focusing Minox 35

[enrico_incao]

Hello Minox fans ,I am a minox shooter , I own two Minox an ML and a

GT. Somewhere I have read ML lens are better than GT lens. This is

not right for my case. Taking photo in hyperfocal , my GT is sharper

than my ML. I am not sure , perhaps, ML is sharper in short distance

focusing. My question is : Is it possible to fix the focusing at a

Minox repair laboratory?

Excuse me if the question is fool but I do not know about

photography ,I only have been using Minox 35 for about 20 years and

I not needed to study photography just shooted focusing aperture

priority mode that I think it is quite simple with a Minox 35.

I do street photography and I am an Italian living in Sao Paulo-

Brazil a wonderful place to take this kind of pictures .I have

tested a lot of professional and consumer films and my conclusion is

Kodak gold 100-200 or Fuji superia 100-200-400 are good enough to

take great color picture. What do you think about ?

And now the last question: I have just bought a brand new Minox GT

at ebay but my dream was to find a GT-E complete with "The image

machine" package. Must I follow my dream or can I stay with my 3

Minoxes that are good enough because GT-E will not give me better

results?

Excuse me for my English if I have made many mistakes.Thanks

[micah_henry]

Enrico,

 

Is the focus ring loose on either of your Minox? If yes, it might need to be repaired, since one (or more) of your cameras has seen 20 years of constant use. If nothing is loose, then read below...

 

On the images taken with your ML which are not as sharp, is the part of the picture which is unsharp located far away (infinity)? If you use the hyperfocal point, you will usually get infinity mostly in focus but not in "critical" focus--at least that is how I understand it. But for street shooting, one would rarely need infinity in sharp focus.

 

I hope this helps--I am by no means an expert on Minox. I do not own a Minox 35 yet, but do own the Russian 35EL copy, the Kiev 35A, and have bought a real Minox EL online (but have not received it yet).

 

--Micah in NC

[tekkie]

I used to own a Minox 35 GT and then bought the ML later. I no longer own the Minox

brand but am considering looking for a good second hand model. I also found the GT to

be sharper and I take great care with focus when using such a small light camera. I use a

leica M6TTL right now, but I just loved that GT!.......( I think I just convinced myself to buy

another).

[enrico_incao]

Dear Dan if I could understand you also consider GT sharper than ML in long distance situations.Instead my ML gives little better risults

in short distance (from 1 to 4 meters).So now you own a Leica.

I also thought to buy a used M or a new CM. A dealer here in Sao Paulo told me, when he saw my Minox , to buy neither Leica nor Contax,Nikon etc. because I will leave them at home and I will continue to use the Minox.

[enrico_incao]

Forgot ,thanks to Micah, so if I want to have a sharp panorama I will have to put the infinity surely inside the deph of field , right?

[micah_henry]

Enrico,

 

You are correct. If you want to be sure distant objects (over 15 meters) are in focus, then be sure the infinity mark on the lens is inside the depth of field marks for the aperture you are using.

 

--Micah in NC

[subminiature]

If you set up both the GT and ML and take photographs of the same subject I would expect the results from the GT and ML to be very similar and differences to be notice only at extreme enlargments (poster size). The 35ML may need professionally servicing. This may cost more than a replacement, but any such replacements may also need some servicing.

 

Although I find the goldtop and GT-X and GT-S to equal the 35ML under no conditions have I found it them to be better. Conversely the EL, AL disappointed by comparision. The GT I have now has been serviced by Minox, but I have not yet tested it with film.

 

When looking through hundreds of negatives recently and then seeing what camera took those image that I found stood out only the 35ML had most of the film of this standard. Other cameras would have one or two per roll. Not that they are bad and the distinction is minor. These included AL, GT-X, GT-S, goldtop, ML, Minolta TC-1 and 7Xi (for reference). Images from the 35ML test film have won photo competitions and have been included in the calendar given by the company I work for to their clients.

 

I am using Fuji superia to test out several models and have a Kiev 35A, GT-E II, MDC, Minolta TC-1 loaded with the same film. I also now have a CD150 to compare with.

 

Although I am impressed by the 155mm lens of the CD155 (taken photographs of objects that have been too remote to see the details) it is a bulky camera and I would not see myself carrying it around regularly.

 

I am also testing Canon Ixus cameras. As these are now selling for one-sixth price new and are mostly in perfect almost factory new conditon they are worth investigating. I have results from the Minolta S1 and although I had to use an ISO 400 film the quality exceeded my expectations. If the Canon Ixus II can appoach that I can see it as being a good choice to carry ad hoc, ie. when I am not expecting to take photographs. Being smaller than the Minox 35ML and having wide angle and telephoto with built in flash it can handle a larger varity of situations that the 35ML without flash can. I have tried to carry the flash with a Minox 35 but usually find I do leave it at home. The MDC is however a very nice camera to handle - shame about the fixed click stopped aperture.

 

The complete range of Minox 35mm cameras has been posted at www.submin.com/35mm/collection/minox including "The image machine" packaged GT-E which I got from Canada. The GT-E II feels very nice to handle and much better than the GT-E but I do feel the surface finish may rub off as the same finish on the DC1311 has.

 

Due to the very high price seen on the GT-E compared to the ML and the image quality to similar if not identical in most situations watch for a bargain on a GT-E or stick with the 35ML, but get it serviced.

 

Gerald