Best subminis

<p>Joseph Cooper: Ultra miniature photography<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18280581-md.jpg" alt="IMG2" /></p>

<p>Paul Wahl, Subminiature Technique<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18280582-lg.jpg" alt="IMG" /></p>

William White

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18281198-md.jpg" alt="Ten best subminis" /></p>

<p>For photographing distant objects, focusing is not necessary, Minox has the advantage of pocketability.</p>

<p>For object from 30cm to 5 cm, focusing camera such as Gami 16, Minicord, Tessina has advantage over Minox guestimate. In this range, my first choice is Minicord due to its life size viewfinder. Tessina +pentaprism provides a smaller viewfinder image.</p>

<p>For macro range,the best submini is Narciss.</p>

<p>Cooper mentioned good subminis : Minox, Gami 16, Mikroma,Minicord,Cabinox, Mec-16,Mamiya 16,Minolta 16,Ricoh and Yashica.<br>

I have Minox, Mikroma, Minicord, Mec-16, Mamiya 16,Minolta and Ricoh, a Gami 16 is on its way</p>

<p>Minox, Mikroma, Minicord, Mamiya cameras all good, have not try out MEC-16 and Golden Ricoh yet<br>

have have doubt about the Ricoh, it has a non focusing lens.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>William White, Joseph Cooper and Paul Wahl all voted for<br>

Minox<br>

Gami 16<br>

Minicord</p>

<p>Minolta got two votes Cooper,white<br>

Mamiya got two votes Cooper ,Wahl</p>

<p>Top 3 submis: Minox Gami 16, Minicord<br>

Top 5 subminis Minox, Gami 16, Minicord, Minolta, Mamiya</p>

<p>In William White's list there is one minor quibble. The Minolta 16II is a 22mm, not 25mm focal length lens. My personal experience with these 16II cameras is they are good for the price. I've never paid more than $20 for one. They are also very reliable, simple and almost always work. The major problem, in my view is that they are fixed focus at 2.5M, about 8 ft., and you have to use tiny and fiddly supplementary lenses to bring the focus to any other distance. Very slow and inconvenient. Outside and walking about I've often just left the "0" lens on the camera and let DOF cover as best it can. The "0" lens is a minus .25 diopter that brings focus to 10M, about 33 feet. At that focus point, even at f2.8 objects in the far distance still appear to be in focus for small prints.</p>

Hi Martin,

 

It's been a while ...

 

White names the Minicord lens his favorite amongst DEFUNCT cameras. But he goes on to say: "In addition, the two best subminiatures

CURRENTLY available [as of his 1990 publication date], with lenses as high in quality as those on 35mm cameras, are Tessinon, 1960,

Tessina, f/2.8, 25mm and Robot SC, 1987, Xenagon, f/5.0, 30mm." (p.159; William White, Ph.D., Subminiature Photography, Focal Press,

Boston, USA)

 

So I think your claim that the 'Goerz Helgor' is White's number-one lens is off-base. You're taking his ratings out of context.

 

Marc

My first choice of best submni is not Minicord, but KMZ Narciss

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18222459-lg.jpg

Canadian bill

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18222512-md.jpg

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18222462-md.jpg

 

Tessina, f/2.8, 25mm and Robot SC, 1987, Xenagon, f/5.0, 30mm all belong to camera using

35mm film, not genuine submins( camera using film smaller then 35mm film)

 

 

Even thought Tessina and Robot has unfair advantage of much large format film, yet still can never take such pictures as Naricss

 

I own four Tessinas and five Robot cameras, I know what their limitation.

 

 

One picture is better than thousand words. Show me similar pictures you have taken with Tessinon or Xenagon, I don't think you can do it.

 

May be you know these cameras only from books, never handled one

 

I am waiting.....

Edited May 28, 2017 by MTC Photography

Let us get the records straight

 

martin: posting 8581 pictures 5724

 

thomas: posging 1 picture zilch