Minox Thread

SkipA · Jul 18, 2012

It such a short piece of film, M. Lointain, that I believe you could just develop it in open trays in total darkness like you would sheet film.

The nice thing about using the Minox daylight developing tank is that it requires only 53ml of developer. I prefer it for b&w film, but I prefer the Jobo 8x11 reel for color film. I don't know if you can still buy the Jobo 8x11 reel. It was based on a modified 35mm reel, produced a few years ago by 8x11film.com and Minox, I believe.

Ektagraphic · Jul 18, 2012

M. Lointain said:
I am not a big fan of the guess focusing but for most things it is accurate enough and on the upside, you get an image when you press the shutter which can't be said for most point and shoots. I made one of those arm-length-two-eye-distance-scale things I saw here a while back in case I need it.

When I first learned about the Minox cameras, I was surprised that they expected us to be human rangefinders since the camera are so precise and advanced in other ways besides the focusing. I enjoy it though

DWThomas · Jul 18, 2012

Ektagraphic said:
When I first learned about the Minox cameras, I was surprised that they expected us to be human rangefinders since the camera are so precise and advanced in other ways besides the focusing. I enjoy it though

Don't know about the other models, but my Minox B has a series of beads on the chain that comes with it that correspond to the close-in focus marks -- handy when you're surreptitiously snapping enemy documents on a covert operation.

SkipA · Jul 18, 2012

A small handheld light meter with a built-in laser rangefinder would be very handy for Minox users. The rangefinder would only need to be able to measure from 8 inches to 12 feet. Take a reflected light reading and measure distance to subject at the same time, or take an incident light reading and then measure the distance separately. Of course, the measuring chain is likely to be easier to use within 8 inches to 2 feet.

M. Lointain · Jul 18, 2012

This is what I used to make the distance scale. I simply taped it to the back bottom of the Minox 35. It is easy to use although I am pretty good at judging distances. After a few feet all you have to do is get the focus close. It is more difficult in low light and inside 10 feet. Outside it is almost impossible to screw up.

http://tomchuk.com/misc/rf/

ic-racer · Jul 18, 2012

Ektagraphic said:
When I first learned about the Minox cameras, I was surprised that they expected us to be human rangefinders since the camera are so precise and advanced in other ways besides the focusing. I enjoy it though

We are human rangefinders. You know the trick, right? All Minox owners know their personal interpupillary distance right?

http://tomchuk.com/misc/rf/

Ektagraphic · Jul 18, 2012

I do know about the beads...Those were some interesting alternatives shared

Mike Evangelist · Aug 23, 2013

These little gems of German engineering have held a special place in my heart for a long time. (Not sure I agree with putting them in the 'toy camera' category though!)

I don't use my Minox B any more, but I always have another 'minox' nearby...

Ektagraphic · Jun 17, 2014

DWThomas said:
This thread sent me to the dark remote corner of the darkroom. And son-of-a-gun, I didn't scrap it, there it is . . .

Plumbing fittings, scrap widgets ... The mount was a 1 1/2 inch pipe T with a thumbscrew to slide it over a vertical 1 1/4 inch pipe column (part of my 1960s vintage multi-format enlarger "system.") An automotive lamp driven by a filament transformer supplied the illumination.

I've no idea if there's any samples left buried here, but I know I once made some prints with it.

A home made focusing lens mount (which shows several revisions!) carried a Kodak Anastigmat 35 mm f/3.5 lens, likely a military gunsight camera relic via Edmund Scientific (I lived close enough to visit there at the time). The lens has an adjustable aperture, but some sort of dedicated non-standard markings. Now you guys have the wheels spinning -- since my Omega B-8 uses a flat plate to mount a 50 mm lens, it should be possible to make a 15 mm recessed lens cone ....

[Oh no I'm already under fire for constant diversions from the honey-do list! ]

I think my Minox B still has a film in it from circa 1975-ish. I used to dabble in slides and have a cute little Minolta projector (speaking of Minolta 16 up-thread) I used with those.

I feel an attack of Aging Adult ADD coming on . . . . .

I think I missed this post the first time around somehow! This thing looks really, really cool! Kudos to you!!

DWThomas · Jun 17, 2014

Ektagraphic said:
I think I missed this post the first time around somehow! This thing looks really, really cool! Kudos to you!!

Woo! Thread resurrection!

Thanks! I have a history of substituting tinkering for money.

In much more recent times, I saw a thingie on ePrey that, as I recall, would mount in place of a 39mm threaded lens on an enlarger and had its own film holder, lens and focusing. It used the enlarger as a light source and positioning device. I somewhat regret not bidding on it and alas, I've never seen another!

pen s · Jun 17, 2014

DWThomas said:
Woo! Thread resurrection!

Thanks! I have a history of substituting tinkering for money.

In much more recent times, I saw a thingie on ePrey that, as I recall, would mount in place of a 39mm threaded lens on an enlarger and had its own film holder, lens and focusing. It used the enlarger as a light source and positioning device. I somewhat regret not bidding on it and alas, I've never seen another!

That was an Enla head. I know that both Minolta and Mamiya made them for their 16mm cameras. They may have been made for Minox as well, I don't know. I have a model from Mamiya and it works well enough. Mine threads into the 39mm threaded lens stage on an enlarger and has it's own condenser lens. I bought it from a fellow submini film fan but don't remember what I paid, around $35~40 I think.

Trask · Jun 18, 2014

Here's info on the Enla-heads:

http://www.subclub.org/darkroom/enlas.htm

I've got one in a drawer somewhere, but never had to use it because I have a Minox enlarger.

DWThomas · Jun 18, 2014

Trask said:
Here's info on the Enla-heads:

http://www.subclub.org/darkroom/enlas.htm

I've got one in a drawer somewhere, but never had to use it because I have a Minox enlarger.

Cool stuff! Thanks. None of them look quite like I remember that thing that went by on ePrey (it was maybe 5 or 6 years ago), but the one on the left might be close. If Minox film comes back into availability enough to tempt me to try using it, I might try making a recessed lens board to put the lens off that old kludge on my Omega B8 as a starting point. (I've already made lens cones for an 80 and 105 mm lens on it; a recessed board is more or less one of those turned upside down.

There is some really neat stuff out there. I actually own a Minolta 16 projector that I used with slides from the Minox, that's a nifty goody. Not sure how available replacement projector bulbs might be (a whole whopping 75 watts), but I suppose i could improvise something there if I get to the point of needing it.

Ektagraphic · Nov 22, 2014

That Minolta 16 projector is neat! The miniature formats can be quite interesting. The slide mount on the projector in that photo made me laugh because there was so much cardboard, so little image!

Minox Thread

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