D. Scott Young
No other camera has ever fired the public's imagination so much as the legendary Minox 'spy camera'. The unique push - pull film advance design in a camera no bigger than a package of chewing gum is universally recognized as that indispensable tool of the professional spy. Among people who might not be able to tell you the difference between a Nikon and a Hasselblad, that tiny Minox conjures up romantic images of daring missions by heroic men and women, the thrill of danger and most of alluring of all, the hint of a secret stolen.
Ironically enough, the Minox works in Germany have steadfastly refused to acknowledge, through over 50 years, any intent to design the camera as an aid to intelligence gathering. From the first camera developed in 1936, inventor Walter Zapp has always maintained that his cameras and accessories have been designed solely for the gentleman or lady who desired to participate in photography. Indeed, this sophisticated, full featured camera was designed so that it's complete system of accessories could be carried with the camera, in one's pockets or purse.
The Minox camera was a technological marvel in miniature at the time of its introduction, and remains so today. This is no mean feat in an age when miniaturization and electronics combine to give us computers small enough to fit in our pocket, watches that can store memos and speak to you, and television sets small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. And yet, close examination of a modern Minox will startle you: the basic design concept and functioning of the camera remains virtually unchanged from almost 60 years ago. More than anything else, this speaks of near perfect engineering, of form gladly and closely following function...of getting it right the first time around. Very few products made in this century can make this claim, and the Minox is the vehicle that launches Walter Zapp into the ranks of the world class designer/inventors. It should hardly come as a surprise to learn that many of the earlier models, now over 50 years old, are still functioning as reliably and accurately as the day they were made.
The exciting history of the inventor and his one of a kind camera are yours to explore in this invaluable guide to the Minox enthusiast. A complete description of every camera model and most accessories available are covered in detail. As an added bonus, a beginner's primer on photography is also included, designed to allow one to get the most out of their unique camera system. Updated information through 1999, a personal interview with the inventor and numerous photographs make this book an indispensable reference work for both the collector and the user of these fine cameras.
D. Scott Young retired honourably as a combat veteran of the U.S. Army Signal Corps after a 20 year career. Bitten by the 'shutter bug' at the age of 9, he has been a life long enthusiast of photography in general, and Minox subminiature photography in particular. A Minox camera of one sort or another has been in his pocket for 25 years, documenting his assignments throughout America and Europe.
He and his wife Maria returned to America from Germany in 1998, where he now works as a technical manager for an independent information technology company. He writes in his spare time, and is currently working on his second book, a novel.
Chapter 14: Visions
Those of you who have made it this far through the book are truly dedicated Minox enthusiasts...I salute you. Those of you who knew nothing about Minox cameras and still made it all the way through the book are either family members or have had their imaginations fired with the same enthusiasm that hundreds of thousands of Minox users and collectors before you have had and still have...my thanks to my family members for their loyalty, and welcome, new enthusiasts, to the ranks.
This book is about visions...the vision Walter Zapp had over 50 years ago when he first held a small block of wood in his hands and saw not just a camera, but an entirely new way of looking at photography, one that celebrated the spirit of the moment with a tiny camera and system of accessories suited for pocket or purse; the rare vision of Theodor Vitols, and later, his nephew, Janis, that recognized the diminutive camera for the exquisitely engineered, precision instrument that it was; the vision that drew together and firmly held a small group of war weary men and women who set about building their company and product out of the dust of World War II, and in the process, contributed to the rebuilding of an entire nation.
Arthur Seibert had a vision, as he patiently reworked his failed 'Pentar' lens design into the superb and enduring 'ComPlan' design that set the standard for Minox camera models through to the 1970's. Donald Thayer, Sr. held fast to his vision of Minox as a household word, as he industriously crafted a far reaching marketing strategy that ensconced the Minox as firmly in America as anywhere else in the world; his son, Donald Thayer, Jr. has taken that vision as his own, continuing to build Minox, USA throughout the 70's and positioning it for the future.
This book attempts to foster your own, personal visions of photography as a medium of expression. Hopefully, I've given you the seeds of an idea of how easy and engaging photography can be, as well as how uniquely suited to spontaneous photography the Minox cameras and accessories are...my own small vision.
90 years have passed since Walter Zapp was born into a country torn by revolution, and eventually overrun...but never fully subjugated. Latvia as a country disappeared off the world maps as they were drawn and redrawn several times in a generation of world wide turmoil and war. Today, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia emerges once again in the 'new world order', birthplace of the Minox inventor and visible confirmation on a map of the virtues of pride, determination, patience...and vision.
The people at Minox, GmbH. would like to share with you a little of their vision of the future:
As indicated previously, there are no plans to research and develop any new 9.5mm subminiature cameras for the future...significantly, however, this became their policy immediately after emerging from the financial restructuring in 1989: in 1990, they announced the development of their revolutionary NB Notebook model, which sadly, never saw subsequent production. There was the introduction of the Model AX since then, admittedly in limited numbers, and assembled from preexisting stocks of IIIs/A parts; still, an essentially 'new' model, well received enough to prompt the introduction of the subsequent 250 unit run of gold AX cameras in 1994.
In September of this year (at the time of this writing, in March, 1995) Minox, GmbH. will celebrate their 50th year as a German corporation and provider of fine subminiature cameras and optics. A spokeswoman has indicated to me the planned introduction of 'several' Minox cameras to mark the occasion. More than likely (and this is strictly my guess) this will involve the release of extremely limited editions of existing LX and/or EC model commemoratives, perhaps in gold, silver, or some other rare material. There might even be yet another edition of the AX...there is almost certain to be some provision for a marking or designation appropriately indicating the 50th year anniversary and enhancing the desirability and collector's value of the camera.
LX and EC models will continue to be produced so long as the public demands them. Several new models have been released, so that as of 1999 there now exists an updated Model EC, the ECX; for LX enthusiasts, there is the TLX, and CLX commemorative, as well as the AX II for traditionalists. Minox's recent release of a film slitter device is a tacit acknowledgement of the enthusiasm myriad Minox owners bring to their craft, and a strong statement of their commitment to future shooters. Service on existing models will continue for years to come. Consider this: approximately 724,758 units of Minox subminiature cameras have been produced and sold. This figure only includes 1,000 of the silver LX, and 750 of the AX model in its variations. No account has been taken of the gold, chrome, platinum and black model LX cameras or any of the EC models produced since their introduction in 1976 and 1981, respectively since production figures are not available. It is not unreasonable to assume that production of 9.5mm Minox cameras now exceeds 1,000,000 units...this does not even begin to take into account the thousands of other subminiature cameras specifically made to utilize the 9.5mm Minox film cartridge, several still being produced today. To quote Al Doyle's enthusiastic reminder, far from being dead, 'Subminiature lives!...'.
I am convinced that Minox, as a company, has a long and fruitful life ahead of it. Having practically invented the micro-film industry, their current product line includes several sophisticated desktop and portable micro-film readers of unparalleled quality. Their cigarette pack sized, full frame 35mm cameras enjoy enviable popularity among serious enthusiasts, and the line has now expanded to include a model to fit just about any budget and need. Minox introduced not too long ago a unique and pocketable 'bino-scope' (invented by a still very much active Walter Zapp!) in 3 flavours, known as the T-8 series. A high quality, pen sized laser pointer can highlight points on a briefing chart or slide projection from across virtually any large conference room, and has quickly become a popular item. Minox is aggressively seeking new marketing opportunities, and working with several international companies on production and marketing agreements to further diversify and strengthen its position in the international marketplace. And of course, there are those truly wonderful subminiature cameras....
Donald Thayer, Jr., currently President of Minox, USA, graciously shared a little of his vision with me in a recent telephone interview. Among other things, he stated 'I feel that there will always be that hard core group of Minox users who will continue to explore subminiature photography...and will be the basis of our business for years to come...Minox in Germany continues to grow, and we will grow with it...'.
He is committed to the subminiature field, and the growth of Minox as a company, evidenced by the heavy investment in automated film processing and printing equipment installed during the 1970's. These German 'dip and dunk' film processors provide the ultimate in tightly controlled batch processing, while the Japanese print machines ensure speedy, accurate prints in sizes up to 5x7 inches. Mr. Thayer maintains that 9.5mm film sent to his facility never stays more than 48 hours in house, a testament to the efficiency of the staff and automation capabilities of which they are justifiably proud.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Thayer mentioned having spent some time (during the 1960's) in study at the Deutches Technical Institute around Darmstadt, as part of a program of training that included a stint at Minox, GmbH. specifically tailored to subminiature repair and service. During this time, as a private venture, he experimented with colouring the aluminum body shells of several Minoxes, presumably the IIIs/A's and B's that were popular at that time. He apparently successfully produced several different coloured body shells, but mentions that the extreme difficulty of removing and replacing body shells is part of the reason why his repair technicians do not do this casually, at the customer's request. You will recall that Minox has experimented at various times with differing colours of body shells (consider the white, and brown models of EC, as well as the rumoured display case of 20 different coloured EC models at the Minox, GmbH. works) but has never publicly marketed colours beyond the ones noted in this book. Perhaps the company experimentation is an off-shoot of his work...
I have read recently that somewhere in the state of New York there is a man with a slightly different vision. Each night he goes to bed with a Minox LX specially loaded with infrared film tucked into his pajama pocket. As he dreams, he waits for a UFO to descend from the skies, as he is convinced it must, to spirit him away for examination, secure in the knowledge that if he returns he will bring back with him the definitive proof of the existence of extraterrestrial beings.
Who knows? Perhaps he might...after all, what good is a camera that is never there when you need it?
