Minox 35ML: R U also having problems?
chris.c...@analog.com
light, small, takes fabulous photos (but you focus using depth of
field gauges, and therefore it probably never got as popular as
point and shoot auto-focus cameras).
Here's my gripe: Every few years, the camera electronics (light
meter and viewfinder display) seem to simply *FAIL* erratically
and without warning.
I sent the camera in for fixing, and the factory was so backed up
that I didn't see my 35ML for about 6 months. I met a Belgian
photographer in the plane from San Francisco to Boston, and he
confirmed this experince. He claims he runs a photo store in
Belgium and about 50% of all Minox clients (at that time) were
returning their faulty cameras.
Just last week mine died again.
Now I am not sure if I should just junk the 35ML and purchase
something from a mainstream vendor or try to get it fixed again.
Any suggestions? experiences?
**PLEASE** respond via e-mail directly to: chris.c...@analog.com
or call (617) 461-3058 in the USA since I don't read this newsgroup
very often. Thasnks!
Yolin Lih
: Every few years, the camera electronics (light
: meter and viewfinder display) seem to simply *FAIL* erratically
: and without warning.
I can confirm that this also happened to me after ~three years of
not-so-frequently using it. Guess what? I needed a new battery.
Hope this is the same problem to you.
Yolin Lih
Bennett Todd
Martin Tai <marti...@canrem.com> wrote:
> I put my Minox 35ML to where it belongs: garbage bin.
Dunno. Guess Minoxes don't like you. They like me, and vice-versa. My 35ML
is the nicest compact camera I've seen, for my tastes: I really prefer
manual focus and the option of manual aperature setting, and it consistently
takes wonderful pictures (subject of course to the limits of my skill:-). It
works fine and lets me pursue recording the moment, or capturing something
beautiful. Its AE routinely gets the exposure right, and is easy to override
when I think I know better than it does. The exposure lock in particular
works well for dealing with awkward settings, like glare off waves. I'm a
long way from being good enough to exceed the capabilities of this
remarkable little camera. And it's small enough so it can always be with me.
Sorry you've had a bad time with yours. Hope you find something you like as
much as I like my Minox.
-Bennett
b...@mordor.com
Martin Tai
-> About 8-10 years ago I purchased a Minox 35ML camera. It's
-> fantastic, light, small, takes fabulous photos (but you focus using
-> depth of field gauges, and therefore it probably never got as popular
-> as point and shoot auto-focus cameras).
->
-> Here's my gripe: Every few years, the camera electronics (light
-> meter and viewfinder display) seem to simply *FAIL* erratically and
-> without warning.
->
-> I sent the camera in for fixing, and the factory was so backed up
-> that I didn't see my 35ML for about 6 months. I met a Belgian
-> photographer in the plane from San Francisco to Boston, and he
-> confirmed this experince. He claims he runs a photo store in
-> Belgium and about 50% of all Minox clients (at that time) were
-> returning their faulty cameras.
->
-> Just last week mine died again.
->
-> Now I am not sure if I should just junk the 35ML and purchase
-> something from a mainstream vendor or try to get it fixed again.
-> Any suggestions? experiences?
I put my Minox 35ML to where it belongs: garbage bin.
I died after warranty expired. The shutter wide open.
Lyndon Swab
cavigioli> Originator: chris@thor
cavigioli> Here's my gripe: Every few years, the camera electronics
cavigioli> (light meter and viewfinder display) seem to simply
cavigioli> *FAIL* erratically and without warning.
cavigioli> Any suggestions? experiences?
I have a 35GT which has also died three times in about 4 years (same
symptoms as yours). In all cases, the problem was a simple loose
connection - almost anyone could have found it. The last time, I
fixed it myself.
I've come to the conclusion that the electronics in this camera are
very simple, but not very robust. The PC-board must flex or vibrate,
and eventually things come loose. My recommendation to you would be
to take it to a reputable *local* repair shop. They'll be able to fix
it within a week or so. That should be a little easier to swallow
than the 6 months that the Minox factory would take.
--
Lyndon Swab ls...@bnr.ca, (613) 763-7165, ESN 393-7165
Stephen Hynes
gave poor results in any kind of awkward lighting situation. It never failed
to grossly under or over expose shots in bright sunshine. I could never figure
out why. Soon the meter needle stopped working. Then the camera failed.
I had it repaired. It lasted for two months of unintensive use. Fixed again,
it hung in for another two months. Exposures never worked right. The guy at
the repair place offered to bury it for me. He said that all versions of this
camera are unreliable, and mine - an early one - was worst.
I bought a used mini Rollei, and it has worked very well.
Steve Hynes
Martin Tai
-> exposure system gave poor results in any kind of awkward lighting
-> situation. It never failed to grossly under or over expose shots in
-> bright sunshine. I could never figure out why. Soon the meter needle
-> stopped working. Then the camera failed. I had it repaired. It lasted
-> for two months of unintensive use. Fixed again, it hung in for
-> another two months. Exposures never worked right. The guy at the
-> repair place offered to bury it for me. He said that all versions of
-> this camera are unreliable, and mine - an early one - was worst.
Minox micro cameras may be quite good, ie. those James Bond cameras.
But I do agree that the Minox 35ML is lousy.
Picture quality poor, and unreliable. Mine last last only 15 months,
light use.
->
-> I bought a used mini Rollei, and it has worked very well.
Rollei 35 is much better, picture quality better, and quite
durable.
Fernao D. Magalhaes
> Minox cameras are shit. I have one - a paperweight really. The exposure system
> gave poor results in any kind of awkward lighting situation. It never failed
> to grossly under or over expose shots in bright sunshine. I could never figure
> out why. Soon the meter needle stopped working. Then the camera failed.
[...]
I have a Minox 35ML, and two friends of mine have a 35GT and a 35GTE. We
are all extremely happy with them. In particular, the exposure system
seems very consistent and only a few times gave me badly exposed pics (and
I shoot slides).
BTW, you mentioned that the meter *needle* stopped working, but doesn't
the 35ML have a LED exposure indication system?
Fernao
Bennett Todd
Martin Tai <marti...@canrem.com> wrote:
> Minox micro cameras may be quite good, ie. those James Bond cameras.
>
> But I do agree that the Minox 35ML is lousy.
> Picture quality poor, and unreliable. Mine last last only 15 months,
>light use.
On the other hand I, and many others, have found the Minox 35s (I use a
35ML) to be excellent quality, and take terrific pictures. Maybe it's
because they are carefully shipping all the broken, defective ones to
Martin! Lord knows, we've all heard that Martin doesn't like them. At all.
But the fact is that many other people do.
-Bennett
b...@mordor.com
Martin Tai
-> a 35ML) to be excellent quality, and take terrific pictures. Maybe
-> it's because they are carefully shipping all the broken, defective
-> ones to Martin! Lord knows, we've all heard that Martin doesn't like
-> them. At all. But the fact is that many other people do.
Why don't you read all the Minox message here and find out
how many dead Minox out there ?
Bennett Todd
Martin Tai <marti...@canrem.com> wrote:
> Why don't you read all the Minox message here and find out
>how many dead Minox out there ?
I do, most carefully. There are dozens of postings a month about dead Minox
35s. All but one of them come from you. We get the message, Martin; you
really really really don't like Minox 35s.
-Bennett
b...@mordor.com
Andrew Stikuts
In a previous article, marti...@canrem.com (Martin Tai) says:
>->
>-> About 8-10 years ago I purchased a Minox 35ML camera. It's
>-> fantastic, light, small, takes fabulous photos (but you focus using
>-> Here's my gripe: Every few years, the camera electronics (light
>-> meter and viewfinder display) seem to simply *FAIL* erratically and
>-> without warning.
>->
>
> I put my Minox 35ML to where it belongs: garbage bin.
> I died after warranty expired. The shutter wide open.
>
My experience has been radically different. I bought the first Minox 35
when it became available here in Canada in the mid'70s. At the time it
was my prime camera. I took it everywhere, including cross-country
skiing all winter, 10-20 hours every week. I dropped it onto concrete
from 12 feet -- reglued the base plate and everything was fine. Dropped
it again twice in the next 10 or so years, and glue rescued it again. In
that time the shutter-flash synch went on me once -- $40 repair. Yes, at
about the 18 year mark the shutter messed up again - so I snipped one of
the circuits with a knife (guessed!), and locked in the shutter to its
flash synch speed, which on the first camera was only 1/30th of a
second. I scraped all white paint off and used black tape to cover the
viewfinder. Loaded it with TMAX 3200, and use it in covering streetlife,
bars, etc. Still working fine.
By then my primary camera was the Leica rangefinder, but when I collected
$500 Cdn from the sale of copies of prints of our own local "flatiron
building" that had been published in our national newspaper, The Globe &
Mail, I bought a GT-E as much for sentimental
reasons as anything else.
Also, my day-job requires me to wear a suit and tie. This GT-E has been
in my shirt pocket or my suit pocket virtually every day for the past 4-5
years, and while its not my primary camera, I do put a roll a week
through it. No sign of any problems, although in bad, flaring light I
occasionally feel like ripping off the skylight filter. Yes, I dropped
it in a parking lot once, about a year ago -- CRAZY glue time, no
problem. I do notice that some components have been beefed up, compared
to the first camera, and the whole thing is a bit easier to put back
together. I'll post again in a few years to let you know how its going.
No, its not my very best lens, ... but I have taken some of my very best
photographs with it.
Good luck with finding a camera as portable, controllable and reliable as
my Minoxes have been !
'bye, --- Andrew Stikuts in Toronto, Canada ab...@torfree.net
F. Xia
> -> On the other hand I, and many others, have found the Minox 35s (I use
> -> a 35ML) to be excellent quality, and take terrific pictures. Maybe
> -> it's because they are carefully shipping all the broken, defective
> -> ones to Martin! Lord knows, we've all heard that Martin doesn't like
> -> them. At all. But the fact is that many other people do.
>
>
> how many dead Minox out there ?
The "all to Martin" theory does not work
for me as the only Minox I know of belonged
to one of my office co-workers and it died
an early (wrt cameras) death after moderate
use only. However it did produce quite good
results while it was alive. The guy liked
his so much that he was planning to get
another one when he left the office. Hope
any new one will not let him down.
Fei
Martin Tai
-> Martin Tai <marti...@canrem.com> wrote:
-> > Why don't you read all the Minox message here and find out >how
-> many dead Minox out there ?
Bennet wrote:
-> I do, most carefully. There are dozens of postings a month about dead
-> Minox 35s. All but one of them come from you. We get the message,
-> Martin; you really really really don't like Minox 35s.
No so, I liked it so much that I carried it every day in my
pocket for over a year. It died on me.