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RIGA RECOVERY COUNT
How many are around today
Data
- 2011: Official count 831
- 2012: Official count 851
- 2018:1936-1944:859 1948-1991: 221
- 2025 1938-1944: 862 1948-1991: 223
Notes:
- New cameras being added from my notes from 2015-today, and current ebay searches. We have at least 50 models serviced in 10 years.
Notes:
- New cameras being added from my notes from 2015-today, and current ebay searches. We have at least 50 models serviced in 10 years.
Minox 8x11 overview
Practicality
Summary
Minox 8x11 sub-miniature cameras are celebrated for mechanical craftsmanship, compactness, and a distinct shooting experience, but they require patience for loading, focusing, and film processing; community resources and aftermarket tools have made shooting and developing them much more practical recently.
Camera reviews and Issues
- Classic mechanical models (Riga, II, III, B, C, BL, LX) — Praised for build quality, reliable mechanical shutters, and surprisingly good image detail given the tiny negative; collectors value early Riga and limited anniversary editions most.
- Electronic models (EC, ECX, AX, TLX/CLX/LX variants) — Offer simpler operation and electronic exposure control but less mechanical charm; good entry points for newcomers and more affordable on the market.
- Special and anniversary sets — Often finished or packaged as collector pieces and can command high prices; functionality is usually the same but rarity drives interest.
- Common complaints — Small viewfinder/framelines, fiddly film loading, and the need for replacement batteries or tricky electrical repairs on older electronic models; repairs are possible but sometimes require specialist skills or parts.
- Repairers - Experienced repairers and camera parts are now at a premium. Aside from ourselves, only two in the US (DAG and Marty) exist, as far as I know.
- Supply Issues - New film cassettes have not been produced since the 1990's. Used cassettes are expensive (> £15 each) and fragile.
- Processing and enlarging have become easier in the past few years because 3D printed reels, frames and holders and digital cameras being used as scanners.
REVIVING film photography
Investing in the future
The 1938 VEF (pronounced WEF) Minox predicated an era of discreet photography for over 60 years. The word 'MINOX' has an automatic connotation with 1) Camera 2) Secret 3) undetectable. 4) German technological prowess,
The key question is 'how to maximise interest'. Let's see at the facts?
Size
The largest Minox camera was the 'C': 120 x 28 x 16 mm, delivering a negative of 88 square millimetres. All other cameras were shorter, but not wider or higher.
Document copying
The Minox camera design was designed to focus to 20cm. This means that the camera will copy A5 documents without a rangefinder. A4/A3/A2/A0 sizes copied.
Security
Film cannot be hacked or altered at time of capture
Problem: pricing
P In 2001 a Minox film cost between £4 (BW) and £15 (slide), when production numbers were in the 100's. Today it takes me 60 minutes to cut down from35mm roll, slit, measure, trim, load and spool. Production of 8x11mm film is limited. Blue Moon or sometimes ebay. BM stopped colour film, and we suspect that they have had trouble sourcing colour. Japan has a very limited run of Sharan.
Problem is the cost. With tariffs and taxes, BM is $31 & Japan £31 per film as I sell film from £14.50. With inflation alone the price £25 is too dear, add the increased costs and you are looking at £35 a film.
Uneconomic, unless costs can be reduced by economies of scale.
Estimated VEF MINOX PRODUCTION timeline minoxriga@yahoo.cOM
Significant dates
September 1939-July-1940, Made In Latvia is suggested to be whilst under Russian occupation. Yet the USSR only occupied Latvia formally on June 17th, where USSR engraving replaced Latvia. Under this rule, we have a nominal 1100 USSR marked cameras, but in the current VEF Minox survivors' list, we only have 20 'real' USSR flagged, with 47 with USSR over-stamped with 'Latvia'. I own one 'real' USSR and two over-stamps. One over-stamp has USSR clearly visible underneath. I have seen only one other USSR model personally apart from mine, and I know of one only one more. There is a crude fake USSR deep engraved model floating around. I have seen 4 Latvian over-stamped VEF Minox and own two of them. This makes true 'USSR' VEF phenomenally valuble to a collector. In scarcity it just matches an original Minox II camera with film lens: of which I have seen five in 20 years, and know of 2 more, one unused. Although there were 6,000 II cameras - 1948-1951, most were converted to the lens used in the Minox III/A.
'Made In England?'
This needs to be investigated? Where? Leicester?