1958
6×6 TLR
75mm f/3.5 Planar

Rolleiflex TLR Medium Format Camera

Name: Rolleiflex 3.5F
Brand: Rollei
SKU: SHOP_CAM_VINT_ROLLEIFLEX_35F_20260605
Price: 4200.0 AED
Availability: InStock

The square-format benchmark: 75mm of Planar, fully mechanical, built to outlive you.

The 3.5F is the Rolleiflex most photographers mean when they say 'a Rolleiflex': the late, fully-resolved twin-lens design from Franke & Heidecke, with a 75mm f/3.5 Planar (or Xenotar) taking lens and a coupled meter built into the nameplate. It shoots 6×6 on 120: twelve big square negatives a roll, each one a contact-printable jewel.

It's a waist-level way of seeing. You look down into the ground glass, the world laterally reversed, and you slow down. The Synchro-Compur leaf shutter is near-silent and syncs flash at every speed, which is why it stayed in wedding and portrait bags for decades.

Fully mechanical: no battery to shoot it, the selenium meter a bonus rather than a dependency. A serviced 3.5F is a fifty-year camera that will outlast most of what's in your bag now.

Match

Who this is for

Good for

Square medium format
Portraits
Deliberate shooting
Flash at any speed

Character

What it feels like to shoot

The focus knob drives the whole front standard with a long, damped throw, and the image snaps onto the ground glass with a pop. The Planar renders with a high-resolution smoothness: crisp where you focus, creamy behind, with the round-aperture look of a leaf shutter. Winding is a single crank stroke that both cocks the shutter and advances the frame. Mechanically it is one of the most satisfying objects in photography.

The glass

Paired with this glass

Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3.5 (fixed taking lens)

Fixed to the body, and the whole point of a 3.5F. The six-element Zeiss Planar is one of the most respected taking lenses ever fitted to a TLR: sharp across the square by f/5.6, smooth in the roll-off, the look that made the Rolleiflex the portrait machine of its century. Serviced in its Synchro-Compur shutter.

Born 1958

History of the Rolleiflex 3.5F

Franke & Heidecke introduced the 3.5F in 1958, the culmination of the Automat line that began in the 1930s. With the f/2.8 F it is the most sought-after of all Rolleiflex TLRs, and stayed in production into the 1970s. Vivian Maier shot her life's work square on a Rolleiflex; so did generations of studio portraitists.

Technical specifications

MFG. 1958 – 1976

Format

6×6 medium format TLR

Manufacturer

Rollei · Germany

Production

1958 – 1976

Lens

75mm f/3.5 Planar / Xenotar (taking lens)

Metering

Coupled selenium light meter

Viewfinder

Waist-level finder, ground glass + flip-up magnifier

Shutter

1s – 1/500s + B (Synchro-Compur leaf)

ISO range

Meter coupling typically ASA 6-3200 on F models (varies by version)

Flash sync

All speeds (leaf shutter)

Exposure modes

Manual

Dimensions

Approx. 145 × 105 × 105 mm (hood closed)

Weight

1240 g

Power

None. Fully mechanical.

Backed by GPP

Service & guarantees

Every analog camera ships through our bench

This unit has been fully serviced and CLA'd: cleaned, lubricated and adjusted, with shutter, meter and light seals checked, and it is in confirmed working order. Inspected at GPP; ask us about this exact body.

CLA'd by GPP: shutter speeds checked, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a known reference.
7-day functional return: if it doesn't work as we declared on this listing, we exchange or refund. Wear-and-tear consistent with the listed condition isn't returnable.
UAE & worldwide shipping: Dubai same-day before 12 PM (AED 50), UAE-wide in 2–3 business days (AED 40), international tracked in 5–10 business days (calculated at checkout). Insurance can be added on request. Customs and import duties are the buyer's responsibility on international orders. Full shipping policy.
Walk in to inspect: Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Mon–Sat, 10am–7pm. Bring a roll if you'd like to test-fire on the spot.

Questions

Things people ask

What film does it take?

120 medium-format film. We carry a wide range of colour, B&W, and slide stocks in our film retail section. Need a recommendation for this body? Just ask us.

Is the camera serviced before sale?

Yes. Every analog camera at GPP goes through our bench before it goes on the listing. Shutter speeds verified, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a reference.

What's your return policy?

7-day functional return. If anything we declared isn't working as described, contact us within 7 days of receipt for a full refund or exchange.

Can GPP develop and scan the photos I shoot with this?

Yes. Our in-house film lab handles colour, B&W, and slide development with scanning. 24-48 hour rush available. More on the film lab.

Can I see the camera before I buy?

Always welcome. Visit Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm.