Small But Lingering Regrets

Some years ago, I had a Mamiya 6 medium format camera. I sold it after my first husband's death in the "if it's not nailed down, sell it before you move across country" phase.

While I definitely needed the money at the time, I truly regret selling it; it had been with me through living in New York (where I bought it), New Jersey, North Carolina, and Vermont, but never made it with me to California.

I only ever had one lens for it; the 75mm "normal" lens. They only ever made three lenses, so it was nice in that there was an upper limit to how much one could spend on the camera.

Still, it's one of the nicest looking cameras I've seen. In photos, it looks like a much smaller camera than it actually is. It's medium format, but very compact for one.

I don't miss film -- not at all -- though I'm aware that film can still do better than digital in many cases. But I do miss this camera. It'd be nice to know someone who had one, just so I could have some time holding it now and again. Kind of like other people's kitties.

There's one cool thing about film you don't get (or don't get frequently) with digital: surprise. It's like packing up a moment and re-discovering it all over again when you see the result.


(Photo credit: Giant Ginkgo on Flickr)

The TSA Earns Its Keep

Sometimes, even amidst harassment, there are moments of comedy.

So, there's a woman, Amy Scobee, who used to be one of the top people in Scientology, and she and her husband left. She wrote a book. They've been followed and harassed. Then they went to the aiport..... Amy's wife Mat writes:

Amy and I were almost next in line for the security check point when a middle-aged woman walked up to my wife and asked if she was Amy Scobee. Amy said, "Yes, and who are you?" She said "Who I am is not important. I was supposed to meet you and find out how much you're getting paid."

Knowing that criminals absolutely hate exposure, I went off.

At the top of my voice and pointing directly at the woman, I yelled,

"Hey, everybody! This lady is from the Scientology cult, sent here to harass us for exposing their acts against humanity."

"This is how Scientology torments people in your community!"

"The cult leader, David Miscavige's wife Shelly has not been publicly seen - dead or alive - in almost three years!"

With that, TSA security was on the woman, asking her why she was there and telling her it was forbidden for her to harass their passengers.

The lady lied and told them she was traveling. Bad move. She had no luggage and no travel papers. Last I saw, the TSA staff were escorting her to who knows where...

Camera Fiend

Since the conversation came up in a recent post.

Left to right:

1. Nikonos V film underwater camera with 35mm lens. I have slides I've taken with this, but due to technical difficulties, haven't scanned them yet. Update: scanned a few. Here's one


2. Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 lens, dating to around 1970. I have an adapter to use on the GF1, though in theory the flange distance wouldn't prohibit using it on the Leica if I found an adapter. (photo taken with it)


3. Panasonic/Leica 45mm f/2.8 Elmarit for the GF1, works out to 90mm. Macro and portrait lens, one of my favorites. (photo taken with it)


4. Panasonic GF1 with 20mm f/1.7 kit lens. (photo taken with this combo)


5. 135mm Leitz (Leica) Hektor f/4.5 made in 1959. (photo taken with it)


6. 50mm Leitz (Leica) f/2 Summitar lens made in 1951. (photo taken with it)


7. Leica M8 with 28mm Voigtlander f/1.9 Ultron (old model, new one's f/2). (photo taken with this combo)

Keeps me busy. :)

All the Leica/Voigtlander lenses can also be used on the GF1, but they have a different effective focal length due to the smaller sensor on the GF1, so the 50mm becomes 100mm, etc.