A Leica "Close Enough Cousin"?

Is a recently acquired Minox 35GL allowed entry to the Leica forum?

The warranty card says Minox was a division of E. Leitz, Inc and the

camera was made in Germany. The little "bugger" is not old enough for

the classic camera forum and the Minox forum is not very active so...

it's looking for an active home.

 

Supposedly the lens design is similar to an Elmar but is labeled

Color-Minotar 1:2.8 f=35mm. Anyone know where it was designed and

manufactured? Any other interesting info? Regards.

Come on in. This place is full of crazy people, though. And there are some forum rules somewhere or other.

Hello John,

 

I'm sorry to say I don't have a clue as to the design and production of the lens.... but I have a little Minox 35GL as well which I bought some 20 odd years ago in Zurich. I don't use it anymore, but have put it through quite some use in the past and it's a beautifull little thing with perfectly adaquate results.... I would say it would be more than welcome here on the leica forum as well as yourself ...

Heck yeah. And they'll probably treat you better than us poor slobs with Leica R camers. ;-)

I agree with Donald. Either you own a "range finder" Leica or threaten everyone with an ESO digital.

 

Yes, the Minotar is a tessar variant. I have this camera and use it. Best plastic I ever bought. There are many folks on Minox forum who use it as well.

 

Take lots of photos, have fun!

Click on 'More...' at top right of screen under 'About this Forum' for the Rules of Engagement.

 

Someone once told me that Minox demonstrators used to chuck this little camera on the floor and stand on it to prove its toughness. Not recommended with a Leica or Digicam. I never bought one because there's nowhere to screw a filter.

Hi John,

 

This is a pretty good summary of the Minox cameras.

 

Dan

Try again.........sorry.

 

http://www.submin.com/35mm/collection/minox/

Thanks for all the info and support. "Minnie" feels good now. I don't think I'll be purposely dropping her on the ground though, but it's nice to know how durable the camera is. Looking at the shape of the lens diaphragm I think the "glow" is going to be missing. The link to the Minox site is helpful.

 

The lack of a rangefinder is a problem.... oh well, zone focus will work. Regards.

The 35GL and its plastic-bodied ilk were known for having chronically short-lived shutters and were as much a departure from the elegance and precision of the sub-miniature spy cameras as the current range of Pansonic-cloned compacts compared to an M3.

Darn Terrence, do you mean this two dollar piece of German plastic ain't going to work for long if ever and will get no respect from the other Minox club members? I guess I won't get a new battery for it after all. Regards.

Recently, the Minox brand are newly independent. The Minox factory it's located in Wetzlar (!!!). The Minox GL it's a true made in Germany product and the Color Minotar 35 mm f/ 2,8 lens have the same optical scheme of the Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/ 2,8 (Tessar type - 4 lens in 3 group). I own a beautyful Minox 35 GTE, that i use together Leica M bargains, with full satisfaction.

Ciao.

 

Vincenzo Maielli Italy

Hi Vincenzo,

 

I was just joking with Terrence. I'm about 60 miles from the closest battery so it will be a few days before I can get "Minnie" fully operational. I have a roll of Leica film (Kodachrome 64) ready to load and tryout.

 

"the Color Minotar 35 mm f/ 2,8 lens have the same optical scheme of the Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/ 2,8 (Tessar type - 4 lens in 3 group)."

 

So... this will be an inexpensive way to enjoy the latest Elmar glass design, I like it. The funny shaped diaphragm may be a problem. What kind of "Bokeh" (OOF) do they produce?

 

By the way, when I open and close the front door there is a small "squeak" as the lens extends and retracts. Is that normal or is some lube required?

 

Also, "Minnie" should help me avoid the digital purchase "sting" for awhile longer and that is a good thing.

 

Thanks for the information. Regards.

John, If your shutter works (i.e. if you have a working battery installed), try to listen to the sound. That is all that should matter. Other "squeaks" you hear do not matter one bit unless you are bit of a fondler.

Vivek, I confess, I am a bit of a fondler. Hope this little plastic thing works well. I guess I can live with the little squeek/squack. Regards.

I had a Minox 35GL and regret getting rid of it (for a Contax T2). A little cheap and plasticy and I found mine scratched the film more than I was entirely happy with, but it was superbly light and small and the lens quality was very good and its aperture priority auto exposure was surprisingly excellent. This is truly a camera you can always have in your pocket. I had the small leather ever-ready case too which was a nice extra protection.<div></div>

Great pix Robin, hard to get anything better than Leica film (Kodachrome 64) IMHO. I'll look into film scratching on mine, the back cover is pretty flimsy, oh well. Regards.

I thought Kodachrome 25 is the "leica film", No?

Hi Vivek, I'm sure the upscale owners of Leicas in the late thirties were among the first to use Kodachrome, don't you? So that's why I call it Leica film.

 

The only real Leica hardware I own is a pristine SOOMP and filter (I think that's what it's called) which cost fifty cents at a flea market. I thought it would fit a Jupiter 8 on a Zorki 4, it didn't and ........ that's why I say I use Leica film, I don't have a Leica camera or lens.

 

This little plastic Minox will be the closest to a real Leica camera I'll ever purchase..... unless one shows up cheap at a flea market.

 

Regards.

John, You seem more obsessed with Leica than many collectors! :-)

 

Yes, the Minox does well with color films. There was a collapsible lens hood made for this. Very useful.

 

If you need to compensate the shutter speeds, change the film speed dial.

Works quite well.

Vivek, I hope not. Grin! The "Colonel's" Zorki-4 and a Jupiter 8 is "Like a Leica" close enough for me. I "picked up" "Minnie" to carry around in my shirt pocket (no room for accessories) in place of a Fuji Z2 (maybe I'll get one later used). With the savings, I acquired a 360/5.5 Tele-Xenar from ebabe for "Kong", my "Speed Graphic". Too many good film options these days. Regards.

With a fresh battery, "Minnie" shows everything is working. Neat little camera...... except, in the bright sun today I noticed the meter must be pointing towards the sky. Checked the metering with my Luna-Pro, now know why a lens shade is important. Solved the problem easily without an accesory shade, turned "Minnie" upside down. Did the trick, the door shades the sensor OK.

 

After that, "Minnie" is embarrased and doesn't want to hang around upside down with high class Leicas anymore. So...... I'm taking her over to the Minox thread where she'll be more comfortable with her closer kin folk who probably must turn upside down in the sun also.

 

Talk about getting used to a Contax or Kiev, this may take awhile.

 

Regards.