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The Minolta 16 and 16-II Subminiature Cameras
The Minolta 16 was the first 16mm subminiature camera to carry the Minolta name. It was introduced in 1957 as a direct competitor to the Minox and other subminis that were very popular at the time. Due to its low price and outstanding quality, the Minolta 16 was a hot seller. The Minolta 16-II followed 3 years later, with a faster, sharper lens, more f/stops, more shutter speeds, better viewfinder, but with the same basic design. They are often hard to tell apart since they both are marked "Minolta-16" on the top.
That's the 16 on top, and
the 16-II on the bottom. The slip-on UV filters have been removed and placed
midway between the lens and viewfinder. The filters and auxiliary lenses
are much larger on the 16-II and therefore cannot be interchanged between
versions.
Here we can see the 2 cameras
from the end, the 16 on the left, and the 16-II on the right. The 16 has
f/stops from f/3.5 to f/11, and shutter speeds of 1/25, 1/50, and 1/200.
The 16-II's aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/16 and has shutter speeds of
B, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, and 1/500. An easy way to tell the difference
from the back is by looking at the viewfinder eyepiece. The 16 has a rectangular
eyepiece and on the 16-II, it's round. The 16-II also has a 4-element 22mm
Rokkor lens, and is so marked on the front of the camera. The 16 has a
3-element 25mm Rokkor, and this is engraved on the bottom of the camera.
The f/2.8 22mm Rokkor lens of the 16-II is listed as one of the top 10
submini lenses of all time.
