#minolta 16

Normally I have negative film that doesn't want to become slides so I thought I'd mix things up by having slide film that doesn't want to become negatives, uncorrected versus (mostly) corrected

📷: Minolta 16ii + Vivitar Auto 2600

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – camera closed

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – camera open

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – top of camera

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – shutter cocked indicator

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – shutter release and flash sync

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – shutter and aperture settings

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – camera cover removed

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – top of film chamber

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – 16mm film cartridge

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – film chamber

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – fitting film

Minolta 16 sub miniature 16mm camera – back of camera showing frame counter

My Camera

I bought my example of the Minolta 16 for about £5 and purchased it only to add to my growing collection of Minolta 16mm format cameras. It was on eBay with an opening bid of £4.99 and since no one else placed a bid that is what I got it for.

The camera seems in good shape physically with only a bit of light scuffing on the outer aluminium case. I thought when I first received it that there was a problem with the frame counter because it didn’t advance when the shutter is cocked and released. However, with a bit of experimentation I found that the counter needs to be set to the number of exposures of the film when loading and then it counts down as the film is exposed.

Minolta 16 Description

The Minolta 16 is a much simpler camera than some of the later Minolta 16mm cameras that I own. It has no exposure measuring system and therefore no mechanism for setting film speed etc. The focusing is fixed, and the controls basically consist of two thumb wheels for setting the shutter speed and aperture.

One aspect of the design which is common to all the other 16mm Minolta cameras that I own however, is the solid aluminium outer case which makes the camera feel like a substantial and well made unit.

The camera doesn’t have a film advance in the conventional sense – in a much more James Bond inspired way, the film is advanced and the shutter cocked by pulling the right hand end of the camera (when viewed from behind) out of the solid aluminium case. This advances the film and cocks the shutter whilst at the same time reveals the shutter release button on the top of the inside section. If you do this multiple times the mechanism is clever enough to know that the shutter hasn’t been fired, and the film is not advanced.

Because it would be possible to pull the camera apart, fire the shutter and then put the camera down without closing it up again there is a small blue dot on the outer shutter cover which tells you that the shutter is cocked. This way you should be able to make sure you don’t miss a shot thinking the camera is ready when it’s not.

In order to load the camera with film the outer aluminium case is completely removed by opening it to the point where the shutter is cocked and then holding down a small metal tab and pulling the camera further apart. With the camera in two pieces there is a small trap door in the main camera body which opens up and allows the film cartridge to be dropped into place. In the pictures above you can see one of the film cartridges. This is a Minolta 16 “Colour film for slides” which expired in Oct 1973 which I recently picked up, along with a black & white film currently fitted to my Minolta 16 MG. Although this was sold as Minolta film, in fact it is Ektachrome film and the black & white version I have is Tri-X. I guess Minolta themselves didn’t make film.

This is a nice little addition to my 16mm collection and now I have some film cartridges I am going to try to produce a set of test negatives.

Minolta 16 Specifications

Minolta 16 viewfinder sub-miniature camera

Shutter speeds 1/500 to 1/30 sec + bulb

Aperture f/2.8 to f/16

Rokor 22mm f/2.8 lens

UV filter fitted

Takes Minolta 16mm film cartridge

Spy type ‘pull apart’ shutter cocking and film advance

Count down frame counter

Flash sync socket

Ser No: 495787

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.