Less really can be more!

Not too long ago I bought the Panasonic GF-1, with the 20mm f/1.7 lens. I wanted something smaller than my conventional D-SLR to take on vacations with me, and I have to say that I am nothing short of impressed with this amazing micro four-thirds camera. I took it with me to Australia and loved every minute of it! Had it not been for the fact that I only had the fixed focal length lens for it at that time, I may very well have left my Pentax at home. So. Being the gear nerd that I am... a few weeks back, I purchased the 14-45mm lens, which pretty much completes what is sure to be a stellar travel kit! The 20mm is fast and sharp, awesome for landscape... and the 14-45mm is a more useful range than I ever could have imagined. I've been out in a variety of settings as of late, trying the new lens and many of the fun, different functions the GF-1 has to offer. The things I've enjoyed the most are:

High ISO - these pics were shot at 1600...

and this one at 800...

Not bad, hey! The noise is certainly acceptable, in my opinion anyhow. I like that I can get usable photos, handheld, in low light.

"Nostalgia" in-camera film setting...

I'm loving the washed-out, old-photograph feel! I'm now on the lookout for run down buildings, etc. to see what else I can do with it.

"Black and White - Dynamic" in-camera film setting...

I can't wait until I can try this one on a blue-sky, puffy cloud day.

And, the setting I've used the most - "Dynamic" color in-camera film setting...

The contrast and color saturation are unreal!

As well, so far I have not taken the little guy off of Auto White Balance. It seems to reproduce all lighting situations in the proper tones. Very convenient. The auto focus has several choices of settings, from face detection (which I have not tried yet) to manually selecting a focal point. Handy. And the selection of aperture, shutter, or sensitivity priority (and full manual of course) make it seem like I'm using a full-tilt D-SLR... except at about two-thirds the size and weight!

Anyway, this is just scratching the surface of the capabilities of the GF-1. I've barely looked at the user's manual... it is so comprehensive! Although I find it more exciting to learn by trial and error anyhow... and doesn't the saying go something like, "to err is human"...?? Well, I'm definitely human!

Cheers!

The Lazy Photographer

Yep, that's me. L-A-Z-Y. Not as in the 'lay on the couch, eat bon-bons' kind of lazy (although I have those days, too!!)... because I definitely enjoy taking my camera on long, steep, sweat-inducing outings... I'm talking in the 'can't be bothered with filters, tripods, or setting my alarm for 4:30am' kind of way. Recently, a good friend - who is one of the best outdoor photographers I know - and I spent a stellar day, checking out ice crystals on partially frozen streams and groves of trees and small running waterfalls. She had filter stacked upon filter, and she took about three quarters of her photos using a tripod. The results: absolutely AWESOME pics!

The crispness of the rocks, ice, moss, and branches combined with the softness of the moving water... I can't describe how beautiful her pictures are! Now I, on the other hand, only took my fisheye lens and Lensbaby... and I handheld every shot:

I have to say however, that in their own way, my photographs turned out quite alright as well. It was kind of fun to see what I could get, with minimal effort. Playing around in full manual mode is always a good exercise for me; the flat, dull light allowed for the slower shutter speeds necessary to blur moving water. I was especially pleased with how the Lensbaby made my poplar photos so interesting, and how I was able to get a few unusual but cool pics that only a fisheye can make possible. Definitely two lenses that I will never be able to live without!

On the getting up at 4:30am front... well, I may have to suck it up for a few days in August. This same friend and I are planning a photography / camping trip into the Lake O'Hara area, and I know she loves sunrises and sunsets... Who knows, maybe I'll even cave and take along my limited selection of filters and crappy tripod? I'm looking forward to the adventure!

Cheers!

Full-color monochrome...???

Now that's an oxymoron, isn't it! But I swear, that is what I ended up with yesterday! The day was a grey one. Socked-in, low, thick clouds produced a ton of snow, in a very short time. Combine that with what is already a fairly colorless time of year (bland late winter)... and voila! There you have it! Pictures taken with my camera setting on 'vibrant color' turned out nearly black'n'white. Go figure!

It was kind of pretty however, in an eerie sort of way. There was a point where the wind died down and the silence was... deafening. (Another oxymoron! I'm just full of them today!)

I did find it to be an interesting exercise in lighting, because I didn't realize just how much direct sunlight and a clear blue sky contributes to the colors on the ground, including the color of bodies of water. And with such heavy cloud cover, there are virtually no shadows!

Fun! In a different sort of way.
Cheers.

Sunny Days

Ahhhhh, the elusive 'sunburst effect'... Well, it has been eluding me, anyhow. D'OH! I don't know how many times I've made an attempt to capture the sun or some other sparkling light... in hopes of it ending up as a nicely formed star-shape of luminance in my photo... only to be disappointed by the giant white blob which results. I've noticed that decreasing the aperture size (i.e. adjusting the f-stop as high as I can, with the available light) will contribute to the effect, however unless I have an object in the picture that somewhat blocks the light source (trees, a mountain, etc.) I don't get a real great shape. A polarizing filter helped out a bit when leaving the sun unobstructed... but I'm still not impressed. And I've tried every camera I own, thinking perhaps the diaphragm blading was a problem in one or the other. The only thing I learned by doing that was you can definitely tell how many blades make up the diaphragm in a camera, since that is how many sections you end up with in the sunburst.

At any rate, as you can see by the pics in this post, I'm continuing on in my quest for the perfect sunburst/starburst. Until I figure it out, I suppose I'll be reading as much as I can about the subject and supplementing my poor photography technique with Photoshop...!! Hee hee!!

If anybody has suggestions or tips, please feel free to share! It would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Thoughts on the GF-1

I can hardly contain myself - I am so pleased with the Panasonic GF-1! We recently travelled to Australia, and I wasn't wanting to take along my entire D-SLR kit... so I began researching many options for a smaller, yet still great quality, camera. If you've read a few of my prior posts, you'll know that I had some issues getting another point'n'shoot repaired, and that I bought a Canon D10, and then the issues were resolved, so I returned the D10... yadda yadda...
At any rate, the GF-1 with the 20mm/f1.7 lens is amazing! First of all, it is relatively compact - not much larger than my DMC-LX2. Second of all, it is unbelievably adaptable to many shooting conditions. I had it on the plane, in the city, at the beach, at the aquarium, in bright sunlight, in overcast light... I was impressed by it's response and results every time I used it. Of course the 1.7 aperture capability creates numerous fun opportunities, and the 20mm fixed focal length is usable in most all situations.
I have yet to take any pics in RAW format, because the variety of jpeg photo setting options is so endless... I haven't even begun to experiment with all of them! What I do know for sure so far, is that I am liking the GF-1 pictures almost as much as the ones I take with my Pentax. Who'd have thunk??
Cheers.

Resolution

No, not the '640x480' kind of resolution... I'm talking the 'camera repair issue' kind of resolution. That's right - London Drugs graciously stepped up today and replaced that lemon of an Olympus I was complaining about. Granted, they gave me another Olympus, but none the less I am very appreciative that they finally took my problem seriously. Last week I went back to them for the fourth time in ten months, with all the documentation and info about the multiple problems, including prints of the blue-and-red-vertical-stripe-covered photos it was taking. I was mostly rational as I explained my disappointment to the uninterested clerk, who then paged a manager, who then said to leave everything with him and he'd see what could be done. I actually left the store feeling like the effort was futile, and shortly afterwards I went and bought the Canon D10.
So you can imagine my surprise today when I received a phone call from the store - they hadn't heard back from Olympus yet, however they were willing to offer a replacement to me and then deal with the manufacturer themselves. WOOT WOOT!! Now THAT is what I consider customer service. And as a result, London Drugs is back on my list of acceptable places to shop... hee hee!
Moving right along... Seeing as how the new Olympus would mean I was going to be in possession of TWO waterproof/freezeproof cameras... and since the camera I have truly been eyeing up is the Panasonic GF1... I boxed up the D10 and all its parts, headed back to McBain Camera (http://www.mcbaincamera.com) and traded 'er in on the GF1. I know, I know - WTF?? But now I think I honestly have the best of all the camera worlds - D-SLR, compact point'n'shoot, and the in-between micro four thirds. We leave in a few hours for Australia, and I'm taking one Pentax K20D body, a few lenses, and of course I'll be using the GF1 (with the 20mm f1.7) as much as possible on the trip. I am so excited to check it out!
Cheers!