Some new Minox owners ask us why Minox film is not available in 12 or 24 exposure cartridges. “Just enough for a weekend,” is how several have phrased it. Minox veterans, on the other hand, have occasionally asked for 75, even 100 exposures per cartridge “to save frequent re-loading of the Minox.” So we decided we’d enlighten everybody on the subject of the Minox cartridge because it makes an interesting story.

When you take.a Minox cartridge out of its sealed wrapper, it looks quite simple. You can drop it into - your camera and be ready to shoot in a couple of seconds. It has probably never occurred to you that the cartridge is next to the Minox-the most vital part of the Minox System. To give you perfect pictures, it must fit perfectly into the small space allotted to it in the camera. It must be absolutely light-tight. It must be chemically inert so as not to affect the delicate film emulsion, and it must permit smooth film
travel from the feed drum into the takeup drum.

Yet, it may come as a surprise to you that, excluding the film itself, each cartridge consists of twelve separate parts, each designed to assure perfect operation and to give you the best possible pictures. The metal used is so thin (14/1000”) that the small “bridge” connecting the two film drums is provided with tiny ribs iust to add strength for the brief moments of loading and un-loading the camera! And, just as the delicate mechanism of your Minox camera could only be assembled by hand, so the assembly and loading of every film cartridge is a very precise operation, regardless of the length of film used. Thus, shorter film loads would mean higher cost per exposure, since the cartridge itself would remain unchanged.

To those who would like to have more film in each cartridge, we’d like to mention that the thickness of the film limits the length that can be coiled up in a small space of the take-up drum around the rotating take-up core or spool. The ultrafine grain and medium speed films are very thin so that 50 exposures can be reeled into the take-up drum, but the greater thickness of ultra-fast ASA 200 and color films reduces the practicable film length for these types to 36 exposures plus the leader and end strips. If you are a Minox novice, accustomed to cameras taking 8, 12 or 24 exposures, it will soon come as a revelation to you that one of the many reasons for the ever-growing popularity of the Minox is its wonderful ability to shoot whole picture series in quick sequence, giving you the most exciting and alive pictures you have ever taken.

The next time you unwrap a Minox Film Cartridge, remember, it too, is made with great
care to give you fine Minox pictures!