Captured #12: February 2025

📷💸 You don’t need new gear! Or do you?

I read quite a few photography magazines and I watch photographers on YouTube so it’s hard to avoid reading about new gear (or sometimes old/vintage gear). I’ve also spent my entire career in tech, so my ears automatically pop up when something new and shiny appears.

I can’t deny I enjoy salivating over camera gear. Fortunately I’m fairly restrained, but would it be a problem (bank balance aside) if I wasn’t?

There’s a truth when people say a new (or better) camera won’t improve your photography, but I don’t think it’s that simple. While your composition skills or your understanding of exposure and whatnot will be equally good (or bad!) with an Instax or a Sony A1 II, there are other factors at play when you switch up your regular camera body or lens.

• You’ll want to use your new gear more! Getting better at photography is about study and practice. Getting out with a new camera will give you more practice which will improve your photography. Win win.
• Using a different focal length will force you to approach your photography differently. If you’re used to toting a 35mm equivalent lens, what would you do with a 90mm or a 135mm? Only one way to find out.
• A film camera can be relatively cheap, but the film itself isn’t. Being limited to 36 shots in an outing will force you to think more, to look harder, and to work scenes more to determine if they’re worthy rather than machine-gunning everything in sight.
• A monochrome-only camera removes your ability to revert to colour in post-processing. Being unable to find pops of colour will force you to pay closer attention to the light, which is the secret to great photography, right?

So don’t feel bad about lusting after (or even acquiring) new gear now and again. It might be just the thing you need to get out of a creative rut and take your photography to another level.

Ok, I can’t actually stop salivating. Some gear I’m currently lusting after right now…

Now that I’ve justified to myself that acquiring new gear is a positive thing, here are some cameras I’ve been ogling recently.

• Leica M11. A total street photography cliche, of course, but it looks beautiful and the lenses are to die for. I imagine it would be quite close to the experience of using my film camera, which is a very good thing. I’m not sure how well I’d cope with a rangefinder though, my eyes might not be good enough! I’m conveniently ignoring the price (although you save about 40% second hand).
• Leica M6. As above, but film only. It’s probably the most beautiful camera ever. I really like digital though, so I doubt I’d ever get one of these. Unless I’d already got the lenses from buying an M11 that is 😅
• Fujifilm GFX 50R. This body is now 7 years old which means it’s becoming hipster. It’s a beast, but it does look really nice and those lenses are amazing. This post on Threads has a lust-worthy picture of it.
• Fujifilm X-Pro 2. Another body that’s getting long in the tooth, but it’s the most classic of Fujifilm designs and the 24MP sensor is a cracker, especially when combined with the original 35mm F1.4. I have an X-T5 and an X100V so I have absolutely no use for this, but it just looks so nice! Maybe an X-Pro 4 will come out soon and bring back these classic design sensibilities. Now that would be something hard to ignore.
• Leica Q3 43. It’s a Leica, it’s minimal, it’s the perfect focal length. Trouble is, it’s rather chunky isn’t it? Plus Roman Fox threw it under the bus (metaphorically speaking) which put me off because I trust his opinion, but I’m still kinda drooling when I see it.

🌃 Night mode concerns begone

One reason people consider buying new gear is for night shooting. That full frame f1.4 look is pretty desirable, right? And the low ISO and dynamic range performance of these large sensors can’t be ignored. But are you really at a disadvantage with your APSC camera?

I shoot with Fujifilm X series and I’ve noticed that a higher ISO can be punishing to images, especially at 6400 or higher. What I’ve learned is that if you can’t get a good shot at night because it’s too dark, you don’t need a better camera. You either need a tripod (not really for street, I guess), a better subject, or some cunning editing.

If you can find a subject with better light (or get closer to the light), you’ll be shooting at ISO 800 and the images, even from your relatively feeble APSC sensor, will look amazing.

If you’re running that annoyingly high ISO to compensate for a higher shutter speed to freeze the action, don’t! Instead, embrace a slower shutter speed and get some intentional movement in your shot while using that lovely, crisp, low ISO.

You can also use that high ISO noise in your favour by obscuring it with grain. I find this works particularly well with black and white photos.

If all else fails, don’t panic. Lightroom has an incredible, AI-powered denoise option. Cheating, perhaps, but if it turns that sketchy ISO 12800 photo into something usable, crisp even, who cares? YOLO.

Some photos I took over the past month

Some on film, most on digital.

📺📚 A few things I’ve read or watched recently

Photography things I’ve come across this month that you may want to watch or read.

Check out my eBook!

94-pages of photos and area guides to Edinburgh.

Listening Party 🔈

Still on a jazz tip…

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See you next time 👋