[Leica] Spy camera -

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Mark writes:

"Even the spies and secret agents this format (e.g. Minox) would seem to be
designed for
went in with a tessina or normal 35mm film format to get the documents
copied."

- - - -

Wrong again Mark. The Tessina wasn't invented until 1957, long after the
spying episodes leading up to WW2. The Minox was first marketed in 1936
hence had a 21 year head start in the espionage business. Every secret agent
in WW2 was equipped with a Minox. It was as ubiquitous as James Bond's
Beretta. A number of very suspicious countries refused to let private
citizens own a Minox. I've actually seen the Minox  ensconced in the CIA's
exhibit hall in Langley as the ultimate spy camera. In the movie "Falcon and
the Snowman" based on  the real life story of two guys who stole and sold
secrets, the secret documents were copied with a Minox. When I worked in the
aerospace business I was almost arrested when I entered a secure area,
forgetting that I had a Minox in my briefcase. The FBI seized my camera,
developed the film, and only returned the camera to me when they found out
that that the film only had pictures of my wife and kids. There was no need
to focus the Minox when copying secret stuff. The camera chain had little
beads on it marking the exact distance from the document. If you've ever
handled a Tessina you know that accurate close up focusing on that half
postage sized ground glass screen is almost impossible. Only a masochist
would use a Tessina as a spy camera. Better to use a Holga.

The Minox is still being sold as a spy camera for private investigators.
Check out:
<http://www.pimall.com/nais/pivintage/minox.html>

Larry Z