As I sit typing this I’ve just put the Christmas cake in the oven, I have traditional carols playing quietly in the background from Alexa, and I’m sipping slowly on a glass of red. Life is good!
To round out the year I thought I’d review my top three cameras. I did this last year after reading Jim Grey’s post. Not the three I like the best or cost the most, but the three I actually used the most this last year.
In 3rd place was my Nikon F3.
The F3 had a few outings this year, the last being the Heritage Day in Dorchester (here, and here) where the batteries ran out and I’d forgotten about the manual 90th sec shutter release just to the bottom left of the the lens mount, as you look at the camera! I guess that over this last year I may have put four of five rolls through the camera, enough to keep it ticking over, but it’s lovely to use, and I should use it more, especially with the 35mm f2, that seems to have become my favourite!
In second place: The Pentax Spotmatic.
I decided I’d use the Spotmatic, partly because it was more in keeping age wise, with the subject of the “Castleman Trial”, a walk along the once railway line. I also chose it because I’ve not used it much and I’d just acquired a rather nice tele lens. Well I never used that in the end, I did use the 50mm and the 35mm, although mostly the 35mm. I thought I may write three or four posts about the trail, in the end I’ve got to part 11 so far!… and I still haven’t completed it! That may become a thing to complete next spring.
In first place the Canon EOS 30
I’ve shot much more film with this camera, and lens combination than any other this year, by a lot. That’s partly as I took it with me on my London city break, but also out and about. I used it on my day out down the River Tarrant too. I’ve written how the 40mm STM f2.8 lens seems to be the perfect angle of view for a very large chunk of what I photograph, and that the viewfinder is bright and big, and critically focusable for my eyesight, so I don’t have to faff about with glasses!
S.H.O.U.T. 