Welcome Back/Some love for the basics.

Well this place has been rather quiet, hasn't it? Fear not, for I'm back (not that anyone would've likely noticed my absence in all fairness). I'm going to be using this as a parallel for the blog I've got up and running on the new website (www.woolcottphoto.net) but this will be solely for my posts, as opposed to those by Johnno and Frankie. Here's to some more semi-regular blogging from now on.

On a rather random note, here's the post I wish to resume play with:

I bought my first digital camera over 4 years ago now, and in terms of technological timeframes, that's at least two model cycles. That camera was a Nikon D40, the most basic camera Nikon offered, or probably have offered. It can't autofocus lenses of its own accord, can't meter with old lenses, has a single control dial, almost no customisable buttons, no clever art modes, flash modes, smile detection, live view or any other mod-cons. What it does do, it does perfectly well though. It's beautifully simple, just the equivalent of a light tight box with a shutter in it given the way I use it.

I don't like autofocus when I'm doing work for myself; it's great when you have fidgety subjects in a studio setting, but when I'm doing my own street work I find it gets in the way of things like pre-focussing and off-centre compositions. As such I use manual lenses a lot of the time for a my recreational stuff; something which brings the D40 into the spotlight. The mount can take more or less any F-Mount lens you like, even Non-AI, which have been off limits for the vast majority of Nikon users for at least two decades now. Therefore there are some great lenses out there going for little to no money. Lenses like the 50mm H-C f/2; fast, compact, well-built and a wonderful way of drawing. In fact, other than my Leitz glass, this little Nikkor is probably my favourite, and other than being a little long at times, I have absolutely no reservations in claiming that this is probably my 'Desert Island Lens'.

And as much as I love my trusty S5 (it's a reliable workhorse) it doesn't have the same lens compatibility as the D40, and it's that which allows me to use my favourite lens on a digital body. The fact that it happens to be a light and simple body (not to mention cheap, both in terms of initial cost and with regard to the amount of space it eats up on my hard-drives) is just the proverbial icing. Until Nikon come out with a body which can use these lenses and provides me with something I really miss (maybe full frame or a markedly better viewfinder) I can't see myself getting rid of the D40. It must be coming to the end of its life now, given that it's taken over 100k shots, but until then, I'm going to keep using it. Now isn't that very green of me?

(Alex)