Graveyard Shift...

Fujifilm's Surprise X100

Fujifilm have announced the X100, a fixed focal length 12MP compact with a large (APS-C or DX in Nikon terms) sensor. Given Fuji's innovative approach to sensor design I am really keen to see the results from this. My only qualm is the price, which is as yet, unannounced. Press release here.

Yorkshire - Rainbow & Barn

Nikon AI/AI-S Data

I'm a big fan of 20-30 year old Nikon AI/AI-S lenses on modern Digital SLRs*, choose wisely and you can get some excellent quality glass for very little money. These lenses offer:

• Superb build quality
• Lovely tactile focus (no AF here!)
• Depth of field scales

All this suits landscape photography well, but may not be to everyone's taste. There's plenty of good examples of these lenses around, many are in excellent condition and prices seem very reasonable. Also, these are unlikely to depreciate very quickly, so if you do buy one on ebay or whatever, but then decide to sell it on, chances are you won't lose anything.

If you're tempted (be warned it's easy to turn into a collector of these gems!), here's a couple of really useful links:

For mini 'reviews' of almost the whole range, see here (scroll down to the bottom for links to lenses).

For a database of specifications, see here (includes serial no. ranges so you can estimate production date or confirm variant).

For Bjørn Rørslett's concise lens opinions see here.

One of my top recommendations would be a 55mm f/2.8 macro, you can pick one up for less then £150.

* NB You should check your camera manual for compatibility, as not all metering functions will be supported on all bodies.

Steve McCurry Retrospective

Went to see a retrospective of American photo-journalist Steve McCurry's work in Birmingham at the weekend, and came away impressed on three levels.

First, and most importantly, the images, have a strong story line, an emotional 'hook' that makes you wonder how the people depicted got to that point and/or, what happened next? Good examples would be of a little boy crying whilst holding a gun (presumably a toy) to his head, and another of a smiling elderly tailor up to his neck in monsoon flood water, carrying a battered sewing machine on his shoulder.

I'm intrigued how I could create such strong emotional connections with images that are not of people, but of landscapes, or even if that's remotely possible? And, if not, what does that mean for my photography?

Second, the quality of the work is superb: timing; saturated colours; pin sharp details at exhibition size. All very impressive, and the latter especially so when you consider many are from 35mm film taken 20 years ago.

A sudden squall sent Birmingham shoppers scurrying for cover & this

parasol hurtling down the street past the window of the coffee shop...

Thirdly, what a great place Birmingham City Centre is these days, great shops, architecture, museum and a really nice atmosphere. We had lunch in one of the many restaurants over looking the canal. Even the weather was pretty good, despite the brief storm depicted above!

You can catch the exhibition at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, details here, it's on until mid October. If you can't get there, Steve McCurry's website is here.