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.
Being the owner of a Leica Q2 Ghost edition, I felt it needed some form of protection against bumps and scrapes. The problem with this is that a case covers the very part I was so enamoured with - the finish. Looking around the internet, there was very little out there that complimented the grey finish. And those that did had a very unattractive handgrip built into them. So I parked the idea and took the camera out naked for the first few months, thinking I would eventually get used to the idea of it picking up a mark or two during use. The idea never sat well with me though, so on return from a recent holiday on which the Q2 accompanied me (and which the camera returned unscathed from), I took a deeper dive into the world of cases.
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