Mini Rolleiflex & Leica digital cameras
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Both Rolleiflex and Leica have miniature digital versions of their classic camera models.
The Rolleiflex Mini Digi AF 5.0 digital camera comes in both classic coal black and head-turning vivid red, though it is likely that anyone wearing a miniature Rolleiflex around his/her neck will be turning heads regardless. Weighing in at 2.7×4.4×6.2 inches and 15.7 ounces, the Rolleiflex Mini Digi fits right in the palm of your hand. Despite its intriguing size, the photos it produces are nothing to write home about.
It should be understood, however, that these cameras are only novelties and not meant to replace any DSLR or even a current point-and-shoot.
The camera captures classic square-cropped images at 5 MP (though more like 3 MP), albeit at low quality. The Rolleiflex Mini Digi can currently be purchased for $299 at Amazon.
Similarly, the Minox DCC Leica M3 weighs in at 2.9×1.1×1.7 and 3.8 ounces. Several users of the camera have noted that the body is clearly made with plastic, a disappointment to some, though reasonable given the size of the camera. Would anyone really want that small of a camera to weigh any more? It has more appeal to be worn as a novelty charm on a necklace than to be used as a serious camera. Either way, the camera’s charming quality makes it a great conversation piece and works just fine to take snapshots wherever you are. The Minox Leica has a 5 MP sensor with 3 MP hardware resolution. It can even take 320×240 video clips. The Minox DCC Leica M3 is on sale at Amazon for $149.