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Minolta16  Mania

I have been using Minolta 16 subminiature cameras off and on since the early '70's. These are very well built little cameras with razor-sharp Rokkor lenses. Often considered the "poor man's Minox", every camera in the Minolta 16 line is a fine shooter, and they are plentiful and affordable. The original Minolta 16 which was introduced in 1957, and it's successor, the 16-II, is similar to the Minox IIIs, with push-pull film advance, no exposure meter, and the smallest of its line. The Minolta 16-MG can easily be compared to the Minox B, as both have built in selenium meters coupled to a variable shutter speed dial. Other Minolta 16 models include the 16P, 16Ps, 16-EE, 16-EE II, 16-MGS, and 16QT, which was the final Minolta 16 and the only one with a true focusing lens. Here is an example of the 2 different Minolta 16 frame sizes and how they compare to 35mm:

Taking pictures with one of these little jewels takes a bit of dedication and perserverence, because Minolta stopped packaging and selling film for them back around 1990. However, since they use standard width 16mm movie film, all that is necessary is a cassette or two and a dark place to load them. Color print film can often be processed by any 1-hour photo lab that can handle 110 film. Black and white can be developed in a Yankee plastic tank, or any other tank that has 16mm reels available. Why do so many submini fans go to the trouble to shoot with the Minolta 16's? As I mentioned before, the sharpness of the Rokkor lenses cannot be surpassed for the price, and the design of the film cassette is such that the film is held flat by a pressure plate, something that 110 cameras just don't have. The result are beautiful pictures from a tiny camera you can wear on your belt or keep in your pocket at all times.