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.
Narrative and Emotion - B&H Podcast
I am so thrilled to have been invited as a guest on the latest B&H Photography podcast. Thank you Panasonic and B&H for this wonderful opportunity and a special thanks to Host: Allan Weitz, Senior Creative Producer: John Harris, Senior Producer: Jason Tables and Executive Producer: Lawrence Neves. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion and your hospitality.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE AND THE PODCAST
In addition, if you don't already, please do subscribe to the B&H Podcast for some great education and discussions.
Lumix S1R test - Red Arrows - North American Tour
Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows are on a major tour of North America. This is the first in more than a decade. It is intended to promote the best of British and deepen partnerships .
The Red Arrows are on an 11-week North American tour that started in Halifax, Nova Scotia July 8 and will end in Rapid City, South Dakota Oct. 8, 2019.
The aircraft are BAe Hawk T Mk1, a two seater trainer jet that has been replaced by the new Hawk T Mk2. However, the Mk1 will remain in service for another 10 years. Like the Mk2, the Mk1 is a fully aerobatic, low-wing, transonic, two-seat training aircraft that is still used in a number of roles for the RAF. 100 Squadron, based at RAF Leeming.
The show started about 20 minutes later than expected and unlike the flight path that was released the jets flew a completely different route.
My aim was test the performace of the continuous focus capapbility of the Panasonic Lumix S1R in a high speed fly by. The lens I used was the Lumix S Pro 70-200 f/4. The aperture was set to f/8 and the shutter speed was 1/2000 to freeze motion. The ISO was set to auto and resulted in ISO 250 to 320 for the incoming shots and 640 to 800 for the outgoing images. The focus was set to continuous, drive mode on high and the focus area "Zone Oval".
There are two sets on images - 20 incoming and 20 outgoing. All images are from single bursts in the exact sequence and unedited. The RAW files were converted and exported to JPG using Capture One. As you will see from these images, the camera and lens performed exceptionally well in maintaing focus.
This the incoming gallery
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This is the outgoing gallery
[ngg src="galleries" ids="122" display="pro_horizontal_filmstrip"]
The Yellow Walls of Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient town is located in Viet Nam’s central Quang Nam Province, on the north bank near the mouth of the Thu Bon River. The city of Hoi An is beautiful but is inundated with tourists. This old town has a number houses that are painted a deep yellow and make for a wonderful photographic backdrop.
Why yellow? The Vietnamise believe that yellow is a symbol of royalty. The yellow color reflects the beautiful culture of Vietnam, symbolizing luck, pride and prosperity.
We spent two days in this amazing city this March. We photographing the markets in the aery morning, fishing villages at sunrise and sunset, street scenes during the day and lots of night photography along the river. We could easily have spent a few more days here.
Hoi An has nearly 1,000 ancient houses and of these 844 houses are included on the list of UNESCO's cultural heritage. Visiting these home requires a small subscription of about $5 and is worth every penny.
All images in this post were captured with the Panasonic Lumix G9 and the Leica 12-60 lens. Please click on the images to open them in a larger window.
Elders in Vietnam
In 2019 Vietnam has a median age of only 26. But it is ageing rapidly. Currently individuals over the age of 60 are 12% of the total population. It is expected that this will go beyond 20% by the year 2040. Clearly this iforecase ids one of the quickest increases in the world. Remember, most of the would be elders today were wiped out during the long war. This image is of one gentleman who survived and at his age, he is full of humor - he would like to marry again, "in a heart beat" he says.
The people of this country are truly wonderful. They understand the devastation but accept it - "it was not the Vietnam war" they say "it was the American war" - collectively they are building for a better and stronger economy. I have yet to see a population that works as hard as the Vietnamese.
Image captured with the Panasonic Lumix G9 with the Leica 12-60 mm lens at 50mm. Exposure triad: f/4, 1/50 sec., ISO 400. Image was converted to B&W using Capture One.
Please click on the image for a larger rendition.
Lumix S1R High Res Mode - Palouse Sunset
This is a scaled down version of a 187 MP image of the rolling fields in the Palouse at sunset. The low angle of the sun creates lovely shadows and definition of the undulating hills. This was also a test of the Sigma MC21 with the Sigma 100-400 mm EF mount lens on the Lumix S1R.
Exposure triad: f/6.3, 1/60 sec, ISO 200. Focal length as shot: 400 mm.
I will be in Spokane, WA for the PSA conference and would like to do a photo workshop after the conference. If you are interested let me know so I can make necessary arangements.
Click on the image for a larger rendition.
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.
The Palouse at Sunrize
The fields of the Palouse photographed along the road about midway to the top of Steptoe Butte. It started with cloudy skies but then the sun peeked through providing lovely light. The detail captured using a 47MP full frame body with a Leica Certified 70-200mm is just exceptional.
Captured with the Lumix S1R and the S1 Pro 70-200 mm f/4 lens at 200mm. Exposure triad: f/11, 1/40 sec, ISO 200.
Echoing Curves
The beaches beyond Marineland in St. Augustine have some beautiful rock formations. This image was captured while the colors in the sky still had some magenta while the horizon was turning warm gold. The way the ocean had receded taking sand away from the front of this rock and exposing the bright green moss caught my eye. Even more interesting were the curves in the sand, the shape of the waves and the shape of the face of the rock. Each curve in harmony with and echoing the other.
Captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R with the 24 – 105 f/4 lens. A Benro filter holder with a 3 stop ND, a polarizer and a 3 stop soft edge grad was used for this image. The lens was at 35mm and the exposure triad: f/8, 8 sec, ISO 100.
Marineland Beach - A1A St. Augustine
Sunrise the day before leaving St Augustine was mostly cloudless with just a small band just on the horizon. The few clouds were enough to defuse the light and create a lovely warm glow on the rocks. I set up the Lumix S1R with the 24 - 105 f/4 lens. A Benro filter holder with a 6 stop ND, a polarizer and a 3 stop soft edge grad was used for this image. The lens was at 52mm and the exposure triad: f/10, 15 sec., ISO 50.
Lumix S1R - The value of great resolution with good pixels
Last month I spent a few days in St. Augustine at Florida's Birding and Photo Festival. I took the Lumix S1R along even though I knew I would be shooting predominantly with the Lumix G9 and the Leica 100-400, an ideal bird photography combination. I was also hoping to try out the Sigma MC21 and some of the long glass that Sigma makes - more on that in future posts. For my very first shoot I decided to lave the G9 behind and just use the S1R with the Lumix Pro (Leica certified) 70-200mm f/4. Boy was this a great combination. The following images are an example of what impressed me most.
I am a strong believer on exposing to the right to maximize the ammout of data captured and this root image is an example of this technique.
The image below is of a Roseate Spoonbill that had landed near some alligators to drink water.
Typically I will adjust exposure, white /black points, highlights and shadows to get the image to what it looked like. These adjustments are shown in the screen capture as below.
As the composition was limited by the focal length of the lens I decided on a tight crop while maintaining the reflection as in the image below. The original image is 8368 X 5584 pixels and the cropped image is 1934 X 2528. Though not exact it is close to a 2X crop or the equivalent of a micro four third sensor. This provides a field of view equivalence of 400 mm.
Seeing the detail and the quality of the cropped image, I went a step further and cropped further to 1934 x 1434. This is approximately another 50%.
In my opinion this is a perfectly good image and useable in and digital competition as most competition require the image to be 1400 X 1050 px.
So why not take it one step further. A severe crop of the neck and head.
To further test the quality of images from the S1R, I took this small jpg image above and resized it to 1050 px high.
Using the same original jpg image a further resize was done to 1920 X 2678 px. This is more than sufficient for any screen/monitor display and any photographic competition.
ull disclosure, I am a Lumix Global Ambassador and use Lumix cameras and lenses for my photography. I will say that after using the S1R for a month, in my opinion, it is an exceptional camera and the best digital camera I have used to date.
The LUMIX S1R is Panasonic's new 47.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor camera.
Vietnam - 2
Nam Cuong sand dunes were amazing - though there was not much texture in the sky the dunes were a beautiful sight. They were really pristine till a bunch of tourists started climbing the slopes. Managed a few shots before the decimation.
A local Cham cowherd had brought his bulls and a wagon that had truck wheels to help traverse the dunes. Lovely warm light on this man's made for an interesting candid image.
The Chăm Pa now a minority were dynasty that extended across the coast of central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd century AD. They were absorbed and annexed by the Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mạng in AD 1832. They are the poorest people in Vietnam.
Why miss an opportunity - here are his bulls that he had unyoked from the wagon.
A young Cham girl plays with simple toys while sitting on the dunes in a pile of tires.
Vietnam - March 2019 - 1
Sitting at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City waiting to board my return flight. As there is a bit of time I have started looking at some of the images from this fabulous trip. Despite the heat and humidity (both bearable), the photo opportunities are just phenomenal.
This is a late evening view of the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh. It is not a part of the main skyline but to the right as you look across the river. Access to photograph the main city skyline was closed due to major construction.
Day three we drove past some very very large fishing villages. The image below is one that caught my eye. It was in the village of Mui Ne on the coastal route from Ho Chi Minh to Phan Rang. It was interesting to see practically all the varieties of fishing vessels you find in Vietnam.
Burrowing Owlet
This was an early morning trip to Cape Coral. I went back to the nest where I had seen the only known owlet in the city. I was hoping to get some warm early light on the birds. I was rewarded with not only decent light but this curious Burrowing Owlet stood and stared at me for a while before ducking back down into the burrow. One parent kept a watchful eye while the owlet explored.
Barred Owl - Corkscrew Swamp
The barred owl, also known as northern barred owl or hoot owl, at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida this afternoon. The swamp has way too much water and as a result, the number of birds is minimum. This owl remained with its eyes closed for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, when the park staff came by to say we had to leave, I stopped by to get this image.
Hands-on with the new Panasonic Lumix S1R
I had the pleasure of spending a few days last week in Death Valley NP with the new Panasonic Lumix S1R and two lenses. The lenses I carried were the 24 to 105mm S Macro OIS f/4 and the 70-200mm S Pro OIS f/4. The S1R is the 47.3MP Full-Frame MOS Sensor body while the S1 is 24.2MP. The body I used was a pre-production version that had firmware version 0.7. A long way from version 1.0 that should be in the production release next month.
I am not going to spend time writing about specifications as those are available from the Panasonic and numerous other sites. What I am going to say will appear fan-boyish but this is how I feel. Having used full-frame film cameras, DSLR's and mirrorless cameras, this is probably the finest camera I have experienced. The camera is a beast and as someone commented on YouTube and I fully concur - the S1R is the current Holy Grail of full frame bodies.
Ergonomics are exceptional, the camera just feels right. Both lenses that I tried felt comfortable and well balanced. The redesigned menu system is intuitive and exceptionaly well grouped and sequenced. Despite being a pre-production sample the image capture was truly a charm.
I set the camera to capture RAW and JPG images in full resolution and set the color space to Adobe RGB. I shot a number of high-resolution images 187MP and standard resolution images. As there is no RAW converter capapble of processing the S1R's RAW files, all I have been reviewing are JPG's and am thoroughly impressed. The dynamic range is impressive, the colors are fabulous as is the amount of detail even in a JPG file.
I am awaiting a RAW converter from Capture One or Adobe so I can truly experience the full potential of these new bodies.
Thievery & A Dying Industry
It was so much fun joining Don Komarechka (The King of Snowflake Photography and a fellow Pnasonic Lumix Ambassador) on his weekly podcast episode. There is never enough time to discuss all that there is in our industry but here is the link for you to listen and enjoy.
The Lumix S Party on TWiP
What a great time was had by all at this first TWiP party. We discussed the Lumix S1 and S1R and I am so glad to have been a part of the launch party. So much fun with the awesome Frederic van Johnson, hosting Jordan Bunch, Don Komarechka, Matthew Sutherland and myself.
LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4, LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. and LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. Details and prices released
The following is the official press release
Newark, NJ (February 1, 2019) - Panasonic is proud to introduce three new interchangeable lenses based on the L-Mount system for the LUMIX S Series Full-frame Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera. Specially focusing on professional use, the LUMIX S Series pursues uncompromising photographic expression with its high-quality cameras and lenses.
| LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 (S-X50)A large-aperture fixed focal length lens that forms the core of the LUMIX S Series of lensesLUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. (S-R70200)A telephoto zoom lens that features high resolution with stunning clarity across the entire zoom rangeLUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. (S-R24105)A versatile standard zoom lens with macro shot capability covering wide-angle to medium telephoto |
The L-Mount is a lens mount for mirrorless cameras that was launched by Leica and is equally suitable for both the APS-C format and full-frame cameras. Leica Camera, Panasonic and Sigma are set to offer a user-friendly solution that will allow photographers to ‘mix and match’ any of the three manufacturers’ APS-C and full-frame cameras with any lens from each other’s product portfolios. The aim of the L-Mount Alliance is to provide customers with a diverse and future-proof range of products. The advantages are a large inner diameter of 51.6 mm that enables the realization of extremely fast lenses and extremely compact dimensions. The configuration of the lens-to-camera communication interface is future-proof and the L-Mount also offers an option for the construction of sealed systems that are insensitive to dust and moisture. The L-Mount thereby opens up an almost limitless spectrum of new creative possibilities.
All interchangeable lenses of the LUMIX S Series provide high performance yet the “LUMIX S PRO” lenses further boast ultimate optical performance to be certified by LEICA for clearing stringent LEICA standards. Panasonic is committed to designing and developing 10 or more lenses with a focus on “LUMIX S PRO” lenses by 2020 and further expanding the S Series lens lineup.
LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 (S-X50)
The LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 is a large-aperture fixed focal length LUMIX S PRO lens that is the core of all LUMIX S Series lenses. Ensuring versatile use with its 50mm focal length and F1.4 high speed, the LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 boasts stunningly high resolution and a descriptive performance from the center to the corners of the image despite its large aperture. It provides smooth defocus gradation from the focus peak to the neighboring area of the image. It also describes the point light sources in the background as impressive, beautiful bokeh. The optical performance of this LUMIX S PRO lens is outstandingly high to clear stringent LEICA standards.
Comprising 13 lenses in 11 groups, the use of 2 aspherical lenses and 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses effectively suppresses both axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification. Astigmatism is also corrected with those aspherical lenses, achieving high resolving performance.
A double focus system combining a linear motor and stepping motor achieves sensor drive at a maximum speed of 480 fps. It realizes fast, high-precision AF to ensure that you will never miss a photo opportunity. Adoption of a focus clutch mechanism enables instant AF/MF switching and accurate manual focusing. The LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem of all interchangeable lenses designed for still image photography.
The refined design of the LUMIX S Series provides high operability as a tool for professionals. The rugged dust/splash-resistant* design withstand use under harsh conditions even in 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. The filter diameter is 77mm, with an 11-blade circular aperture diaphragm.
*Dust and Splash Resistant does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this lens is subjected to direct contact with dust and water.
LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. (S-R70200)
The second lens is also a LUMIX S PRO lens. The LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. telephoto zoom lens provides high-resolution, high-contrast images across the entire zoom range. It can be used for wide-ranging situations, from portraits to sports. Panasonic LUMIX’s image stabilization system 5-Axis Dual I.S. (Image Stabilizer) 2*1 can be used with the LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. for the first time as a lens of a full-frame mirrorless camera system, to ensure that you will never miss a photo opportunity. The optical performance of this LUMIX S PRO lens is outstandingly high to clear stringent LEICA standards.
The lens unit comprises 23 lenses in 17 groups and the use of an aspherical lens and 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses effectively suppresses both axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification. Designed in pursuit of optimum lens alignment, it achieves beautiful bokeh with minimum vignetting.
The O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) in the lens effectively compensates for the hand-shake movement, making it easy to shoot even without a tripod or in low-lit situations. Complying with the camera’s Body I.S., the 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2*1 makes it possible to use 6-stop slower shutter speed*2. The high-precision linear motor achieves sensor drive at a maximum speed of 480 fps for fast auto focusing. The adoption of a focus clutch mechanism enables instant AF/MF switching and accurate manual focusing. The LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem of all interchangeable lenses designed for still image photography.
The refined design of the LUMIX S Series provides high operability as a tool for professionals. The rugged dust/splash-resistant*3 design withstand use under harsh conditions even in 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. The filter diameter is 77mm, with a 9-blade circular aperture diaphragm.
*1 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2 can be used with the camera LUMIX S1R and S1, as of February 1, 2019.
*2 Based on the CIPA standard [Yaw/Pitch direction: focusing distance f=200mm, when LUMIX S1R is used.
*3 Dust and Splash Resistant does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this lens is subjected to direct contact with dust and water.
LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. (S-R24105)
The LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. is a versatile standard zoom lens covering wide-angle to medium-telephoto. It assures high descriptive performance across the entire zoom range. In addition to its versatile use with a wide and long zoom range, the LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. enables 0.5x macro shooting with a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m. Panasonic LUMIX’s image stabilization system 5-Axis Dual I.S. (Image Stabilizer) 2*1 can be used with LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. for the first time as a lens of full-frame mirrorless camera system, never to miss the photo opportunity.
The lens unit comprises 16 lenses in 13 groups and the use of 2 aspherical lenses and 2 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses effectively suppresses chromatic aberration and achieves high resolution.
The O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) in the lens effectively compensates for the hand-shake movement, making it easy to shoot even without a tripod or in low-lit situations. Complying with the camera’s Body I.S., the 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2*1 makes it possible to use 6-stop slower shutter speed*2. The high-precision linear motor achieves sensor drive at a maximum speed of 480 fps for fast auto focusing. The LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem of all interchangeable lenses designed for still image photography.
The refined design of the LUMIX S Series provides high operability as a tool for professionals. The rugged dust/splash-resistant*3 design withstand use under harsh conditions even in 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. In addition, a fluorine coating on the front element repel water and oil and prevent them from attaching. The filter diameter is 77mm, with a 9-blade circular aperture diaphragm.
*1 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2 can be used with the camera LUMIX S1R and S1, as of February 1, 2019.
*2 Based on the CIPA standard [Yaw/Pitch direction: focusing distance f=105mm, when LUMIX S1R is used.
*3 Dust and Splash Resistant does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this lens is subjected to direct contact with dust and water.
•Leica is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
•Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.