Minox

Minox is a German manufacturer of cameras and other optical devices of the same brand name. With the miniature cameras from Minox combines the classical model of a secret or spy camera. After the successful 1970s, as well Minox had 1,000 employees, now working only about 30 employees at its headquarters in Wetzlar.

History

1936 designed the German - Balt Walter Zapp in Tallinn a camera prototype. This Ur - Minox initially used an even smaller film format of 6.5 mm × 9 mm. From 1938, the camera was now in the 8 × 11 format first in Riga at VEF ( valsts elektrotehniskā fabrika ) produced. Due to the Second World War Zapp fled in March 1941 to Hesse. With him he carried the wood model and a copy of the first production model.

In 1945, Zapp founded the Minox GmbH Wetzlar, thus continuing the production of his miniature camera on. The small company moved in late 1948 to the nearby Heuchelheim in a circle casting. A few months later, in 1950, Zapp returned his company back, after there had been differences with the partner and manufacturer of tobacco products Rinn & Cloos. Meanwhile, the Minox spy camera A was a successful model. Already 180 employees 560 people in 1951 worked at Minox, four years later.

1974 presented his first Minox miniature camera. The Minox 35 EL met with strong demand. The model was further developed in the following years. However, the high cost of production in Germany and the same price declines by the great competition in the compact camera segment forced Minox on 21 November 1988 represent a comparison application to the District Court Giessen. The bankruptcy administration reduced the number of employees to nearly 300 same time, the company founders Zapp was hired as a designer.

1996 returned back to Minox Wetzlar. In addition, the street was renamed to the new location in the industrial park in West End Walter Zapp Street. On 1 April 1996, the Leica Camera AG, Solms bought on the run organization. Minox was incorporated as an independent subsidiary.

2001 camera manufacturers got into digital photography and brought to the DC 1311 digital compact camera on the market. In the same year was a management buy -out. Thorsten Korte Meier became the new CEO. Minox broke up again in 2005 completely from Leica.

Products

Negative size 8 mm × 11 mm

→ Main article: Minox 8x11

The Minox 8x11 series is a family of different miniature cameras that are based on a 11 mm film format from 8 mm ×.

On the original post-war model Minox A followed by numerous improved versions with new features (including Minox B with Selenium cell exposure meter from 1958, Minox C with electronic automatic exposure from 1969, Minox LX from 1978). An even smaller version is the Minox EC produced from 1981.

Negative size 24 mm × 36 mm

→ Main article: Minox 35

In 1974, the first small-format camera, the Minox 35 EL was presented. She took over the title of the smallest camera for miniature films of the Rollei 35 The success of small, lightweight and protective lens bag also suitable camera surprised even Minox. In the following years, several other models of the 35s series were developed, which were partly produced until October 2002. Stocks are up today (July 2007) sold. An auto- focus version remained without success. The original Minox 35 later appeared in Ukraine "Kiev 35". Since both cameras are identical, it is likely that they come from the same tools.

Slide projectors

Suitable for any ( slide ) film formats presented Minox also slide projectors ago, for example, the model 3,001th

Microform ( micro Negative) reader

Early 1980s were portable readers - 32689/32676 on the market for microfiche under the name Micro - plan Coverprojector reader type - weight about 10 kg. The screen had a reading area of ​​34 × 31 cm, W × H. served as the light source is a 12 V, 50 W halogen lamp. The devices were 115/ 220 volt AC or 12/24 Volt - operated (Universal or NATO plug). 32689 could microfiche read with the dimensions 18 × 24 cm and type 32676 with 10.5 × 14.8 cm. With the help of interchangeable lenses were 24 -, 42 - and 48 -fold magnifications are generated. The devices that have been used at the federal and state authorities as well as in the warehouse management and documentation of business areas.

The APS format

Currently Minox produced a series compact cameras that use the APS format. All cameras of the CD series are equipped with high-quality lenses (such as those known in the Minox 35 series Minoxar systems), automatic film transport, program-controlled central locking, auto focus and xenon flash equipped with Vorblitztechnik.

Digital Photography

Minox since 2003, with some based on his own design models in the field of digital photography represented (DC series). Meanwhile, 29 different models were produced. The cameras are usually equipped with autofocus Minoctar lenses, which go back to the traditional Minotar and Minoxar lenses of the Minox 35 series. Examples are the compact camera DC 8122 with 8.1 megapixel resolution and 6- fold optical zoom as well as the DC 1011 with 10 megapixel image resolution. Minox also refined digital cameras with 24-carat gold-plated and diamond-studded cases ( DC 1011 Carat / DC 4211 gold). In the meantime the fourth generation there since photokina 2006, the Digital Classic Camera Leica M3, which is a digital camera of a miniaturized Minox edition of the Leica.

2008 introduced the Minox Digital Camera Module DCM for the scope digiscoping. This allows to take digital photos and videos with a spotting scope. In the same year presented the optics company Minox DSC before the at photokina. This digital spy camera has the dimensions of 86 mm × 29 mm × 20 mm and is thus similar in size to the cameras of 8 mm × 11 series. Due to their design, which was created in collaboration with Volkswagen, the DSC was awarded both the red dot design award and the Design Plus Award.

Camera replicas

Meanwhile provides Minox also manufactures historical replicas of famous cameras in 1:3 scale. This fully functional replicas in miniature are offered under the name Classic Camera Collection in each case both as a miniature camera with Minox 8 × 11 film as well as digital camera.

So far, the company presented replicas of Leica M3, Rolleiflex MiniDigi, Rolleiflex AF 5.0, Hasselblad SWC, Contax I, Leica If, Leica IIIf ago.

Minox Rolleiflex MiniDigi

Binoculars

1990 developed by Zapp pocket telescope Minox T8 came on the market. The monocular was in two versions, both with plastic housing and the aluminum housing ( as T8L ) were prepared. The name of the pocket telescope dates back to the eight-fold magnification.

In 1993 the product range to include the product category Binoculars has been enhanced in 1999 was followed by spotting scopes. Also, the company Macroscopes and night vision devices produced.

Metrology and Multimedia Player

Minox also offers (hand) instruments for meteorological observation and with the Suntimer series for the measurement of UV radiation.

The company also 2005 ( DMP series) went into the production of media players.

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