Minox 35

My referrer logs tell me a number of folks have come here looking for info on the Minox 35 camera. The following is a brief review that I wrote about three years ago.

Looking for the Ideal Compact Camera, or a Few Words About the Minox 35.

I like to carry a camera most of the time. What I don't like, though, are the fuzzy, low contrast images that come from many compact cameras. Unfortunately, this breed of camera is often designed for people who aren't particularly discerning about the photos they take. As a consequence, optical quality is often lacking. Even the better modern compacts -- the Yashica T4 and Canon Elph Jr., which have pretty good lenses -- lack the features that I prefer.

For anyone who wants a, for lack of a better word, serious compact there are few choices. The Rollei 35 series is probably the best of the bunch but collectors' interest makes this manual exposure, manual focusing camera more expensive by the day. Prices on the 35S, the preferred model, seem to hover at around $350-400 with modern examples topping $1,000. It's also no lightweight, at around 14 ounces without film.

Over the years, I've been through a succession of small cameras, beginning with the Leica CL (too big, fragile meter) and Olympus Stylus Epic (ok lens, not much else to recommend it). I still use the incredibly quirky Chinon Bellami that I bought in the mid-'80s, because the lens is quite good and it uses zone focusing. Good luck finding one, though -- I've only seen one other for sale. A friend, and about a million other enthusiastic people, like the LOMO, but while I like some of the results from his camera, I've never been able to separate the hype from the machine. Which brings me to my latest compact.

I'm now using a Minox 35GT bought secondhand a few months ago. It was manufactured sometime in the '70s, though the condition of mine doesn't betray that. It has a polycarbonate body, weighs about 7 ounces without film, and has an extraordinarily sharp Color-Minotaur 35mm/2.8 lens that folds into the body when not in use. A small plate folds up to protect the lens and viewfinder.

The Minox 35GT employs zone focusing, aperture priority exposure control with backlight (2X) compensation, and manual setting of ISO. The newer 35GT-S reads DX coding; less desirable since it removes one more tool for exposure control (the still-available 35GT-E allows the manual setting of ISO). A small hotshoe accepts the Minox FC35 flash, an impressive automatic flash with a guide number of 56 at ISO 100.

The Minox 35 series has acquired a mixed reputation over the years. It's reputed to be (as a species) fairly fragile, particularly when it comes to the electronics. Some dislike -- for a variety of reasons -- the plastic body. Others simply prefer others based on personal experience.

Of course, my personal experience has generated a lot of fondness for the Minox 35. It's lighter than any other 35mm camera I've found, has a super lens, and a shutter that makes almost no sound. It's unobtrusive enough that I use it in places I don't want to attract attention. And even when it does, it's odd appearance draws comments like "cute camera." Best of all, this exceptionally small camera is always with me.

Of course, the lack of full manual exposure control isn't ideal for some situations. Typically, I'm shooting film with a wide enough latitude to bail me out of most tricky situations. It's not the ideal camera for shooting Kodachrome 25, though.

Pros: Sharp lens. Light. Used examples are still reasonably priced.
Cons: New ones cost a bundle. Reputation for fragility.