Matériel · 2026-09-04

Rollei 35 AF: The Legendary Compact Returns, With Autofocus and a Price Tag to Match

The original Rollei 35 is about as close to a gold standard as compact cameras get. Back in 1966, Heinz Waaske pulled off something that shouldn't have been possible: a quality lens, a light meter, and a mechanical shutter all packed into a body that fits in the palm of your hand. Decades later, the Rollei name, licensed through Hong Kong-based MINT Camera, is back with a LiDAR autofocus system, automatic exposure modes, and a launch price of around €849 (October 2024). In Canadian dollars, you're comfortably past the $1,200 mark.

The question isn't whether it looks good. It does. The question is what you're actually getting for that money.

An Legacy You Can't Ignore

You can't evaluate the Rollei 35 AF without talking about where it came from. The classic Rollei 35 was the smallest full-frame compact of its era, and it's still among the most compact cameras ever built. It had its quirks: zone focusing, a reversed film advance direction, the need to fold the lens back in before pocketing the camera. But it was a serious tool with remarkable optics. The 35S in particular, with its Zeiss Sonnar 40mm f/2.8, is still held up as a reference point decades later.

The 35 AF borrows the general silhouette: square body, metal construction, front-mounted dials for aperture and shutter speed. Side by side on a table, the two cameras look related. In the hand, though, a few things stand out. The 35 AF is slightly larger than the original but noticeably lighter, around 284 grams with battery and film loaded, versus 380 grams for the original 35S. That weight difference tells you something about how the two generations were built.

Key specs at a glance: weight and focal length, Rollei 35S vs Rollei 35 AF. Values from manufacturer data.

What LiDAR Autofocus Changes, and What It Doesn't Fix

Zone focusing on the original Rollei 35 was accurate enough if you paid attention. It was also the reason plenty of photographers never bought one in the first place. The 35 AF replaces all of that with a LiDAR system that covers 70cm (about 28 inches) to infinity.

In practice, LiDAR does its job in most situations: daylight, normal subject distances, street work. The autofocus is reliable and the lens delivers sharp images with good microcontrast. For travel or relaxed street shooting, the system holds up fine.

The Lens: The Real Argument

What makes the 35 AF genuinely interesting beyond the nostalgia factor is the glass. The 35mm f/2.8 produces sharp images with good detail and solid contrast. This isn't the kind of plastic optic you'd find on a mass-market point-and-shoot from thirty years ago. Results on film show strong centre sharpness, reasonable edge-to-edge rendering, and none of the cheap, soft look you get from the lower-end compacts that have been enjoying their own revival lately.

The focal length choice is worth a note. Where every classic Rollei 35 used a 40mm lens, the 35 AF goes with 35mm, a slightly wider angle. The original 40mm was a nice middle ground between tight portraits and architecture, with minimal corner distortion. The 35mm is more generous for street work, but you do lose a bit of what made the original's field of view distinctive. Not a dealbreaker, just something to know before you buy.

The Controls: A Hybrid Approach

The 35 AF sets itself apart from nearly every other 35mm compact by offering real manual control over both shutter speed and aperture. Unlike the original, you can shoot aperture priority or go fully manual. The dials sit on the front face, same as the classic. There's also an LT mode for long exposures up to 60 seconds.

This is one of the most compelling arguments for the 35 AF over something like a Contax T2 or an Olympus Stylus Epic: you're not locked into the program mode. An experienced shooter can set aperture and let the camera handle speed, or take full control with an external meter if that's your preference. Shutter speeds run from 1 second to 1/500th, with LT modes available beyond that range.

The built-in flash is there, DX coding reads automatically from the cartridge, and you can override ISO manually. Loading is standard compact-style, none of the original's upside-down film advance gymnastics.

Control and exposure mode comparison between the original Rollei 35 and the 35 AF.

Rollei 35 AF vs. Contax T2: The Inevitable Comparison

When you're spending over $1,000 on a compact film camera, the Contax T2 conversation is unavoidable. The T2 is a late-1980s/early-1990s vintage body with a legendary Carl Zeiss Sonnar 38mm f/2.8, near-indestructible build quality, and serious collector status on the used market. It also now routinely fetches over $1,000 on the secondhand market, with no warranty and no guarantee of what condition the electronics are actually in.

The 35 AF has the obvious advantage of being new, with a warranty, and the manual exposure control is more direct than what the T2 offers. On the other side, the T2 has a wider focusing range, a reputation for faster autofocus, and decades of documented optical performance behind it.

The real question isn't which lens is technically better. It's whether you want something new, predictable, and covered, or a classic you're willing to gamble on. Both are reasonable positions depending on what you're after.

	Rollei 35 AF	Contax T2
Condition	New, with warranty	Used, no warranty
Lens	35mm f/2.8	Carl Zeiss Sonnar 38mm f/2.8
Autofocus	LiDAR (70 cm–∞)	Active AF, wider range
Exposure control	Manual + Aperture Priority	Program / limited manual
Market price	~€849 / ~$1,200–1,300 CAD	$1,000+ used, variable

On the Price

€849 at launch, shipping to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from October 2024, with other territories following from January 2025. In Canada, with taxes and the exchange rate, you're typically looking at $1,200 to $1,300.

That's defensible if you want a new, serious compact with genuine manual controls and an honest lens, produced in limited quantities with evident care. It's harder to justify if you're expecting heirloom-grade solid brass construction like the German originals from the 1960s. The 35 AF is metal, it has the Rollei 35 silhouette, but it's larger than the original and noticeably lighter. Contemporary rather than mechanical in the old-school sense.

It's not a collector's piece in the traditional sense. MINT Camera's lineup tends to target shooters who value the experience as much as the mechanics, and the 35 AF fits that approach. Worth knowing going in.

Going Further

If you're seriously considering the 35 AF, a few practical thoughts before hitting "order":

Start with a mid-range film stock. Kodak Gold 200 or Fuji Superia 400 will give you an honest read on what the lens can do without burning through your film budget. Save the Portra 400 or HP5 Plus for once you know the camera.
Look at the Lomography LC-A+ if maximum compactness matters more to you than manual control. It's more accessible, less premium-feeling, but it has a 32mm f/2.8 with its own distinctive rendering.
Compare against a vintage Rollei 35 SE or 35S if you're comfortable with zone focusing. A clean 35S with the Zeiss Sonnar still turns up for $150 to $300 depending on condition, and that lens is genuinely hard to beat. The learning curve is real, but so is the reward.