C41
Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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The Minox EC is a subminiature camera introduced by Minox GmbH in West Germany around 1981. It was designed as a lower-cost successor to the Minox C, replacing the stainless-steel body with a polycarbonate shell and simplifying the control layout to a programmed automatic exposure only mode. Like all cameras in the classic Minox lineage, it shoots 8x11mm frames on 9.5mm film in a proprietary Minox cassette. The EC uses a silicon photodiode rather than the CdS cell of the C, giving it faster response at low light levels and eliminating the CdS cell's lag at extreme exposures. The camera strips away any manual override capability; the user has no control over exposure beyond ISO selection.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the minox format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The entry-level Minox subminiature - lighter, simpler, and more affordable than the C it replaced.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 8x11mm on 9.5mm Minox cassette |
| Mount | Fixed |
| Years | ~1981 - ~1996 |
| Lens | ~Minox 15mm f/5.6 |
| Shutter | ~8s - 1/500s, electronic leaf, programmed AE |
| Meter | Silicon cell, program only |
| Modes | Program AE only |
| Weight | ~58 g |
| Dimensions | ~123 x 27 x 16 mm |
| Battery | 1x 3V lithium (CR1/3N or equiv.) |
By the late 1970s, Minox GmbH faced pressure from inexpensive 35mm and 110-format compacts that undercut the cost of owning and feeding a Minox system. The Minox C, while a genuine refinement of the classic design, used expensive stainless-steel construction and required the same PX27 mercury battery that was becoming difficult to source as mercury batteries were being phased out across Western markets. The EC was Minox's response: a stripped body using modern plastics and lithium battery chemistry, offered at a substantially lower price while preserving full Minox cassette compatibility.
The EC was not a premium product. It was positioned to get new users into the Minox system rather than to satisfy the demands of experienced subminiature photographers. Minox continued to offer the more capable LX for users wanting manual control. The EC soldiered on through the early-to-mid 1990s and was one of the last members of the classic Minox cassette lineup before the format's market contracted sharply.
The EC's significance is primarily commercial: it represents Minox's most explicit acknowledgment that the subminiature market had become a niche of collectors and enthusiasts rather than a mass consumer segment. The decision to use polycarbonate rather than metal is both a cost measure and a signal about intended use - the EC is a camera for the curious buyer at a camera show, not for the intelligence operative or the serious street photographer who had relied on the B and C. For collectors, the EC is typically the least prized of the classic Minox line, which ironically makes it the most accessible entry point for someone who wants a functional Minox system at low cost. Functionally, the programmed AE and silicon meter work well in good light; the camera is genuinely usable on 9.5mm film still available from specialty suppliers.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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