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.

This article has been many years in the writing. Of the three Pentax lenses Ethan owns, the 31mm is the one we have never commented or written about. Ironically, it is the one lens that sees regular use when out shooting with Pentax DSLR’s. It is also the most favoured of the three and has been quietly doing its job for more than a decade. We were recently carrying out an evaluation of the PhotoArk site and from this it became glaringly apparent that writing anything about it had slipped our attention. The reason for this is that when we onboard a new piece of kit, we do not ‘rush and gush’ our thoughts, preferring to let time and experience temper enthusiasm. By doing this we believe that it provides a more balanced opinion which can only be garnered long after the honeymoon period ends. And so it was that our favourite Pentax lens was completely overlooked. This article redresses this and after such a long time in use it gives this beautiful piece of engineering its moment in the sun from a PhotoArk perspective.

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.

Since getting into Leica’s SL ecosystem, it didn’t take long to outgrow existing photo bags. Anyone using an SL camera and a couple of their German manufactured lenses will appreciate that they are anything but small, and I was very optimistic a few years ago thinking that an ONA Monterey bag would be sufficient. To be fair to the Monterey, it is fine as long as the system does not extend beyond a couple of lenses, which is where I thought my interest in the SL system would end. I soon became hooked on the outstanding (75mm APO lens build quality aside) performance of the lenses and have steadily grown our collection. More recently it became apparent that finding a place to store each one was becoming problematic, the tipping point being taking ownership of the substantial 90-280mm zoom.

At the beginning of 2023 we embarked on a task to digitise our entire analogue library. The formats are predominantly 35mm slide and negative film. We also inherited some very old glass plates of the local area which date back to the late 1800’s as well as hundreds of old family prints of all sizes, the original negatives long since lost. So what we have before us is a motley collection of varying formats that immediately narrowed down the search for a scanner that could handle the diverse task.

Here at PhotoArk we tend not to upgrade our computer equipment very often and any upgrades tend to be out of necessity and not simply taking advantage of the latest technology. Our oldest MacBook Pro has been with us ten years and recently replaced with one of the new line of M3 MacBooks.