Rolleiflex MiniDigi -- Does anyone have any experience with this product?

[imoldfashioned]

Hi All,

I’m in the market for a new digital camera and in my research I came upon this “MiniDigi”. It’s fashioned to look like a golden age Rolleiflex down to the waist level viewfinder and the crank mechanism but it is a digital camera. Does anyone have one of these? I love the look of it but I’m not sure about the image quality of a camera that is being marketed as “a fashion accessory too!”.

Thanks,

Sarah

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Looks really cool,...but does it perform well?

Are there any specifications given? Particularly as to resolution? The higher the number the greater the resolution. Also the zoom (if any) should be greater in the optical range as opposed to the digital. Digital zoom merely magnifies the pixels in a digital image which results in more distortion.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Info from the Minox Processing Labs site:
=
Resolution of up to 3.1 million pixels. Images are stored on a standard SD /MMC memory card and the camera is powered by a CR-2 lithium battery. Incl. neck strap, 32 Mbyte MMC memory card, battery and user's manual.
==
I believe that's better resolution than the earlier Minox digital cameras made to resemble old mechanical cameras (the screwmount Leica, etc.) had - but it's still nothing special by modern standards. These things are essentially toys for retro fans, not serious cameras...

A sad legacy for Minox to have come to, considering the engineering genius and incredible results of their famed subminiature film cameras. (I have two, dating to the 50s and 60s, and they are both excellent shooters, producing lovely pictures on a regular basis, despite their tiny 8x11mm negatives.)

 

[imoldfashioned]

Thanks for your input Doctor Strange. It's too bad--I'd buy if the technical quality were higher at this price point (around $200) or I'd buy if the price point were lower just because the design is so great. Maybe I should just save up for the real non-digital thing?

 

[Doctor Strange]

You're preaching to the choir here: it is the best time ever to get into old-school film photography. You can buy a great vintage TLR (or more recent medium format equipment) now for well under what it would have cost five years ago! Heck, folks are *giving away* great photo equipment left and right...

 

[Raffles]

there is one on ebay just now at a stupid price from a dealer in hong kong? I thought these were made in germany? Hmmm...[huh]

I would grab one of these if it were a bit cheaper just as a "carry about camera".

Does anyone else fit digital innards into classic bodies?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

This camera isn't "digital innards in a classic body" - this camera's only about 3" long, instead of 6" or so for the original Rolleiflex. I thought it would be a nifty little camera to carry around, but since it's over $300, I'll wait.