Even when digital took over the market, rolls of emulsion continued to be used by hobbyists and professionals alike. A small crew in Amsterdam wants to give you a new way to fill up. Their innovation, the aF-1, is a 35mm point-and-shoot camera designed from the ground up.
Analogue, the company behind this, has a photography shop and design studio in the Dutch capital. They started talking about the aF-1 in January, just after Pentax and Rollei announced their own revivals. Skeptics raised an eyebrow—building a full-featured film camera from scratch is like chasing ghosts in an abandoned factory. But here we are on the last day of September with a prototype in hand and pre-orders open. The team calls this a milestone, the result of many tests and changes that helped them overcome the obstacles. Mass production starts in December, cameras will ship to backers early next year.
- 📷 Film-saving: You can have twice as many images per roll. For example, a film roll with 36 exposures can yield around 72 half-frame photos -...
- 📷 Lightweight and Easy-to-use: The pocket-size camera is light and tiny, and hence convenient for you to bring along daily. Since its...
- 📷 Built-in Flash: Turning on the flash by adjusting the silver ring around the lens so that you can use KODAK EKTAR H35 during days and nights,...
When you hold the aF-1 it feels like it belongs on the streets, not in a museum. The sliding lens cover has a firm grip and sharp edges, one handed operation is effortless. The cover opens to reveal a fixed 35mm lens at f/2.8, six glass elements in four groups—a Double Gauss design that promises sharp results with no hassle. Light enters wide enough to shoot dark corners, closes to f/16 when you need depth. The whole thing covers a 63 degree angle, frames situations with a natural width like Olympus and Contax classics.
A LiDAR sensor bounces light off targets, times the return to lock in sharply from 0.5 meters away to forever. It cuts through glass if you’re shooting from a car window, and a two stage shutter button lets you focus before you click. An LED lights up to confirm, keeps you informed. Shutter speeds from 1/1000 to 4 seconds, auto-exposure detects the room—or roll—on the fly.Drop in a DX-coded cartridge and the camera will adjust the ISO from 25 to 5000. It winds 36x24mm frames and then rewinds the whole roll when you’re done. If you need to change rolls mid-roll press the button to force an early pull. One CR123A battery will power it for a few trips. It’s splash proof up to IPX4 so it can withstand light rain and comes with a 2 year warranty.
Focusing is simple with an Albada viewfinder, which is clear and straightforward with lines for straight / close up. Parallax stays low so what you see is what you get. When light is low, a built in flash kicks in—GN8 power at 3m at ISO 100, recycling in 0.5 to 3 seconds. The modes include auto pops, forced fills, red-eye repairs, night scenes, and just off. A 10-second self-timer completes the package for those group settings where no one wants to play tripod.
Pre-orders through the Analogue shop are €450 or around $566. That’s a fair price for something this comprehensive especially since used gems from the 1990s are selling for double that on the second hand market. Production starts in December with delivery in the first quarter of 2026.
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