In the early and mid-1970s, I often prowled the various neighborhoods of my native Brooklyn with my camera in tow. Coney Island was one of my favorite haunts and, despite the fact Coney wasn’t the safest of places at the time, I managed to wander the boardwalk and alleyways with a 4 x 5 field camera and a bag of Nikons slung over my shoulder without incident.
In a bid to lower my visual profile—and maybe shake up my shooting habits in the process—I started looking for a camera that was smaller and stealthier than the gear I was currently using. I wanted a camera that offered some degree of exposure control, a camera that took good pictures, and equally important—a camera that didn’t look in any way threatening. And that’s when the Minox 35 caught my eye.
Photographs © Allan Weitz 2020
The Minox brand is most commonly associated with the tiny 8mm still cameras that showed up in James Bond spy thrillers. Unlike the Minox spy camera, which had a form factor similar to a dwarfed Pez dispenser, the Minox 35 was quite unlike any compact camera available at the time. And yes, the Minox 35 took very good pictures.
Designed by Professor Richard Fischer of the University of Vienna and manufactured in West Germany, the Minox 35 featured a smooth-cornered, modern-minimalist design that is as striking today as it was when originally introduced, in 1974.
Branded as the smallest 35mm camera in the world, the Minox 35 stole the title from the venerable Rollei 35, which though only slightly larger than the Minox 35, was notably heavier than the new kid on the block. Smaller than many of the compact 35mm and 110 “Instamatic” point-and-shoot cameras that were available at the time, the Minox 35 held the title as smallest full-frame 35mm camera in the world for 22 years until the limited-production Minolta TC-1 was introduced, in 1996.
Unlike the Rollei 35, which was constructed of metal alloys, the 2-piece body of the Minox 35 was made from fiberglass-reinforced Makrolon, a lighter-weight, black polymer material with an anti-reflective flat-black lacquer outer coating. Aside from the white stenciled “Minox” on the front of the camera, the only other visual break from the camera’s matte-black finish was a bright orange shutter release button situated prominently on the top deck. With few exceptions, the orange shutter button was a signature stylistic cue that appeared on all 30 versions of the Minox 35.
When not in use, the Minox 35 measures 4 x 2.3 x 1.25", which is about the size of a pack of unfiltered cigarettes. It weighs 4.2 ounces. To use the Minox, you lower the hinged, drawbridge-like lens cover that protects the camera’s 35mm f/2.8 Minotar lens when not in use. As you lower the cover, the lens—a 4-element, 3-group Tessar design—slowly slides forth from within the camera body and clicks into position.
Focus is strictly by zone, or as it’s more commonly known, “guesstimating,” but once you stop down, the depth-of-field keeps the scene in sharp focus. The viewfinder, which is located directly over the lens in an SLR-like prism bump, is bright with superimposed frame lines that outline the field of view of the camera’s 35mm lens. Over- and underexposure indicators, along with shutter speeds, are displayed along the edges of the viewfinder.
The minimum focus of the camera’s 35mm f/2.8 Minotar lens is about 35.4" (0.9m). The camera features an extremely accurate aperture-priority metering system that also allows for setting exposures manually. There’s also a handy 2x exposure-compensation button for adjusting for backlit exposures. The camera’s electronic leaf-shutter goes from 30 seconds to 1/500-second, steplessly.
Dedicated TTL flashes were available that mounted on the camera's accessory shoe and synced at all speeds. (One version of the camera—the Minox 35 PE—had a permanent TTL flash built into the right side of the camera body.) Film speed (ISO 25 – 800) is set manually using the ISO setting dial located on the base of the camera.
To load film, you have to remove the back of the camera, similar to the film-loading sequencing of the original Nikon F. The film advance requires a double stroke each time you want to advance to the next frame. It’s annoying having to flip the lever twice, but you get used to it. If you need a reminder of how small the Minox 35 really is, you get one each time you hold a roll of film next to it. The camera is small. Real small.
The original batteries for the Minox 35 were PX 27 button batteries (or PX 27a batteries with an adapter). Alternatively, 2 CR-1/3N or 4 LR44 batteries can also be used to power the camera.
The following are photographs I took with a Minox 35 while wandering around Coney Island over the course of several days, in April 1976. Everybody was a stranger, and almost every one of them perked up when they noticed the camera I was using. It was an icebreaker if there ever was one.
The Minox 35 had a terrific run. Between 1974 and 2003 there were about 30 variations of the Minox 35 including special editions for corporations, organizations, and special edition swag models for automobile manufacturers, including Mercedes Benz.
Though no longer manufactured, working Minox 35s are readily available online on eBay, and even the Used Department at B&H Photo. Depending on the model and condition, clean working cameras can be had for well under $100, and my guess is they will draw the same level of curiosity from anybody at whom you point one, and no doubt, a smile too!
Have you ever used a Minox 35? How about a Rollei 35 or a Minolta TC-1? If so, let us know about it in the Comments field, below.
