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09/24/13  Olympus OM-D - Olympus 12 50 f3.5-6,3Just thought I'd post an image showing how green and lovely this golf course is. It's a very nice park for a walk. One thing I must admit, Olympus has the best blue in the industry. Just look at that sky. 1086
E-M5 Focal Length: 12 mm Aperture: f/8.0 Exposure Time: 1/320 sec ISO: 200 • Olympus • OM-D • 12-50 f3.5-6.3
09/23/13  Olympus OM-D - Olympus 12-50 f3.5-6.3Following on from the location from yesterday's post, I took alto the OM-D with the 12-50 f3.5-6.3 kit lens along. I wanted to see if I could get to like the lens a little more than at present. Well, my final verdict is it's an ok lens, slow at the long end, nearly as slow as the Leica X Vario but it has IS on the Olympus where the Leica has no IS system at all. One thing is very good on the 12-50 and that is the macro feature. Fixed at 43mm it is really great if you don't want to take a dedicated macro lens with you. A very nice feature. In the image above you can see a part of the 5 star hotel in the very green and lush grounds. 1007
E-M5 Focal Length: 47 mm Aperture: f/8.0 Exposure Time: 1/1000 sec ISO: 200 • Olympus • OM-D • 12-50 f3.5-6.3
09/22/13  Panasonic G5 - Panasonic 35-100 f2.8This is quite an interesting place to photograph. It's a very high class hotel sighted in the middle of a once private estate. On the grounds at one end you have the stables which aren't cheap at all but then this isn't a cheap area. It's claimed that the area surrounding this hotel has the most millionaires in Germany per head of population. That's a lot of millionaires! There is also a golf course that surrounds the hotel and is a full 18 hole course. Very nice. To get to the riding paths you have to cross the fairways and this is where the problems start. When the riders start their way they really take their time and of course the golfers have to wait until they have pased. The biggest problems start at the weekends when a lot of riders visit the stables. I'm surprised the golfers get a round in :-) The image above shows one of these moments, and I'm sure I can hear the women saying "Just get a move on, we've a game to finish". 995
DMC-G5 Focal Length: 100 mm Aperture: f/8.0 Exposure Time: 1/125 sec ISO: 160 • Panasonic • G5 • 35-100 f2.8
09/21/13  Panasonic G5 - Panasonic 35-100 f2.8Took this image with the aperture set to f8. I should have been at f2.8 because I wanted to isolate the golf cart from the background. We all make mistakes. Focusing wasn't a problem here as the golf cart is pretty big and the focusing area was set to the smallest size possible. Looking around I couldn't see the owner, even as I left the scene noone returned to claim it. Strange. 1056
DMC-G5 Focal Length: 100 mm Aperture: f/8.0 Exposure Time: 1/200 sec ISO: 160 • Panasonic • G5 • 35-100 f2.8
09/20/13  Focusing with the m4/3 systemsI decided to test a few things with the Panasonic G5 focusing system to see how reliable it really is. I used the G Vario 35-100 f2.8 lens for this because of the shallow DOF you can get with it. Well it does have it's problems, especially when used with scenes like in the above image. I was NOT able to get the system to focus on the flag using the AF system on the G5. I had to manually focus on the flag. The reason being of course the background had more contrast in it and the camera ust ignored the flag pole. This to me does stress the problem with these current systems. However, with more manufacturers introducing sensors with integrated PDAF and CDAF, the problem could easily be fixed. The Nikon V1 has this already integrated and it shows in how accurate the Nikon V1 is at focusing. It just never missed and is a real bonus to users of that system. On sensor PDAF with CDAF is the future and I think all future systems will have it incorporated into their systems. 1041
DMC-G5 Focal Length: 100 mm Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure Time: 1/1600 sec ISO: 160 • Panasonic • G5 • 35-100 f2.8
09/19/13  Fujifilm X100SHaving looked at a few X100S images ofter yesterday's post, I think I made the right decision not to purchase the Sony RX1 or the Leica Vario X. Just look at the clarity and sharpness of the image above. I can't fault it in any way, and that lens was just made for this sensor. 1027
X100S Focal Length: 23 mm Aperture: f/7.1 Exposure Time: 1/750 sec ISO: 200 09/18/13  Fujifilm X100SI've been thinking a lot lately about the Sony RX1 (or the RX1R variant) and the Leica Vario X cameras. Both have impressed me with the image quality I have seen on the Internet and I haven't managed yet to hold either in my hands. That's partly because it's too dangerous for my bank account. I'm sure that if I held either in my hands I would have to purchase them so I've been keeping away from going anywhere near a camera shop. One of the reasons I like the Sony RX1 is because it's a full frame camera in a small package and a wonderful fixed 35mm lens mounted on it. Another great feature I like on the RX1 is the possibility to select a 50 and 75mm crop mode, but this is only available in jpg mode, and I'm not the biggest fan of the Sony jpg engine. A reason not to get the RX1 is the extra cost for the EVF and that is another hump to go on top of the camera. I much prefer the internal EVF and the release of the Panasonic GX7 has got me looking in that direction at present. I think Panasonic has got it right with this camera and have listened to the user base to improve their designs. I know the G series has an EVF but those cameras tend to be pretty light, whereas I prefer a certain heft to a camera. I find that it stabilises the system in my hand. The GX7 costs approximately a third of the cost of the Sony and may well be a candidate for future puchases. I've always wanted to possess a Leica camera but the rangefinders are not for me. I tried out an 8.2 but found that it just doesn't suit my photographic needs. They brought out the X1 and X2 but found those just too expensive for what they offered and passed on them. Now, with the introduction of the Vario I'm again looking into a Leica camera, which offers a 24-70 equivalent fixed zoom and an exteral EVF. I have an Olympus VF2 so that will fit on the Vario cutting the cost of the purchase. So what's keeping me from purchasing the Leica? Well, firstly the cost again. I keep asking myself if the camera is really worth the €2800 asking price. You must admit, it's a little steep but then again it is a Leica. I think if they're not careful they will price themselves out of the market, especially with the price of their lenses going through the roof. Leicas are still a niche segment and in these economic climates, less and less people can really afford to purchase these luxury items. Having read through this post again, I think I've already made my decision about these cameras and that is, I'm going to hold off any purchases for the present. Another reason for the decision is the Fujifilm X100S. Just look at the image above, how much better can the Sony or Leica be, especially for my use. Not much wrong with the image quality here, although image quality is not all there is to be considered. 1240
X100S Focal Length: 23 mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure Time: 1/900 sec ISO: 200 09/17/13  I Nikkor VR 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6Another image showing how close you can get to your subjects. This was taken with the camera at MFD of 10" and stopped down to f5.6 at 6.7mm. I'm impressed with it, not the compostion itself but with the quality of the image. I think we have come to the point where it really doesn't matter what camera you have in your hand, they all give excellent image quality these days. What does matter, and always has I suppose, is the lens you have mounted. I believe it's taken some time for the manufacturers to catch up because lenses made for film don't always perform when mounted on a digital camera. Note I said digital camera and not a DSLR because I also believe there is a difference here too. These CX lenses for the Nikon 1 system are so small and light with excellent image quality, they must be put forward as a masterpiece in lens engineering. I know of no other system that can match them, including the m4/3 systems, although they also have some excellent small lenses (namely the Olympus 12 f2 lens). If you're wondering why I posted this image for this post, well it's quite simple. Just look at the detail in that old rotting tree trun. It's quite remarkable. 1077
NIKON 1 V1 Focal Length: 6.7 mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure Time: 1/500 sec ISO: 100 • Nikon • V1 • 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6
09/16/13  1 Nikkor VR 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6I mentioned in yesterdays post that this lens is very close focusing and the image above shows what I'm talking about. I was literally right up to these steps up to the watch tower shown in an earlier post. As you can see the whole image is sharp with plenty of detail in the wood. Not much PP gone into this image either and the dynamic range from the V1 still had me wondering how they did this from the 1" CX sensor. It's nearly up there with the best of them and keeping the ISO to the minimum required, this system gives you excellent image quality. I do believe I'll be using this lens quite a bit in the coming months, it's that good. 1150
NIKON 1 V1 Focal Length: 8.7 mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure Time: 1/400 sec ISO: 100 • Nikon • V1 • 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6
09/15/13  1 Nikkor VR 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6What am amazing little lens Nikon have created. Small and well built, close focusing (down to 10 inches) and very sharp, even wide open. There are a couple of sites on the web who have tried this lens to date and have stated the same as I have done here. The most important points for me about the lens is the MFD of 10 inches and it has VR. With those two this lens will be real fun to shoot with, especially hand held. 868
NIKON 1 V1 Focal Length: 13 mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure Time: 1/400 sec ISO: 100 • Nikon • V1 • 6.7-13 f3.5-5.6
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