Sensitive issues

There have been a few classic N-Photo issues but personally I feel issue 64 (October 2016) was the best so far. Ansel Adams’ standard and digital Zone Systems were clearly explained, including their practical applications. While I understood this, I always felt it was more difficult to apply when in the field. Now I know what to do and when.

As I say, it was a great issue and one that I’ll retain for reference for some years to come. However, I notice in the modern photographic press that commercially sensitive issues aren’t dealt with, or are at best given a small three-liner tucked away somewhere. While stirring a hornets’ nest for no reason is not recommended, I would dearly like to see a little more early investigation into issues that are reported by users (but unconfirmed by manufacturers), such as wide batch variation in certain lenses.

There are a number of ‘elephants in the room’ that need addressing, and surely this is the stuff of journalism – good honest investigation.

Ian Douglas, Plymouth, UK

We’re glad you enjoyed the issue Ian, and we hear what you’re saying about user-reported problems. Although we don’t have a regular news section, this is certainly something we could cover in more depth when we do lens reviews. We do talk about lens variation, but as you rightly say, it’s usually in a small three-liner. Watch this space!