Richard & Caroline's Blog

A major firmware release appeared this week for the ZF. Features like Autofocus bird tracking mode has now appeared.

With the new Z5II, Z6III, all using the same processing engine as the flagships Z9 and Z8, and this the ZF we are seeing common features rolled across the board.

Its great to see Nikon not skipping advanced features on their cheaper models.

Less is more; is something that many people like in design.

In camera design this can be good and bad. A Leica M rangefinder is a very simple design with traditional controls.

The latest Hasselblads with there icon based menu system are a breath of fresh air, instead of having to wade though the typical menus of the Sony, Fuji, Canon and Nikons.

I leave Leica off there list as they have done a lot of work to simply the menu system, and with the Leica TL they had the icon style menu interface,

The Sigma BF is going to appeal to a different kind of photographer and is even more cut down then the Leica TL was. For some its going to inspire and I congratulate Sigma for being so brave in producing this.

I wrote the other day about character lens and I see Voiglander are announcing more lens this times for the Leica M mount.

Voigtlander to announce four new lenses for Leica M-mount at the 2025 CP+ show

Leica themselves also announced more classic lens themselves.

It seems since my post back in 2021 about the 40mm lens https://brown-family.org.uk/50mm-to-long-35mm-to-wide-meet-the-40mm/

Many manufacturers are now releasing one.

If you check out social media and YouTube everyone is shouting about how great the old Minolta 40mm is; the Sony, the Canon, the Nikon.

I think partially what’s driving this is the fact that many of these are character lens. Modern Sigma Art, Sony G Master lens, Canon L glass, Nikon S glass etc are striving to be as optically correct as possible. Many people feel that these lens lack character, are boring, and sterile.

If your after a character lens then Voiglander are a great place to look. Many of there APO lens are very good but some like the 40mm f/1.2 are very interesting. Wide open these have older characteristics which many find pleasing. Stop down beyond f/2.8 and there sharp more normal lens, open up and they offer character and a more interesting look. This will not be for everyone but many appreciate this.

Nikon themselves have jumped on this bandwagon with there none S f/1.4 lens, and the 40mm f/2 being particular notable and has quite a fan base.

I blogged the other week about cameras for work and pleasure, and I thought I would revisit this area.

Cameras for work and cameras for pleasure

I find it interesting in the number of photographers who go for retro style cameras for their personal use. There seems to be something that inspires when we use older style cameras.

One of the most popular but I expect due to price its more that people would like then actually own it the Leica M. An iconic camera and I am extremely lucky to own not only film M’s but digital M’s that I regularly use.

So you want a retro styled camera; what’s available. First up we have to start with Fuji, and I’ll mention the X100, but there whole X series are very good cameras if you want a retro feel.

I will also give a shout out to the Olympus Pen series cameras. Like the Fuji X100, I have come close to purchasing a Pen and the Pen F with its viewfinder I thought was a wonderful camera, we now also have the OM3 with again has a very retro feel.

Lastly as a Nikon fan I feel I should mention the ZFc and the ZF, both great cameras but a little larger in the hand.

If you want a fixed lens retro inspired camera, then I feel the options are Leica Q if money is no concern. Or for the majority of us the Fuji X100.

For interchangeable lens; if your after small I think the OM Pen series or the new OM3; I like MicroFourThirds; the small size and good lens line up. Have a look at the Fuji line up as well.

Lastly you have the Nikons, not as small but with the Z mount and the available adapters, possibly the biggest line of modern and classic lens to experiment with.

Its at this time of year when we start to get frustrated with our photography.

I often find myself shooting black and white; images of old churches, bare trees etc, but there is also opportunities to capture colour monochrome images. A brown field etc, gray old wood against a stone wall. Keep a look out and you may be surprised with the images you can capture.

It was not only Nikon releasing cameras and lens last week. Olympus or OM as there now know released the OM-3.

I am a big fan of the OM system and MicroFourThirds, while everyone focuses on full frame, DX and smaller have advantages in size and weight.

The new OM3 is very well built and has a number of nice features for street photography. Interestingly the new camera and a lens is not much different in price then a Fuji X100 and I think it will appeal to the same market.

My soft spot for the OM range has always been the Pen series, especially the last Pen F, a lovely camera, this new OM3 is as close to that as they have gotten in a while.