Minox 35GL Joys

[Robert Kildare]

A Minox of this type looks dinky in the hand, and that makes it a great street shooter. People usually don't see it; but even when they do, it looks like a toy to them.

Then there's the lens. Killer sharp. And zone focusing is no problem. You are better at estimating distance than you probably realize. I'm six feet tall, so I imagine lying on the ground between myself and the subject. When that distance looks right, I'm very close to six feet away. A room in my home is ten feet long, and I can tell when someone is that room length away. So there's ten feet.

Here's a shot taken from only three feet: Here I imagined a yardstick between me and the subject. The resolution of individual hairs tells the story.


Click to enlarge:

 

[vrgard]

Yeah, I'm experiencing the same thing with a recently purchased Minox 35ML. Have read negatives about these cameras on the web but I gotta say that I'm really enjoying mine. Love the fact that I can use it in either full automatic mode or can use aperture priority. And it is definitely non-threatening looking! Here's a shot taken with my first "test" roll using this camera.

-Randy

 

[bertil.david@wa]

Robert,
I really like the colors on your shot.
What kind of film did you use? Any post treatment?
Thanks
B

 

[sooner]

You're right, this is a great camera. I paid a local guy $76 to fix a stuck shutter and do a general cla, and now it's great, very sharp and as you say easy to use. I'll try to attach a poor scan of a nice slide showing good colors and sharp clouds.....John.

 

[wilt]

The GT/GT-E are great cameras! Been using them for 20 years.

 

[sooner]

Bill, I have an XA also, and I have been surprised at how sharp the lens is. However, the light falloff in the corners is also very noticeable, so to me the Minox wins because of that. Of course some people will prefer the real rangefinder on the XA versus scale focusing. --John/sooner

 

[Robert Kildare]

Robert,
I really like the colors on your shot.
What kind of film did you use? Any post treatment?
Thanks
B

To my best recollection, it was Kodak UC 400. There was no post-treatment except a slight burning-in of the background. The colors are as the film rendered them. I've also had great results with Fuji Superia Reala.

 

[wilt]

I like the ergonomics of the Minox better than the XA.

 

[Harryo1962]

I had one in the summer of 1979, and got some great photos. Lost the camera in a fire. So I just bought a cream puff, with the factory flash. A roll of HP-5 will go in tomorrow. Cant wait to see the results, which I will post here.

 

[raid]

I have been using a GT for fifteen years, and I have added an ML a month ago. It is a great camera with an an accurate meter and sharp lens.

 

[eurekaiv]

I recently got a 35EL but I had to fix it (clean the shutter contacts) to get it firing. In use it feels quite a lot like an XA2 but with different ergonomics. Photos seems similar in appearance to me, but with a bit less vignetting from the Minox when properly exposed. Unfortunately, the shutter on mine seems to be having trouble at high speeds. This photo came out nice though...


Kids having fun and an abandoned blanket by eurekaiv, on Flickr

Here you can see how it underexposed (by a couple stops at least) and the shutter made a vignette in the upper left corner... :-(


LO-GAS & EAT by eurekaiv, on Flickr

 

[whitecat]

The Minox 35's are often underrated because of the plastic bodies. Fantastic 35's!

 

[raid]

I agree. The Minox cameras are tops.

 

[Dirk]

The Minox 35Gt is one of my favorite cameras, ever. I love the way it handles and slips in your pocket. In fact, partly because of sentimental reasons 'cause I had one in my younger days, it's maybe the only camera I won't ever sell.

 

[philosomatographer]

My dad gave me his old Minox 35 GT, and every once in a while (like, once a year) I finish the roll of monochrome film in it, and I always love the resulting prints. This was shot at f/2.8 on Fomapan 100. Me alone, in an empty restaurant:

f/2.8 is extremely versatile on a 35mm lens - close up, as in the image that started this thread, beatiful shallow depth of field, with that smooth Tessar bokeh, is possibly. Add a bit of distance (such as in my image above), and everything important is in focus, with the most beautiful, gentle rendering.

I feel very much the same way about my Heliar 50 f/3.5 on my M3, and treat both lenses similarly.