# 16mm spy camera cartridges

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 16, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323 "2005-02-16T05:17:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323/1 "2005-02-16T05:17:17Z")

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Are film cartridges for miniature 16mm ‘spy’ cameras still available?

Note that I’m talking about a film camera that uses the 110-type cartridges, only with 16mm film.

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**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323/2 "2005-02-16T05:43:10Z")

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That will probably depend on the manufacturer. IIRC the Minox was the most widely known brand, at least during the peak of 35mm photography, although there were other makes. What kind do you have?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323/3 "2005-02-16T05:52:09Z")

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I think my mom had a Minolta. It’s been about 30 years since I’ve seen it. It may be in her house. Weren’t/aren’t the cartridges standard between models (like 110)?

I wonder if 16mm movie film can be loaded into cartridges?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323/4 "2005-02-16T06:00:10Z")

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Actually, looking at eBay, it might be a Minox.

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**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16mm-spy-camera-cartridges/290323/5 "2005-02-16T06:21:16Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> I wonder if 16mm movie film can be loaded into cartridges?

It might fit, but standard C41 processing won’t remove the anti-halation backing from cine film. You’d need to find a lab that will process a tiny amount of cine film, whereas most cine labs demand a minimum of 100ft.