minox 35 gl

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IU|INOXS5GL

Owner's manualwww.orphancameras.com

The pocketable miniature

Minox has always been famous forf ine ul t raminiature cameras. ln 1974the Minox 35 EL arr ived as the f i rs t24 x36 mm Minox camera - the smal-lest on the world market, and withautomatic exposure control.

The Minox 35 GL you have nowbought is the successor of the im-mensely successful Minox 35 EL. l tlooks very l ike the previous model :most of the changes are internal. iFhe-

Minex 35 Gt,hasa backlighi-switch"t o r

f - 2

cedaiffiubieets On its film speedscale you can set a l l speeds f rom 25to 800 ASA or 15 to 30 DlN, inc lud-ing intermediate values. And there areinnumerable smal l improvements formore re l iable fa i lure- f ree operat ion,for instance s impler f i lm loading.

You can use your Minox 35 GL wi tha wide range of f i lms: i t takes anystandard 35 mm cartr idge lor 36,24,20 or 12 exposures.

Before loading a fi lm do howeverget to know your camera real lythoroughly. This detai led instruct ionmanualwi l l help you to make the mostof the Minox 35 GL. l f you are lessinterested in the technical i t ies, readonly the main paragraphs pr inted inbo ld .

We hope you w i l l ge t much fun andmany good pictures wi th your Minox35 GL.


Main camera views:Front viewRear viewHandling the carrera:The batteryFitting the batteryBattery testOpening and c losing the cameraThe v iewf inderHold i t r ightReleasingAdvancing the f i lmThe frame counterSett ing the f i lm speedAutomatic exposu re control

The lens apertureAutomat ic e lectronic speedsThe shut ter speed indicat ionThe s low speed warningThe overexposure warningThe backl ight swi tch

Contents

Distance and depth of fieldLoading the f i lmUn load ingFlash shots

lmportant hints:More about automatic

exposure controlCare of the camera

Accessories:The skyl ight f i l terThe neutra l densi ty f i l terThe Minox FC 35 computer f lashThe ever-ready caseThe bel t and wr ist pouchThe pocket tripodThe cable release and self-

t imer adapter

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butkusmi

New Stamp

1 Fi lm winding lever2 Frame counter3 Shutter release

ffi5 Battery test button6 Flash shoe (for strobc o'7 Viewfinder8 Film rewind crank9 Battery compartment

10 Aperture scale11 Distance scale12 Lens13 CdS cel ls14 Front cover15 Fi lm chamber16 Viewfinder17 Fi lm transport lever1 8 Take-up spool19 Rewind relase20 Tripod bush21 ASA/DIN f i lm speed scale22 Back cover lock


The batteryThe shutter and speed indication

can only operate with a battery. Thecorrect type is a 5.6 volt mercury cell(Yarta 4027, Ucar EPX 27 or MalloryPX 27). The battery should be freshand must be fifted the correct wayround.

Fitting the batteryOpen the front cover and unscrew

the battery compartment cover -with a coin if necessary.

Clean both battery contacts witha rough cloth (e.g. your jacketsleeve), then push the battery withthe - end firct into the compartmentso that the * end faces outwards.The inside of the screw cap alsocarries a * sign.

Fully screw the cap in again.6

A click when you press the releasedoes not necessarily signify correctshutter operation. So test the bat-tery.


Battery test

Fully open the front cover, fullyadvancethefilm (page12) and switchoff the backlight switch (page 19).

Now fully depress the battery testbutton - the small rectangular keybetween the flash shoe and theorange release button. With the testbutton fully depressed, the needlealong the right-hand finder frameedge should swing up to the centre(111251or beyond.

Note: lf the needle was alreadyabove 1/30, it f irst drops down whenyou touch the test button, and thenswings up again for the battery testindicat ion as you fu l ly depress thetest button.

lf the needle does not reach the'0125" mark the battery is exhausted.lf the needle doesn't move at all youmay have inserted the battery backto front


The battery test cannot tell you howmuch longer the bat tery wi l l last . Pre-ferably replace the battery about oncea year, even if the battery test iss t i l lOK.

Apparent early battery failure mayin fact be a poor contact. Remove thebattery, rub down the contacts firmlyand replace.

Remove a battery from the cameraas soon as i t is spent or too old. Alsoremovethe battery, even if f resh,whenyou are unl ikely to use the camerafor a prolonged per iod.


Opening and closing thecamera

To get ready to shoot, pull the frontcover open and fully down. After pic-ture taking, fl ip the cover up againagainst the camera body.

Opening the f ront cover automat i -cal ly extends the lens, c losing thecover retracts it. So there is no lenscap liable to go astray.

The closed cover also covers thef inder. b locks the re lease andswitches off all electric circuits.

Even with the camera closed youcan stif f advance (page 22) or rewind(page 25) the f i lm.

You can close the cover irrespec-t ive of the posi t ion of the distanceset t ing r ing.

The viewfinder

The bright frame in the findershows the field of view.

Atthe right-hand edge of thefinderyou can see the shutter speed scaleand meter needle (page 18).

The closed front cover also blocksthe f inder window. So when you seenothing through the v iewf inder, youknow you must open the cover.


Hold it rightThe illustration left shows the right

camera hold for horizontal shots, theillustration opposite a suitable holdfor upright views.

Hold your 35 GL steady while yourelease. That reduces the risk of ca-mera shake.

Keep yourf ingers c lear of the lens'sv iew and of the CdS cel ls . Preferablypress your f ingers f lat against thef ront of the camera body.


ReleasingOnce you see the view You want

in the bright frame of the finder'gently press down the orange re-lease button: the shutter oPens totake the picture.

After an exposure the release re-mains depressed and onlY comes uPagain when you start advancing thef i lm. That a lso te l ls you that you don' thave to let go of the button as soonas you have taken the Picture infact keep depressing it unti l you aresure the exposure is f in ished.

Once you get used to that You canalso te l l f rom the posi t ion of the but-ton whether you have advanced thef i lm or no t .

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Advancing the filmPull the film transpoil lever - at

the top right of the camera back -tully out to the right and folard.Repeat this once more.

lf you've failed to pull the leverfully foruard either time, pull oncemore.

When you have a film loaded andit is advancing correctly you also seethe round knob with the rewind crank(at the top left of the camera) rotat-ing as you operate the film windinglever.

So don't stop this knob from mov-ing as you wind.1 2

The l ight dot on the crank helps toshow up this movement.

When you have exposed the wholef i lm, the winding lever no longermoves out fully and the release isblocked.

You can advance the fi lm when thefront cover is either open or closed.


The frame counterThe frame counter (the white

window at the extreme left of thecamera top) tel ls you how many pic-tures you have taken on the f i lm.

Provided that you have not ad,vanced the film (even partly) afterthe last exposure, the frame counterreturns to the start when you re-move the camera back to change thef i lm (see also page 25).

Setting the fi lm speedEvery film package carries a speed

rating in ASA andlor DlN.You must set this speed f igure on

the camera to ensure that the auto-matic control of the 35 GL correctlyexposes your f i lm.

Set this speed on the dial in thecamera base. The dial engages at


every ASA/DI N figure. The un markeddots between the arrowheads areappropriate intermediate values, forinstance 64 and 80 ASA between 50and 100 ASA (or 19 and 20 DINbetween 18 and 21 DIN). ASA valuesare marked in red, DIN in green.

You can turn the dial all round,there is no mechanical stop.

lf you have set the fi lm sPeed toohigh, your shots wi l l be underex-posed; i f the speed is set too low, Youget overexposed pictures.

Automatic exposure control

Your Minox 35 GL hasan electron-ically controlled shutter that auto-matically selects the exposure timefor any preset aperture (aperturepriority system). An auxiliary CdS ex-posure meter shows this shutterspeed in the finder. Wth this modernsystem you can shoot raPid sequen-ces without resetting the exposure.You can equally select the ideal aper-


ture for a given depth of field or thebest shutter speed (in the finder) foraction.

You can equally use a simplesnapshot setting for bright light: Setthe aperture ring (the rear milled ringof the lens barrel) to f/5.6 and leaveeverything else apart from thedistance setting (page 2Ol - to theautomatic control. This is fine forquick and convenient shooting,though it does not make full use ofthe scope of your Minox 35 GL.

The lens aperture

You can set any lens aperture(f -stop) f rom t/2.8 to t/16 on the aper-ture r ing on the lens barrel .

A high f -number ( for instance 11 or16) s igni f ies a smal l aperture; a low

f -number (2 .8 o r 4 l a la rge open ing .The higher the f -number, the greaterthe depth of f ie ld ( i .e. the deeper thesharp subject zone) but the longerthe exposure t ime required.

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Automatic electronic speeds

The electronic shut ter of the Minox35 GL automat ical ly contro ls the ex-posure t ime to a l low for the subjectbr ightness, f i lm speed set t ing andpreselected aperture.

The automat ic range of the 35 GLextends from 1/500 second to at least1 second at 800 ASA or 30 DlN. Inthe Minox 35 GL the f i lm speed is onefactor contro l l ing the automat ic shut-ter speed c i rcui t ; hence the auto-matic control range is greatly extend-ed wi th s lower f i lms.

Thus wi th 25 ASA or 15 DIN f i lmyou get automatically correct expo-sures from 1/500 second to about30 seconds

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With medium f i lm speeds you getfor instance:1/500 to 8 seconds at 100 ASA1/500 to 16 seconds at 50 ASA

You cannot d isengage the auto-mat ic exposure contro l of the Minox35 GL.

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The shutter speed indication

The electronic shutter establishesthe exposu r e time d u ri ng th e exposu reitse/f according to the prevailing lightconditions.

But the Minox 35 GL has an addi-t ional CdS exposure meter to showyou before the exposure the likelYexposure time at the selected aper-ture and subject brightness.

The meter of the shutter sPeed in-dicat ion is swi tched on when:Oyou open the f ront cover, andO you have advanced the f i lm.

The needle thus only shows theshutter speed when the camera isready to shoot. After an exposure themeter is automatically switched off tosave battery l ife.

The meter needle appears as adark l ine across the r ight hand br ight

f rame as you look through the f inder.I t indicates the approximate t ime -

between 1/500 and 1/30 second - thatthe camera would expose at that mo-menf wi th the selected f i lm sPeed,aperture and prevai l ing subjectbrightness. However, you can alsouse the shut ter speed indicat ion toadjust the aperture setting - andhence automat ical lY the exposuret ime - before shoot ing, for instancefor a faster speed with a sports sub-ject . Look through the f inder andwatch how turning the aperture r ingon the lens barrel also alters the ex-posure t ime.

You can estimate intermediatevalues - for instance 1/250 secondhalfway between 1/500 and 1/125; or1/60 betweenl /125 and 1/30.


500

125

30ffiffiRLeft: Exposure time approx. 1/300second

Centre: S/owspeed warning (needlein shaded area below 1/30 second)

Right: Overexposure warni ng (poi nterin shaded area above 1 /500 second)

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The slow speed warning

When the exposure meter needledrops into the shaded area below 1/30second, the exposure t ime at the se-lected aperture wi l l be longer than1/30 second (e.g. 1/2O, 1/5 or even3 seconds). With hand-held shotsyouthen risk camera shake. The needlesimply reminds you to select a largeraperture. l f the l ight is too poor forthat , e i ther use f lash (page 26, 31)or expose for longer wi th a t r ipod.

The overexposure warning

l f the needle moves into the shadedarea above 1/500 you risk overexpo-sure even at 1/500 second. Here se-lect a smal ler apef ture to br ing theshutter speed back to 1/500 secondor slower.


The backlight switch

tf(rhe

push the backlight switchrectangular button to the

dght of llash shoe) fully for-ward, times are automati-cally doubled instance 1/250 in-stead ofll500

A red window "2x" ',n white

reminds you that youon the backlight switch.

in Backlight switch on

real ex-

switch not just(to lighten impor-but also for out-

The shutter speedf inder shows the iposure time.

Use thefor backlittant deepdoor views)yhere a bright sky coversa large pAfi of the picture and would

to an excessively short ex-


Distance and depth of field

You can focus the Minox 35 GL onany distance between 3 feet andinfinity (€): turn the front ring tobring the appropriate distance oppo-site the orange arrowhead.

Subjects are sharpest at the focus-ed distance but stilladequately sharp(for normal enlargements) over anextended distance range. This zoneof sharpness is known as the depthof f ield.

A depth of field ring behind thedistance scale indicates the avail-able sharp zone. This always extendsfrom the left hand mark of a givenaperture to the right hand mark ofthe same aperture.

Dots mark the index positions forf/8 (between 11 and 5.6) and tl4(between 5.6 and the arrowhead).20

Snapshot setting from 10 feet toinfinity at fl8.


!r

For example, i f you turn the distancescale so that 20 feet is opposi te thearrowhead, your depth of field at f/8extends from 10 feet to infinity (seei l lustrat ion).

The smal ler the selected aperture(higher f -number) the greater thedepth of f ie ld at a g iven distance.

The nearerthe subject d istance, thesmal ler the depth of f ie ld at a g ivenaperture.

The depth of field scale of the35 GL is based on a c i rc le of con-fusion of 0.0011 inch (0.028 mm) - asomewhat stricter criterion than isusual in miniature photography (nor-mal COC is 0.0013 inch or 0.033 mm).l f you only want comparat ively smal lprints (say up to 3r/z x 5 inches or9 x 13 cm) you can al low a more ge-

nerous standard for depth of field byreading the depth for the next smal lerf -number than you have actual ly set .For instance you can set f/8 as theworking apedure but read the sharpzone for f /11 on the distance scale.But keep to the indicated actualdepthzones for your set aperture if you takecolour t ransparencies or want b igenlargements.


Loading the film

Always load the camera in subduedlight - outdoors at least in the shadeof your body.

Tum the back cover locking leverto uncover the red dot then pull offthe back from undemeath (illustra-tion a).

Insert the film cartridge in the filmchamber to the left of the film trach22

with the film leader pointing to theright

Open the camera's front cover tobe able to operate the release but-ton. Work the film transport (releas-ing in-between if necessary) to bringthe broad slot of the take-up spoolto the top. Then press the rewind


release button (at the right in thes camera base) to lock the take-uP

spool. Push the film leader as far aspossible undemeath the metalsleeve (illustration b), then let go ofthe rewind release button.

Alternatety advance the film andrelase until

Othe full film width with both perfo-

ration rows is drawn across the fi lmtrack and lies flat against it (arrow

in illustration c); and

O one sprocket of the sprocket wheelat the bottom right of the film gate(circled in illustration c) engagesa pedoration hole of the film. -


Refit the cameta back, Push fullYhome and lock by turning the backlock in the camera base to cover thered dot again (illustration d).

Advance the film, release the shut-ter, advance once more. Check alsothat the rewind crank in the oameratop (at the left) rotates - watch thelight dot24

The frame counter is now at zero.Set the film speed on the scale inthe camerc base (page 13).

You can check during shootingwhether the fi lm advances correctly:whenever you advance the fi lm therewind crank with the light dot mustrotate as well.


Unloading

After the last exposure (No. 36, 24,20 ot 12 on the frame counter, de-pending on the film) you have torewind the film into its cartridge:

Unfold the rewind crank end withthe light dot (in the camera top atthe left), depress the rewind releasebutton (in the recess at the right ofthe camera base) and let go. Rotatethe rewind crankclockwise to rewindthe film.

When the crank suddenly turnsmore freely the film is rewound.

Remove the camera backand takeout the cartridge from the oamera.

lf the f rame counter does not returnto its start position on removing theback, release the shutter once.


Flash shots

The hot shoe of the Minox 35 GLtakes any electronic f lash uni t (no

cube or bulb flash units) with hotshoe contact - not just the spe-cia l Minox FC 35 comPuter f lash(page 31). The latter however parti-

cular ly matches the Minox 35 GL andEL in s ize, shape and oPerat ion.

Push the black cover Plate back-wards out of the hot shoe. Push thefoot of the flash unit fully into thecamera shoe so that the flash footpushes in the changeover switch inthe front

This d isengages the automat ic ex-oosure contro l of the Minox 35 GL26

and sets a f ixed f lash synchronis ingspeed ot1/125 second.

The foot of the flash unit must re-main f i rmly in the hot shoe, keePingthe switch depressed. Otherwise theautomatic exposure control conti-nues to function as for daylight. Aftera f lash shot that means that the shut-ter re lease remains oPen and cancause lamps and other l ight sourcesto record as long blurred l ines on thef i lm .

With some electronic f lash uni ts -

though not the Minox FC 35 - Youhave to operate the fi lm transport ofthe 35 GL immediatelY af ter a f lashshot. For these f lash uni ts do not in-dicate readiness to fire if the shutteris not tensioned or - more rarelY -

may f i re on their own once theY haverecycled. (This is not a faul t but hasto do wi th the f lash uni t 's c i rcui t . )


More about automatic exposure control

Many amateure would like bothgreat depth of field and use a reallyfast shut ter speed in their shots. Thishowever is possib le only in very goodl ight and wi th the faster f i lm types -despi te the except ional depth of f ie ldof the Minox 35 GL. On most otheroccasions you can achieve fast shut-ter speeds only at the expense of alarge aperture (set a lower f-number)and hence of reducing the depth offield zone. Conversely, if you increasethe depth of f ie ld by stopping down(higher f -number) you automat ical lyget a longer exposure t ime. So youhave to decide whether you want:

O the fastest possible shutter speedO maximum depth of f ie ld orOa compromise between the two

Even with its automatic exposurecontro l the Minox 35 GL provides alot of choice.

The s implest compromise is thef /5.6 ru le: Set the aperture to f /5.6.In good dayl ight that usual ly g ives youa short enough exposure t ime (asshown in the f inder) for a shake-freehand-held shot. F/5.6 provides aver-age depth of f ie ld as shown on thedepth indicator on the distance scale.

In poorer l ight (shut ter speedneedle at 1/30 second or in the s low

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speed warning field) open the aper-ture to t/4 or f/2.8. This reduces theexposure time but also the dePth off ie ld.

For high speed action (sports etc.)you need the fastest possible shutterspeed to avoid movement blur. Forsuch pictures set the largest aperture( l /2.8) and check in the f inder thatthe shut ter speed is wi th in the rangeof the electronic shutter. Stop downonly i f the meter needle goes into thewarning area above 1/500 second -

and then stop down only unt i l theneedle returns to 1/500 second. Youcan use intermediate aperture values.28

Where you need maximum depthof f ie ld, turn the focusing r ing on thelens barrel so that the distance scaleshows the requ i red sharp zone acrosstwo matching aperture index l ines -

for instance f lB or f /11. Then set theaperture to this value.

The f inderthen shows you the shut-ter speed automatically set by thecamera under these condi t ions.

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Care of the camera

Periodical ly c lean the f ront lensplement, the outer surfaces of thelinder windows and the curvedwindow in front of the two CdS cells.Remove any dust with a soft brush,ai r b lower or specia l lens c leaningtissues - these are optainable fromphoto dealers. Do not use lens c lean-ing f l u ids .

lmmediately remove any f i ngerprintf rom the f ront lens; such pr intsgreatly reduce def inition.

When changing f i lms avoid get t ingdust on to the rear lens or into thepamera interior.


Accessories

Push-on filters and collapsible lenshood

Every push-on f i l ter for the Minox35 GL and EL is combined w i th aco l laps ib le lens hood and supp l iedin a smal l f la t leather case. Removethe f i l ter before c losing the cameraf ront.

The skylight filterThis reduces any blue cast l iable

to arise i n colou rtransparencies takenby br ight b lue skyl ight , especia l ly inthe shade. The f i l ter a lso absorbs al lu l t ravio let radiat ion which could im-pa i r de f in i t ion w i th a l l f i lms .

The 4x neutral density tilterYou need th is f i l ter for u l t ra-speed

f i lms (400 ASA or h igher ) in b r igh t30

dayl ight as there even 1/500 secondat f/16 could yield overexposure. Sowhenever the meter needle goesbeyond 500 into the overexposurearea even att/16, f i t the ND fi l ter.


The Minox FC 35 computer flashThe f lat and compact Minox FC 35

electronic f lash exactly matches thef lat and compact Minox 35 GL/EL. Insize, design and operat ion i t is speci f i -cal ly designed for these cameras. Thef f ash uni t measures 3 x 2.2 x 1.2inches (7 .5 x 5 .5 x 3 .0 cm) and we ighs4.6 ounces (130 grams).

I t is a computer f lash wi th twooperati ng ranges (alternative apertu reset t ings). With the "green" set t ing youcover subjects up to 15 feet or 4.5 maway. At the "red" sett ing the rangeonly goes to 10t /zteel (3.2 m) but youget more depth of f ie ld as you useone stop smal ler at any f i lm speedsett ing than at the "green" set t ing.

You can switch off the computercontrol of the FC 35 to shoot at evengreater d istances wi th h igh-speedf i f m, for instance up to about 42 teet

or 13 m wi th 400 ASA. The 100 ASAgu ide number i s 58 ( fee t ) o r 18 (m) .The f lash recycles in 10 seconds anduses two size AAA alkaline batterieswh ich last f or 60-80 f lashes. The f lashdurat ion ranges f rom 1/500 to about1/30,000 second.


The ever-ready case

The black leather ever-ready caseof the Minox 35 GL is c losely ta i loredto the camera so that i t is no biggerthan a zip pouch. But you can shootmuch faster with i t .

An eyelet at the left and right of theever-ready case takes the wrist strapsupplied for optimum comfort withei ther hand. The 38 inch (96 cm) neckstrap - this is an extra accessory -

f i ts into both eyelets for carrying thecamera round your neck.

You can remove the top of the ever-ready case altogether. For instanceyou can go out ready to shoot withthe Minox 35 GL in the bot tom sect ionof the ever-ready case and slungaround your neck, with the cameraf ront open and the f i l ter and lens hoodmounted (see i l lustrat ion on page 30).32 www.orphancameras.com

The belt and wrist pouch

This smart elegant case is luxuryleathenarork in top quality soft bur-gundy red Naskapi leather. l t is total lyunl ike the fami l iar ever-ready case.It ideally matches smart sportive dressand you can carry i t e i ther s lungaround your wr ist or f ixed to your bel t(up to 172 inches wide). When usedas a belt case, remove the wrist strapwith its brass snap hook.

For shoot ing you remove the Minox35 GL or EL f rom the case. The s idesare cleverly tai lored so that the closedcase f i ts snugly around the Minox,yet the open case allows you to gripthe camera f rom both s ides wi thoutt rouble.


The pocket tripod

The Minox pocket t r ipod is a veryhandy camera stand - not much largerthan a penci l but very r ig id as a tableand wal l support even on uneven sur-faces. l t can also serve as a chestpodfor hor izontal shots wi th the 35 GL.The Minox pocket t r ipod inc ludes acable re lease indispensable f ort r ipod shots.

Screw the t r ipod screw into thebush under the camera. Do not screwthe camera too f i rmly on to the t r ipodscrew but t ighten instead the largemi l led nu t o f the t r ipod aga ins t thecamera body.34 www.orphancameras.com

The cable release and self-timeradapter

The release of the Minox 35 GL isso feather l ight that even the weightof a cable release can accidentallytr igger i t . We therefore recommendan adapter for mount ing the cablerelease and any self -t imer on the35 GL. Close the f ront cover of thecamera and advance the f i lm; the redrelease button is now locked in i tsful ly-out p.osit ion. Place the adapterover the release, and screw in themil led screw of the adapter f ingertight. Screw the cable release or self-t imer into the thread of the adapter.The adapter can remain permanentlyconnected to the cable release orself -t imer.

When choosing a self-timer:Select as l ight a model as you can

find, with adjustable stroke. Set theself-t imer f irst to the shortest releasestroke and mount on the 35 GL wi ththe adapter. Increase the stroke insmal l s teps unt i l the sel f { imer justtr ips the camera release.


minox 35 gl

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