This is a selection of Gommas favourite point&shoot compact cameras.we have considered various elements: image quality, lens, price, practicality, ergonomics, size and weight.
- Point & Shoot! Compact 35 mm

Ricoh GR1,GR1s,GR1v

with 28mm F2.8 GR

q q q q q q

price, image quality, lens, sharpness, functions, weight & size, ease of use
q wide angle might not be suitable for some

Leica CM

with New Summarit 40mm F2.4
excellent picture quality, good flash, hot shoe for ext. flash, ergonomics
q price, size & weight

Leica Minilux

q size & weight

with Summarit 40mm F2.4

fast lens, image quality, build quality & resistance

TC-1 Minolta

q price, rare to find
size & weight, excellent image and lens quality,

Contax T2

q weight

with 38mm F2.8 Sonnar

great viewfinder, lens quality, build, ease of use, functions, ergonomics

Contax T3

q price
with 35mm Zeiss F3.5 Sonnar
viewfinder, lens quality, size & weight

page 2

Olympus XA and XA4 Macro

with 35/2.8, 28/3.5

price, image quality, fast lens, design, weight, manual film speed setting
q no autofocus, only the XA has a coupled-rangefinder

8 A 4 B 4 C

Rollei 35 SE, 35 TE
q no autofocus, not so point&shoot
with 40/2.8 Sonnar, 40/3.5 Tessar
manual focus, lens, look and design, size and build quality

Minox 35 GT, GL, EL

q build quality and resistance
protected lens, fast lens, weight & size, price
.and if you have time to shop and more money heres below some classic jewels.
Rollei 75th Contax T2 Anniversary with 38mm F2.8 Sonnar Gold Rollei 35S
/2.8 Sonnar Total production of only 1500 pieces
Minolta TC-1 Contax T2 70th Anniversary
with 38mm F2.8 Sonnar G-Rokkor 28mm

Minox 35 EL

limited edition with Tessar lens and made out of glass

MINOX GmbH, Postfach 6020, D-6300 Giessen 1 West Germany
Modifications reserved Printed in Germany

VIII/83

Owner's manual
This detailed instruction manual will help you to make the most of your Minox 35 PL. The most important text sections are printed in bold type. References to parts, controls or camera signals are followed by a numeral in brackets; This is the number of that part in the annotated illustrations on pages 4 and 5. Most handling steps work without a film in the camera. So get familiar with your camera by trying it out before actually taking pictures. Many operations of the Minox 35 PL are controlled electronically. The camera therefore only works with a battery.
Despite its small dimensions the Minox 35 PL is a full-frame 24 x 36 mm miniature camera and takes any standard 35 mm (No. 135) cartridge.
Annotated camera views Front view Rear view Handling the camera The battery Inserting the battery Battery check Opening and closing the camera The viewfinder Holding it right Releasing Advancing the film The frame counter Setting the film speed Daylight exposures Program automation The slow-speed warning The backlight switch
Flash exposures The sefltimer The distance setting Loading the film Unloading the film Care of the camera Accessories Special computer flash units Minox FC 35 Minox TC 35 The ever-ready case The belt and wrist pouch The pocket tripod Push-on filters The skylight filter The neutral density filter Technical data
1 Frame counter 2 Shutter release 3 Battery check button 4 Backlight switch 5 Hot shoe 6 Slow-speed warning LED 7 Battery check LED 8 Film rewind crank 9 Sefltimer LED 10 Viewfinder

11 Battery compartment

12 Aperture ring 13 Distance scale

14 Lens 15 CdS cell

16 Front cover
17 Viewfinder eyepiece 18 Selftimer switch 19 Film transport lever 20 Take-up spool 21 Rewind release 22 Tripod bush 23 Film speed scale 24 Back cover lock

25 Film chamber

Certain functions of the Minox 35 PL. such as the shutter and automatic exposure settings, are controlled electronically. The camera therefore only works with a battery. It requires a 5.6 volt mercury oxide battery, for instance: Duracell PX 27 Varta V 27 PX or equivalents.
Open the front cover (16). Unscrew the battery compartment cover (11) anticlockwise, with a coin if necessary. Insert the battery so that the + end faces the inside of the compartment cover, also marked with a + sign.
Replace the cover and screw tight again. A click on pressing the release does not necessarily indicate correct operation of the electronic shutter. So check the battery.
Open the front cover (16), fully advance the film transport lever (19) - see page 12 - and check as follows: Fully depress the small rectangular battery check button (3) between the hot shoe and the green release button. If the left-hand green LED (7) in front of the hot shoe lights up, the battery is OK. If the green LED (7) fails to light the battery is exhausted or was inserted the wrong way around. If the green LED (7) goes dim within 2-3 seconds, the battery is nearly
exhausted - so replace it as soon as possible. The battery check does not indicate
how much longer the battery will last. To be on the safe side, replace the bat-
tery once a year by a new one, even if the battery check is still positive. Apparent early failure of the battery may in fact be due to a poor contact. Remove the battery from the camera, firmly rub down both contact faces with a rough cloth and replace.
Never keep spent or too old batteries in the camera. Also remove the battery if you do not expect to use the

camera for some time.

Note: The battery used here contains mercury compounds that could pose a health risk. So never throw used batteries on a fire; also keep them out of the reach of small children. Photo dealers usually accept spent batteries for disposal.
To prepare the Minox 35 PL for shooting, fully pull down the front cover (16). After shooting push the
The bright frame in the finder (17) outlines the field of view.
cover up again against the camera body. Opening the front cover automatically extends the lens (14), closing the

cover retracts it.

In certain light conditions a red signal appears in the finder below the bright frame at the right. This is the
slow-speed warning signal (page 16).
The closed cover also covers the viewfinder, blocks the release and
switches off all electric circuits.
The closed front cover (16) also blocks the finder view. So when you see nothing through the finder you must open the cover.
With the camera closed you can still
advance the film (page 12) or rewind
an exposed film (page 24).
The picture at the left shows a convenient camera hold for horizontal shots, the illustration opposite a suitable hold for upright views. To minimise the risk of camera shake hold your 35 PL steady while you shoot
Once you have framed the view you
want in the bright-line finder frame,
gently depress the green release
button (2).That triggers the shutter to

take the picture.

On pressing the release, the selftimer LED (9) briefly lights up on the camera front. During the exposure the red slow speed warning LED lights up on the camera top (6) and in the finder
at the bottom right. This red signal Keep your fingers clear of the lens
(14) and of the CdS cell (15). Preferably press your fingers flat against the front of the camera body.
remains lit until the shutter closes - a useful indication during long time
exposures with the camera mounted

on a tripod.

The frame counter (1) - the white window at the far right of the camera

top tells you how many pictures you have taken on the film. The frame counter returns to its start position when you remove the
Pull the film transport lever (19) -at the top right of the camera back fully out to the right and forward.
camera back to change the film (see
page 24) or as soon as you then press

the release (2).

Repeat this. If you failed to pull the lever fully forward either time, pull once more. If you have loaded the film and it is advancing correctly, the knob with
the rewind crank (8) at the top left of
Every film package carries an ASA
speed rating (and often DIN). To set the automatic exposure program of the 35 PL for the film speed, turn the dial (23) in the camera base
the camera also rotates as you operate the transport lever. So do not obstruct this knob as you wind.
When the whole film is exposed, the
transport lever no longer swings out
A light dot on the rewind crank (8) shows up this movement.
fully and the release is blocked. You can advance the film with the front cover open or closed.
to the appropriate ASA (or DIN) rating of the film. The dial engages at every speed
setting. The unmarked dots between
the arrowheads Indicate intermediate speeds, for instance 64 and 80 ASA between 50 and 100 ASA.
ASA speed figures are marked In red, DIN figures in green. If you have set too high a film speed, your pictures will be underexposed; too low a speed setting yields overexposed shots. Program automation For all shots without flash set the
white arrowhead on the lens mount
(12) to A (automatic control). At this A setting the camera automatically selects a correct aperture and shutter speed combination for the subject brightness and film speed. The f-stops, for instance 2.8 - 4 5.6 etc. on the aperture ring (12) are only used for flash shots (page 18). If you accidentally set the ring to an aperture figure instead of to A, daylight and other shots without flash e.g. bright interiors lit by artificial light - may be wrongly exposed.
The electronic program of the Minox 35 PL yields aperture/speed combinations from f/16 to f/2.8 and
from 1/500 to 4 seconds at 100 ASA (up
to 15 seconds at 25 ASA or up to 1 second at 400 ASA).
The slow-speed warning If the camera is ready to shoot (front cover open, film advanced) at an exposure time longer than about
1/30 second, a red flashing signal
The slow-speed warning uses battery power. So close the front cover when you put away your Minox 35 PL.

The backlight switch

If you push the backlight switch (4) -the small rectangular button next to the hot shoe fully forward, this automatically doubles the exposure. A red window with 2x in white reminds you that you have switched on the backlight switch.
warns of likely camera shake with
hand-held shots. The red signal flashes clearly on top of the camera (6) and also in the
finder (at the bottom right). There it appears weaker to avoid glare in the

finder image.

The automatic control of the Minox 35 PL can also generate exposures much longer than 1/30 second. The red flashing signal is thus not an underexposure warning but only a recommendation to use a flash unit (pages 27 to 29) when photographing moving subjects (e.g. people) indoors. Or - for static subjects - mount the camera on a tripod (page 32).
Apart from lightening shadows in backlit subjects, use the backlight switch also for outdoor views where predominant snow or a bright sky area could cause the meter to set insufficient exposure.
The hot shoe of the Minox 35 PL takes any electronic flash unit with a centre contact in the foot - as well as the Minox TC 35 and FC 35 computer flash units which are specially matched to the Minox 35. Push the black blanking plate out of the hot shoe towards the rear. Fully push the foot of the flash unit into the shoe. This disengages the automatic exposure control of the Minox 35 PL and sets a fixed shutter speed of 1/90 second. Do not take flash shots with the aperture ring (12) set to A (automatic). For flash shots select one of the marked apertures between f/2.8 and f/16 (including intermediate values)
rarely) may automatically trigger the next flash after recycling. (This is not a fault but a feature of the electronic circuit.)
- check the instructions of the flash used. With some electronic flash units (not with the special Minox flashes) you must operate the film transport of the 35 PL immediately after every flash shot. For unless the shutter is tensioned, such flash units either fail to give a ready signal for the next flash or (more
Push down the small sliding switch (18) at the right of the finder eyepiece to uncover a red window with T (timer) in white. This delays the shutter release by about 12 seconds after you have pressed the green release button (or released with a cable release).
A red flashing LED on the camera front (9) signals that the selftimer is running but the exposure has not yet started. The flashing rate doubles after 4 seconds and again after 8 seconds of the delay period.

Estimate the approximate distance to the main subject and set this
on the distance scale (13). In view of the considerable depth of field of the 35 mm lens a really accurate setting
is only necessary at near distances of around 3 to 4 ft or 0.9 to 1 m. For a useful snapshot zone set the scale to the green dot between 10
and 20 ft or between 3 and 5 m; in
good light this then covers everything from about 6 to 60 ft or 2 to 20m.
Insert the film cartridge in the film
chamber (25) to the left of the film
Never load the camera in direct
sunlight-at least do it in the shade of
your body. Turn the back cover locking lever
track, with the film leader pointing to the right
Turn the take-up spool (20) with the
(24) in the camera base to uncover For landscapes without near foreground set the scale to (infinity).
the recessed red dot, then pull off the back from below (illustration a).
right thumb to bring the broad slot of the spool core to the top.
Now press the rewind release (21)
at the right in the camera base to lock
Replace the camera back by pushing it on and lock by turning the back lock in the camera base to cover the red dot again (illustration d). Advance the film, release the shutter, advance once more. Check that the rewind crank (8) at the left in the
the take-up spool. Push the film leader underneath the metal sleeve as far as it will go (illustration b), then let go of the rewind release button. Open the camera's front cover so
The full film width is drawn with
both performation rows across
that you can operate the release button. Alternately advance the film and release until:
the film track and lies flat against it (arrow in illustration c); and One tooth of the sprocket wheel (at the right below the film gate) engages a perforation hole of the film (circled in illustration c).
camera top rotates - watch the light dot. The frame counter (1) is now at 0. Set the film speed on the scale in the camera base (page 13). During shooting you can still check that the film is advancing correctly: Whenever you work the film transport lever, the rewind crank with the light dot must rotate, too.

However the frame counter automatically resets itself during loading at the latest when you have pushed the film end into the take-up spool and advanced the film and released the shutter before closing the back (see page 22). Periodically clean the front lens element, the outer finder window surfaces and the curved window in front of the CdS cell. Remove any dust with a soft brush, air blower or special lens cleaning tissue - these are obtainable from photo dealers. Do not use lens cleaning fluids. Immediately remove fingerprints from the front lens; such marks greatly reduce definition. When changing film, check that the back of the lens and the camera interior are also clean and dust-free.
After the last exposure (No. 36, 24, 20 or 12 on the frame counter, depending on the film length) you must rewind the film into its cartridge: Unfold the rewind crank end with the light dot (8, in the camera top at the left), press the rewind release button (21, in the recess in the camera base at the right) and let go. Rewind the film by turning the rewind crank clockwise.
The film is fully rewound when the crank starts turning more freely. After rewinding remove the camera back and withdraw the cartridge from the camera. If the frame counter (1) does not return to its start position on removing the back, release the shutter once.
The matched Minox FC 35 computer flash The Minox FC 35 electronic flash is the smaller of the two computer flashes designed for the Minox 35
cameras. It is 3 x 5.5 x 7.5 cm (1.2 x
2.2 x 3 in.) large and weighs 130 g (4.6
oz). The metric guide No. for 100 ASA is
18 (59 in feet). You have two aperture options with two working ranges of the computer control: At the "green" setting the flash covers subjects up to 4.5 m or 15 ft. At the red setting the limit is 3.2 m (10 ft) but the depth of field is greater,
for at any given film speed you use one stop smaller than with the green setting. If you switch off the automatic control of the PC 35 you can cover greater
distances with high-speed films, e.g.
up to 13 m or 40 ft with 400 ASA.
Recycling time: Approx. 10 seconds. Batteries: 2 size AAA alkaline
manganese cells. Capacity approx. 60 to 80 flashes per battery set. (All data based on DIN 19011 specifications.)
The matched Minox TC 35 computer flash
The TC 35 is the more powerful of
the two Minox 35 flash units and offers additional features. The guide No. (in accordance with DIN 19011) is 26 (m) or 95 (ft) at 100 ASA. Three aperture options with ranges up to 9, 6.5 and 3.25 m (30, 21 and 10 ft). LEDs on a scale show available ranges and working apertures; in manual mode (range with 400 ASA up to about 18 m or 60 ft) this serves as an aperture calculator. In computer (automatic flash duration control) mode, and especially at

near to medium distances, the thyristor series circuit provides fast recycling (1 to 10 seconds) and a high
check control shows by a green or red signal whether the flash power is sufficient for the subject in question.
For storage in its leather case or for
capacity (about 80 to 500 flashes) per
battery set of 4 size AAA alkaline manganese cells. An economy circuit automatically switches off the unit when not in use for longer periods, so saving batteries. A test button and green LED provide
carrying in a jacket pocket swing the
reflector up; the unit is then no thicker than the camera. It is 10 cm (3.9 in.) wide, 6.5 cm (2.6 in.) high with the reflector pointing forward or 9.1 cm (3.6 in.) tilted up through 90. It weighs

a battery check.

For bounce flashing the flash reflector tilts up to 90 in 15 steps. On triggering a test flash, a built-in auto
188 g (6.6 oz) with batteries.

The ever-ready case

The belt and wrist pouch
This smart elegant case is a piece of The black leather ever-ready case of the Minox 35 PL is closely tailored to
the camera so that it is no bigger than a soft zip pouch. But you can shoot much faster with it. An eyelet at the left and right of the ever-ready case takes the wrist strap supplied; fit it at whichever side you find more convenient for handling. The 90 cm (3 ft) neck strap an optionluxury leather work in top-quality soft burgundy red Naskapi leather. It is totally unlike any ever-ready case: It ideally matches smart leisure wear and you can carry it either slung around your wrist or fixed to your belt (up to 4 cm or 1 in. wide). When used as a belt case, remove the leather wrist strap with its brass snap hook. For shooting you remove the Minox
Minox 35 PL slung around your neck
in the bottom section of the case, with
al extra accessory - attaches to both
eyelets for carrying the camera round the neck.
35 PL from the case. The sides are ingeniously tailored so that the closed
case fits snugly around the Minox, yet you can get into the open case with the
the camera front open and the filter
and lens hood in place, you can walk
You can remove the top of the everready case altogether. If you carry the
around and be instantly ready to shoot
(see illustration page 33).
fingers to grip the camera easily and
securely from both sides.

The pocket tripod

Push-on filters with collapsible lens hood

and leather case

The Minox pocket tripod is a very handy camera stand - not much larger than a pencil when closed but very rigid as a table and wall support even

The Minox 35 PL takes only Minox filters marked either "Minox 35 GT" or
"Minox 35 GT/PL/PE". Minox filters
on rough surfaces. It can also serve as
a chestpod for horizontal shots with the Minox 35 PL. The Minox pocket
not so marked are intended for the older EL and GL models and do not fit

the Minox 35 PL.

tripod includes a cable release indispensable for tripod shots. Screw the tripod screw into the
bush in the camera base. Do not screw
the camera too tightly onto the tripod
but tighten instead the large milled
plate of the tripod against the camera body.

The skylight filter

This reduces any blue cast liable to arise in colour slides taken by brilliant
blue sky light. In daylight the filter also
The 4 x neutral density filter
Screw the cable release into the
thread next to the release button.
absorbs ultraviolet rays that could with any film - impair definition.
This reduces the light coming through the lens to one-quarter and is recommended for shots in bright sunlight on high speed film (400 ASA).
Type: Minox 35 PL miniature camera.

Minox code Nos.:

10.721 with distance scale in metres 10.722 with distance scale in feet
Picture size: 24 x 36 mm.
Film: Standard 35 mm cartridge
(No. 135). Lens: 35 mm Minox Color-Minotar
f/2.8, focusing range from infinity to 0.9 m or 3ft. The lens retracts automatically on closing the front cover.
Automatic exposure control: Electronic program control (with aperture ring
LED blinks on top of the camera; also visible in the finder via a fibre-optical light guide. Backlight switch: Doubles the exposure. Release: Soft release, blocked if front cover is not fully open. Cable release socket: Next to release button in camera top.
Selftimer: Electronic, approx. 12
ed, automatic time switching to 1/90 second.
Tripod bush: in. Battery: One Varta V 27 PX, Duracell PX 27 or equivalent (5.6 volts).
Battery check: Check button, green LED signal. Camera body: Glass fibre-reinforced

Makrolon.

Size: (Width x height x depth): 10 x 6.1 x
3.1 cm (3.9 x 2.4 x 1.2 in.)
set to A) from 1/500 second at f/16 to 4 seconds at f/2.8 with 100 ASA. Longest reliable time depends on film speed, e.g. 15 seconds with 25 ASA
down to 1 second with 400 ASA.

seconds delay. Red flashing LED on camera front during delay time; flashing frequency increases in three steps. Viewfinder: Bright-frame direct finder
with slow speed warning signal.
Weight: Approx. 190 g with out or 200 g with battery (6.7 or 7.1 oz respectively).
Slow-speed warning: With exposure times longer than 1/30 second a red
Frame counter: Counts forward, returns to start position on removing camera back and releasing shutter. Flash contact: Hot shoe, X synchronis-

Made by: MINOX GmbH,

Postfach 6020, D-6300 Giessen 1, West Germany.