Minox 110s

[rjsmaine]

I've been going through some old negs and found some 110 strips from long ago. I had a Minox 110s, a really good rangefinder. My question is if I bought this camera again ( I think I found one) can I get b&w film in 110 cassettes and is there a tank or other procedure for developing? Thanks, Russell.

 

[Denis K]

I've been going through some old negs and found some 110 strips from long ago. I had a Minox 110s, a really good rangefinder. My question is if I bought this camera again ( I think I found one) can I get b&w film in 110 cassettes and is there a tank or other procedure for developing? Thanks, Russell.

No companies that I am aware of sell B&W film in 110 format, nor is any available that I know of on the second hand market. Even color film in 110 format is getting very difficult to come by. You can still get color 110 format film developed if you have some on hand, or you can do it yourself.

Loading your own 110 cartridges is possible, but much more difficult than other 16mm still camera cartridges. Most 110 cameras require the special 1" perf's in order to cock the shutter. This means loading unperforated film into a 110 cartridge will only work with some cameras.

If you want to know more, search on subclub. They have all the information you need.

Denis K

 

[rjsmaine]

Thanks Denis. I'm going to give this some thought. If I can't have b&w I'll probably forget this idea. Russell.

 

[Marvin]

I don't know if this helps but I have a Yankee tank that is adjustable to 110 and I have used it for Minolta 16 film. I think the Minolta 16 and 110 are the same size once out of the cartridge. The Minolta 16 cameras and film are still available on ebay. There is a web site that has a splitter for 35mm that allows you to cut your own film and load it into the Minolta 16 cartridges. I don't think the perforations would be right for 110 though.
Marvin

 

[Denis K]

I don't know if this helps but I have a Yankee tank that is adjustable to 110 and I have used it for Minolta 16 film. I think the Minolta 16 and 110 are the same size once out of the cartridge. The Minolta 16 cameras and film are still available on ebay. There is a web site that has a splitter for 35mm that allows you to cut your own film and load it into the Minolta 16 cartridges. I don't think the perforations would be right for 110 though.
Marvin

Marvin,

The problem with 110 format film is that Kodak's design used regular 16mm wide film but put only one perforation per image positioning it on the bottom of the film. The film was pre-exposed during manufacturing with frame borders and frame numbers in the middle of the film. The perforations were used to stop the film advance at exactly the right place to keep the image positioned between the pre-exposed borders. Some 110 cameras also used the perforations to cock the shutter. If your camera does not need the perforations to cock the shutter then you can theoretically load unperforated film into a used 110 spool, because you live without the pre-exposed borders and frame numbers. However, reloading a 110 cartridge is very tough to do because they come glued together and require the film to be loaded with backing paper.

The Minolta 16 cartridges are child's play to reload compared to the 110 cartridges. Furthermore, the Minolta 16 cameras have no need for perforations and can be loaded with either perforated or unperforated film; the downside being that Minolta chose to restrict the image size to the height of the space between the perforations. When Kodak designed the 110 format they wanted to use the full width of the 16 mm film including the area typically used for perforations for additional image space, therefore they placed a single perf. in the space between images. They then used the fact that there was only one perf. per image to their advantage by using it as a film advance stop (and shutter cocking) mechanism. It was a smart idea for making the camera's simple and inexpensive to produce, while maximizing the image size on the small 16mm film stock. Unfortunately it means you most often need the special film stock to reload the cartridges. They complicated matters by using a paper backing for the film, which makes it even harder for reloaders. It made sense for Kodak because they used the paper backing to allow the camera owner to see what exposure they were currently on by looking through a small window much like 120 format cameras. This reduced the 110 camera cost even further by eliminating the need for an exposure counter.

One thing you might think about doing is to slip a short two inch strip of 16mm film into a 110 cartridge using a dark bag or in a dark room. You could slip one end into each of the take up spools. This would give you a single shot camera. Be sure to test your camera first to see if it uses the perforations to cock the shutter. If it does you can usually cock the shutter with your finger on a one-time basis before loading the film cartridge by moving a little lever that is positioned where the perforations slide across the film gate. Learning to cock the shutter with your finger is a good thing to learn anyway because it is a good way to test the shutter without having to burn film.

Denis K

 

[ic-racer]

Why not go with the 'standard' Minox format (8x11)?

 

[rjsmaine]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'll try printing a few color negs in B&W and see how that works. I'll try a high contrast filter on them. I'm certainly not looking for sharp, I shoot in medium format mostly so I get that there. I'm thinking of low light, high contrast and grainy for image quality. I just think the minox 110s would be a good stealth camera. Russell.

 

[ic-racer]

If you are going to stay with 110, realize the Minox 110s were made by Balda (who also sold a similar camera with the rangefinder).

 

[ishutteratthethought]

You can purchase film from Goat Hill.
http://www.subclub.org/sponsors/goathil2.htm

That is where I get all my Minox cartridges refilled. They slice 110 as well and I believe you can buy the cartridges there also.
You can also get disc film.
Remember to save your cartridges after your done!

Great company!

Steve

 

[rjsmaine]

Thanks Steve, that is the place I'll order from if I can still get the 110s. Also I'm very impressed with your work, really beautiful. Russell.