So That's Why Some of My Pictures Are Rotated The Wrong Way!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, With In-Body Orientation Sensor

Image Source:

http://www.cameragearguide.com/7612/panasonic-announces-12-1mp-lumix-dmc-gf5-with-improved-ergonomics-touchscreen-and-iso-performance/

 
 
I have noticed that some of my "portrait orientation" pictures on the DMC-G3 are not rotated, while others are. I thought I noticed this occurring as a difference between by two G3 bodies. In fact, it turns out to be caused by the fact that in order to sense the camera orientation during imaging, the Lumix cameras (at least those prior to the DMC-GF5) rely on the sensors for Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that are in the lens. So, if you're using a lens without OIS, your images won't be correctly oriented.
 
Here's the quote I found regarding this in a dpreview review of the Lumix 7-14mm f4 lens:
 
"One design quirk of the Panasonic G series is that the lens's image stabilization sensors are used to detect the camera's orientation, and mark images for rotation accordingly (as opposed to a conventional sensor mounted in the body). Obviously this can't work with lenses which don't have an OIS unit, such as the 7-14mm. This means that Panasonic owners will find all of their portrait-format pictures shot with this lens resolutely displaying the wrong way round."
 
(Click Here) if you are suffering from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) as I am, and want to be convinced to buy the 7-14mm lens.



As far as orientation sensing goes, the newly-announced DMC-GF5 reportedly incorporates an orientation sensor into the body, giving you orientation sensing, no matt what lens you are using. This is according to a review on www.cameraguide.com.
 
(Click Here) to read the DMC-GF5 review in its entirety.
 
I was relieved to find that #1, I am not going crazy, and #2, there is not some hidden function setting somewhere on one of my G3s that was different from the other. It comes down to the fact that one camera had an OIS lens mounted, while the other did not.
 

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A Little Diversion from Lumix - Bird Photography With Nikon D700

 

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 300mm f4 AF-IF Nikkor

iso1600, f5.6, 1/1000 sec

The images in this post are the best few from three separate kayaking trips along the Potomac here in Northern Virginia. Bird photography is a very specialized business. While I did gain a few nice images with the G3 and 100-300mm Lumix, my very best images happened to be with my Nikon D700. So, pardon the break from Lumix, but I wanted to share these.

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 500mm f4 AIS Nikkor (Manual Focus)

iso1600, f5.6, 1/1000 sec

 
 

 

Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus) Catching Shad, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 500mm f4 AIS Nikkor (Manual Focus)

iso1600, f5.6, 1/1000 sec

It's interesting fitting a Nikkor 500mm f4 AIS lens, big heavy Gitzo tripod, and all my other gear into a 10 foot kayak. But, as long as the winds are not heavy, it works.

The Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) below just showed up while I was set up to shoot the ospreys. I really like the branch as a compositional element in this shot.

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, 500mm f4 AIS Nikkor (Manual Focus)

iso1600, f5.6, 1/500 sec

 

It's good to have a lot of interests; that's never been a problem for me. Kayaking, birdwatching, and photography came together in this case. Great fun!
 
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Another Jpeg Setting To Try

 

Here Comes the Sun by dixeyk on mu-43.com

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f43/panasonic-color-26171/

 
I have written in the past about my desire to find great jpeg settings for my Lumix DMC-G3. I normally shoot raw files, but would like to get the best jpegs out of my camera, to minimize the need to sit in front of a computer, post-processing images. Especially given my luck with home computers lately (another story).
 
Poster dixeyk on mu-43.com posted this image, and his settings.
 
(Click Here) to see dixeyk's post.
 
dixeyk uses the "My Film" setting on his Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, setting Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and Noise Reduction all uniformly to a value of -2.
 
From dixeyk's single example, this looks pretty good to me.
 
I previously tried another user's suggested settings and found the result way too contrasty and saturated. So, for now, I just use the normal film setting, but am not totally satisfied with the result.
 
 
(Click Here) for my earlier post on jpeg settings. Note, again however, these didn't work out for me.
 
 
I'm leaving for a short trip this weekend. I'll give dixeyk's settings a try and report back.
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Fun Little Article About Wildlife in Tokyo

 

Mandarin Ducks (Oshidori in Japanese)

Image Source:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ek20120430a1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+japantimes+%28The+Japan+Times%3A+All+Stories%29

The Japan Times recently ran a bilingual piece about wildlife in Tokyo. It explains the Japanese concept of an annual awakening day for wildlife (keichitsu in Japanese), which usually occurs around March 4 or 5. It is surprising how much wildlife really does exist in Tokyo, with its heavily developed land and industry-lined waterways.

(Click Here) to read the full story.

Of course, there are typical pests in the city, including the ubiquitous crows (karasu in Japanese), but the parks do still harbor many species of waterfowl, and at least three species of turtles are found within the city limits.

 
Here are a couple of wildlife shots I took on my recent trip to Tokyo:
 
 

Tokyo Turtles, by Reed A. George

Taken at Kiyosumi Garden Park

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, iso80, f3.5, 1/400 sec

Waterfowl, Ueno Park, Tokyo, by Reed A. George

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

iso400, f2.8, 1/2500 sec

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Nice Post on Natural Light from Digital Photography School

 

Image Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/are-you-practicing-these-5-natural-lighting-tips

The Digital Photography School has a nice post on how to think about, observe, and capture natural light. They give the following five tips:

1. Be aware of the characteristics of light. Learn to think about how that scene you're observing now would look at a different time of day (or night). The differences can be dramatic.
2. There is no "good" or "bad" light. Yes, the golden hour is great for beautiful images. Sometimes, you want to communicate something other than just "beautiful." Sometimes the harsh light of mid-day is exactly right for communicating your story.
3. Obsess about observing light. Even when you don't have a camera. Look at contrast, how the shadows are illuminated. I find it useful to think about how many stops difference I think there are between the shadows and highlights, and about how I would expose an image, if I were taking it.
4. Give it a try, experiment. To me, this point follows on the one above. Why ever be without a camera? If you see it, shoot it. It's digital, right? You can simply delete it later, with no cost, and with the potential of learning something.
5. Don't forget that you can post-process. Learn to shoot challenging scenes with a plan in mind for post-processing. Want to capture that person's face, but also want the sky correctly exposed? See if you can capture the sky and bring the face exposure up a little in post-processing.

And most importantly, the article reminds us to get out an make photos. That's the thing we're interested in, right?

 
(Click Here) to read the whole article on digital-photography-school.com.
 
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The PhoBlographer Tests the Zeiss Planar 50mm f2 M Lens on Micro Four Thirds

 

Image Source: http://www.thephoblographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P5112317_lr-1000.jpg

I read an interesting post about using the Zeiss Planar 50mm f2 (Leica M mount) lens on Micro Four-Thirds cameras.

(Click Here) to see the original post at www.thephoblographer.com

The author (Felix Esser) makes several important points. First, he says that while he's satisfied with the Zeiss lens performance on both the Olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, neither delivers a certain image quality that he sees using the same lens on the Leica M8. This is difficult to evaluate. Each M4/3 camera has so many settings, I find it a little hard to believe that one couldn't fiddle long enough and pretty much replicated the Leica's color, tone, and sharpness. The Micro 4/3 cameras have more recent sensor technology than the M8. The only differentiating thing I can think of is the lack of an IR filter on the M8 sensor, which is supposed to increase sharpness, but at the cost of color accuracy. I find with my M8 that the add-on UV/IR filters are absolutely necessary to achieve good color rendition, so I any benefit from not having the filter there must be lost.

I also found Felix's comments comparing the Olympus E-P1 and Lumix DMC-G1 of interest. It seems that he prefers the native jpeg output of the Olympus, but finds the Panasonic much easier to use with legacy manual focus lenses. This is mainly because of the increased resolution of the G1's electronic viewfinder (EVF). I bet he'd really like it if he tried the DMC-G3 or DMC-GH2.

Felix also provides a little information on the history of the Planar, which has always rivaled the Leica Summicron, both considered benchmarks for image quality in the normal lens range.

I don't have a 50mm Planar. I do have a Zeiss 25mm Biogon T f2.8, which should make a very nice 50mm equivalent on Micro 4/3. The 25mm Biogon is as well-recognized for image quality as the Planar. On my Leica M8, the Biogon makes a wonderful 35mm replacement (at ~33mm equivalent field of view).

However, I must admit, I rarely use the Biogon on M4/3. Why? A few reasons: 1) manual focus, 2) f2.8 (I prefer faster), 3) the existence of the Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4. The Summilux offers autofocus, 2 stops of increased speed, and excellent image quality. So, it's just a little hard to grab the Biogon and leave the Summilux behind.

I would be interested in hearing others' opinions about this. For a normal lens, I don't see much reason to use anything other than the Pana-Leica 25mm Summilux on my M4/3 cameras.

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Civil War Event - John Mosby's Rangers at Mount Bleak, Virginia

 

Paris, Virginia, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso160, f8, 1/250 sec

On Sunday, May 13, 2012, I attend a Civil War historical event at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, Virginia. This is amazingly serene countryside, as the panorama of nearby Paris above demonstrates.

This area was deeply involved in the Civil War, and was home to John S. Mosby, a confederate officer turned vigilante, who constantly tested and perturbed federal forces in the heart of Virginia. Mosby was known as the "Gray Ghost," based on his rangers' ability to appear and disappear seemingly instantly, using local "safe houses" to harbor himself and his men. In fact, the historic home at Mount Bleak in the park was one of those safe houses.

Richard Gillespie, Director of Education for the Mosby Heritage Area Association

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso160, f2.8, 1/125 sec

The evening's event presented several vignettes of individuals from the period, played by local reenactors associated with the Gray Ghost Interpretive Group. Starting near sundown, we listened to their stories as the sky grew dark, the program transformed to lantern light - wonderful for setting the mood and allowing our minds to go far back in time.

In the Role of Estate Owner and Former Mosby Ranger, George M. Slater

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso160, f2.8, 1/200 sec

Local Girl and Aid to Mosby's Rangers, by Reed A. George

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso3200, f1.5, 1/800 sec

Memoirs of a Ranger, by Reed A. George

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso400, f1.8, 1/1250 sec

Lone Federal Soldier Watches From the Shadows, by Reed A. George

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso6400, f1.4, 1/15 sec

The Tour Wraps Up After Dark, by Reed A. George

by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso640, f1.4, 1/25 sec

(Click Here) for more information on the beautiful Sky Meadows Park, which is about an hour east of Washington, DC, and is a beautiful natural and historical reserve.

(Click Here) for more about the Mosby Heritage Area Association, who put on this event. They are excellent at bringing civil war history to life.

Here are a few more images of the beautiful scenery in the area:

Cultivation, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 14mm f2.5

iso400, f8, 1/250 sec

Whitewashed Fence, by Reed A. George

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

iso400, f2.8, 1/400 sec

Ivy, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4

iso400, f8, 1/80 sec

As you can see from the exposure information, as the evening wore on, I relied on the Summilux for its fast f1.4 aperture, and increased iso to 6400 near the end. It was a nice challenge to capture the event in near darkness. I hope I've done well enough that you can get a feel for this early summer evening in the countryside.

 
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