Lacock, Wiltshire

Photographed using a Nikon D300s with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens.

Photographed using a Nikon D300s with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens.

Photographed using a Nikon D300s with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens.

This is a close-up of a screw press on exhibition in the Fox Talbot museum at Lacock. It obviously had some function in early photography, presumably near the end of the process when the image was nearing completion, The museum ranges over two floors in an old barn. The lighting is varied and challenging and the point-and-shoot method with everything in automatic seldom produces a satisfactory outcome. Here I tried the exact opposite with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens on a Nikon D300s. The starting point was taking a white balance reading which would record the colours faithfully. You find all this stuff out as you go along, looking at the screen on the back and making adjustments. Gifted people can do it with film. I never could.

Photographed using a Nikon D300s with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens.

Photographed using a Nikon D300s with a 28mm f/2 Nikkor AI lens.

Tokina did not keep their 50-135mm fast zoom pro lens long in production. They may have misjudged the market for a lighter weight equivalent to the various f/2.8 70-210mm and 80-200mm lenses. Plus, the Nikon - compatible version needed a camera with a screw drive for the AF and not all Nikon digital cameras are so equipped. The lens was a collaborative project with Pentax and the Pentax version is the only one to remain available new. It will set you back over £700. That is a measure of how good this lens is.

Lacock Abbey cloisters. Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro with a Tamron 17-50 mm f/2.8 lens.

Nikon D700 and AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 lens at Lacock Abbey.

The Museum is housed in a converted barn in which an upstairs level has been created for visiting exhibitions. There is a private second floor apartment as well. Downstairs the space is allocated to a permanent exhibition, the reception area for visitors to Lacock Abbey, and shelves of souvenirs for sale. Nikon D700 and AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 lens.

Nikon D300s + Nikkor 28mm f/2 AI lens. On APS-C format the 28mm translates to a field of view full frame equivalent of 42mm. This is a useful compromise between 35mm and 50mm. Olympus made a 40mm lens, the Zuiko Auto-S 40mm f/2. Press photographers quite liked it for its versatility. There is also a Minolta 40mm ƒ/2 M-Rokkor. Yet on the whole, 40mm is a neglected focal length in prime lenses.

The nuns would have felt the cold winds of winter. Nikon D700 + Tamron 70-210mm F/2.8 LD SP lens. 112mm.

Nikon D700 + Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD lens.

Parkland fencing at Lacock Abbey. Nikon D700 + Tamron 70-210mm F/2.8 LD SP lens. 190mm. ISO 200. Speed 100th. Aperture f/5.

35mm Nikkor-O.C f/2 lens on a Nikon D2Xs. ISO 100; f/2, 1/90th.

35mm Nikkor-O.C f/2 lens on a Nikon D2Xs. ISO 100; f/5.6, 1/250th.

35mm Nikkor-O.C f/2 lens on a Nikon D2Xs. ISO 100; f/2, 1/2000th. Things I have learned concerning the photography of snowdrops: Snowdrops grow in clusters. If the front is in focus, the back probably won't be. You need a small aperture to get the necessary depth of field. You can lie out on the ground to get composition and focus right. I didn't. I knelt on a plastic bag and held the camera close to the ground. I pointed the lens towards the snowdrops and set the focus to the distance I guessed was right. I used a fast shutter speed and a wide aperture. This was almost as wrong as it was possible to be. I don't think photographs of snowdrops are very interesting anyway. I only came here for a cup of coffee and a cheese scone.

35mm Nikkor-O.C f/2 lens on a Nikon D2Xs. ISO 400; f/7.6, 1/100th. Some compensation in exposure involved due to using a polariser filter.