Back when Konan first produced the 16mm subminiature camera that Minolta would later enhance and make famous, they designed a wonderful little metal cassette that allowed mid-roll film changes. This double chambered cassette, joined by an upper and lower bridge, featured a spring loaded shutter mechanism that would automatically close as the camera was opened, protecting the film from light and allowing the cartridge to be swapped out in the middle of a roll. This cassette, if you could find one today, will not work in the Minolta 16 series cameras, but it is an interesting little bit of history that foretells the innovation that was apparent in the design of the later 16 I and II model cameras by the time Minolta stepped into the picture.

Minolta redesigned the cassette for mass production and economy of scale in an attempt to make their cartridge a universal standard, for without widespread and continuous film sales to support the cameras they intended to produce, the cameras themselves would be doomed to failure. The cassettes were made of plastic with a felt light trap in place of the spring loaded shutter, eliminating the mid-roll film changes without the loss of at least a frame or two of film. However, with a single bridge on the top to connect the two chambers, the cartridges were much easier to produce on a massive scale, and very economical. These 16mm cartridges would establish themselves as a world wide standard in short order, and remained so through to the mid-1970's when the last Minolta 16mm camera was produced, and on until at least 1993, when the last roll of factory made Minolta 16mm film was produced.

The manual for the 1960's Model 16 II specifically gives the owner clear instructions on how to reload the cassettes at home for the serious hobbyist. Unlike Minox film, bulk rolls of 16mm movie film were and still are easily available, so reloading a cartridge is as simple as cutting off an appropriate length, attaching it to the take up spool and reassembling the cartridge (all in a darkroom or changing bag, of course). 16mm film was and is available in single or double perforated versions (meaning a row of sprocket holes on one or both edges of the film strip), and either one can be successfully utilized in any of the Minolta 16mm cameras up to the Model MG-S of the 1970's.

Up until 1970, the Minolta subminiature cameras made a negative area on the film that measured 10 x 14mm. The Model MG-S and the Model QT utilized more of the negative area of the film strip creating a negative area that measured 12 x 17mm, so double perforated film is not recommended in these cameras: the sprocket holes will actually intrude into the pictures. These two cameras should be loaded with single perforated film for best results, and the sprockets should face up in the cassette, near the cassette bridge. The advantage of the larger negative on the MG-S and QT models is readily apparent, but the other trade off you should be aware of is the fact that a standard factory load of 16mm film delivers 20 exposures in all Minolta 16mm models except these two: the MG-S and QT deliver 18 exposures on the same roll due to the larger negatives produced. Note that the sprocket holes on the film edges are not used by the cameras in any way to advance the film; in fact, unperforated film can be used just as easily in these cartridges.

Film slitting for the home hobbyist broadens your film selection in exciting ways, as you can readily and very cheaply slit 16mm film from a standard 35mm cartridge. For those of you who prefer not to reload your own cartridges however, it is still possible to come across, new, unsold Minolta film in stores and at swap meets, although the film is very likely expired by now (but perfectly useable if it has been stored properly). A better way is to buy precut strips of film from a commercial enterprise that you can simply spool into your cartridges at home. The resource section lists Goat Hill as one source for this kind of film.

What about commercial processing and printing? Again, the resource section of this site lists a promising solution: Covert Camera, a place that specializes in reloading both Minolta and Minox cartridges that the customer supplies, and who will also develop the film and make the standard size prints for you, all at very reasonable prices.

Russia long ago co-opted the design of the Minolta 16 II type cameras and produced their own copies called the Kiev 30 (for the metal bodied version) and the Kiev 303 (which is, I believe, a cheaper plastic bodied version). These cameras have a reputation for quality control issues, but the saving grace is their correspondingly lower prices. Some of them actually turn out to be very good shooters, but you may have to go through more than one to find a good one. They are mentioned here because they can utilize the same Minolta 16 film cassette that the Minolta cameras do; however, the Russian made film cassettes that are supplied with the camera can not be utilized in genuine Minolta cameras due to a physical difference in the Russian design.

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© February, 2002 by D. Scott Young