The ugliest Minox A I've ever seen ...

[tjwspm]

... now belongs to me.

When I saw this Minox, I couldn't resist. It's so run down that it's almost beautiful again:

It was built in 1954, so it is a Type A IIIs. Damage caused by impacts, heavy abrasion everywhere and even pitting in the housing:

After carefully pulling it apart - very stiffly - the first surprise: the lens and viewfinder are flawless, like new:

View through the illuminated frame viewfinder with automatic parallax compensation:

Second surprise: the shutter works, even if the times are randomly wrong.

 

[Daniela]

Hehe it has been through so much. I think it's precious!
Happy shooting (and potentially banging your head at the unexpected)!

 

[tjwspm]

The camera is now ready for use and loaded with a Kodak Ektar 100. Two problems had to be solved:
- extreme friction when cocking the shutter
- incorrect and irregular shutter speeds.

How did I do it? The aim was to open or dismantle the camera as little as possible so as not to damage the shutter blades and avoid loosing the adjustment of the lens.

First of all, pulling the camera apart and pushing it together had to be made easier. However, you can only access the sliding surfaces in question if you dismantle the housing, i.e. dismantle the bottom shell, front side and operating side. However, because of the problems described above, this was out of the question.

Instead, I carefully applied lighter fuel to the horizontal gaps where the housing parts slide together. I had to be careful not to let too much of it get into the camera at once and possibly leave marks on the lenses. This required some overhead work to keep the liquid flowing away from the lens. Ultimately I was able to loosen the sticky lubricant film and partially remove it with a very fine interdental brush. The rest could be pushed off the sliding surfaces by pulling the camera apart and pushing it together several times in such a way that the friction was significantly reduced. After that, the operation was smooth enough to work with the camera. This compromise made it possible to avoid completely dismantling of the camera.

With regard to the shutter speeds, it was suspected that the pivot points in the escapement were difficult to turn due to resinification. The escapement on the Minox is easily accessible via the upper end cap, which is only attached with two screws (in the middle the flash contact):

A look inside shows that the mechanics are in very good condition. You can see how dust-tight the housing has protected the interior for 70 years. At the top edge of the case you can see exactly how far the dirt has made it. The aluminum profile of the cover plate acts as a labyrinth seal - without any rubber:

By patiently applying small amount lighter fuel to the bearings and gears, alternating with shooting at the slow shutter speeds, the movement became smooth again. Since then, times have been running plausibly and consistently again. The video gives an impression of it:

.

The last thing I noticed was that the connection between the adjustment knob and the time disc had come loose.
This could be fixed with a little courage and superglue between the time disc and the setting button:

 

[tjwspm]

The first film has been exposed and I think the result is impressive.

Distance setting infinite:

Distance setting 0.2 m:

It is now the Minox A that I like to take photos with the most.

 

[tjwspm]

I like it.

 

[MattKing]

It looks like it came from the set of the Terry Gilliam movie, "Brazil"

 

[ic-racer]

Gas? Maybe lost in translation but I think that might be what we would call "White Gas" or Coleman Fuel or Naptha or Lighter Fluid but not automobile gas.

 

[btaylor]

Impressive! It’s extraordinary what some people can get out of that minuscule negative. I’ve been fascinated with Minox since I saw a demo at a photo fair when I was maybe 10-12 years old. They even had a red plexiglas box with the Minox enlarger in it and the salesman was making B&W prints right before our eyes (went with my dad, but he never bought one).
Alas, I have way to much other photo gear to explore the Minox world but I still love reading about it.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Gas? Maybe lost in translation but I think that might be what we would call "White Gas" or Coleman Fuel or Naptha or Lighter Fluid but not automobile gas.

Automobile gas? Maybe lost in the translation, but I think you might be referring to what we call Petroleum and the Germans call Benzine. We have ICE automobiles here that run on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) which is a pressurised gas, others run on Petroleum, while still more run on Diesel.

Interesting country that calls a liquid a gas....

 

[Mick Fagan]

The smallest 35mm camera we own, is the Minox 35 GL, wonderful camera, fiddly, but eminently pocketable.

I've often wondered just how well the Minox A worked.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Gas? Maybe lost in translation but I think that might be what we would call "White Gas" or Coleman Fuel or Naptha or Lighter Fluid but not automobile gas.

"White gas" is the name used in the mid twentieth century in the US as unleaded gasoline.

 

[tjwspm]

"White gas" is the name used in the mid twentieth century in the US as unleaded gasoline.

Thank you for the hint. In Germany we call gasoline, lighter fluid and white gas simply "Benzin". In fact it was lighter fluid. I will correct it.

 

[choiliefan]

Coleman white gas for stoves and lanterns is good stuff.

Coleman fuel - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[guangong]

Viewing the complex arrangement of the mechanics close up explains why the diminutive Minox A were such very expensive cameras in mid 1950s.

 

[Sirius Glass]

"White gas" is the name used in the mid twentieth century in the US as unleaded gasoline.

Thank you for the hint. In Germany we call gasoline, lighter fluid and white gas simply "Benzin". In fact it was lighter fluid. I will correct it.

Please note that is not the same "white gas" as the unleaded gas of the mid twentieth century, so do not swap the usage.

 

[Minox]

Looks like that Minox camera has seen a lot of action. Still working, which is a proof of the workmanship that went into it.

Happy shooting !

 

[grain elevator]

Beautiful! Looks like someone carried it in their pocket with their keys for years or decades. I'd like one, if only it didn't require so much hard-to-find special equipment and effort of slicing film etc.

 

[xkaes]

Impressive! It’s extraordinary what some people can get out of that minuscule negative.

It may seem extraordinary, but it's not difficult. It just concentrating on what makes a good picture -- the same thing that should be done with any format. Using a Minox is a great way to improve all of your photographic skills.

The Minox A is the same camera as the Minox II. In this model, the rear element of the lens actually touches the film surface. Unfortunately this leads to problems with scratching the film unless everything is spotless.

The Minox III has a new lens design (essentially the same as all later Minoxes -- except the EC), called the "Complan". The lens no longer touches the film. The Minox IIIs added flash synch. Here's a list of the Minox models:

http://www.subclub.org/shop/minoxa.htm

 

[tjwspm]

Using a Minox is a great way to improve all of your photographic skills.

Certainly, the Minox camera does not forgive any technical mistakes due to its small negative format. Mistakes when cutting film or loading it into the tiny cartridge, blur (small format), incorrect setting of the distance (aperture 3.5 only), dirt and scratches during development, errors when enlarging or digitizing, all of these have a much greater impact than with large formats.

What all this means to me is that it's great fun.

 

[xkaes]

That's why I said -- "Using a Minox is a great way to improve all of your photographic skills." With the Minox, as you've said, you have to pay attention to details because the small format is less forgiving -- and you're not going to be doing much cropping, for sure. And the skills you learn from using a Minox -- or any small format camera -- will pay off in your attention to details in larger formats.

And Yes, it's fun too!

 

[xya]

Oh those happy days when cartridges were readily available for cheap and your local photo dealer would do development and prints....

 

[tjwspm]

Oh those happy days when cartridges were readily available for cheap and your local photo dealer would do development and prints....

In fact, the photo dealer in our town develops my Minox films within 1 hour. However, only color films in the C-41 process and no prints or digitization of the negatives are possible.

 

[ic-racer]

Blue moon has Minox film already loaded in the cassettes. They offer processing too. I am not affiliated just passing along information.

Minox FAQ : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

Blue Moon Camera & Machine: Got Minox questions? Read our Minox FAQ for answers

bluemooncamera.com

 

[tjwspm]

I bought my first Minox film from Blue Moon. It costs 26 euros in Germany at Fotoimpex. The development there costs 6 euros + shipping and takes about 2 weeks.

 

[tjwspm]

The old small camera simply takes good pictures...