I just noticed submini.com has updated (or is in the process of updating) their web site, and it indicates they are digitally processing for printing. Some time back I received a mailer from Minoxlabs that they were about to start offering service of transfering "film to CD and the internet".

Does anyone know more details?

-- Robert Wright (rew@impulse.net), February 11, 2000

Answers

Bob, I heard that both MPL and Submini.com are going digital. But detail is sketchy at this moment. I believe both are using Fuji machine.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 11, 2000.

In England, some guys are experimenting using a digital camera with a special close-up lens to copy the minox 8x11 neg and then enlarge using photoshop. They can then transfer onto CD.

results are impressive, best on LX's.

Rumour in Europe that Minox are working on digital 8x11 continues...

-- paul o'sullivan (prosullivan@hotmail.com), February 11, 2000.

Digital 8x11? Egad! More money to set aside for toys! Actually a CCD chip from earlier astronomical projects is not much bigger, hence the adaptability and circuitry issues into a "C" size body may be do- able. Hmmm! Interesting.

-- Jeff Drew (jdrew@westlandbank.com), February 13, 2000.

Re: Minox going digital.

I think this is quie pssible.

Leica Camera Inc, the parent company of Minox GmbH already jumped on the digital bandwagon. In 1998, Leica introduced the award winning Leica S1 high end digital camera.

Leica S1 has a CCD chip with resolution of 5140 s 5140 pixels and 36 bit depth. According to Leica, S1 cam creat a picture 17" x 17" with dymanic range of 2000:1, ravals the best of 35mm transparancy.

Minox frame size is about 1/3 the linear dimension of 35 frame. A 1/3 slice from the Leica S1 CCD would have a resolution of 1720 x 2450 pixel or 4 megapixel.

Hence I believe a 4 megapixel Minox digital camera is possible, based on 1/3 of Leica S1 CCD chip. And from this "Minox S1" digital camera can produce a high quality 6x8" print ( about 1/3 of 17"x 17" from S1)

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 13, 2000.

I think you will find that the Leica S1 is a trilinear scanning camera (just like a scanner) and the CCD is not 5140 x 5140. It takes over 3 minutes for exposures.

Bob

-- Robert Wright (rew@impulse.net), February 15, 2000.