Saturday, 9th July, 2022
An unnamed individual brought to light the Nikon F100. Not sure if I’ve looked at that exact model in the past, but I’ve looked at multiple Nikon film SLRs. It made me think that a Voigtlander 50mm (which is the bargain M mount compared to the Leica lenses) could pay for a F100 plus a handful of excellent Nikon lenses, including the 50mm f/1.4. Plus I get the benefit of autofocus, matrix metering and a whole host of convenience with the Nikon vs. the M2. The money saved could be invested into so many rolls of film instead. It’s probably not quite as small, although weight-wise is likely no more given the heft of the M2. Plus with Nikon F mount lenses there’s 1000s and they all work on the most modern DSLRs - and even the new Z mount with the adapter - although not sure how great that actually is - I assume makes it seamless?
So why don’t I get it? This is the question I’m asking myself. I like the look of film, the colour, the grain, the surprise. Do I like it because I’ve had to meter the light myself, and I’ve had to choose all the settings, and I’ve had to focus it? It certainly makes good shots more rewarding, but would I just enjoy everything anyway and have all the shots nicely focused and exposed 90+% of the time by the camera?
I’m not going to get rid of the M2, but maybe I should keep it as my 35mm favourite and everything else is the Nikon? Ugh…I still don’t want more cameras with more mounts to buy lenses for…although considerably cheaper.
Back when I used to have Nikon…My first decent (aka real DSLR) was a D40, which I paired with a 35 mm f/1.8 DX lens and probably used that for 2 years straight without getting another lens. I pined over the (optically terrible but mighty convenient) 18-200mm super zoom. My uncle had one and I would sometimes borrow it when I visited, however, it was far too big and heavy for the D40. When I upgraded to the D7000 I did end up getting the 18-200mm and used it a lot. Have a lot of favourite photos from that lens. I loved taking headshots at 200mm with it! At some stage I got a D7200, but when I moved to mirrorless with the X100F - chosen as we were travelling a lot due to living abroad and I didn’t want to carry a huge DSLR and lenses - I sold the Nikon. For a while I was fine with it but then 18 months later I had a hankering for some zoom lens action. So I bought another D7200. I then realised that I didn’t really want it, but I just missed the old times I had with it. Before getting rid of it I did acquire (or maybe never sold the first time, I don’t remember) a 50 mm f/1.4 D, a 135mm f/? Macro? (I forget) and I think the 85 mm f/1.8. The 50 mm was my favourite lens physically. I was mesmerised by the amount of glass and size of aperture in a tiny lens. I kept the lenses even after selling the Nikon body, but did finally sell the lenses about 2 years ago.
A bit later I started looking into film bodies, and then regretted selling the Nikon 50mm as it would’ve paired nicely with a Nikon SLR. I liked the idea of sharing lenses between film and digital bodies and did consider getting back into Nikon. However, at the time I felt it was silly to buy a lens I’d just sold and these were “expensive” lenses (HA! What did I know 😅). Eventually I ended up with a M2 and I love it. But I’ve had the same thought a couple of times since - wouldn’t it be great to share lenses. More recently that’s via the M10. But the final hurdle with that is, the price. The age old reasoning of, for the same price I could get …x, y, z, and 0-9 of something else.
Which also brings me to the X100V. I’ve been using this camera all week and I’m reminded of the joy I once knew owning the X100F of that of a fixed lens camera. It’s not just the fixed lens part, but what that means as a whole - the size, weight, ergonomics, I enjoy the Fuji controls, the custom functions, the ND filter is great on holiday in sunny climates to use f/2 during the day. It’s leaf shutter and flash were always great when I did finally succumb to flash. People like Leica for the minimal time you’re in the menus and I find that’s exactly the case with the Fuji. I like the images I get from it and I take it everywhere. It’s all the things I like so surely I should get one. But how does it fit in with everything else?
It probably goes with everything but then it just becomes another choice. So maybe take the parts I like and upgrade to the X-T4? I just don’t like the spinny screen…maybe that is better and then I don’t need to do an entire overhaul of everything and I’m still limiting myself to the choice of digital vs. Film. Not digital camera 1-3 or film camera xyz and lenses abc with everything.
This is all silly. 🫠
I found out there’s an amateur radio group in town and not too far from me, plus they meet in the evenings so I could make that. Maybe I’ll visit and see what it’s like. If I want to do anything I have to pass an exam, not looked at the training materials but I suspect the entry one isn’t that hard. The advanced one will probably be quite technical but let’s see if I still have interest after the first….or if I even get to the first. I may well be another bottomless pit for money…on radio stuff that I’m too shy to use.
