Speaking of Riga, as we all do this summer, the MINOX camera comes to one´s mind. What ophthalmologist did not have one....at one time or another?Colonel(ret) Wennerström is said to have used one when spying for GRU (where he was a general).
Riga Minox, The Model Which Started It All
In the early 1930's Walter Zapp invented a camera which revolutionized miniature photography. Remember that in the 1930's "miniature" was a term used to describe roll film cameras that used film which was more than two inches wide! 35mm film had just been converted from movie film for use in still cameras by Leitz in Germany but many were skeptical about how seriously such a "small format" could be taken. Now, Zapp proposed to produce images on a negative which was about 1/10th the area of a 35mm frame! Most people doubted that such a small format could produce images of any quality at all.
Zapp proposed production of the Minox camera to VEF, a state-owned electronics manufacturer in Riga Latvia which specialized in making radios. In order to convince the management of VEF that the whole concept was feasible he was required to make demonstration photographs with his prototype camera and develop and print the film while in constant company of "witnesses" from VEF who would verify that the photos were indeed produced by the small camera. He did what was asked of him and the rest is history. It should be noted that Walter Zapp died on July 17, 2003 at the age of 97. He left behind a legacy of products which revolutionized photography and literally changed the world in terms of the camera's use in intelligence gathering. There is plenty of good information on the web about Zapp and the early days of Minox...this is only intended to serve as a rudimentary introduction.
The Riga Minox differs from the post-war models in many ways. Most notably is its weight which is about double that of the post-war "Model A". This is attributed to the use of stainless steel and brass in the body and chassis of the Riga Minox versus the aluminum alloys used in the post-war models. Also, the shutter mechanism of the Riga Minox is completely different than the post-war model. It utilizes a single moving shutter blade while the post-war design uses a dual guillotine type design. Although the controls, size and overall feel of the cameras appear identical, the Riga Minox is really a much different camera than the Model A and those which followed.
The exact number of Riga Minox cameras produced is unknown. Most agree that production began at serial number 1000 and ended somewhere around 18,000 leaving about 17,000 serial numbers in existence. Many of the later numbered chassis were never completed so there were less than 17,000 camera produced and undoubtedly many have not survived all these years. It is anyone's guess how many exist today.
GO TO http://www.minoxdoc.com/ for more of this
Typical MINOX picture
photographer unknown