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camerasMy life inTechnical Support

1995 Nikon F4 I don’t get attached to cameras, as they are merely tools for the

job. The Nikon F4, however, was an exception. It was rugged and reliable with a metering system that would match any of today’s cameras. In fact, it took Nikon an age to equal the flash-exposure

accuracy that you would get with this camera

on a digital model. With motordrive

attached it was the ultimate tool for the job.

1988 Nikon FA I bought a Nikon FA while studying for my BTEC National

Diploma in Photography at Paddington College in London. At the time I was using a Nikon FE2, but I was drawn to the FA as it was the first of its kind to introduce matrix metering and had the most beautiful shutter noise – something you

just don’t get on modern digital SLRs. As

with all my film cameras,

I also purchased the motordrive, which made

it sound even better!

1982 Cosina CT-1A The Cosina CT-1A was my first SLR. At the time, if you were just

starting out, there were two makes that caught the budget-conscious beginner’s eye: Zenit and Praktica. We had a camera shop nearby and the owner suggested the more compact Cosina. It was with the Cosina CT-1A that I learnt to understand the building blocks of the photographic process.

1995 Bronica ETRS In the early days, in order to supplement my income, I would

photograph weddings – I shot almost 200. At a wedding, using a medium-format camera (with Metz hammerhead flashgun) it was hard not to stand out. It was also a struggle to use, particularly when the light was poor and you had to use a tripod, but the optics were first class and you could produce huge prints.

2010 Nikon D300 The Nikon D300 is a model I really enjoyed using. I eventually

purchased the D300S, which had marginally faster AF and which I’ve only just traded in for

the D7200. It had great handling and

speed, but it was a pity the resolution

was just 12.3MP. But, unlike its followers, it

had all the buttons in all the right places – and no

gimmicks!

Professional nature photographer Robert Canis looks back at the cameras that have shaped his life

Robert CanisRobert Canis is a professional nature photographer, workshop and tour leader based in Kent. He has received numerous awards in competitions,

such Wildlife Photographer of the Year, International Garden Photographer of the Year and British Wildlife Photography Awards. In 2014, Robert was appointed a Nikon ambassador for the company’s Extreme Weather Photography campaign. Visit www.robertcanis.com to view his work.

1995

1988

1982

2010

© ROBERT CANIS

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Ivor Matanle recalls an entry-level AF SLR

Minolta Dynax 404siLAUNCHED 1999

NEW PRICE £219.99 with 28-80mm zoom lens

GUIDE PRICE NOW £35-£45

THE MINOLTA Dynax 404si is an attractive, lightweight, ‘entry-level’ 35mm autofocus SLR normally sold with a fine 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom. It shares the Minolta ‘A’ AF lens mount with other 35mm Minolta AF SLRs and the Sony Alpha-series DSLRs, and is capable of very good results.

The shutter has speeds from 20-1/2000sec plus B. The TTL metering is based on using DX-encoded film, but the ISO can also be set manually from 6 to 6,400. Exposure modes include program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual, while drive modes include single, continuous at 1fps, self-timer and multiple exposure.

What’s good Caters for a wide range of abilities. Reliable.

What’s bad Autofocus is slow and can be inaccurate in low light. Too keen to use auto flash. Users report heavy battery drain when not in use.