Rollei Sonnar 40mm f2.8 HFT.
A Leica screw-mount lens adapted from the Sonnar used on the legendary Rollei 35S. Introduced in 2002, it was distributed at the time by Komamura, also well known as the Japanese agent for Horseman. The optical construction consists of 4 groups and 5 elements, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.7 m. It features Rollei’s proprietary HFT (High Fidelity Transfer) multi-coating. The filter size is E39.
The Rollei 35S remains popular even today for its remarkably sharp rendering that belies its compact size, but being scale-focus only, close-range shooting at the maximum aperture of f2.8 required considerable experience. This L-mount version, of course, is rangefinder-coupled, allowing precise focusing even at close distances. In that sense, it can truly be called a dream come true.
The glass was polished at Rollei’s main factory in Germany, while the lens barrel was manufactured in Japan by Cosina. The barrel was then exported to Germany for assembly, and finally imported back into Japan after completion. Perhaps because of this complex manufacturing and distribution process, the lens carried a price tag close to 1.7 times that of the Rollei 35S at the time.
There is virtually no sign of use, and the lens remains in exceptionally clean cosmetic condition.
It received a full overhaul in December 2025. Although this lens is known to be difficult to disassemble, this example has been carefully serviced, resulting in very smooth operation of both the aperture and helicoid. Rangefinder coupling is spot on, and actual shooting tests produced excellent results.
The glass shows extremely minor coating wear that could not be completely removed during servicing, but it is only visible when held up to a strong LED light and should have virtually no effect on real-world images. For a Rollei Sonnar, the glass is impressively clear.
The matching-number original box, leather case, instruction manual, hood, and front and rear caps are all included.
