# Best Subminiature?



## Mitica100 (Dec 15, 2003)

I wonder what do you all think is the best subminiature camera?

Of course, the logical choice would be Minox, but then what after that?


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## ksmattfish (Dec 16, 2003)

I've never had a chance to shoot and print from a Minox; the one in my collection is non-functioning. 

I've used my Olympus Pen D for a few rolls.  It's kind of fun.  It shoots 1/2 frames on 35mm.

My favorite 16mm film camera is my Viscawide 16 ST-D.  It's a swing lens pano camera; it's like a 16mm Widelux/Noblex/Horizont.  It takes pretty good pics (I've been using 16mm Pan-X movie film), and of course, swing lens cameras are such a blast to use.  It has two shutter speeds: approx 1/100th and 1/500th sec.  And apertures from f/3.5 to f/16.  I bulk load the film into cassettes that came with the camera.  In it's leather case it's shaped like a brick about 1.75" x 2" x 4.5", so it's pretty small, but it's solid metal so it's heavy.

Since I've discovered MF folders I've pretty much stopped using 35mm.  When I print it in the darkroom it seems minature to me.


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## Mitica100 (Dec 16, 2003)

ksmattfish said:
			
		

> I've never had a chance to shoot and print from a Minox; the one in my collection is non-functioning.
> 
> I've used my Olympus Pen D for a few rolls.  It's kind of fun.  It shoots 1/2 frames on 35mm.
> 
> My favorite 16mm film camera is my Viscawide 16 ST-D.  It's a swing lens pano camera; it's like a 16mm Widelux/Noblex/Horizont.  It takes pretty good pics (I've been using 16mm Pan-X movie film), and of course, swing lens cameras are such a blast to use.



Yeah, it's amazing how Olympus managed to make such an ultra compact SLR.  I've shot a few rolls on one and was very pleased with the results. I also tried Canon's motorized 1/2 frame camera.  Motor is actually spring loaded and optics are quite good.  One monstruosity that I also tried and was impressed by its lens quality was Universal's Mercury II, a 1/2 frame non RF camera.  Probably one of the ugliest around.

I've never done panoramics though.     They sure sound like fun.


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## ksmattfish (Dec 16, 2003)

I like the Viscawide because even though it's using 16mm film, since it's a true panoramic frame, it's actually larger than a "pano"-crop taken on 35mm film.


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