(x)sec Therefore With hand-held exposures: Use fast speeds to avoid camera shake. The longest usable time is r/ro second; t/oo and r/rzs second are safer and more reliable. With long focus lenses and da not very steady camera hold use l/,rzs or,better still, r/zso second. -LT^*o-l/soosec With moving subjects: Use short exposure times to avoid movement blur. As a general guide: Starting and landing aircraft at close range, motor races r,/rooo secofld. Winter il5@sec 'Jtsports, tennis 1/rooo to r"/soo second. Horse # -races, cross country runners llsoo second. - 1/zsoRunning children and cyclists - to 1/rzssecond. Walking figures, standing people -tlns lo r/eo S€Cood. 1t2so-1n25seq 4" &In general: Movement at close range and across the viewing direction needs faster shutter speeds, movement from greater distan- ces and approaching or receding from the camera can be taken with longer exposure times. r125_1'60sec ft fuiView original page 26
Page 27 · Read text
The snapshot setting for quick or unprepared Correct exposure measurement
shots which do not permit direct focusing The exposure meter measures the mean bright-through the finder: ness of the subject field covered. lt directlyFind a suitable setting of distance and aperturq yields the correct exposure settings forfor an adequate sharp zone from the deptti
of field indicator 19 or depth of field table, Normal subiects: Lighting from the front or
and set these values on the camera. This re- obliquely from the side, without brilliant high-
quires good subject lighting or a high-speed lights or heavy shadows. Balanced light and
film to allow sufficiently short exposure times dark areas.
to arrest subject movement. Special subjects: Appreciable brightness con-
trast between the main subject and its sur-
roundings - shots against the light, figures in brilliant sun against snow or ice, Mediter-
ranean seaside subjects etc., main subject
constituting only a small part of the field of
view (e. g. figures not filling the frame against
large sky areas).
A reading from the camera position would here
yield a wrong exposure setting. This can be
compensated by a
Close-up reading: Approach the subject with
the camera until the main subject fills the finder
view. Set the exposure, then return to the
original viewpoint for the shot itself.
lf close-up readings are not possible, use aView original page 27Related documents and language editions
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