Minox: the OG Spy Camera

Video Description

Invented in the late 1930s by Latvian-born German inventor Walter Zapp, the Minox was originally intended as a compact snapshot camera requiring minimal photographic skills to use. However, its high cost meant it largely became a luxury item, while its small size and close focusing ability made it attractive to intelligence agencies, who used it extensively during the Second World War and Cold War for copying documents and other espionage activities. Stanhope Viewer Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksNJZC_6EUU 0:00 Introduction 0:40 Walter Zapp and Minox Origins 2:40 Intelligence Use: WWII 7:18 Intelligence Use: Cold War 9:12 Later Company History 9:56 Minox History: Riga to Model IIIS 12:27 Minox Model B: Controls and Operations 20:00 Major Minox Models 1969-2015 22:09 Outro SOURCES: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/minox/minox_b/minox_b.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20160305180528fw_/http://submin.com/8x11/collection/minox/minox_serial.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20160407165101fw_/http://submin.com/8x11/collection/minox/history/history_chart.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20160315165338fw_/http://submin.com/8x11/collection/minox/cameras/b.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20160315164651fw_/http://submin.com/8x11/collection/minox/cameras/riga.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20160701034714/http://minox.org/mhspublications/merchandising/index.html http://www.minoxdoc.com/what_is_a_minox_ii.htm https://www.cameramanuals.org/pdf_files/minox_ec.pdf https://www.cameramanuals.org/pdf_files/minox_bl.pdf http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Japanese_matchbox_camera http://www.submin.com/8x11/collection/minox/articles/images/times_92.jpg http://www.minox.org/minoxencyclopedia/z/zapp.html