From Digital Camera World · · 1m
Minox: Spy Camera Origins
How a pocket-sized camera became spy legend before Hollywood.
In brief
How a pocket-sized camera became spy legend before Hollywood. Walter Zapp invented the Minox camera in the 1930s as a pocket-sized device, which later became popular with spies despite initial skepticism. Originally reported by Digital Camera World.
Minox invention
Walter Zapp created the Minox camera in the 1930s to fit in a waistcoat pocket.
Early prototypes
Zapp and Richard Jürgens built first prototypes between 1932 and 1935 in Riga.
VEF interest
Latvian electronics company VEF showed interest after Zapp demonstrated the camera.
Precision engineering
The camera required 140 precision parts with tiny components and close tolerances.
Soviet invasion
Soviet invasion of Latvia in 1940 disrupted Minox production.
Postwar revival
Zapp restarted Minox production in Wetzlar, Germany, in 1948.
Minox B model
The Minox B became the classic model with a built-in light meter in 1958.
Global spy use
Intelligence agencies worldwide used Minox cameras for espionage despite public perception.
The headline
Walter Zapp invented the Minox camera in the 1930s as a pocket-sized device, which later became popular with spies despite initial skepticism.
