Minox 35mm cameras specification

The pioneer in compact 35mm camera was the made in Germany Rollei 35, first appeared in 1966. A that time, Rollei 35 was the smallest full frame 35mm camera. It started a whole new trend of compact camera. In 1974 Minox joined in with its Minox 35 EL. Minox 35 EL was a neat design, it has a shape unlike any SLR or range finder camera of the time-- it looked more like a diminiitive bellow camera, pull down a cover, pull out the lens, exceopt there was not bellow. One revolution step taken by Minox was the use of glass fibre enforced Macrolon ( a high strength plastic ) in Minox 35 EL body,and started a powerful trend of plastic camera bodies, instead the all metal and heavy camera bodies. The Minox 35 series of camera was an instant success, it was much lighter then Rollei 35. Minox 35 series and Rollei 35 series coexisted for about two decades. <p> In the early 80s, there was a Minox immitation: Contax T, its pull out lens is fashioned after Minox 35mm camera.<P> About the same time, there was also Olympus XA series pocket cameras.<P>

Rollei 35 series ceased production in 1996, shortly after Samsung of South Korea took over Rollei <P> Now in the arena of pocketable manual viewfinder full frame 35mm camera, Minox has outlast Rollei, Contax and Olympus, as the only one left standing . <P> The current production models are GTE, GTX(and its recent replacment ) GTS.

My first compact 35mm camera is a Singapore Rollei 35; I discovered the fun of pocket camera. Rollei 35 with its sharp 40mm/3.5 Tessar lens produces quite sharp pictures, it is still one of my favorite camera. But after a while, its all metal body seems to pull long my pant pocket, and I was looking for something a bit less weighty. I got an Olympus XA2; it is lighter, but the picture quality is not as good as Rollei 35. Then I got a used Minox 35ML, about the same size as Olympus XA2, but makes better pictures. I was told that 35ML's shutter is not quite reliable. The shutter problem has being corrected in later Minox 35 series, such as GTE, GTX etc. Minox GTE is my pocket camera for color film, I use Minox spy camera exclusively for B&W pictures. My reason for this division of tasks is simple, it is cheap and fast to process color film by sending out to good minilabs; I can get dozens rolls printed in an hour or two to do the same at home takes a lot of work. On the other hand, it is hard to get B&W pictures or enlargements done by minilab, they do C41 B&W, but I rather like to tone of silver halide papers; further, process B&W, enlarge B&W by commercial labs is rather expensive. Yet process Minox B&W, enlarge B&W at home is both simple and very economical. That is why, I use 35mm cameras for color, Minox ultraminiature for B&W.

Minox GTX is Minox GTE with DX-coding, now discontinued, (but still available from stocks ) GTS is a replacment for GTX, first appeared in Photokina of 98; GTS has a silver colored Macrolon (high tech plastic ) hence 'S' in GTS. Specification similar to GTX.

GTX and GTS has three improvements over GT-E:

• DX coding
• Highest ASA/DIN setting increased from 1600 to 3200;
• A snapshot setting for aperture and distance

For technical specs, see

MPL

Features of Minox GT-E:

• Bright viewfinder with shutter speeds at right hand side.
• Multple coated Minoxar 35mm/F2.8 (Leitz Elmar type lens ).
• Build in skylight filter.
• Shutter speed 8 sec to 1/500 sec.
• 10s self timer.
• Film speed iso 25/15 to 1600/33, manual;
• flash sync hot shoe, automatically switch to 1/125 flash sync.
• Tripod thread
• cable release thread
• Dimension 10x6.1 x3.4cm
• Weight 200 g.

  Minox MDC

  Minox M.D.C was the flag ship of Minox's 35mm line up, it has a beautiful alumnium claded body, coated with titanal. The gold plated MDC is even prettier. But the M.D.C was quite a bit more expensive then GT-E. It has the same MC Minoxar multicoated lens as GT-E so optical performance wise, there is no difference. GT-E has a slow shutter speed of 8 sec vs MDC 1 sec, hence better for low light use. One the other hand MDC has a P mode(program mode) and GT-E does not. I was considering MDC, but a friend of mine advised me that the bright and shinny finish of MDC attracts attension, so I settled for a GT-E. MDC was discontinued a few years ago. If you can get an MDC for reasonable price, go for it, if I have extra bucks, I may look for one myself :)

  

Minox 35 camera has several genuine leather cases to choose, from belt case , every ready case to shoulder bag for camera, flash and filters. My favorite is the Every ready case-- it is probably the smallest ever ready case made for full frame 35mm camera; all other compacts has belt case and wrist strap. I always struggled with the neckstrap of my Contax T2, has it has two loops, a major loop and a minor loop, and the camera dangled on a diagonal, looks messy. The Minox 35 every ready case is so pretty, tiny and elegant; it allows you to carry your GT camera squarely, not dangling on one diagonal or one side.

You can attach tripod to Minox GT-E without taking the camera out of the ever ready case; a convenience not found in many 35mm SLR cases.

I've valued my Minox 35GL highly, ever since buying it new in 1980, because it is the tiniest 35mm camera that delivers pictures as good as I get out of Nikons and Leicas. It doesn't do everything they can do, but it is easy to carry everywhere all the time, something I could never do with those relatively big clunky jobs. It's also better for people pictures, even better than the M Leicas, because it puts outstanding optics and outstanding electronics inside a tiny package that doesn't intimidate or distract people. "Serious" or "professional" photographers can be intimidating to people being photographed. More particularly, their very expensive-looking cameras can. The Minox 35 looks -- let's be honest here -- cheap and amateurish. It's black plastic, for crying out loud. Grandma's camera! Some people don't like Minox 35s for that very reason. I think it is a major advantage. In two burglaries since I've owned my Minox 35, I've lost lots of Pentax and Nikon gear plus all kinds of other portable valuables. They left the Minox 35 behind both times. When I break it, Don Goldberg makes it like new again. As far as I'm concerned, this is the one camera that walks on water.

<A HREF="http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000TmK"> Replacement Lithium Battery Pack for Minox 35 mm camera </A>

Are there any user comments on the Minox AF model zoom CD112 ? I find only specs , no info. Thanks, Dubb

I have seen Minox CD 70 and CD 112 at a local camera storoe, they look nice, but have no direct experience it them. These camera look quite similar to some brands of Japanese P&S. In the latest Minox catalog, there is no listing of them. However you may still buy them at camera stores, or http://www.minoxlab.com/ where you may also find the specs. Both camera has six elements five groups lens.

MINOX used four different lenses on the 35 series COLOR-MINOTAR - 35 m m. ,f2.8, focusing-range: 90cm to infinity - apperture priority - used on: 35EL, 35GL, 35GT, 35MB and GSE - 35PL and 35PE : Full program apperture - ML and M.D.C: Full program and apperture priority

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COLOR MINAR 35m m, f4.0 - Fix focus lens - Apperture with three settings (sun, partly clouds and clouds) - Used on 35AL

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MC MINOXAR 2,8/35 - 35m m. F2,8, multicoated with integrated skylightfilter - Focusing-range: 70cm to infinity - used on Goldknopf, GT-E, GT.X and GT-S - GT-X and GT-S has a green "dot" on the lens marking the hyperfocal- distance at f8 (4.8m)

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MINOXAR 3.5/32 - 32 m m. F/3.5 - Autofocus lens, with four focus-sones, active infrared autofocus - Used on AF