Daphne,
I used a Minox 35 GT and a Minox 35 ML as my main cameras for nine years.
Damn, they were quiet--no louder than a Leica M6, perhaps quieter.
It was wonderful to see the GT's needle rise and fall as I panned the lens.
But it was frustrating to underexpos shots because of the GT's whole-area
metering. A bright scene would turn a 1/30-second exposure into a 1/125- or
1/250-second exposure. So caveat photographer: If the exposure brevity
seems too good to be true, it probably is. I had the same problem in my
Olympus XA until I learned to turn the camera over, press my finger against
the ISO dial, and dial in another couple EVs.
The 35 ML (circa 1985?) introduced five improvements to the classic Minox
exposure system:
1. Full-area metering was replaced by 60/40 center-weighted metering.
2. The GT's CdS (cadmium-sulfide) meter was replaced by a more accurate
silicon diode.
3. Exposure hold was added (by half-depressing the shutter release).
4. A convenient +1 compensation switch was provided.
5. The 25-800 ISO scale was extended to ISO 1600.
But the ML also did away with the G-series' galvanometric needle. Now you
had a column of LEDs. While unquestionably more reliable, the LEDs
introduced three inconveniences:
1. You could you not see your exposure change continuously.
2. You had to partially depress the shutter to activate the metering.
3. You would not know if your exposure had changed unless you removed your
finger from the shutter button and partially depressed it again.
The GT continued to be made, and in the late 80s Minox introduced its
successor, the GTE. It adopted the ML's aforementioned improvements but
retained the GT's retro needle-driven readout! The Minotar lens was
redesigned for sharpness and shorter close focus. This arrangement has been
carried over to the GTX and other models in the needle-driven GT series.
Exposure challenges notwithstanding, you'll be more than satisfied with the
sharpness of the Tessar-design 35/2.8 lens. Let us know if you find
yourself taking photos you would have otherwise missed. I did. That's why I
just bought a Yashica rangefinder.
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