The Rollei brand turns 100

Rollei has reinvented itself

Hamburg/Norderstedt, January 24, 2020 – Photography at the highest level has always distinguished the Rollei brand. Everyone knows the name, and many are aware of its illustrious history. Today, while the products are somewhat different from back then, the Rollei brand has once again become well-known and strong with them. Exclusive products, limited to 100 pieces, crown the celebration of the brand's 100th anniversary.

Decades of camera history as well as revolutionary and groundbreaking developments in photography technology are associated with the Rollei brand. The founding company Rollei became famous, among other things, for the legendary twin-lens Rolleiflex 6x6 camera, which went into series production as early as 1929. Later, from 1967 onwards, the company sold more than 3 million units of its "shirt pocket camera," the 35 series – a record! It was thus the best-selling 35mm camera in the world at that time.

For many reasons, the former company Rollei was considered a pioneer in the photographic industry. In 1954, for example, the "Rolleimarin," an underwater housing for the popular Rolleiflex, went into series production. Inspired by diver Hans Hass, a way was developed to photograph the underwater world. For almost 20 years, the Rolleimarin was considered the nonplus ultra for underwater photographers. Another pioneering act was the opening of a production site in Singapore in the early 1970s to serve the Asian market from there.

A long period of great success lies behind the company Rollei, but the old camera manufacturer no longer exists in that form. Since 2010, the worldwide brand rights belong to a young company that has embraced the advent of digital technology in photography and lives the passion for photography.

Creating creative freedom

The new company, based in Norderstedt near Hamburg, has recognized what matters most: photography must succeed, create creative freedom, and be easy to implement. A photo can only turn out well if everything is right during the shot. With an extensive product range of tripods, filters, flashes, camera bags, photo backpacks, action cams, and comprehensive accessories, the new owner of Rollei's worldwide brand rights has successfully positioned itself in the market. The innovative management is breaking new ground, but at the same time is mindful of the tradition of the Rollei brand, which has had an outstanding reputation among professional and amateur photographers for 100 years. Supporting photographers is now the new and successful credo. A picture of the starry sky, for example, can be achieved with a Rollei filter, in ice and snow with extraordinarily robust tripods, and flash in poor light conditions. The motto is clear: "Around the camera for a better picture." The new Rollei has thus become the German market leader in tripods, for example.

Limited Edition

To mark the 100th birthday of the Rollei brand on February 1, the photo accessories provider has come up with something very special. Two filter sets, limited to 100 pieces, which are provided with the unique laser engraving "Limited Edition", will be offered exclusively at an anniversary price. Each filter set will also receive an individual sticker on the filter packaging with a continuous, unique production number. The first set contains one ND32000, ND4000, ND2000, ND1000, ND64 and one ND8 filter each. Rollei will offer this extensive filter set in a limited quantity at a price of €299.99.
The second set consists of the existing Starter Kit, which has been extended with the Astroklar filter and is also offered in a limited quantity for €249.99 to mark the birthday.

Both filter sets will be available from January 27, 2020 at www.rollei.de

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