"Twins" Wins! Adam Wins the Sony eReader!

 

The Twins, by Adam Bucci
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adambucci/7616904628
 
I didn't say this up front, but I want everyone to know who the judge was for the DMC-365 photo contest - it was my eleven year old daughter, Christine. She's a bit of a joker herself, and really loved this shot. When asked for why she selected it as the winner, she said:
 
 
"It's funny. The color is great. They really do look like exact twins. The clouds look nice, and you can tell it was taken in the wilderness."
 
So there you have it.
 
We had several great entries - thanks everyone for participating.
 
(Click Here) to see all the entries.
 
I'm already thinking of the next giveaway, and think I have something that may be a little more in demand.
 
Hope you all enjoyed the contest.
 
ADAM - Please send me your mailing address so that I can get your eReader on its way!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 

m43photo Blog Reviews the Sigma 30mm f2.8 for Micro 4/3

 

Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 Next to Sigma 30mm f2.8

Image Source: http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2012/07/sigma-30mm-f28.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Micro4%2F3rdsPhotography+%28Micro+4%2F3rds+Photography%29

 
m43photo has issued a review of the features of the Sigma 30mm f2.8 prime lens for Micro 4/3 cameras.
 
(Click Here) to read the review on m43photo.blogspot.com
 
A quick summary of the pluses and minuses are:
 
Plus:

• Simple lens design (no extreme wide angle, super fast aperture, small size) allows decent results in inexpensive lens.
• Price - currently $199 on Amazon

 

• Bokeh at f2.8 (close to subject) looks okay to me. At 60mm equivalent, it could be useful for environmental portraits and the like.
• Autofocus is fast

Minus:

• Size - not large, but certainly not a pancake lens (see above)
• It rattles when it's not powered up
• Time delay on powering up the camera
• No hood supplied with it (this is true of the Lumix 20mm as well)

I have not tried this lens myself, and merely share m43photo's thoughts on it, and my suppositions based on what I see.

 
 
The focal length reminds me of the effective focal length of a 50mm normal lens on the Leica M8, which has a crop factor of 1.33, making the 50mm have the field of view of a 65mm lens (this 30mm has the field of view of a 60mm full frame lens). I have never been pleased with a 50mm lens on the M8. So, I don't think this is the focal length for me on Micro 4/3. I prefer a little longer lens for portraits (like the 45mm f2.8 Pana-Leica Macro Elmarit), and a little shorter one for general use (the Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 is a super lens, as is the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7). For reference, the Lumix 20mm is about $300 now.
 
If I were shopping for an inexpensive prime lens, I would give this lens a try. By the way, $199 is not that cheap, when you compare it to say a Nikon AF-D 50mm f1.8, which is faster, offers great image quality, and goes for $135 on Amazon (I've seen it for under $100). Of course, Nikon gets the economy of scale from selling many more units.
 
As it is, there are better alternatives in the "normal" focal length for Micro 4/3, and 30mm is not really in that range, anyway.
 
I generally don't pass judgment on lenses I haven't tried, and realize it's not totally fair or well-informed. However, based solely on specifications, let alone what the post above adds to that, I am sure this is not a lens for me.
 
That said, I'm sure some skillful photographers will make absolutely beautiful images with it.
 
In fact, you can look at some images in a flickr group dedicated to this lens (seems to include other mounts as well, but all Sigma 30mm f2.8 lenses).
(Click Here) to go to the flickr group page.
 

DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Luminous Landscape Article on Emotion in Photography - by William Neill

 

Goodbye Sunset, by Reed A. George

Leica M8, Voigtlander 28mm f1.9

iso 320, f stop not recorded, 1/250 sec

 
I just read this great piece on Luminous Landscape about how emotion can, does, and should affect every artist's work. Bill Neill describes how he fell into a 5' deep water hole with all of his camera gear at Zion National Park. The next day, he took a beautiful shot of water's effect on the desert floor, with the gear he was able to salvage.
 
(Click Here) to read his article on Luminous Landscape.
 
In my own experience, when emotion does affect me, it results in my most meaningful photographs. Of course, since I associate the emotion with the image, it is probably most meaningful to me. I have no real way of saying if that emotion translates to others.
 
In the shot above, I was driving around rural Maryland on my own, looking for something to photograph. I knew that my Grandma was quite ill, and it wouldn't last long. That said, we'd had a few false alarms already, so it was hard to tell just how serious it was. I heard later that night that she had passed on. This was Grandma's final sunset, even though she didn't get to see it. I literally caught it out of the corner of my eye, quickly pulled over, and shot it. It is not an ideal shot - a nice barn in the foreground would have helped. However, it was a vanishing instant, and was gone before I could relocate or recompose. For me, the shot has incredible meaning. I don't expect others to feel it. Actually, I'm quite happy experiencing that on my own.
 
This is why photography means something to me. I have no other way to communicate, or even remember the true feel of emotion at times like that.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Well, Is It Sexy? Thoughts On the "X-Factor" And Camera Designs

 

New Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5

Image Source: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-G5KK

 
I have been sorely tempted with some great deals on used Leica M9s recently, almost to the point of giving in. Now that's a sexy camera. In fact, it's hard for me to come up with any other reason for wanting it. I have a Leica M8 that I am fond of, but use much less than my Lumix DMC-G3s.
 
In tussling with myself over whether to buy an M9, which even at a great used price is super expensive, I took my M8 out this morning, after a long hiatus. The M8 is also a very sexy camera and I had a blast shooting it today. The images were truly no better than I got last weekend with my DMC-G3. The M9 would get me a full-frame sensor, and moderately better high iso performance. That's it. And, the M9's 2.5X the cost of the M8.
 
I have built my Leica lens set pretty well around the cropped sensor of the M8, with a 25mm Zeiss Biogon (33mm equivalent full-frame), old 35mm Summilux (47mm equivalent), and Voigtlander 75mm f2.5 (100mm equivalent) as the main kit. All of these work great on the M8. So, full-frame doesn't mean much.
 
Better high iso performance is meaningful. But, to be honest, my DMC-G3 has far better high iso performance than I could expect from the M9.
 
Again, it's the sexy factor, the "x-factor" that attracts me to the M9.
 
I read a post on dpreview.com that discusses this very thing.
 
(Click Here) to read the post on dpreview.
 
This post talks about how the Panasonic camera designs are great technically, but rather pedestrian in style. In some ways, I do agree, even though it's obvious how much I like Panasonic. The G3 sure doesn't feel like a Leica in my hands. But, as I've said, in many ways it outperforms.
 
The post also talks about how the Olympus OM-D has the x-factor. I can see that - the retro styling is very nice. But, still not like a Leica, in my opinion.
 
I sort of see this like comparing a Toyota and a Porsche. Obviously, Panasonic is the Toyota analog, Leica the Porsche analog. I own a Toyota, and have owned two Porsches in my life. I rely on the Toyota now, and don't own a Porsche. The Toyota is definitely more reliable, economical, and reasonable; I still miss my Porsche.
 
Toyota makes some performance cars - the Supra twin turbo is a performance legend. I'm sure it's also reliable. So, maybe the right solution is a Panasonic camera with the right styling and features to be both reliable and exciting.
 

And How About This Toyota? Panasonic - Make Us A Camera That FEELS Like This

Image Source: http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/30000-toyota-sports-car-for-2012-20110302-1be0b.html

 
Is the DMC-G5 that camera? It looks pretty good to me. The grip will add a lot of feel, compared to the G3. If the sensor is as good or better than the Olympus OM-D, that will be great. It will never be a Leica, but it may just have some x-factor to it.
 
I think Panasonic could learn something of design by looking at the Leicas, and at the Fujifilm XPro-1. Fujifilm certainly put some x-factor into that design (closely modeled on the Leica).
 
I was thinking about what I'd like to try out in Micro 4/3 gear in the near future as I considered a great deal on a Leica M9. I figured out that I could buy a DMC-G5, Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens, Lumix 12-35mm f2.8, add in a new DMC-GH3 body when it's available (maybe that will be the sexy one?), and still spend less on these (all new) than I would on a single Leica M9 body only, USED!
 
So, I'll keep my Leica M8 for times when I just need that feel, but I won't upgrade to the M9.
 
I still miss my Porsche.
 
Panasonic, please try to build some x-factor into your upcoming designs. We'll be willing to pay for it, I promise.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Interesting Poll on Micro 4/3 Usage on mu43.com, and Why I Like Other Formats, Too

 

View Poll Results: How much of your shooting is done with a M4/3? 90% to 100% 45 64.29% 75% to 89% 15 21.43% 50% to 74% 4 5.71% 25% to 49% 3 4.29% 11% to 24% 2 2.86% 1% to 10% 0 0% 0% 1 1.43% Voters: 70. You may not vote on this poll

Data and Graph Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f35/how-much-your-shooting-done-m4-3-a-29954/

 
This is the current (as of July 22, 2012) result of a poll on mu-43.com, regarding what percentage of respondents' pictures are taken with a Micro 4/3 (M4/3) camera. By the time this is posted on DMC-365, it will be different.
 
(Click Here) to see the latest results on mu-43.com.
 
I personally fall into the 75%-89% category at this point. That's impressive, given that I have so many other format cameras that I love to use. In fact, I'm currently wrestling with the urge for another Leica, interested in the Fujifilm XPro-1, and just completed a week-long film challenge. I'm anything but a single format photographer.
 
Currently, 60% of respondents indicate that they use M4/3 75% or more of the time. I think this means that M4/3 has really arrived. Of course, the 70 people who responded so far are preselected by the fact that they are reading mu-43.com. I don't think the data indicate whether or not more people are adopting the format; they merely say that many of those who do happen to take the format seriously and use it a lot of the time.
 
In my own usage, I find M4/3, specifically the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and associated lenses, to be quite satisfying photographically. I just wish they felt more like cameras. They certainly don't have the feeling of a traditional rangefinder - simple, quick, mechanical. They can emulate the DSLR pretty well, but not the old film SLRs. Nikon DSLR design has the same problem, in my opinion. Leica has it down. I think maybe Fujifilm does, too, but I'm not sure about that hybrid viewfinder thing, and the fact that if I mount a Leica lens, I have to focus with the electronic finder, not the optical one.
 
Any XPro-1 users out there that can comment on how Leica lenses really work on the system?
 
Feeling is why my older cameras call me. I've identified that manual focus is a big part of that feeling for me. I can use manual focus on my M4/3 cameras, and do. But, it sure isn't the same.
 
Now, I realize this is just the old man in me. Not everyone has this problem. I'm sure great grandpa hated the feel of an electric starter, preferring the tactile feedback of the manual engine crank. But, I wouldn't have wanted to take that away from him.
 
I don't know if there's a technical solution to making a M4/3 camera with the feel of a Leica or old SLR. The Olympus OM-D sure looks like an old SLR. But, I haven't tried one yet, to see if it feels like one.
 
Any Oly users out there want to comment?
 
I enjoy the form factor of the Panasonic DMC-GF1 (now replaced with the GX1), but it just looks like a rangefinder; it is not one.
 
Meanwhile, I'll keep tight grip on my wallet, and avoid that Leica urge... The best way is to get out and shoot a Leica film camera - that will fulfill my jones for tactile feedback.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Is It True? Nobody Wants A Free $300 Sony eReader?

 

Free Sony eReader to Photo Contest Winner

 

So far, there are no entries to the contest. I'm a little surprised. The deadline is in 3 days, and all you have to do is post a great photo shot with a Panasonic camera in the flickr group.

 

(Click Here) for my post that explains how easy it is to enter.

 

Right now, there's no competition. If you enter, and no one else does, guess what? You win!
 
So enter!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Japanese Obon Festival - Fairfax Station, VA

Obon Dance, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 160, f6.3, 1/13 sec.

 
My family and I recently attended a local Japanese Obon Festival at Ekoji Temple in Fairfax Station, Virginia.
 
(Click Here) to read about the event online.
 
We had the pleasure of meeting up with some friends there, letting the kids run wild, and relaxing a little.
 
The Obon festival focuses on honoring the spirits of your ancestors. It is a common time for family reunions in Japan. The bon dance is always a highlight.
 
 

A Little Stage Fright, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 400, f2, 1/400 sec.

 
The dance and music went into the evening, and at dusk there was a nice memorial ceremony for those departed ancestors.

 

Candlelit Stone Lantern, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8

iso 1600, f2.8, 1/20 sec.

 
I have always respected how the Japanese can combine solemn events with fun. I love the idea that we were able to honor a recently-deceased family member while the kids ran, played, and enjoyed the evening.
 
In photographic terms, this was really just a chance for me to take my camera along on a family event. I realized that I have been neglecting the 20mm f1.7 lens, since receiving my Summilux 25mm f1.4. They are very different lenses, and the 20mm is so compact, it is a pleasure to use. One of the main applications of the 20mm for me is street photography, which I have not been doing much lately. This gives me the bug to get back out there - maybe a bus ride up to New York City is in order. The G3 and 20mm pancake lens are a very non-threatening combination to carry around for street photography. Maybe I'll give myself a challenge and take no other equipment with me.
 
Anyway, I digress. It was fun to use the 20mm at this event, and I need to do it more.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com