If you want to keep old cameras in working order, it becomes increasingly difficult over the years to find documentation to repair these cameras. This is especially true if the cameras have not been manufactured for a long time.
This is no different with Minox cameras. But there are two pieces of good news. Firstly, the 8×11 Minoxes are designed and produced to be maintained. Secondly, there is still first-class support. I would like to report on this here.
Minox GmbH, founded in 1945 by Walter Zapp, is now part of the Blaser Group which is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the hunting and outdoor industry. Today Minox manufactures binoculars, riflescopes, trail cameras, spotting scopes and night vision devices.
When I recently got stuck with maintenance work on my beloved Minox A III, I called the Blaser Group Wetzlar and was put through to a very nice lady from the service department. Although Minox has not produced 8×11 cameras for 20 years, she was very knowledgeable in this field. She also immediately agreed to help me and look for old service documents. After just a few days, she gave me an overview of the original documents still available and offered to provide me with a copy.
It had not been easy for her to track down these documents in the Minox archive, especially as they included cameras that had not been manufactured since 1968. But as a result, I am now the proud owner of all the service documents still available for these camera types. I will gradually evaluate them and present the results here so that they are available to as many 8×11 Minox enthusiasts worldwide as possible.
My thanks go to the Blaser Group and especially to the lady from the service department, who does not wish to be named here.