One of the most frequent questions I get when people first see a Minox camera is "How good are the pictures from that thing?". My response is: "Excellent!".

    Minox cameras make wonderful shooters, the resulting photographs being as sharp and clear as from many other cameras I've used over the years. I have found that when new shooters become disappointed with the results, it is usually from one of two reasons: lack of knowledge of the importance of good technique, or lack of knowledge in selecting appropriate film for the shooting they intend to do.

    The two most important factours in good technique are accurate focus, and steady holding of the camera when actually shooting the picture…the same two factours that make disappointing photographs with any camera, regardless of make or model, if they are not observed. When shooting 6 feet or further out from the camera, most people are fairly good judges of distance; additionally, the 12 foot "snapshot" setting on the focusing models provides a "set and forget" capability for ease of use that still provides sharply focused pictures…as long as you remember to keep your subject 6 feet or further away from the camera (the "snap shot" setting refers to non-EC/ECX models: set the focus to the mark midway between the 6 foot and Infinity setting, which is approximately 12 feet). However, at distances closer than 6 feet, people begin to be less accurate in gauging distance, and at distances of 2 feet or less, accurate focusing becomes absolutely critical to sharp pictures. This is why the security chain that comes with the cameras is referred to as a "measuring chain": the measuring beads on the chain are meant to provide you with the accurate distance measurement at close ranges so vital to sharp photographs.

    In low light, or available light situations indoors, the shutter is usually held open for longer periods of time than many people can steadily hold a camera for, resulting in blurry photographs caused by camera shake. 1/30th of a second is the norm for the average person, and a skilled photographer with a very steady hand can take sharp photographs at speeds as low as 1/15th of a second in duration. The low light warning lights on the LX and EC/ECX models are designed to alert you to this situation. Use flash, or at the very least, firmly brace your camera instead of attempting to hand hold it. The Minox tripod is ideal for this situation, but many impromptu braces can be fashioned on the spot by the creative photographer: I have often used a narrow mouthed drinking glass as a brace by extending the camera and laying it across the mouth of the glass. I once held an empty shot glass against a wall, and gently clamped my LX against the bottom of it to provide a temporary and rock steady brace for a pleasing, low light vertical format photograph…

    Improving the accuracy of your focusing and holding the camera steady when shooting will dramatically improve the sharpness of your photographs with any camera, especially the Minox subminiatures.

    Film selection plays a major part in your overall enjoyment of the final photographs. All films have an ISO speed rating on their packaging, which is a guide to the overall sensitivity of the film to light. Setting the ISO speed rating on the film speed dial of your camera calibrates the exposure meeting for that particular type of film. In broad, general terms, the "slower" speed films (ISO 25) produce less grainy, more sharply detailed photographs, but are less sensitive to light and thus need to be exposed in brightly lit situations or with flash indoors. High speed films (ISO 400) produce much more grainy photographs, but are far more sensitive to light, so are ideal for indoor, available light situations.

    These principles are just as important with Minox cameras as they are with any other camera, even more so when you consider the tiny size of the actual Minox negative. Even enlarging the negative enough to make a standard 3 x 5" photograph can show the grain effect in ISO 400 print film; however, the slower, ISO 25 films have such tightly packed grain that it is unnoticeable on the same sized prints. Again, in broad, general terms, ISO 25 films are better if you want to enlarge a Minox negative to 5 x 7 " or even 8 x 10", but not much larger. On the other hand, the high speed ISO films are limited pretty much to the standard 3 x 5" size: enlarging them any further makes the grain so objectionable that the photograph will look rather poor.

    With that in mind, you'll get your best photographs when you select film most appropriate to what you want the end result to be: if you desire sharp photographs at higher enlargement sizes than the traditional 3 x 5" size, or you just want the sharpest, most detailed photographs available from your Minox, use the slower speed films out of doors or indoors with flash. On the other hand, if you know in advance your photographs will not be enlarged beyond the 3 x 5" size, and the ability to shoot in available light without flash is more important to you, then select the higher speed films. I've found the best compromise for me is the current ISO 100 Minocolour loadings that give me enough acceptable grain and sensitivity to serve as a general purpose film.

    These general guidelines apply specifically to commercially purchased and commercially processed film and prints. If you have your own darkroom and the desire to load your own film and do your own processing, you'll find that you can produce prints with the slower speed films that go up to 16 x 20" or beyond and still have them look amazingly sharp and detailed, almost indistinguishable from a 35mm camera. Hand loading and processing even the higher speed films will allow you to produce prints of a larger size than 3 x 5" inches that still look very good.