I next ventured forth with the advent of the ARGUS 35 mm mini. This was a great little fellow, and I tricked it out with wide-angle and telephoto lenses. That was when I learned a valuable lesson! Many people do not relish viewing other people's products. Friends and relatives will "o-o-o- and "a-a-a-" at people's pix, but your favorite landscapes will produce yawns and boredom. Save them for your own amusement or put them up for sale if they are really good.
MINOX came out with a mini-camera in the 1930's. It featured 8x11 mm film, and both wide angle and telescopic lenses were available. Because of the film size, miniature development kits were easy to use, and required no dark room. The major disadvantage was that enlargements were grainy and of poor quality. The major advantage was size, and candid camera enthusiasts used them surreptitiously to the discomfort of many.
I acquired a German KODAK Retina in 1955. To quote from another enthusiast, "The Kodak Retina IIa is my favorite of the long lived Retina series, the epitome of a classic small fast lensed 35mm folder. What makes it so good? its small size, superb 50/2 Xenon or Heligon lens, better than average finder, quiet leaf shutter, and the simple straightforward design which translates to pleasurable shooting. The IIa was produced only from 1951 to 1954, yet over 100,000 were produced. In a nutshell, many Retina fanatics feel the earlier Retinas had fewer of the desirable features, while the later Retinas sacrificed too much size and weight for additional features." My only regret was that the one I used for many years would not handle other than the standard lenses. I rented Leicas and Hasselblads on special occasions such as conventions and found them to be awkward and clumsy by comparison.
I got by with my relic Retina until the advent of the computer and digital cameras. My first digital was a point-and-shoot LARKIN Chameleon, which is still my favorite despite its limitations. It is quick, inconspicuous and versatile. It is also lacking in resolution, and is not nearly the ultimate for the amateur. My daughter brought me a NIKON Coolpix 7.1 Megapixel Digital when I moved to Mexico, and it has all the bells and whistles one could wish for. In conjunction with the Adobe Album Starter Edition 3.2, and my COMPAQ Laptop, I can do anything I wish. I can shoot under almost all light conditions; enlarge, crop, scan, enhance, suppress and print up to page-size with the ease of the professional novice. You won't be bored with my photos because you will not see them unless you ask!
