First and formost, let me point out in an unbiased manner that the best Minox to purchase would be one off my Website: Minox For Sale . Pick out my highest priced one - be sure to get lots of accessories.
But perhaps you were seeking a bit more information in depth, possibly something a bit less subjective. Ok then, let me lay out the major choices and THEN you can go buy one off of my Minox For Sale site.
Collectors can go on to another page right now as I will concentrate here on cameras which one can afford to put into regular use. No attempt will be made here to detail the various presentation models in gold, silver, or platinum. I will note which cameras were offered in black, and the various special edition models.
Note: As Sherlock Holmes once said to Watson, "As for your dates, they are the biggest mystification of all!" All production dates for Minox cameras must be viewed as approximations. All early company records were "lost" in the 1970s, and precision is simply not possible. Also, the company has a long, proud history of making up items out of spare parts AFTER production officially ceased .
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Riga. The original Minox, made in Riga Latvia from about 1937 through World War II, probably about 1944. All Rigas are collectible and some variations are highly collectible. None, however, provide sharp, quality images by today?s standards. With a shell of stainless steel they are quite durable, and rather heavy. As all Minox cameras to date (except the EC and ECX) the Riga is scale focusing with a parallax corrected viewfinder. They do produce an interesting old-world sort of image. See Doug Handel's Minox Stuff for some interesting examples of Riga prints. |
Minox II. This was the first major redesign of the Minox. Produced from about 1948 to 1951, they feature the now well-known brushed aluminum shell, and a film plane lens which some believe to be the sharpest Minox lens of all time. The film is actually brought up against the lens when taking a picture. Sadly, the action of clamping the film with the lens tends to lead to scratches, even with the best of care. Initially made with yellow and green filters, later with orange and green. Rarer than the Riga, they are also prohibitively expensive. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity.
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Minox III. A redesign of the Minox II with the famous Complan lens, made from 1951 to 1953. The characteristic feature of the Complan is that it has a curved film plane. The Minox lens has been redesigned since then but it is far from certain that it has ever been improved. All came from the factory with orange and green filters, which retract automatically when the film is advanced. The Minox III will have a chain connector, but unless it has been converted (and many were) it will not have a pc connector for a flash. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. |
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Minox IIIs. The Minox III with a pc connector for flash, made from 1954 to 1969. The early IIIs will have orange and green filters built in, late models have green and neutral density. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. Brushed aluminum finish or rarely in black. |
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Minox B. The first Minox with a light meter, made from 1958 to 1972. The B is simply a IIIs with a coupled match needle selenium cell meter designed by Gossen. Only 15mm (5/8th") longer than the IIIs, it was the best selling Minox ever, and almost certainly the most used today. The vast numbers produced and the high quality of their construction has ensured the survival of a great many of these cameras, making them quite affordable. There are two versions: the early model with a "grid" photocell, and a later "honeycomb" cell. Many believe the latter to be a superior meter, but I have used both and doubt there is much practical difference. The B will have green and neutral density filters with the neutral density running from a filter factor of 4X to 10X. The meter automatically compensates for the filters which, unlike the III and IIIs, will NOT automatically retract. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. Brushed aluminum finish or in black (uncommon). |
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Minox C. 1968 to 1976. A major redesign offering electronic shutter control, autoexposure, and a very sophisticated Cds meter, all packaged in the largest Minox ever. This was the first Minox which you could open the shell without advancing the film. Computer aided design allowed the creation of a new lens called simply "Minox", which allowed a flat film plane. The C was designed to use the now-discontinued PX-27 battery, but will work quite happily on P-27S batteries, or with four 386 button cells in a holder supplied by Minox. Another big change is that the film counter counts DOWN rather than up. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. Brushed aluminum finish or in black. |
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Minox BL. Perhaps the quintessential user Minox, made in 1972 and 1973. It is mechanically a Minox B, but with the Cds meter from the Minox C. It is only an tiny bit larger than the B, making it quite easy to carry, and the Cds meter is very effective. Very few were made, and they are correspondingly expensive. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. Brushed aluminum finish or rarely in black. Requires a battery, but for the meter only as the camera itself is fully mechanical. |
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Minox LX. From 1978 to present (although the names are changed). A refinement of the Minox C, about mid-way in size between the B and C. Shutter speeds are now up to 1/2000 with autoexposure extending to an amazing 15 seconds. The film counter counts down from 36 exposures, rather than 50 as in the good old days. While the C was not known as being fragile, the LX is generally regarded as more robust. Variations include the TLX (the current model) and the limited edition models, the CLX and the stunning black LX 2000. Scale focusing from 8" to infinity. The LX was made in a brushed aluminum finish and black. The TLX is hard coated with gold tone titanium finish while the CLX has an interesting chrome plated dimpled finish. |
Minox EC. From 1978 to 2000. With its black plastic body, it is the smallest, lightest Minox ever. The lens is a f5.6 fixed focus with electronic controlled autoexposure from 1/500th of a second up to eight seconds. No manual exposure is possible. The focus is optimized for between five and 15 feet, but with the 15 mm f5.6 lens there is lots of depth of field. Usually a reliable camera, but known to have occasional problems with electrical contacts.
Minox AX. Single limited production run in 1998. If you took mechanics of a IIIs, the dials of a LX, and shorted up a LX case to hold it, you would have the limited production Minox AX. A few tiny millimeters shorter than the IIIs. These very expensive collectors items offer no advantage over the IIIs except youth.
Minox ECX. From 2000 - ?. Mostly a cosmetic redesign of the EC. Functionally the same, but possibly a bit more durable design. The lens is a redesign from the EC as well and has improved coatings; I have some reports that the ECX produces sharper images than the EC. See ECX GALLERY for some idea of what can be done with an ECX.
So back to the question, which Minox is for you? Let us begin by eliminating all collectible versions due to price considerations. That removes all Riga, Minox II, any gold, silver, or platinum versions, any black model III or IIIs, probably any black B, AX, CLX, LX 2000. The following should allow you to narrow down the field:
IF YOU MUST HAVE AUTOEXPOSURE: The C, LX, TLX, EC, and ECX are the only models offering autoexposure.
IF YOU MUST HAVE A METER: The B, C, LX, TLX, EC, and ECX all are metered. The EC and ECX do not have any manual override, however.
IF SIZE IS EVERYTHING: The smallest model is the EC/ECX at 80mm X 30mm X 18mm. All aluminum Minox are 28 mm wide and 16 mm deep. The IIIs is 82mm long, B is 97mm, BL is 100mm, LX is 108mm, and the C is 120mm in length. As you can see, the C is almost 1/2 again as long as the IIIs.
IF PRICE IS EVERYTHING: The brushed aluminum B will generally be the easiest to find and the least expensive: $150-$200 at this writing, assuming excellent, but not new condition. A good EC will be about the same price, or perhaps a little less. For $175-$220 one can get a very nice IIIs. A brushed C will run $250 or so and a III should be around $300 due to their relative scarcity. For $300-$400 you should be able to find a black B or C, if your tastes run that way. The LX can be found around $550, with the black bringing a 10%-15% premium. The BL is much sought after, rather scarce, and seldom seen for less than $600-$700. Smaller than the LX, but with a Cds meter, they may be worth it at that. The TLX is seldom seen used, but they can be had with some searching for about $750.
If you must have a new camera with warrenty, manuals, and all that goes with buying new, you are left with the TLX, about $950 at this writing, and the ECX, under $300. It may still be possible to find a new EC on a dealers shelf somewhere at about $200.
If you are open to shopping the used market you have a wider field from which to choose. This is a reasonable alternative as the construction quality of the Minox is so high that any Minox can give reliable service whatever its age.
Some biased observations:
Black finishes on aluminum bodies are incredibly fragile. All aluminum Minox cameras will mar with only a moment?s inattention (although the TLX is somewhat less suseptible to this kind of damage), but the anodized black finish will gleam with bright shining aluminum through every pin point mark. Leave the black bodies to the collectors.
When it comes to subminiature cameras, size is everything. If it will not go in your pocket, then what is the point? Being merely easy to carry is not enough - I have a Contax T that will slip into my pants pocket; with some difficulty to be sure, but it does fit. I also have a Zeiss Nettar that will slide into a jacket pocket with ease, and it is medium format for goodness sake! No, what I want is a camera that slips into my pocket with no more thought than my keys or pocketknife. So the large size of the C simply makes it unacceptable for my purposes. The EC or ECX would be a natural for me except for one other prejudice - I refuse to be dependent upon batteries - and besides, there is a really good alternative.
The Minox IIIs is only slightly larger than the EC, it is available at moderate cost, it offers control over exposure and focus, and most importantly, I can carry it in my pocket without even noticing it is there. What about metering? I guess. No, really! Modern print film has such wide latitude that an educated guess is very often as good a a metered exposure. Keep in mind that the lens is fixed at f3.5, so if you use just one film, as I do (Minocolor Pro 100), then even limited experience makes it possible to say with confidence that this is a 1/500th shot, that one is 1/100th, maybe I should bracket this one with the tricky light at 1/20th, 1/50th, and 1/100th. My personal camera is a model III I picked up somewhere in a throughly battered condition. I sent it off to DAG for an overhaul, and fullly expect it to outlast me.
If I really wanted autoexposure (and could afford it) the choice would be simple - a nice used LX. These are lovely cameras, perhaps not as ergonomically efficient as the earlier models, but easy enough to use with a little practice. Athough pricey, they are still available at about 1/2 the price of a new TLX. Their size makes a belt case an attractive option, but they can still be pocketed, just not as easily as a IIIs or B.
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