Status of MINOX ?

[Troll]

Could someone bring me up to date?<P>For 40 years I carried a Minox

everywhere. First a B, then a black IIIS followed by a silver IIIS, then a C,

and finally a LX. I still have all of them except the black IIIS which went

through the laundry and then got lost by the post office on its way to DAG.

For the past three years they have been replaced in my pocket, but not in my

affections, by digital wonders.<P>I always found the NY laboratory a disaster

(in quality and speed as well as cost), so usually developed and printed my

own. Is it still operating? Are fresh films still available, or are they

operating on NOS?<P>Is the German company still operating, and are the 9.5mm

cameras still being made?<P>Thanks.<div></div>

[eric friedemann]

Minox film at B&H:

 

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?shs=minox+film+8x11&ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=productlist.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

 

 

Minox' German site:

 

 

http://www.minox.com/index.php?id=fotografie&L=1

[MTC Photography]

Two Minox 8x11 are still being made, Minox TLX and Minox ECX. There are still color film, but Minopan was discontinued due to ran out of

APX stock after Agfa was sold. Minox makes also compact digital cameras and binocular for sport fans.

[michael_goldfarb]

NY's Minox Processing Labs is still operating, and they still do a good job on color prints though their prices have gone way up (now $30 for a single set of 36 prints). I get the impression that they don't do much volume these days, and they only process once a week or so.

 

And besides shooting a little color film in my B, I'm still shooting and processing/printing b/w Minox pictures in my IIIS. I have been loading my own film cassettes for several years now, which drops the film cost dramatically (since you can get four 36-exp Minox rolls out of one 36-exp 35mm roll) and allows you access to any emulsion available in 35mm cassettes. (But I mostly shoot T-Max 100.)

 

Minox lives!

[marcus_michael_dunkmann]

Hi Martin!

 

MINOPAN is definitely not discontinued by the MINOX company. MINOX still offers MINOPAN 400, MINOPAN 100 and MINOPAN 25. MINOX also offers color films with 100 and 400 ASA speed.

 

Kind regards,

 

Marcus-Michael Dunkmann

MINOX GmbH

Communication & PR

 

35578 Wetzlar, Germany

E-Mail: m.m.dunkmann@minox.com

[svante.johansson]

Hello Marcus-Michael, <br>

<br>

How nice to hear from someone within the company! The <a href="http://www.payworxx.de/minox/index.php?cat=c34_Films.html">shop</a> at your website only offers Minocolor 400 and Minopan 400 for the moment. When do you think you will be able to supply the slower films again? <br>

<br>

Does Minox Germany still offer film development services? <br>

<br>

<br>

Best regards, <br>

<br>

Svante Johansson<br>

[svante.johansson]

Btw - fabulous picture Bill!

[marcus_michael_dunkmann]

Hi Svante! There has been a run on the 100 ASA sorts and on the MINOPAN 25 during the last weeks - more films are in production and should be available in the shop again within some days.

 

Best regards, Marcus

[svante.johansson]

MM, it is great to hear that you are selling well! What about the development service?

[MTC Photography]

Marcus, thank you for correcting me. Last time when I checked your site, I saw there was no Minopan 25 and declared its demise too early.

However I have a question, where does Minox obtain new Agfa APX 25 film ? Old Agfa film expired by now isn't it ? My APX 25 film shot

in 2005 and 2006 in China and Cambodia has heavy fog, totally unusable.

[marcus_michael_dunkmann]

Hi Martin!

 

I do not know how old your films have been or how they have been stored before and after you bought them or what might have happened with the films during your journey to China and Cambodia...or what xray machines they have in Cambodia for checking luggage, the humidity and so on...

 

MINOX films have durability dates on their boxes - all films of all brands have these dates. As we all know, these dates are valid when a film is stored at 20 degrees Celsius.

 

The last MINOPAN I saw had "process before OCT. 09" on their boxes - so these films are useable until October 2009 if not stored at a hot place for example. I have never heared about a complain about fogged MINOPAN 25. All films are fresh when they leave the house in Wetzlar.

 

Best regards, Marcus

[left pocket minox]

I now use Minox Germany for all my color developing. They organize processing by Lab811.com which is run by Carston Chadt. This is the fastest way to get your color done and the prints are excellent. If you need to, contact Frank Hausmann at Minox Germany. He speaks perfect English. Sending it to Minox or LAB811 is the same, the bill comes from Minox De.

Here is LAB811 address:

Carsten Chadt Fotofachlabor e.K.

 

 

LABOR: In der Steinwiese 76

57074 Siegen

GERMANY

www.LAB811.com

Tel: 0271/660 97 47

Fax: 0271/660 97 48

mobil: 0171-365 89 64

 

BÜRO: Am Sonnenberg 5

57234 Wilnsdorf

 

OR you can contact BlueMoonCamera.com in Oregon. They too, develope this type of film. Really, they'll develope anything you send them no matter how bazaar.

 

Good luck.

[richard_gress2]

Bill--

 

I am new to the forum (just now). I have been using an ECX for a couple of years, and this past month took it on our trip to the Oregon Coast.

It performed admirably on both ISO 25 and 100 B&W film. After intolerable frustration with the NY lab and expensive losses, I discovered Blue Moon in Portland OR. Their service is excellent, care in packaging ditto, and their processing so good (both color and monochrome) I am now using them for 6x6 and 35mm as well. The latter formats are taking a back seat, as I seem to have become a total Minox fan -- thanks in no small part to Blue Moon Camera and Machine.

 

Richard Gress, Salt Lake City

[jon_b.1]

I, too, am a big fan of Blue Moon Camera. I also send them Minolta 16, and I think they might be one of the only labs left doing it.I would be sending them 120 and 35mm too but the shipping cost makes those services much pricier than getting it done locally. My last few experiences with Minox Labs in New York were horrible. It almost seems as if they are trying to lose their last remaining clients, and they sure are not likely to win any new ones.

[MTC Photography]

Marcus, my Minopan went thru quite a bit of X ray machines: <P>Toronto-Beijing, <P>Beijing-Chengdu;<P> Chendgu- Yichang; <P>Chongqing-Shanghai<P>Shanghai-Bangkok;<P> Bangkok-Siem Reap; <P>Siem Reap-Bangkok; <P>Bangkok-Shanghai; <P>Shanghai-Toronto.<P>

 

Nine Xray machines !!! No wonder the heavy fogs!<P>

[david_foy3]

As an authorized Minox film retailer (www.frugalphotographer.com) I have no problem getting stocks from the USA distributor, and am able to keep a good supply in the warehouse. I'm also now doing a test offer of Acmel Minox-load color film from Japan, which customers seem to like. I don't know the status of Marcus's project of offering Ilford b/w and Agfa Copex in Minox loads -- with J&C gone, they seem unavailable in North America, which is a shame. Perhaps Marcus can comment.

Blue Moon has been a godsend and I highly recommend them for anyone who, for whatever reason, prefers to not use Minox Labs.