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Minox 35GL question

jgoetz4jgoetz4 Registered Users Posts: 1,267 Major grins
edited February 23, 2012 in Cameras
Good Evening Folks,
I hope every one is well tonight :thumb I stopped in an antique mall this past weekend, and I picked up a ''grab bag'' of camera stuff for $7.50. I really didn't know what all was in there, since everything was wrapped in heavy plastic. I could make out Olympus & Minolta fixed lens film cameras, and various filters, caps, and a Nikon camera strap. There was more in there, but I was mainly interested in the cameras. When I got home and opened everything up, I was surprised to find a Minox 35GL camera, in a presentation box, with the partial hard case, and the flash unit, with case. Now, the manual focus and aperture dials turn freely, and the shutter clicks, but the shutter doesn't open. I was wondering if it needs a new battery for it to work. The flash unit worked after I put new AAA's in it. I've seen these cameras sell anywhere from $30 up to $90, depending on what's included. Any help is greatly appreciated :bow Thank you.
Have a good evening :D
Jim...

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    ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,884 moderator
    edited February 21, 2012
    I believe that this is a link to a PDF version of the User Manual for that camera:

    http://www.minox.com/index.php?id=1156&L=1&file=fileadmin%2Fdownloads%2Fbedienungsanleitungen%2F35mm%2FMinox_35_GL_lang_e.pdf

    The documentation mentions an "electronic shutter", so almost certainly you will need a working battery in the camera in order for the shutter to work.

    Note that the specified battery type is a "mercury" battery, which is no longer available in the USA. You may be able to find a suitable alternative however.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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    jgoetz4jgoetz4 Registered Users Posts: 1,267 Major grins
    edited February 21, 2012
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    I believe that this is a link to a PDF version of the User Manual for that camera:

    http://www.minox.com/index.php?id=1156&L=1&file=fileadmin%2Fdownloads%2Fbedienungsanleitungen%2F35mm%2FMinox_35_GL_lang_e.pdf

    The documentation mentions an "electronic shutter", so almost certainly you will need a working battery in the camera in order for the shutter to work.

    Note that the specified battery type is a "mercury" battery, which is no longer available in the USA. You may be able to find a suitable alternative however.

    Thanks Ziggy thumb.gif
    I believe I can use 4-1.4v button cells placed in heat shrink tubing, as a replacement.
    Have a good evening :D
    Jim...
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    jgoetz4jgoetz4 Registered Users Posts: 1,267 Major grins
    edited February 21, 2012
    jgoetz4 wrote: »
    Thanks Ziggy thumb.gif
    I believe I can use 4-1.4v button cells placed in heat shrink tubing, as a replacement.
    Have a good evening :D
    Jim...
    Well whaddaya know ? The dead replacement battery was inside...
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    Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited February 21, 2012
    Set the shutter at 60 and see if it fires... a lot of older cams were made to fire at 1/60 without batt so one could guesstimate the aperture needed... that is one feature I really miss with digital ... ... ...
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

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    jgoetz4jgoetz4 Registered Users Posts: 1,267 Major grins
    edited February 22, 2012
    Art Scott wrote: »
    Set the shutter at 60 and see if it fires... a lot of older cams were made to fire at 1/60 without batt so one could guesstimate the aperture needed... that is one feature I really miss with digital ... ... ...
    Thanks Art thumb.gif
    I'll give it a try a little later.
    Have a good afternoon :D
    Jim...
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    knapphknapph Registered Users Posts: 142 Major grins
    edited February 23, 2012
    We used this camera for many years on our long distance bike rides. We did not want to subject our SLRs to the vibration of the rough roads we road on nor did we want to carry the extra weight. This Minox was great. We put many a roll of slide film through the camera. The vibrations finally got to the camera and it developed a light leak. Still have the camera but do not use it too much these days.
    Knapp
    Stone Coast Photography Facebook
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