Are Rollei's digital cameras rebadged?

August 16, 2010 3:04 AM

Are modern Rollei digital point 'n shoots manufactured by someone else, and if so who?

I sort of remember reading that these cameras are similar to the leica/panasonic relationship, but my google-fu is failing me.

posted by unmake to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: Franke & Heidecke, who made the classic Rolleis, went bust last year, so any current Rollei-branded stuff is by definition made by someone else. The miniature reproduction Rolleiflex digital cameras were sold by Minox & 'manufactured by the Japanese company Sharan' (these people, perhaps?) The Rollei brand is now owned by a company called RCP Technik. Rebadged Ricoh and Kyocera digital cameras have been sold under the Rollei name in the past (at least according to this link). Apparently the current Rollei 'Compactline' range of digital point & shoot cameras are the same as the 'Traveler'-brand range sold in the UK by the budget supermarket Aldi: not sure where those are made, however, or who makes them.
posted by misteraitch at 3:47 AM on August 16, 2010

Best answer: On further googling, I see both Rollei & Traveler cameras have both been made by Premier Imaging, Taiwan, which, since 2006, has been part of Foxconn.
posted by misteraitch at 4:20 AM on August 16, 2010

The (fairly) recent Rollei 35RF was made by Cosina.
posted by scruss at 4:47 AM on August 16, 2010