With the Rollei name and the high price, I expected that this would be a fairly functional camera. Given the size, I did not expect it to take pictures in the dark or to use it to shoot sports. However, I did expect quality and that was very short in supply when I opened the box.
Looking at the outside of it, it is very nicely put together. Very clean and professional looking. But when it comes down to functionality, one can barely use the word, "functional."
The upper lens is fake. All of the knobs on the L side of the body are fake. The camera will not remember your settings for photo resolution, so it is necessary to reset that every time you turn the camera on (if you shoot at anything other than default, that is). Slow focusing and even slower photo capturing. There is significant time between pressing the shutter and actual scene capture. Add to that, time to write to the Mini-SD card. Once that's done, you have to crank the handle on the R side before taking another photo. I understand that it's a replica of a functional film camera, but since they opted out of making the other buttons functional, why include the one that would make taking photos more of a pain? Photo quality is not good. Period. Perhaps I've been spoiled by owning Japanese cell phones that have been able to take clear, beautiful shots for many many years. And not a single one of my phones cost more than this thing.
If I were to attach a price tag to this, I think I would stick it at US$15 for the HIGH side. Over US$300 for this over-priced junk made in a sweatshop is beyond ridiculous.
Be very wary if you are contemplating the purchase of the AF5.0. I saw one reviewer on here who was more than happy with hers and downplayed the minuses stated by other reviewers. My thought is that person is a shill for Rollei or simply has no eye for quality and is willing to be happy with whatever they are given. I believe most folks will *not* be happy upon receiving this item after ordering it. It is very cute. Very much an attention-gathering device. But that in no way, shape or form justifies the outlandish price.
I do disagree with other reviewers about the bottom being difficult to move. I had that problem as well. Upon reading the manual, it is made clear. Now I believe that the bottom comes off much too easily.
One last caveat- this camera takes Mini-SD cards, so be careful. It comes with a 256mb card (which is more than sufficient for the ultra-low resolution of the cheap sensor). However, if you lose the card or it becomes corrupted, it may be difficult to find a replacement (as the growth area seems to be in Micro SD cards).