Editing Minox (section)

===Technical details of Minox 8×11 cameras===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
[[Image:MinoxTLX.jpg|right|thumb|Minox TLX]]
[[File:MINOX CLX.jpg|right|thumb|Minox CLX]]
[[File:LX Platin.JPG|thumb|Minox Platin]]
[[File:MINOX LX GOLD SELECTION.jpg|thumb|MINOX LX gold selection with wooden box and leather case]]
[[File:Minox AX gold.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Minox Gold AX]]
The original Riga-made Minox had a brass chassis covered in a stainless steel shell, which telescopes to reveal or cover the lens and viewfinder windows, as well as to advance the film. It was equipped with a parallax correcting viewfinder, which was coupled to a Cooke triplet type Minostigmat 15&nbsp;mm f/3.5 lens. The lens was capable of focusing as close as 20&nbsp;cm, and, due to its small image size, provided such depth of field at full aperture that a diaphragm was deemed unnecessary. The maximum focus zone was about one meter to infinity. In front of the lens was a metal foil curtain shutter, which was itself protected by a window. These were advanced features at the time for any camera, regardless of size.

The dimensions of the Minox subminiature camera are: 80&nbsp;mm × 27&nbsp;mm x 16&nbsp;mm; weight: 130&nbsp;g.

The Minox cameras project an image of 8×11&nbsp;mm onto the negative. The film is in strips 9.2&nbsp;mm wide, or less than one-quarter the size of [[135 film|35 mm]] film, and unlike 35&nbsp;mm film, it has no [[sprocket]] holes. This film strip is rolled up in the supply side chamber of a small twin chamber cartridge, with the film leader taped to a take-up spool in the take up chamber. The film strips can be up to 50 frames in length for Riga Minox and Minox II, III, IIIs and B cameras. From Minox BL and C cameras onward the Minox film cartridge holds 15, 30, or 36 exposures.

The VEF Riga has a three-element flat film plane lens. Performance could be improved, so the short-lived Minox II (1948–1951) had a new 5 element lens (called complan) whose final element would rest against the film itself when the pressure plate pushed the film onto the lens. Customers complained of film scratches with this new design, so most of these lenses were replaced by MINOX with the later curved-field compensating lens. Consequently, original 'film lens' Minox II are exceptional.
Early Minox cameras from Minox A/III to Minox B were equipped with a four-element, three-group [[Complan (lens)]] designed by ex-Leica lens designer [[Arthur Seibert]]. The Complan lens has a curved film plane, hence in these cameras the negative must be held in an arc to improve the edge-to-edge sharpness of the image. The Minox enlarger also holds the negative in this same curve. Later models, beginning with late model Minox B, to the current model TLX, using the 15&nbsp;mm f/3.5 four-element, three-group flat-field Minox lens, holds the negative flat. The advance was attributed by Rolf Kasemeier (Small MINOX Big Pictures 1971 edition) to new rare-earth element, high-index, low-dispersion, optical glasses becoming available (probably from Schott Glass, of Jena). Note that lens performance between old and new complan/minox lenses was rated by MINOX themselves as identical.

At this time to differentiate between negatives taken with the older complan lens and negatives taken with the later minox lens, MINOX introduced an edge code in the negative. Since the MINOX C (the first camera released with the new minox lens) every 8x11mm camera had a distinct edge code to identify the camera. The reason was that commercial processors used MINOX enlargers. As the minox lens replaced the complan, so the enlargers had to change lenses: MINOX II enlargers were curved negative track and complan lenses, MINOX III enlargers were straight negative track and minox lenses. Ironically, owners of Rigas and model II cameras would get better results from a MINOX III enlarger than a MINOX II enlarger.

The early Minox cameras from Riga to Minox B, BL and AX, were equipped with a mechanical shutter, while later model Minox ( C, LX, EC, TLX ) cameras have an electromagnetic shutter. When closed, the viewfinder and lens windows are protected. Complan lens and Minox lens are unit focusing lens, focusing from 8 inches (20&nbsp;cm) to infinity through precision gear linked to a focusing dial on top of the camera. All Minox cameras, except the EC and MX, have a parallax correction viewfinder: when the focusing dial moves, the viewfinder moves in tandem to correct for parallax.

From the Riga to Minox B, the film counter counts up to 50, while from Minox BL, C, to TLX, the film counter counts down from 36/30/15. For mechanical Minox 8x11 cameras, a separate shutter speed dial sets the shutter speed from 1/2 to 1/1000 second, plus B and T (the BL model has no documented T). For electromagnetic shutter cameras, the shutter dial starts with 1/15 sec, and ends with 1/1000 (Minox C), or starts with 1/30 and ends with 1/2000 (Minox LX/TLX/CLX); the electromagnetic Minox camera also has an 'A' setting for automatic exposure, controlled by the built-in CdS (Minox C) or Spd (Minox LX/TLX) exposure meter.

Above the viewfinder is a filter bar used to slide a yellow, green or an orange filter in front of the lens; starting with the BL, there is only a Neutral Density filter.

For Riga Minox to Minox B, the film advances each time the camera is closed, regardless of whether a picture is taken or not. Opening the camera causes the pressure plate to press the film into a concave or flat (depending on the model) surface to stiffen thin emulsions for better clarity. When the camera is closed, the pressure plate moves back from the film plane, thus allowing the film strip to move freely to advance to the next frame. From Minox BL onward, the camera is equipped with a "freewheeling" mechanism, such that the film advances one frame only when a picture is taken, otherwise, closing the camera does not advance a frame.

Minox BL uses a PX625 button cell to power the CdS exposure meter; Minox C, LX, EC, used a 5.6v PX27 mercury battery to power the exposure meter and electromagnetic shutter. TLX, CLX, ECX use four 1.5v 386 silver oxide button cell in an adapter; this adapter combo can also be used to replace the discontinued 5.6v PX27 battery for Minox C, LX and EC.

8×11mm TLX Special Order models were available new until September 2014.
<gallery>
Image:2016 Minox C 8.jpg|Minox C
Image:MinoxBL.jpg|Minox BL
Image:Minoxcopystand.jpg|Minox BL attached to a Minox copystand
Image:LX Platin.JPG|Minox LX Platin
Image:GermanMinoxClubEC.jpg|1st German Minox Club EC in Riga blue color
File:MINOX MX SET.jpg|Minox MX set
Image:MINOX CLX.jpg|Minox CLX
Image:Minox TLX w microscope.JPG|Minox TLX attached to a 400× microscope
File:Sharan Rolleiflex 1.JPG|Minox/Sharan Rolleiflex 2.8F classic film camera
File:Minox film cassette.JPG|The Minox film cassette
</gallery>