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Cheers, Steve!

And I still haven't worked out how to make a real profit myself without doing too many of the things that aren't really my idea of photography. Other than writing for EPZ...

It will be a lot cheaper to resurrect your 135, Tim...

Just saying!

As you say, Karl - the Canon - one of the original range of Canon AF lenses - is a fixed f/4 throughout the zoom range. Handy, but no match for fixed focal length lenses.

For the forensically minded, it looks like this when unencumbered by cards and photogrpaher...

Thank you, Robert!

You are a good guide for this journey.

Cheers, Ian.

Normally, I aim to write about things I know pretty well: this was a real exploration of new territory, and it was good fun!

I hope that it helps others who are just beginning to dabble: and to those who use colour grading the same way i use a Contax RTS, a plea: please forgive my limited understanding - and feel free to add your own thoughts and tips.

Now that sounds like a good idea, Dave...

Paul, I wouldn't suggest the Meritar for anything at all except shooting using UV light - it's pretty awful on film!

And the game changes significantly for MFT compared with full frame: for my Sony bodies, it's a standard lens: on my Olympus, it's a 2x telephoto.

In general, I don't rate old lenses as being worth using - mostly, even the best are sort of like the modern equivalents, but harder to use and not quite as good (I believe there are some things that are better done differently for digital as compared with film). There has to be something special about the look, or some other virtue, as with the Meritar's three thin elements, which impede UV far less than any modern lens.

(And for clarity, I am shooting using the UV reflected from the subject, not using UV light to stimulate fluorescence, which is quite a common trick for a 'different' look. Makes my eyes ache, though!)

I'm delighted that people at both gardens have given me positive feedback about the articles - both a lady called Carol at Great Dixter, with whom I chatted as I left, and who I discussed the possibility with, and Julie at Cae Hir, who had not expected to see a photographic piece about the family garden.

Ju - the shot of the seeds was a snap with my mobile - I don't routinely carry any lens that gets close to doing the structure justice! I'm surprised that I don't recall seeing anything like that in books or on here - really, the seeds demand a carefully lit studio portrait. (And as these were in a garden I walked past, I couldn't just grab them!)

Maybe next year I should make a point of going to the door and asking if i can kidnap a stem or two.

Thank you, Walt!

Yesterday, I put my money where my mouth is, and shot for two hours with a model and only an 85mm lens on my Alpha 7. The only concession to backup was a Contax RTS with T-Max P3200, and another 85mm lens.

First result HERE. There will probably be more, and I can confirm that I didn't wish, at any point, that I'd taken more lenses with me.

Mal, I have one suggestion, based on quite extensive use of manual focus lenses on Alpha 7 bodies.

Focus peaking is OK, but it's far more accurate if you can program a button to give you a magnified view, and then use the joystick or 4-way pad to move the magnified area around the screen. You compose, call up the magnified view and move it to the area you want to focus on, magnify, focus, and expose without returning to the full frame view. This minimises the risk of camera or subject movement between focussing and exposure.

Janet, that's the thing... The confidence - not so much in the kit, but in your ability to use it creatively.

I'm shooting with a model I know pretty well tomorrow. Maybe I should go with just the one lens (though I might take a film camera with the same focal length fitted as well). I know that there are some pictures I couldn't take - but there are an awful lot that I could, and that's part of how this works, I think - you focus on the feasible, and can be in the flow more fully.

Harald -

I have two original RTS bodies, and an RTS 2, and they remain the most precise cameras I own. I still use them, especially the original one that I bought in 1976. Te RTS 3 was really easy to look at, and put down again: comparing it with the original is like comparing a Porsche Cayenne with a 911 Turbo: big and unwieldy compared with lean and purposeful. But I have smaller hands than many people.

Mal and Bill - it may be personal prejudice, because I could never get zooms to behave on the Contaxes, but I think a minimal outfit probably needs to exclude zooms, certainly wide-range zooms. For me, a part of the point of a minimal outfit is that you save time by not having to make choices - including choices about zoom settings. The trick is to understand just how much you can do with a single focal length, whether it's wide or long, or even (amazingly) a standard!

Sadly, the lead is very typical for me... When i feel less confident about life, I hide behind a wall of cameras.

Lockdown walks, though, somehow increased my confidence about travelling light.

Cheers, Keith!

Mind you, when I can have more gear available, easily... Why not?

And you can find the time-lapse video of Leigh's old studio by searching YouTube for Leigh Perkins Photography. Some brief nudity is involved.

Bob, there are a few EPZ members who seem to be guilty of perverse river flows!

There are lots of ways to correct converging verticals - I like the Skew tool in Photoshop, and use it a lot: you need to unlock the frame (a padlock next to the background layer icon, bottom right in PS as it appears on my computer) and then it's Edit/Transform/Skew, and you can move the corners around with the cursor. I know there are auto functions - but they can lead to a shot LOOKING wrong, which is as bad as it being wrong!

Interesting area for portraits and nudes...

As she should be - on every photographer's list of people to photograph, of course.

I suspect you'd get on well with Amber, Ju - like you, she gets on with the things she's decided to do!

We both aim to give good value, Alan!

If you want to work with Amber Belle, contact her through her page at Purpleport. Please note that you may find nude ('NSFW') pictures there.

As it goes, I'm looking to do more mirror shots again: and I suspect the real answer is to shoot with the right geometry, so that both images are at the same distance...

Point taken - though my cooking iPhone (which I'll change when the third battery dies, and not before) doesn't do that stuff with two images. As far as i know!

And it's worth mentioning, for everyone thinking of trying a drone...

There are new rules in the UK, very unhelpfully worded, about the need to register to own ('operate' in the words of the legislation) and fly drones. The only exemption now is if your drone is a 'toy': and it's quite hard to argue that a DJI Mini - at over £400 - is a toy. There's a test, and a pair of registrations, and a cost, currently £10 a year for an operator licence.

The drone must have the operator licence number written on it: you must carry the flyer documentation when using a drone...

Sometimes, painstaking testing is necessary to work something important out. Mostly, it isn't, particularly if there are ideas to be put into practice.

Largely, it's irrelevant whether lens A for one brand is better than lens B for another - having made choices at one point, one tends to stay loyal to one brand, because of the cost of switching. But God bless the switchers, because they sell their old kit cheaper than new stock...

One thing's for certain - the old adage that the best lens for the picture is the one you have with you remains true. And I've found that Mr Riley's reviews provide me with good information on which to base my purchases. As a result, I have a number of exceptionally good Samyang lenses that are smaller, lighter and far cheaper than the 'best' ones available. This leaves money for going out and taking pictures in my budget...

Thank you, Janet!

Have a great Easter.

Whatever the camera, the results will give a degree of indication of the lens quality, I'd suggest.

I don't know John Riley personally, but I wonder if - like me - he has limited money to spend on photography, and so far he hasn't decided to fork out £3k+ on a new body. The results will be more than good enough to give an indication of quality for those who are - for instance - running an Alpha 7II.

And JR was writing at the same time as I was...

Update - see THIS video on YouTube for Steve's latest success...

As the Alpha 7 range has been a game-changer for cameras, so I suspect Samyang is becoming a game-changer for lenses.

Though the offerings from Sony and Sigma generally offer a tiny bit more quality, this is often at the expense of a great deal more weight and bulk as well as a far higher price tag. I've found that my own camera bag now contains more Samyang glass than Sony, and I find that the results generally meet my expectations as an Alpha 7R III user.

One of these is the 135mm f/2 MF lens you refer to. I use it in situations when there's not a great deal of time pressure, and so the MF isn't a big disadvantage - in terms of Bokeh per Pound Sterling, it's exceptional, especially as I found a mint-condition example secondhand for around half the current list price...

Thank you for another informative and painstaking review, Mr Riley.

Thank you for at least two user awards - whether deliberately or accidentally, you have direct messages disabled.

Very best wishes for 2023!

Yet again, L, your images remind me of our common humanity - pictures that could have been shot in any country.

Thank yo ufor reminding us all that we are one people, in times when so many would see us divided.

Mile - your street pictures represent a consistent high point in my visits to EPZ. I hope that you are printing, displaying and archiving these - a real social document that hits hard and deserves to be put in print.

You haven't been a member for long, Laura, but you already seem to be someone to watch carefully - a series of thoughtful and beautiful pictures.

I hope that you will be able to post pictures daily for a very long time to come. And I will enjoy every single one of them.

I keep finding pictures in yoru portfolio that make me insanely jealous... We live in the same world, but you see it far better than I do!

Some of the very best, the most creative, the most emotionally engaging work on the site.

Simply, the most consistently brilliant and perceptive portfolio on Ephotozine.

There are many good photographers on here. Some outstanding ones. But over the last few months, you've consistently posted work that is, in some sense, utterly alien, as well as being totally human.

No pressure, truly. If you decided to stick to unprocessed pictures of used car dealers for the rest of your life, you have produced better work than I ever will: I suspect I speak for a lot of other members in saying this.

Some lovely observations here - and all seen through a finely-tuned eye!

Marian -

You have a rare talent, infusing every picture with emotion and resonance. You see the relationships between things and people, between thoughts and emotions, and yo ushare them through your pictures.

Thank you.

A portfolio that never disappoints. A long series of lovely views, beautifully shot.

I love Rhodes, and particularly Lindos.

This portfolio reminds me why I want to go back there for another holiday - the warm sun, the ancient buildings, the friendly people and the lovely food and wine...

George - you're so lucky to live there - and I am so glad you share the view!

Careful, hard-working and methodical. Beautiful and thoughtful results.

They say artists transform suffering into beauty.

You are a true artist.

Some lovely, old-fashioned reportage here. Zappy colour and a lack of time and thought are popular these days: this is a wonderful antidote - especially from a young tog!

Pauline -

You have a quietly stunning portfolio: better than some who are full-time pro dance photographers.

I've tried, once or twice, to photograph dancers: it is not simple, and doing it as well as you do needs knowledge, experience, and precise timing.

I shall keep looking at new work as you post it...

After months (years?) of loooing at and usually voting for your pictures, Dave, I've played around with one in Elements.

This has given me evidence for what I sort-of saw anyway - you are a technical perfectionist, and get tones, colours and sharpness exactly where they need to be.

I wish I could do that...

An exceptionally lovely selection of pictures, and all wonderfully seen and shot.

Not many people have such a good eye and such a sure touch...

It's hard to know what to say about your portfolio, Rebekah - you do, with complete assurance and a wonderful flair, all those things that usually don't work. For you, they succeed!

There are a lot of people who bring digital art into disrepute, and I never fail to comment to that effect. But I'm always humbled by the way that you do it so differently, and so well.

It makes me think that it may be valid for some people (though not me, obviously) to use digital instead of film, all the time.

Keep it up. It's wonderful.

Your portfolio is, simply, one of the best on the site. Consistently inventive, humane and technically just right - it deserves vastly more votes than it has so far.

Keep it up - it's inspiring!

John

Wonderfully varied portfolio!

John

Wonderfully observed pictures - classic slow-burn reportage images.

Lovely!

John

Thanks for many interesting mods - I wish I could use PS as well as you do!

But your portfolio isn't "PS-heavy" - talent plus restraint is a really unusual combination!

John

One day, all digital cameras will be silicon dust, and real cameras will rule the world.

Until then, silver prints are still very special indeed...

John

Lovely pictures - but don't get rid of the film cameras yet...

Keep the pictures coming!

John