Mint’s Massive Rollei 35AF Film Camera Gamble Has Paid Off

Jeremy Gray

A vintage Rollei 35 AF film camera with a wrist strap lies on a wooden floor, partially lit by sunlight streaming through a window.

Mint’s Rollei 35AF camera arrived late last year after a ton of hype and years of anticipation. Pre-orders sold out quickly, and the company announced that it has just today fulfilled all its initial pre-orders from excited analog photographers.

While the camera arrived with a few quirks that held it back in PetaPixel‘s eyes, there is no doubt that Mint put a lot of time, money, and love into making the new Rollei 35AF film camera. Launching a brand-new film camera requires a lot of hard work, and the Rollei 35AF’s launch was just one part of the culmination of that effort. Mint deserves a ton of respect and kudos for its work and the risks it took to make the Rollei 35AF a reality.

A vintage Rollei 35 AF film camera with a silver and black body is placed on a wooden surface against a dark background.
Rollei 35AF

The company described its research and development efforts for the Rollei 35AF as “sky high” in 2023, and the company admitted that it was essentially gambling its entire operation on the project. It was a giant swing, and it appears it has paid off.

“First of all, thank you,” the company opens in its latest blog post. “The response to the Rollei 35AF pre-order was beyond anything we imagined. We knew this camera would be special, but we didn’t expect demand to explode in just 72 hours. To ensure we could deliver without compromising quality, we had to pause pre-orders — way sooner than we wanted.”

Black and white photo of a tall highway overpass and its thick supporting pillars, viewed from below, with dramatic shadows and upward perspective emphasizing the structure’s size and geometric lines.

The orders, which “came like a tidal wave,” arrived from all over the world, including New York, Kyoto, Portland, Hong Kong, Bristol, Seoul, Ljubljana, Dubai, Berlin, Oslo, Adelaide, Cape Town, and more.

“Film isn’t just alive; it’s thriving everywhere. It’s incredible. Photography truly has no boundaries,” Mint continues.

“The last nine months have been a whirlwind of sleepless nights, relentless production challenges, and countless small victories. Building a camera from the ground up—every part, every detail — is no small feat. But the Rollei 35AF team pushed hard to make it happen without cutting corners.”

Two people walk on a winding dirt road through a grassy field with trees and distant mountains under a clear blue sky. One person wears a hooded jacket and holds papers, while the other wears a dark coat and hat.

Black and white photo of a rustic wooden barn interior with a handcart leaning against a wooden wall, a pile of hay, and a window above wooden steps letting in light.

The company is now on its fifth production run of the camera and says it has made improvements since the initial launch. The company did not respond to PetaPixel‘s requests to specifically say which modifications have been made, but the company is adamant that the Rollei 35AF is only getting better with time.

“Thank you for your support,” Mint concludes. “We are just getting started.”

While the Rollei 35AF is currently out of stock in both Chrome and Black colorways, it should not be long before the next wave of analog photographers can place their orders and get their hands on the Rollei 35AF.

Image credits: Chris Niccolls

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