#miniature camera

Kaizo Hayashi

- The Trap

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – lens closed

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – lens open

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – close up filter

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – top of camera

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – flash sync

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – back view showing viewfinder and shutter selector

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – flash connector and wrist strap

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – film cartridge chamber

Minolta 16 MG miniature 16mm camera – Ser no 331493

My Camera

This camera was bought simply to add to the 16mm miniature cameras I own and because it was very cheap. A paid a couple of pounds to buy it in a set with another Minolta 16Ps and a flash unit, although the flash doesn’t seem to fit either camera. Since I already have a Minolta 16 Ps, I will probably check that it works and then re-sell it on eBay to recoup some of the costs.

The 16MG seems to be in top condition with only a few surface marks on the aluminium case. The shutter seems to work at all speeds and the aperture as well seems to open properly, at lease as far as I can tell from observing the camera. The real test will come when I put a film through the unit.

Minolta 16MG description

All the Minolta 16 series are similar in that they are viewfinder cameras with, for the most part, fixed focus lenses and simple operating controls and the MG is no different. The body shell is made of a solid piece of aluminium which not only makes the camera quite rugged, but also gives it a very sleek and attractive look.

The film advance is a large wheel on the top of the camera, easily turned with the thumb, and the frame counter is built into this film advance. In common with the Ps it is a count down frame counter.

On the end of the camera is a socket and a threaded hole. This is the connector and attachment point for the flash, and when the flash isn’t connected the threaded hole is available for the nice silver chain wrist strap or a tripod.

The MG is equipped with a match needle, coupled light meter with the display on the top of the camera. This is slightly more inconvenient than having a display in the viewfinder, but it is quite easy to use. When I  first tried the camera out I assumed it was like the Ps model and had only two speeds – flash sync and fast. However, after some trials with the light meter I have found that the light meter adjuster changes both the shutter speed and the aperture. The range is between 1/30th and 1/250th for the shutter and f/2.8 to f/16 for the aperture. It isn’t possible to select individual combinations, but the adjustment available would cover a large range of light levels.

On the back of the 16MG case is a switch to set the shutter to flash sync speed. When this is selected the light meter control just sets the lens aperture and needs to be set via a flash bulb lookup chart.

The lens is protected by an inbuilt cover which can pulled across the lens when the camera is not in use and this also locks the shutter release. Interestingly, there is also a position which pulls a close-up lens in place which allows the camera to focus to about 4ft and is used for portraits.

The film cartridge is held in a compartment on the bottom of the camera, behind a trap door released with a little button on the back. To my mind it’s a bit too easy to release this – I wonder how many shots were lost because the door opened?

As it happens I should be able to try this camera out. I managed to find another Minolta miniature camera on sale as a set along with a couple of unexposed films which I bought, again for a few pounds. Although the film will probably be way out of date, I should be able to fill the cartridges with some 35mm film which I split to 16mm and use to re-spool them. If I’m successful in that I’ll post the results.

Minolta 16 MG specifications

Minolta 16MG 16mm miniature camera

Takes Minolta 16mm film cartridge

Picture size 10 x 14mm

Rokkor 20mm f/2.8 lens

Match needle metering / exposure control

1/30th flash sync

Film Speed 25 to 400 ASA

Shutter speeds 1/30 to 1/250 – automatically set

Ser No: 331493

Handbook available here.

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Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – front view

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – flash sync sockets

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – tripod bush

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – film chamber closed and locked

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – film chamber open

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – top of camera showing aperture, shutter speed, shutter release and frame counter

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – back of camera showing film advance and viewfinder

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – front lens cover open

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – front lens cover closed

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – Two SR44 batteries ready to fit to camera

Minolta 16QT 16mm still camera – Two SR44 batteries fitted in battery compartment

These pictures can also be viewed full sized here.

My Camera

I bought this camera as a direct result of buying my Minolta 16 Ps a few days before. Once I’d received the Minolta 16 I became fascinated with the design of the series and set up an eBay search for them and this one popped up. One advantage at the moment seems to be that they don’t command high prices so it’s possible to pick them up really cheaply, which I did with this unit paying only a few pounds.

When it arrived I found, much to my disappointment but with no surprise that it didn’t have a film fitted. I guess that would be the real icing in the cake if I could find a Minolta 16mm camera which had a film in.

The other required part which was missing was the 3v battery which powers the exposure meter, but I was able to solve that problem relatively easily. I had, in my box of camera bits and pieces, the battery compartment lid from an old Minolta or Yashica SLR (can’t remember the model now). That allowed me to fit 2 SR44 batteries in it and then the lid assembly just fits snuggly into the 16QT battery compartment. Once it was fitted the exposure meter started working, although I’m not sure of its accuracy.

The other issue I found with my example camera is that the 1/30th shutter speed seems a bit temperamental, sometimes leaving the shutter open, but I’m seeing if that sorts itself out – my Minolta Ps 16 has, so this model may also.

Minolta 16 QT Description

The Minolta 16QT was the last model of 16mm still camera which Minolta sold, being produced in 1972.

It is a more sophisticated model than the other miniature Minolta camera I have, the Minolta 16Ps, because the 16QT has an inbuilt exposure meter and a more informative viewfinder as well as a rudimentary focusing system.

The exposure meter is based around a light cell built into the front of the camera between the viewfinder and the lens. It measures the light reflected from the scene, and gives it’s reading in the form of two LED’s in the viewfinder which appear at the top directly above the framed scene. There is no indication of the light level, instead the LEDs light up two indicators, ‘O’ and ‘K’ which show ‘Over exposed’ and ‘Under exposed’ (ok the K doesn’t really mean Under exposed) when either LED is lit by itself, and ‘OK’ when the exposure is correct. To enable the exposure meter a switch next to the aperture control is pressed down and then the aperture itself is adjusted until OK shows. It’s an easy system to use and is probably quite efficient with battery power since the meter is turned off until the switch is held down.

The information in the viewfinder covers the exposure as just explained, the focus, and also some warning indicators for slow speed and parallax correction. The focus indicator is along the bottom of the frame and consists of a set of icons representing a landscape view, a full height person, half height person and a head/shoulder shot. Behind these icons is a red marker which is adjusted by a slider with the thumb of the right hand when the shot is being composed and again, its easy enough to use.

The frame lines have parallax correction marks, and at the top of the frame a red flag appears when the 1/30 shutter speed is selected, just as a warning.

On the back of the camera is the film advance thumbwheel, and the shutter release is on the top, next to the lever to select the two shutter speeds. Film ISO is set with a dial mounted around the light cell.

I’m hoping that I can find a 16mm Minolta film cartridge so I can try both this and the Minolta 16Ps out – fortunately the manuals for several of the models give instructions for fitting fresh film into the cartridges, and I have a 16mm position on my Patersons Developing tank so I’m all set to go once I can find that elusive cartridge.

Minolta 16 Specifications

Minolta 16 QT 16mm miniature still camera

Zone focus control with symbols visible in viewfinder

Exposure meter with in-viewfinder display

Two speed shutter – 1/250 & 1/30

Rokkor 23mm f/3.5 lens

Aperture f/3.5 to f/22 available

Lens cover which also locks shutter release

Low shutter speed warning in viewfinder

Minolta 16mm film cartridge

ISO 400 to 50 film speed

Bright line framing lines

Count down frame counter

Flash sync socket and Tripod bush

Single 3v battery for exposure meter only

12mm x 17mm size negative

Ser No: 212875

Manual available here