Today's automatic cameras are marvels of engineering and do nearly everything for you, at a cost. The 8x11mm Minox cameras are also marvels of craftsmanship, ingenuity, and convenience, BUT also at a cost. The cost is minimal, but important. You must load and unload the film according to a proper procedure!

The cassette, shown without the covers and with white paper for film, shows the film being pulled from the supply chamber at the right and wound onto the take-up spool at the left. The Minox has an ingenious mechanism which maintains equal spacing between the frames, even though the film on the take- up spool is increasing in diameter, requiring less and less rotation of the drum with each film advance.

For the camera to know the rotation needed for the "next" frame, it must be told when a new roll has been loaded. You must provide this information by ALWAYS loading a new cassette in accordance with the instructions in the owners manual. The frame counter (examples shown below) has a "Loading Mark" in the form of a red DOT (or red BAR), and MUST be so positioned before inserting a new roll of film.

PLEASE NOTE that the new Minocolor PRO film for Minox 8x11mm is packaged in 30 exposure cassettes (a new length), with special counter setting instructions, for each camera style, included with each cassette.

	Minox Riga, III, IIIs and B Frame counters start at zero and end at 50 (50 exposure film was discontinued in the late 60's). Counter indicates the number of EXPOSED frames. You must remember the length (exposure count) of the film you have loaded. After the last exposure, open and close the camera only twice (see below). Remove the film, THEN advance the counter to the DOT in preparation for a new roll of film.
	Minox C, BL, LX/TLX and EC Frame counters start at 36 and DESCEND to zero. Counter indicates the number of frames REMAINING to be exposed. 36 exposure film loads must be inserted with the counter set at the red DOT! Exposing the nominal number of frames should bring the counter to zero.
	15 exposure film loads - must be inserted with the counter set at the red BAR!

If you use less than the nominal number of frames, be sure to advance the frame counter to the CORRECT POSITION before loading a new cassette.

Knowing when to START. The "leader" of the film strip is, of course, exposed during manufacture, as is the area between the chambers (with the crescent shaped notch). Closing the camera after inserting the cassette advances the film, BUT not enough to guarantee an unexposed "first" frame. To insure an undamaged first image, YOU MUST OPERATE THE WINDING MECHANISM ONE MORE TIME, to get the counter to the zero mark.

The film example shown is AgfaPan APX 25 which was inserted into, and removed from, the camera in very low light. Had it been fast film and subjected to bright light, some leakage through the felt light trap would have damaged the clear area rendering an important image, if placed there, useless.

Knowing when to STOP. It is no accident that the DOT is two frames AFTER the end of the film for which your model was designed (36 or 50 exposure). Advancing through two frames at the end of your roll ensures that the last image will be safely protected within the take-up chamber before exposing the cassette to light. It also positions the mechanism for the insertion of a new roll of film, without operating the winding mechanism through a full count to get back to the load point.

The much more dangerous prospect is that advancing the film too far, continuing until the tail of the film is drawn into the take-up chamber, leaving the light trap empty and less effective than designed. Always leave film extending between the chambers to maintain the integrity of the takeup chamber light trap!

All of the fine engineering and precision manufacture will be for naught if you move the camera during exposure. The assumption that fast shutter speeds will negate camera movement has merit, but for the increased enlargements needed with the very small negatives, less movement is better. The Minox is perfectly designed for steady operation. If you love your Minox, remember to give it "a hug and a squeeze." Hug the camera TO something, your forehead, cheek, Minox tripod against your chest, wall, table, anything solid. If you are using your body to support the camera, lean against something if possible.

Once you are hugging your Minox, learn to squeeze it with equal pressure on both sides to depress the shutter release. If you allow the edge of your finger to spread onto, and depress, the release, you can increase the pressure in a gradual and steady manner, ultimately releasing the shutter without moving the camera. This need not be a slow process, just smooth and steady. Practice will pay rich dividends. Practice will also reveal the problem of "the finger in front of the lens". We have all done this and lost important images because of it. Rolf Kasemeier, in his book small minox, BIG PICTURES, suggests practicing in front of a mirror. Good advice!

Simplify	It is a small camera, with a small negative, so don't try to capture everything in one image! Emphasize form and light. Fine detail and subtile tonality is for large and medium format! Identify a central theme. Find and isolate small images within the bigger picture.
Fill the Frame	As one is often advised with 35mm photography, so to this is good advice with the Minox!
Near - Far	Create a feeling of intimacy, allowing the near features to dominate, while retaining sharpness and clarity in distant objects. The feeling of "presence", easily attainable with the Minox's exceptional depth of field, is an important factor in a successful photograph.
Large - Small	This is an esthetic value and lends scale to the image. When combined with the near-far and light-dark elements, the results can be most gratifying. With the small Minox negative, a large center of interest can be an asset.
Light - Dark	Film records greater resolution, and we perceive greater sharpness, with higher contrast subjects. Light and dark tones tend to mask grain patterns because of less clumping in the former and fusion in the latter. Be sure your exposure is adequate to provide a feeling of detail in the darkest areas and tonality in the lightest.
Sharp - Fuzzy	Although difficult with the Minox's extreme depth of field, focusing on very close objects will force the background to become fuzzy, isolating the subject. Management of the blurred portion of this scene is certainly as important as of the sharp elements and provides a strong setting for the in-focus elements. To assure the viewer that the out-of-focus portion is not the result of faulty equipment or technique, the sharp elements must be SHARP!