Sometime in the late 70's, my father stopped at a garage sale. There was a plastic box stuff with Minox accessories and, in the bottom f the box, a metal Minox in spectacular condition. He bought it. Best $.50 he ever spent. I have it now, in storage somewhere, I suspect, and will now have to find it and see if I can figure out the date of manufacture.
Great video. in 1966 I acquired a water damaged Minox III and repaired it. After using a bit I decided to see what it could really do. I got some hi resolution graphics sheet film, cut it down to fit in a Minox cartridge and discovered I could photograph a full double sheet of newsprint and still read it. I was impressed with the lens quality. With reference to the bad photo cell on the model "B", that is probably a mechanical problem in the meter mechanism. Most likely the needle is stuck to the trap bar mechanism (good rap with the button depressed might fix this) or there is some iron dust stuck to the meter magnet.
Small bit about selenium cells: People often say the cells go bad by exposure to light or air and time, but in my experience the cell itself still usually is good and produces a decent voltage (0.3-0.5V), rather the contacts have corroded, a wire has broken, or the very delicately balanced needle readout has become stuck. Among disassembling something like 10 selenium meters, I've only come across one where the cell itself no longer produced any voltage.
I believe Technology Connections also said something like that 👍 I've always avoided cameras with selenium cells like the plague, but it would be nice if there was actual hope for them working!
I bought a C on eBay. The shutter sticks unfortunately. My attempt to fix it didn’t improve it much. But what was very neat was the roll of film inside mostly exposed. I developed it and found many images from what I assume were the 60s/70s based on fashion, cars, and airplane leg room!
I bought a working Model B, made an improvised film cutter (razor blades between plastic blocks of the correct width) to cut fine-grain 35mm film to minox-size and spooled it into a used film cassette. Bit of effort but being able to use these cameras is worth the trouble.
During the mid 1970s I was given several of these because they were broken. However all they needed was a good exterior cleaning around the controls, especially around the shutter release. Once the "patina" was removed they worked fine. Works of art for sure, but too much hassle to use for most folks, the ones I was given all had the first "sample" film in them. I checked and film, printing and scanning services are still available. Th form factor is attractive, and I'd buy a small digital version of this camera with similar feature to the original model.
Those cameras were mostly wanted for the coolness factor, back in the days of analog photography. The small film format does not really help with the quality of the photos, nor with the price of film material. For real photography, the 35mm film became the gold standard after WW2, as it provides good quality as well as affordable film and development cost. But the "spy camera" image kept the Minox alive for such a long time.
I think it follows the wish to be able to carry a camera wherever you go. Similar to digital cameras that started to become smaller and smaller, and eventually mobile phones adopting sufficiently good image quality with built-in cameras. Btw. the Minolta-16 is a similarly small concept, but with 10x14mm, so a bit better quality.
@@graealexalways wanted the Minox, but they were quite expensive way back, i got the Minolta 16 as a schoolboy for precisely that reason, to be able to carry a camera in my pocket, still got all the slides.
I got one of these spy cameras in the 60s but I couldn’t find film for it nor could I have it developed if I did have some film. As said before, the film quality would have been very poor anyways. Basically it was useless
I've been obsessed with the Minox camera since the 80's and distinctly remember receiving one for Christmas when I was 12, sourced from one of the boutique camera shops around NYCs 34th street. I wish I still had it :(
@@NoahSpurrierI actually think that may still be there, on the second floor above a deli or something! There are (or where) some really crazy interesting niche stores in the Penn South area. It was a wonderland going with my father as a kid
in the early 80s a friend and I found a pile of boxes behind an apartment building. Going through the stuff it seemed like it might have been someone who had died and had their place cleaned out. From what I could gather, the person was an engineer who worked in radio electronics. Among the boxes I also found (new to me for sure) Minox camera film in their small cartridge cases. Sadly no camera. I was pretty young at the time and only years later did I wonder...was he spying for anyone? Maybe photographing materials where he worked? Crazy stuff.
Like the Minox 'chain', old movie cinema cameras had lenses which needed to be a specific distance away from the target to focus properly. Each different lens had it's own specific distance. The scene to be filmed would be set up with actors and props in place, then a person would hold up one of his many strings from the subject toward the camera, which would be maneuvered into place so the lens was at the other end of the string, then filming could begin. The person who had that job was called a "Focus Puller" and you'll see them named in the credits at the end of all the old films. So now you know...
Just a couple of corrections. The film width is 9.2mm, not 9.5mm. And yes, that .3mm makes the difference between fitting and not fitting. Also, preloaded film is still available from Blue Moon Camera in Portland Oregon. Don’t know where but they obtain empty cartridges and do loading of several emulsions, both B&W and Color negative. They also do processing and optical prints. Yep, it’s pricey, but what would you expect. I’ve had a IIIs for about 12 years and built my own slitter, cut down plastic reels to develop my own B&W and convert to digital with a macro lens on a mirrorless body. Actually film is real cheap when you slit your own from 35mm. You can get 6 - 25 exposure rolls from a 36 exposure roll of 35mm with a generous leader and tail.
I got a Minolta version in 1972 at a PX in Germany. Nice little compact camera used 8mm film in a small cassette. Great to have in your pocket for pictures without having to lug a 35mm around all day.
Ah finally, a neat gadget I've actually held in my hands for once! My father owns a pair of Minox cameras, the BL model and the later TLX variant. They always captivated me as a kid, and I have fond memories of sneaking into his office to look at it. Somehow much younger me never destroyed them while handling them when I probably shouldn't have been!
While in junior high in the 1960’s I had a miniature camera that took 16mm film. I don’t remember what brand. The dimensions were about the same as a pack of cigarettes and it fit nicely in my shirt pocket. I bought a 100 ft. roll of Double-X (ASA 200) 16mm movie film to reload cartridges. So, took lots of pictures without worrying about cost of film. Developed and printed photos myself. It had a fixed focus (lots of depth of field), don’t recall if exposure was adjustable. Also had an Argus C-3 and later an Exakta VX.
A legitimately fascinating video. I had no idea that those tiny cameras (and film) were produced until so recently. You have a knack of making the explanation of ordinary objects very entertaining, keep up the excellent work.
One thing not mentioned was the accuracy of the Minox lens. Photographing blueprints (scaled mechanical drawings) it was so accurate, corner to corner that measurements were exactly to scale, so, when enlarged to the size of the original drawing, accurate measurements could be taken from it.
I have a friend (from the 70s) that got one this type of camera from an uncle that had dropped off the face of the earth for decades, then had reappeared for only a few days as cancer took him. My friend was close enough to visit him, and the uncle gave him the camera and said, "have fun with this piece of history..." My friend still has it, bequeathed to his daughter with his own passing.
Interesting to learn that these were first produced by VEF in Riga, a firm perhaps better known in Soviet times for the multi-band radios under the Vega and Spidola names. I hadn't realised that they'd also made cameras.
Small correction, Vega was not made by VEF. VEF also made light planes before WW2. After war main production was various communication equipment, radios were small part of production.
@@OkupantTuriMutiCiet Ah, yes, soviet export brands, it was so long ago. When I worked in VEF, Vega was brandname for russian Berdsk factory products and export brand was Tento
The whole camera system was awesome, the spherical film pressing plate to reduce the loss of sharpness to the edges, the daylight developing box which made it able to develop the film completely without the need of a dark bag, the repro unit and so on. I love that 8x11 system. Only one of mine has a defect shutter due to old oil, all older one work fine and I am very happy to have two hand full of film frozen in the fridge 😂
My mothers great friend Gwynedd Hanson (the nearest equivalent I ever met to a female James Bond) had one of these delightful little cameras in the mid 60s. I wish I had tried it myself.
As a teenager back in the 1970's, I really wanted a Minox, because I thought they were cool looking, but I couldn't afford one. I ended up buying a Yashica Atoron, which is very similar looking, and uses Minox film. It was a nice camera, but it could never be used as a spy cam because of the obnoxious sound the shutter made! If you have an Atoron you know what I mean.
I bought an EC for travel in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Especially great for bicycle vacations, and what I appreciated second most, after the small size, was no controls; take the picture or don't.
What a superb video. Nobody could possibly say you do not research your work. I'm sure you are aware of the story behind 35mm and look forward to that video.
I have the Minox colour enlarger. I'm not sure but I think they only made about 100 of them. I also was able to produce 12x16" (inch) prints from Minox, using Kodak Technical Pan film rated at 9 asa - developed in very dilute Microdol l-X. The prints were virually grainless and people generally couldn't believe they were taken from the Minox - until i showed them the negatives. The lenses on Minox were superb. At the time, i also used to take photos with Kodachrome 25asa and Kodak Royal Gold 25asa. - again, the results used to defy belief. I have a large collecting of Minox (including the electronic flash, which is about five times bigger than the camera) and the Minox automatic HP24 autofocus transparency projector. People are always impressed with a well exposed, well focused and well developed Minox negative. They are far better than people ever imagine.
What bugged me most about Minox was, obviously, its rather obscure film format. I can still procure film for my Minolta 16, but good luck finding Minox film today.
Thanks for the video. I have several Minox cameras and a developing tank but haven't used them. Another hobby waiting to be explored. I also have a couple of medium format cameras, a folder and a TLR. And a couple of Polaroids.
Its an awesome camera system. I shot it for years. Great results with some care. I have a bunch of them, all the accessories and their awesome enlarger
Love the opening scene! Only thing missing are the "Gilles girls"! Thank for the very interesting historical background. I had no idea these little cameras were created pre-WW2. Merci, Gilles.
What an interesting episode to watch! Thank you for sharing. Had one of these years ago (later black version). Fun to use, but very expensive to develop and print the photo's.
I always wanted one myself as a kid back in the 80s, but could not afford to buy one. I remember there were about half a dozen types of film readily available for the camera, among them one very high contrast, high detail but low light sensitive black an white film called document type - nudge nudge, wink wink... Kudos for your prononciation of GmbH by the way!
I have had various Minox cameras over the years, mostly C , TLX and LX models and I still have 2 C models The problem is that the images, unless you use very slow film, are rather grainy and of quite limited resolution. More of a toy (other than for spies) than a general photographic tool. The 8 x 11 film cassettes are still available from Maco in Germany.
@dbore378 It is just plain physics. If you assume the resolution of a 100 ISO film is at best, around 80 line pairs per mm, then across the width of an 11mm negative you will have a resolution of 880 line pairs or about the same as a 405 line TV set. A 35mm film will have in contrast 2800 Line Pairs across 36mm or nearly four times as good. If you use them with 25 ISO film with a resolution of say 200 line pairs/mm then I agree resolution is acceptable but 25 ISO film is really restricted to use with the f3.5 lens to bright days. BTW I have used Minox cameras off and on for 40 years.
Me too. I always saw an aperture, until the first time I inspected the barrel of a pistol I was about to purchase and realized that’s what it was. In hindsight it’s pretty clear that’s what it was, since apertures don’t go as far “around” the center rifling does, but it sure had my younger self fooled
I have never looked inside a rifle but I knew what it was the instant it came up on the screen. That's the UK for you. But that is an interesting little camera. So small and complicated. Now a phone takes a better picture.
@@20chocsaday At what age? I was a curious kid and may have asked and been told "A camera", I'm not sure. Though it took me a while to figure out that it wasn't a camera. As for it being the UK, I know more about firearms than many US firearms owners. Occasionally ones that they own. Though I'm an engineer so knowing how things work and *needing* to know how things work is kind of par for the course. I've only ever used two firearms in my life (however I own three crossbows, one mag fed and lever operated), though the operating principle is simple enough for everything but the most exotic like that crazy HK ceaseless burst fire machine.
@@daviddavidson2357 About 15. I read a lot including dictionaries, talked to people and listened to what they had learned. Camera shutters don't usually have so many leaves. Remember to ask things like What When Where Why and How do you know.
I had one of those. The film was hard to get and get processed. The film door was hard to open, it was so precision that if you stroked it too hard it would not open. You had to get just enough friction with your finger to slide it open.
One critical technical step that made the Minox possible: the 35mm Leicas and making enlargements. I'm not sure the date but up until the Leica enlarged photos, especially of snapshots were not that common. So I think the existence of the Leicas using movie film stock to make enlarged, instead of contact, prints raised the question: How small and compact could a camera and negative be? Minox hit that one out of the park. I was a professional for many years, lot of time in the darkroom. When I was a teenager I got one of the small 110 cameras with negatives probably not much bigger than the Minox. The photos were not satisfying. A photo taken on a 60cm (2-1/4) neg (Hasselblad) or 4x5 or 8x10 on the other hand almost always have a better textural quality than a 35mm enlargement. I wonder what a collection of Minox photos would look like. I've read dozens of biographies and histories of Cold War spying. I can't think of any 'agent,' who given a Minox didn't immediately produce blurry unusable images. The problems were distance, hand holding for longish exposures.The next contacts usually included a cable release (bulb) and legs or a clamp to hold the camera. I'm surprised all the intelligence agencies used the Minox. Everyone knows what it is and what it's used for. The matchbox camera is a much more practical design and could be disposed of (inconspicuously) and easily replaced. If your handlers send you more film they can include a couple of cameras. The level of precision and quality of the Minox is absolutely unnecessary. I'm sure it was a thrill to be given one, but then it becomes a huge risk. Anyone who's done B&W photography from the late 1950s to now probably didn't use a compensating developer. So any photos that were over exposed would result in dense often unusable negatives. A compensating developer on the other hand will develop the densest parts of the negatives to a usable level at which point the developer in that area will be exhausted and stop adding density. In the less dense areas it will continue to work. Much much more forgiving. You almost always get a usable negative. (Edward Weston used compensating 'pyro' developers and never owned a light meter.) If you use a compensating developer, photographing documents, and other photos: exposure is not critical. Distance is still critical. What's interesting about distance is if you just take your phone to shoot a bunch of documents it's a huge challenge figuring out how to make a standardized stable set up. But once you've come up with solutions, it's simple. (I'm very mechanical and experienced and I've often been both ways. What in this hotel room can I use??? ) The yellow, and perhaps the orange, filters were not to compensate for using 'tungsten film' unless it was color film. These filters are for B&W and darken the blue sky. Ansel Adams used them in almost all his dramatic photographs of mountains. In the hazy and often overcast northern and central Europe they wouldn't be of much use. I used to have these filters in Michigan and was almost never able to get anything from them. Here in California? Almost everyday. An orange filter might indeed be for shooting 3200°K tungsten film in daylight 5500° to 20,000K, but not the yellow.
I carried a minox AX in my pocket at all times throughout the '90s. The image quality could be as good as a high street minilab, but it took a lot more home darkroom effort and expense to get to 8x10" prints.
I have a Minox and another tiny camera. It is the same model you have. Digital cameras and phones take far higher quality. It really is amazing how photography has progressed.
Phones might be the biggest reason we do not see an advancement of these cameras into the digital age. Just no market for an ultra compact digital P&S when we already have that in our phone. And of course the espionage world uses much smaller and far more boutique stuff today. note when I say no market I mean no market big enough to spool up a line and sell them at a price people can afford. Not that nobody would be interested in a digital Minox.
Those Minox cameras remind me of a very similar, but slightly larger formfactor, the Pocketfilm. Still use my Kodak Ektralight 400 to this day for some applications, as it is to me the poor mans polaroid. All the aesthetic benefits w/o the downsides. Especially good with the new films from Lomography! Edit: Those films can be developed at every place, that can do 35mm Films, still to this day. At lest in Germany, don´t know how it is in other countries!
I own a few Minox cameras; they are a delightful gadget to use and have actual spy cred. I’ve shot refilled cartridges with Kodak Tmax black and white film in mine. And I actually developed them myself in the Minox daylight tank. It really is the perfect spy system when used like that. After all, you don’t want to take your spy shots to a local one hour photo. They take surprisingly good pictures as well considering their size. Especially when shot with good modern film.
I refill cassettes with Fuji Neopan Acros and fine-grain 50 ASA film and use them in my 1960 Model B. I also modified a slide frame to be able to scan the negatives.
I think there was a scene in the Batman: the Animated series in the episode, Cat and the Claw, where Catwoman was photgraphing documents with a camera looking like this.
Kind of became obsolete as a subminiature camera when the 110 cartridge format came in. I have a Pentax 110 SLR with interchangeable lenses, you should do video on that if you can, it is I believe the most compact SLR ever produced.
A relative had one, and snuck it into a national political convention in ‘68 to photograph who knows what…and ended up with some action shots of the mayoral-orchestrated shenanigans which I was watching on television from home… The photos were actually pretty good, and my relative pasted prints on heavy manila tag board for display. All of those tag boards grew mildew because of the damp storage space… The camera is probably in the family somewhere. I wasn’t allowed to touch it, not bring notably coordinated, but was drawn to the size, case finish, and sliding mechanism! Perhaps I’ll end up with it; in which case I’d like to use it once before placing it into a glass case with my relative’s remaining personal and political keepsakes!!
In 75 I had a minolta 110 pocket camera. It was about twice the size of that. Fit in my army fatigues pocket. Carried it everywhere and thankfully now I have many pictures I took with it Germany during my tour. Never should’ve got rid of it for a Polaroid SX70 folding instant camera. Which was stolen by the contracted packers that shipped my stuff Home. With my new norelco electric shaver. 🤬
Wally still have a history of being used by Intelligence Officers to copy documents, they have a longer history of a love affair with the movies. We're not as popular to be used by Intelligence Officers as the movies with Thomas believe. There were a few that did use his extensively but it was the fear not the many. One unique feature the metal chain that has a ring on it, it's not for carrying the camera it was a focal distance device. If you held the camera so that the ring would touch the paper, the entire page would be in frame. Also the film that was used in these cameras when they were being used for their photocopying purposes. Was approximately an ISO 25, black and white panchromatic reversal film. As the image that would be generated, would be reversed. See you would have white text on a solid black background, it made Reading the document that was photographed much easier. Also any number of duplications could be made with last generational loss,
Sometimes I feel like the only person in their 20s who watch your videos lol. I love all the comments from Gen X and Baby Boomers. I feel like I'm in some special club :)
These are cool little items. Very little use nowadays with the advent of other devices such as camera phones. Nice item to have in a display cabinet though.
I would love to see an episode on the Spillsbury and Tindall HF "Bush Radios", and their history in the Canadian north. If you are near Winnipeg, I have one that you could use for the video!
Sometime in the late 70's, my father stopped at a garage sale. There was a plastic box stuff with Minox accessories and, in the bottom f the box, a metal Minox in spectacular condition. He bought it. Best $.50 he ever spent. I have it now, in storage somewhere, I suspect, and will now have to find it and see if I can figure out the date of manufacture.
Like many a Boomer I lusted after 007's Minox not as a camera but for the wonderful engineering. Once again you have given us top draw presentation.
Great video.
in 1966 I acquired a water damaged Minox III and repaired it. After using a bit I decided to see what it could really do. I got some hi resolution graphics sheet film, cut it down to fit in a Minox cartridge and discovered I could photograph a full double sheet of newsprint and still read it. I was impressed with the lens quality.
With reference to the bad photo cell on the model "B", that is probably a mechanical problem in the meter mechanism. Most likely the needle is stuck to the trap bar mechanism (good rap with the button depressed might fix this) or there is some iron dust stuck to the meter magnet.
Small bit about selenium cells:
People often say the cells go bad by exposure to light or air and time, but in my experience the cell itself still usually is good and produces a decent voltage (0.3-0.5V), rather the contacts have corroded, a wire has broken, or the very delicately balanced needle readout has become stuck. Among disassembling something like 10 selenium meters, I've only come across one where the cell itself no longer produced any voltage.
I believe Technology Connections also said something like that 👍 I've always avoided cameras with selenium cells like the plague, but it would be nice if there was actual hope for them working!
I bought a C on eBay. The shutter sticks unfortunately. My attempt to fix it didn’t improve it much. But what was very neat was the roll of film inside mostly exposed. I developed it and found many images from what I assume were the 60s/70s based on fashion, cars, and airplane leg room!
I bought a working Model B, made an improvised film cutter (razor blades between plastic blocks of the correct width) to cut fine-grain 35mm film to minox-size and spooled it into a used film cassette. Bit of effort but being able to use these cameras is worth the trouble.
During the mid 1970s I was given several of these because they were broken. However all they needed was a good exterior cleaning around the controls, especially around the shutter release. Once the "patina" was removed they worked fine. Works of art for sure, but too much hassle to use for most folks, the ones I was given all had the first "sample" film in them.
I checked and film, printing and scanning services are still available.
Th form factor is attractive, and I'd buy a small digital version of this camera with similar feature to the original model.
"Volta Zap" has got to be one of the best names I have ever heard. Especially for an inventor.
Its the german pronunciation of Walter
Nikolai Teslas son. 🤪
Those cameras were mostly wanted for the coolness factor, back in the days of analog photography. The small film format does not really help with the quality of the photos, nor with the price of film material. For real photography, the 35mm film became the gold standard after WW2, as it provides good quality as well as affordable film and development cost. But the "spy camera" image kept the Minox alive for such a long time.
I think it follows the wish to be able to carry a camera wherever you go. Similar to digital cameras that started to become smaller and smaller, and eventually mobile phones adopting sufficiently good image quality with built-in cameras. Btw. the Minolta-16 is a similarly small concept, but with 10x14mm, so a bit better quality.
@@graealexalways wanted the Minox, but they were quite expensive way back, i got the Minolta 16 as a schoolboy for precisely that reason, to be able to carry a camera in my pocket, still got all the slides.
I got one of these spy cameras in the 60s but I couldn’t find film for it nor could I have it developed if I did have some film. As said before, the film quality would have been very poor anyways. Basically it was useless
I worked with some CIA officers. I really missed the opportunity to have asked them about the camera if they were really useful.
@@monteceitomoocher Was it an expensive hobby?
I would LOVE a digital version of this.
something-interesting4u.blogspot.com/2010/09/minox-digital-spy-camera-50-megapixel.html
I've been obsessed with the Minox camera since the 80's and distinctly remember receiving one for Christmas when I was 12, sourced from one of the boutique camera shops around NYCs 34th street. I wish I still had it :(
There used to be a store around there called, I think, “the Spy Store”.
@@NoahSpurrierI actually think that may still be there, on the second floor above a deli or something! There are (or where) some really crazy interesting niche stores in the Penn South area. It was a wonderland going with my father as a kid
Would that camera store be B+H?
in the early 80s a friend and I found a pile of boxes behind an apartment building. Going through the stuff it seemed like it might have been someone who had died and had their place cleaned out. From what I could gather, the person was an engineer who worked in radio electronics. Among the boxes I also found (new to me for sure) Minox camera film in their small cartridge cases. Sadly no camera. I was pretty young at the time and only years later did I wonder...was he spying for anyone? Maybe photographing materials where he worked? Crazy stuff.
@@jackpine1033wonder if it was 47th St Photo.
Your German pronounciation is pretty good!
Except for “Minox” itself…
YES... I always saw these advertised in Popular Mechanics. Just the coolest!
Like the Minox 'chain', old movie cinema cameras had lenses which needed to be a specific distance away from the target to focus properly. Each different lens had it's own specific distance. The scene to be filmed would be set up with actors and props in place, then a person would hold up one of his many strings from the subject toward the camera, which would be maneuvered into place so the lens was at the other end of the string, then filming could begin. The person who had that job was called a "Focus Puller" and you'll see them named in the credits at the end of all the old films. So now you know...
FYI.....just about every movie made, even today, uses focus pullers. Even the fastest autofocus can't beat a skilled human being at this.
Just a couple of corrections. The film width is 9.2mm, not 9.5mm. And yes, that .3mm makes the difference between fitting and not fitting. Also, preloaded film is still available from Blue Moon Camera in Portland Oregon. Don’t know where but they obtain empty cartridges and do loading of several emulsions, both B&W and Color negative. They also do processing and optical prints. Yep, it’s pricey, but what would you expect. I’ve had a IIIs for about 12 years and built my own slitter, cut down plastic reels to develop my own B&W and convert to digital with a macro lens on a mirrorless body. Actually film is real cheap when you slit your own from 35mm. You can get 6 - 25 exposure rolls from a 36 exposure roll of 35mm with a generous leader and tail.
I got a Minolta version in 1972 at a PX in Germany. Nice little compact camera used 8mm film in a small cassette. Great to have in your pocket for pictures without having to lug a 35mm around all day.
Me too! Loved it.
What a delightful, clever device. As always, your dry sense of humor puts a smile on my face.
Ah finally, a neat gadget I've actually held in my hands for once! My father owns a pair of Minox cameras, the BL model and the later TLX variant. They always captivated me as a kid, and I have fond memories of sneaking into his office to look at it. Somehow much younger me never destroyed them while handling them when I probably shouldn't have been!
I still have my mother’s Minox camera, identical to the one shown. My father bought it for her late 50’s or early 60’s.
While in junior high in the 1960’s I had a miniature camera that took 16mm film. I don’t remember what brand. The dimensions were about the same as a pack of cigarettes and it fit nicely in my shirt pocket. I bought a 100 ft. roll of Double-X (ASA 200) 16mm movie film to reload cartridges. So, took lots of pictures without worrying about cost of film. Developed and printed photos myself. It had a fixed focus (lots of depth of field), don’t recall if exposure was adjustable. Also had an Argus C-3 and later an Exakta VX.
A legitimately fascinating video. I had no idea that those tiny cameras (and film) were produced until so recently. You have a knack of making the explanation of ordinary objects very entertaining, keep up the excellent work.
I cannot tell you how badly I always wanted one of these cameras. Bloody brilliant lad. Thanks!
Me too !!!
@@rsc9520 Right. I'm on eBay looking for my own right now. Has to be done.
One thing not mentioned was the accuracy of the Minox lens. Photographing blueprints (scaled mechanical drawings) it was so accurate, corner to corner that measurements were exactly to scale, so, when enlarged to the size of the original drawing, accurate measurements could be taken from it.
I have a friend (from the 70s) that got one this type of camera from an uncle that had dropped off the face of the earth for decades, then had reappeared for only a few days as cancer took him. My friend was close enough to visit him, and the uncle gave him the camera and said, "have fun with this piece of history..."
My friend still has it, bequeathed to his daughter with his own passing.
Still have my dad's Minox enlalarger...very solid construction to limit vibration to hold focus, necessary due to tiny negative size.
I have a Minox B made in 1963 & flash unit. It has lived in its pouch and still comes with its instruction book! The light meter still works!
Interesting to learn that these were first produced by VEF in Riga, a firm perhaps better known in Soviet times for the multi-band radios under the Vega and Spidola names. I hadn't realised that they'd also made cameras.
I don't know where my Soviet multi band short wave receiver came from.
Strange stuff people were broadcasting.
Small correction, Vega was not made by VEF. VEF also made light planes before WW2. After war main production was various communication equipment, radios were small part of production.
@@aizliegtsvSome VEF radios intended for export had the name VEGA for example VEF 206 was sold under the name VEGA 206.
@@OkupantTuriMutiCiet Ah, yes, soviet export brands, it was so long ago. When I worked in VEF, Vega was brandname for russian Berdsk factory products and export brand was Tento
The whole camera system was awesome, the spherical film pressing plate to reduce the loss of sharpness to the edges, the daylight developing box which made it able to develop the film completely without the need of a dark bag, the repro unit and so on. I love that 8x11 system. Only one of mine has a defect shutter due to old oil, all older one work fine and I am very happy to have two hand full of film frozen in the fridge 😂
A fabulous in-depth overview of these iconic cameras. Thank you.
My mothers great friend Gwynedd Hanson (the nearest equivalent I ever met to a female James Bond) had one of these delightful little cameras in the mid 60s. I wish I had tried it myself.
Oh man, I had a DK Eyewitness photobook about Spy's that features photos of one of these Minox cameras. So cool!
Beautiful engineering
As a teenager back in the 1970's, I really wanted a Minox, because I thought they were cool looking, but I couldn't afford one. I ended up buying a Yashica Atoron, which is very similar looking, and uses Minox film. It was a nice camera, but it could never be used as a spy cam because of the obnoxious sound the shutter made! If you have an Atoron you know what I mean.
I bought an EC for travel in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Especially great for bicycle vacations, and what I appreciated second most, after the small size, was no controls; take the picture or don't.
I got a projector of theirs
Omg I just bought a gold Minolta 16 MG yesterday! It reminded me of the Minox. I can’t wait to get some film for it!
What a superb video. Nobody could possibly say you do not research your work. I'm sure you are aware of the story behind 35mm and look forward to that video.
I have the Minox colour enlarger. I'm not sure but I think they only made about 100 of them. I also was able to produce 12x16" (inch) prints from Minox, using Kodak Technical Pan film rated at 9 asa - developed in very dilute Microdol l-X. The prints were virually grainless and people generally couldn't believe they were taken from the Minox - until i showed them the negatives. The lenses on Minox were superb. At the time, i also used to take photos with Kodachrome 25asa and Kodak Royal Gold 25asa. - again, the results used to defy belief. I have a large collecting of Minox (including the electronic flash, which is about five times bigger than the camera) and the Minox automatic HP24 autofocus transparency projector. People are always impressed with a well exposed, well focused and well developed Minox negative. They are far better than people ever imagine.
I have a similar collection. My flash is one time bulbs with retractable reflector.
What bugged me most about Minox was, obviously, its rather obscure film format. I can still procure film for my Minolta 16, but good luck finding Minox film today.
Thanks for the video. I have several Minox cameras and a developing tank but haven't used them. Another hobby waiting to be explored. I also have a couple of medium format cameras, a folder and a TLR. And a couple of Polaroids.
I was wondering when you were going to cover this one.
A masterpiece of tech and a great pleasure to use...
Got a model b as a Christmas present a year or two ago. One of these days I’m gonna get some film and try it out. Such a cool little device
At 8:45 the piers in Norfolk, VA. I was on a carrier on the first two piers 1985-1989. John Walker was arrested for spying during that time frame.
I have a couple of these. Very cool info. Thank you
I own a B model and I have a Tessina 35 as well. So glad you made this episode!
Its an awesome camera system. I shot it for years. Great results with some care. I have a bunch of them, all the accessories and their awesome enlarger
I have a Rollei A110 which is slightly larger, and just as fascinating. If only I could find someone who would fix the shutter problems!
Wow great thanks I have one of these and actually got film for it but didn’t know how it worked so this helped very much
Such good design
Great video. I have a model B made in 1968 and my exposure meter still works!
Great video. Ingenious design and engineering in a small package.
Love the opening scene! Only thing missing are the "Gilles girls"!
Thank for the very interesting historical background. I had no idea these little cameras were created pre-WW2.
Merci, Gilles.
What an interesting episode to watch! Thank you for sharing. Had one of these years ago (later black version). Fun to use, but very expensive to develop and print the photo's.
Walker is the reason myself and other sailors I knew had our Top Secret clearances downgraded to Secret.
I worked in a photo shop and we also sold them (very pricey)
I always wanted one myself as a kid back in the 80s, but could not afford to buy one. I remember there were about half a dozen types of film readily available for the camera, among them one very high contrast, high detail but low light sensitive black an white film called document type - nudge nudge, wink wink... Kudos for your prononciation of GmbH by the way!
I have had various Minox cameras over the years, mostly C , TLX and LX models and I still have 2 C models The problem is that the images, unless you use very slow film, are rather grainy and of quite limited resolution. More of a toy (other than for spies) than a general photographic tool. The 8 x 11 film cassettes are still available from Maco in Germany.
@dbore378 It is just plain physics. If you assume the resolution of a 100 ISO film is at best, around 80 line pairs per mm, then across the width of an 11mm negative you will have a resolution of 880 line pairs or about the same as a 405 line TV set. A 35mm film will have in contrast 2800 Line Pairs across 36mm or nearly four times as good. If you use them with 25 ISO film with a resolution of say 200 line pairs/mm then I agree resolution is acceptable but 25 ISO film is really restricted to use with the f3.5 lens to bright days. BTW I have used Minox cameras off and on for 40 years.
That intro lol.
When I was a kid I used to think the bond intro was a camera. That takes me back.
Me too. I always saw an aperture, until the first time I inspected the barrel of a pistol I was about to purchase and realized that’s what it was.
In hindsight it’s pretty clear that’s what it was, since apertures don’t go as far “around” the center rifling does, but it sure had my younger self fooled
I have never looked inside a rifle but I knew what it was the instant it came up on the screen.
That's the UK for you.
But that is an interesting little camera. So small and complicated.
Now a phone takes a better picture.
@@20chocsaday At what age?
I was a curious kid and may have asked and been told "A camera", I'm not sure. Though it took me a while to figure out that it wasn't a camera.
As for it being the UK, I know more about firearms than many US firearms owners. Occasionally ones that they own. Though I'm an engineer so knowing how things work and *needing* to know how things work is kind of par for the course. I've only ever used two firearms in my life (however I own three crossbows, one mag fed and lever operated), though the operating principle is simple enough for everything but the most exotic like that crazy HK ceaseless burst fire machine.
@@daviddavidson2357 About 15. I read a lot including dictionaries, talked to people and listened to what they had learned.
Camera shutters don't usually have so many leaves.
Remember to ask things like What When Where Why and How do you know.
@@20chocsaday That would make sense. I thought it was a camera until I was a young teenager.
"Kid" here usually means
I had one of those. The film was hard to get and get processed. The film door was hard to open, it was so precision that if you stroked it too hard it would not open. You had to get just enough friction with your finger to slide it open.
I had one of these and totally forgot that i had had one. Thanks!
Minox user
This was excellent
One critical technical step that made the Minox possible: the 35mm Leicas and making enlargements. I'm not sure the date but up until the Leica enlarged photos, especially of snapshots were not that common. So I think the existence of the Leicas using movie film stock to make enlarged, instead of contact, prints raised the question: How small and compact could a camera and negative be? Minox hit that one out of the park.
I was a professional for many years, lot of time in the darkroom. When I was a teenager I got one of the small 110 cameras with negatives probably not much bigger than the Minox. The photos were not satisfying. A photo taken on a 60cm (2-1/4) neg (Hasselblad) or 4x5 or 8x10 on the other hand almost always have a better textural quality than a 35mm enlargement. I wonder what a collection of Minox photos would look like.
I've read dozens of biographies and histories of Cold War spying. I can't think of any 'agent,' who given a Minox didn't immediately produce blurry unusable images. The problems were distance, hand holding for longish exposures.The next contacts usually included a cable release (bulb) and legs or a clamp to hold the camera.
I'm surprised all the intelligence agencies used the Minox. Everyone knows what it is and what it's used for. The matchbox camera is a much more practical design and could be disposed of (inconspicuously) and easily replaced. If your handlers send you more film they can include a couple of cameras. The level of precision and quality of the Minox is absolutely unnecessary. I'm sure it was a thrill to be given one, but then it becomes a huge risk.
Anyone who's done B&W photography from the late 1950s to now probably didn't use a compensating developer. So any photos that were over exposed would result in dense often unusable negatives. A compensating developer on the other hand will develop the densest parts of the negatives to a usable level at which point the developer in that area will be exhausted and stop adding density. In the less dense areas it will continue to work. Much much more forgiving. You almost always get a usable negative. (Edward Weston used compensating 'pyro' developers and never owned a light meter.) If you use a compensating developer, photographing documents, and other photos: exposure is not critical. Distance is still critical. What's interesting about distance is if you just take your phone to shoot a bunch of documents it's a huge challenge figuring out how to make a standardized stable set up. But once you've come up with solutions, it's simple. (I'm very mechanical and experienced and I've often been both ways. What in this hotel room can I use??? )
The yellow, and perhaps the orange, filters were not to compensate for using 'tungsten film' unless it was color film. These filters are for B&W and darken the blue sky. Ansel Adams used them in almost all his dramatic photographs of mountains. In the hazy and often overcast northern and central Europe they wouldn't be of much use. I used to have these filters in Michigan and was almost never able to get anything from them. Here in California? Almost everyday. An orange filter might indeed be for shooting 3200°K tungsten film in daylight 5500° to 20,000K, but not the yellow.
I carried a minox AX in my pocket at all times throughout the '90s. The image quality could be as good as a high street minilab, but it took a lot more home darkroom effort and expense to get to 8x10" prints.
I have a Minox and another tiny camera. It is the same model you have. Digital cameras and phones take far higher quality. It really is amazing how photography has progressed.
Phones might be the biggest reason we do not see an advancement of these cameras into the digital age. Just no market for an ultra compact digital P&S when we already have that in our phone. And of course the espionage world uses much smaller and far more boutique stuff today.
note when I say no market I mean no market big enough to spool up a line and sell them at a price people can afford. Not that nobody would be interested in a digital Minox.
Those Minox cameras remind me of a very similar, but slightly larger formfactor, the Pocketfilm. Still use my Kodak Ektralight 400 to this day for some applications, as it is to me the poor mans polaroid. All the aesthetic benefits w/o the downsides. Especially good with the new films from Lomography!
Edit: Those films can be developed at every place, that can do 35mm Films, still to this day. At lest in Germany, don´t know how it is in other countries!
I own a few Minox cameras; they are a delightful gadget to use and have actual spy cred.
I’ve shot refilled cartridges with Kodak Tmax black and white film in mine. And I actually developed them myself in the Minox daylight tank. It really is the perfect spy system when used like that. After all, you don’t want to take your spy shots to a local one hour photo.
They take surprisingly good pictures as well considering their size. Especially when shot with good modern film.
I refill cassettes with Fuji Neopan Acros and fine-grain 50 ASA film and use them in my 1960 Model B. I also modified a slide frame to be able to scan the negatives.
Well done! Thank You!
That's interesting about the measuring chain. I always assumed it was for the minimum distance. Also, I've wanted one for 30 years.
Great video, Gilles...👍
Wow this is giving me strong Technology Connections vibes.
I think there was a scene in the Batman: the Animated series in the episode, Cat and the Claw, where Catwoman was photgraphing documents with a camera looking like this.
I had a curious small camera,a 110 Pentax SLR although I never used it for spying!
That was so cool! THanks!
That was a wonderful documentation! Thank you!
That is a cool little camera! Thank you Sir.
Oh no, this is going to be just like the curta all over again... I'm obsessed
I just had one sold it but bought it in a thrift store for 5 bucks everything worked very nice and cool camera
Kind of became obsolete as a subminiature camera when the 110 cartridge format came in. I have a Pentax 110 SLR with interchangeable lenses, you should do video on that if you can, it is I believe the most compact SLR ever produced.
A relative had one, and snuck it into a national political convention in ‘68 to photograph who knows what…and ended up with some action shots of the mayoral-orchestrated shenanigans which I was watching on television from home…
The photos were actually pretty good, and my relative pasted prints on heavy manila tag board for display. All of those tag boards grew mildew because of the damp storage space… The camera is probably in the family somewhere. I wasn’t allowed to touch it, not bring notably coordinated, but was drawn to the size, case finish, and sliding mechanism!
Perhaps I’ll end up with it; in which case I’d like to use it once before placing it into a glass case with my relative’s remaining personal and political keepsakes!!
Enjoyed this, thank you for the great presentation
Excellent!
I saw one of these cameras in a pawn shop. I asked to see it. It was a genuine Minox. I should have bought it.
Nice video. Thank you. Love cameras ...
In 75 I had a minolta 110 pocket camera. It was about twice the size of that. Fit in my army fatigues pocket. Carried it everywhere and thankfully now I have many pictures I took with it Germany during my tour. Never should’ve got rid of it for a Polaroid SX70 folding instant camera. Which was stolen by the contracted packers that shipped my stuff Home. With my new norelco electric shaver. 🤬
Your German pronunciation is fine.
Another excellent topic and presentation.
Thank you..
I have this exact camera, complete with the brown leather case with chain and the other accessories.
This is a brilliant piece of technology! Thanks for making this video. I just bought a Minox on Ebay 😅
Wally still have a history of being used by Intelligence Officers to copy documents, they have a longer history of a love affair with the movies. We're not as popular to be used by Intelligence Officers as the movies with Thomas believe. There were a few that did use his extensively but it was the fear not the many. One unique feature the metal chain that has a ring on it, it's not for carrying the camera it was a focal distance device. If you held the camera so that the ring would touch the paper, the entire page would be in frame. Also the film that was used in these cameras when they were being used for their photocopying purposes. Was approximately an ISO 25, black and white panchromatic reversal film. As the image that would be generated, would be reversed. See you would have white text on a solid black background, it made Reading the document that was photographed much easier. Also any number of duplications could be made with last generational loss,
For 50 years I have only heard the name pronounced with "min" as in minimum, or bin, not as "mine".
Where do you live?
@@jimurrata6785Danmark
@@jimurrata6785Danmark
@@jimurrata6785Danmark
@@jimurrata6785 Danmark
Now do a piece on Nagra SNN tape recorder -- another legendary spycraft item.
For most of my life I have lusted after a Minox and a Nagra. They just seemed so cool!
Please make a video about the Steky cameras, too. Great video!
Massacred‽ Good God man, I'm agog at how good your pronunciation of GmbH was! 😲
Holy shit the part about Wetzlar was pretty surprising for someone like me that lives there
Sometimes I feel like the only person in their 20s who watch your videos lol. I love all the comments from Gen X and Baby Boomers. I feel like I'm in some special club :)
These are cool little items. Very little use nowadays with the advent of other devices such as camera phones. Nice item to have in a display cabinet though.
I was itching to see what the opening gag would be!
A camera store near me has a working one
I would love to see an episode on the Spillsbury and Tindall HF "Bush Radios", and their history in the Canadian north. If you are near Winnipeg, I have one that you could use for the video!
And your pronounciation was pretty much on point :)
I have the Minox film developing system for this camera in a box somewhere.