Total Fence

Nikon D3s + Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AI-S lens.

Nikon D3s + Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AI-S lens.

In 2013 I successfully bid £5 on eBay for a Fujica ST605 camera complete with Fujinon f/2.2 55mm lens. It appeared to have been very little used; I put a film through it to be certain it functioned and pretty much forgot about it for years. Recently I discovered that the lens of this camera is known for its distinctive ‘soapbubble bokeh’ similar in character to the Meyer Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 lens (€973.82). Apparently this Fuji lens is the cheapest way of getting the ‘soapbubble bokeh’ feature. I’m not sure whether I like it or not, but it seems a shame not to experiment when others prize it so highly. Thanks to fellow ipernity member Ingo Krehl who added greatly to my scant knowledge of soapbubble bokeh. Lacking a suitable teleconverter, I have not followed Ingo's advice to the letter, and he might be disappointed to discover that my photograph was made through a dirty window. I must do better.

Lens: AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D. If I were limited to a single lens, this would probably be it.

Nikon D2Xs + Tamron 70-210mm f/2.8 LD SP (67DN) lens. This lens was made from 1992 until 2003.

The D2X and D2Xs were Nikon's last professional grade DSLR cameras using the APS-C format, which Nikon badged 'DX'. They were in production between 2004 and 2007 with the final year being the 's' variant, although the update changed little. They were essentially the same and you can get one now for about £250 (2022). I got mine secondhand in 2011 and it is the one camera I am never going to sell or give away. Sometimes you just get lucky and find the product that seems a perfect fit. Set at 100 ISO results can be sublime. Beyond 400 ISO they can be - and often are - dreadful. This is a camera for which you need decent light and fast lenses. Nikon D2Xs and Tamron 35mm f/1.8 lens. 100 ISO. F/1.8. 1/500th.

Fujifilm X-E1 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 lens.