FMinox FI - FOWA, Italy - Minox 8x11 Collection

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There are 'FI' engravings on the B, BL and C that were made for the Italian trading company FOWA Professional and stands for  "Fowa, Italy". FOWA stands for FOtoexacta Winkler Aldo and the name was changed in 1971. The name and address FOTOEXACTA, Piazza Statuto, 24-10144 Torino appears on manuals before 1970 as the point of contact in Italy.

Rumours are that FI engraving means "FIorenze", Florence, where it seemed that Minox arranged the assembly of some cameras due to the over demand at the German factory. This has also been reported by German shops and repeated in the book "Spy Camera - The Minox Story" by Morris Moses who believed it stood for "Fabbricata In Italia".  As reported in "MINOX Variations in 8x11" by Hubert E.Heckmann and confirmed by  Diego Massasso of  FOWA who explained that FOWA was the importing agent for Minox Cameras in Italy since 1975 to 1996 ca. No cameras were assembled in Italy. The 'FI' was engraved on all Minox 35 cameras imported by FOWA, the exact position depending upon the model. On the EL, GL, GT, PL, PE it is engraved directly on the camera body near the objective (left side), on the ML, MB it is on the right side, under the battery tray. Last imported models GTE, GSE have the 'FI' marked on the inside of the front flap. The markings on the film chamber cover of Minox C, BL and B cameras was to prevent irregular importation. FOWA was the main dealer for east Europe, specially for espionage equipment and that differentiates it from other EEC (the original 6 members of the EU) and European countries that imported Minox cameras.

This controversy of the 'FI' engraving has run for several years, even after the article by Claudio Russo "Minox "FI"' in Cyclope September-October 1999.

See also the advertisement of FOWA in fofgrafare February 1975 and the article from FOWA - informazioni tecniche and Martin Doctor's triplet http://www.minoxdoc.com/variantsl.htm#The%20FI%20Twins

Written with the assistance of Luigi Crescenzi, Martin Doctor, Hubert E. Heckmann, and Diego Massasso


Last Updated on 14th January 2004