To keep the skills rounded and my eye sharp, today I set myself a challenge to photograph an old garage for an imaginary community paper. I set it as one of those quick turnaround jobs: just 2 hours to travel, shoot and process images in readiness for submission to an imaginary community paper, or on this occassion this blog. No time to get fancy, no time to process film. This was pure grab-and-go territory. So, instinctively, I reached for my Nikon D2X, treating it like a film camera and limiting images to 36 exposures only.

Now, I’ve always appreciated the D2X. It’s built like a tank, feels purposeful in hand, and somehow still keeps up despite being a 20-year-old DSLR. But even I wasn’t prepared for what it delivered today - infact its changed my outlook on what equipment I can uae to photograph documentary projects.

I checked with the owner if it was acceptable for me to photograph on his land, he very kindly agreed and we spoke for a while remembering the good old days when the garage and shop were open, that was back in the 90’s. The garage itself was exactly what you’d expect, peeling paint and rusted signs but through the viewfinder, it came alive. Shadows played off old petrol pumps and corregated iron sheets. Every creak and corner seemed to have a story. And the D2X? It told them all, beautifully.

The colour files were stunning rich, detailed, full of depth and nuance but it was the black and white conversions in Nikon’s own free software that absolutely blew me away. There was a crispness, a tonal subtlety, that felt far beyond what I thought I’d get from a DSLR of this vintage. Somehow, the files carried that classic documentary weight that I usually associate with film. I have to admit this has totally surprised me, I never imagined an old vintage DSLR could give such amazing results! Its really got me reflecting on materials and end products.

I knew this vintage digital camera was good, but this good? It reminded me just how capable older gear can be when paired with care and intention. No, it’s not film but it doesn’t pretend to be. What it does have is its own kind of magic; crisp, bold, tonaly rich and full of character and Im really drawn to it.

In an age where we’re constantly pushed to upgrade, this was a lovely reminder that sometimes the vintage gear you already have (and trust) can absolutely shine, even when you’re racing the clock, and hoping the light holds just a little longer.

I will never give up film, it will still be my first go to for documentary and the F3 or the OM1s will always be in my photographic life. But this experience has really hit me hard, in a positive way, made me understand that with careful exposure and what was very little post, I can pursue documentary work with digital and produce pleasing black and white work to sit alongside film.

But I wont lie, this has really made me look again at my digital workflow. The D2X still needs to pass the printing test, but if the images on screen are anything to go by, the F3 will have a new partner in crime for future documentary work. I’m even tempted to set another challange to see what the images look like shot at ISO 800 and then apply the same post processing.

Before I sign off on this blog, another testament to Nikon quality, the usual 28mm f3.5 was still attached to the F3, which I had left at home, so I ended up taking an 18-55 VR II kit lens, which as you can see from these images did incredibly well in coping with the D2X sensor and with nice rendering. All images shot at ISO 160 in RAW.

A Garage, a Deadline, and some D2X Magic.

Where have the masters gone?