I had both models, too. The only camera that fitted into my Jeans pockets. And in contrast to the Rollei you never had problems with empty batteries. The shot taken and the "drawbridge lens cover" (how I love this way of seeing it) closed, there was no more energy used. Looking at my slides from that time I find even nightshots with up to 30 seconds exposure time which came out perfectly. It was the film transport lever that gave up with the first one which indicates how much it was used. For me the Minox just had the best design of all these small lightweights. And the lens was good as well.
I fully agree, but also re.
@agentlossing Andrew's observations, I guess it's a question of what you're used to. Of course, no semi-automatic, manual guess-focusing camera will ever be anywhere near as "convenient" as a fully automatic autofocusing one, but I was able to use the GT in a way that gave me a very high number of keepers; the lens was wonderful, too, and I always preferred its rendering over that of the XA. The Rollei 35 SE is a different beast entirely, and very rewarding to shoot, but not as fluid as the GT(-E) by a long shot. btw. I still own and use a Olympus :mju: (I) as well (the cheesy chrome version - I don't know what I was thinking 25 years ago) - a nice camera with all advantages and downsides of a basically fully automatic camera, but again, the Minox lens is far superior, and I clearly prefer the level of control the camera offers. I'll certainly take the XA out for a spin over the summer, too, as well as the 35 SE. However, at the moment, the :mju: has some nice colour film in it, and the Minolta Hi-Matic 7s II is loaded with black and white, so I'll certainly not break out another film camera right now (except for instant cameras, that is). I actually have a whole cue to work through - I'm really looking forward to having the time to tick off some items.
Anyway, all this talk has me watching a couple of 35 ML auctions - not only have I never owned that camera, but it may also be kind of a step-up: different battery, different electronics (said to be more reliable), program auto in a pinch (without sacrificing aperture priority). I like the original style a bit better, but that's not too big a deal. I'll not spend a lot of money, though - we'll see.
M.