Who made this?

[Doug T.]

Hi All !
I got this one yesterday for 9 USD, and thought that it would make a nice addition to my point & shoot collection.

I know it's marked Rollei, but I also know that it wasn't made by them.
My questions are these; who made this thing and when did they make it?
My guess would be Chinon, sometime in the mid 80's, but I also saw a blurb that said it might be made by Konica.
I just don't know
It's marked Japan, and has the serial #051350802.
Doug

[photax]

Hi Doug !

I remember this camera from my time as a salesman at a photographic trade ( was no bestseller then ). This was in the very early 1980`s, but I also don`t know who made this.
Great find !

MIK

[nikkortorokkor]

Doug,

My attempts to turn up info on a maker have come up nil.

The Rolleimat AF-M is functionally all but identical to the Minolta Hi-Matic AF2, except that the Minolta is manually wound on as well as off.

It looks like the Rollei flash pops up when switched on, as does the Minolta.



Also like the Rollemat, the AF2 uses 2 standard AA batteries.

As homely as these simple, two step AF point and shoots are, I think it is a worthy project to collect them. They certainly way outperform the "superzoom" P&S cameras of the 90s.

The Minolta's 38/2.8 vignettes noticeably, but is otherwise pleasant. It was my "bush and beach" camera before digital superseded it.



I am annoyed that whilst out in the bush, I lost the AF2s clever lens cap which covers the VF as well as the lens.

[John Farrell]

My guess is that Cosina made it......