Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 10:04:00 EST
Reply-To: The Subminiature Photography Mailing List <SUBMINI-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
Sender: The Subminiature Photography Mailing List <SUBMINI-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
From: Michael Goldfarb <MGOLDFAR@M....>
Subject: Minox shutter problems
Just an FYI that might prove useful to folks evaluating old manual-shutter
Minoxes (that's pre-Minox C plus the BL, as Martin and I have determined
in
an exhaustive offline discussion!) for purchase:
When I was shopping for my III-s last year, I nearly bought one
that seemed
a great buy: it was in almost mint cosmetic condition (no scratches,
dings,
or stains), the viewfinder lines were bright (I saw another in a
different
store where they were dim and unaligned - and they wanted $189 for
it!) and
on a casual run-through, the speeds seemed fine. Opening the shutter
on T
and turning the distance dial rotated the lens as well as moving
the
viewfinder. But then I noticed that T didn't close on the second
shutter-release press like it was supposed to.
The guy behind the counter insisted that you had to turn the dial
to get it
to close when open on T, but I didn't believe it, because: (1) I
had a Minox
B when I was a kid and I remembered how T worked; (2) Many of my
dad's view
camera lenses and older cameras had T settings, and I knew they
all required
a second press to close. I told the guy I'd think about it, and
went back to
the office and called Minox Processing Labs. I talked to a guy in
the repair
department; I told him I'd never use T anyway, so should I get this
camera?
He said that this problem was the beginning of a shutter problem
that would
eventually affect the other speeds, and recommended I try to get
the price
down and send the III-s to them for a complete servicing (about
$100).
I went back and tried to get the price knocked down (they were
asking $150,
which is great for a III-s in this condition that worked perfectly,
but not
for one with an emerging shutter problem.) When they wouldn't go
for it, I
walked away, telling them that they'd never sell this camera to
a wise Minox
buyer; they just shrugged their shoulders...
So, as with everything, it's let the buyer beware! I'm REALLY glad
I called
the folks at MPL, who have always been very helpful when I've had
questions.
For the record, I had to check out about a half-dozen III-s's before
I got
mine: one was gorgeous but WAY overpriced - $275 (Olden Camera);
one had the
bad viewfinder (Adorama); several had spotty shutters that didn't
seem to
work at all speeds. (The one with the bad T was at Camera Traders.)
Finally
I found the one I got at Wall Street Camera. It wasn't quite the
cream puff
that some of the others were (it's got a few scratches on the top),
but it
felt right and worked perfectly the second I pulled it open.
(Before the return period was over, I ran a roll of color film
[I didn't
want my b/w processing to be a variable] through, testing all focus
distances, shutter speeds, flash sync and general imaging quality.
I assume
you all know to do this!)
Look, I know I was lucky to be looking in NYC, which probably has
more used
photo equipment dealers than anywhere else. For those of you doing
the mail
order thing, my advice is to deal with smaller operations where
the guy
you're dealing with actually has the camera in his hands while you're
on the
phone, and it isn't the only Minox in the store. The Minox is a
very
specialized camera; remember that many of the people working in
camera
stores who know everything there is to know about SLRs and view
camers have
never even held one! And of course camera shows and swaps are great,
because
you can handle the camera yourself...
Disclaimer: I don't mean to flame the dealers I mentioned above.
This is
just my experience. Probably your chances of getting a good camera
from any
given reputable dealer are high - it's a luck of the draw kind of
thing. But
knowing what to look for (or what questions to ask) is the best
way to
protect yourself.
Anyway, since we're sharing our knowledge, I figured this might
be useful to
some of you...
MSG
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