Minox 35 GT-E
I have to say that I bought this without knowing much about Minox or the Minox 35 series of cameras. It was cheap at the used counter of a local camera store, they said it worked and I knew they would take it back if it didn't. Sounds like my idea of good time, why not?
This is a simple camera from 1988. A release lever on the bottom and the whole back comes off to load film. Set the film sped on the bottom. A drawbridge door on the front opens and extends the lens. The lens is a MC Minor f2.8 35mm. It extends a surprising distance, give the small size of the camera. This thing really is small. If you think of a roll of film, distance needed for a full 35mm exposure and room for the exposed film roll: put it in a plastic shell and your done.
The GT-E is aperture priority only, you set the aperture on the lens and the camera sets the shutter. There is an easy to see scale and needle in the viewfinder that shows the shutter speed you you can adjust if you want. It only lists 30/125/500. Focus is zone-guess with a 2.3 ft to infinity scale on the lens. The shutter will not fire with the door closed you you can put it in your pocket with the film advanced.
My expectations were very low. I figured this was flying dangerously close to lomography so grabbed a roll of expired Kodak Gold 200 that I knew expired long ago and was stored improperly.
My Take:
The results, despite the old film, were better than I expected. And this thing was fun to use. I loved that I could put it in a pocket and have it ready quickly. So I had to give it a chance with normal film. I packed it for an extended trip and was not disappointed. I think I'm a fan of the Minox 35 GT-E. If you find one give it a try.
Film: Fujicolor 400
Film Fujicolor 200
Links:
Best Minox 35 site I have found: http://www.submin.com/35mm/collection/minox/
Minox Manuals online at Minox: http://www.minox.com/index.php?id=1156&L=1