Yesterday's Post Was the End of Autumn, Today's Sky Looks Like the End of the World!

We had a crazy sunset and cloud formation tonight. Here's how it looked:

There was no severe weather associated with this, believe it or not

 

This is why I always have a camera with me. These were all shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, 14-42 f3.5-5.6 Series II kit zoom, on iAuto. I didn't make any decisions besides zoom and composition. These are jpegs right out of the camera.

 

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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:

 

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 - Jpeg Settings

I have only spent a little time with the LX7 so far. I started off by shooting some Jpegs. You have lots of image options in Jpeg shooting with the LX7, under "Photo Style." I started with STD, with default settings (for contrast, sharpness, color, and noise reduction). I have to admit I was not very pleased with the look of the jpegs at these settings. So, I had an assignment - see how to optimize Jpeg settings, if indeed it's possible to get what I want.

 

Just so you know, the raw images look pretty good to me. In the past, with my DMC-LX2 and DMC-LX5, I always shot raw. I may end up in the same situation with the LX7, but let's see what contributes most to my disappointment with the default images.

 

I decided to shoot a set of images on a tripod, using iso 400, f5.6, 1/60 second (manual exposure), and manual focus. I wanted to minimize all of the other variables, so that I could focus on Jpeg processing. I also shot both STD (color) and MONO (black and white) jpegs, since I'm interesting in optimizing both.

 

Here's the scene I shot:

 

Overall Scene, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 400, f5.6, 1/60 sec.

 

The tight crop below shows close up what I saw with the default STD jpeg settings:

 

Crop - STD, Default Settings

 

You can see some processing artifacts, especially along the edges of the lamp shade at right, and in the shaded area of the wall, directly under the leaves.

 

Based on my experience, these artifacts could be due to one or a combination of the following variables:

1. Jpeg compression algorithm
2. Oversharpening
3. Excessive noise reduction (NR)

I was hoping that it wasn't number 1; there's nothing you can do about that as a user. So, I tested Sharpness and NR, independently and in combination. First, I turned down Sharpness to the minimum (-2).

 

Crop - STD Photo Style, Sharpness -2, Default NR

 

In this, I see a distinct drop in the artifacts, and the expected reduction in sharpness. Much better. I can always sharpen in Lightroom.

 

Next, I brought sharpening back to default level, and reduced NR to the minimum (-2):

 

Crop, Default Sharpness, NR -2

 

The artifacts are back. Looks like Sharpness is the key adjustment.

 

Just for kicks, I combined minimum settings for both Sharpness and NR:

Crop, Sharpness -2, NR -2

 

 

The artifacts again disappear, but I don't think NR had much to do with it. Default Sharpness level in the LX7 creates Jpeg artifacts to a level that I find unacceptable.

 

Now let's look at the same series in black and white.

Crop - MONO, Default Settings

 

In black and white, I think the artifacts show up worse than in color. Look at the right edge of the moulding at the edge of the window.

 

The next one was shot with Sharpness set to -2:

 

Crop, Sharpness -2, Default NR

 

Much better.

 

For completeness, let's see what default Sharpness and minimized NR do:

 

Crop, Default Sharpness, NR -2

 

Artifacts back. Again, Sharpness is the setting that affects Jpeg artifacts.

 

Finally, minimizing both Sharpness and NR yields this:

 

Crop, Sharpness -2, NR -2

 

Again, the artifacts disappear, but in my opinion that's mostly due to minimizing Sharpness. NR doesn't seem to generate many artifacts.

 

So, what does this tell me? It tells me that I can drastically improve Jpeg from the default settings by reducing Sharpening. Now that I know that, I can decide whether to reduce it to -1 or -2.

 

I'm happy that I can adjust Sharpening to affect Jpeg processing. I'm also happy that it's not a combination effect, which is harder to control.

 

One more thing - I love the iAuto option on the LX series cameras. It allows you to quickly switch from any setting and let the camera make all the decisions. Let's say that you're shooting Jpeg street scenes with manual focus in black and white at iso 400. Just then, you see a person approaching with a gorgeous bouquet of red roses. Rather than trying to work through menus to get back to shooting color, you can switch the top dial to iA and shoot away. Very handy. Unfortunately, I cannot adjust sharpening in iAuto. So, that will seriously limit my use of iAuto with the LX7.

 

Lots more to come on the LX7. So far, so good.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Lumix DMC-TS3 and I Go Fossil Hunting Again - Lots of TS3 Images

One of my favorite local activities here in Northern Virginia is fossil hunting. I'm very fortunate to have close friends who really know their Paleontology - both academic and in the field. For more on that -

 

(Click Here) to go to paleoquest.org, my friends' non-profit organization, targeting education in prehistoric science.

 

So, Jason Osborne and I headed out on President's Day for a day of fossil hunting near Liverpool Point in Maryland. I carried my Lumix DMC-G3 and 100-300 zoom in a backpack all day, never taking it out. I did, however, shoot little vignettes of the day, all day long, with my waterproof Lumix DMC-TS3. Here they are (pretty much straight from the camera):

 

 

Bird Tracks, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/250 and 1/20 sec, respectively

 

Icicles, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, 3.3, 1/1000

 

Yes, it was cold in the morning. However, there was essentially no wind, no cloud cover, and it got up into the 40s later in the day. All in all, the nicest day we've seen in a while.

 

Duck Blind, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 160, f3.3, 1/1000

 

 

For some reason, I really like this shot. I knew I liked it when I shot it. Yes, the subject is centered, a compositional no-no. I like the "T" shape made by the combination of the dock and the horizon. I also like the bush sticking out of the roof.

These next two shots seem to me like they could have come from the desert southwest. I'm told this is likely holocene (recent) river bed.

 

 

Sedimentary Layers, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 160, f10, 1/100 (both shots)

 

I thoroughly enjoy shooting with the TS3. I used iAuto pretty much all day, which means that I didn't make any decisions other than composition. The small sensor provides lots of depth of field regardless of settings (except in extreme closeups), so I can trust the camera to take care of exposure for me, and not worry about it. On these fossil trips, I'm usually carrying other stuff, and in this case had multiple layers of clothing to contend with as well. Having the little TS3 in my hand was so simple.

Speaking of closeups, again the small sensor and wide focal length lens allow you to get very close. Here are a few examples.

 

Barnacles (Modern), by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/160

Turritella Fossil, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f3.3, 1/250

Tracks, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/320

 

Oyster, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/320

 

And here's the real goal - a shark tooth. This one was sticking right out of the cliff side. It's nice to find them this way, as the real Paleontologists can see which layer they're in. And, they're not worn down by wave and sand. Beautiful.

 

Tooth in the Matrix, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f10, 1/160

 

Unlike most days out in the field with Jason, we didn't find anything spectacular on this trip. But, we sure had a good time walking the shore, enjoying some sunshine, and having a laugh or two.

 

The TS3 was a useful tool for grabbing some images along the way. I hope you enjoy them.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

There's a newer version of the DMC-TS3, the TS4. I would recommend this camera for a nice balance of image quality and toughness (including shock resistance and waterproof operation).

 

I Haven't Had My DMC-TS3 Underwater Yet, But...

I do find it fun to use at the water's edge and surface.

 

Catharpin Creek, by Reed A. George

Panasonic DMC-TS3, Intelligent Auto Settings

iso100, f3.3, 1/1000 sec

 

This image was taken at the confluence of Catharpin Creek and Bull Run Creek, a place known as Sudley Springs, where 15,000 Union soldiers crossed to fight at the first battle of Manassas (Bull Run). The same place was used in the Union's retreat after a sound defeat on the battlefield.

 

The TS3 couldn't be easier to use. So far, I have been quite pleased the the iAuto setting.

 

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