The Rolleiflex SL35 (1970) is Rollei's entry into the 35mm SLR market, a significant departure for a company whose reputation rested entirely on the twin-lens reflex tradition established by the Rolleiflex 2.8 series. The SL35 introduces the QBM (Quick Bayonet Mount) — Rollei's proprietary bayonet that would carry the company's SLR lens family through the 1970s and into the 1980s — and announces the SL system's ambition to be taken seriously alongside Nikon, Canon, and Leica R.
Reference
Find film for your Rollei SL35
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
**QBM mount adaptability** — QBM lenses adapt to Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony E, and Micro Four-Thirds via readily available adapters, expanding the lens audience beyond SL35 bodies.
**HFT coating** — Rollei's HFT (High Fidelity Transfer) multi-coating on Zeiss and Schneider QBM lenses is optically excellent; verify coating integrity by inspecting for cleaning marks and delamination.
**Battery for meter** — the PX625 mercury cell is obsolete; silver oxide SR44 (slightly higher voltage) gives approximate accuracy or use a 1.35V zinc-air adapter.
**Mechanical shutter** — the shutter fires without battery; test at all speeds including slow speeds for sticking or timing errors.
**Body condition vs. lens value** — QBM bodies are inexpensive; the lenses (especially Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 and Sonnar 85/1.4) hold significant value. Evaluate lens and body separately.
**Voigtländer VSL variants** — the VSL 1 and VSL 2 are mechanically identical to the SL35 and SL35M respectively; do not pay a premium for one over the other.
About this camera
Rollei's first 35mm SLR — the SL35 launched the QBM bayonet mount in 1970 and paired a sharp German body with some of the finest lenses ever made for a 35mm camera, from Zeiss and Schneider.
Key Specs
Frequently asked questions
What film does the Rollei SL35 use?
The Rollei SL35 shoots 35mm film.
What battery does the Rollei SL35 take?
The Rollei SL35 uses a 1x PX625 or SR44 silver oxide battery.
What lens mount does the Rollei SL35 have?
The Rollei SL35 uses the QBM (Quick Bayonet Mount) mount.
What shutter speeds does the Rollei SL35 offer?
The Rollei SL35's shutter speeds range from 1s to 1/1000s.
1× PX625 (SR44 equivalent for meter; shutter mechanical)
History
Rollei's management recognised by the late 1960s that the TLR market was declining and that Japanese competition — particularly Yashica and the Mamiya C-series — had made the 6×6 TLR format less exclusive. A 35mm SLR programme was seen as essential for the company's long-term relevance in the professional and advanced-amateur market.
Rather than licensing or co-developing with a Japanese manufacturer, Rollei chose to build an entirely German SLR system from the ground up. The SL35 body was developed internally; the QBM mount specification was established with Carl Zeiss and Schneider from the outset. The result was a system with no Japanese components and no compromises on German optical quality.
The SL35 was also sold as the Voigtländer VSL 1 — a rebadged variant available through Voigtländer dealers — and later as the Revueflex SL35 through the Foto-Quelle catalogue chain. This cross-branding expanded distribution without modifying the underlying camera.
Subsequent iterations included the SL35M (with aperture-priority automation) and the SL35E (improved finder and metering), both using the same QBM mount and lenses.
Why It Matters
The Rolleiflex SL35 represents the pinnacle of West German SLR ambition in the early 1970s: a domestic, fully German alternative to the Japanese SLR hegemony. Its significance today lies less in the body — which is competent but not exceptional by contemporary standards — than in the QBM lens ecosystem it established.
QBM-mount Zeiss and Schneider lenses are among the most optically refined lenses available for any SLR system and remain in demand among lens enthusiasts who adapt them to modern mirrorless cameras. The Planar 50/1.4 T* HFT (the Rollei multi-coating designation), Distagon 28/2.8, and Sonnar 85/1.4 are particularly sought after and can command higher prices than contemporary Nikon AIS or Canon FD equivalents.
For film photographers, the SL35 offers a stylistically distinctive German system at modest used prices for the body, with access to extraordinary optics.
German and Swiss advertising photographers adopted the SL35 system for its domestically produced credentials and the uncompromised optical quality of Zeiss HFT lenses.
The SL35 was taught in German photography schools as an alternative to Japanese SLRs during the 1970s, positioning it as a professional educational instrument.
Contemporary mirrorless photographers adapt QBM Zeiss lenses for their distinctive rendering — particularly the Sonnar 85/1.4 — driving secondary demand for the SL35 system as a lens source.
Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 (marketed as Superia 400 in some regions) is an ISO 400 C-41 consumer color negative film in 135 format, one of Fujifilm's most popular consumer films. It delivers warm, vibrant colors with moderate grain and remains in production in some markets.