Early last year I began the hunt for a new Digital SLR to replace my trusty Olympus E-510. I wanted something more up-to-date, more robust and essentially more professional. I looked at many manufacturers and found quite a few bodies I liked, but choosing ‘the one’ proved difficult; I did not wish to follow the Canikon herd, preferring something a little more individual…something that didn’t scream ‘me too’, be hobbled by poor reviews or offer a limited lens range that allowed little growth. After much research and a visit to the Focus on Imaging 2012 show I found my ideal camera… the Pentax K-5.
I have long been a fan of the Leica D-Lux series of compact cameras and have followed their evolution from the D-Lux 2 model to the latest incarnation, the D-Lux 6. The original D-Lux model emerged in May 2003, but had a different look to later versions and apart from its compact nature, shares little of the DNA of the later series.
It is strange how ideas form into actions – sometimes it can be just a passing comment or suggestion that spawns something tangible and interesting. PhotoArk began like this and its conception can be traced to a winter’s evening early in 2012, during a session at our local gym. I have been running my gallery site Visionage.co.uk for more than a decade and it was in desperate need of an overhaul to freshen the appearance and address a few technical niggles arising from technologies steady march onward. My Son also ran a couple of development websites (Digicolabs.co.uk and thenervenet.co.uk), but up until now we had never collaborated in a joint venture.
The recent announcement of the new flagship OMD from Olympus has caused a bit of a stir in photographic circles; the highest priced micro four thirds camera yet to be released – a professional model sporting environmental seals and purported to be freeze proof. Building on the success of the EM5 it adds a host of additional features, but its raison d'être is the dual autofocus system. Combining contrast and phase detection systems, it allows older four thirds lenses to be focussed almost as fast as more contemporary Micro Four Thirds designs. Let’s not forget the large electronic viewfinder sporting a 2.36k dot resolution with a 1.48 magnification for a view that almost allows you to forget you are looking through an EVF.
Transparency film production has been in free-fall for several years now, as more and more photographers gravitate to other emulsions or technology. With just a few slide films remaining on the market it was obvious that some projector manufacturers like Kodak and Leica would end their involvement with this historical medium, and discontinue machines that were once a photographic mainstay. I must admit that in 2013 I expected very few 35mm projectors being manufactured, but a trawl of the web revealed many models still in production from the likes of Reflecta, Braun, Kindermann and Simda.
How many of us have a camera, lens, or combination of both that sees little or no use resulting in it slumbering for months or even years in a bag or drawer, barely seeing the light of day? My own experience of this is symptomatic of GAS – those times when I just wanted to purchase a new bit of gear without any real justification – those moments when I just had to scratch a particularly expensive itch.
Being the keen hill walker that I am, I enjoy being outdoors and taking pictures throughout the seasons, whatever the weather. Because of this I have tried and tested many different outdoor garments ranging from poor to excellent. Walking requires several layers of clothing to fend off the bone chilling cold that comes with visiting open moorland in the depths of winter. The temperature may be just a few degrees below freezing, but add wind chill to this and the fact that I may be standing around for a while preparing to take pictures, and the experience can get uncomfortable.