ACCRINGTON CAMERA CLUB
BEST gadgets and favourite accessories were in evidence last Friday when we had a meeting with a difference.
Members took it in turns to show, demonstrate and talk about items of equipment which mean something to them.
First up was club president Ian Kitchin who had brought along a homemade pseudoEdwardian ‘camera’ which had received admiring glances and comments when he took it along to the Goth weekend at Whitby.
Designed to look like a large format woodenbodied camera from another era, it did indeed have bellows, a cable release and was housed on a wooden tripod.
But rather than a lens and glass plates, instead there was a compact digital camera inside which could be fired using the cable release!
He had made rather a good job of it, especially considering he has poor eyesight, and said it had taken months to make.
Stephen Riley brought along his favourite flashgun, a Metz 45, which he still uses and says he much prefers to the built-in flashguns that come with modern digital cameras, despite it being ‘old technology’ from the pre-digital era.
He explained what he considered to be its advantages - including no redeye and ability to bounce and direct the flash - and said it was easy to use, as well as producing good results.
They can be bought secondhand much cheaper than a dedicated flashgun for a modern DSLR, prompting questions about how compatible they are with this 21st century technology.
Peter Riding showed a gadget that acted as a mini-tripod in holding a camera inches above the ground but had no legs and could be manoeuvred into different positions as well as being able to hold the weight of a heavy DSLR. It was square and pocket-sized.
Alf Hoole brought his ‘flare buster’ which blocked the sun in situations where a lens hood was not enough.
It consists of a circular black ‘shade’ suspended on the end of a flexible slimline arm which you attach to the hotshoe on the camera and manipulate into position.
He also showed how he had attached a piece of perspex to a rocket blower, enabling him to clean the sensor on his digital camera without fear of touching it, as the plastic allows him to insert the blower only so far.
John Barton demonstrated L-plate tripod attachments, which enable the camera to be moved from horizontal to vertical much more easily than with a standard tripod head, using an Arca-Swiss system.
He says he has found the best ones to be £10 from China.
Harry Emmett talked about a computer program called IJFRInstant Jpegs From Raw - which quickly does the job, saving space on memory cards by doing away with the need to shoot in raw and jpeg simultaneously.
He said he is also a fan of camera armour, a silicone skin case which protects his camera from bumps while still giving him access to all the buttons.
Oliver Dorée brought along his favourite camera bag, while Nigel Airey showed a video only a few seconds long of a whale seemingly splashing around in a sports hall full of people that had been created using a hologram camera.
As well as being entertaining, the night also gave the members plenty of ideas on new ways to do things and new things to try.
This Friday the club is closed, as instead we will be at Haworth Art Gallery to open our annual exhibition. Public viewing is during gallery opening times from Saturday, June 10 to Sunday, July 30 – with free entry – so please go along and view our work. Also see a cc ring ton camera club. org.uk