charles_escott_new

I have owned my two plain prism Nikon F cameras since the seventies and they have been totally reliable. I really love those chunky heavy lumps of metal, the pre AI lenses, then these cameras look magnificent. Congratulations on a fine purchase. Is it possible to have a group shot of your Nikon F family, I would enjoy that. Charles.

Quite right Andrew, it got us places and seldom broke down completely and you could tinker with it, I understood how it worked. Also you are right about some modern cars, I own a Zafira which gives you the added thrill of the possibility of self-immolation. Unlike Proust these memories of the smell of the Ital interior I had hoped to suppress. Who would have thought that the humble Marina/Ital would feature in these august pages? All the best to all of you, Charles.

I have used top end Nikon cameras for fifty years, not that I am a top photographer. I still have a fine collection of Nikon primes and use them on my D4. I bought in to the Z system with the intention of using my f mount lenses with an adaptor. Then I succumbed to an attractive offer on the new 50 1.8. Oh boy! A 14-30 f4 followed and now I never use my adapted lenses. On my very limited experience I believe that Z lenses are at another level. Having owned a Sony A7 I would say that the Z lenses show the advantage of youth, (the honest stupid truth is that I didn't like Sony stuff much, Nikon gear feels right)). I never thought I would write something like this but I am blown away by the quality. That said I am taking my D4 to my Viking funeral pyre.

In my very skint days I was the proud owner of a Morris Ital. My young daughter threw up in the car and I think it improved it.

One of the great professionals mainly used an Olympus OM-1. Jane Bown took photographs for The Observer for 60 years, using first a Rolleiflex then a Pentax before settling on her beloved Olympus. She always took her portraits with the OM-1 coupled to an 85 lens, set at 2.8 and1/60th. Using natural light to take black and white shots with only a brief flirtation with colour. She was one of the greats , passing in 2014 after using her OM-1 to the end. All the best, Charles.

Wow, you are really bringing out the best in those slides. Well done on a great job, Charles.

Just some extra notes on the Z50 as I use it more. G and Nikon DX lenses work fine with the adaptor and the 10-24 is usually on the camera. I have an Tokina 10-17 and a Sigma 18-125 and these are a bit more difficult to mount and do not autofocus. Tha adaptor may be fussy about third party lenses but the extra length is not proving to be a problem because the tripod mount gives a very secure hold, indeed the camera is one of the best to handle safely. Just for fun I am going to try my 200-500 on the Z50. I was not tempted to swap my full frame cameras for the Z6 or Z7 but I have fallen for the little Z50. Never did I think I would own another APS-C Nikon. Charles.

Thank you for your comment, Mr. Schaefer. I am ok with manual focus but I shall see how easy it is on the Z50. Just for fun I have ordered an adaptor for Leica M lenses on the Z mount. I understand Mr. Watson,s well made point about the new mount but were I a young photographer I would start with the kit lens and then buy full frame Z lenses with an eye to a move to a Z6 later. This would not be for me but I am sure I am not the target buyer. As to Nikon being rudderless try the Z cameras if you can, they seem pretty well thought out to me, although they could do with a small DX prime in the near future. All the best, Charles.

Just a little note about the Z50. Most of my Nikon shooting is covered by my secondhand D4 and D800e but I still have some DX zooms left over from happy days with my D50 and D80. I hoped never to buy another Nikon but I wanted a small Nikon to keep in the car and bought the Z50 with FTZ on a whim.. I didn,t expect to say this but I am having a ball using it with my 18-55, 55-200 and 10-24. Obviously the G lenses work a treat, the 1.4 50mm gives splendid images. Next I will try the AF-D glass. I think it is a really nice camera in so many ways. Try it if you get the chance. Christmas greetings to all, Charles.

Thank you for the video Mr. Ray, I enjoyed everything about it. I would swap my mediocre skills in photography for the ability to create music, in a heartbeat. Charles.

Mr. Peri, when I moved to my present house I brought my darkroom equipment with me. The pantry had everything I could want, with only one small window to block. Several years later and lots of progress on the house and none on the darkroom. Sadly age caught up with me. Walking with a stick and having an increasing tendency to drop things is not a great recipe for darkroom success. I sat down and thought about what photography I could manage as I am, not as I wished to be. Digital is no problem, I send my files off for cheap prints and photo books, film goes to Ilford in pre-paid envelopes or to a local printer who works from home. Recently I sold fifty cameras, leaving forty and each year from now I will sell more until I am down to six that my wife can let go to a dealer friend. The joy of photography is undiminished. All the very best to you, your ape is one of my favourite human beings, Charles. PS, if anyone in the UK wants an enlarger for 35mm, with all the gear they would need for a darkroom, they are welcome to have this for free. Two stipulations, one they must be able to collect from Hampshire, I will not post, and second they must want to use it themselves. Thank you.

Dear AA, recently I sold a lot of camera gear and divided the funds up between family and self. This gave me the chance to buy an M6. For £2000 I obtained a TTL, boxed, with all paperwork, in as new condition, with a long guarantee, from the best UK Leica dealer. I do not get a sense of it being more cheaply made. After 2 rolls of film I am thoroughly enjoying it. If you are worried about plastic parts try an M2 or M3. My M2 has been my favourite rangefinder for many years. Can I just say that after 60 years of taking snaps I take very little notice of internet scare stories about camera longevity, the number of faultless cameras I have owned with supposedly terminal problems just around the corner have been legion. I am pretty sure my camera gear will outlast me, film Leicas will outlive all of us, even my M8 staggers on in great style, the plastic film take up on my CL works perfectly roll after roll etc. etc. After buying the TTL a quick internet search revealed that the meter must fail soon and can not be repaired. Want to bet? Now for a strange bit, when I sold my many cameras ,often bought for very little, over a lifetime, I spent a few evenings going through my collection to have a last chance of keeping back any that I couldn,t part with. The one I removed from sale was a Nikon FM2. Just handling it made me fall in love with it again, so silky, immediately I put a roll through it. It does everything my Leicas can and more. With good glass it is superb. Buy a Leica because you want to, not because it produces better work. Finally, you mention Rolleiflexes. If interested in them there is no need to have an F or a 2.8. A 3.5C would do the same job, and mine haven,t broken in 50 years of use. Thank you for letting me ramble on, I wish you the very best whatever you do, the camera you have and the others you desire are all super pieces of machinery. All the best, Charles

Thanks Mr. Smith, I had forgotten that lens. Not that I could have afforded it but I bet it performed better than my Tokina. At 10mm the ends curve alarmingly, it makes you feel drunk. Then zooming to 17mm it sort of becomes a normal wide angle. If you can take the man, Ken Rockwell has some interesting shots in his review of this lens, in his normal vivid colour the results are even more alarming. The only time I really appreciated this lens was when taking some shots of the Roman amphitheatre at Calleva Attrebatum, which is a mile from my home. From a restricted point of view it was great to have the zoom option to capture the arena. The other good thing about this lens is that it works on FX cameras as well. The Purple Haze in the corners is perhaps not so great. Charles.

The strangest lens I own is a Tokina 10-17mm APS C fisheye zoom. I use it on Nikon cameras and Sony Nex with an adaptor. Has there ever been another like it? Charles.

Sorry to hear about your experience, it must be terrible to be treated this way by fellow human beings. Your pictures have real power. Being an optimist I prefer the first arrangement, moving to light, life, hope, the bird takes flight. All the best, Charles.

I think the interior looks great. Usually I like photos framed with a car window but if I were skilled enough to have taken this image I would crop right in so you lose everything but the steering wheel and lucky dice. Just me! Nice work, Charles.

Just a last comment from me, if anyone is interested in a Leica M8 or M9 look for the You Tube channel My Leica M8, presented by an excellent gentleman called Hugo who documents his experiences with his M8 and M9. The initial question contained a wish to keep to a stated budget, that is sufficient for an M9 or for an M8 and lens. I have more advanced cameras that, even taking in to account my limited skills, hardly produce a bad shot so why do I so enjoy my old Leica? All the best to you whatever camera you have, Charles.

I have recently returned from a family get together in Suffolk. For events I use a D4, on holidays I pack my Panasonic MFT gear but this time I decided on something different. In a small Billingham I carried a Bessa R with Voightlander 35 and my M8 with Summicron 50. With an adapter I could use the 35 on my digital. During the week I took far less images than usual but really enjoyed my photography. To take decent snaps of my new grandson with this outfit was a challenge as he chased around the farm after the cattle and horses, as a toddler he can move fast. Perhaps keep the M6 and match it with an M9, switching lenses, for a great rangefinder experience. All the best, Charles.

I wanted to try a Leica M after having used my M2 for years. I could not afford a recent model so bought an M8, trying to close out all the internet criticisms. It is my favourite camera now, superb at black and white, really nice colours. The CCD sensor gives a rendering which is filmic, the guys at Kodak who built the sensor were essentially film people. The shutter sound I like, again it reminds me of a film camera. On this camera I use my old screw thread lenses, Leica, Voightlander and Soviet, as well as a couple of Summicrons. Even the 7 Artisans 35mm and 50mm satisfy me and they are 6 bit coded. You might feel you have to put on IR/cut filters which I have bought second hand but try shooting without them first to see if you need them. The camera cost £900 from my usual dealer who gives a 6 month guarantee, this reassured me as I was more nervous about buying this camera than any other. It has performed faultlessly but if it were to pack up in the future it would still have been worth it for the fun and the experience I have had with it. I might replace it with an M9 in the future purely because I like to try new cameras. My dealer has several M9,s in stock including one, for under £2000 ,with a sensor replaced in 2018, this seems like a reasonable precaution to take. Every time I use my M8 it gives me joy and what price on that?. Good luck with finding your new camera, all the best, Charles.

I have to say this very, very quietly, I own a Sigma DP3 Quattro and really like the quality it delivers. It is the most idiosyncratic of designs and it certainly has limitations. At least it is innovative and not just a copy of a DSLR. Funnily it is the safest camera to carry in the hand and shooting is transformed by fitting a BG-11 base. The lens is superb. Sometimes you have to follow your instincts and not listen to internet wisdom from people who have never shot with the Sigma cameras. Paper specifications are not everything, otherwise we would not value our Leicas. All the best, Charles.

I use 15 and 75 Voigtlanders ,screw mount ,on my Bessa L and R, my Barnacks and M2 and M8, as well as my Panny G80. I have had so much use out of these excellent lenses. Can I make a mention of two 7 Artisan lenses I bought recently for my M8? For £475 I purchased a mint 50mm 1.1 and a new 35 f2, expecting not much from them but I am staggered by the build and image quality. As a bonus both are 6 bit coded. All the best, Charles.

I think it is the market audience for this camera that is problematic. Those of us who value m/43 will stick to the smaller existing cameras and lighter lenses . The other day I attended a school presentation and I stood next to a press guy who shot, of course with a pro Canon with 70-200. I used a G80 with 35-100 2.8 and was glad of the difference by the end of the evening. Talking to the friendly pro it was fairly obvious he could not see himself turning up to such an event with my set-up. At under £2000 I would look again at this camera. At the current price who is it for? All the best, Charles.

I use m/43 as my carry around system, I like the easy switch from stills to video, with fast lenses it is the perfect gear for keeping up with the new grandson. I thought long and hard about moving to the Panny G9 but decided to stick with my G80 because of size. This makes me an unlikely customer for this new Olympus ,however good a camera it is. I agree with Mr. Vongries about the right tools for the job, I take sports photos for my wife,s school with a D4 and long lens that could be bought mint for a lot less than this body. I can cope with the D4 because I get to sit down, luckily from my waist up I have the strengh of a 60 year old! So I don,t see real sports photographers using this Olympus. I am thinking of strapping my D4 to a walker to get extra mobility, I think it will make me look like a Tiger tank. All the best, keep printing, Charles.

I also like the idea of a Minolta starting kit, my X700 has a more modern feel about it and the lenses are excellent and not too expensive. I started with an OM1, it was and is jewel like, and my first lens was a 50 1.8. With this I could take pictures of friends, street shots and photos inside clubs without using a flash. After six months of learning I wanted to take some landscapes so purchased a 28mm. Then I wanted to take portraits and bought a 75-150mm zoom, and lastly, about two years after buying the OM1, I got a 200mm for sports shots. This set up, with the later addition of a second body, an OM10, gave me a decade of photography and a lot of fun. An OM1 today would not need a battery as I would think any beginning film photographer would use a light meter app on a phone. All the best on your film adventure, Charles.

I forgot to wish Mr.Ricochetrider good luck with his black and white portraiture course today. Not that it is easy but if you find someone with a characterful face it is difficult to take an uninteresting shot. Being rather portly I lack wrinkles but luckily I have friends who carry the facial marks of a lifetime of debauchery. My inspiration in this area comes from the work of Jane Bown , an OM1 and one lens, and Cartier-Bresson, whose portaits rival his street photography. Today I am shooting with a Bessa R with a Voightlander 35mm 2.5 and re-reading one of my favourite photo books, Eye of a Flaneur by Mr.Allard. I promise not to post any more nonsense for a month, print everything good, Charles.