Newbie - film? processing? Want *current* info

I just picked up a Minox B, but I'm not a newbie to old cameras, photo.net or

finding info on them.

 

In searching for info on Minox, I've sucessfully found manuals (at submin.com

and our collective benefactor, Mr. Butkus). I've found full-price film at $10 a

roll (Amazon, Frugal). I've found processing at apparently outrageous pricing

(over $25 for 36 exposures -- get real!).

 

I've also gotten the Firesign Theatre effect -- "Everything You Know Is Wrong".

 

J and C is no longer a source for anything.

 

Buy cartridges to refill from Minox Labs - not any more. Where can I buy empty

carts that Goat Hill (found via submin.com) will refill for me?

 

Deal with www.8x11film.com - highly recommended in many postings -- they're not

maintaining their English site anymore - use the German pages if you actually

want to find out what's available or buy something. Don't speak German --- tough!

 

Is there *anyone* that maintains a *current*, *accurate* site with info on

buying cartridges, film processing, etc. for Minox in the English language?

 

Does anyone sell film for less than $10 a roll? B&W within 15 years of date or

color within 7 is fine. Does anyone provide develop/print for less than $25?

 

Thanks for your help,

Tadas

I second that. I'm currently looking mostly for empty cartridges, as I'm building myself a

nice mechanical slitter and can develop/print the film myself. Outside of buying old

cartridges from eBay (with the associated *COLLECTOR ITEM* markup, ugh :P ), is there

any way to get lots of empty cartridges for cheap? 8x11film seems to be the best place -

any good results getting stuff shipped by them?

 

Even places I've been quoted in person turn out to no longer exist. I suppose that with film

on the whole dying out like crazy, esoteric film is just going to be harder to find, but

there's got to be something out there. Right?

Hey, until very recently I would have directed you to Minox Processing Labs for empty cassettes, but as I posted in my own thread yesterday, they aren't answering the phone!

 

Back in the mid-90s, I bought the commercially loaded Minox b/w film (which wasn't cheap even then, BTW), developed it myself in the Minox Daylight Tank, and saved the cassettes for reuse. By the time that a friend had built me a film slitter a couple of years later, I had enough cassettes to load four rolls at a time (which was convenient, because one roll of 36-exp 35mm film yields four rolls of Minox film). If you're careful, you can get roughly five to ten uses out of a cassette before it breaks.

 

Alas, I'd offer you some, but since I've been losing them to breakage and MPL wasn't returning the cassettes after developing my color film (no matter how nicely I asked), I only have a few left myself.

 

Yeah, it's hard times for us arcane film format fans...

I don't use any cassette in my Edixa 16M, just roll 16mm film and

load directly into Edixa 16M.

 

It is not possible to load film without cassette in Minox camera, however you can get by with only one Minox cassette. I have being using only one Minolta 16mm casette in my Minolta 16

I buy all my new film directly from Minox Germany. Yes, its more expensive but I get fresh film as I prefer Mino Pro 100. Minox Germany also uses Lab811.com for all processing of film. For B&W, try fotoimpex.de/anglicus/FILME/FILME.html . They can sell you a variety of films for the Minox. I hope some of these ideas will work for you.

For processing and printing in the U.S the best place , by far, is Blue Moon Camera in Portland, Oregon. Perhaps they will be able to help you with empty carts...I always ask for mine back and they always return them, and once they even sent me a couple of extras without my asking. They are great folks and very dedicated to Minox. What you might end up doing, though, is buying your first few rolls new and re-using those carts. Blue Moon is also the only place I know that still processes Minolta 16.

<p>Foto IMPEX Berlin used to sell ADOX KB 14 in a Minox version. Unfortunately the KB 14 is sold out because a customer bought all the rest a few weeks ago. Because the film did not sell very well there will probably not be a next edition...</p>

<p>If we all send an e-mail to info@fotoimpex.de and ask for the film maybe they will create new stock.</p><p>As for www.8x11film.com, e-mail Marcus in English just like I do, it's a nice guy</p>

My impression was that KB14 was similar but slightly inferior to APX 25, which is still widely available as Minopan 25. I haven't tried it myself, so have no direct comparisons to go by.

 

I'd guess the reason for its lack of popularity is that Minopan 25 is still fairly widely available, and there aren't many people who need an older 25 ASA film type. If/when the supply of Minopan 25 runs out, there may well be a bigger demand.

 

-Anthony

The Fotoimpex catalog stated that the KB14 is in fact Adox CHS 25. And that film should be very fine grained I thought?

As an update: I ended up ordering 100 bucks' worth of film from frugal photographer; seems like the only places you can still reliably buy it from are frugalphotographer, blue moon, and 8x11film.com. The newer snap-closed cassettes are reloadable, so I'll just reuse those. I figure 100 bucks for 360 exposures is a pretty decent price considering the rarity of the film.

 

So what I've determined is the following.

Buying: frugalphotographer or Blue Moon if you're in north america; 8x11film.com if you're in the EU. Seems that 8x11film doesn't ship outside the EU anyway. No idea if you're in the middle east, asia, africa or australia; perhaps there's a place in the Hong Kong area?

 

Processing: looks like Blue Moon is one of the few places that still process minox film. I recommend doing it yourself...there are simple methods using a standard 120 stainless steel reel and a Kindermann tank that work quite well. See http://www.geocities.com/markhahn2000/developing_minox_film.html

 

Printing: Again, Blue Moon will do it for you. Most flatbed film scanners will do a great job with a strip of Minox negatives, though high resolution is crucial (think 3000 dpi+). Even this kind of resolution will result in a small image, less than 1500 pixels on the long side, but for anything faster than ASA 25 you're limited by grain and camera blur more than a higher scan resolution would solve.

 

Printing the old-fashioned way, there are tons of resources at subclub.org. They discuss the existing minox enlargers, other enlargers for submini film, and the wide-angle lenses and film gates you'll need to print 9.5mm film on a 35mm enlarger.

 

Hope that helps.

8x11film worked with Jobo and Minox to make the Jobo 8x11 reel. These can be used in the Jobo 1510 tank and you process film to the same instructions as for 35mm. In a double tank you even process the same 35mm and Minox film at the same time.

 

Jobo 8x11 reels are easier to load and give more consistent results than the stainless steel reels which also often get collector type prices at auction.

 

Lab811 is on "holiday" but film can still be sent to Minox for processing.

 

MinoxLabs.com gets redirected to their page on minox.com. Blue Moon is listed as a Minox dealer, MinoxLab is not.

 

MS Hobbies, in the UK still quote processing and film but can't use either Praaz or Lab811 as they used to.

 

Many places listing Minox film in fact do not have stocks and the prices of new stocks will rocket following the price increase last month as well as the increase in strength of the EURO to other currencies.

 

Guides to Minox developing tanks and enlargers are at http://www.submin.com/8x11/manuals/minox and variations see at http://www.submin.com/8x11/collection/minox - scroll left hand column down to accessories.

 

Information on other developing tanks can be found under http://www.submin.com/general.

 

Gerald