How to Check out Minox Ultaraminiature camera

When buying a Minox ultraminature camera, in particular a used one, you

need to check out the shutter, the lens, viewfinder and drive mechanism.

<h3>1. Check Minox shutter.</h3>

Set the speed dial a the top speed ( 1/1000 sec for Minox A/B/C

and 1/2000 for LX/TLX); open the camera, turn over the camera

and look straight at the shutter window, you shall see a circle

at the center, that is a 'shutter tensioned" indicator; press

the shutter release button, you shall hear a short 'click' and

the circle disappears. That means the shutter is working. Repeat the process for to check all speed. If at any time when you open the camera but do not see the circle, or press the release but still see the circle, there is shutter problem. Pay attention to slower speed, which may be sticky.

<h3>2: Check flash</h3>

Bring along a PC cord and a flash, attach the flash to the PC

connector on IIIs/BL/C/LX/TLX/EC.

Set the dial at different speed and see if the flash is firing

If not there is problem.

<h3>3: Check Minox Viewfinder</h3>

Open Minox, point it a bright even light source, such as sky

or lamp-- it should be clear and clean with no trace of smudge

, scratch, or fungus. Watch for the peripheral area out side

the opaque viewframe, for any sign of fungus.

Check for any crack or scratch marks on the front /rear windows

of the viewfinder. If there is stain or smudge on the window, clean

them with Q tip with a drop of lens cleaning fluid.

<h3>4. Check the Minox lens.</h3> Set shutter at T. Push pull the camera, press the release button, to open lens.

With a a 10x or 20x loup, examine any scratch, cracks or fungus. The lens window and lens must be

clean, and clear of fungus. If there is smudge on the lens window, clean it with Q tip with a drop of Kodak Lens Cleaner. Hold the Minox with lens window facing down, clean the lens window with the Q tip wet end, then wipe clean with the dry end Q tip. <p> There is no T marking on Minox C /LX/TLX.

For Minox C, set the dial midway between 15 and |A|. For LX/TLX, set the shutter midway between 2000 and A

<h3>5. Check film advance mechanism.</h3> Pull open minox, turn it over, press the (( skape key at the back

pull the sliding cover to expoxe the film chamber. Push the camera back by holding two ends of the opened camera,

without touching the opened cover, push the camera together; the three prong film advance spindle

should rotate clock wise, otherwise the film advance mechanisam is faulty.

<h3>6. Check battery.</h3>

For Minox C, pull a lever on te speed dial, a light must turn on.

For Minox LX/TLX, check battery with camera close or open,

but not released. Push to lever on the shutter speed dial toward the

front of camera, hold for one sec, the green light must lit up.

Minox EC has also a battery check, open the camera, push the

switch to battery icon, look through the view finder, the red LED

must lit up

Be sure to check the parallex linkage. With the camera open and the

VIEWFINDER facing you (looking at the FRONT of the camera) rotate the

"distance setting dial". You should notice the viewfinder moving - not

much, but it is noticable. If not, the linkage is bad. This is a

common problem on the rare and expensive model BL, but the same

problem can exist on any 8x11 minox.

For used Minox 8x11 camera, be sure to check for camera case and chain. Minox A/B/C cases are hard to get, if a camera does not come with case, try to pursuade the seller to swap the case (and chain ) on another camera (which may have a hazy viewfinder, but nice case and chain).

Watch out for over stretched measuring chain.

<H3> Check you Minox 811 chains </h3> <P> There are three types of Minox chains for 8x11 cameras: unbeaded chain for EC/ECX, metric measuring chain in meter and imperial measuring chain in feet.

<P> The bead positions on imperial chain are 8"(20cm), 10"(25cm) 12"(30cm) 18"(46cm) 24"(61cm); <P> The bead positions on metric chain are 20cm, 24cm, 30cm, 40cm, 60cm.

<P> The 10" bead is exact match for 20cm bead on metric chain; however, the second bead 10" is 25cm, but is 24 cm on metric chain, off by 1 cm. The third

positions 12" or 30cm is again a good match; the biggest mismatch is the fourth position: 18" (46cm) vs 40 cm, a mismatch of 6 cm ! The final length of 24"(61cm)

vs 60 cm is again a close match. <P> Be careful to match a metric chain to a metric camera, and an imperial

measuring chain to an imperial camera. <P> You can differentiate a metric chain easily from an imperial chain: the first three beads on metric chains are separated by unequal distances, the first

three beads on imperial chain are separated by equal distances.

Check the chain agains a ruler. The chain on my well used IIIs is

significantly longer than it should be while the chain on my recently-

purchased, little-used, late-number B's chain is right on.

And don't forget: check the meter! Actually, this goes for any camera,

but with a Minox it is more important - why carry around a light meter

that is heavier than the camera? Using your Lunapro, or F5, point it

at an evenly lit wall in a variety of lighting conditions; bright sun,

overcast, deep shade, and you can develop an exposure index for the

film you're using. For example, my B consistently gives 1/2 stop

overexposure - just about perfect for color film.

Since last year, there are third party Minox parts (shutter blades, springs ) on the market.

If you buy a used Minox camera, there is a chance that some one had

replaced the original Minox shutter blades with third party blades.

<p> Be sure to check carefully the blade for the 'o' mark on the closed

Minox shutter, which is etched with special technique, hard for third party to duplicate

While Martin Tai's comments about checking to se if the shutter blades

are originals or thrid party made blades may be important to a

collector (with the emphasis or original) I do not see the need to be

overly concerned. If you intend to USE the camera then I believe that

you should consider a camera with the blades currently being made by

Martin Doctor. They are precision made of stainless steel. And most of

all, they apparently do work. Considering their moderate price and the

fact that they are available may easily mean the difference between a

camer that will take pictures and a camera that is only a collectable.

If you have a Riga or some other rare model go for the original blades,

if you have a B that you want to use to take pictures the third party

blades deserve consideration.

While Martin Tai's comments about checking to se if the shutter blades

are originals or thrid party made blades may be important to a

collector (with the emphasis or original) I do not see the need to be

overly concerned. If you intend to USE the camera then I believe that

you should consider a camera with the blades currently being made by

Martin Doctor. They are precision made of stainless steel. And most of

all, they apparently do work. Considering their moderate price and the

fact that they are available may easily mean the difference between a

camer that will take pictures and a camera that is only a collectable.

If you have a Riga or some other rare model go for the original blades,

if you have a B that you want to use to take pictures the third party

blades deserve consideration.

<p>

Ken

Ken's remark of dead camera after replacement with third party blades becomes alive may well be the fact.

Indeed, once this 'third party' blades are available, one can by up dead Minoxes camera on swap meets, fix them and sold them as genuine, and pocket a hefty profit.

<p> It is a business. Indeed such blades are sold on eBay.

<p> It is not that genuine parts are not available. Not at all, last year I sent my C to Minox service to replace genuine Minox shutter blades and magnet.

<p> Minox fixed with 'third party' parts may not be cheaper. And genuine Minox caemra of all kinds are still widely available.

<p> It boils down to 'buyer beware'.

<p>Not long ago, you can buy a used Minox, knowing that it is 100% genuine. Now, it can not be sure any more.

<h3> Difference between Genuine Minox shutter blade vs cloned blades

<ul><li> Minox blades have shinny mirror like look, clone blades look dull

<li> Genuine Minox blades have brass reinforce ring, clone blades none

<li> Minox blade has the characteristic 'o' mark, clone blade no

<li> Minox blades are much cheaper than cloned blades: A set of Minox blades cost US $10.5, a set of cloned blades cost $30 !

</ul>

As the maker of the "clone blades" I felt compelled to respond to

some comments made about them. Firstly about the availability of

Original equipment blades; they are not available to the general

public - try and get some from Minox service in NY. They will tell

you that they don't have enough to service their own cameras and

won't sell them. Secondly, cost; I was told that the OEM blades and

springs cost $35 a set ($12.50 each for the blades and $5 each for

the springs). I sell them for $25 including shipping anywhere in the

world. Third, the etched cocking dot...now my blades even have this

and finally whether they work or not...Don Goldberg of DAG had tested

my blades against the OEM blades and found they were 100%

compatible. In fact, he commented, as most do, that they appear to

be an improvement over the OEM design; simpler, stronger, and tested

to be perfectly compatible. I never tell anyone that my parts are

intended to fool anybody...they are a way for the do-it-yourself

person to repair a camera that might otherwise be discarded since

there are few people who would spend the cost of a service (even from

DAG who is much more reasonable than Minox) on a camera which may

only be worth $100-$200 after it is fixed. Thanks to the hundreds of

sets I have sold I think there are many more Minox enthusiasts who

can now be playing with their cameras instead of just looking at

them. Just my 2 cents.

Can the first four checks listed at the beginning of this thread be made without a film in -

specifically - a B and LX ?

James, 1 to 5 can be checked without film in it. Even film advance can be checked first without film, just by looking at the take up

spool in the camera to see whether it rotate or not.