Me and my cameras . . .

. . . If you"ll excuse the grammar!

I don't get around much any more, but whenever I feel brave enough to tackle the stairs that keep me prisoner in my tiny flat I always make sure I have a camera with me. I can no longer carry or handle a real camera, but have come to appreciate a range of lightweight digital toys, among which is the lovely little Panasonic DMC-XS1 which lives permanently in a shirt pocket, always ready for use, taking up very little space and weighing next to nothing.

It's a far cry from the bulky equipment I used in my prime, carried in two heavy leather cases to hold enough plates and flashbulbs to take up to a dozen photographs, but this baby is capable of far better things, so why should I spend a fortune on today's 'must-have' bells-and-whistles magical technology?

In the seven decades since I developed my first glass plate negative and made a contact print on daylight self-toning bromide paper, I have used all generations of camera including such icons as Leica, Rolleiflex, Speed Graphic and others using 35mm or 120 roll film, 5x4" sheet film, etc., all of which are now just memories - except that I still have a 1939 Leica - a precious souvenir to remind me of one used for my first-ever published picture way back in 1947, when glass plates reigned supreme, long before the Leica - the first of a long series of 35mm cameras - dominated Fleet Street until toppled by the digital revolution. It was widely regarded as a rich man's toy and was the personal property of my boss, and I was nearly fired for daring to take it out of the office. The one I have now was bought second-hand, many years later.

In my extras, (just added):  Another Panasonic - the LX-7 - which took the double-headed shot.  Leica optics, like the other two.  This one has an electronic viewfinder attached, giving it an slr-like function.