The Minox mini camera designed by Walter Zapp in Tallinn in 1936 is a good example of talent, hard work and determination. The young man, who had suffered a nervous breakdown due to school stress, was in such a bad situation, that according to him, he did not remember much of what he had learned so far. He could write his name, could still read and do little math. He left school at the age of 14 on the recommendation of a doctor, and never returned to it. After healing, Walter Zapp became an apprentice, by chance, he got into the field of photography.

His creativity and inventor spirit manifested early. Zapp's first patented invention was “a paper-cutting machine, especially for daytime pictures.” He was twenty years old then. The first thoughts of a miniature camera remained in the same time. It started with a dream that gave the idea for a camera, which could be carried with ease every day, and which would disappear effortlessly into a closed fist.

In 1938, the Riga state electrical appliance factory VEF began production of Minox cameras. Initially, they were reserved in Latvia. The buying boom that soon started came as a big surprise to everyone. The first orders came from a diplomatic service that made Walter Zapp wonder. He considered ordinary people to be the main user of his invention. Now, however, it suddenly became apparent that buyers thought it was a spy camera instead.