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You may remember my post way back when about the Rolleiflex MiniDigi when I mentioned that I was on the lookout for the perfect pocket camera. Well, up until yesterday, I hadn’t actually acted on that. I waffled back and forth for quite a while because the camera I really wanted, the Ricoh GR Digital was a wee bit out of my price range. I’ve lusted after a GRD since reading a write-up on it in JPG Magazine about six months ago. It’s basically described as just about everything I want in a pocketable digicam: full manual control, small and inconspicuous, and it takes very unique images that have been compared to the Holga.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Ricoh released the newest version of this cult-followed camera, the GRD II. Having stumbled into a little gift money — and besides, what are the holidays if you don’t spend a little on yourself too? — I decided maybe it was time to bite the bullet. I read, scoured reviews, compared shots, looked at prices, etcetera, figuring I’d end up with the newer GRD II. But after reading enough reviews that said the GRD II lacked that “something special” found in the original GRD, I took advantage of the sale prices on the older model. So, my new baby is on the way; be on the lookout for some new shots in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and feel free to let us in on what you’re treating yourself to this year…

For the last few weeks, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for the perfect pocket-sized camera that can go with me everywhere as a supplement to my trusty Digital Rebel — preferably something with some personality, to boot. I haven’t settled on a camera yet, but in my searches I stumbled across the Rollei Rolleiflex MiniDigi (try saying that one five times fast). If you’re familiar with with the Rollei name at all, it’s probably from their 1920’s twin lens reflex Rolleiflex camera which has maintained its popularity, even into today’s photography world.

To keep up with today’s digital age, Rollei has introduced a pocket-sized reproduction of the original Rolleiflex called the MiniDigi. The MiniDigi maintains a construction that’s faithful to the original design, complete with twin lenses up front (the top one is purely for aesthetics) and a hand crank that has to be turned to reset the shutter for the next shot. Add into the mix a 3MP sensor that shoots in a square format (the original Rolleiflex shot 6cm x 6cm medium format film) and a minuscule size of 4.9cm x 7.3cm x 4.5cm, and you’ve got what might just be the perfect pocket camera for grabbing street shots.

Images from the MiniDigi apparently have a vein of unpredictability, much like the venerable Holga toy camera. A user over on the Fred Miranda board described the images for me: “Sometimes they look like normal 3 MP digital images. Other times they have flare, distortion, color shifts or other inexplicable weirdness.” Check some out for yourself at the Flickr MiniDigi group.

The $200 price tag has me still debating on whether to grab one of these little guys, but I have a feeling I may cave pretty soon. If anyone has either a MiniDigi or a Ricoh GR Digital (another camera I’m considering), please fill me in on your thoughts!

–Danny Nathan





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