Too Much Emphasis on Low Light? Look for Good Light

 

Key West Cemetery, by Reed A. George

Lumix DMC-GX1

 

It really is easy to get caught up in technical capabilities of our cameras, focusing on what they can do in near darkness, rather than looking for good light, wherever it may be found. Frequently, the low light that necessitates super high iso and low noise performance isn't really that good.

 

Why am I thinking about this? I read a post along these lines on prosophos.com.

 

(Click Here) to read that post.

 

It reminds me how much we did (and some of us still do) with film cameras, where the realistic limit of iso is about 400, okay maybe 800 or 1600 by pushing the film. Delta 3200 was always so grainy at that iso setting, I always used it at 1600 max. Today, a digital camera that shows noise at 1600 is looked down upon by most.

 

Anyway, this inspires me to worry less about low light, f1.4, and iso 6400. I'll get out and look for some good light.

 

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To Crop or Not to Crop?

I am a believer in cropping images if needed. I know, many purists believe that cropping represents a failure to compose properly. However, if you think back to when cameras had primitive means of framing (think sports finders on folding medium format cameras), it would be nearly inevitable that you need to crop sometimes.

 

Here's an example where I think a crop may make the image more interesting. Let's start with the full image.

 

Old Truck, Key West, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 200, f5.6, 1/1250 sec

 

 

I kind of like this shot. I think the full image shows enough of the truck body, even a little of the steering wheel, to provide context; you know it's a truck.

 

Now, here's a crop:

 

Cropped

 

Actually, an even tighter crop really shows the cracks in a more dramatic way, but I settled for this compromise between a complete abstract of just the cracks, and the wider shot above.

 

Which do you like best?

I did finally shoot my Lumix DMC-GX1 a little on my trip to Key West. It's a wonderful little camera.

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DMC-GX1 for an unbelievably low price at Amazon:

 

Key West Cemetery - Shot With Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

When in Key West, I always like to look for hints of the local culture, which all too often get covered over with the trappings of tourism. The historic Key West cemetery is always worth a quick visit. This time, I grabbed my Lumix DMC-GX1, 20mm f1.7 lens, and Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 lens and headed there for an early morning walk.

 

Rather than try to paraphrase, I'll quote directly from the historic marker at the cemetery to provide some background:

 

"Key West Cemetery was founded in 1847 following a hurricane the previous year that destroyed the earlier cemetery located near present day Higgs Beach. To protect from future flooding the 10-acre cemetery was located here on Solares Hill, the highest natural elevation in Key West. An estimated 75,000 people are interred here, divided among parcels that reflect the cultural diversity that continues to characterize the city of Key West today. The cemetery contains a historic Catholic section, Jewish section, the USS Maine plot dedicated in 1900, and the Los Martires de Cuba, a memorial for those who fought in the 1868 Cuban revolution. In addition to these defined areas, African Americans, Cubans and Americans, rich and poor, are interred throughout. In-ground and crypt style graves range from simple concrete copings filled with soil to elaborate monnuments. Plot enclosures of wrought iron, wood, or concrete were often used to mark family plots.

A Florida Heritage Site Sponsored by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation, The City of Key West, and the Florida Department of State"

 

Let's take a look at the place.

Key West Cemetery, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f2.8, 1/400 sec

 

 

Fallen, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens
iso 160, f2.8, 1/40 sec

Gravestones and Chickens, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens
iso 160, f2.8, 1/320 sec

Family Plots, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f2, 1/1000 sec

 

Occupying a relatively small area of land, completely surrounded by residential neighborhood, this is a place of visual details. For example, the flowers really stand out from the dull gray stone.

Pink Flowers, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f1.7, 1/640 sec

 

Sleeping Angel, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens
iso 160, f1.7, 1/1250 sec

This next shot was made with the adapted Canon 135mm f3.5 LTM lens. I'm amazed by the sharpness of this old lens. I also really like the out of focus areas in the background.

Isolated, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Canon LTM 135mm f3.5 Lens
iso 160, f4, 1/200 sec

 

Thoughtful, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f5.6, 1/40 sec

Cross, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f1.7, 1/640 sec

 

Peaceful, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f1.7, 1/800 sec

 

Key West is such a funky place. It's somehow comforting to know that even in death, you can retain a little uniqueness. The cemetery here is another thing about Key West that reminds me of another unique place, New Orleans.

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Key West, Florida - Shot With Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

 

Pier, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f8, 15 seconds

 

As you may have seen from other recent posts, my family and I went to Key West, Florida for a mini-vacation. Three days is pretty short, but we definitely made the most of it.

 

Having focused a lot on my Leica and film camera photography for the first half of this year, it was time to shoot some of my Panasonic cameras. I've already written about the DMC-TS5 underwater camera and how it performed. The workhorse of this trip was the DMC-LX7. I also used my DMC-GX1 a little, and will share those images in a separate post. This one's dedicated to the LX7.

 

The Casa Marina resort in Key West has a long history, and is the brainchild of railroad magnate Henry Flagler. We liked having breakfast there, where everyone gets treated as if they're wealthy. I made this quick shot using the iAuto mode on the LX7.

 

Casa Marina Breakfast, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 80, f2.8, 1/800 sec.

Casa Marina also has great hammocks out by the water's edge.

Hammock, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 400, f2.3, 1/20 sec.

Here are some other scenes from around Key West. First, the lighthouse. I love the orange blossoms on the trees.

 

Key West Lighthouse, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 320, f4, 1/100 sec.

And one of the famous Key West roosters, this one on the sidewalk at the Hemingway house. This is one of those shots that's so sharp it's scary. When I do a 1:1 zoom on the rooster's head, the detail is downright astonishing.

 

Key West Rooster, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f4, 1/80 sec.

 

A simple street scene that says "Key West" to me:

 

Store Window, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f4, 1/40 sec.

 

And a parting shot of the kid, looking through a waterfall glass fountain.

 

End of a Nice Vacation, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f2.1, 1/25 sec.

 

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. The LX7 is capable of so much, it's almost embarrassing. It makes it hard to justify all of the other camera equipment I own.

 

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Be sure to read my ebook on how I set up the LX7 for my uses, and why:

 

 

Here's a New One on Me: Recreational Water Jet Pack

While in Key West, I saw this:

 

Key West Jet Pack, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

This is a new one on me. A jet-powered backpack that shoots you into the air.

(Click Here) to read more about it.

 

Key West Jet Pack, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Key West Jet Pack, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

He even landed it so that he was standing on this piling.

 

I shot these with the DMC-TS5, which I am evaluating as part of the Panasonic Early Adopter program. I took the waterproof TS5 down scuba diving with me, and it worked very well. I'll have some underwater shots to share soon.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

User Report: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Waterproof Compact

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Lifestyle Tough Camera

Image Source: shop.panasonic.com

 

I am pleased to be a participant in Panasonic's Early Adopter program. My first review was of the new DMC-TS5 waterproof, shock proof, wifi-enabled, GPS-enabled, compact camera. How's that for a list of features?

 

(Click Here) to read my report on Panasonic's website.

 

I thought I'd add some images and video to the mix, since that's the real result of tesing a camera, right?

 

First off, this little camera is very convenient. I took it along on a family trip to pick strawberries at the farm. The macro capabilities are impressive. Put the camera into iAuto mode, and you're good to go.

 

Berries and Blossoms, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

For a real test of the specific strengths of this waterproof, toughened camera, I took it with me on a trip to the Florida Keys. We arrived in Key West just before sunrise, so I stayed up and shot a little at the hotel beach. Here's a video of the surf coming in. At the end of the video, you'll see the camera get knocked over by an incoming wave! No worries; it's tough.

 

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Sunrise, Key West, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

To really test the camera, we took it on a scuba diving trip. Here's the ride out to the reef:

 

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Headed to the Reef, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

The seas were pretty rough on this day, with waves from three to five feet being the norm. Here's what it looked like from the water's surface, before we went down:

 

Rough Seas, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Of course, once we were under water, waves didn't matter, just current. And there was plenty of current.

 

All Is Good, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Shooting in the "Underwater Advanced" mode, I think the camera does a nice job of achieving color balance. This isn't bad for ~30 feet underwater with just the on-camera flash!

 

Snappers, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Here's an underwater video - look for the two barracudas:

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Barracuda!, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Here are some other shots from the Key West trip:

"Through Glass" Scene Mode Seems To Work!, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

I Can Still Feel The Humidity, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Local, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

I'll finish with a couple of shots of one of the things Key West is famous for - sunsets. I shot these in the sunset scene mode, which also works quite well:

Sunset From The Boat, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

And finally, a sunset panorama, made completely in-camera, using the panorama mode.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the DMC-TS5 on this trip. It's wonderful to be able to carry a camera literally anywhere without having to worry about damaging it. After we got back to the hotel, I simply filled the sink with fresh water and submerged the camera for ten minutes or so. Clean and good as new!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Quick Post From Last Day in Key West

Sorry for a somewhat lazy post, but we're packing up to head home from our quick 3-day weekend in Key West.

 

While we were here, I got the opportunity to test the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 waterproof camera. It performed very well. Not flawless, but very very impressive given that I tested its limits of 43 feet waterproof certification. As much as I tried to avoid it, the TS5 did get banged around a little as we donned and doffed dive tanks and BCs. Anyway, here's my favorite shot from the dive:

Bubbles, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

I'll be writing up the user report for Panasonic in the next day or two. I'll share all of my thoughts on this camera as soon as I've assembled them. But, I can certainly say that I'm sold on it. Compact, fast, tough as nails, and producing quite nice images. I'll show more soon.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

So How Good Is A $4,200 28mm Lens? Leica On Loan at LHSA Spring Shoot!

At the recent LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Leica continued their tradition of providing the "Leica On Loan" program to LHSA members. At the beginning of the meeting, Justin Stailey of Leica wheeled in his suitcase literally full of Leica cameras and lenses for us to borrow and test. Yes, you could borrow a Leica M9 or even the M Monochrom, and just about any Leica M lens you can imagine. I decided to borrow the Summicron 28mm f2.

 

I immediately attached the 28 to my film body, an M4-2, where it stayed for most of the meeting. I shot a roll of Fuji Sensia slide film that I needed to use before age took its effects. Here are some of the results.

 

Villa Vizcaya, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

How's that for color? No polarizer or filter of any kind.

 

Vizcaya Stairway #1, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

I really enjoyed the wide angle and well-controlled distortion of the Summicron 28.

 

Garden Towers, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

I picked this particular lens to challenge myself. Preferring 50mm for my normal lens, a 35mm feels wide to me. 28mm is even wider. It's not easy for me to compose with this lens. For example, in the shot above, the lady on the terrace just to right of the center of the image was an important element for me. While I kept the whole composition in mind, using the multiple frames of the towers, my mind was focused on her as a compositional element. As it turns out, she's barely visible due to the wide angle perspective of this lens. This is my limitation in seeing in wide angle, not a limitation of the lens.

 

Colonnade, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

In the case above, the wide perspective allowed me to include the entire column closest to me, which really adds to the shot.

 

Leading Line and Fountain, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

We visited the gardens at almost high noon - the worst light of the day. Combined with a wide angle lens, that presents quite a challenge.

 

Vizcaya Stairway #2, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

The shot above is my favorite from Vizcaya. All it needs is an alluring lady dressed in white (or red) walking down the steps. Again, the 28mm allowed me to take in the full sweeping shape of this elegant piece of architecture. I love how my eye follows the stairs right up to the sky in this shot.

Now for a change of pace. When we visited the Leica Store in Miami at the Miracle Mile, we saw plenty of high end automobiles. This Ferrari really caught my eye.

Ferrari, Low Angle, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

Ferrari, High Angle, by Reed A. George

Leica M4-2, Leica Summicron 28mm f2 Lens, Fuji Sensia 100

 

The high angle shots says "South Florida" to me - expensive car, palm trees and blue skies reflected in the hood.

 

So, Leica On Loan is yet another great benefit of being an active LHSA member. I can only guess what rental on a $4,200 lens would be for a weekend. Certainly not free as it was for me. If you're interested in joining LHSA, which includes a subscription (electronic or hardcopy) to the Viewfinder journal, access to an amazingly well-informed group of Leica folks, multiple annual events, a new Google+ community, and much more:

 

(Click Here) to join LHSA. If you have any questions about LHSA, feel free to contact me directly.

 

My slides were processed in highly professional fashion by my favorite mail-in processing service, The Darkroom.

 

(Click Here) to go the The Darkroom's page. Very reasonable prices, fast, high quality service, including automatic scanning of every image, posted to your album on the web. You get to see how your images turned out while you're waiting for the originals to arrive in the mail.

 

Thanks to Justin Stailey and Leica for letting me borrow this awesome wide angle lens!

 

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Whole Lotta Leica Results - Summicron Collapsible at LHSA Spring Shoot in South Florida!

 

South Florida Sky, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 160, f8, 1/350 sec.

 

I attended the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in April. I shot quite a lot with my Whole Lotta Leica lens for the month, the Summicron 50mm collapsible.

 

(Click Here) to read about the lens.

 

Here are some more shots from the trip.

American Dream, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 160, f16, 1/180 sec.

As one of our outings, we visited Villa Vizcaya in Miami. Amazing what turn of the 20th century money could buy.

 

 

Garden Wall, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 160, f16, 1/125 sec.

It was hot and sunny, as we were there mid-day. Justin Stailey of Leica attended the Spring Shoot, and led a great street photography workshop a la Leica Akademie for us.

Leica's Justin Stailey Catching Some Shade, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 160, f3.5, 1/350 sec.

The new Leica Store in Miami welcomed our whole LHSA contingent, serving refreshments, talking Leica, and sharing some results from the new Leica M camera with us. I love the new Leica stores.

Leica Store, Miami, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 640, f3.4, 1/350 sec.

While the lights were low for the M presentation, I shot a few images of one of our Leica Store hosts in the near darkness.

Thoughtful, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 1250, f2.8, 1/25 sec.

My Summicron Collapsible caught the attention of Leica technical whiz Jim Lager. He noted the early serial number, and brought up the radioactive glass. Pretty good eye, catching that from across the table. Here's an example of shooting the old Summicron nearly wide open into the morning light, while I got coffee.

Morning Backlighting, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summicron 50mm f2 Collapsible Lens

iso 320, f2.4, 1/320 sec.

Not exactly flare-resistant, the old(est) Summicron does have character.

 

If you're a Leica enthusiast, please look into joining the LHSA. It's a wonderful society, with a first-rate quarterly publication, the "Viewfinder," and an amazing membership of people who know and love Leica and photography. We've recently started a Google+ community for LHSA, which I hope to really make interesting in the coming weeks.

 

(Click Here) to join LHSA. We promise to welcome you to the group!

 

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