Minox 35 PL – The Search for Small

Much like many people, I love small compact cameras. Especially something that I can actually fit in my front pocket. The list of cameras that fall into that category is not small, but it is not large either. The only problem is, most of them are out of my budget or I am not willing to risk anything over $50 on a ‘works, not film tested’ camera. I looked at Ricohs, Olympus, Contax, and Fuji only to quickly find out that a working example of any that fits the bare minimum of fitting in a front pocket from the aforementioned companies are vastly out of my price range. Enter Minox.

I was introduced to Minox in November of 2025 after a visit to a local camera store (shout out Denton Camera Exchange). They had a 35 GT. I did not buy that one as I did not have the $175, they were asking at the time. That’s where this obsession for a compact camera started. I just didn’t know it then. Over time GAS kicked in and I knew I had to have a compact camera of some kind. One that could fit in my front pocket or keep in my bag at arm’s reach. So, I got on eBay and put “compact 35mm film camera” in the search bar and went digging.

2 weeks, $40 and a HUGE gamble later I was the proud owner of an “ugly” condition 35 PL. I know, I know, what I just said goes completely against what I said above. But I was willing to risk it with this one because there are people out there that make adapter mounts for these lenses so in the worst case, I could adapt it to my Sony A7III.

The listing called it ugly due to some sort of circular thing that appears to be screen printed on the front door and the counter not working. Personally, I don’t think it should have been tagged with ugly even with the weird circle thing because it is in exceptional condition overall. The best part, the counter even worked. So, I put in my usual Ultramax and off I went to shoot a test roll.

A look around

If you have ever held a Minox 35 GT then you have held a PL. Physically, they appear identical. You can usually identify what camera you are dealing with by the shutter button color. The entire camera is made of a polycarbonate plastic called Makrolon.

On the front we have a draw bridge door that when swung down brings out the retracting 35mm 2.8 Color-Minotar lens. A 3 group 4 element Tessar. On either side of the view finder, you have the battery compartment that can house 4 LR44 batteries or a single S27PX and the self-timer LED.

On the back the view finder is big and bright, it also has parallax correction lines and that is it. To the right of the view finder, you have the double stroke advance lever that is made of a metal of some kind. A note about the advance lever is they are prone to breaking off if they get stuck. So don’t force it. The only things on the right side of the top plate are the green shutter button, the cable release socket next to the button, the battery test button and a 2x backlight switch. In the middle we have the hot shoe and, on the left, we have our rewind crank. Please note this is oriented as you are holding the camera as if you were to take a picture.

On the bottom of the camera you have your ISO setting that goes from 25-400. A switch that allows you to take the whole back cover off, the tripod socket and the rewind release. With the back cover off you are met with the film chamber on the left and the take up spool on the right.

Handling

This thing is light. As in 200 grams with a battery light. With that weight comes the concern of how this tiny camera would handle a spill. The double stroke film lever could throw you off if you don’t expect it. However, using this camera is an absolute delight. For all intents and purposes this is a point and shoot camera with it being automatic exposure. You can adjust the aperture yourself, all the way to f16 if you so please but according to the manual this is only to be used with a flash. The aperture blades stop down into a kite rather than the usual affair that we are used to with “traditional” lenses with a 5 or 8 blade ring. That is because there are only two blades for the aperture.

The second-best thing about this small little camera is that it is so dang quiet. This is a street photographer’s dream. On the street with any amount of traffic the shutter sound will be inaudible with how quiet it is. The shutter button is not the greatest I have ever pressed. There is very little in the form of tactile feedback on the depression, but when it triggers you can feel it activating by the very slight movement of the shutter. However, the film advance is where subtly goes out the window. It is not an automatic film advance from the 80s and 90s loud but in a library, you would be noticed. On the street maybe not so much. The sound it makes reminds me of the wind of a disposable, just not as loud as a disposable. If that makes any amount of sense.

While using it I found myself setting the red arrow indicating focus to the green dot found between 10 (3m) and 20 (6m) feet. The manual claims that this covers 6 (2m) to 60 feet (20m). I did try out some close focus shots with the zone focus set to 3 feet (.9 m) and I found it usable, albeit, I still don’t know how to properly gauge close distances like that. For street use I would definitely leave it in that 6 to 60 foot spot as it’s going to give you the most useful range. Plus the ability to look down and know in a moment if you are in the zone you want is a huge advantage if you are trying to move quickly.

Now about that lens. It’s the star of the show here. The photos that this small little 35mm lens is able to produce astounds me. It is very sharp in the middle but I do notice that it softens on the edges. I am fine with that because of the overall size of the whole package. This thing punches way over its weight for what it is. Truthfully, I don’t know if I can put it into words properly so I want the photos to speak for themselves. Even if they are somewhat mediocre examples. In the hands of someone much more skilled than I, I have no doubt the images produced would look even better.

I have been feeding this little Minox Ultramax pulled to 200 as I was worried about the meter, and I was also shooting in a mix of conditions. I shot 4 rolls while out in Seattle and that is where all of these photos you have been viewing are from. I was by no means shooting in ideal conditions for any camera. The only time I felt like I didn’t really need to worry too much about if the camera was going to expose properly or not was when we went on a hike in the middle of the day with the harsh midday sun over us being partially blocked by the canopy above. Some of the highlights are over exposed in some of the pictures. It handled the shadows and the light exceptionally well in my opinion. I am not trying to win any awards, but I am trying to capture moments with my friend for my friends in a way that forces me to look for moments that we will remember. Even if some of them came out underexposed.

Closing this out, if you have the ability and means to get your hands on any of the Minox 35 line I whole heartedly recommend it. Anytime I bring this little guy out with me and people see it, I am asked what it is. I have talked to more people because of this camera than any other camera I have brought with me. The lens is amazing, the size is everything I could ask for, it’s quiet and unassuming, making street photography that much easier as people tend to look at it more with curiosity than anything else.

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