No Aurora but the Milky Way

March 28, 2015 - Alaska Geo. Inst. forecasts a Kp index of 5 for the Aurora.  Kp 5 means - if the Aurora occurs you should be able to see it low on the horizon in Massachusetts.  Sounds awesome so we decide against going for the CamNats (Massachusetts Camera Naturalists) and head to Maine.  Acadia is always a great spot so we head to the loop road. WRONG most of the roads are closed.  A nice cop gives us direction on how to get to Sand Beach - so it is about midnight and we find our way to the parking lot.  Poor visibility forces us out of there and heading further towards Otter Cliffs.  The road is closed at the turnoff to Otter Cliff road. We pull over into a small clearing at one of the entrances to a parking lot and wait for the Aurora - nothing.  Well the Milky Way rises over the cliffs so we wait.  3:15 and the Milky Way shows its full arc.  It is cold, the wind does not help. I mounted the Rokinon 14mm on the Sony A7R to get this image.  The foreground trees were light painted during the exposure.Please click on the image for a larger presentation. A subsequent 7 image pano yielded the arc but the 14mm lend distortion is apparent. 

Wine and Cheese

As the cold and snow continues, photographing indoors is always a good choice.  This is another image created using light painting.  Equipment: Sony A7R, Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8, Maglight (non LED) flashlight, Surefire LED flashlight.  Exposure triad f/16, 30 sec, ISO 400. 5 image composite.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15mm f/1.7 ASPH - Review

Introduced in March 2014 the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 15 mm f/1.7 lens is beautifully constructed. With a maximum aperture of f/1.7, Nano Surface coatings, a manual aperture ring and an on lens AF/MF switch this is an ideal all purpose lens. It is supplied with a well designed metal lens hood and a lens pouch.  Current street price of $498 makes this a very affordable high quality compact lens.On a full frame equivalent basis this lens has an angle of view of a 30mm lens. It is constructed of quality metals and plastics and has a metal lens mount. It is a light lens at a hair over 4 ounces or 115 grams. The lens feels good when held and exudes Leica quality.It is a small diameter lens that works well with the smaller form factor Panasonic MFT bodies. The lens does not extend below the base of the GM series bodies and will not interfere with tripod mounts.A well designed, circular metal lens hood does a great job of preventing flare. As with any lens, the lens hood is added protection for the front element of the lens.

Specifications:

Focal Length	15mm - Comparable 35mm Focal Length: 30 mm
Aperture	f/1.7 to f/16
Angle of View	72°
Minimum Focus Distance	7.87" (20 cm)
Elements/Groups	9/7
Diaphragm Blades	7, Rounded
Filter Thread	46 mm
Dimensions (DxL)	Approx. 2.26 x 1.42" (57.5 x 36 mm)
Weight	4.06 oz (115 g)

 The filter thread is 46mm. As the lens has internal focusing there is no rotation of the front section. This keeps any attached filter in the orientation as is was installed. The lens has a switch that is used to switch the lens from autofocus to manual focus. This is a very convenient feature so you do not have to use any switches or buttons on the camera to lock focus or to flip between the two modes. The lens has very fast autofocusing in good light and most acceptable in low light situations. The lens has a manual focusing ring that is well damped and smooth through the focus range. One nit that I have is that the lens has no focus markings. The lens focuses close with a minimum focusing distance of 7.87 inches or 20 centimeters.Another great feature of this lens is the manual aperture ring. It has positive clicks at 1/3 stop increments and is very comfortable to operate. To switch the lens to automatic camera controlled aperture the ring has an “A” setting that is beyond the f/1.7 making. The manual aperture ring does not work on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 body.  When using the manual aperture settings, the aperture blades remain stationary when the lens is set to Manual focus.  However, if the lens is set to Autofocus the aperture blades do open a fraction and then close down to the set aperture.  This is an important consideration for time-lapse photography where aperture blade deviations tend to cause flicker in the sequence.Performance: (This evaluation is based on using a test chart designed for use with ISO 12233 Photography as shown below)Sharpness is excellent in the central frame at f/1.7 and edge sharpness reaches the best at f/4.0. f/4 is the sweet spot for the lens tested. At f/11 there is a slight loss of sharpness due mainly to diffraction.Chromatic aberrations are minimal and not noticeable through the aperture range. High contrast edge fringing is just visible at f/1.7.  There is no fringing visible through the f/2.0 through f/11 range.  At f/16 there is slight fringing but that too is minimal and barely discernible until closely scrutinized.The following comments are based on real life tests.Lens flare is very well controlled and not perceptible even when the lens is wide open and shooting into bright light sources.  It is preferable to leave the lens hood on as a preventive measure.  That Nano Surface Coating does a good job here.Once again, testing the Chromatic aberrations of this lens I found it to be minimal and what little there is can be easily removed in post processing. High contrast edge fringing is visible at f/1.7 and was not tested at f/11 and greater.  In the MFT world one would rarely use f/11 and smaller apertures unless extreme depth of field is desired at the expense of refraction.Like most fast wide-angle lenses this lens demonstrates light fall off (vignette) when wide open. The falloff basically disappears at f/2.8.Barrel distortion is not noticed through the range f/1.7 to f/8.0Sample Images for distortion and vignetting:The first set was captured with the camera in portrait orientation.The second set was captured with the camera in landscape orientation.Sample Images for edge fringing:  

Pros:

• Superior build quality
• Fast autofocusing
• Excellent sharpness
• Low light falloff beyond f/2
• Barely perceptible chromatic aberration
• Manual aperture ring
• Lens body Auto/Manual focus switch

Cons:

• No focus markings

My verdict:  I highly recommend this lens and now own one.

Here are some additional sample images.

This first set is a set of straight on images of a store shelving.  Images captured using apertures of f/1.7 through f/5.6This next set is to demonstrate DOF and how well the lens deals with shallow DOF.

This last set of images is to demonstrate that the lens has minimum barrel distortion using real life examples:

Speaking of Innovation - Olympus OM-D E-M5

Yesterday Olympus announced the OM-D E-M5 MkII - a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera.  I am not going into all the specs and details about this upgrade to the current E-M5 with one exception.  I am referring to “Innovation” - the E-M5 is capable of creating a 40MP image by using a sensor shift technology.  Sensor shifting is achieved using the same electronics and electromechanical functions of the 5-axis image stabilizer.  The technology shifts the sensor in 8 steps in a pattern where the first four frames move the sensor in such a way so as to capture all colors at each  pixel position.  The sensor then shifts 1/2 a pixel width up and to the left, capturing full color information in the onset position. The entire process takes about 1 second. As a result it is not feasible to capture these high resolution images of subjects that may move.  I guess they will perfect this technology over time but as it is it is impressive.It is worth reading an article on the Imaging Resource web site where they have compared images from the OMD E-M5 Mk II to the Nikon D810 (a 36MP camera) and some animated examples on the DP Review web site.On a side note - Canon today announced the M3 the third generation of its mirrorless camera - for the Asian and European market. I guess it is hard to compete against the strong foothold Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Fuji have in North America.

Panasonic releases firmware version 2.1 for the Lumix GH4

Panasonic released version 2.1 on January 26, 2015.  Had to wait and test it all before posting this.  As with any firmware update, please follow all instruction and do so with care. Here is the excerpt from the Panasonic web site and the links to the update:

1. Time code can be embedded to the HDMI output signal.
   - Selectable in Motion Picture menu : [Time Code]>[HDMI Time Code Output]
   * Available when DMC-GH4 or DMW-YAGH are connected with the products of ATOMOS Global Pty. Ltd. or the products complying with the extended specifications of ATOMOS Global Pty. Ltd..
2. RSS (Recording Start/Stop) signal can be embedded to the HDMI output signal.
   - Selectable in Motion Picture menu : [HDMI Rec Output]>[HDMI Recording Control]
   * Available when DMC-GH4 or DMW-YAGH are connected with the products of ATOMOS Global Pty. Ltd. or the products complying with the extended specifications of ATOMOS Global Pty. Ltd..
3. FHD at 30p/25p native output via HDMI is available while recording video in FHD at 30p/25p.
   - Selectable in Motion Picture menu : [HDMI Rec Output]>[1080/30p Set.] or [1080/25p Set.]
4. Playback performance of recorded 4K video is improved.
5. [Time Lapse Shot] Program is fixed to start recording at the designated time even when [summer time] is set.

Go to the firmware update service notice page.

Go to the firmware update service notice page of USA & EU regions.

A Image Size Test with the Panasonic Lumix LX100

To set the stage, the Lumix LX100 is a 12 MP camera that uses a 16MP sensor.  As the camera can be configured for 3:2, 4:3, 1:1 and 16:9 aspect ratios, Panasonic has been successful is maintaining 12MP per frame utilizing portions of the 16MP sensor to its max. The LX100 is a small fixed lens camera and you can get the specs here.Many questions have been asked about Micro For Thirds (MFT) cameras and their ability to produce images ready for large prints.  Keeping in mind that a majority of images these days are created and shown on computer screens and small portable devices.  The maximum image size for the printed page for a magazine is 8.5 by 11.0 inches and for a double page spread 17.0 by 11.0 inches with a resolution of 240 to 300 DPI.So last weekend I shot a few images with the Lumix LX100 hand-held at a casual photo shoot.  The lights were set for ISO 100 and f/8.0. Focal length 34 mm which is a 68mm equivalent.Here is one image cropped from the original size of 3456 by 4608 pixels to 2284 by 3416 (roughly 7.8MP or 2/3 the resolution of the effective sensor.Click on the image to see it full resolution.Next, I up-sized this image to 30 inches by 44 inches at 300 pixels per inch. The following image is a 5 by 7 aspect ratio crop 1165 by 1631 pixels.Feeling good, I resized the original crop to 60 inches by 90 inches at 240 pixels per inch.  The final image is a 5 by 7 aspect ratio crop of a similar section 2148 by 3007 pixels.Resizing was accomplished using OnOne's Perfect Resize. No post processing, sharpening or clarity adjustments were made to the resized images.  All OnOne defaults were left as is.  Some degradation is apparent but as a result of jpg conversion.Hope this dispels the myth that a MFT image can't be made into a large print.

Fog - In the Dark

In continuation of yesterday's post, the second image I had pre-visualized was a barn nestled among some dark trees with a figure in some vintage clothing standing in the foreground.  I wanted to light the figure for some added effect.  Driving in a nearby town I notice this barn or shack, so my wife and I decided to check it out.  It was close to what I was wanting to capture.  My wife put on this vintage coat and trudged through the slush to the shack.  I in the mean while took a few test shots to check out the light and composition.  I had not worn proper boots and was wearing a pair of slip ons. In the rush to get out and shoot, as luck would have it, as I carried the light stand and soft box to the shack I realized I was ankle-deep in slush and freezing water.  Next my pocket wizards decided they would limit their range  so I had to get closer than I wanted as all I had taken with me was the 35 - 100 mm on my GH4.  To get the full shot I would have to take two images and stitch them.  The final image is composed of two images stitched in Photoshop and then textured.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.

 5:00 PM – Panasonic Lumix Gh5, 35 – 100 mm f/2.8 at 35mm. Exposure triad – ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/6 sec.

Fog - January 4, 2015

Today was the first day in 2015 that I picked up a camera and stepped out to see if I could get two images that I have been envisioning. The first was a tall lone tree in fog or mist the other I leave for tomorrow. I wanted it to be a monochrome image, B&W or cyanotype - I settled on B&W.  The snow against the dirt and rocks adds to the scene creating a strong foundation for the rest that is mainly an ethereal sky. 

What else is in my bag and more - Part 2

Here are some additional items I find useful.  Some for the bag and others that are just good to have.

1. Remote Shutter Release (wired or wireless) - A must have for tack sharp photography. There are 5 types available:
   • A wired version that physically connects to your camera with a cable. Good for most photography when you are close to your camera.
   • An Infrared trigger that is used to trigger the shutter using an IR beam (this requires you to be in “line of sight” to the front of your camera. These are usually OEM products but a few third-party devices are also available. I find these limiting.
   • A wireless radio trigger.  This is a two unit device - one is mounted and connected to the camera and the other is the hand-held controller. Hahnel and Phottix are the ones I use.
   • An iOS  or Android wired trigger. The smart phone is physically connected to the camera to trigger the shutter.
   • The IOS or Android trigger.  Here you use your smart phone and connect to the camera in WiFi mode to control and trigger the camera.
2. Filter wrench (pair) -  These come in two sizes and based on the lenses you have you may want to get both sets. Amazing how screw-on filters just don’t come off.  The plastic wrenches allow you to apply pressure at the right places and lever the filter off so easily.  Adorama branded wrenches are less than $5 a pair.
3. LED Head Lamp - a must have when you are in the dark.  Always carry one in your bag.
4. Intervalometer - A must have device if you do any timelapse. long exposure, or multiple exposure photography.  From basic wired devices to wireless units these are made most cameras including ones that have built-in intervalometers. Phottix, Hannel, Canon all make great units.  Promote Systems makes a product called Promote Control, one of the finest devices not just an intervalometer but a whole lot more. The Promote Control will do focus stacking, automatic brackets of up to 45 images, with up to 9.0 EV step between shots for HDR. It can even automatically step into Bulb for night-time HDR!  More expensive than the others but the Promote Control is my first choice.

   Flash Photography:

5. Flash Gels   Filter gels are a great way to modify the color of your light but more important, they can balance the color temperature to match the ambient light. Roscoe and Rogue make excellent gels.  My personal choice is the full set with the case and elastic band from Rogue. The Rogue set is around $30.
6. Rogue Flashbender  - These flash diffusers and reflectors are the best I have used.  The come in multiple sizes and when used with the front diffuser, that act like a small soft-box.  The cam be molded to direct light as needed or rolled up to form a snoot.  These start at $20 for the Flashbender bounce card..
7. Rogue Grid - If you need more control with the direction of the light from your flash the Rogue Grid is an excellent tool. The design features stacking honeycomb grids that produce 16, 25 and 45 degree grid spots.  In addition you can get a set of bells that match the shape of the grid collar.  The grid is under $50 and the gels will cost under $30
8. Kupo Off-Camera Flash Alli Clamp - The clamp has a jaw that can clamp onto items up to 1.57" thick. Rubber nubs on the inside of the clamp prevent damage to paint or furniture. The clamp has a 5/8" receiver for light-stands or a 5/8" stud for super clamps with matching receivers. The Alli Clamp is topped with a metal locking shoe mounted to a rotating ball for your flash.  I use it to mount my flashes, action cams, video lights and any other objects that need to held in place. Cost under $50. A lighter version called the Kupo Alli Clamp is for under $15.

   Macro and Close-up

9. Focusing rails and racks - These are ideal for precise positioning of a camera in X and Y directional axes. These come in single axis (front to back adjustment and 2 axis where a left right adjustment is also possible.  Prices range for under $100 to $600 plus.
10. Diopters or Close-up filters - This is one of the least expensive method of doing close-up photography. These filters attach to the front of your lens allowing you to focus closer hence magnifying your subject.  They are available in single and dual elect construction.  I recommend the dual element as you will have better optics. Prices range from $30 and up.
11. Extension tubes - If you like macro these will allow your lenses to focus closer to the subject. As they have no optical elements in there is no image quality degradation. Kenko extension tubes are what I have and love. They come in a set of 12mm, 20mm and 36mm.  For the newer mirrorless cameras the tubes are in sets of two at 10mm and 16mm
12. McClamp The Clamp - This clamps to a tripod leg and can hold such items as gray cards and 12" reflectors, and small delicate subjects in place. It has a 26" flexible arm with a spring-loaded clamp to hold your subject in place.  Wimberly also makes a similar device and have a new version called the Plamp II.  Both products are about $45.
13. Light Tent or Cube - A great light modifier for your product photography, food photography and macro work. These come in various sizes and cost $40 and up.
14. Triflip (Trigrip) 6 in 1 or 8 in 1 reflector/diffuser - The TriGrip from Lastolite has a triangular shape with a built-in handle that allows easy hand holding or for attaching to a stand.The TriGrip is 30" at its widest point and collapses storage.  I prefer this to the typical round diffuser reflector kits.

    A few for those who dabble with video:

15. LED Light Panels - these come in various sizes - remember to get one that is disable and has the intensity you need for your kind of video shooting.
16. Variable ND filter - for those bright days when you need to slow your shutter down and keep your aperture wide.
17. Shotgun microphone - DSLRs are great at capturing video.  The audio on the other hand really is pathetic.  The minute in-built microphones are really bad. So get a good starter microphone. A shotgun mounts on the hot-shoe and connects to the mic input port of the camera. My choices for a starter microphone is the Rhode Video Mic Pro with the Dead Cat for around $210

Please use the comment link on the top of this post to share with us some of your special items.If you do plan on getting any of these items please use my affiliate links on the right column of this blog post or use the Products and Discounts Page for additional links. 

Flash Sync Speed Limitation - a question from a subscriber

Question: "One thing I am curious about is the shutter with regards to off camera flash. Is there still a physical shutter that limits me to a max synch speed of around 1/200 of a second? Or have they moved to an electronic shutter that would allow much faster synch times?"

In order to appropriately respond to the question lets first understand how mirrorless camera sensors operate. Most mirorless cameras use CMOS sensors that contain light sensitive pixels arranged in rows. These sensors are always live as long as the camera is powered on and booted up.In the mirrorless world, the sensor information is being constantly fed to the LCD and/or the electronic viewfinder. When you press the shutter the following sequence takes place: a) the sensor is wiped clean electronically; b) next the sensor is turned on and receives light while the pixels record the information; c) now the computer in the camera reads the data collected by the sensor pixels to generate the image. This data is finally recorded to the memory card.We know that the sensor is sensitive to light and always receiving information. In order to capture a good image, the sensor should be restricted from receiving light while it is being wiped clean and then again when it is reading the data captured during exposure. As the sensor data is being read you do not want the pixel information changing with any new light that may fall on the pixels. So, for both these events, mirrorless cameras use electronic or mechanical shutters or a combination of the two.The electronic shutter works by first erasing all the pixel data on a row-by-row basis. Then new image information is gathered and the data is read by the computer on a row-by-row basis very similar to how a television picture is generated. All of this takes time, albeit just a fraction. The greater the number of pixels the more the rows of information and the slower the process. This limits the cameras from achieving high shutter speeds. For proper exposure these rows of pixels gather the same amount of light but do so a row at a time. The data is read at the same rate. The collective time determines the fastest achievable electronic shutter speed.We are aware that to expose properly for flash photography all the pixels must be “alive” and ready to receive data while the flash is on. If the row by row read process starts too early then you will get areas of dark under exposure. In order to properly expose for flash, the computer in the camera has to wait before it can start reading the data collected by the sensor. This wait time determines the highest sync speed for flash photography.As an adjunct to this, in order to achieve higher shutter speeds mirrorless cameras use mechanical second curtains. The curtain can rapidly close all light from entering the sensor while the computer reads the information. On the Sony A7 that has a 24 MP sensor, there are 4000 rows of pixels. The only way to attain shutter speeds of 1/8000 sec. is possible using a mechanical rear-curtain. On the 36 MP A7r however, there are 4912 rows of pixels. To attain speeds of 1/8000 sec. this camera needs both a front-curtain and a rear-curtain shutter. The MFT cameras like the Panasonic GH4 and the Olympus OM-D series have 16 MP sensors that have only 3456 rows and can achieve 1/8000 sec. electronic shutter speeds without the need for mechanical shutters..The Sony A7 has an optional mechanical front-curtain that must be deployed when using lenses of longer focal lengths at high shutter speeds.Unlike DSLR’s, the mechanical shutter on mirrorless cameras remains in an open state in both the powered off and powered on modes, allowing for live view data to be collected and displayed continuously.The highest flash sync speed is currently 1/320 sec on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 , 1/250 sec on the Panasonic GH4 and under 1/200 sec for most of the Sony cameras.Hope this explains why the current mirrorless technology is limited and high flash sync speeds are not feasible.  If you have other photography related questions, please do not hesitate to ask and I will do my best to get you answers.

Shopping for a Mirrorless Camera?

Here is a question that I have been asked many times.  Why did you switch to the  “mirror-less” camera system?   My answer is quite simple, its all about not compromising the image quality and reducing camera size and weight. As these cameras do not have flip-up mirrors the distance from the lens to the sensor is greatly reduced resulting in lenses that have a smaller form factor and are also lighter. As a result, I can carry all my gear in a much smaller bag or carry-on and not have to worry about checked luggage during my travels.The next set of questions typically revolve around the quality of images; the focusing speed; noise because of the smaller sensor; battery performance; etc.Let’s address some of these concerns.Before the advent of mirrorless cameras, DSLR’s were based on the same design as film cameras.  The film was replaced with an electronic light capturing device called the sensor.  Computers, memory cards and batteries were added to complete the image capture process.  All else however, remained the same.  A mechanical mirror that is used to reflect light up and through a pentaprism into an optical viewfinder remained as the standard.  Each time you press the shutter the mirror flips up and the sensor is exposed to light and captures the image.  With the advancement of technology and innovation this flip-up mirror and mirror box is no longer required.  The sensor has a clear view of the image as projected through the lens and the electronics used to capture the image are used to display the image onto the LCD screen. Optionally the image is displayed in the electronic view finder (EVF) that is like a miniature LCD screen. No more flip-up mirrors.  Now DSLR's have incorporated some of this technology in what is termed as “Live View Mode”  but unfortunately, some manufacturers have not taken this concept to the next level.Mirrorless cameras can be categorized the same way as DSLR’s where you have APS-C sized sensors, Full Frame sensors, etc.  The mirrorless world for comparison purposes, has three sensor sizes that have gained acceptance as replacements for DSLR’s.  The smallest are the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras made by Panasonic and Olympus, APS-C sensor cameras made by Fuji, Samsung, Sony and others and the Full Frame cameras made by Sony.  The sensor size of these cameras have the same crop factor considerations as do DSLR’s.  The APS-C crop factor remains at 1.5 and the MFT sensor has a crop factor of 2.  Based on the crop factor, higher depth of field is achieved with the smaller crop factor and results in less bokeh. Based on your style of photography and the subject matter, the range of full frame to a MFT sensor size body gives you all the choices you had with DSLR’s.As to focusing performance, DSLRs have some advantages. The dedicated phase-detect AF systems are very good at tracking subjects that are moving toward or away from the camera. In addition they also have an advantage focusing in low light situations.  Conversely mirrorless cameras are excellent at lateral tracking. As the sensor in the mirrorless camera is always live it is capable of analyzing the subject and and tracking it as it moves across the frame. With the introduction of Panasonic's "Depth From Defocus" technology depth tracking has been greatly improved.What about quality?  On the high end the Sony A7R has a 36.4 MP full frame sensor.  The Nikon D810 utilizes a 36.4 MP sensor made by Sony.  Image quality is exceptional.  The elimination of the Anti-aliasing filter allows the camera to capture exceptional detail and clarity.  The APS-C form factor has been popular with a majority of the prosumer range of DSLR’s on the market and has been the choice of many pro photographers too.  The MFT cameras and that sensor size is new in comparison but the images from the MFT cameras are at par with the APS-C format cameras.ISO Sensitivity.  If there is any doubt, all one needs to look at is the sensitivity of the Sony A7S with a max ISO of 409600.  The camera can practically see in the dark.  It is important to remember that ISO sensitivity has no bearing on the type of camera, DSLR or Mirrorless.  The size of the sensor and the size of the pixels make the difference in light gathering capability and noise generation during image capture.Let’s look at some of the pros and cons for mirrorless cameras.PROs

• The ability to view the image in the viewfinder and the LCD screen in realtime.
• The ability to view all or select any of the camera settings live.
• The ability to view any changes to camera settings without having to take your eye away from the viewfinder.
• Focus peaking and zebra stripes.  Focus peaking allows you to see the areas within your image that are in focus. This can be displayed using selectable colors.  Zebra stripes show you in realtime areas that are going to be exposed with loss of detail in the highlights.
• The ability to use most DSLR and Film camera lenses with adaptors.  You do not have to get rid of all your great glass.  You may not have the ability to maintain electronic communication with the lens but they will work perfectly well in manual mode.  With focus peaking, the process of obtaining good focus is simplified.
• The ability to shoot high resolution video and harvest the ideal frame.  (Currently this is available on the Panasonic GH4)
• Electronic shutter - low to no sound when capturing images.  A feature so important for nature, wildlife and street photography.
• No mirror, hence no mirror slap and vibration during image capture.

CON’s

• Battery life -  with the exception of the Panasonic GH4 most other cameras have a very low battery life. These cameras are constantly drawing power feeding the LCD, electronic viewfinder or both.  Due to the size of the mirrorless bodies, the batteries have been downsized too and hence have lower capacity.
• Long focal length lenses.  With the exception of Olympus and Panasonic we have yet to see lenses with focal lengths greater than 200mm
• Electronic viewfinder and LCD refresh performance is limiting particularly in low light scenarios.
• Focusing speed of mirrorless cameras had been an issue but most manufacturers have addressed this with firmware and focusing system enhancements.

So which camera do you get?  It all depends on your style and budget.  I can say that having used mirrorless systems for about a year now my choices are:

• For general purpose, nature/wildlife and people photography - the Panasonic Lumix GH4 is superb with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 a close second.
• For detail and landscape photography - the Sony A7R is my choice.  The A7 II, though I have not tested it appears to be a more forgiving camera and adds in camera image stabilization.
• For low-light photography - the Sony A7S is hard to beat.
• For video - the Panasonic Lumix GH4 is a hands down winner.  The Sony A7S is very good but does not shoot 4K video to the camera.

I own or have used the following: Panasonic GH4, Olympus OM-D E-M1, Fuji XT1, Sony A7R and Sony A7.  My comments on the Sony A7S and the A7 II are based or reviews and video samples captured by photographers’ whose opinion I value.  The greatest lens selection is available from Panasonic and Olympus while Sony is still limited to 7 full frame E mount lenses.  Panasonic and Leica have jointly produced some exceptional lenses as have Sony and Zeiss with their collaboration.By no means is this post meant to be a full review but a quick personal impression.  Please do look at various reviews available on the internet for a more thorough analysis. However, I hope this helps you make your holiday shopping a little less confusing.  Camera Labs is one of my preferred sites for honest in-depth reviews.CLICK on the chart to enlarge  CLICK HERE FOR THE SAME CHART AS A PDF DOCUMENT

Think Tank - Perception backpacks for Mirrorless Systems

Think Tank Photo just announced that its new Perception backpacks for Mirrorless systems are now available.  The Perception series comes in two colors, black and taupe, and three sizes.  The smallest size, The Perception Tablet™, accommodates a Mirrorless system and an iPad Mini. The Perception 15, one mirrorless body plus 1-2 additional lenses, and a 15" laptop + 10" tablet. The largest largest size, the Perception Pro™, holds a 15" laptop and a 10" tablet, plus one Mirrorless body or small DSLR with a small to medium zoom attached (lens hood reversed), four to five additional lenses, (one smaller Mirrorless body in lieu of a lens), or a large GoPro® kit instead of the lenses.  CLICK HERE TO ORDERIn addition, Think Tank is offering holiday specials on two of its most innovative products.  You will save 30% on its My 2^nd Brain “mobile office” bags for Apple laptops and iPads and 20% on its Suburban Disguise full-featured shoulder bag specifically designed to accommodate standard-size DSLR systems.Click Here to order the My 2^nd Brain “mobile office”Click Here to order the Suburban DisguiseRemember that when you order using our link, you will receive free gear with these and all orders of $50 or more.  And, as always, you reeive free FedEx Ground shipping.

As Canon and Nikon continue to sleep - Medium Format enters the mirror-less era.

Phase One in collaboration with ALPA are readying the A- Series medium format camera.  The camera can use an iPhone as a wireless viewfinder in a mounted (as shown) or as a infinitely articulating remote device. The system comprises Phase One Digital Backs, Rodenstock optics, and ALPA bodies.  When formally announced there will be three configurations - details can be found on the Digital Transitions web site.

2014 Fall Wanderings - 4

With most of the foliage gone in the northeast and what is left will be gone after this semi nor'easter or tropical storm here are two more images from Ithaca region.This image is of Taughannock Falls taken from the deck by the parking lot above the gorge.  This vantage point give the falls a totally different perspective.I am planning on doing a winter trip to capture these falls when the sides and rock faces are covered with ice. This next image is from the gorge that leads to Lucifer falls.  Another area that could be interesting in the winter.  If any of my blog followers have experienced these falls in the winter, please share your thoughts.

2014 Fall Wanderings

Columbus day weekend (Sunday and Monday) we drove to the Finger Lakes region in New York State.  Spent most of the time in and around Ithaca.  Our main objective was to photograph some of the region's waterfalls with some foliage as a bonus.Taughannock Falls is located in Ulysses, NY, within  Taughannock State Park.  Noted as the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains with a drop of 215 feet. Niagra Falls is about 170 feet.  The image is from the base of the falls in the gorge.  You need to hike about 45 minutes to get to the base of this waterfall. For the non hiking photographer there is a viewing deck and a parking lot that gives you an elevated view of the falls and the gorge.

Diaphanous Lily 2

This is the second image in the series.  The process is the same as Diaphanous Lily with the exception of lighting.  Here I used two lights instead of the single light in the first image.  Please click on the image for a larger view.

Super Moon - August 10, 2014

The August 10, 2014 super moon captured in the Provincetown Dunes. Tried two other locations before settling on this one. I have moved the moon a bit lower in the frame. Shot with the Panasonic Lumix GH4 and the Panasonic Lumix Vario 100 - 300 mm lens at 300 mm (600 mm equivalence). Please click on the image for a larger view. 

Star-trails in the Southern Hemisphere

Finding Polaris or the North Star is easy in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, finding Sigma Octantis is very difficult. The star lies in the constellation of Octans and has a magnitude of 5.5 making it barely visible even on a clear night.  One can use the Southern Cross to make an attempt at locating its position but it will never be really accurate.  I did my best and set up my cameras to do a time-lapse.  This was the night Germany played Brazil in the World Cup.My tripod and camera must have aroused the curiosity of the night security guard at Eagle Island Camp.  He kindly moved my rig to a more secure position on the tiles of the swimming pool.  This was after 395 images had been captured with about 105 to go.  Sequence disrupted but in my opinion the stack is interesting.  Sigma Octantis is in the top left corner of the frame - INVISIBLE.Stars in Africa are incredibly bright as indicated by the EXIF data.  These images were captured using the Panasonic Lumix GH4 and the 12 to 35 mm Lumix Vario lens.  Exposure triad: f/2.8, 13 sec, ISO 200 - no noise reduction required.In hindsight, I should have added an ND filter and increased the exposure to 25 seconds or closed down the aperture to f/4.  This would have extended the individual trails.Your comments would be appreciated.

Southern Carmine Bee-eater

It was a rare but awesome opportunity to see this pair of Carmine Bee-eaters in Botswana. The Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) is primarily found in sub-equatorial African region. These are migratory birds that spend the winter August to November (breeding season) in Zimbabwe. They move south to Botswana and  South Africa for the summer and then migrate to equatorial Africa from March to August.

Chobe National Park - Leopard

Leopards are normally shy and elusive, not this one.  This very large male allowed us to follow him for an hour while he marked his territory.  At times he came to within ten feet of the Land Cruiser we were following him in.  We lost him when a large male hyena charged him.  This was one magnificent specimen and as per the guide one of the largest leopards in Chobe National Park - Botswana. The animal is partially backlit that made this image worth including in this post. Click on the image for a larger view.Photographed with a Panasonic Lumix GH4 and the 100 - 300 mm Lumix lens.  Exposure triad: f/8, 1/500 sec at ISO 400.  Focal length 170 mm (340mm full frame equivalent).