When my uncle Jorge Sá Dantas knew that I was collecting cameras he invited me to his house and gave me a Nikon F-601, that I told you about in an older post, and this beautiful Rollei A110.
In the 1970's Kodak introduced the 110 film cassettes and nobody wanted to loose that train, so Rollei presented this precious little camera at 1974 Photokina.
It was a sensation. When closed it was smaller than the boxes where the film cassettes came in.
It also was the most expensive camera of this type sold at the time. That's why they went to Singapore, in 1978, to make it and lower the prices.
The building materials are mostly metal and some durable plastic parts, with a smooth black paint finish.
It uses a push-pull movement to advance the film and cock the shutter.
When it's pulled open it displays the Rollei-Tessar, 1:2,8 f=23mm, lens and tuns on the light meter.
The lens is manually focused, using the orange slider, under it, focus symbols and distance indications, both in meters and feet, are displayed in the surprisingly big and bright viewfinder. It focus from 1 m to infinity.
The Rollei-Prontor electronic controlled shutter has a speed range from 4 sec. to 1/400.
An innovative shutter/aperture control was used in this camera. When the shutter is cocked, the shutter blades open and the aperture blades close, releasing the shutter causes the aperture blades to open and at the end of the programmed exposure the shutter blades close. This choreography is controlled by the fast silicon photo diode, which has it's own set of diaphragm blades, synchronized with the ones controlling the aperture.
The AE program has a range from f2.8 - 4s to f16 - 1/400.
There is a cube flash adapter to attach to it's side.
Size: 30 x 44 x 84 mm (100 mm opened)
Weight: 185 g (with battery)
I have got some 110 films I have to get a replacement for the defunct, mercury PX27/5,6 V, battery and give it a try.
Stay tuned (o;
I have just equipped my A110 with film, battery and flash cube's :-) Ready to roll now :-)
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