Minolta 16 Pics

The best results I have obtained converting 10X14mm B&W negatives into a digital form was using a 55mm f2.8 Vivitar macro lens adapted to my Olympus E410. That lens will focus at 1:1 so a field size of 13X18mm and I suppose about 6mp of the sensor is being used to capture the neg. Seemed to turn out ok, you could see the grain on the Double-X negs. I used magnified live view to focus and just racked the lens all the way out to 1:1 and moved the whole camera back and forth to get the sharpest image. All home built rig, kinda hard to describe in words.
 
Sorry, didn't see these responses till now.

zuiko85, The first images I posted were from a Minolta 16II, without any filter (never really learned how to use those). The second group of images were from a Minolta 16QT, which does not use filters.

All my negs were scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 9000 with the 16mm film adapter.

Best,
-Tim
 
Thank's Tim. The Nikon Coolscan was a top quality scanner if I recall. I've never had a film scanner but have used my DSLR + older macro several times, usually at f8 or f5.6. The devil in my set up is getting the focus just right, just cannot use the focusing screen, thank goodness for magnified live view.

Always likes the specs on the QT but...and this could be just me, have never found a sample that worked. Out of 4 I've handled on 2 the shutters were frozen (I took one apart and tried to fix it but there were broken parts.) On the other two the focus just would not budge, it was stuck or would move but not move the lens. It would be nice to have that bigger negative and focusing. It is a fumble fingered pain to mess around with the clip on distance and close up lenses on the 16II. In fact I rigged one of my 16II cameras with a clip so that I can install the lenses without opening the camera.
 
Yeah, I hear you on the quality control and age of these cameras. I lucked out in finding a QT that was NOS, left for years in the back of a camera shop. When they closed, and were clearing out all the junk in the back room, they found this and I bought it. Still had to take it apart and clean everything, as the shutter didn't work. And fashioned a "replacement battery" out of a 1/3 N. Now it works like new. But it really is "luck" in finding one that can be brought back to life.

Best,
-Tim
 
Funny thing is, the 16Ps always work, at least every one I've handled. Much simpler camera of course, no meter or focusing. The 25mm f3.5, 3 element in 3 group lens is a bit narrow angle for 10X14mm format. That said, it's plenty sharp stopped down and is fixed focus at 5 meters, 2X the distance the 16II 22mm lens is fixed at. (2.5m)
I bought 2 at a photo show for $1 each and found the close up lens set for them at the same show for $1 also. Now if I could find the time to just finish roll #2 out of the little gems. Developed roll#1 and it appeared sharp looking at the negs with a magnifier. After 12 years we've moved back into the house and after 3 months most photo stuff is STILL in boxes, and the house maint. list just keeps growing.
 
I have a friend who has a P and he managed to turn down the wind spindle in his lathe and it will now accept both Minolta and Kiev cassettes. I looked at my 1 II and MGS and I don't think it could be done on those ones. The spring is too big in diameter in those ones.
 
I've got a couple of 16MGs (gold & silver) that I was using for a while. Scanning the negs is a bit of a puzzler. But I just bought some 16mm slide mounts that I can drop into my Nikon LS2000 Coolscan, so I will try that. If this works, I will post (finally)!

DSC05902 by Nokton48, on Flickr

2016-04-14 06.16.20 by Nokton48, on Flickr

2016-04-09 12.53.37 by Nokton48, on Flickr

JOBO 16mm reels, loaded with some dummy film I made to practice film slitting. Each JOBO reel will hold two rolls, so I can do eight rolls in one dev session.

2016-03-28 16.30.10 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here I am practicing various film slitting, 35mm down to Minolta 16mm
 
Here are some test rolls from the Minolta 16MGs. Still need to sort out the light leak; I did refoam both cameras. Not sure why I got the streaking. I think the door on one of the cameras needs the refoaming re-done.

Minolta 16 #1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here are my first four rolls, I think these are real Tri-X, slit down from 35mm, and Efke KB25. Some times the flashbulbs do not want to go, hence all the blank frames. The Efke KB25 has less intense light leaks, which makes sense that I need to rexamine and refoam both cameras.
 
farlymac said:
Yeah, that looks like a typical door leak. But don't you use a cartridge? PF
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Yes I bought quite a few 16mm Minolta cartridges from Igor in Cleveland, when I bought the Gold 16MG from him. I have a large ziploc bag full of varying thicknesses/sheets of foam I use for camera light leaks. I will have to go over the seals in both cameras when I unload them. Since the intensity of the streaking seems to vary (perhaps due to how long between exposures, that seems to indicate to me that I have a door leak. So I will sort it out again.


I've got more Minolta film to develop; five or six exposed. I can load eight rolls of Minolta film onto my four JOBO 16mm reels, and develop those, along with some 35mm or 120, in my Multitank 6. I spin the tank on a Unicolor Uniroller.
 
Timmyjoe said:
Those slide mounts are awesome. Best,
-Tim
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Hi Tim,
Yes I am hoping these will work for me in my Nikon Coolscan LS2000. It came with the 35mm slide mount adapter for it. Time will tell, right now I'm quite busy, hope to get to this soon. Every aspect of Minolta 16mm use seems to involve working out a lot of issues.
-Dan
 
Tim, I can't help but think your light leaks are in the cassettes themselves. The full width flashes are typical of a poor seal at the entrance/exit of the film thru the felt or velvet and the others remind me of a poor seal at the top of the film chamber as the fogging is along the edge on what is possibly the top of the frame - I can't quite see if it is top or bottom of the images.
Definitely check the seals and never reload in bright light even with new cassettes.
 
hayesbd said:
Here's a recent shot from my Minolta 16 II with Arista EDU 100.
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This looks pretty good to me. Thanks for posting. I just found a box full of Minolta 16 cameras that I had from about 20 years ago. I have a 16qt with the shutter soaking in solvent right now - trying to get it working again! I've always enjoyed using these little cameras. regards ---john.
 
hayesbd said:
Here's a recent shot from my Minolta 16 II with Arista EDU 100.
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That looks great. Very small grain and smooth at screen resolution.
Just found my Mamiya 16 Super, it was ‘lost’ in my pile of boxes of camera stuff. Also found my Eastman 16mm Double-X so now (amid too many other projects) I’ll have to try at least a couple of rolls.
 
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