[Leica] Minox - It don't get no respect.

[jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)]

Very nice illustrations of what the Minox can do.  Thanks for sharing. 
Viewed large, I could even read the Ford image on the front of the last car 
shown.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lawrence Zeitlin" <lrzeitlin at gmail.com>
To: "Leica LUG" <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 11:42 AM
Subject: [Leica] Minox - It don't get no respect.


> The Minox is a camera that gets very little respect except from 
> subminiature
> addicts. Among that group it is regarded as the Leica of tiny cameras. Not
> too strange since Minox was, for a time, owned by Leica.
>
>
> The Minox was invented in 1936 by Walter Zapp, a German living in Riga,
> Latvia. That's the town my mother came from. Apparently their families 
> were
> friends since she spoke of him as "that crazy inventor." Zapp intended the
> Minox to be the smallest practical camera, one that could be carried at 
> all
> times in a watch pocket. The design of the Minox closely emulated that of
> the human eye. The focal length of the lens and the aperture (f3.5) are 
> the
> same. The film size, 8x11 mm, is about the size of the human retina and is
> curved to minimize distortion. Industrial designers from Zapp's time on 
> have
> marveled at the cleverness and usability of the Minox packaging.
> Unfortunately the format required too much care in processing to produce
> acceptable results and the camera never gained much popularity with the
> general public although it was certainly embraced by spy agencies the 
> world
> over.
>
>
> I own four of these little marvels, including an original Riga stainless
> steel model and a Minox B with its built in light meter. Film is getting
> very hard to obtain and is very expensive. Most Minox owners slit their 
> own
> from wider film stock.
>
>
> Despite the very small image size, acceptable results can be obtained if 
> you
> are careful. I carried one for years as a consultant and snapped pictures
> of interesting or important scenes to refresh my memory. Few ever 
> objected,
> or even noticed that I was taking pictures. I guess that's why the spies
> liked it.
>
>
> Here are some random Minox pictures that were on my computer. I have many
> more but scanning is a hassle. The pictures have all the dust marks of the
> originals.
>
> Me with my Minox (a recent photo)
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Larry+Z+and+Minox.JPG.html>
>
> Comparison of Minox III and Leica M3
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Leica+M3+and+Minox.JPG.html>
>
> Another Minox, Leica size comparison
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Leica+M3+and+Minox+1.JPG.html>
>
> One of the few Minox color pictures I ever took
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Karen+in+the+rain.jpg.html>
>
> A snap from one of my industrial consulting visits
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Boxmaker.jpg.html>
>
> Picture of wife and son from 46 years ago
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Maggie+and+Mike_+1964.jpg.html>
>
> Antique car show
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Old+car+1.jpg.html>
>
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Old+car+2.jpg.html>
>
>
> I'll be the first to admit that these are not great pictures but they show
> what can be done with a camera the size of a package of chewing gum.
>
>
> Larry Z
>
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