Golden hour on the River Thames, West London

I remind myself constantly to spend more time with my cameras early morning and late evening, particularly at the so-called golden hour. Time after time, despite my sage self advice, I find myself on the way out to a restaurant or an evening meeting without camera. Recently, we have had some wonderful sunsets in West London. Sure, it isn't Santorini or Mykonos, but there have been some incredible skies and tranquil landscapes to be seen along the River Thames as the day's activities come to an end. 

Friday night was one such occasion. The lighting was perfect, the skies golden and the river an unusually tranquil and reflective surface. The myriad cranes on building sites, always an annoyance, almost looked as though they ought to be there. So I reached for my Leica M. Only it wasn't there. Instead, out came the iPhone 5S that is always in my trouser pocket. It proves indeed that the best camera is the one that fits in your pocket. 

Photo Fairs: A good old rummage does wonders

In the past couple of years I've become addicted to photo fairs. I will travel miles for a good old rummage among the old cameras, accessories and books. There is usually something of interest although it is often a needle and haystack job. Still, that's all part of the fun, the possibility that you could unearth a little gem that you have long wanted—or, even, a gem you didn't know you wanted until you saw it.

Back in May I was at the large London fair organised by the Photographic Collectors' Club and wrote about it here; today I was out at the crack of dawn to travel to Sidcup in Kent for the small and South London Camera Fair. Organiser George Kozobolis (yes, originally from Greece) is enthusiastic and knowledgeable, a good photographer in his own right. You can even buy a bottle of virgin olive oil straight from his brother's olive groves. Now that is definitely something you wouldn't have expected. These fairs are an eclectic mix of old and modern and I have become used to seeing the same dealers' faces as they do the rounds of the local events.

A nice collection of used Leica gear among the Nikons and Canons from well-known dealers Camtech. Behind the counter is Camtech's Malcolm Collins

I was an early bird visitor at 8.30 am—we all know what they say about catching worms. I admired several nice Leica Ms and lenses at a regular exhibitor, Camtech, which is a familiar name in the advertisement section of Amateur Photographer, but didn't feel in a buying mood. 

The Voigländer Vitomatic II from around 1958. It is really small but weighs a ton (or 770g to be precise) in a testament to the brick outhouse build quality. With a good rangefinder, bright viewfinder and coupled light meter, this is still a very viable film camera and I am looking forward to my first results

In the end I didn't come away empty handed. I spied a really clean and apparently fully working Voigtländer Vitomatic II at Webster's Cameras and pocketed it for £30. Probably this was a bit over the odds but it is in excellent condition for a 56-year-old compact. And I was feeling in an expansive mood since I hadn't found anything else I desired. I am feeling quite pleased because this camera, in its day, was an excellent choice. With its fixed Color-Skopar 50mm f/2.8 lens but relatively slow (1/300s minimum) Prontor-SLK shutter, it is an extremely smart and usable little film camera even today. Not only does it have a coupled light meter (which appears still to be accurate despite the ancient selenium cell), it is a full rangefinder with a super large viewfinder and bright framelines. Any Leica owner will be immediately at home.

The design has its quirks, with a drop-down flap, similar to a modern battery compartment cover, which must be released before swinging back the loading door, and a flush rewind knob which has to be freed by a rather unobtrusive lever. The film counter window is on the bottom, exactly where you wouldn't expect to find it. Still, sans instructions, I did manage to load a roll of Ilford HP4 and I was out taking pictures in no time. 

This is a camera I could get used to using and it will complement my Leica M3, IIIf and MP for when I am in a film mood. It is worth £30 just to be able to sit and look at it. 

Future South London Camera Fairs take place on September 7, November 9 and December 7 at Kemnal Technical College, Sevenoaks Way, Sidcup, DA14 5AA.

All photographs taken with Leica M and 50mm Summilux ASPH except the Voigtländer shot which comes from a Leica C.

Bunhill Fields Burial Ground and John Wesley's Chapel

Visitors to Red Dot Cameras, one of the three main independent Leica dealers in London, would do well to stroll a little north with their Leica and experience the tranquility of Bunhill Fields. The ancient burial ground, which was opened in 1665, closed for business as long ago as 1854 after having accommodated 123,000 permanent residents. The name is thought to be a corruption of Bone-hill. The current Bunhill Fields is only a fraction of the original site which had been a cemetery for hundreds of years. There was once a nearby Quaker burial ground which is now a public garden, Quaker Gardens. . 

The burial ground has strong links to the nonconformist movement and is immediately opposite the Wesley Chapel and the house of John Wesley. Among the residents burial ground are the authors John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe, and the poet William Blake who wrote the words of the well-known hymn, Jerusalem.

Right across City Road from Bunhill Fields, hard by today's technology hub of Silicon Roundabout, is the tranquil courtyard of the Wesley's Chapel, built in 1778 by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. In the crypt is the Museum of Methodism and next door is John Wesley's house.

The founder of Methodism, John Wesley. In the background, Wesley's Chapel

What it is to be a relict. This wonderful usage of the word seems to have quite gone out of fashion. Much nicer than widow.

All photographs taken with Leica M and 35mm Summicron ASPH.

Upgrade Easy: Silicon Roundabout gets a facelift

London's tech hub, Silicon Roundabout at Old Street, gets another facelift. Leica M and 35mm Summicron ASPH.

Heaven: Montblanc, a Leica MP and a Moleskine notebook

Over at Macfilos/tech this morning I was talking about handwriting, great pens and Moleskine notebooks. George James of George James Photography sent me this evocative shot by Istvan Penzes on the Flickriver site. Lots of lovely pens to view there. Here are three of my favourite tools in one picture: A Montblanc classic fountain pen, Moleskine notebook and the iconic Leica MP. All that's missing is a roll of film and the traditional photographer would be in business. 

在上海的街道上，由索尼RX10拍摄。

On the streets of Shanghai with the Sony RX10 (English version)

自从我来自华盛顿DC的朋友Ralf Meier入手了一台新的索尼 RX 10，他就近乎疯狂的开始了他的“扫街”。最近，他带着这台有1英寸传感器超大变焦镜头的相机去了中国，这些照片就是上海街头的记录。所有照片都经过Ralf的许可而进行了再处理。

拥有三千万人口的上海是中国最大的城市，新潮与古典的结合使这座城市变得令人炫目。Ralf说他一直听说中国人倾向于摆脱传统，但当他来到上海，他感觉到当地人已经开始意识到了保护历史和传统的重要。由于战前繁忙的商业活动及欧洲商人的涌入，上海的法国租界区充满了欧洲格调， 吸引了众多游客前来，成为当地热门景点之一。

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