Anyone else shoot classics in submini formats?

Sure, you're thinking Minox, right?

 

But what about a Steky, Minolta, Rollei, or Ricoh 16? Or if you

prefer the Holga look, how about the "Hit" family, with 17.5 mm

paper-backed roll film? Yes, the Hit is a little harder to reload

than the others (most or all of which can use currently available

movie film stock), but it's pictures are so much crappier!

 

Me, I have a couple Minolta 16 format cameras that I bought in 1981,

when I could still buy film over the counter. I've managed to acquire

a total of four cassettes, and one additional working camera (plus

another that doesn't work) over the last couple years, and from time

to time I drop in a cassette hand loaded with Imagelink HQ or Copex

Rapid microfilm and pop off 20 or so frames.

 

Occasionally, the results are worth the effort...<div></div>

The Caffenol LC+C I reference is the newest wrinkle on coffee developers -- adding Vitamin C, aka ascorbic acid. This is the low contrast version, and seems to do a very nice job with microfilm. Assuming, of course, that you and the camera do well...<div></div>

Nice examples, Donald!

 

I had a bunch of sub minis (Rollei 16, Minicord III, Minolta 16, etc) until a few years ago. Since they did not see much action, they were traded in for a bunch of screw mount Nikkors. Only a Pentax 110 is left. Not seeing much use either. :(

 

Oh, yes! I do have a fabulous "Hit"camera made by Toko (forerunner of Topcon), for historic reasons (MIOJ). It even has a telephoto attachment and a lens hood in a nice leather pouch. Apparently, these were sold to the American solidiers for $5/set. If I find some film for it, I will try it.

Vivek, the HIT film was originally slit from unperfed 35 mm (and I heard the format originated because of the cost of film -- Japanese couldn't afford 35 mm after the War), but I've heard most HIT cameras are okay with 16 mm film as long as the backing is wide enough for the spool flanges (to prevent light leaks). You could, I suppose, go so far as to make your own backing by cutting a 17.5 mm strip from between number tracks on 120 backing, put the marks 16 mm apart (14x14 frame plus 2 mm spacing), and attach a seven inch strip (for 10 exposures) of 16 mm unperfed film like Copex Rapid microfilm -- you could modify the directions and dimensions on one of the pages I've found for making 828 films.

 

Mind you, the HIT class are mostly not worth the effort, except perhaps once, for curiosity.

 

The same is not at all true of the better, adjustable 16 mm cameras. I used to get images from my Minoltas that were very comparable to the best 110 consumer cameras, even though I had about 1/3 less negative area. And Tri-X really made these cameras shine, since it let you stop down even in less than sunny weather (never mind the grain, or compose to take advantage of it).

 

Recently, I've seen images from Minox 8x11 negatives shot with Delta 3200 that didn't look any worse than what I used to get with Tri-X in a Minolta 16 -- once again, film has come a long way.

I have a couple of 16mm cameras Donald, a Minolta 16 II and Kiev 30. I only wish the Minolta had a focusing lens like the Kiev. I tried to fit the shutter from a 16 II into the 30 but it woulden't fit, however I gained new respect for the Kiev. Its lens is not simple front element focusing but has parallel unit focusing. I've got a roll in each camera right now and intend to compare the results in the next week or so. After developing some of the 16 II film (kodak plus-x movie stock in Diafine) the results look promising. I would like to obtain the skill and instruments necessary to scan film, but the learning curve seems a bit steep for a codger like myself. Thanks for sharing, I always enjoy reading your posts.

John, I need to get a Kiev 30 sometime. The focusing lens is exactly what almost all the Minolta 16s lack, and from examples I've seen various places, the Soviet optics in the tiny Kiev live up to their usual reputation -- that is, "when you get a good one, they're really good." The shutters suck big time, but I'd venture that at least you can replace the mainspring if necessary to get the speeds in range.

 

I've had an idea for a focusing add-on for a 16II for a while -- essentially the front two elements of a front-focusing Tessar or Cooke triplet, which together are normally a mild negative, but with variable focal length; it should be possible to make one of those that varies both ways from afocal, which would then give the equivalent of the 0, none, 1, and 2 lenses I have for my 16II. I'd build it to mount under a clamp, like the cable release adapter I've seen for these. I wonder where I could get a front-focusing lens in the 25-30 mm range, and how bad the spherical aberration would be with the front element spacing changed to make that group center around neutral? Maybe one could even sub such a unit for the front element of the Rokkor, though doing so would be very likely to badly degrade the image quality... :(

 

Alternately, I wonder if one could just put a knurled rim on the front element of the Rokkor and cut slots in the body and shell to accomodate it? Nah, simpler to just overhaul the shutter in a Kiev 30...

I often use an Olympus Pen F & Zeiss Ikon Tenax II.

I use my Minoxes alot, and the Pentax 110 about once a year, but am afraid I have never used any other submini. This weekend plans include using my new/old Olympus Pen EES2 for the first time.

I have a Pentax 110 set that I really like but the film advance is slipping badly and I'm afraid to try to fix it. I also have a Kodak 110 that is pretty rare. It has a light meter and rangefinder. Ektar lens, too. Takes very fine pictures. Of course, there's the Hit camera sitting here, loaded, waiting for me to make ground breakingly crappy photos, if the film isn't dead.

Minolta 16 MG. Just loaded 5 carts last night with HP5+ and AgfaPan 25. I'm using it this weekend with flashbuls - AG-1Bs!

Just developed my first roll of 16mm, Plus-x from a Minolta P. Even though the film was 20 years old came out great with D76 at 1:1. Look forward to reloading my 2 cassettes with some fresh Plus-X and taking it for a spin this weekend. Also have a Minolta 16 to test and then move up to miniature to take my new Exa for a spin.

I haven't been all that impressed with the results from my Minolta 16; for mine, at least, the lens in the 16 II seems a lot better (and the one in the MG is about the same as the 16 II, only another couple mm shorter). The extra half stop of lens speed is pretty meaningless, because these lenses are so soft wide open as to be nearly useless; I wouldn't even both shooting wider than f/5.6, and f/8 is where they really start to look okay (and even then the 16 is visibly softer than the 16 II, at least from my examples). I know nothing about the P except that it was one of the models that looked amazingly like later 110 cameras, and was much bigger than it needed to be for this format.

 

For my money, the MGs is the one to aspire to in the Minolta line, except that it uses an unobtainable 3-cell mercury battery and doesn't tolerate voltage changes well -- which means using zinc-air in an adapter casing. MGs has everything you could want in a submini except focusing (and came with auxiliary lenses for that), 12x18 "quarter frame" format, good meter, excellent lens, and it's still tiny. The QT (the other model with the larger frame size) is also nice, but lacks the film speed range to cover the lower speeds obtainable with microfilms (making up for it with a focusing lens, the only one in the Minolta 16 family). Of course, the MGs and QT are post-1970 (but still fit the other "classic" definition, in that they're mostly metal and not completely dependent on batteries and electronics to operate). Both of these, BTW, will still work with single-perf movie film, while the Kiev really wants unperfed film to avoid the perforations intruding in the 13x17 frame.

I just acquired a Minolta 16 MG (not the MGS) I already had about a dozen cassettes when I stocked up many years ago. I was going to bulk load from Agfa Copex (Blufire Police?) Are there any developers that can be used other than Bluefire or Diafine?

 

-Paul

<p>I use Minox LX, Minox C, Minox B<br>

Tessina 35<br>

Edixa 16, Edixa 16M, Edixa 16MB<br>

Minolta -16</p>

<p>Gemflex, SCAT, Meopta Mikroma, Goerz Minicord, Gami 16, Steky </p>

Edited February 24, 2017 by MTC Photography

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18189695-lg.jpg" alt="" width="416" height="104" /><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18189740-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="622" /><img src="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/008/008dm8-18499884.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="563" /></p>

<p>My recent addition to 16mm subminiature collections<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18275884-md.jpg" alt="P1030354.JPG" /><br>

Goerz minicord III using double perforated 16mm film<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18246647-sm.jpg" alt="Mikroma II snake skin.JPG" /><br>

Meopta Mikroma II, 16mm unperforated film<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18235198-md.jpg" alt="P1030256.JPG" /><br>

MEC-16SB single perforated 16mm film<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18272576-md.jpg" alt="P1030342.JPG" /><br>

KMZ Narciss SLR using 16mm unperforated film<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18278606-md.jpg" alt="P1030373.JPG" /><br>

Steky IIIB using 16mm double perforated film</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18276628-md.jpg" alt="P1030244.JPG" /><br>

Ricoh 16</p>

<p>One more<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18278607-md.jpg" alt="P1030374.JPG" /><br>

Mamiya 16 super unperforated 16mm film</p>