It's time for me to talk about Ken Rockwell..

I started writing about the next roll of film I shot, but it turned into a post about Ken Rockwell, so feel free to hear me out.

I learnt recently that shooting with negative film (C41 type film) you can be more careless with exposure than with slide film (E6 type film). I discovered this by reading Ken Rockwell's guide to film on his site. Many don't like Ken's laid-back approach when he talks about cameras and photography, and they believe that he is a danger to beginners because he might confuse them. I think that this is a little extreme. He often just gets a little excited and speaks too passionately or forgets to be less biased. Sometimes he's just joking. If you give it thought, you will understand when not to take him to seriously (I'm sure he would agree). He often gets very specific about what camera is the best for something, for example that the Nikon F3 is the best manual focus camera, but not the best for manual focus lenses (apparently that prize goes to the F6). I think it comes down to people forgetting that it's just his opinion - it's likely not hurting anyone.

I enjoy reading most of his thoughts on photography, and I tend to agree whole-heartedly - especially regarding subjects that I am already familiar with. I actually think that he has some very logical, sensible thoughts and advice about photography and cameras. For example, he argues that the needle light meter on the Nikon FM and FE is more easily readable whilst in the field, compared to the LCD on the Nikon F3 (especially in the dark). He also talks about his preference of the Nikon FE over the F3 (and most other film cameras apart from the FM3a, which I think is his favourite), as it is more compact and lighter yet it retains most of the features. I also like his philosophy that 'any camera will do' and that he highlights the entry-level Nikon D3400 as the best camera for the job (unless you need the pro features from the cameras at the top-end of the line-up). He also taught me what the DC feature does on the 105mm and 135mm DC lenses (see here). Thanks Ken!

These are just some examples of solid advice that I have read on his site, but there is much more. I owe rather a lot to him for his advice on there, and I enjoy reading his technical posts about Nikon's terminology and his lens and camera reviews. He can get too emotional for some, but I like it when he does (I get as excited as he does about how sharp the 105mm f2 DC lens is). As I read his reviews, I keep being reminded that he has a lot of experience, and whether you agree with him or not, you can tell that he investigates each camera or lens closely by the sheer amount of detail he goes into, and by the comparisons he makes to similar cameras or lenses.

Those are my brief thoughts on KR. I'm sure I have forgotten a few points - but I felt like writing about him.