A Glass Menagerie - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

I carry a camera with me every day. Today, it happened to be my little waterproof Lumix TS5, which I was bringing in to work to loan to a friend. The camera has accompanied her to Central America, and is now on its way to Tibet.

 

Anyway, the building where I work represents one of the world's largest installations of structural glass. Walking to my office, I noticed these apparently random tracks on the condensed water droplets on the outside surface. Obviously not guided by gravity, these tracks twist and turn, intersecting themselves and wandering both up and down. After looking at a few of them closely, I determined the source.

 

Slug, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

At about 1 1/2" in length, these guys cover some territory.

 

Further down the hall, I found this predator:

 

Praying Mantis, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

I'm not sure if a mantis will eat slugs, but I have a suspicion they will. Quite an interesting little world in operation just on the other side of the glass...

 

The TS5's macro capability came in handy here. The wifi did as well, allowing me to quickly transfer the images to my iPad so I could include them in this morning's post.

 

Then, I look up from the table where I'm writing and see this:

 

 

I grabbed this shot with the iPad's onboard camera. Okay, digital imaging can be pretty cool.

 

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Calm Maui Sunrise

Calm Maui Sunrise, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

This is exactly the type of calm seas I hoped for on the day of our scuba trip. The weather gods smiled upon us, and it was a wonderful trip.

 

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Leaving Molokini

Leaving Molokini, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Taken from our dive boat as we motored toward our second dive location.

 

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Broken Pattern of Color

Broken Pattern, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

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Some Aquatic Life

I shot these images with my Lumix DMC-TS5 underwater camera. This time, I did not bring an external light source, so had to rely on natural light, the tiny in-camera flash, and in the case of the eel, I benefited from our dive master's powerful flashlight. So, these aren't near professional quality, but do get the point across.

 

 

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Our Annual Scuba Diving Trip

The Descent, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

I only get to go scuba diving about once per year. This time, I found myself anxious about the trip, kind of obsessing about how big the waves would be. You see, our last trip, in Belize, had us getting in and out of the boat in very rough seas. While the diving turned out to be spectacular, I did not enjoy the boat ride.

 

This time, I spent too much time reading the marine forecast for Maui. There is a hurricane approaching the islands, and the forecast called for 4-6 foot seas. Less than what we experienced in Belize, but still too much for comfort. I awoke this morning thinking that maybe I'm just too old for diving.

 

Well, when we showed up at the boat ramp this morning, the Maui coast looked more like a placid lake. I have to say the waves here were zero, non-existent. A quick, smooth ride out to Molokini, and we were diving! The little Lumix DMC-TS5 once again did a great job for me.

 

After thinking about this experience, a couple of things occurred to me. First, had I had the chance to cancel this dive based on the marine forecast, I would have taken it; that would have meant missing a wonderful experience. Second, I'm not too old for diving. I'm just not doing it often enough. I'm sure my anxiety level would be much lower if I dove more often.

A-OK, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

 

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Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Our single morning at Waikiki. Off to Maui this afternoon! All shot with the DMC-TS5.

 

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Sunrise on the Potomac

Sunrise Paddle on the Potomac, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

I'm on vacation for the next two weeks. I plan to keep blogging, but prepare for some brief posts! I'll be focused on relaxation, and will be back in earnest soon.

 

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Once Past the Bear...

The Girl and I got out for some fishing. She's very proud to have caught the biggest fish, a smallmouth bass. It's really cool to see her ably control her own kayak and fishing reel, to great success.

 

 

Both taken with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5, the waterproof, shockproof wonder. Perfect to have in my pocket for every kayaking trip.

 

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Cottonwoods Blooming on the Potomac River

On my most recent kayaking trip on the Potomac River, I shot this image of a cottonwood tree, blooming and losing its blossoms to the river surface.

Cottonwoods on the Potomac, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 160, f3.3, 1/160 sec.

 

As you can see, I made this image with the compact, waterproof Lumix DMC-TS5 camera. It's a great companion on kayaking trips, as it's really well-protected against water, dirt, sand, and shock. I think it makes very nice pictures for a compact point and shoot.

 

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Business, Island Style

Things move at a different pace on a Carribean island. On our recent trip to Ambergris Caye in Belize, we decided to explore the other side of our resort (as opposed to the beach side), the road that runs behind and into the town of San Pedro. So, we rented bikes and headed out.

 

Along the way, we decided to stop for drinks at a grocery store. Next to the store, we found Aurora's Grill.

 

Aurora's Grill, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 100, f4.3, 1/250

 

The only problem? No Aurora. No one at all working the grill, even though it was about lunch time. Oh, wait a minute - look over there.

 

Aurora's Staff?, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 100, f4.7, 1/60

 

I just didn't have it in me to wake either of them up to ask if they worked at Aurora's. So, after a drink and ice cream from the market next door, we got back on our bikes and moved on.

 

The little DMC-TS5 waterproof, everything-proof camera was easy to slide into my pocket for the bike ride. Pretty handy.

 

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5, Macro, and Damselflies

 

 

 

Damselflies - American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana)

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Last weekend, I took a little float trip down the Shenandoah River. Part of the River and Roots music festival, held at Watermelon Park in Berryville, Virginia, this educational event was led by musician and teacher Josh Bearman of The Hot Seats.

 

Anyway, back to the subject at hand - damselflies. This potential couple of American Rubyspots was perched very near the water surface. I say potential couple, because at this stage, the female (to the right) is being held by the male, and allowed to evaluate him for suitability. If she approves, her abdomen and terminal genitalia will connect to his body, forming a sort of circular orientation between their bodies.

 

These guys spend 1-3 years as aquatic larvae, with only a couple of weeks as adults, during which they mate and then die.

 

The tiny sensor on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 has all of the drawbacks of a small sensor, of course, which includes digital noise at high ISO settings. However, a big advantage of the small sensor is the closeup capability, as demonstrated here. This would have been exceedingly difficult to capture with a DSLR, even forgetting about the risk of getting it wet. In this case, I simply left the camera in iAuto mode, and slid it down into the grass next to the damselflies. I shot several images in a few seconds, but found this one to be the best.

 

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Coolest Belizean Tattoo Portends Future Events

So, we were on our way to go scuba diving today, when I noticed this tattoo on the water taxi captain's leg:

 

 

Shark Tattoo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 100, f3.3, 1/320 sec.

 

Here's a little teaser of what we saw on our dive:

 

Pair of Nurse Sharks, Belize, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 100, f3.3, 1/125 sec.

 

Needless to say, it was an exciting dive trip. I really enjoyed using the Lumix DMC-TS5 on both of our dives. I can't say enough good about this little camera. More to come!

 

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O'er the Beautiful Snow

It's another snowy, stormy day here in Northern Virginia as I write this. Rather than let it keep me inside, I decided to take a walk in the woods and try to capture the mood. Choosing a simple and durable setup, I grabbed my Lumix DMC-TS5 (waterproof, everything-proof compact camera) and figured out how to set long shutter speeds manually. I wanted the longest exposures I could get, so that I could get some nice motion blur as I walked.

 

In order to use 1 second (or 1/2 second in some cases), I had to hold up a 3X neutral density filter over the lens on the TS5. No problem.

 

I've set a short selection of the images (unedited jpegs from the TS5) to one of my favorite songs, "O'er the Beautiful Snow," by Melissa Wright and the Acoustic Burgoo. The mood of the song is perfect for what I wanted to portray.

 

O'er the Beautiful Snow, by Melissa Wright and Acoustic Burgoo

Images by Reed A. George

 

(Click Here) to see the slideshow set to the music (~4 minutes playing time). Be sure to have your volume up to hear the music!

 

Melissa was nice enough to give me permission to use the song for this purpose. I hope you enjoy.

 

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Fewer New Lumix Cameras in 2014? Five May Be Enough :)

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Image Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/lumix-cameras-falling-out-of-favour-at-panasonic-less-launches-in-2014--1203912

 

According to an article on TechRadar, Panasonic may be reducing their efforts to produce new Lumix camera models for 2014.

 

(Click Here) to read the TechRadar post.

 

Now, as with most things, there are two sides to this for me. First, if the report is correct and Panasonic is losing money on the Lumix camera line, I am concerned. I love that Panasonic can come into this market, pick a very strong format (I'm talking Micro 4/3 here), and compete (beat?) the companies that have been making still cameras since before I was born. There is no old Lumix film camera for users to be attached to; they made the choice to try something new. In my opinion, Panasonic has done a lot of things right, including partnering with Leica for optics, and continuing to push the Micro 4/3 sensors to a level where they've surpassed 35mm film image quality already.

 

And, the Lumix compacts are also great achievements. My experience is with the amazing DMC-LX7, which does everything and does it pretty well, while fitting in my pocket, and the DMC-TS5, which I can use to shoot movies or stills at 40 feet underwater, carry into the mud to go fossil hunting, and never worry a minute about.

 

On the other hand, as long as Panasonic stays in this game, five new models in 2014 is enough for me. I would imagine this to be three compacts and two Micro 4/3 cameras (pure speculation on my part). That's enough. In fact, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my new GX7 in 2014, and don't need the diversion of a GX8 or 9.

 

So, keep your chin up, Panasonic. Put your efforts into five EXCELLENT cameras instead of ten incremental improvements.

 

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NYC Sidewalk Compositions - My Mini-Project - Lumix DMC-TS5

As I write this, I am attending a meeting in New York City. I'm very lucky, in that my hotel is within walking distance of the meeting venue.

 

This morning, I decided not to carry a larger camera with me. So, I put the diminuitive Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 in my jacket pocket.

 

On the way to the meeting, I looked down at one of the places where trees gain access through the sidewalk to grow in this city. Here's what I saw:

 

I thought this was pretty cool, so I continued to shoot interesting compositions at the sidewalk level for the remainder of my walk. Here are the others:

 

 

 

All of these are direct from the DMC-TS5 (jpegs shot in iAuto mode) with no editing or adjustment. I was also able to connect wirelessly from the camera to my iPad to transfer the files. Very cool.

 

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A Beautiful Sunset Outing - Fishing and Kayaking With the Lumix DMC-TS5

If you follow my blog, you've probably read that I enjoy using the little Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 when I go kayaking, fishing, diving, or just about anything that threatens to get me and the camera wet. On a Friday evening, I decided to get out for an hour or two for a sunset kayak paddle. Luckily, I have a nice reservoir near home, so it's easy to do on a moment's notice. Even with the shorter days of autumn, I was able to get out after work, and before the sun went down.

 

On this particular day, I decided to fish a little, using my ultralight rod and reel, and a twister-tail jig. I happened to catch a nice smallmouth bass, shown below.

 

 

 

Smallmouth Bass, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

This fish was clearly fattening up for a long winter nap. Only about 1 1/2 pounds, this stocky little fish had quite a full stomach, and was still eating. Lucky for him, the only thing I took was a few extra minutes of his time, to photograph him (her?). Here's my favorite shot:

 

Sunset Catch, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Satisfied, I paddled back to where my car was parked before it got dark. Looking back, here's the sunset that followed.

 

Sunset (16:9), by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

The little TS5 sure does a good job. These images look great at full-size on my screen. I'm sure these would print just fine at 8"x12".

 

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The Fishing Camera - Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 - Strikes Again

I got out in my kayak for a couple of hours this weekend. I have a nice reservoir near my home, and have fished it a few times, never catching anything of any size. This time, I caught a nice smallmouth bass. Or was it a largemouth? A friend and I have been debating that back and forth. Every fisherman will have an opinion.

 

 

 

Smallmouth(?) Bass, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 325, 160, 125 (in same order as photos), f3.3, 1/250 sec.

 

The TS5 works great for this kind of shooting. In the kayak, fish on the line, I'm able to quickly open my waterproof bag and pull out the TS5. In iAuto mode, all I have to do is turn the power on and shoot. It autofocuses quite nicely for these types of shots.

 

I always want to take those cool images where the lens is partially underwater, partially above. That is particularly difficult with the TS5, as the lens element is so small, it's difficult to position it correctly to capture the water line.

 

Here's the smallmouth above the surface. My friend and I agree that he looks more like a largemouth in this picture:

 

Smallmouth(?) Bass, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 200, f3.3, 1/640 sec.

 

In all, I caught six fish - two smallmouth bass (the second was quite small, but more clearly a smallmouth), three white bass (all small) and one crappie (small). This was the first crappie I've ever caught in this particular reservoir. Here's what it looked like:

 

Crappie, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 100, f3.3, 1/125 sec.

 

I was tempted to stay and fish a while longer, but sunset came and went, and it was time to go.

 

Reservoir Sunset, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

iso 160, f3.3, 1/800 sec.

 

I notice that iAuto mode on the TS5 seems to choose f3.3 often. I suppose with such a small sensor, getting enough depth of field is never an issue. I'm quite impressed with this little camera.

 

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Goes Fishing Again

I have recently found that the very best treatment for my chronic lower back pain is kayaking. I know, it sounds weird to me as well, but there you have it. In fact, my physical therapist has now made a custom exercise for me, replicating the motion of paddling a kayak, and it really works.

 

Of course, permanently switching to Micro 4/3 to lower the weight of my camera would help, too. :)

 

Anyway, I got out in the kayak for a couple of hours today, and casted around with my ultralight spinning reel. Here's what I caught:

White Bass, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Waterproof Camera

White Bass, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Waterproof Camera

 

I had accidentally left the TS5 in one of the custom modes, this one for shooting through glass. I have no idea how it does it, but the effect is a little like a mild polarizer, which darkened up the water surface quite nicely.

 

It's really handy to have a tough, waterproof, compact camera on hand, especially in my kayak.

 

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A Report On the New Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 On Luminous Landscape

The New Panasonic DMC-GX7

Image Source: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-GX7SBODY

 

I've been watching for some reports on the new Lumix GX7 Micro 4/3 camera from Panasonic. I only care about reports from people who've actually used the camera, rather than simply reviewed the specifications. I found a very nice, concise report from Michael Reichmann on Luminous Landscape, a site that I respect highly.

 

(Click Here) to read Mr. Reichmann's full report on Luminous Landscape.

 

Here are some of the high points of the report.

 

Pluses:

• Camera size - unlike the flagship Lumix DMC-GH3, the GX7 is small. I believe that's one of the most important aspects of the Micro 4/3 format - small cameras and lenses.
• Image quality - at least matching the DMC-GH3 and Olympus OMD, according to the report
• In-body stabilization - this is important for those of us who like to use old "legacy" lenses on Micro 4/3 cameras. Olympus has had this for a long time, but the GX7 is the first Lumix to have the stabilization built into the body, rather than the lenses.
• Electronic and mechanical shutters - the electronic shutter reduces wear on the mechanical one, and allows one to shoot completely silently. I need to read up on this - I'm not sure what the downside is. I'm sure there is one, or they would have done away with the mechanical shutter altogether.

Minuses / Bugs:

• Image stabilization (in the body) doesn't work in video mode, or with lenses that have IS built-in, even if the lens IS is turned off. Maybe this can be fixed in firmware?
• Auto ISO doesn't work in manual exposure mode

While I have been shooting some Lumix cameras (mainly the LX7 and TS5), I have really been neglecting my Micro 4/3 gear this year, in favor of shooting my Leica M9, and doing my ongoing series of Skeletons From The Closet, where I shoot a different old film camera each month. I'm thinking about what next year will look like here on DMC-365, and may decide to bring Micro 4/3 back in a bigger way. Those gorgeous lenses are waiting to be used.

 

The truth is, I love shooting many different types of camera. There's simply not enough time to shoot them all. Stay tuned, I'll be sure to not let it get stale around here.

 

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