"The Minox is my life."

-- Walter Zapp

THE MODEL BL

D. Scott Young

The Model BL is an unusual hybrid camera in marketing terms, coming along in 1972 just a few years after the introduction of the state of the art Model C: essentially a redesigned Model B, greatly improved with the addition of a semi-coupled CdS (Cadmium Sulfide) exposure meter, it appears to have been intended to provide the potential customer with a less expensive alternative to the pricey Model C of the time. It was the last (until the introduction of the Model AX, 20 years later) of the fully mechanical Minox subminiature cameras.

Powered by a PX-675 battery, the CdS meter proved to be far faster, more sensitive and more accurate than the original selenium cell meters of the older Model B, making these new replacement models extremely popular. In addition, the CdS cells didn’t suffer as much from the so called “memory” effect as selenium cell meters did, nor did the new cells degrade or lose their accuracy over time, as selenium cell meters inevitably will. Setting exposure was as simple as pressing a button to measure the light, then releasing it to lock the meter needle. From there, the user simply rotates the shutter speed dial until a red fork in the meter window brackets the meter needle to set proper exposure.

There are many who consider the Model BL to be the finest camera Minox ever made: offering the best of two worlds in terms of fast and accurate exposure measurement, the all mechanical camera could still function should the meter battery die, and allowed the option of full manual override for special, creative photographic effects.

Less than 18,000 of these cameras were produced during a very short production run spanning two years (1972 – 1973), making the Model BL one of the most highly desirable cameras among Minox collectors.