Me, I'm not even looking at the Rollei brand, I'm just happy there's a new film camera being released with an actually good lens that's not crazy amounts of money. Consider that the original Rollei 35 S cost something like $1650 in today's equivalent when it came out, and the Yashica T4 $600. $650-800 sounds reasonable for a very compact, decent quality AF camera (with the option to manually control exposure, I hope) with a Sonnar lens.

@RSA548

Ай бұрын

You know Pentax is making a modern film camera right?

@c.augustin

Ай бұрын

@@RSA548 Not much known about the new Pentax film camera (other than being half-frame, and some bits and pieces here and there) - the Rollei 35 looks to be much further in development.

Rollei (the brand) still stands for photography (and video), so they did stay in this area. In my view it might be a good move to get the Rollei brand on a camera, especially for a camera that has a similar look like the "original" Rollei 35. Feels quite right. But I also see a missed opportunity to go to something like "Rollei, made by MiNT", to pay into both brands (or on the strengths of both, like the history of Rollei, and the achievements of the lesser known brand MiNT).

@vekofoto

3 ай бұрын

I also wish MiNT were somehow mentioned and acknowledged on the final product. I don’t know if that’s actually a good idea for marketing. I just feel like it is them, and not the new Rollei who deserve the recognition. Last time MiNT had their camera rebadged as Rollei, there was zero information about MiNT on the camera or packaging. There is now zero information on that camera on the official Rollei website. According to a local photography shop, the Rollei subdivision that was responsible for returns/repairs is also gone. I had to deal with an issue with that camera, and I only was able to do it because I had already known about MiNT, so I could contact them, and they were great, as always. My guess is that not mentioning the actual manufacturer is common, however. The Leica instant film is simply Instax, and their instant cameras are most likely made by Fujifilm as well.

@GrainOnTheGo

3 ай бұрын

Yea they could’ve called it the Rollei MiNT35

@alexford6912

3 ай бұрын

Or: Rollei 35 in Mint condition. 😊

@c.augustin

3 ай бұрын

@@alexford6912 👍

@rst90274

Ай бұрын

Rollei has a reputation for generations of finely built, German engineered camera and optics. Mint has a reputation for kickstarter and hit or miss cameras and devices. I understand that people new to film cameras see Mint as innovative. Rollei knows their name is associated with quality, durability, reliability and excellent design. When I think Mint, I think China and instant cameras. They have a small, niche market.

I’ve always thought that Sony are missing out on releasing a Minolta branded film camera. Guess it has to do with their market, but still, they could expand into film. Then again, I understand it could be a complete gimmick, just like Kodak and Polaroid. These names evoque nostalgia for those of us who weren’t even born to see them in their prime.

You asked why Rollei was putting their name on binoculars and what that had to do with photography. You might ask the same of Leitz, Zeiss, Nikon, Canon & Olympus. They all have and still are making binoculars. Zeiss and Nikon both made binoculars and periscoipe lenses and prisms during WW2. In fact before 7 Dec 1941 many of the periscopes used by the Germans were made in Japan. The Zeiss binoculars used by the U-Boats were highly prized items when a U-Boat was captured. The long range binoculars made by Nikon for their navy in WW2 were said to be the best of their kind by the US Navy personnel that were able to recover them.

@thomasa.243

3 ай бұрын

And Polaroid also started as a brand to make sunglasses. So yeah 😅

@randallstewart1224

11 күн бұрын

The brands mentioned here, except for Rollei, all maintained non-photo divisions manufacturing a wide variety of optical products. Rollei made cameras and nothing else. To a large extent, Rollei didn't even make the lenses it put in its cameras until later in its existence. Rollei never licensed its brand name for use on other products. The use of the Rollei name to brand film and other produces was and is done by whoever bought the right to the trade name of Rollei from its bankruptcy liquidation..

I absolutely love the Rollei 35 cameras and am proud that the original ones were made in my country, Singapore. I also have in my collection the ones made in Germany after the cameras continued to be manufactured in Germany after their operations closed in Singapore . These compact cameras are great for travel and street photography and I am looking forward to try the Mint’s AF model. It’s good to see the revival of compact film cameras to cater for both experienced and beginners in film photography.

I own the Canon 10s (film) and it came with a booklet, each page had a formula. It also came with a pen barcode reader. You would turn to a page, let's say "stained glass inside a church." You'd run the barcode reader over the barcode on that page, put the reader into a spot on the camera, the camera sucked the whatever in and your shutter speed and aperture would be set based on ASA. The page would also give recommendations for lenses, etc.

Nico, I think you’re right. The Rollei name is highly diluted now. The new 35AF may be a killer machine. IDK. Commenters are also likely correct: If it works really well, they might get away with calling it Edsel, Pinto or Max-8. I’m not the target market. I bought a new Rollei 35B in 1978 (CAN$100). Loved it. Fully manual. Scale focus. The 3-element Triotar lens was darn good. I’m using a Rolleicord IV now (1954-1956) and suspect it would have to sell for US$2500+ now to be profitable at 5,000 units/year. Hearing “auto-focus”, I run in the opposite direction. Manual focusing is part of my creative vision. As noted: I’m not part of the target market. I agree with the comment(s) about electronic guts giving any camera a short fuse. Thanks for your thoughts on this. I think it’ll have to work REALLY well to turn a profit at US$ 800. Good luck, SIR. I’m in Victoria, BC.

@joseerazevedo

3 ай бұрын

Agree with you on AF. Out of focus many times is much more interesting and natural. That's why I love the original Rollei 35

So cool. Rollei 35 is one of my 3 daily camera with Leica M4 and Leica IIIa. Im so excited ^^

Personally more excited about this release than the pentax. I have a Rollei 35SE, love it but the added AF of the newbie will win me over. Nice update cheers.

So lidar, is that a coupled focusing system I wonder? It's not that impressive if it's still the same zone focusing system with a seperate lidar module.

What I wished for is a digital Rollei 35 in its iconic retro style. Analogue film photography is already fast replaced by digital, so why isn't Rollei savvy enough to make this icon come back in digital format? I'm sure it will be a hit again.

I would have liked to have seen Mint stick with their name on a project that they have done a lot of work on, but I can also understand why they went the Rollei route.... name recognition and distribution. We will see how it works out. I'd get this over the Pentax any day.

Would it have been better if it had interchangeable lenses? Hopefully we see someone coming out with one soon. Great to see new cameras being produced

Great video. RS. Canada

Hello Nicolas, I believe they already joined with rollei for the tlr that shoot instax. I think that using a old name like rollei or yashica can be a move to the old people that use those cameras in the past and have some connection with the name, but for mint as a brand doesn't make them to grow they name. But at least we are seeing new film cameras in the future. Cheers my friend 👍

I have a Rollei 35S which is a great camera. The 35AF seems to be quite cool. I'm OK with the Rollei brand being used. For me the price will be the biggest issue. The market will be for beginners and probably not me. I wish them luck and hope it does well. Compact size is a big factor.

BTW, Polaroid sunglasses predated the Polaroid Land camera.

@joseerazevedo

3 ай бұрын

And they were really good. My father used to sail with one

i wish was 28 mm lens variant but i dont know if is it possible for the lens design

@tonywhitmarsh

4 ай бұрын

Same here, was hopeful for that or for it to have interchangeable lenses but definitely a big ask a project like this

@SammyandTex2

4 ай бұрын

for sure

I'm looking forward to seeing what this looks like....wish they'd have a fully mechanical only version....

My take on the Rollei 35 series is "Null-Leica if it wasn't horrible to use, and was a little more pocketable."

I dig it. I’m such a fan of the 35s. I think the price is right for LiDAR etc. The branding is a nice throwback.

i need this like now for a trip lol. its a perfect camera to me idc

Pretty sure all legacy lens makers also make a ton of other products that need good glass. Binoculars, rifle scopes, microscope glass, medical glass, etc

What matters the most to me with respect to the name is if I can use my Rollei 35 accessories (filters, hoods, cases). If they fit then I think the name is just fine. Ultimately however what matters is how well it works and what the photos it makes look like.

We had the Leica CL and Minolta collaboration years ago, so best of luck to Mint and what’s left of Rollei! I hope it’s an awesome product for both the film community and perhaps will be a hit with the influencers 😎

Well, polaroid manufactured glasses since the beginning :P.

While I'm generally not a fan of today's Rollei and their business model consisting of re-branding other manufacturers' stuff, I don't really mind this camera being a Rollei. If it's a good camera, it's a good camera - it doesn't matter what badge is slapped on top of it. Rollei is, as far as I understand it, mostly a marketing company these days. Maybe that's exactly what a niche manufacturer like MiNT needs - a marketing partner and one with pockets deeper than their own.

I think it is a good idea to use the Rollei name as long as it lives upto the name. I am 70 been doing photography all my life and never heard of Mint and a new camera with this name would just pass me buy, as I think it would for many others.

I hope Mint will get a decent paycheck for their next project, and that we as a community prove to this subsection of legacy Rollei that investment in quality film cameras is profitable. Here’s hoping!

Good to see the industry following in my footsteps.

If they could keep the street price at $500 - I see a real future for this little guy.

As a big admirer of Rollei's ingenuity, craftsmanship and incredible system solutions, I share you thoughts. I find a shame their name is used on so may garbage today. Associating what seems to be a promising camera with this name might not be a good idea. It has the looks, it seems to have the quality, it could perfectly well be "Mint 35 AF, the new Rollei 35", lining the new camera directly to the legend instead of the products that use the name today. Another point that creates a problem here is the price range on a brand that today has this link problem. A bit too much, in my opinion, for someone to bet on something just for the fun of it. As I said I love Rollei incredible products - until the late 70's. I've one 35, two 35S, two Rolleiflex 3.5F and a P11.0 Universal slide projector which is a joy - if you never saw a 6x6 slide projected, you should look for the experience. Impressive! This was the Rollei to be admired, not the junk we see with their brand today. To which Rollei will today's consumers associate this camera? If you know how to shoot, with it, the 35 is a joy. I believe the 35 AF will be a pleasure to use and shoot with too. But we don't live in a film era anymore, so maybe the price pays its tax. If it were priced a bit above a good Rolli 35SE, it's have an edge - AF, which is wht keeps a lot of people away from the 35. But it seems to be positioned a bit higher, at least for me. 650-800 USD is a bit steep on my lis for a curiosity. But lets see how it does. I believe that with today's tchnology they have all the means to do very well. And I really hope they do!

I am happy to see a "new" film camera coming. But I have the same feelings. The only example of a good brand brought back is Voigtlander: it's no longer a German company, but they did good cameras and great lenses. I honestly don't love "overbranding." Thank you for sharing.

This is the content I didn't know I was craving. So good!

Rolleiflex forever ❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thanks for the infos. But I don't think the price is comparable to rollei 35s back in the day. It was top notch technology and had the small frame as a selling point. This Rollei 35AF from Mint is not state of the art, it is film. Of course companys can go and ask for more money, like Leica does with M6. Which costs as much as a digital M-Leica with senor technology and screen built in and stuff. That's why its good to see the price at 800$. Pentax aims at 500$ with their first film camera. It's a great time to be alive to have both coming to market at the same time and catering to different audiences.

3:45 Polaroid made sunglasses from the beginning

Pricey for a fixed lens body ?

@vekofoto

4 ай бұрын

A brand new manual/auto full-frame film camera with an f/2.8 5-element coated glass lens, a metal body, and autofocus AND Rollei branding. The original Rollei 35 price would be $3000 today.

On the other hand if the Mint manufactured camera is a good solid film camera with the true (but modernized) characteristics of the old Rollei 35AF then the camera could do a lot to elevate the Rollei name back into the camera world. Many of the other Rollei branded products are very good. It would be nice if Mint also added to the brand with the addition of a great camera.

I think it was wise to label the camera Rollei 35AF. This way they are able to catch much more attention and hopefully it will help them to get their investment back - fingers crossed - which will be hard to do anyway. So from a sales perspective this was a smart move. You don´t built up a name in no time. And if nobody knows you you don´t sell.

I would have to get one

I wouldn’t trust the new camera if the price was any less. Great video.

I’m hoping to buy this and also first comment

i think mint went for the rollei brand just because of the rollei 35 design and its popularity within film lovers. i think that will show as a smart move in the future.

Let's not make a race out of this! I am glad that the camera Mint are planing is different enough from Pentax' plans so both do not get in the way of each other too much. ASFAIK Mint did the "Rollei-Thing" before with the Instax TLR they made and I think the Name will help to get the new camera more talked about in the end. Especially for media people who are not verry deep into this film thing or even into photography ... they just see "It's a new Rollei camera after all this years ...." and so they talk and write about it without knowing what the Rollei brand has gone through and now is about... Also Nico one question directly to you: Are you sure that the tripod/filter/gimbal-Rollei is the one offering the name or is it the film/chemicals-Rollei ??

I like the jumper.

For me the Rollei is based on the legacy and not the distraction that happened in the last year, its a great reference and more likely push then stop the sucess

I hope it is a good camera for those who like it, as for me........I would rather stick to the old goodies, made properly and meant to last.

Making a Rollei35 without the Rollei name would be wrong and the Rollei name is still used to sell film, cameras and photographic equipment. It is not a dead brand selling its name to every Chinese dropshipper. It could be a kind of last step back into the realm of the living for Rollei.

MiNT would not have been able to use this design without the blessing of Rollei. So far of the once huge film camera manufacturing giants, only Ricoh has put it's money firmly behind a new camera. Rollei has taken a chance by licencing their name to a camera that does more than resemble one of their own. It's a modern copy financed by MiNT and their backers with little or no risk to Rollei. MiNT have built their reputation from the ground up and yes, maybe they should have some of their own branding, but what if Rollei are looking to get back into the camera business? If this new Rollei branded camera is as good as Rollei and MiNT think it is, Rollei are back in the camera business and it hasn't cost them a penny. It's a big swing at the resurgent market by both companies and it might just pay off handsomely for them.

Outside the enthusiastic analog film community, Mint (as a brand) is hardly known. It makes a lot of sense to me for Mint to brand“ their new camera with a household name. This will help sales and distribution tremendously. I assume the other household brands won’t put their names on a product they did not develop or produce themselves. So why not call it a Rollei 35 AF if it even resembles the original Rollei 35? If the quality is up to par, the consumer wont care and proudly wear a Rollei around his neck.

🤔 pentax with half frame or Rollei Mint with full frame. Definitely full frame😊

I disagree in this instance. Firstly, no one thinks about these things anywhere near as much as you do. Rollei is a huge name and the Rollei 35 is an icon. To remake the camera with Rollei name is very, very smart. Most people will just see Rollei and think wow, cool, that camera is back!! Whereas "Mint" means nothing to most people, even photographers.

@NicosPhotographyShow

23 күн бұрын

You are very right, I get too wound up with industry stuff. But MiNT doesnt mean a lot to normal roll photographers.

It may well be that Mint was not able to get this to production without the backing of a major balance sheet behind it. I think that most folk who remember Rollei will remember them for their high cachet TLR’s, not their rebranded green screens, or even Franke & Heidecke‘s pragmatic support of NSAPD. I’m pretty sure that Rollei branding can only help. It’s likely to attract a ton more folk who might be put off buying an electronics laden camera from a “startup brand” they’ve never heard of than will be put off by knowing that Rollei stopped making high precision German cameras decades ago. Rollei got thru the brand damage crisis that was foretold when they expanded manufacturing in Singapore in 1970. Time will tell, I am just happy for a big name full frame 35mm to be on the real horizon again, not the “maybe, sometime” horizon.

We need a WIN

Great review. I agree, but the film industry is tough, who wouldn’t care about film, they carry a $1k+ computer in their pocket casually, that is their photo maker. It will be too late, when they lose precious memories that are lost forever. I wish the young people today would understand how film photography saved real moments in time, even if it was just for a few decades. 😰

@jamesprivet

4 ай бұрын

B&W film on 35mm or medium format negatives is way more archival than digital files and preserves moments better imo.

Hollow brand engineering is a bit tawdry, but perhaps the generic products at Rollei have raised the capital to partner (buy into? IP?) Mint? A new film camera is excellent anyway. As I'm new to this channel (forgive me if I'm covering a well worn thread), but wtf doesn't Nikon release a film camera?? They still have the brand recognition, they'd have most to gain (new shooters into a stuttering system ecoverse) and they have all the IP and knowhow. Perhaps a technical impossibility with Z mount and reluctance to re-resource F Mount (doh!)? Film strikes me as too small for Canon or Sony (Minolta), but perhaps Fuji? I just think the big Japanese are missing a clear resurgence. Liking the content anyway!

Maybe they just wanted the Rollei camera design, and this was the best / most legal way to do it. Saves them a ton of money in R&D if they have a legacy camera body design ready to go.

Not sure why you’re conflicted. You said yourself it doesn’t sit right when traditional brands slap their names on GoPros and VR headsets. But this is completely the opposite. They’re making a film camera that looks exactly like a Rollei. And obviously the Rollei name is going to help them sell the camera. Let’s not pretend we don’t know that’s the reason

I did not know Color Checker was making jackets. :D

@NicosPhotographyShow

3 ай бұрын

Imagine the price!! You think Patagonia was expensive, but Color Checker....

If it sticks closer to 600, 599$ preferably it’s an instant buy. At 800$ it’ll be a much harder sell for me at least.

For that sort of money, it will still have to perform without any annoyances, and it will DEFINITELY have to be streets better than the plastic lens point and shoots that are out there for $50 or so. I am still excited, but I won't be lining up to buy this until I see some honest reviews and results. Remember Yashica? Jeez. I nearly hit the buy now button, before I saw the reviews!!!

It makes sense to me. They're literally making a Rollei 35 clone. If they can get the official branding, then why not? Seeing a relativley unknown "Mint" branding on what is clearly a Rollei 35 would feel more like a knockoff product to me. You mentioned Impossible Project buying the Poloroid and returning it to the photography world as a "Good story." I dont see how this is any different. I dont think any other camera brand has had has lost as much value as poloroid has when it comes to slapping its name on cheap Chinese junk (ok, Vivitar too). I dunno about Europe, but ive never seen Rollei bluetooth speakers and headphones at discount stores here in the states. I think the brand still holds plenty value.

Maybe instead of overthinking things we should just embrace new cameras being made.

I have enough pocket 35mm cameras so I won’t be buying one, but I am interested in the new Widelux that is in the works. Mainly because I don’t have a quality panorama film camera.

"If you want to use our camera tech IP you have to use our name"

It hurts always to hear the name spoken Rollee. The German -ei is pronounced like the english eye. Rolleye. But nonetheless I love your channel....😊

So many understandable questions. But maybe reach out to them and fill in the gaps? Still liked the vid.

The best compact film cameras to me are: Rollei 35SE/TE and Leica III with collapsible lens. Sure, there are PenF, Petri, Minox, … and all those eagle-eye plastic battery things later - until you realize, they’re disposable products, either by their nature or barely existing repairability. Overpriced nevertheless. Both the Rollei and the Leica can be maintained and repaired, today. None of the two new cameras, Rollei35AF or Pentax project will change that, they’re just new disposables. Once electronic is F*** there’s no life in them, as both rely on them to work and facilitate “youngsters” inspired photography. I’ll take a good Smartphone instead. What matters is the “print”ed photo.

@GiancarloBenzina

4 ай бұрын

Maybe I’ll buy another Leica, M-A, silver, new.

The world changes and nothing lasts forever. That's how the world works. Rollie was a great brand but somewhere along the line the world changed, Rollie messed up and there were consequences. It's the same story everywhere and for the same reasons: as a species we're really bad at predicting the future. Enjoy the choices you have while you have them: they won't be there forever.

When you consider just how much nostalgia might factor into the equation, my guess is that MiNT stands to do far better producing a Rollei-branded camera than were they to put their own name on it. Especially if the final product comes in at close to the size of the original Rollei 35 cameras. I'm not saying that new generations of photographers are necessarily already familiar with the Rollei's history or the Rollei brand for that matter. But when those new generations go online to research Rollei they are going to find all sorts of old school content that will likely appeal to them that they wouldn't find were they to research MiNT.

I think 90% of the people buying a souped up point and shoot don't even have any connection to the brand name Rollei, so who cares what they call it? Honestly, they would likely sell more if they called it "Herbie". I'll stick with my Oly 35rc which is probably smaller, and does auto and manual for a fraction of the cost. Has great glass too.

This is nothing new. Kyocera did it with Contax decades ago.

Yeah, and the current products (not the film) that Rollei has been slapping its name onto are of low quality.

"Rollei": It's not "Rollee" with "e" at the end, it's "Rolleye" with "eye" at the end. Also, it's not a long "o" like in "roll", it's a short "o" like in "doll". Why are even non-native English speakers think it's ok to butcher brand names like the ignorant US-Americans like to do?

@WRPugsley

3 ай бұрын

Accents exist. Also, "Ro-lee flex" sounds smoother than the clunky "Rall-eye-flex"

@VirtualGuth

3 ай бұрын

"Why are even non-native English speakers think it's ok to butcher brand names like the ignorant US-Americans like to do?"

@grody_highroller

3 ай бұрын

Because that sounds exactly like the American city Raleigh, North Carolina. Why would Rollei be pronounced the same way?

@Dahrenhorst

3 ай бұрын

@@grody_highroller It's not like Raleigh. If you want to take that example, it would be like Roleigh, with an "o", not an "a".

@Dahrenhorst

3 ай бұрын

@@VirtualGuth I like to believe that, true to his professionalism in his work, Nico would like to know how to pronounce brand names correctly, which may be foreign to him. On the other hand, while spending a year in the USA and working 10 years for US organisations in Europe, I know that the Americans simply don't care and rather choose to ignore tradition and culture outside of their own country, to the extend of not investing any effort in learning how to pronounce non-English words. Also, I know that there are some, who do care, and I only intend to help them to learn how to pronounce words like Rollei. Please forgive, that my frustration about the attitude of US-Americans to other cultures sometimes stains my responses. Especially, when non-Americans for some reason try to mimic this American habit.