So you bought that?!

We mentioned last week about this being originally a Photography centred blog which is quite true although the reason for photography as far as I was concerned was to capture memories and that matter to me or things now that will over time become them.

In a few respects blogging while good for the writing part - a bit like a scrapbook - posed issues with pictures not least if you wanted to make a post within a few days and it may take a week to get the film back with scanned images so for just about eighteen years shaped what I used from a basic digital compact camera to a DSLR.

I hear friends say "The only time I ever take it (the dslr) out is to events where I want more lens choice and control otherwise I use my smartphone or compact camera" and I can understand why.

The "new to me" Sony compact with full exposure mode choice and a fairly fast lens works well unless you need the viewfinder as strong sun can make looking at displays almost impossible the odd time ot proper macro photographing abilities.

What I do miss is the concentration, the absorbing nature of  making a picture on traditional manual focus film camera, altering the settings as you view the scene.

You feel more involved if you will with the act of taking that picture.

Thus often thinking about from the early 2000's, I decided to get a fully manual exposure film camera with mechanical shutter just for the fun if taking pictures for posterity and I might add more relaxation.

That's the top plate and you're naked with no automatic wotsits, just metering by hand owning the results and any mistakes as no silicon chip is going to do it for you but you can just get on with it without setting frame modes, program exposure modes or video options.

You take pictures, it commits them to film. That's all.

Having less means you don't have to think "where is that feature?" and everything you use is to hand from the aperture and focus ring at the front, the shutter speed selector that does a dizzy 1/4000 of a second and the winder that has the meter battery switch come on at 30 degree turn of it.

Best of all it can take later pre 2003 Auto Focus lenses for Nikons AF cameras as they fully meter on it which takes in high quality lightweight zooms which because they don't play well with Nikon DSLR's that rely totally on electrics for aperture setting can be had for little money so I got a Sigma 28-105mm zoom lens which is just perfect for taking pictures where changing lenses can be a pain like crowds or near beaches that love to blow sand in to your camera.

Film can be mailed to Photo Hippo in Burnley who do develop and scan it putting them online to download as soon as it's done plus any prints.

We're going back in time!