The Smallest 35mm Film Camera Ever Made
Comparing Minox 35, Olympus XA, Rollei 35, Minolta TC-1 + Six More
7 min read by Dmitri.Published on . Updated on .
In this article: Method for rankings and measurements. The smallest 35mm film camera. 2nd smallest 35mm film camera. 3rd smallest 35mm film camera. Honourable mentions. More tiny full-frame cameras. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!
Photographic film is a flexible high-resolution image sensor less than 1mm thick. It needs no electricity/no batteries to function, and it weighs just 20g/.7oz when it’s a 35mm canister capable of capturing 36 full-frame exposures.
Film is still unsurpassed by digital technologies in terms of miniaturization potential for full-sized frame formats.
The only downside (other than the limited number of exposures and the need to develop and scan before seeing an image) is the need for mechanical components for transporting film to the next frame.
By the late 1980s, lens designs became advanced enough to achieve very close focus without needing a long barrel when projecting an image onto a full-frame “sensor.” Mechanical assemblies and material science were also at the high levels we expect from consumer electronics today. But digital technology was far from its prime, and so film was at the core of the most compact high-performing cameras.
This article lists the 10 smallest consumer full-frame cameras ever made — this includes film and digital bodies in 2023. Compare the winner in this category to any lightest full-frame mirrorless today and you’ll notice that thirty-year-old analogue point-and-shoots greatly outperform modern cameras when it comes to size.
Below, you will find the rankings of ten of the smallest full-frame 35mm film cameras I’ve ever owned (with the clear winner at the top). Each of these cameras claimed to be the smallest, the lightest, or something very close to that. The oldest camera on the list is the Rollei 35, which was the first successful attempt at creating a full-frame pocketable body with an integrated lens — all the way back in the 1960s. Before then, the smallest camera would’ve been a Leica, which popularized the 35mm film format in the 1920s.
Method for rankings and measurements.
Volume by dimension is the ranking factor in this list. To calculate the dimensions, I am using the numbers listed in the manuals for these cameras. If the manual is not available, I am using my own measurements with a calliper. As mentioned above, all the cameras in this list must make full-frame 24×36mm exposures on film.
Of course, volume isn’t the only deciding factor when it comes to portability. The weight and the shape are also important — I will go over them with each camera but will not use them for calculation position. If you’re looking to own a pocketable full-frame camera, there may be other things to consider, such as price, ease of use, lens quality, etc. — I will add a link to my reviews with each listing.
And so, without any further ado:
The smallest 35mm film camera.
🥇 Minolta TC-1 is the smallest full-frame 35mm film camera ever made. It measures 99×59×29.5mm (172,310mm³) and weighs 185g (6.5oz).
There’s more to TC-1 than its tiny size: it has one of the sharpest and very contrasty 28mm lens with circular apertures, it’s fully motorized, and it has excellent controls for its size with a full suite of advanced functions such as spot meter, custom ISO and exposure settings, flash functions — and it remembers them all through power cycles. Plus, the body is made of ultra-strong and very light titanium alloy.
2nd smallest 35mm film camera.
🥈Rollei 35 is the second-smallest 35mm film camera ever made. It measures 97×60×32mm (186,240mm³) and weighs 370g (13oz).
Introduced in 1965, this camera was paraded by Elizabeth II and millions of others all the way until 2015, when the last copies were made.
Aside from being famous, this camera comes with a feature even the most advanced point-and-shoot on this list can not match: full manual control over a battery-independent mechanical shutter and aperture. On top of that, Rollei 35 cameras have a hot shoe, a filter thread, an excellent 𝒇2.8 40mm lens (on some versions), and a built-in uncoupled meter.
There are many versions of this camera made with slight variations over the fifty years in production. I reviewed the high-end Rollei 35 S and budget-friendly Rollei 35B.
3rd smallest 35mm film camera.
🥉 Fujifilm Cardia Tiara I & II, a.k.a. Fujifilm DL Super Mini, is the third-smallest 35mm film camera ever made. It measures 99.8×60×31.5mm (188,622mm³) and weighs 153g (5.4oz).
This camera comes exceptionally close to being the smallest by volume on this list. It looks nearly identical in size to the winner — TC-1 — but the numbers don’t lie.
Still, it may feel the lightest in your pocket as it’s less than half the weight of the Rollei 35 and 32g lighter than TC-1, thanks to its ultra-thin aluminum body construction.
Fujifilm Cardia Tiara I & II review.
Honourable mentions.
As the size and the weight of the camera grows, so does the number of options. Still, all of the cameras in this list are incredibly small, and many come with revolutionary for the time features.
Minox 35 GT is the 4th smallest 35mm film camera by volume. It measures 101×62×31mm (194,122mm³) and weighs 190g (6.7oz).
Made in the 1970s, this camera comes very close to the above winners, most of which were manufactured in the 1990s — twenty years after the Minox 35 GT entered the market.
In the 1970s, titanium was only made for warplanes, and miniature electric motors were not a thing. But we were already really good at moulding plastic — which, together with miniature precision mechanics, helped Minox develop a camera that was remarkably small and light — even by today’s standards. Better yet, it was produced on a scale that made it one of the most affordable options on this list. However, you will need to learn how to zone focus (it’s not hard), as there is no autofocus and no rangefinder.
Revue 35 XE, a.k.a Voigtländer Vito C, a.k.a. Blada CA35, is the lightest 35mm film camera on this list. It measures 103×62×32mm (204,352mm³) and weighs 147g (5.2oz).
This camera is probably the least-known one on this list, but it’s a lot of fun to handle and certainly deserves a spot in the rankings for its remarkable portability.
Chinon Bellami is the smallest camera with a 1/1000s shutter on this list. It measures 105×63×33mm (218,295mm³) and weighs 220 grams (7.8oz).
As far as I know, Chinon Bellami is the only film camera (aside from the Voigtlander Vitessa series) that features the barn-door retractable lens cover design. Better yet, it has a sharp lens and is still very affordable (copies can be found for less than $200).
More tiny full-frame cameras.
There were many more pocketable full-frame film cameras made, a lot of which I reviewed on this blog (but not all). Including:
Pentax Espio Mini — 107×60×35mm (224,700mm³), 155g (5.4oz).
Olympus Mju II Stylus Epic — 108×59×37mm (235,764mm³), 145g (5.1oz).
Ricoh FF-1s — 107×65×36mm (250,380mm³), 225g (8oz).
Olympus Infinity Stylus — 117×63×37 (272,727mm³), 170g (6oz).
❤ By the way: Please consider making your tiny camera purchases using the links above so that Analog.Cafe may get a small percentage of that sale — at no extra charge for you — thanks!