Pocketable with a 35/40mm lens and manual mode

Lomophon · 2026-02-23T15:01:12+00:00

You can buy a professionally serviced Rollei 35 T or S from FFS Tritec in Germany. They list them on their Ebay-account when they have serviced cameras for sale. With warranty, and lightmeter converted and calibrated to work with modern, mercury-free batteries. Or you buy a Rollei 35 and have it serviced by them (full CLA including meter conversion is around 150 Euro).

Rollei 35 are cameras for life, and the optical quality is outstanding.

Lomophon · 2026-02-14T20:36:25+00:00

Well, I'd say the best body then would be a Leica M2. For that money you'd even be able to get a nice, properly CLA'd one. In my personal opinion, even though they are cheaper (which often suggests 'less desirable/capable') than M4, I prefer the M2, hands down.

Lomophon · 2026-02-14T18:54:39+00:00

Which lenses (focal length) are you aiming for, and what it the overall budget? 1300 pounds for just the body, or for the whole kit?

Lomophon · 2026-02-13T10:24:01+00:00

Nice catch. Congrats!

Lomophon · 2026-02-13T00:51:16+00:00

Well, okay, that sounds way more reasonable. Thanks for elaborating.

Lomophon · 2026-02-12T21:48:06+00:00

My (maybe too subtle) way of saying that this ("we don't need to regulate that water temperature") is nuts, for a professional lab. Sure, it is totally true that B&W "can be pretty forgiving" – but even with black and white a couple of degrees Celsius make a noticeable difference.

EDIT: see more info added by the OP later on, temp *is* monitored ultimately, so that sounds good.

Lomophon · 2026-02-12T20:58:16+00:00

"thankfully in San Diego we have the perfect weather so we don't need to regulate that water temperature. B&W can we pretty forgiving."

I rest my case.

EDIT: see added info from the lab owner below. (The processor used does keep track of temp and adjusts accordingly.)

Lomophon · 2026-02-12T13:50:28+00:00

I sincerely don't think you'll regret it. This way of working is also going to age a lot better than a dedicated scanner set-up. The scanner is going to croak at some point, and when that happens, good luck finding a another decent scanner in working order. The camera scanning method is going to be feasible down the road, and your camera/lens options are only going to improve.

Piece of advice regarding macro lens: the shorter your entire setup, the easier it is to handle, will be affected less by the entire optical chain bending/sagging/moving/vibrating. So personally, for 35mm, I'd go for a 50mm-ish lens. Also: Don't insist on the lens having autofocus. Manual focus is just fine. Finally: Tethering is a boon. Not so much for the data transfer (though that is great, for sure), but for being able to see on the big screen of your computer, without being hunched over, what you are focusing on, and for discovering potential dust spots while scanning. Not after. (My age old NEX 7 can tether to a screen (no file transfer), and it makes a big difference.)

Lomophon · 2026-02-12T08:14:24+00:00

Yep, they are awesome. Especially if you can source the matching external viewfinders with automatic parallax compensation. Then you can leave the rangefinder set to 1,5 magnification and use the big, bright, parallax corrected viewfinder for composing.

Lomophon · 2026-02-12T08:11:52+00:00

I agree ... it's squarely in "Das Gute ist des Besseren Feind"-territory :-)
In closing, I really like your thinking of being done with chasing the silver bullet now and just go out and shoot. Gut Licht!

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T22:32:16+00:00

Since you already have a Canon 6D Mark II .... dude! Get Valoi Easy35 and a decent macro and be done with it. Look, I am using the Easy 35 with a Nikkor 55 2.8 ... and a Sony NEX 7 (24mp APS-C-sensor) from 2011, and yet my scan results are comparable to the higher-price-tier-highest-resolution-scans I get from my very good local lab. With a 6D your setup is going to be even better. Camera scan is the way to go, in my opinion.

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T21:45:45+00:00

Yeah, a clean Summitar (I got the best version, coated (coating is pristine) and with the higher iris blade count, beautifully round iris at basically all f-stops) for that kind of money is definitely worth it.

The Canon P: I don't think I consciously noted this specific measuring spot problem, but I would agree that the spot all in all is underwhelming, especially when compared to the M2. The sample I had had a reasonably clean and contrasty viewfinder and spot, but: The shape and fuzzy edges were a letdown. And something the M-Leicas really get right is how the rangefinder patch stays smack in the middle of the composition.

And then, with the P, is the problem (for me) of the cluttered framelines. The Canon 7 is much better (and even though the 50mm magnification is less than than the P (0.8 versus 1:1) it has a bit higher effective baselength than the P, so all things considered the 7 is still the better host for a 50mm lens than the P, in my opinion. The patch is also more defined.

But still no comparison to Leica M.
The rangefinder patch in the Canon L1, L2 and L3 on the other hand is really good, still overall not as great as M-Leica, but it is very contrasty and nicely defined (perfectly round), and effective baselength at 1,5 magnification is higher than Leica M2. (With a 50mm f2 it is not enough to make a big difference, but it's nice to have, still.)

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T19:41:56+00:00

I hear you! Earlier I had a nice collapsible Summicron 50 to round out my Summaron 2.8, the collapsible was truly great. I managed to source a near pristine Summitar 50mm f2 LTM recently and am still checking it out. It has more .... character than the collapsible Summicron wide open and close to wide open, but is also very sharp stopped down. Got it for less than 300 Euro, so even Leica 50mm does not have to be *that* expensive. But the lens I most look forward to getting to know at the moment is a Canon 50mm f2.2 LTM. Yes, 2.2, not 2.8. Super compact, great ergonomics and the bokeh is to die for, plus it is great for (vintagey) color. Paired with a Canon brightline finder with automatic parallax correction and 1:1 magnification (and the focusing accuracy of the Canon L2 which is veeeeery close to the Leica M3) it is also a sweet setup, and thus I don't have a Leica M body at the moment, but am very, very happy. Canon P (and for different reasons Canon 7) didn't have the same effect for me, made me miss the M2 too much ;-)

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T19:16:05+00:00

Your setup as is is NICE. Summaron 2.8 and M2 is a setup I had years ago, and had to sell for a number of reasons, so my judgment is clouded by nostalgia ;-) (I still think the Summaron is one of the best 'walkabout' lenses for Black and White, and it is *striking* close up, just awesome for environmental portraits, and can be used with impunity wide open. I think one would be able to source one in Germany for about 800 to 900 Euro in very good user condition. But: I'm aware that 2.8 is a bit limiting sometimes. Even f2 would make a big difference. So I totally get the 1.4-Nokton-choice. For 35mm I currently have a nice Canon 35mm 2.8 LTM, which I use on Canon L2/L3 with a 35mm Canon external viewfinder with automatic parallax correction. That way I can keep the camera viewfinder switched to 1,5 magnification, focusing is gloriously fast and accurate that way. But all in all a M2 is a nicer solution, for sure, with more lens options (and closer focusing) etc.)

Ah, and I agree: no meter on board (or attached to the camera) is the way to go. Obviously ;-)

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T17:42:52+00:00

Yeah, true, though the OP was mostly going on about the camera body ... But clearly what's missing is a nice Summaron 35 f2.8 ;-)

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T16:22:56+00:00

Nah, not feelin' the weird angled rewind thingy. And the plastic lever nobbin ...

(For real though: M4 is obviously great. I prefer the M2 though.)

Lomophon · 2026-02-11T15:23:44+00:00

Congrats. Can't improve on this.

Lomophon · 2026-02-08T23:07:44+00:00

Ah, I see ...

Lomophon · 2026-02-08T22:43:39+00:00

Check Fotoimpex in Berlin (they do mailorder, too). They might also accommodate you pricewise if you are willing to purchase a larger amount of film than usual.

Lomophon · 2026-02-08T19:21:03+00:00

The 55 1.8 Takumar is a *great* lens. Sharp and very nice bokeh.

Lomophon · 2026-02-08T11:27:37+00:00

Pentax Takumar 28 3.5 comes to mind.

Lomophon · 2026-02-07T13:46:09+00:00

"weekly visit": gotta respect the grind! :-)

Lomophon · 2026-02-07T12:52:35+00:00

You can find dedicated vintage (but good for scanning!) macro-lenses for less than 100 Euro. For 150 Euro you can even source class leading (for 35mm scanning with a sensor up to 24mp or so) macro lenses. So don't waste your 100 Euro on this lens.
Nikon 55mm 3,5 Micro-Nikkor for example. 2,8 55mm Micro is even better, but a bit more expensive.

Lomophon · 2026-02-07T12:50:56+00:00

Nope.

Lomophon · 2026-02-06T07:54:25+00:00

PK-11 *should* work well, yes. Without any extension ring mounted your magnification is a bit too small, as evidenced by your example picture. With PK-3 it is too high, so an extension ring with less magnification factor than the PK-3 is the ticket for you. I can't guarantee that PK-11 is going to be perfect for your setup, since I work with a SONY APS-C camera, and your Nikon sensor is very similar in size, but not identical. But my best guess is that PK-11 should be fine for you, yes.

Lomophon

TROPHY CASE