Some Questions Are Forever - Like the Best "Walkaround" Lens

Nikko, Japan, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f5.8, 1/400 sec.

 

I read an interesting entry on The Online Darkroom blog, whose motto is "Keeping alive the black arts of analogue photography." The post is about how younger photographers coming up in the digital age but now exploring film photography probably don't have access to the "Frame of Reference" that we older folk picked up from the photography magazines of the past.

 

(Click Here) to read the post.

 

The blog's approach, which I like, is to post scans of some vintage articles dealing with photographic questions and practices from back in the day. The article included in this particular post deals with the question of what is the best single lens solution for an SLR shooter. I think you'll find the author's response oddly similar to what you'd hear today. It all depends.

 

I have fallen for the all-in-one lens lore more than once in my past. Actually, that's a little negative. That experience has exposed me to a couple of good (perhaps not great) lenses, like the 18-200mm Nikkor lens (only useful on DX cameras) and the 14-140mm Lumix lens for Micro 4/3. Both of these are capable lenses, but really only in great light. And neither is the sharpest around, either.

 

So, in general, I carry prime lenses with me, even though that means having to change lenses and carry more weight. On rare occasions when I really want to avoid lens changes or heavy bags (such as shooting my daughter's paintball battles), I still use one of the wide-range zooms.

 

(Click Here) to see some paintball pics made with the Lumix 14-140.

 

But, my real point is how some of the interesting questions around photography will likely go on forever. And never have a definitive answer.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Photographing Paintball With the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and 14-140 mm Zoom

My twelve year old daughter has taken up a new sport - paintball. Until now, I've merely dropped her off to play, but have wanted to try my hand at photographing the action. I finally followed up and did it.

 

Assassin, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f10, 1/320 sec.

 

 

So, I found a UV filter to fit the 14-140 lens, custom fit a plastic freezer bag to fit around the edge of the filter and cover the body, and headed out. By the way, this approach worked perfectly; I took a direct hit in the hand while holding the camera. Orange paint splattered the bag, but not the camera. The filter would have protected the lens front element as well.

 

Most of the people out playing paintball are not middle school girls. Many are military people, and they take it pretty seriously.

 

Intense Focus, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f11, 1/125 sec.

 

Here is the best action shot I captured that day:

 

Gunsmoke, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f13, 1/500 sec.

I heard comments about how my little girl is a "badass," "a warrior," "a little ninja," and several other things, all positive. One guy said, "she's on my team, and it seems like everywhere I go, she just pops up." She's quickly gaining the respect of this group.

 

Who's That Little Girl?, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f14, 1/500 sec.

 

Here's what it can look like when you take a direct shot.

 

Face Shot, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f5.3, 1/500 sec.

 

Cover, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f13, 1/500 sec.

Point and Shoot, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 Lens at 140mm

iso 400, f11, 1/500 sec.

This was a fun photographic outing. I rarely use shutter priority on any of my cameras, but knew that I wanted a fast shutter speed for this type of action. So, I set the G3 to "S" and generally 1/500 second, letting the meter choose the aperture for me. That worked quite well.

 

Because I had to wear a protective mask on the field, it was necessary to shoot from the LCD, rather than through the electronic viewfinder. That was more of a challenge, but it worked okay.

 

Shooting the wide range zoom, which goes from wide angle to telephoto, was also very handy. Next time, I may try getting out on the field with a 35mm equivalent lens. We'll see.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com