charles_escott_new

Sorry, wrong way round, one digital is equal to seven film, surely? I would love to have seen the Brassai exhibition, although a Ronis and Atget man myself. Charles.

Mr. Shadow,s contributions are well argued, I would only claim that JPEGs are sufficient to my needs, I am in awe of what skilled practioners in printing and processing can achieve. Mr. Hutcherson, I do use yellow and red filters, it is what I am used to, the little filters for my old Summicron 50 are rather cute. Mr. Ghantous you are correct, the M8 is a flawed camera but one which engenders real affection. Have a look at an M9, mint, and a first generation Monochrome, mint, new sensor, listed on the Camtech UK site today. Had I the dosh I would be sorely tempted .Your statement that digital gives better black and white, film better colour, stopped me in my tracks. That is really something for me to think about, please expand on these thoughts. After 60 years of black and white photography I have discovered the joys of Ilford Delta for my subfusc work so my M2 is as happy as my M8 as they sit in my Billingham awaiting the next shoot. Both are pensioners if one film year is equal to seven digital, Charles.

I agree with Mr. Vongries that it takes some effort to take technically poor images with modern cameras, indeed whilst in confessional mode I have to admit that the letters A or P feature in an amount of my photography. JPEGs are sufficient to deliver a mood, reflecting how I felt and what I saw at the time, more important to me than recovering detail or sharpness. I fully appreciate the skill in processing raw files, although I can revert to a Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells at the sight of too much IR, martian skies and Victorian smart phone shots. The M8 delivers pleasing black and white straight from the camera, I have fallen for the filmic look of the CCD sensor, thanks to the skilled technicians at Kodak. Put a camera in my hand and let me totter around, this is life enhancing, for me time in front of a computer is not, also you don,t get to meet lots of nice people, Charles.

I do. I shoot black and white JPEGs on a Leica M8, the relatively poor man,s Monochrome. I shoot a lot of film and digital and none of it is post-processed. Much of my last ten years in work was spent in front of a computer screen and that was enough. My photos are for myself, and sometimes family, and I have no pretensions I am producing fine art. This work will largely die with me and I am content with that. Photography gives me the most enormous enjoyment. All the best, Charles.

Just thinking about my list above, I would be interested in the D300 or D2X but wouldn't the £89 D80 be a way of seeing if you can work with digital?. Whatever the conclusion, after a few months you could hand the camera to a local school running a photography course, not every kid is well off, or donate it to a charity hospice shop. Charles.

$5 more than I'll be worth in 2045. All the best, Charles.

For interest just looked at the Ffordes site to see what Nikons are available for under £250. D80, 20,000 shutter, £89. D300, 15,000 shutter, £219. D2X, 15,000 shutter, £249, tempts me! Just above, a D700, 30,000 shutter, £449. All with 6 months guarantee, no connection with Ffordes except as a very satisfied customer over many deals.Last purchase a Leica M8 which I LOVE. D2X, hmmn !! All the best, Charles.

I enjoy a suite of AFD lenses on my D4, the 20-35, still costly in the UK and a wedding photographers, favourite back in the day, a 35-70, a fast 50 and the great 85 1.4. I am very willing to believe that a D850 exposes shortcomings in these lenses but they are really good on my Nikon D4 and D7000. They feel as well made as the camera bodies and they all better at taking photos than I am. As for any problems, we seem to worry a lot about perceived obsolescence rather than planned obsolescence. I am sure my lenses will be around longer than me and then I will have nothing to worry about, unless the afterlife has the internet. All the best for 2019, Charles.

My first camera was a Box Brownie given to me by my parents at age eight. I don,t think I took one in-focus photo with it as I failed to hold the camera steady. Then I graduated to an Ilford Craftsman, a kind of non-tlr tlr ,with better results. A ten year gap then from photography, a real regret that I didn,t take a camera to university, before single status and a decent income meant money for toys. The first camera I bought was an Olympus OM1 with 50 1.8 which seemed incredibly fast after the Ilford. It was like a jewel and although unreliable, film advance seizures, I still have it. I added a Vivitar 28, a Vivitar 70-150 and an Olympus 200. I took my films to be developed at my neighbourhood camera store, a one man business located within walking distance. People today would find it hard to imagine how many small photo shops were around in the 60,s and 70,s. How I wish that shop was still there. One day I popped in to have a film developed just as he was closing and we were talking about thing to shoot and he pointed to the street outside, with people scurrying in the gloaming and the misty drizzle of a winters evening and he said shoot that. Thank you for allowing my nostalgia, all the best, Charles.

Sorry, I made a stupid mistake. The viewfinder for the x113 is the visoflex 020. Before I could afford that I used a cheap Russian optical viewfinder for a 35 lens which worked well, Charles.

Sssh, really quietly, let us talk about the non-classic Leicas. We can pull down a whole lot of this isn,t a real Leica, you only want the red dot, you cannot afford the genuine article, type of comments. I can do some strutting with film Leicas but had an urge to try a digital mainly to see what modern lenses could do. The Leica I could afford was an M8 but I would have to use an old lens on it, something new took the outfit out of my price range. The Q came out and I was sorely tempted but it was still a heck of a lot of money and a fixed 28 is a bit wide for me. Then I looked at the X113 ,a third of the price of a Q, a 35 lens, much more me, a really fast new lens for very little money. It was in short supply and the only one left at Clifton Cameras, my choice for new gear, was in brown, no doubt very pretty but a bit of a shock. This visual feast was not enhanced by buying a bargain Country half case which improved handling but looked as if it was knitted by the Womens, Institute. A second hand VF2 completed the package and transformed the usability. I love the build, the controls, the way you move it to macro, the fit of the lens cap(seriously),but above all the quality of the images and especially the colour. I think this camera is the best value in the Leica range. The lens is my favourite of all my screw and old m mount lenses. It is not a perfect camera , it is slow compared to others but so am I, and it suits my style.I am so happy I bought it rather than taking notice of comments on the internet but what do I know?, after all I think my Sigma DP3 is the best designed digital camera out there and see how much support I would get for that view! All the best to you all, especially you Mr. Dragon, I always enjoy your posts and fear we may have similar attitudes, Charles.

On being asked for directions a countryman replied "I wouldn't start from here". It is very tempting to tell you how I would go about taking sharp photos in the gloaming ,(hint D4), but that is about me not you. Trying to answer your question I have looked at my stock of film gear and made two choices, they have to be items that I own and know. 1) a Contax RTS11 with Zeiss 50 1.4, 2) a Nikon F100 with 50 1.4 AFD. You said an F5 is out, otherwise it would be my choice. For all my good intentions I can not resist urging you to consider an 85mm lens for street work, the Contax Zeiss 1.4 and my present favourite, the Nikon 1.4 AFD, are in my view sharper lenses than the 50s. I do own three 1.2 lenses and they would not be my first choices for this work. The best night film shots I have taken were on an OM1 with 1.8 lens which seemed extremely fast back then. I have to say that sharpness is not my priority for night shooting, my favourite photo book for this is Hackney By Night by David George. All the best, Charles.

Blimey! Going out to take one photo! By the time I have prepared myself, selected camera and lens from a fairly large collection, pondered on which camera bag to use, hunted for my light meter which moves by itself, located funds, phone, keys( various), made another trip to the loo to be safe( quite a leitmotif in this thread), locked up, staggered to the car, spent a moment wondering if I have locked up, I need to shoot at least two rolls of film to make the effort worthwhile. Whatever happened to that carefree youth who would grab an OM1 and 50, put a Vivitar 28 in a pocket and be out the door. All the best, Charles.

Thank you for posting these, Mr. Vongries, I really liked no.1 and the photo of the young Nepalese soldier. I was fortunate enough to have contact with the Gurkhas and was always impressed by these polite and content young men. The proud display of the standard issue two kukris, one ceremonial and one service, gives the other side of deadly efficiency and the photo brings this out well. A little reading reveals very interesting things about them, have a look at the exasperated plea made to them during D-day not to collect. Do military photos work better in monochrome? All the best, Charles.

If you do go down the route of a Sony RX100 I would look at a brand new dealer mark 111 at about £429, have a look at the saving on a new mark V1. If my original version packed up I would replace it in a heartbeat it is that much use for me. Buying a cheap Chinese grip and bracket transformed the camera so it feels secure even in my large hands, The make I bought is Hao but the names seem to change. Please let us know what you decide, all the best, Charles.

Can I point out ,gentlemen, that an Englishman does not wear suspenders, unless he is a High Court judge of course. Belt and braces for Charles from now on.

I very much enjoy your posts, Mr. Marcus. In advanced years I have taken to wearing what are laughingly called jogging trousers. Just a cautionary tale, with a camera in each pocket the whole ensemble descended earthwards to the amusement of the masses . I had the terrible dilemma of whether to check the cameras or try to retrieve my dignity. For those like Mr. Dragon, still determined to carry a camera this way, please wear a belt. As the OP already has a Nex 7 can I say that I love how this camera works with the Sigma 35 1.4, just like a Leica. All the best, Charles.

Sorry, I forgot to say I have a Tokina 10-17 fisheye which takes really interesting scenes of city views, it makes me smile.Again on an old D

If you read all the reports this is not a great lens and it is not fast but for years I have really enjoyed using a Nikon 10-24 on my D7000.

The Sony crop lenses for the 6000 are really quite good , they are a reasonable price compared to the Sony full frames. You could look at the Sigma 2.8 range as already mentioned, they offer great value, the 19, 30 and 60 macro. If you could pick up a full frame Sony lens it would give you the option of later moving to the A7 system , but I know they are expensive , best value here could be the Samyang range of manual lenses. When first getting in to Sony cameras I regarded them as boxes on which to hang some nice glass plus adaptors, now I find using adaptors a bit of a chore when there are many good E mount lenses around. All the best with whatever you choose, Charles.

Well done Mr. Lynch, excellent photo and a very informative post. Delighted to find someone else satisfied with the mark one. Like you, I love this little camera and can not see enough of a reason to upgrade. They are still available new from Clifton Cameras at a bargain £329. Even the mark three is on sale for little more. I will continue to carry this everyday ,however ,not in my pants, in the English sense.

Yes, full PASM set up, ok in poor light but I have low standards. Mine is an original RX100 and I carry it all the time I,m out. I love the front dials on the Rollei 35 and the closing door of the Olympus.Cute. Then I am not at the technical cutting edge, my 10 year old Blackberry proves that although this year I am proud to say I have upgraded to Windows 7. All the best Mr. Dragon, Charles.

For genuine pocket cameras I like to mix digital and film, so take a Sony RX100 and either an Olympus XA2 or Rollei 35. It is one of the few benefits of being a fat lad that big trousers mean big pockets.

Thank you for being a champion for these unsung heroes, the late af cameras that are so easy to use. I rely on alternates of Dickens and Trollope as my sleep inducers which , along with my oxygen mask, do the trick. I fear that Mann, Proust and Gibbon would send me in to a coma.Looking forward to reading more of the Argus, Charles.

Thank you for responding Mr. J, I think you make many good points. Anyway, it surely is good that the big two have put up a serious marker which they will surely improve over time. I wonder what we will think of these ranges in three years ?. I have a sneaky suspicion they will get it right, they usually do. As an everyday shooter ,today I took photos of a childrens party and gave the guests the prints, which were well received. Yes ,I was using an Instax SQ6, no card slot at all for me. Have a good weekend, Charles.