P&S Question - Rollei & Fuji

[emberdays]

To anyone out there in the know, is there some sort of connection

between Rollei of Germany and Fuji as far as their smaller cameras

go? I'm in the market for a nice pocketable "daily use" point and

shoot and considering a single focal length like the Rollei Prego 30

(38 mm f/3.5). However during my search I also noticed a similarity

between the higher end P&S Fujifilm Klasse and the Rollei AFM 35.

 

Also the smaller P&S AF zooms like the Rollei Prego 100 and the

Fujifilm Zoom Date 1000 seem very similar too. They both have the

same 28-100 lens range with same aperture range at both ends as

well. Only the Rollei is labeled to have a Rollei Apogon HFT lens

and the Fuji has a Fujinon lens. Viewfinder position, layout of

various AF and metering sensors, and shape of the flash all seem to

be the same too. The only difference really seems to be the color,

cosmetic trim, and badging.

 

Probably same camera right? Maybe a difference in coatings on the

lenses? And before someone comments on my consideration for a P&S

in the first paragraph, yes I've had the fabled Olympus Stylus Epic

in the past with it's 35 mm f/2.8 lens but I've always hated the

shape of the body, the feel of the plastic finish, and the mushiness

of the shutter button.

[humanist]

Jason, I don't know the exact nature of the connection between

Fujifilm and Rollei, but it's quite clear that there is one, at least in

the P&S department. The Klasse and the AFM 35 are the exact

same camera, although it's possible that the lens coatings differ

according to brand. In either case, it's a pretty good camera (with

a high price tag...), and the Rollei version got top marks for

optical quality in the major Swedish photo magazine "Foto"

(which tends to be much more critical in its assessments than,

for instance, Popular Photography).

 

The Fuji Zoom Date 1000, which is indeed the same camera as

Rollei Prego 100, also got fairly good reviews, but I don't think

you'll come close to the Klasse/AFM in image quality with it - it's

more of a run-of-the-mill zoom P&S, while the AFM is a high-end

fixed focal length camera.

 

As for your actual question, I'm not so sure the Prego 30 is a

good choice. It may have a good lens - haven't tried it so I don't

know - but the specs are very limited (only accepts 100, 200, and

400 speed films, no exposure compensation). If you can find it,

the Rollei Prego Micron would probably be a better pick - but

again, if you can afford it the AFM 35 is in another league entirely,

not least because of its manual control capabilities: you can

adjust aperture, exposure compensation and even focus

manually if you wish.

 

Regards, //Kenneth

[emberdays]

Actually yeah the AFM35 would be nice but it's not a truly pocketable size and it costs 3 times as much. I'm looking for a less expensive very simple snapshot camera with decent optics and metering but not a whole lot of other bells and whistles. If I'm going to be in a situation where I'll want more creative control, then I'll have my SLR with me.

[Brian]

Interesting. I heard that Samsung and Rollei had a deal as well. Or is Fuji owned by Samsung? Also the new Rollei rangefinder is a re-badged Cosina/Voigtlander. Is there anybody else in bed with Rollei?

[chris_henry1]

Rollei appears to have deals with several manufacturers when it comes to their point and shoot cameras. The AFM35, a very good camera, is a rebadged Fuji design. The Prego Micron was a rebadged Ricoh design.

Some of the Rollei Prego zooms were collaborations with Samsung (when Samsung was their parent company). At least with the Prego Micron, the camera is marked made in Germany, so they were not simply dual badging off the same assembly lines.