Minox photography for absolute beginners

tjwspm · Sep 6, 2024

In another context, a member of this forum recently asked me to briefly summarize the best way for an absolute beginner to start shooting with Minox 8x11 cameras. I summarized this in a very short answer at the time.

However, the subject never let go of me and so I wrote an article about it, starting with a really short Getting Started. But if you want to know more, you will also find the complete workflow from the purchase of a first Minox to the digital post-processing of the negatives. I was guided by the thought of how I would start today if I wanted to get into the Minox subject from scratch. Please let me know if there's anything missing that I could add.

Minox cameras are an incredibly cool challenge in the age of smartphone cameras. Since I'm always wondering how to get people excited about Minox, I'd be interested to hear from those of you who have been shooting with Minox 8x11s for a (long) time why you do so.

Here my article:

Minox for beginners

Shooting with a Minox requires sporting ambition, because there is probably no more difficult way to take photos. And none cooler.

moments-of-now.com

Donald Qualls · Sep 6, 2024

First step: have enough money to buy the camera, at least a couple loaded film cartridges, and a developing tank for 8x11...

The way things have been going lately, I'm hoping I don't have to wait for next year's tax refund to afford a IIIs or B...

tjwspm · Sep 6, 2024

... yes, or an EC. This week I bought a Minox EC with the electronic flash and 2 unused film cartridges for 10 euros. But I admit that was a stroke of luck. Granted, I don't know if it will work. But the EC is really also an option.

Donald Qualls · Sep 6, 2024

Oh. Well.

If I'd read the article, I'd have known that the Minox daylight tank might be the most expensive part of that. I will admit, I've been looking at CLA'd Minox IIIs and B models from Blue Moon, rather than mainly on eBay...

Andreas Thaler · Sep 6, 2024

tjwspm said:
In another context, a member of this forum recently asked me to briefly summarize the best way for an absolute beginner to start shooting with Minox 8x11 cameras. I summarized this in a very short answer at the time.

However, the subject never let go of me and so I wrote an article about it, starting with a really short Getting Started. But if you want to know more, you will also find the complete workflow from the purchase of a first Minox to the digital post-processing of the negatives. I was guided by the thought of how I would start today if I wanted to get into the Minox subject from scratch. Please let me know if there's anything missing that I could add.

Minox cameras are an incredibly cool challenge in the age of smartphone cameras. Since I'm always wondering how to get people excited about Minox, I'd be interested to hear from those of you who have been shooting with Minox 8x11s for a (long) time why you do so.

Here my article:

Minox for beginners

Shooting with a Minox requires sporting ambition, because there is probably no more difficult way to take photos. And none cooler.

moments-of-now.com

Another excellently written and designed text from you that will bring benefit and joy to the Minox community

I have great respect for your work as a Minox expert, repairer and author.

Great!

xkaes · Sep 6, 2024

That is a superb summary -- but it's much more than a summary. It's compilation.

I'll add a link in the SUBCLUB -- which has been around for 35+ years.

The SUBCLUB also has a ton of resources for ANY submini user -- not just Minox.

THANKS again for your effort -- much appreciated.

qqphot · Sep 6, 2024

The Castro Theater, SF by eric volpe, on Flickr

I've been enjoying the challenge of pushing the limits of image quality I can get from the tiny negative and tiny camera. It's nice sometimes to have some restrictive constraints to work within. Furthermore, the cameras themselves are like a delightful small jewel and very satisfying to use.

I mostly cut down 35mm film to load minox cartridges, and process at home. Sometimes I use the original minox daylight tank, but for C41 I've been using 3D-printed 9.5mm reels which work with some effort. I wet-mount the film on glass and digitize with a Sony mirrorless camera and macro lens.

minox submini

pictures from tiny cameras

flic.kr

Donald Qualls · Sep 6, 2024

Is there a good reason folks usually recut 35 mm film vs. 120? The way I figure it, I can get six strips while discarding the edge markings, and the strips are long enough for a 50 exposure magazine (though one could surely trim them for 36). Sure, that little light-tight appliance that cuts from one cassette to another is convenient, but I'm pretty sure I could get the same result from one 120 spool to another. I'd just have to verify if I could open the cutter in the light (I've recut 120 completely in the light, on the spool, for other formats) or whether the narrow fogged edge would be too much on 9.2 mm film...

Andreas Thaler · Sep 6, 2024

Are these acceptable prices (euro) for Minox in Vienna?

One of the top addresses for cameras here, so there is no doubt that the cameras are tested and work perfectly.

www.foto-eder.at Der Shop für Photographen und die welche es noch werden wollen. Wir bieten dir alles rund um Fotografie

qqphot · Sep 6, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
Is there a good reason folks usually recut 35 mm film vs. 120? The way I figure it, I can get six strips while discarding the edge markings, and the strips are long enough for a 50 exposure magazine (though one could surely trim them for 36). Sure, that little light-tight appliance that cuts from one cassette to another is convenient, but I'm pretty sure I could get the same result from one 120 spool to another. I'd just have to verify if I could open the cutter in the light (I've recut 120 completely in the light, on the spool, for other formats) or whether the narrow fogged edge would be too much on 9.2 mm film...

For me there are two reasons: first, I don't use very much Minox film, so having more would just mean more loose pieces sitting around. Second, I can get perfectly cut strips from 35mm more reliably than I can from 120. Usually I'll take a Minox-length piece of a 35mm roll and split it into two Minox rolls, and then use the rest of that 35mm roll in a 35mm camera, which is a more useful amount of both kinds of film for my shooting habits.

@xkaes on here sells slitters for every combination of widths on Etsy, and they work better than anything else I've tried. I just ordered a 120 -> 127 plus Minox slitter from him, so that should supply my needs pretty well too.

synhare · Sep 6, 2024

What a great write-up. Thank you for putting it together.

Why do you use a loupe in combination with a macro lens when scanning the negatives?

tjwspm · Sep 7, 2024

Andreas Thaler said:
Another excellently written and designed text from you that will bring benefit and joy to the Minox community

I have great respect for your work as a Minox expert, repairer and author.

Great!

Thank you!

xkaes said:
That is a superb summary -- but it's much more than a summary. It's compilation.

I'll add a link in the SUBCLUB -- which has been around for 35+ years.

The SUBCLUB also has a ton of resources for ANY submini user -- not just Minox.

THANKS again for your effort -- much appreciated.

I don't know if you've noticed, but my article refers to the subclub.org page on the subject of reloading Minox cartridges. Always an important place to go for me.

tjwspm · Sep 7, 2024

qqphot said:
The Castro Theater, SF by eric volpe, on Flickr

I've been enjoying the challenge of pushing the limits of image quality I can get from the tiny negative and tiny camera. It's nice sometimes to have some restrictive constraints to work within. Furthermore, the cameras themselves are like a delightful small jewel and very satisfying to use.

I mostly cut down 35mm film to load minox cartridges, and process at home. Sometimes I use the original minox daylight tank, but for C41 I've been using 3D-printed 9.5mm reels which work with some effort. I wet-mount the film on glass and digitize with a Sony mirrorless camera and macro lens.

minox submini

pictures from tiny cameras

flic.kr

Thank you for your thoughts on the joys of the Minox challenge. May I ask how you got into Minox photography?

Your photo shows impressively what quality you can achieve if you have the whole process under control, from cutting the film to digitizing it.

Have you ever used the Minox daylight developing tank for the C41 process?

tjwspm · Sep 7, 2024

synhare said:
What a great write-up. Thank you for putting it together.

Why do you use a loupe in combination with a macro lens when scanning the negatives?

Thank you

The Lumix TZ41 is a simple travel camera with a fixed zoom lens. Therefore, I cannot use a macro lens. In the wide-angle setting (24 mm in 35 mm equivalent) I can get very close in macro mode, but then the images are clearly distorted. In addition, even then I can't get the 8x11 mm to fill the format, so I lose resolution. So I prefer to use the magnifying glass at the zoom level 2x (48 mm).

snusmumriken · Sep 7, 2024

Wonderful write-up and resource! Your enthusiasm for these little beauties is infectious, and I could almost succumb, especially after reading your descriptions of the innards. But it’s a whole parallel world of photography, and I am physically and mentally geared up for 35mm, hence a Rollei 35 is about as small as I will go. Nevertheless, I will be returning to the articles for the pure pleasure of reading them.

guangong · Sep 7, 2024

Donald Qualls said:
First step: have enough money to buy the camera, at least a couple loaded film cartridges, and a developing tank for 8x11...

The way things have been going lately, I'm hoping I don't have to wait for next year's tax refund to afford a IIIs or B...

Minox cameras are relatively inexpensive now compared with prices when new. I remember new Minox III cameras displayed in high end jewelry store that was my bus stop for going to university. I could look at cameras in window as fantasy.

ChrisGalway · Sep 7, 2024

tjwspm said:
Thank you!

I don't know if you've noticed, but my article refers to the subclub.org page on the subject of reloading Minox cartridges. Always an important place to go for me.

My browsers (Safari and Chrome) won't connect to www.subclub.org .... any suggestions? "can't find server" is the error

xkaes · Sep 7, 2024

snusmumriken said:
I am physically and mentally geared up for 35mm, hence a Rollei 35 is about as small as I will go.

You're missing an entire photographic universe:

www.subclub.org

snusmumriken · Sep 7, 2024

xkaes said:
You're missing an entire photographic universe:

www.subclub.org

I know. I’d like a full-plate camera and a scanning electron microscope too, but one can’t do everything.

ChrisGalway · Sep 7, 2024

ChrisGalway said:
My browsers (Safari and Chrome) won't connect to www.subclub.org .... any suggestions? "can't find server" is the error

But it works on my phone! Anyone know why I cannot access this site on my Mac?

xkaes · Sep 7, 2024

snusmumriken said:
I know. I’d like a full-plate camera and a scanning electron microscope too, but one can’t do everything.

The Rollei 35 is far from the smallest full-frame 35mm camera -- FYI. Check out the Petri 35 Color, for example:

https://cameraquest.com/petri35.htm

tjwspm · Sep 7, 2024

ChrisGalway said:
But it works on my phone! Anyone know why I cannot access this site on my Mac?

I have actually had problems with calling up subclub.org pages. For me it depends on the Internet service provider. I can't access it at home, whereas in the office with the same operating system and browser (Windows 10 and Firefox) it's not a problem.

Maybe @xkaes can give us a hint?

xkaes said:
That is a superb summary -- but it's much more than a summary. It's compilation.

I'll add a link in the SUBCLUB -- which has been around for 35+ years.

The SUBCLUB also has a ton of resources for ANY submini user -- not just Minox.

THANKS again for your effort -- much appreciated.

tjwspm · Sep 7, 2024

snusmumriken said:
Wonderful write-up and resource! Your enthusiasm for these little beauties is infectious, and I could almost succumb, especially after reading your descriptions of the innards. But it’s a whole parallel world of photography, and I am physically and mentally geared up for 35mm, hence a Rollei 35 is about as small as I will go. Nevertheless, I will be returning to the articles for the pure pleasure of reading them.

Thank you
Yes, my motivation is to get others excited about the tiny camera too. But the pictures on your homepage show that it is also possible to take great pictures in the huge 24x36 negative format.

xkaes · Sep 7, 2024

tjwspm said:
Maybe @xkaes can give us a hint?

Ask your ISP. Certain ISP's, Countries, OS's have more restrictions that others. These are out of our control. Can people in China view the New York Times?

Andreas Thaler · Sep 7, 2024

xkaes said:
Can people in China view the New York Times?

Do you sometimes wonder if China can read your pages?

After all, that's a huge readership potential.

Minox photography for absolute beginners

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