Minox Factory?

Hi,

I know some people have visited the Minox factory in Germany. Can you tell me

briefly what it is like there? Do they still hand-assemble the Minox Spy cams?,

35mm Series, or they are into the digital stuff?

 

Or...You saw bunch of robots assembling cameras?

 

I'm just curious. : )

 

Regards

Chris

http://www.minox.de

 

Afsik, Minox's main business is in sport binocular and digital cameras, 35mm film camera was discontinued a few years ago, they

still assemble 8x11 cameras.

I have been to the factory and they have also there a small shop plus a museum of sorts with the entire Minox family on display along with many many variants of the 35mm and 8x11mm formats. They are extremely friendly. My contact there is Frank Hausman, he is a good man to talk with.

Hi!

 

This is a first try to share a photo in this forum - I hope that works (otherwise I will retry later). I hope, you enjoy this picture :-)

 

It shows is me in front of the MINOX Museum vitrines with the UR-MINOX in my hands. The photo has been taken in may 2006 by Frank Hausmann of MINOX.

 

Best regards, Marcus

*btw: the subminis are still handmade in Wetzlar, also the last 35mm cameras of the GT-S series. The GT-S is still available.

 

Best regards, Marcus Dunkmann

Guys,how does one gets to visit Minox factory?Is there an airport nearby,or do you have to travel by coach or car or train?Do you have to schedule ahead your visit,or just go there and you can visit?

 

I would like very much to visit,and I am just writing an email now to Minox CS dept,perhaps they will be able to help me with my journey.Also,any help from you guys would be much appreciated!

 

Regards

 

JT

The Frankfurt airport would be your best bet for international arrival by air. Wetzlar is not exactly near any large airports. Rail travel within Germany is very good too if not traveling by car. I dont think you need to schedule a visit but if I were you, I would call ahead just make sure you could meet with Frank. You might even get a behind the scenes tour as I did. If you make the special trip to see Minox, I would also suggest visiting Lab8x11 in Siegen, about another hour up the road from there. They do all the lab work for Minox and also manufacture their own sub-mini camera. Worth a visit surely. Good luck!

While there, you can go and visit another famous German camera factory nearby in Solms: Leica. Also, Wetzlar city is a nice old German city with many landmarks made famous by early photographs from turn of the century by the likes of Oscar Barnack. And the Leitz microscope factory is still there. Fly to Frankfurt and rent a car from there. It is about one hour drive.

Thanks guys,much appreciated indeed!As I haven'd had yet my hols this year,I'll make Minox visit my special break for 2007:-)

 

Obviously I will have with me my 3 Minoxes,a serious load of films and hope I 'll have something to show here after my return.

 

Thanks again,God Bless!

 

Regards,

 

JT