Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Planar 75mm f/3.5 (Rolleiflex)

Carl Zeiss · Rolleiflex TLR · 1956

single source, unconfirmed

Also known as: Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar · Rolleiflex 3.5F Planar 75mm f/3.5 · Rolleiflex 3.5E Planar · Rolleiflex 3.5E2 Planar · Rolleiflex 3.5E3 Planar · Rolleiflex 3.5F White Face · Rolleiflex Planar 75mm F3.5 · Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm f3.5 Rolleiflex · Rollei Planar 3.5/75 · ローライフレックス 3.5F プラナー · ローライフレックス 3.5F プラナー 75mm F3.5 · ローライフレックス 3.5E プラナー · ローライフレックス 3.5F ホワイトフェイス

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Planar 75/3.5, five elements (1956–c.1962) · Five elements Rolleiflex TLR 1956–1962 lens serials to 2753002 (antiquecameras.net) —
Planar 75/3.5, six elements (c.1962–1976) · Six elements Rolleiflex TLR 1962–1976 lens serials from 2753003 (antiquecameras.net) —
  1. Elements: five, then six, 'after lens serial # 2753002' (antiquecameras.net, citing Prochnow and Parker), dated to about 1962 plus or minus a year for the 3.5E, the 3.5F following the same serials. The family `elements` field is left empty because the family holds both counts; each variant carries its own. No source read gives the group count of either version.
  2. The sixth element: three explanations reported by antiquecameras.net, none settled — Ian Parker (a UV or colour-correcting element, warmer images), Claus Prochnow (better resolution), and lower production cost. The late 3.5E and 3.5F are, on the same page, 'the only Rolleiflex TLRs with a six-element normal lens'.
  3. Years: 3.5E from 1956 (antiquecameras.net; ja.wikipedia 1956, serial block 1850000–1869999); 3.5F from 1958 (antiquecameras.net) or 1959 (ja.wikipedia); family end 1976 is the end of 3.5F production as the body pages give it. English Wikipedia's model table dates the K4C to October 1956.
  4. Filter: Bay II, which Japanese Wikipedia assigns to the 75 mm f/3.5 taking lenses. Shutter: Synchro-Compur MXV, 1s–1/500 and B, from the body pages. No blade count, minimum focus or weight was found for the lens.
  5. Reputation: antiquecameras.net's summary of Modern Photography's 1963 test gives the 3.5 Planar the better centre and edge sharpness, against both Xenotars and the 2.8 Planar, on a small sample. A 1956 magazine comparison surfaced by search called the five-element Planar excellent in definition even at full aperture.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • A fixed taking lens on a Rolleiflex 3.5E (E, E2, E3) or 3.5F, below the Heidosmat 2.8/75 viewing lens, with Carl Zeiss Planar 1:3,5 f=75mm on the front ring inside the Bay II bayonet; the lens serial on the ring decides whether it is the five- or six-element lens
  • The sister lens on the same bodies is the Schneider Xenotar 75mm f/3.5; the Rolleiflex T and the 3.5 Automat carry a four-element Tessar 75mm f/3.5 instead
  • Not the Planar 80mm f/2.8 of the 2.8-series Rolleiflexes, which is Bay III, nor any removable Planar for the Hasselblad or Rollei SLRs

Planar 75/3.5, five elements (1956–c.1962):

  • Lens serial 2753002 or lower on the front ring, which reads Carl Zeiss Planar 1:3,5 f=75mm; on a 3.5E (E, E2, E3) or early 3.5F

Planar 75/3.5, six elements (c.1962–1976):

  • Lens serial above 2753002; the engraving is otherwise unchanged. Late 3.5F cameras with the white-faced front plate ('White Face') carry this lens, but the serial is the test

Specifications

Formula
Planar double-Gauss derivative: five elements at first, six elements from lens serial 2753003 onward, c.1962 (antiquecameras.net, citing Prochnow and Parker)
Aperture range
f/3.5
Shutter
Synchro-Compur MXV, 1s–1/500, B
Filter
Bay II
Years manufactured
1956–1976
Country
West Germany

What reviewers say

No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.

History

The Planar 75mm f/3.5 is the Carl Zeiss taking lens of the Rolleiflex 3.5E and 3.5F, the lens with which Franke & Heidecke moved their 3.5 line from the four-element Tessar to a double-Gauss type in 1956. The 3.5E (Prochnow’s K4C, known as the 3.5C in Germany) was launched with it in October 1956 by the usual account, Schneider’s Xenotar 75mm f/3.5 joined as the alternative the following year, and both continued on the 3.5F from 1958 until that camera ended in 1976. It sits behind a Synchro-Compur MXV, 1 s to 1/500 with B, and takes Bay II filters and hoods; the Bay II bayonet is the quick way to tell a 75mm f/3.5 Rolleiflex from a Bay III 80mm f/2.8 one.

Its history is the story of one change. The lens began with five elements; around 1962, give or take a year, Zeiss recomputed it with six, and antiquecameras.net, citing Claus Prochnow’s Rollei Report and Ian Parker, places the break after lens serial 2753002, the 3.5F following the same serials as the late 3.5E. Nothing on the front ring changed, so the serial is the only evidence, and dealer descriptions that call a 3.5F Planar five- or six-element without quoting it are guesses. Why Zeiss added the element was never published: Parker took it for a UV or colour-correcting element that warmed the rendering, Prochnow for a resolution improvement, and others have suggested it reduced cost. The six-element 3.5E and 3.5F are, on the same site’s account, the only Rolleiflex TLRs with a six-element normal lens, and they are the 3.5 cameras collectors pay for; the white-faced late 3.5F is the one most often advertised with it.

The 3.5 Planar has a better paper record than its 80mm sibling: antiquecameras.net’s summary of Modern Photography’s 1963 test gave it the best centre and edge sharpness of the four Rolleiflex normal lenses, and a 1956 magazine comparison surfaced by search called the five-element lens excellent in definition even wide open. Against the Xenotar the differences reported are small, a slightly deeper colour for the Planar in one Japanese account, and opinion on forums runs both ways. No dedicated review of a Planar 3.5 camera was found within the search done for this page, so the review section stays empty; what applies to buying any Rolleiflex applies here, with the taking lens checked for separation and haze and the Compur for slow speeds, and the serial read before paying a six-element price.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Planar 75mm f/3.5 (Rolleiflex)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Buying from Yahoo! Auctions outside Japan. It is a domestic marketplace: sellers ship within Japan, and most will not register an overseas buyer. A proxy service bids on your behalf, receives the item and forwards it, for a fee and a wait. Buyee, Jauce and ZenMarket each accept a Yahoo auction number directly. Listed alphabetically for information — none is recommended over another, and none of these is an affiliate link.

Listings updated 2026-11-02. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Xenotar 75mm f/3.5 (Rolleiflex) · Planar 80mm f/2.8 (Rolleiflex) · Tessar 75mm f/3.5 (Rolleiflex) · Xenar 75mm f/3.5 (Rollei)

Sources (3)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.