Rollei 35 AF: the star of 1970s film compacts returns with autofocus

After making a name for themselves with the revival of Polaroid and then the development of new instant cameras, the small team of MINT enthusiasts has just completed their most ambitious project: the resurrection of the Rollei 35, one of the smallest and most compact cameras in the history of 35mm film. Yes, you read that right, this is a new body and not a retrofit (old bodies are taken and brought up to date by changing a few parts).

Named with the blessing of the Rollei group – now a machine for selling its license – this small device returns in a similar format, but with weight improvements. The first is clearly designated by its suffix.

A Rollei with autofocus!

While Rollei has developed many successful cameras, such as the Rolleiflex, the Rollei 35, marketed from the end of the 1960s and subsequently released in many versions (B, C, S, TE, SE, etc.), is one of the most iconic and mass-produced.

All versions of this camera, however, worked with zone focusing (focus zone) much less accurate than a rangefinder or stigmometer. This is where the 2020s and MINT's work are changing the game. The company's engineers took advantage of the incredible drop in price of miniature LIDAR sensors (thanks, the huge volumes of the smartphone market!) to integrate an AF system based on this technology.

The original optical block could not be kept, because it had not been developed for autofocus (retrofocus and minimum focus too important, as we learn in one of the many development posts). The 35 mm f/2.8 lens (f/16 maximum) has therefore been revised accordingly and thus offers compatibility with AF, as well as a minimum focusing distance of 70 cm.

On the viewfinder side, the compact format requires a bit of a cramped equipment: a magnification of x0.5 and a coverage of 90%. The lens therefore sees a bit wider than your eye will see. As for the shutter speeds, this goes from 1/500 to the second with a bulb position for very long exposures.

As in the past, everything is adjusted using the famous dials that clutter the front of this miniature device. Unlike the Pentax 17 recently launched, this one features an all-metal construction. A huge plus for photographers who want to rediscover the real “solid” feel of old-school cameras. A body old school which however integrates, in addition to the LiDAR, a small (and modest) Oled screen.

Until today (September 12, 2024), the case will be available for pre-order, with the MINT teams preferring to limit the number of orders to fulfill them within an acceptable time frame.

A story of tariff

The Chrome version is launched at €885 and the black version at €914. While these prices are high, they seem more justified to us than the €549 of the Pentax 17, which only captures images in half-format. The MINT body is made of metal and covers the image circle of 24×36 films. Let's add that the lens partly uses a popular formula and that the small team managed to add an autofocus system when Pentax engineers kicked it into touch.