The TRUE Budget Leica M6 Alternative

The TRUE Budget Leica M6 Alternative | Rollei 35RF

Рет қаралды 31,076

Күн бұрын

The Rollei 35RF is a lesser known rangefinder that has the fundamentals of the mega-expensive Leica M6 but at a fraction of the price. Today, we take a dive into some background of this rangefinder as well as its features.
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LINKS
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Instagram: / kaichuuuuuu
Photography: / kaichu.art
Twitter: / kaichuphoto
Website: kaichu.media
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MUSIC
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All Music from Audiio: audiio.com
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 - You can skip this part
0:25 - Intro
1:18 - Leica M6
2:02 - Voigtlander Bessa R2
3:09 - Rollei 35RF
4:47 - Thoughts & Sample Photos
7:36 - Conclusion
8:26 - Outro
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DISCLAIMERS
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This video is not sponsored. Any names or brands that appear or are mentioned are not involved with the production of the video in any way.
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
The materials are used for illustrative and exemplification reasons, also quoting in order to recombine elements to make a new work.

Пікірлер: 86

@kaichuuuuuu Ай бұрын

6:45 update: meter’s perfectly fine, the scans’ auto exposure settings seemed to blow out the highlights. Future photos will look noice

@SystemParanoia 7 күн бұрын

Never thought I'd watch a camera review by a giant lizard monster. Great stuff!!

@benatea 2 ай бұрын

I love my Bessa R. The rangefinder patch is so bright and its a really easy camera to use!

@keima1110 2 ай бұрын

Bessa R is M39 mount. I still have it.

@Cycult 2 ай бұрын

My bessa r patch is so dark compared to my m5

@Bostich Ай бұрын

I bought a M39 to Z adapter and now use the Voigtlander lenses on my Z6II. Love my R but film is so expensive now.

@MultiSigil Ай бұрын

went to ebay and there are two, one at £2k and the other £3k. I would probably spend the little bit extra for the Leica for the service and part support

@jjuarez83 18 сағат бұрын

I have the MC version of that 40mm and love love love it. Bought it for my M3 and use it on my X-T10 as well. This may be a good option if it has the 40mm frame lines.

@andreasbracke1997 Ай бұрын

I have the old small Rollei35, but with this you only can guess the distance in focussing. So, I love my Nikon SLR-stuff like F5, but my back tells me, when I took to much gear. The adorable M6 is too expensive-its not just the body, the optics are expensive too. But I will search for this Rollei-looks like fun! You used the cinestill Films-i love them. Greetings from Germany

@ShawnPBruce Ай бұрын

Neat video. I picked up a Rollei 35RF a few years back to use my M lenses. It’s a fantastic camera, really. I like how quirky it is too. It starts a lot of conversations.

@neerajnongmaithem392 2 ай бұрын

Man your video quality and especially your humor filled narration is a breath of fresh air. Keep this up and you would have 100k subscribers in new time, will suggest to do more of film shooting video.

@neerajnongmaithem392 2 ай бұрын

Also be more consistent uploads and focus on the reel trends to gain more subscribers, people already have small attention span these days so it would be hard to grow a channel only long format videos and uploading only occassionally

@wearetrackclub Ай бұрын

Love your video style, Kaichu! Really insightful stuff 🙌

@LoFiAxolotl Ай бұрын

Literally nobody bought it... i worked at Rollei back then... nobody wanted them and at some point some of us just walked into our warehouse and took some and nobody even cared... it was one of the biggest reasons Rollei is what it is today

@IAMiamiSteve 2 ай бұрын

Nice bro. Loved this. Very informative

@piketubeman Ай бұрын

*This is a comment about how I am so very upset that you have brought attention to this unknown/unloved camera and now the prices will go up on eBay*

@britonabrompton9912 Ай бұрын

As well as digital, I have Olympus E-PL8, E-P7 and LUMIX G90, for film photography I use Contax G1, and Minox 35. The Contax is totally opposite to the Leica/Bessa/Rollei. It is basically an all electronic rangefinder, with AF, power film transport, automatic metering and exposure. It looks very similar to the Rollei/Bessa, but is a more modern take on what a rangefinder camera should be.

@VOByRobbins 2 ай бұрын

wow, great video and narration, I did sub! thank you!!! I did not know about this camera!

@diegoebustamante Ай бұрын

Great video! That camera looks more like a Contax G1/G2 to me but with Lecia M6 features

@calanwebster5331 2 ай бұрын

man this was a great video, it has really inspired me to shoot film! couldn't be happier to subscribe to your channel 😌

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sub and glad I could help get you out there and shoot!

@RoadNoise29100 Ай бұрын

Outstanding vid, very helpful 💯💪

@george_edward_ Ай бұрын

Amazing video. Incredibly easy decision to sub. Also I want this camera

@MiniTruckMatt Ай бұрын

wow I actually really like this. Looks like a Contax G2 with an M-mount

@charlieharris3639 2 ай бұрын

5 seconds in and I subscribed. Love the vibe!

@MattRyanPhoto55 Ай бұрын

Nice Vid! And great little camera! Underexposing film is a no-no. It is better to over expose, You can recover details from over exposed film, unlike digital where you can recover from shadow.

@kaichuuuuuu Ай бұрын

Thank you! And turns out the “blown out” highlights were from the scans! Think I’m going to use a different lab for scans or just start scanning my own stuff that I’ve had success with so far

@eagleeatsmonkey3621 5 күн бұрын

this camera is very beautiful imo

@sunkilmoonfan Ай бұрын

I was looking for one when i wanted a rf. Went with the cle instead but the rollei is such a pretty camera.

@VirtualGuth 2 ай бұрын

Nice job of shedding some light on this camera. A really well done video. When I was looking for an alternative to my M6 I wound up choosing the Minolta CLE and I find it to be a great camera. But I can definitely understand the appeal of an all-mechanical camera that is only a couple decades old. The lens offerings for the Rollei 35RF were a bit odd (as are the resulting frameline choices). But overall this looks like a great option and what camera isn't without its quirks? I hope that it serves you well for a long time to come.

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

Looks like yours is a beast of a camera too! When I was looking for a film camera, my very first item in my checklist was fully manual (with the exception of a light meter) since I haven't used auto exposure since my first month ever holding a camera, and the R2/35RF just happened to be one of the cheapest fully manual M-mount cameras I could find with a good reputation. Very quirky once handling in person. Probably won't last as long as any Leica but I'll make it last!!!

@VirtualGuth 2 ай бұрын

@@kaichuuuuuu Don't get me wrong as I feel very fortunate to own my M6 and do enjoy shooting with it. But in all honesty the hype surrounding Leica cameras these days is ridiculous. You summed things up pretty well by pointing out that the lens is what makes the image while the camera provides the majority of the user experience (obviously I'm paraphrasing here). I'm guessing that you'll be able to enjoy your Rollei for a very long time. As film photography continues to enjoy such a strong resurgence, more and more new people are getting involved from a business standpoint (including camera repair). I tend to be optimistic as here in Portland we enjoy multiple film labs, film camera shops, and film camera repair facilities. With an all-mechanical camera likely the biggest concern would be a failure of the light meter, in which case if not repairable you could always resort to using either the Sunny 16 rule or an external light meter.

@SuperSuperka 2 ай бұрын

Nice! Love it! Though I'd go for Konika Hexar RF. It has 1/4000,

@Bertzcommodities 2 ай бұрын

It looks more like a contax with the color scheme with the voightlander body

@christopheryap4823 Ай бұрын

Washington dog park. Love that spot

@robertbosson5223 2 ай бұрын

nice camera

@sesa2984 2 ай бұрын

I like older things mostly, for instance I think a plain, rectangular Rollei 35 with black and silver and the knobs on the front is the perfect camera look, but I actually don’t finf the M6 attractive. I think because I like the contrast of the silver and black. I have to say, even though its not “old” looking, I far prefer the look of this to the M6, I think it looks fantastic with the tiny bits of red. Modern cars do this sometimes to enhance a boring look, I’m thinking of this black Volkswagon I see all the time that has little touches of red here and there. I REALLY like the look of this camera, I would say its look is confidence inspiring. It looks classic enough to be a camera I’d like, but modern enough to look like it will work. I wish it was even more “budget.” Got excited when I saw the thumbnail but I don’t have the ability to spend money on interests unfortunately.

@kayla-kt1cj Ай бұрын

This is much more reasonable purchase than the m6, I really dont care about the brand but the lens

@TheChosenOne_ 2 ай бұрын

Okay I really haven’t heard of that one. Looks kinda cool. Although personally I find these middleground cameras between L39 and M Mounts a tough sell. I would first get something like a Canon P/7, then something like an M4/6 and only afterwards look into the middle section because they are a pretty penny but don’t offer the same repairability as the Leicas. Nevertheless the Rollei 35RF comes onto the list 😂

@anta40 2 ай бұрын

What about Bessa R? Canon P, 7 etc are fine... but the VF is smallish for my taste (yep, I've used various Ms).

@TheChosenOne_ 2 ай бұрын

@@anta40 I think the 7 viewfinder is really nice (the P is alright) and honestly the M6 or MP didn’t feel like such a big upgrade to the one in the 7 imo.

@SachaSommer 2 ай бұрын

I believe the Rollei 35 is not a range finder camera.

@bhop.builds 2 ай бұрын

He did say rangefinder “style”, which is true, but yeah, it’s zone focus only.

@cadencaptures Ай бұрын

hi Kaichu, I subscribed, please don't break into my home, I'm still finding money to replace the door from when a green platypus broke it down

@grantmichael7229 2 ай бұрын

Part of the 0.8% 👌🏼

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

Much love!! 🫶

@GiancarloBenzina Ай бұрын

It’s a simple Voigtländer, get a Zeiss variant, Voigtländer, too, but better VF or just a Minolta CLE.

@ContraGrain Ай бұрын

Well there goes the 35RF prices…

@twofoldfilmhouse2037 Ай бұрын

is it crazy that upon being threatened at the beginning of the video I liked and subscribed cuz I'm scared of being ambushed lol

@nelsonclub7722 2 ай бұрын

Rollie cameras in general faced all the consequences you mention - now brand sells cheaply made rebranded tat - cursory price check of the 35 - upto 3K

@MR-rp3xr Ай бұрын

But the CLE has no metering in manual

@eek0212 2 ай бұрын

this one also price go up pretty high i think. it’s shame

@Hshhzmfwn Ай бұрын

Everytime someone makes a video like this the masses jack the prices on eBay. I purchased a brand new Bessa R3A for 850 in 2011 and now they go for what an m6 did at the time. I paid 750 for a boxed m4-p at Simon's camera in Montreal the same year. The mindless have jacked the prices on any m, m39 or contax/nikon rf mount equipment regardless of performance just to be seen with something "fashionable".

@andrewbezuhlyi397 Ай бұрын

contax g1 design... rollei copied or it's just coincidence?

@whosjozikolnik 2 ай бұрын

I wish I never found out it was pronounced roll-eye

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

Surprised you didn't comment about the "Voigtlander" pronunciation!

@whosjozikolnik 2 ай бұрын

@@kaichuuuuuu I was too angry to care xD

@quite1enough 2 ай бұрын

Just looked up eBay prices. Not exactly budget one...

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

M-mount is all expensive haha but $600 is absolutely "budget" relative to $2000+ for an M6. If all-around budget is your goal, L39 or SLRs will be the places to look

@quite1enough 2 ай бұрын

@@kaichuuuuuu I couldn't find options for $600 tho 😭

@kaichuuuuuu 2 ай бұрын

@quite1enough I got stupid lucky and you can actually find the exact one I bought on ebay. Just gotta be constantly looking out! Reddit is a great source as well in r/photomarket

@quite1enough 2 ай бұрын

@@kaichuuuuuu I can't buy anything from eBay anyways, due to regional restrictions :( but I got lucky with Nikon F4s in my region, which I found for like $180 in pretty good condition

@AESTUDIO-v7 Ай бұрын

im at 1:33 and if this video doesnt mention the Contax G- Series of cameras then this person didnt do enough research

@AESTUDIO-v7 Ай бұрын

not a single mention of the Contax G-Series cameras as both the bessa and this were clearly influenced by the Contax design.

@kaichuuuuuu Ай бұрын

Why? Contax G is a highly automatic rangefinder which I explicitly said I didn't care for. Fair enough on the design part

@photobobo Ай бұрын

Incredibly short RF base, ridiculous frame line selection. Ick!

@89DavideB Ай бұрын

is it just me or these go for 2000$ on ebay?

@kaichuuuuuu Ай бұрын

I still see multiple under 700-800 but I did start seeing crazy prices about a week prior to publishing the video. Crazy, but I also think a lot of listings are trying to bundle with the Zeiss lenses which are worth more than the camera