Saturday, March 6, 2021

Minox Lens Filters

Minox Gadgets, Gimmicks and Gizmos, Episode 1.

Built-in Filters.

The Minox B has three lens filters built in. The clear cover in front of the lens is a UV filter and is always present. The green 2x filter and the neutral gray 10x filter slide between the lens and the cover. The green filter is a contrast filter for black and white pictures, and provides exposure control for bright days outdoors or for flash pictures indoors. The gray filter provides exposure control for either black and white or color film. The selected filter stays in front of the lens until you slide it out of the way. Filters require increased exposure times as indicated by the filter factor. A 2x factor means twice the exposure.

Top to Bottom: UV, 2x Green, 10x Gray

With no sliding filter selected, you match the triangle on the exposure meter dial to the meter needle. With the green filter selected, you match the green dot on the exposure meter dial to the meter needle. With the gray filter selected, the meter automatically compensates for the filter and you match the triangle to the meter needle.


Snap-on Filters.

Minox snap-on filters fit a holder that snaps onto the camera. The holder has a white dot on the top to show which way is up so the holder matches the contours of the camera. The filters are tiny and easy to drop.

Black and White.


Minox black and white filters for the Minox B are yellow, orange and blue. Each filter has the filter factor engraved. They provide contrast control for black and white film. The yellow filter provides more contrast between the sky and the landscape. The orange filter is equivalent to the orange filter that is built in the Minox IIIS. The blue filter improves skin tones with flash.

Color.


The set of Minox color filters consisted of a light skylight filter, a medium skylight filter and a blue filter for flash pictures using clear flashbulbs. The color filters had the filter factors engraved on each filter. The light skylight filter is for sunlit subjects under a bright blue sky. The medium skylight filter is for subjects in the shade. The blue filter is for use with daylight balanced film and clear flashbulbs indoors. It would not be needed with blue flashbulbs or electronic flash.

Minox had many accessories for sub-miniature camera photography. There are more episodes to come.

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