Unpopular Camera Brands

Lupin - Pentax K70 + Pentax 135mm f3.5

Reputation in the world of cameras, is a strange thing. It can build from having been a quality producer/manufacturer for generations. It can come from famous people endorsing the brand. It can come from a sense of self belief. You can however make top quality products that can equal or some times, out perform the popular ones and this goes unnoticed.

If you are a camera manufacturer, particularly one of the big three (Sony, Canon & Nikon), you appear to fail to see what any other camera brand is doing. You work at your own pace, introducing new cameras and lenses at your own speed. You endeavour to make the best product you can to appeal to your loyal fanbases.

The second tier of brands (Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM systems (Olympus), Sigma and Pentax) have to work harder to get the attention of professionals and enthusiasts. They have to show it’s feasible to switch from the big three and trust their products.

Then there are the top end manufacturers (Leica and Hasselblad) who produce high end very expensive and exclusive cameras and lenses. They can charge exorbitant prices for their products as they are hand made and carry a certain caché that commands a high fee.

Old Town above Hebden Bridge - Panasonic S5II + Pentax 28mm f2.8

Certain YouTubers, poke fun at the second tier manufacturers attempts to sell their cameras and lenses. It’s as if they have to compare themselves to the output of the big three in order to gain some degree of approval. They compare the latest camera or lens with one from the high three and ask you to wonder if it is as good as a Canon/Nikon/Sony equivalent. You have to match their standards otherwise, they don’t quite reach their lofty heights. Don’t get me wrong, the big three make some really beautiful cameras and lenses. They sort of deserve their positions as the go to brands but is it all smoke and mirrors? I have tried cameras from pretty much every main brand apart from Nikon. For a long time, I was a Fujifilm user and loved their quality cameras and lenses. I have used Sony, Canon, Leica, Panasonic, Olympus (briefly) and Pentax. I now shoot with Panasonic and Pentax. They do everything I need them to and are both more than able of producing top rate images to the limit of my capabilities (who sometimes makes a mess of things).

Nutclough Woods, Hebden Bridge Pentax K70 + Pentax 50mm f1.7

At one time, Pentax were probably the leading camera manufacturers in the world. Their cameras and lenses were the envy of most other brands. Nowadays, they occupy a corner of the camera market usually in the shade. They do however, continue to make top built, rugged, feature packed cameras. Their lenses render colour and detail beautifully and they have the added advantage of being backwards compatible with their lens mount. You can attach a Pentax mount lens from the 1970s to their modern bodies without an adapter. I think the only other brand that boasts that is Leica but correct if I’m wrong.

Panasonic Lumix make stunning, weather sealed cameras that out perform some of the big three as hybrid cameras. They are well known for their ability to make excellent video cameras. As stills cameras, they are criminally underrated. Some of my favourite shots were taken on Lumix cameras. They do the simple things well and make highly capable cameras and stunning glass.

Rochdale Canal - Panasonic S5 + Panasonic 50mm f1.8

However much you point out the excellent build quality, the feature packed camera bodies and lenses and the manufacturers desire to listen to its customers, the big three will always hog the limelight because that’s how they keep there. Ricoh Pentax , Fujifilm and Panasonic LUMIX tend to listen to users and introduce features that photographers have asked for. I’m not sure that any of the big three ever do this. They tend to approach photographers as customers who should be happy to receive whatever new innovations they have come up with and just be grateful for what they’ve got.

Quick Break Haifax - Panasonic S5II + Panasonic 85mm f1.8

I have ended up happily using two stellar cameras from Pentax and Panasonic. I don’t feel as if I’ve compromised in any way on quality by going with these cameras. I never felt as if Fujifilm were the poor relations of Sony/Canon/Nikon. Now I’m in the business of taking photographs professionally, I wonder if the camera I choose dictates my ability to work as a professional photographer? Results are ultimately what gets you work and I am trying to focus on honing my craft rather than what tool I use to perform in the craft. I use 40 yr old lenses that stand up to the latest and greatest advances in lens technology. I see this as a bonus afforded to me that the major players would sniff at. Would I like to own a top of line Sony camera or Nikon, maybe so? Until that day comes, I say give the also ran guys a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Vintage

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

You know you’re old, when the word ‘vintage’ describes items that were made 20 years after you were born. technology moves at a pace these days hitherto not seen in the last 100 years. Camera technology and new models of camera body and lens are being brought out every year and with increasing levels of tweaking what is already there. Sigma for example, have released an update version of their 24-70 f2.8 dg dn art lens in the last couple of weeks. This replaces a lens created only a few years ago which was itself, considered excellent. Every camera manufacturer is forever updating their bodies and lenses to improve on what came before. I have the Panasonic S5II which replaced the S5. There was gap of a few years between models and the camera is a big improvement on what was a great camera.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

‘Invest in good glass’ is a phrase photographers advise newbies into the world of photography. It is sensible advice and a good lens will make a good composition into potentially, a great one. What if the lens you are using is 50 years old though ? Did the camera companies know a thing or two about producing high end quality lenses back then? I have been user of old manual focus lenses for nearly 10 years now. To be fair, I used some of them when they were new releases back in the late 70’s and 80’s but that’s beside the point. The advent of mirrorless cameras and adapters have enabled photographers to experiment with film era camera lenses. I have tried a few mounts and different manufacturers in recent times. I am a fan of Olympus Zuiko lenses (beautifully made, generally very contrasty and sharp), Canon FD lenses good too but the manufacturer I always return are Asahi Pentax. Their SMC (super multi coated) lenses produced from the mid 1970’s to the late 1980’s are always my go to choice.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax A 50mm f1.7

There is something about the process of taking a photo that is enhanced by using a manual focus lens. They make you feel more at one with your camera and the advent of focusing tools such as focus peaking, make capturing photos relatively easy. They can be quicker than autofocusing lenses as they don’t hunt for focus. You set the focal distance and everything will be in focus. Pentax made some lovely prime lenses back in the day. To be fair, they still make lovely lenses now but their film era glass have a certain quality about them. The colours are punchy but not lurid. They are slightly cooler than say Olympus Zuiko but attractive. The out of focus areas are very well controlled and you can get some beautiful bokeh with them. The biggest plus for a photographer however is the price of these lenses. The three focal lengths I use are 28mm, 50mm and 135mm. You can get a really good Pentax M lens in all these focal ranges for well under £40.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 135mm f3.5

If you were to only use manual vintage lenses, you could have a complete lens kit (including maybe a 70-210) for under £150. That is half the price of a modern secondhand standard Panasonic kit lens. What you get for that money are high quality metal lenses with beautiful glass. Yes, in tests they don’t perform to modern standards but you learn to work around that. The double advantage for someone who also happens to own a modern Pentax DSLR is that these 50 year old lenses will fit your modern camera without the need for an adapter, That is a huge plus and I continue to take my hat off to Ricoh Pentax for that.

I still use my modern autofocus lenses on both my S5II and Pentax K70. Sometimes, I need their autofocus, their sharpness, their weather sealing. I love the modern lenses but I have more fun with my older ones. They can be unpredictable but that can also be a bonus. You get effects that you would otherwise not with a modern one. If you have never used vintage lenses, I urge you to do so. They are an affordable way of creating interesting photographs. Many filmmakers are now using vintage lenses to get a different, more creative look. I would recommend Pentax or Olympus Zuiko but classics like the Helios 44m. It is an amazing focal length lens, that produces wild swirly bokeh and pretty sharp detail. Get yourself an adapter to fit your camera body and choose according to what lens mount your vintage lens has. Remember to make sure your camera is switched on to shooting without lens. This allows you take a photo. You won’t get exif data but you’ll just have to remember that! Go and have fun and you might get hooked like me!

One Camera - Maybe More Than One Lens?

New Year, new challenges. If I’m honest, I feel as if my photography has been a bit stuck of late. It’s not that I’m unhappy with the results but just that it isn’t progressing as upwardly as I would like. You often imagine that progress is gradual but consistent state. I realise from the benefit or misfortune of being nearly 60, that life very rarely goes in an upwardly straight projection. My kit is absolutely perfect for my photography. I have a small collection of stellar lenses and two brilliant hybrid camera bodies so I do not excuse myself on account of not being ably equipped. I had my first exhibition last September which went very well. I launched my website around the same time and am fairly pleased with the look and function of it. I have asked others who are in both photography and the creative arts as to how I could structure my website to increase traffic and sales of prints. I now have an idea as to how I can do this.

I’m also pleased with how my photographs are turning out. I see a shift in style and mood with my recent work and like how this shows some progression. The title of the post is however related to the challenge that is popular with many photographers ; namely the ‘One Camera, One Lens’. The principle behind this is to focus the photographer on improving their composition skills by requiring them work the scene more. Having a fixed focal length can be seen as a hindrance by some. Conversely, having a single focal length makes the photographer look at the scene more critically and maybe focus aspects of it rather than trying include everything in it. One of my favourite You Tube channels is that of James Popsys. He talks in one of his videos about the best advice he was given when starting out in Photography. He was told by a very experienced landscape photographer, to think of a scene as a jigsaw. To not look at the entirety of the scene as a completed one but to decide whether the component parts of that scene work sufficiently well to produce a coherent image. Having a single focal length can enable the photographer to concentrate on maybe one or two elements by virtue of the self imposed restrictions placed upon them. I do sometimes think my images can be too busy, too many elements. The skill of an artist can often be what you leave out rather than include.

I do however have a problem with using just one lens. I see why it is a good exercise but I also see the merits of having two ways of approaching a scene by using two focal lengths. I have sufficient experience to know that using one lens in certain circumstances, can be a bit like cutting your nose off to spite your face. I have two excellent Leica/Panasonic collaboration prime lenses - a 25mm f1.4 and 15mm f1.7. These give you the full frame equivalent focal lengths of 50 and 30mm respectively. The wider lens allows more of the scene to be included whereas the longer focal length is a standard length. The wider lens enables the photographer to give more context to the subject even if the shot includes maybe too many elements. The skill in this case is to manage how you contain the number of elements while increasing the context. The longer focal length reduces the extent of the scene but enables the focus to be specific. 50mm is not an uncommon focal length for portrait work which does allow a little scene to appear. In truth, I like both focal lengths. I may only take out one of those lenses as part of a two or three lens kit. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy using the other but I make a determination as to what the particular assignment requires.

In short, I do think it a worthwhile challenge but I am not a sufficiently experienced professional photographer, to artificially restrict my workflow by choosing only one focal length. For instance, yesterday, every shot I took on my Panasonic GH5ii was with the 35-100mm f2.8 lens. They were either at 35 or 100. I chose that lens because the images I wanted required that flexibility. I was very happy with the results and enjoyed working the compositions using that one lens. If I had used just 25mm lens, I would not have been able to get the images I specifically wanted. One day when i’m rich and famous, I will spend a year shooting exclusively with my Leica rangefinder and the best 50mm Leica lens I can afford. I will justify it as a need to return to improving compositions skills. Until that day, I still need the options my excellent kit allow me!

Getting to Grips

I got a new eyecup for my G9 today. Cheap as chips, a genuine Panasonic one courtesy of the lovely peeps at Wex. It is transformative as it makes the use of the viewfinder so much more comfortable. I’m beginning to really enjoy using the G9. I am wondering why I slogged on with various full frame cameras, all getting increasingly heavy. This camera is more than capable of helping me produce the type of photos I love taking. I’ve sold some gear over the Christmas period and am awaiting a used GX9 to compliment my G9. I also have received a Panasonic Leica Summilux 15mm f1.7 lens today to complete my lens collection. I can get all of my lenses and camera in one bag and it’s still lighter than a full frame body with attached lens and two other lenses. It makes carrying a camera a joy again. I’ve gone for the GX9 as a sort of replacement for the Ricoh GRIIIX. It means I can have a small, discreet camera but I can also carry a couple of other lenses in a small bag and it not feel cumbersome.

This time of year is often seen as an opportunity to reflect on the past year and plan for the next one. It has been a turbulent one photographically, what with all the changes I’ve made in gear. On a personal level, it has also been difficult. I lost my mum in June this year which was very sad. She had lived a long life and died peacefully with her family around her. I also have two new grandsons who are both adorable; this seems to often coincide with the loss of older family members. As I approach the dying embers of 2023, what have I learned? Firstly, the best camera you own, is the one you have with you. I know this is a well known saying in the photography world but it is very true. I have realised, creating art through photography doesn’t require the top spec, full frame gear with all the bells and whistles. Having a kit that is portable, functional and understandable is more important. I love the Panasonic menu systems, the ability to be able to shoot both stills and video to a very high standard and yet be light, tactile and reliable, are reassuring.

So what next for 2024? I plan to get out to some new locations and really work on creating more professional, more interesting photographs. We hope to be moving house at some point this year. Ideally, we hope to move to the coast, to build a new life by the sea. I have a deep affinity with the sea even though, I’m no sailor, fisherman or have any family connections. I don’t necessarily want to focus on coastline or seascapes but having it on the doorstep would be a massive bonus. It is more about the feeling one experiences stood on a beach, a clifftop, a harbour. Being next to an immense force of nature is humbling. I will miss living amongst the Pennine moorland but we need a change. My aspiration is to learn how to get the best out the kit I have. I also want to grow my fledgling professional photography, to sell more proficiently through this website and to offer my services as an outdoors photographer to any potential clients.

I need to get fitter, to be less impulsive, take my time over photographs, not rush the process. The photographer Chris Orange, a constant source of inspiration to me, has moved away from digital cameras for his landscape work and gone to medium format film. It isn’t a new experience for him but he’s decided to shoot film for his landscape work as it enables him to enjoy the creative process and slow down more. I too have shot film over the years but never with a serious professional grade camera. I rushed using compact 35mm film cameras so almost conversely, I now take my time far more using professional level digital! Thank you for being with me in 2023. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope 2024 is a peaceful and productive one for you.

No Compromise

I said goodbye to my full frame Pentax K1 a week ago. I was sorry to see it go but needs must and it was time to enter pastures new. I could have gone back to Fujifilm, a camera manufacturer I know very well. My main concern however was kit weight and although the bodies are generally a lot lighter than the full frame equivalents, often the zoom lenses aren’t much smaller.

The only realistic other option was to enter the world of Micro Four Thirds and specifically, Panasonic. I could have invested a large amount of money in the latest G9 MkII but in the end, I went with the MkI G9. It’s a very good camera, high spec, good menus, very comfortable to hold. It has great video specs too which is a real step up from the Pentax. I did however, realise I would have to rethink how I use my camera. The smaller sensors aren’t as good at controlling noise in high iso settings. That means relying on base iso and slower shutter speeds in low light. .

I’ve been using it for a few days now with some getting used to. The lenses are very nice and incredibly tiny. It’s so nice to be able to pick your camera out of your bag and not feel weighted down before you even compose a shot. Today, I spent an hour in Leeds city centre, doing some street photography. I put the Leica kit lens on and got to work. What a joy to use! I’m pleased with the shots I got , some slightly different to my usual style. I know it is capable of producing top class professional results but this will take time to get on top of. As a workhorse however, I couldn’t be happier. I hope you like the selected images from this mornings session. It does not feel like a compromise. It’s a different route but I hope, the right one.

Harsh Realities.

I have neck and shoulder issues. It’s not a new thing and the combination of poor posture, carrying excess weight and being fairly tall ; all combine to make carrying stuff about painful. This year has been what some could describe as turbulent in my camera gear ownership. I switched to full frame in spring and was initially happy I had done so. I failed to notice the inexorable rise in weight of my camera gear. Lenses and camera bodies got increasingly heavy and bulky. I accepted it as part of the deal with full frame. That’s what serious photographers use after all?

My neck and shoulders have got progressively worse as the year has gone on. Whether it is carrying round heavier gear or just anno domini creeping up; I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favours. By and large, I’m an outdoors photographer, either in nature or in towns and cities. I like to have an interchangeable lens camera with at least two lenses and the resultant accessories should my sd cards fail, lens cloths, filters etc. I have been using the Pentax K1 recently. It’s a stellar machine but heavy. Combined with a kit lens or telephoto zoom, it becomes even heavier. Yesterday, I went for a walk just outside Hebden Bridge. I used a backpack to distribute weight across my back and shoulders. The walk was fine but my neck and shoulders were painful. The images I got were disappointing partly because I felt the heft of the gear. It all felt a bit too much effort.

I downloaded the images and had a serious think. Why have I pursued the idea of going full frame? What discernible advantage has it given me over crop sensors ? Many of the Fujifilm zooms and pro grade lenses aren’t much smaller than full frame equivalents which is why I switched in the first place. I was already carrying a fairly heavy pack when out doing landscape photography. Maybe the truth that I was struggling physically with large gear had been filed away in the ‘well nevermind about that’ section. So, I needed to do something decisive. Make a change that will free me up to get out more.

I have decided to downsize to micro four thirds. Smaller lenses, generally smaller bodies, different prospect altogether. I am happy to relinquish megapixels if the payoff is more mobility. I know there are professional photographers who use MFT with some success. I feel I have the skills to deal with the possible consequences of a drop in file resolution. We have to make compromises sometimes and my search for the perfect system continues. Many of my prints for sale on this website are taken with smaller sensors, some with low megapixels. They print just as beautifully as the full frame images. Most people view my images online so having a 20.2 mp camera, is no loss really. I just hope I can stop this revolving door of camera gear and settle with a system that works for me in every way. I need to get to know a camera better.

Change Is In The Air.

Seasons often meld into each other. When does autumn end or when does winter begin? In the UK it is officially the 1st December and lasts until the end of February. That seems pretty clear. The weather often says otherwise and winter conditions can come early and appear well into what is thought of as spring. Climate change in the past 20 years has exacerbated these anomalies so it is not uncommon to now experience mild winters and late cold spells well into March and even April. There does not seem to be clear demarcations of seasons any longer which can cause problems for photographers. We like reliable weather, not good weather but just reliable. The UK is not known particularly for its reliability but as a rule, we can work around whatever weather appears. As I say on every blog, I am no landscape photographer. I love taking landscape photos, some of which turn out well. I am more of an outdoor photographer, at home in both urban and rural settings.

I really like a moody sky, can cope with rain and wind. I’m uncertain in snow as I haven’t taken enough to hone any skills in those conditions. Autumn suits me down to the ground. Good skies, pops of colour making the options for images all the more plentiful. I have been on a camera gear journey that has proved to be more turbulent than I had hoped. I want a rugged camera that will be at home in bad weather, take detailed images with lots of depth and be reasonably affordable. Panasonic has been very good nearly for all of that. I am however looking at Pentax full frame. Not the most common gear these days although it has a stellar history in photography. It was one of the pioneers of SLR cameras, of IBIS or SR (shake reduction in Pentaxian). It has always had a reputation for producing high quality cameras and lenses. The K1 is apparently, a beast. It has 36.4mp, practically every bell and whistle a photographer could wish for. it’s a pretty lousy video camera but I’m primarily a photographer.

I do wonder if I am satisfying some hidden need for satisfaction by changing my gear as often as I do. I know a new camera won’t make me a better photographer but it might just get me further along the road. My plan is shoot photos with the Pentax and Ricoh GRIIIX and shoot video with the Panasonic S5. The video will contain You Tube videos so I need a good video camera. The S5 is a great photo camera but as I said earlier, it lacks a certain something. Soul is maybe overstated but there is something about the camera you have in your hand. The Ricoh GRIIIX excites me. You feel as if there possibilities where there were not before you picked it up. I recently and briefly owned a Leica SL which managed to do that. Unfortunately, I also felt unworthy of owning such an expensive piece of kit, plus I needed the help of IBIS which it did not have.

Like the seasons, I feel a change in the air. I have been a serious photographer for a couple of years now and have acquired a degree of technical competence. I want a piece of kit capable of easing my ambitions as a photographer. I don’t care if the technology is a few years old, as long as it’s really good. I have been in a creative autumn and now feel the onset of winter. Winter isn’t a bad thing in my book. I love the challenges that winter throws at you, I don’t mind the cold and find it easier to be in snow as long as I don’t have to drive anywhere. It has been tough year in some respects, losing my mum, changes with my family, uncertainties of our future. My partner and I are happy to change and live with change. I have a new grandchild and another imminently about to appear. I love being a grandpa, not at all bothered being one. Next year is a big milestone for me and I suspect, more change will come. I feel my professional photography career is about to take off. Just need to make sure I don't screw things up before it begins!

Autumn Walk.

Birch Tree - Panasonic S5 + Panasonic 24-105mm f/4

I have a lingering, annoying cold. It has been here nearly a week and it’s getting me down. I have missed opportunities to go out and capture the majestic displays of autumn. I haven’t been feeling overly positive of late, and having to sell my Leica to recoup some funds, only made this worse. As someone who suffered with clinical depression for several years, it is always a worry. Am I slipping back into the darkness again? Is the black dog trotting his way up the garden path? I think it feels more physical health related this time and hopefully when this bloody cold goes, I’ll perk up. That’s the excuses out of the way and now onto one of the two photowalks I have managed this week.

I stopped at Chellowdene on the outskirts of Bradford on Thursday this week. It is a place I have been to many times in all weathers, lights and times of year. Autumn is maybe where it is at its finest however. The rambling woods lead to two reservoirs constructed first in 1844 and then 1853, were built to supply fresh drinking water to the city of Bradford. They are very popular with dog walkers and locals wanting to stretch their legs. My late mum played in these woods as a child in the 1930’s. I wandered through the woods to the upper reservoir, stopping frequently to capture the beautiful burnished colours, crunching over a carpet of leaves. I felt pretty dreadful butt also determined to not turn round and get back in the car. The lure of capturing some seasonal colour was too much and also, I wanted to give my Panasonic S5, a runout.

As I have owned one of these cameras before, it felt familiar and comfortable. I forgot how well it performs and the level of detail you can recover from the raw files. It made me wonder why I had sold it for the Leica, given that they do share certain internal components, thanks to the Panasonic/Leica hook up. I was grateful for the in-body image stabilisation as my hands were particularly shaky thanks to the cold and general feeling of feebleness. It pairs very well with the 24-105 lens which also has image stabilisation. The Lens is probably the nicest kit lens of any manufacturer I have ever owned. Simple, effective and not overly heavy. It does the simple things well.

I am glad I managed to get out and get some photos. I am always happiest when I have a camera in hand. This is only marginally better than looking and processing the raw images. To see your photos come alive in Lightroom is a joy. The greatest moment for me in any photography, is the split second before the shutter goes. Can you capture what is not only before you but what you see as being before you. These for me are very different in that one is how the scene is and the other is how you envisage it could be portrayed. I am not a landscape photographer in any way. I don’t want to recreate the scene exactly as it is. I know many landscape photographers will manipulate their raw images to create a certain mood or bring out facets in the composition which I guess is where I am. I went for a darker moodier vibe this time, wanting the colours to pop but the skies and shadows to also predominate. When I’ve shaken this cold, I hope to get out again and do some more photos before the trees lose all their leaves and winter sets in. Sorry for the moaning and thanks for reading so far. Enjoy your Sunday!

Unworthy or Uncomfortable

Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey - Leica SL typ601 + Panasonic 24-105mm f4

For almost as long as I have been taking photographs seriously; I have wanted to own a Leica. Maybe it’s the kudos, the legend that is Leica? Three months ago, I got my hands on one. It is a beautiful piece of precision engineering, designed to make photography a pleasure. The camera has not put a foot wrong. I have enjoyed every minute using it. I can’t carry on owning it.

Ok, that sounds perverse. In some ways it is but hear me out. Before the Leica, I was shooting very happily with a Panasonic S5. Quite simply, the best camera I had ever owned. It did everything very well and was a pleasure to hold and use. The only gripe I had was the abundance of options available in the way of controls. I knew what they did but they confused me. The Leica is a solution to this issue. The Leica however has its drawbacks, one of which has proved to be the main reason I am going back to the S5. The Panasonic has IBIS (in body image stabilisation) and once you have owned a camera with it, it’s very hard to go back. Even my beloved Ricoh GRIIIX has IBIS which is part of the joy of that little gem. I tried raising the minimum shutter speed and that helped to a certain extent. I bought the Panasonic 24-105 which has optical image stabilisation, but it works only moderately when not paired with an IBIS equipped body.

South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey.

The Panasonic is the match to the Leica in sensor, out performs it on dynamic range and low light capability. Its video features are stunning and it is half the price of the Leica. That brings me onto the other reason. Owning a Leica is a pleasure but also a burden to those of us who don’t always feel deserving of such expensive kit. I know I am a semi professional photographer who needs a decent level of quality gear but Leica takes you well beyond that threshold. I’m not berating myself and wailing ‘Im not worthy’ but if I can achieve the same results with well made and more affordable gear, then I feel better about it. I hope this will have scratched the ‘I want a Leica’ itch once and for all. I don’t want more megapixels or lightning quick autofocus. I want a camera that produces beautiful images when this bloke does a half decent job of pointing it in the right direction. I don’t want to feel nervous of taking it out and using it. I don’t want people to think I have only got one because of the name. I recognise it is a fabulous camera, especially when in the hands of a skilled, experienced professional. I am not there yet and consequently need all the help I can get from my gear. I realise I shake more than I thought and having stabilisation, helps me nail focus more often than not. I will miss the simplicity of design, the straightforward menu system and the minimalist layout. I realise these are compromises I must make but make them I must. I can now say I am a Lumix and Ricoh user and live with that. It is not a step back, merely sideways.

Beaumaris Pier, Anglesey.