k38
Lifetime Member
Posts: 156
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Post by k38 on May 20, 2014 16:39:29 GMT -5
Just got a nice box from KEH with some Minox cameras and flash guns and a Minolta 16. Really beautiful stuff and dirt cheap. Some of the flash guns were 50 cents! I don't know if you can get film anymore, but it would be great to try them out. I imagine they were very pricey when they were made. I cannot begin to think how much it would cost just to have the little leather cases made!
DLB
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Post by philbirch on May 20, 2014 19:16:13 GMT -5
Minolta 16 uses single perforated 16mm film. I had a couple of the Minoltas back in the day and re-spooled b&w negative cine film. The Minox used 9.2mm film unperforated.
You could get a splitter for either formats that took a strip from the middle of 35mm film but I dont know if you will find one now (with a sharp blade). The other thing you need is empty cartridges to load the film into.
The Minoltas were reasonably priced with the 16EE the top if the range (if I remember correctly) the Minoxes were really expensive, whatever the model.
Bottom line, the Minox is a beautiful camera high precision with a super pedigree. but to be honest the picture quality was awful because of the size of the negative. Spies must have used high contrast recording film for copying documents.
You may have a chance with the Minolta, the negative is much larger
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k38
Lifetime Member
Posts: 156
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Post by k38 on May 20, 2014 21:35:20 GMT -5
I got a Minolta 16 and flash too. It was just too cheap to pass up. It would be nice to have a digital Minox with the same form factor as the film Minox. I would think it would be very easy. The Minolta 16 seems very well made and quite solid. I am ashamed to say it is my first Minolta. I remember the SRT 101 series being very popular when I was a student in the 70s. The 35mm SLR from those days was certainly the camera of the moment and I would think The high quality Minolta and other non NikonCanonLeica cameras from those days would be a very fertile and affordable collecting area.
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Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on May 21, 2014 5:29:02 GMT -5
Officially, the Minox film is still available from the German owners, Leica, but they are having appalling problems finding film suppliers at present, even for simple colour negative stock, and the situation is getting worse all the time.
They require fine grain film stock, not normal these days, and only Fuji make the material in small batches, that are packed in Germany from 35 mm film stock.
Colour processing is available widely from specialist processors, and the same applies to B/W, where the film stock situation is not quite so bad. but affected by the very small demand.
Costs are very high all round.
The same really applies to Minolta 16 and all other 16 and 17mm films, patchy supplies from specialist re-packers, mainly in the US/UK, although for home use 16 is easier, as the film stock still exists.
Enthusiastic users can home pack any of the films sizes, but it will need a simple slitter made, and empty cassettes sourced, and a small darkroom to do the work.
Stephen.
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Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on May 21, 2014 8:18:25 GMT -5
I should add I have a couple of Minox and a Kiev, and other assorted roll backed 17mm cameras, all can be cut from 35mm.
A spitter is simple, take a piece of thin ply, and add two strips of thin 1/2mm ply or plastic sheet, glued to make a 35mm wide slot.
Glue on the top of the guides a further piece of thin ply about 3mm thick. Fill the groove with a temp packing strip, and carefully pierce the top at the wide required with a Stanley knife at the width of the film required, and insert a Morton Scalpel blade in the cut, pressing it home into the base.(Having removed the packing). The scalpel is needed as a Stanley, although sharp, is a bit too thick, and forces the film to jam. A traditional razor blade can also be used. Exacto blades also work.
Any 35mm width can now be split at the scalpel position.
Obviously you need a couple of slitters to do narrow strips like Minox, one to remove the 35mm sprockets, and then one to leave the Minox width strips.
Or a double bladed version can be made, and once slit down the remaining strip , before further slitting, may need a spacer, or pin, added to keep the film centered in the slitting slot.
The design can be checked in the light, but you will have to practice in the light, with scrap film, then in the dark. Always clean the area used, and wear washed cotton gloves, dust shows badly on Minox!
Such a slitter design allows 70mm etc., to be reduced, 120 to 127 or 35mm 828 sprocket less, Bolta, 17mm, 16mm, slit double 8, or 8 mm Minox.
Stephen
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Post by philbirch on May 21, 2014 17:04:15 GMT -5
I got a Minolta 16 and flash too. It was just too cheap to pass up. It would be nice to have a digital Minox with the same form factor as the film Minox. I would think it would be very easy. The Minolta 16 seems very well made and quite solid. I am ashamed to say it is my first Minolta. I remember the SRT 101 series being very popular when I was a student in the 70s. The 35mm SLR from those days was certainly the camera of the moment and I would think The high quality Minolta and other non NikonCanonLeica cameras from those days would be a very fertile and affordable collecting area. Very cheap too, Rokkors are excellent lenses and can be had for peanuts these days. |
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