Amsterdam/Groningen

Ricoh GR Digital

For the past few months I have been using the camera above, a wonderful pocket-sized digital camera. Despite my ongoing allegiance to the 4x5 view camera, I have been smitten with this baby camera with wide angle lens, and optical viewfinder (not shown in photo). I've been using it for this journal and taking it with me when going out with the view camera. It is a near perfect camera, but it has a few flaws, and one bit me the other day. The lens is retractable, which makes the camera completely flat when not in use. But when the lens is extended, it is not as solid as a lens with a fixed mount. While fiddling with it, the camera slipped off my desk and landed extended lens first. The lens mechanism jammed and would not budge. So, my current infatuation is off to the repair shop leaving me bereft and cameraless. I'll be posting view camera pictures that I am working on in the meantime.

Tomorrow, I am headed to a small town near Groningen in the north of Holland for a family weekend outing. Next Thursday I will be traveling to Berlin with my view camera--and the Ricoh digital if it comes back from the shop in time.