The Olympus 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 is often referred to as the 'pocket rocket' due to its combination of light weight, great image quality, and low price. I picked one up when I bought my first Olympus body and ... much later ... I realised that I'd never used it. But, seeing as I'm shortly planning a … Continue reading Olympus 40-150mm f4.0-5.6
Thirlestane Castle, in the Scottish Borders, is the venue for the annual classic car show by the Borders Vintage Automobile Club. I went there in 2018 with my Minolta Dynax 4, shooting Lomography 400. The first thing that surprised me was that, among all those beautiful vintage cars, I seemed to be the only person … Continue reading A Very British Day Out
What's your 'go to' place when you want to test a new camera or lens? For me, for over ten years, it's been Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum. It's got everything - open all year round, easy access, just 20 minutes drive from home, and with an incredible selection of industrial architecture - both decaying and … Continue reading Prestongrange
The Fujilfilm Finepix E550 was my first serious digital camera. In 2004, a digital SLR was well out of budget, but I could just about stretch to the £300 or so that this digital compact cost. Six megapixels was - still is - ample for everyday use. But more importantly, the Finepix E550 offered full … Continue reading Fujifilm Finepix E550
I bought this lens on a whim. I'd recently bought my first mirrorless camera - the micro four thirds Olympus OM-D M10 Mark II - and I was keen to try out a manual lens. Only thing was, old lenses are heavy., and I'd bought the Olympus for its small size and portability. And with … Continue reading 7Artisans 25mm f1.8
Beckton, East London, 1988. The old gas works - long since abandoned - were lying derelict and unloved. Stanley Kubrick has just finished filming Full Metal Jacket. Today, the gas works are long gone. Drive past, and you'd never even know they were there. Film: Kodak Tri-XCamera: Zenit ELens: Helios 44 58mm f2
