Some
Useful Resources for the 110 Camera Enthusiast
I've listed a few resources for the 110 camera enthusiast below; while these are as updated as I can make them, please bear in mind that some information may have changed over time. This is by no means a complete listing, there are many more out there on the Internet, etc. I'll be happy to include any that you may find that are not on the list if you'll drop me a line via the home page to this site.
Clubs,
Reference and Information:
The Sub Club www.subclub.org
If there is one place on the web that comes closest to serving all the interests of any subminiature camera user (not just Minox, although there is plenty of that), this would have to be that place. There's no room to list all of the great features of this site, but some of the more notable ones include an incredible volume of reference articles on every conceivable topic, a chat room and user group listing to allow conversation world wide with fellow enthusiasts, news, swap meet area, sponsors and advertisers area for tracking down those hard to find items, etc. A wonderfully well designed, entertaining and informative site, this is an absolute must see for anyone interested in subminiature cameras and photography. Some of the links listed here were discovered at the Sub Club site, and they have many, many more.
Gerald McMullon's UK Submini page http://www.submin.com/
Gerald McMullon's subminiature camera web site remains the ultimate research facility for anything you could possible want to know about number of high end 110 cameras and accessories, and was a great aid in creating my own 110 camera section. Gerald is a collector in the truly grand sense of the word, as you'll see from the many detailed photographs of not just his extended Minolta 16 collection, but his Minox, Rollei and Keiv collections as well. Whether you're in the UK or not, this excellent resource is a treasure not to be missed.
Chris Eve’s Kodak Camera Collection http://user.itl.net/~kypfer/110film.htm
Chris has put together one of the most comprehensive Kodak camera collection sites I’ve ever run across, with a huge section devoted just to the 110 cameras. A basic listing of information and a photograph accompany almost ever listing – well worth the time for the historian or researcher, and just plain fun for the casual visitor. Highly recommended.
Just
for Fun:
SubMini Camera Cameos www.mwbrooks.com/submini/flicks/index.html
Marcus Brooks has a wonderfully entertaining and informative site that features the cameo appearances of all sorts of subminiature cameras in a wide variety of films, TV shows and adventure book references. The listing grows on a continuous basis, so check back often. Each listing shows a picture of the camera being used in the scene where it appears, and a small description of the movie, plot line and comments. Explore the entire site, as he has much useful reference information as well…
Film
and Processing Services:
Goat Hill: Minox & Minolta bulk film, cartridge reloading and more! http://www.subclub.org/sponsors/goathil2.htm
Joe McGloin, creator of the fantastic Sub Club web site described earlier on this page, runs Goat Hill, a supplier of bulk film for Minox 9.5mm and Minolta 16mm subminiature enthusiasts at very reasonable prices. The array of colour and B&W film stock to choose from is dizzying, and he'll even load the film into cartridges, if you supply them.
What has this to do with 110
cameras?
The 16mm film strips he can supply can be used in your 110 cartridges when you’re ready to explore custom film loading, but bear in mind, you will do the loading: Joe doesn’t offer a cartridge loading service for 110 cartridges yet. This is an absolutely essential service for those enthusiasts who either don't have the facilities or the time to roll their own. Payment can be as easy as a PayPal payment sent to him at XKAES@AOL.COM Payment, orders or inquiries can also be mailed to him at :
Joe McGloin
3271 S. Clay St.
Sheridan, CO 80110
USA
Joe's prices include free shipping within the USA, add 50% of the price to the order if shipping is outside the US.
A Better Photo: 110 film sales, processing and
printing service!
"A Better Photo" is the name of this one hour film processing service in Cranbury, NJ, who have just started offering a Minolta 16mm film processing and printing service by mail. They have always offered 110 film and processing, and currently keep plenty of Fuji Superia 200 110 film on hand, as well as being able to get the Kodak ISO 400 film if requested (although that has to be ordered). Their processing and printing costs are in line with that for the 16mm film service described below. Currently, a 3 pack of 24 exposure Superia 200 can be had from them for just under $6.00…an impressive deal.
They will accept any C-41 process based colour negative print film (the vast majority of colour negative print films that are commercially processed are C-41 process based) for processing and custom printing, and return them right to your mailbox. They want you to know that while the processing and printing are machine based, the printing is strictly custom: they look at each print individually and will adjust filtration as necessary so that print quality is guaranteed.
Customers should send them the unexposed film in a 35mm canister (the black, light tight ones), with the top taped down, and clearly marked "Undeveloped Minolta 16mm Film". Do NOT send them the film in the Minolta 16mm cartridges as you will NOT get them back.
Currently, the cost is $8.22 to process and print an 18 exposure roll (Minolta 16 MG-s and QT cameras), and $8.80 to process and print a 20 exposure roll (all earlier model Minolta 16mm cameras, i.e., MG, PS, 16 II, 16 I, etc.). You do not get charged for the 4 x 5" prints that don't come out, so the actual cost may be a little less. There is a flat, 3.00 Shipping and Handling fee that must be added to the order for return shipping anywhere in America.
Reprints from negatives are 49 cents each on orders of 50 or more prints; 59 cents on orders of less than 50 prints; flat rate $3.00 return shipping and handling.
Send your film and cheque, Postal Money order or bank cashier's cheque, along with your film, to:
A Better Photo
Windsor Hights Shopping Centre
Route 130 and 571
East Windsor, NJ 08520
Tel. 609-448-8720
Blue Moon Camera and Machine http://www.bluemooncamera.com/
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, Oregon 97203
voice: 503.978.0333
fax: 503.978.0370
Blue Moon Camera and Machine has got to be one of the greatest single resources for photographers in general, and subminiature enthusiasts in particular. These people have an incredible array of resources they can tap to quickly track down and make available to you some of the most arcane and innocuous accessories for just about any photographic device ever made. Their on hand stock of cameras, accessories and support supplies would amaze you. At a time when many photo stores are no longer stocking the 50 sheet packs of Kodak lens cleaning tissue because they don’t want to purchase a case lot of 200, Blue Moon came through, as they did with a number of odd size “snap cap” lens covers for 35mm classic compact rangefinder cameras that haven’t been made in years, to name just a few things. They have the on site ability to process, print, and enlarge both black and white or colour film, in such sizes as 110 Pocket Instamatic, 126 Instamatic, 127, 120 and 35mm film. Here are just a few of the 110 and subminiature camera support services they offer currently offer, as quoted to me by Josey:
“We can do Minox color film within three days of receiving the film. The outside is 3 1/2 x 5 inches and the photo is 2 1/8 x 3 1/8 inches. Developing of film is $2.50 and prints are .40 ea. For a 15 shot roll this is $8.50 and a 36 comes out to $16.90. Cartridges happily returned upon request.
Reprints
of the standard size are .49 ea. From
there, we jump to a 5x7 at $4.00, 8x10 at $8.00, and 11x14 at $12.50. This is
the same for 16mm negatives.
I
do not have any examples of 16mm prints, but they have a black border rather
than white. We are still refining the printing, but will happily print the
black border prints for the same price as Minox above.
We
sell factory fresh 8 x 11 color in 100 and 400 ASA and b/w in 25, 100 or 400
ASA. All films are $9.00. We are still
researching 16mm reloads at this time.
We
can do black and white: developing for a roll of Minox is $6.00. We can print these on color paper in a
slight sepia or cooler tone at the same price as color. 15 exp = $12.00 and 36
exp = $20.40.
We
do not have a way to do 16mm b/w film, but we can figure it out as demand
arises.
We
can enlarge from either Minox or Minolta film up to 16x20 in the darkroom and
standard reprints are on color paper in cool or warm tone.
We
do process and print 110 color film. We also have quite a few Instamatic type
cameras on hand as well as two Pentax 110 w/lens and one Pentax kit w/ 3
lenses, flash, winder and leather case.
We have three kinds of 110 film: Kodak, Fuji, and Solaris. Best of all, we have a Kodak 110 slide
projector. Prices for developing are
the same as the previous Minox costs.”
This is simply a partial listing of
services, supplies and products – Blue Moon provides some of the friendliest
and most professional contact you’ll find in photographic circles, and should
be your first stop when trying to track down something you want. Although their
web site is still under construction, it will be well worth looking in on every
now and again to see it when it comes up: Blue Moon also has a wonderful
variety of scientific items and apparatus that can best be described as
“interesting and great fun!” Highly recommended.
Film
slitters for reloaders:
ZipSlit!
John Birkby is a fellow subminiature enthusiast in Wales who became horrified at some of the prices he saw for ready made film slitters, so he had his company design and produce one of his own. The result is ZipSlit, a delightfully easy to use film slitter not much bigger than the "coffin box" that Minolta film cartridges come in. Available in two versions, one for 16mm film and one for 8x11mm Minox film, both use precision blades solidly and permanently mounted in a heavy injection molded plastic block that is designed to be thrown away once the blades wear out, after many, many rolls of film. The idea is that you will have saved so much on loading your own film cartridges from film slit from universally available 35mm film that you'd be able to easily afford to purchase a replacement. The 16mm version of the Zipslit is an ideal way to inexpensively begin slitting film for 110 Pocket Instamatic cameras as well.
One ZipSlit will cost USD $38.00, which includes shipping and handling to America; those of you who would like to order one of each can get a special price of USD $63.00 for two including the shipping and handling to America (specify which size film you want, i.e., one for 16mm, one for 8x11mm, or two 16mm, etc.). Each ZipSlit includes an extremely clear instruction sheet and a complimentary 12 exposure roll of 35mm colour print film to practice with. You may place your order with John via email, and pay by personal cheques drawn against an American bank or email it to him electronically, via PayPal.
John Birkby
Email: john.birkby@eidosnet.co.uk
Film Tech
Alltcafan Mill
Pentre Court
Llandysul
Carmarthenshire
SA44 5BD
U.K.
Sub Club http://www.subclub.org/darkroom/splitter.htm
At some point in time you're going to want to explore custom slitting and loading your own film to take full advantage of the wide variety of films available. A film slitter is an essential part of this process, and one of the very best jumping off points for making or obtaining a good quality one of your own can be found at this extremely useful Sub Club page.
Repair
and Service Facilities:
Repair Shop for Subminiatures: Essex Camera Service http://www.essexcamera.com
Essex Camera Service repairs subminiature cameras (and a lot of others, as well). You can write to them at the address below, call or visit their web site. Please note this is not a camera sales shop, it is a repair facility only. Having used them on several Minolta 16 cameras, I’ve been quite pleased with their service and expertise…inquire with them about the availability of service and/or repairs for your 110 camera.
Essex Camera Service
100 Amor Ave.
Carlstadt, NJ 07072
Phone: (201)-933-7272
Fax: (201)-933-7647
email: info@essexcamera.com Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 9AM-6PM, Sat: 10AM-4PM
Batteries
and Miscellaneous Resources:
Battery Replacements for Subminiature Cameras www.photobattery.com
This company sells fresh replacements for discontinued or hard to find batteries for a variety of cameras and other photographic applications. Of special interest is the silver oxide S27PX battery replacement for Minox cameras and accessories (replaces the discontinued PX27 battery used in the Model C, LX, EC cameras and FL-4 flash cube gun) and the Lithium replacement for the PX30 battery (used in the Minolta QT cameras). Order on line with major credit cards; prices include free shipping in America, $1.00 to ship to Canada, $2.00 for airmail elsewhere. Sorry, they currently do not have access to K batteries (no one really does now – that’s what my article, “The K Factour” is for…). Email questions to sales@photobattery.com
Criscam Mercury Battery Replacement Battery Adapter Sleeves http://www.criscam.com/mba.htm
Kanto Camera Service Company, Ltd., in Japan, makes a wonderful line of finely made battery adapter sleeves to adapt currently available common batteries for use in equipment that requires discontinued or hard to find batteries. These adapter sleeves are sold by the American distributer, Criscam, from their web site. Of particular interest is the V27PX non-voltage regulating type for Minox cameras and accessories requiring the discontinued PX27 batteries (the voltage regulating model is not recommended for Minox cameras) which uses 4 SR-43 or equivalent button cell batteries. The MR9 model will allow the use of a S76 or equivalent button cell battery in the Minolta 16 MG-S camera, Minolta 110S camera (or anything else that requires a PX13 or PX625 battery), and includes an integral voltage regulation circuit buried in the finely machined aluminum adapter sleeve.
Purchase
Books:
Petra Kellers' Photo/ACR Book Service www.camerabooks.com
This California based book store caters specifically to photography enthusiasts, with an inventory of over 600 photography specific books available. A wide range of photography books covering all types of camera formats, repair manuals, general guides, and a section specifically devoted to subminiature cameras are just part of this well designed web store. Excellent prices, enthusiastic and courteous service make this another invaluable reference source for the photographer.
Craig Camera http://www.craigcamera.com/
If you're looking for a photography book or a manual for a long since out of production camera, chances are you won't do better at finding it, and at extremely reasonable prices, than here. John is a true gentleman, extremely professional and courteous, and fast…and he takes cheques, major credit cards and PayPal! Highly recommended…
P.O.BOX 1637
TORRINGTON, CT 06790
Tel. (860) 496-9791
FAX: (860) 496-0664
Email: john@craigcamera.com
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Kodak Pocket Instamatic 20, 30 & 40 |
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Minolta Autopak 470 |
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Rollei A110 & E110 |
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© 8 February, 2003 by D. Scott Young, all rights reserved