Cloudy Summer Sunset
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Beautiful clouds at sunset in Cape Cod. the setting sun created some fabulous reflected light on the water. I did not want to slow the shutter too much - a 2.5 sec. exposure left just the right texture on the water.
Photographed with the Lumix S1R and the Lumix S Pro 24-70 f/2.8 lens. Exposure Triad: f/16, 2.5 sec, ISO 100.
"Live Composite" - Swift River
A "Live Composite" image captured on August 29, 2020, with the little Lumix G100 vlogging camera and the Leica 8-18 f/2.8-4 lens. The individual image exposure triad was f/6.3, 40 sec, ISO 400.
The in-camera composite is of 9 images that resulted in a full-resolution RAW file. After the first exposure, I light pained the rocks and trees in individual sections watching the screen as the exposures were combined and displayed. The image was processed, perspective corrected. and cropped slightly and then converted to B&W.
Peace and Tranquility
f/10, 60 sec., ISO 200
Please click on the image for a larger rendition.
This image was captured earlier this year in Falmouth, Massachusetts. At about 7:00 PM the sun was low on the horizon. I wanted to do a long exposure capture but these pilings had a flock of cormorants perched on them, Fortunately, a noisy ski boat disturbed them giving me just enough time for this 60-second exposure.
My impressions of the new 70-200 mm L mount zoom lens - LUMIX S PRO 70-200 O.I.S (S-E70200)
I had the pleasure of using two of these lenses, albeit pre-production, with two Lumix S1R bodies while on my trip to Tanzania. I used these with and without the 1.4X and 2X teleconverters in order to extend the reach as needed. With the high resolution of the S1R cropping is a viable option.
The Pro S 70-200 has one of the best image quality performance I have seen in a zoom lens in the range. The lens surely must meet or exceed certain stringent standards to be certified by Leica.
Leopard resting
Exposure triad f/63, 1/500 sec, ISO 2000
Tech details: 22 elements in 17 groups, the use of 2 UED (Ultra Extra-low Dispersion) lenses, 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses. Magnification .21X with a close focus distance of .95m. Focus range switchable from Full to .95m-5m and 5m to Limit. The lens is 208.6mm (8.2 in) long with a max diameter of 94.4 mm (3.72 in)and weighs 1,570 gm (3.46 lb). Filter diameter 82mm. It is dust and splash resistant and has a working temperature range of -10 C to 40 C (14 F to 104 F). The focus speed is rated at 0.12 sec. at the extended focal length of 200 mm. It has a focus clutch to allow manual - autofocus switching and the lens barrel has three programmable focus buttons. Dual IS - when coupled with a Dual IS2 body the overall image stabilization is rated at 7 stops. The provided lens collar has an Arca Swiss compatible foot.
African Elephant and Calf
Exposure triad f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 500
I found that the lens had exceptional focusing speed and now understand why. The lens uses a double focus system. A large linear motor is used for long-throw adjustments and a stepper motor is used for small incremental strokes. All focusing is internal and the focusing lenses are light so as to allow rapid movement during focusing. The focus frame rate is 480 FPS and the lens tracks subjects incredibly well. This combination clearly has the fastest focusing I have experienced in the Lumix lens line-up. The close focus distance is .95m or about 3 feet. Even at this close range, there is no visible distortion. in-fact the has little to no distortion over its entire zoom range even wide open at f/2.8.
Impala Stag
Exposure triad f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400
Cheetah Yawn
Exposure triad f/8, 1/1300 sec, ISO 3200
Wildebeast Migration
Exposure triad f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 250
Wildebeast (Connochaetes gnou)
Impala on the run (one of the fastest four-legged animals)
Exposure triad f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 320
Juvenile African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer).
Exposure triad f/11, 1/800 sec, ISO400
Lion Family on Kill
Exposure triad f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 2500
Serval Cat (Leptailurus serval)- 2x teleconverter used. Exposure triad f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO12800
For the duration of the Tanzania safari, I never mounted either S1R on a tripod or any other clamp or mount. All images were captured hand-held and the image stabilization was amazing even at slow shutter speeds.
Note: Some images have been cropped and some have a vignette applied for presentation purposes.
Cool and Warm
When the sun was setting this past weekend (Sept 7, 2019) the moon was about 60% and quite high over the horizon. As the light from the sun was all but gone, the moon shining on the water created this cool/warm juxtaposition in harmony with these old pilings.
The breaking waves in the foreground appear to be trying to blend the warm and cold together. Also, notice the split in the color temperature how the light significantly affected the shadows of the pilings on the right vs. the ones on the left.
These situations remind me of George Eastman's quote:
"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography."
Minimalism - Sunset
The weekend provided
I first shot this composition wide with lots of negative space but realized that with the rocks so small in the frame the beautiful texture was getting lost. So I composed tighter to show much more detail while the image still remained minimal. The setting sun cast some lovely light in the rocks and created a glow in the sand. Although the slow shutter speed remove the detail from the sand, I like the way the color creates a leading line to the rock formation.
The image was captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix 24-105 f/4 L-Mount lens. A Benro circular polarizer was used to reduce reflections and a Benro 10 stop ND filter was used to slow the shutter down.
Exposure triad: f/8, 60 sec, ISO 100
Milky Way - Acadia NP
Aug 24, 2019 - we had just finished lunch and looked at the forecast. Clear night in Acadia - and perfect as the moon would not be visible during the time when the Milky Way core would be visible. We quickly grabbed our cameras, tripods and some snacks, and drove the 5 1/2 hours to Acadia.
We got to Bar Harbor and went straight to Sand Beach. Sand Beach is a location I had never shot the Milky Way from. My typical locations have been Boulder Beach looking out toward Otter Cliffs, or over one of the ponds. Sand beach did not disappoint.
Camera - Panasonic Lumix S1R with the Sigma MC21 adaptor, Lens - Canon 16-35mm, f/2.8 Version II. Truly waiting for the L-mount Sigma 14mm to be released. Exposure triad f/2.8, 20 sec., ISO 6400.
Happy 4th from Cape Poge
Happy 4th to all. I am spending a few days with a dear friend in Cape
Photographed with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix 24-105 f/4 lens. Exposure triad: f/8, 4 sec, ISO 640.