Writing a recent review of the Pentax 31mm Limited lens did something strange to me that I would never have imagined happening, as I opened my laptop to begin writing down my thoughts. It becomes stranger when I factor in that the lens is by no means a recent acquisition, having been in use by us for more than a decade. The 31 along with a 15mm Limited and 100mm macro have been Ethan’s staple equipment for his Pentax K3 Prestige for all of this time, so I was used to seeing and using his system. Before this, he also had the 20-40mm Limited and 16-50mm zooms, which were sold to help finance what he uses now.

Camera systems come and go. Manufacturers go out of business and technology forces change. Choosing not to adapt is a risky business unless a product occupies or finds a niche that can be exploited. The digital revolution has been one of the biggest shake-ups that the camera industry has endured, particularly if we factor in the rise of the smart phone. Some respectable brands with long pedigrees have ceased to exist, others assimilated into larger names.

Last week we carried out an update to PhotoArk to take advantage of additional security and bug fixes. We also used this an an opportunity to refresh some areas of the site, notably the Home Page to include a few recent images. As the template we use is 100% home written, there was a period of extensive testing carried out after we went live, due to several areas requiring additional coding and manual enhancements. We think we have addressed all problematic areas. However if you do spot something that does not look quite right, please use the contact form to get in touch and let us know https://www.photoark.co.uk/index.php/contact-us-feedback

We recently took the opportunity to purchase a new old stock Leica TL camera body. It appears an odd choice for a new purchase, after all it was superseded with the TL2 several years ago and since then, the whole Leica APSC system has been discontinued.

As purchasers of the Leica Q2 Ghost edition by Hondinkee, we missed out on the very collectible set that included a matching silver thumb grip as one of the extras. Our search for one turned up nothing more than a standard black version which I was not interested in. My enquiries to both Leica and Hodinkee could not help as it was not available as a spare part. I could not even locate a third party option.

I originally purchased this lens shortly after it was introduced several years ago and enjoyed using it so much I decided, bizarrely, to sell it. Other than to help finance a new SL 75mm APO lens, I had no other reason to part with it and suffered seller’s remorse as soon as it had left the house. It is the only Leica lens I have ever sold on and I view this moment of madness as a lesson in needlessly purging equipment in an effort to keep further outlay minimised.