Remembering respected AP writer Ivor Matanle
WE ARE sad to report that Ivor Matanle, a regular contributor to AP for many years, died in January. Ivor was an expert on owning and using classic cameras, and had a strong following among readers. ‘His books and articles will live on... I bought my second Leica IIIf from him in January 1977,’ said reader David Loxley, one of many who paid tribute to Ivor on our forum. Ivor was brought on board by the then Editor, Garry Coward-Williams, and wrote for us until 2016.
‘Before Ivor, vintage cameras were treated as curios, nice to own, but you wouldn’t use them,’ recalls Garry. ‘ There was a lot of ignorance about oldies especially from those brought up on modern autoeverything cameras. Ivor put that to rights with a series that showed benefits and quirks of old cameras from a practical, user’s position. Ivor was a first- class writer and published author. He also helped some auto- obsessives discover the joys of using real cameras.’
Another former AP Editor, Damien Demolder, said, ‘ What a terrible shame Ivor has left us. He was a lovely man, and I enjoyed our chats a great deal. The breadth of his knowledge never failed to astonish me, and I took great delight in how meticulous he was in noting, say, the delicate adjustments that had been made between the production years of a particular camera or lens. I doubt there are many to rival the depth of his understanding and appreciation of vintage photographic equipment. He worked very hard on his AP articles, calling in favours from his vast network of friends and fellow- collectors, and travelling the length of the country to borrow some fascinating rarity. It was the uncommon, the best, the highest quality, the most popular and the most unusual that would really get his blood pumping, and his eyes would sparkle when discussing whatever it was. I’ll never forget the look he gave me when I told him I was collecting cameras from the decidedly ordinary Ensign range. It was like telling a birder that I liked sparrows. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and fans, and I’m immensely grateful that I had the chance to get to know him.’
AP’s sincere condolences go to Ivor’s family.