About the 'New Boy'

Well, Folks,having just joined the 'computer age' and the Pentax User site maybe I can tell you how I got into 'Pentax Photography'?
Starting in 1951 at the East Ham Grammar School Photographic Society,my first 'good' camera was an Ensign Selfix 16/20 II with Ross Xpres f3.5 75mm. When I joined the ARMY in 1955 (RAMC) I was sent to Germany where I was at the British Military Hospital BERLIN for a while. There was a bloke coming round selling cameras;he had Voitlander Prominent,Contax and Leica. I decided on a Contax II with f1.5 (uncoated!) 50mm Sonnar for the equivalent of £38. When I was sent to Iserlohn there was the Canadian Maple Leaf store where British soldiers were allowed to buy as well - they were selling BRAND NEW Leica IIIf's for £45!! In the town M3's and Rollieflex 2.8f were about £82!! I bought a Braun Hobby Auto flash outfit for £14 in the Canadian store but kept the old Contax;when I started professional work I was with Breda Studios Barking,where one of the partners had been in the RAF in Singapore and brought over these weird cameras called'Asahi Pentax'(H2)with funny-sounding lens called'Takumar' - nobody had HEARD of these weird cameras BUT the RESULTS he produced were MUCH BETTER than my pre-war Contax! The Jap lenses were coated;also there was the PENTAPRISM which meant he never cut off the Mayor's head as I sometimes did,having such a small viewfinder and parallax. I had to get one of these WONDERFUL 'PENTAX' cameras!! At the time, there was an embargo on importing Jap cameras unless you needed one for certain 'professional'work. When the embargo was lifted,Jap cameras gradually appeared in camera shop windows. It was a BIG DAY when a PENTAX S3 appeared in Barking! I rushed in with my Contax and they allowed me £30 part-exchange and I left clutching the PENTAX with f1.8 coated Takumar - the REST they say,IS HISTORY!!

Well, I don't know WHAT HAPPENED to my computer; Iwas in the middle of typing my 'STORY'when I was CUT OFF the internet and so I was not 'SIGNED IN!' Of course,'NEW BOY' is 'PENTAX PETE ELGAR' of BRENTWOOD Essex!!

Welcome to the site, Peter, glad you took the time to introduce yourself.

Ron Spillman also used to run Club Rollei, of which I was a member for quite a while. (Dare I mention that on this forum?) and he was one of the influences on my early photography. The other writer'photographer that I had a lot of respect for was Kevin MacDonnell, who wrote for PHOTOGRAPHY for many years. Always good advice, and a great sense of humour!

Replying to John Riley;Yes,I got to know Ron Spillman quite well as I got him to become the 'President'of Barking Photographic society which I joined in 1959 after the South Essex Camera Club packed up,which used to meet in Manor Park Library and was my first 'adult'club after the East Ham Grammar School Photo-Soc I joined in 1951 and ended up running.
I became the secretary of Barking and got Ron to come to give a lecture on his life in Press and magazine photography. He liked the 'atmosphere'at the BPS so much compared with a lot of other clubs where nobody said a Dicky Bird to anyone and there would be no 'feedback'to lecturers. Barking had lots of 'young'members in the 1960s
(we are all 'Old Fogeys'now!).Anyway,although he lived by the Thames in West London he regularly made to trip to Barking and officiated at the Annual Exhibition with the Mayor and such occasions. I replaced him as President and. stayed until 1987,over 30 years service to the BPS. I moved to Brentwood I got married the first time in 1965.
I got to know Kevin McDonnell through his Club visits,and I have a photo of a young 18 year old 'Young Fogey'taken by him using a Rollei 2.8 on FP3 developed in Johnson's 'Capitol' - does anyone remember that dev?
Ron used Leica as well as Pentax;he gave me the secret of Tri-X rated 650 ASA developed in May and Baker Promicrol diluted 1+2 for 15 mins for good negs with high definition.

once again got 'cut off' in midstream - have sent a complaint e-mail to Tescos about it ! Peter Elgar