Minox EC1981

History

By the late 1970s, Minox GmbH faced pressure from inexpensive 35mm and 110-format compacts that undercut the cost of owning and feeding a Minox system. The Minox C, while a genuine refinement of the classic design, used expensive stainless-steel construction and required the same PX27 mercury battery that was becoming difficult to source as mercury batteries were being phased out across Western markets. The EC was Minox's response: a stripped body using modern plastics and lithium battery chemistry, offered at a substantially lower price while preserving full Minox cassette compatibility.

The EC was not a premium product. It was positioned to get new users into the Minox system rather than to satisfy the demands of experienced subminiature photographers. Minox continued to offer the more capable LX for users wanting manual control. The EC soldiered on through the early-to-mid 1990s and was one of the last members of the classic Minox cassette lineup before the format's market contracted sharply.

Why It Matters

The EC's significance is primarily commercial: it represents Minox's most explicit acknowledgment that the subminiature market had become a niche of collectors and enthusiasts rather than a mass consumer segment. The decision to use polycarbonate rather than metal is both a cost measure and a signal about intended use - the EC is a camera for the curious buyer at a camera show, not for the intelligence operative or the serious street photographer who had relied on the B and C. For collectors, the EC is typically the least prized of the classic Minox line, which ironically makes it the most accessible entry point for someone who wants a functional Minox system at low cost. Functionally, the programmed AE and silicon meter work well in good light; the camera is genuinely usable on 9.5mm film still available from specialty suppliers.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Minox EC
• Wikipedia: Minox

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