On saving Minox negatives

I have a small trove of Minox negatives that I want to capture to modern 35mm before they deteriorate any further.
A 1:1 macro to 35mm is obviously out of the question, so I want to put together a reversed lens setup to get a good magnification.
What mm lens will be the best to reverse-mount for this, 35mm or 28mm? Those are the two I have, if another focal length will reverse to give a better match to 35mm frames I will consider finding one for this project.

I'm considering Acros for the fine grain and it's friendly to long exposures, plus the contrast might help pull out some detail from the faded negatives.

Kawaiithulhu said:

What mm lens will be the best to reverse-mount for this, 35mm or 28mm?

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None of these would work.

You would need a bellows apparatus, a retroring and either of your lenses. The wide-angle one is advantageous as you need lesser extention and by that it would be easier to add a stage for your negative onto the bellows apparatus.

AgX said:

bellows apparatus

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Fortunately... I have one here somewhere. I'll take your comment and start with the wider lens and see where that gets me, once I track down the proper ring. Thanks!

As a long time user of Minox and Minolta cameras, I don’t understand why you believe that Minox negatives would deteriorate any faster than 35mm. Therefore I don’t see the point in your elaborate project.
As for printing, besides the Minox enlarger, there are Minox negative carriers for most populous enlargers such as Leica, Beseler, etc. Or go hybrid and scan negatives to computer.
Filing and keeping track of those little negatives can be a pain. However, storage and filing is important. The best method is the one devised by Minox and now made by third parties into which negatives are inserted and can be examined without touching.
I assume you have all of the Minox accessories, such as Minox viewer, etc., which can make life easier.
I am currently on the road, but if you visit the Minox heading at photo.net you can find vender for Minox file envelopes.

guangong said:

As for printing, besides the Minox enlarger, there are Minox negative carriers for most populous enlargers such as Leica, Beseler, etc.

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However the common lenses at standard enlargers are basically too long for Minox format. And installing apt lenses is not straightforward.

guangong said:

believe that Minox negatives would deteriorate

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These negatives came as a surprise addition to a Minox I picked up for display purposes, the original owner didn't have them stored well. The B&W are faded and dirty, the handful of transparencies are all faded and missing most color information already, and I want them in a format that I can work with, my D5 barely handles a 50mm lens... While I could go straight to digital, I will enjoy the darkroom work far more than yet more computer time.

This is the best test shot that I cleaned so far, taken 1:1 then cropped. It's a bit of work, but relaxing.

AgX said:

However the common lenses at standard enlargers are basically too long for Minox format. And installing apt lenses is not straightforward.

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Before acquiring a Minox enlarger, I used a 25mm lens on my Beseler. Believe it or not, I still own a Minox negative carrier for my Beseler 45 enlarger. Of course the Minox enlarger is much more convenient.