Minox 35mm recommendations needed

[wharrison]

I am considering the purchase of a Minox 35mm camera for my son-in- law, who is a truck driver, but who is also becoming very interested in photography. I thought that this small compact camera would be very appropriate for his on the road experiences and for any other type of quick candid shots he might wish to make.

Since we are giving he and our daughter a refurbished Canon A-1 with a few lenses to begin their family photography - they are soon to be parents, I think that the addition of a Minox 35mm camera would be an added treat for him and his on the road experiences.

Unfortunately, it has been a long time since I worked in a camera shop - decades - and I am not currently up to date on the better models - reliability, performance, etc. of the various compact Minox models.

Any thoughts or shared experiences will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Bill

 

[Mitica100]

Hi Bill,

Minox is famous for their compactness and great lenses. However, most older ones suffer from a 'disease' known as oxidation on the shutter contacts. I would stay clear of them unless you want to present him with a nice collectible. Also, they use some old and weird batteries that are hard to find nowadays.


I would look at other compact 35mm camera such as Olympus XA (they all use the same type of lens-the Tessar). They're cheaper, very well made, extremely silent shutter and very pocketable, being just a tiny bit bigger than a Minox.

Otherwise consider a small AF 35mm camera or even a digital one.

That's just my 2 cents of wisdom for the day...

Good luck.