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.
Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon haemacephalus – Lumix G9 with the Leica 100 – 400 mm. Exposure triad: f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 8000
Barbets are a species of tropical birds in the family Capitonidae (order Piciformes). Barbets are named for the bristles at the bases of their bills that they use to dig holes in rotting trees where there will nest. They have large heads and short tails and are not agile fliers. They eat insects, lizards, birds’ eggs, fruit, and berries.
The Keoladeo NP has three species of Barbet. I was able to photograph only the Brown-headed Barbet Psilopogon zeylanicus and the Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon haemacephalus, The third, White-cheeked Barbet was not found.
As these birds sit in very dense leaf trees the light is hard to work with and high ISOs become mandatory.
Brown-headed Barbet Psilopogon zeylanicus – Lumix G9 with the Leica 200mm and 1.4X teleconverter. Exposure triad: f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO 1600
Yellow-Rumped Warbler – Lumix G9, Leica 200mm f/2.8 and 2X teleconverter. Exposure triad: f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400 (click on image to see it in full resolution)
The warbler was at a distance so the subject was very small in the frame. Normally I would discard most of these images but decided to see what I could recover despite a severe crop. This image is a 17.5% crop from the original RAW file. I have not applied any noise reduction to prevent any softening of the image.
This portrait is an example as to how well the image stabilization performs using the Panasonic G9 body with the new Leica 200 mm f/2.8 lens (I have a preproduction version). The lens aattched to the 2X teleconverter on the micro 4/3 body gives an effective focal length of 800mm. The image was captured hand-held at 1/125 sec, f/8 and ISO 640. Typically, at this focal length I would use a minimum of 1/1000 sec but the 6.5 stops of stabilization is remarkable.
Tricolored Heron Reflected – Exposure triad: f/5.6, 1/1600 sec at ISO 640. Focal length 800mm (Full Frame equivalent)
Last week at the Florida Space Coast Wildlife and Birding Festival this image was shot hand-held using the new Lumix G9 and the Leica 200mm lens with the 2X Teleconverter. What I really love is the ability to handhold this combination, yes 800mm equivalant, for the entire morning. The image stabilization is exceptional and the lens performs great. Mind you the lens I was using is a pre production sample and I am sure when I have the production version, it will be even better. In addition, what is truly great about the G9 is the way it renders color – it’s just fantastic!
Great Blue Heron in early morning light. Lumix G9 with the Leica 100 – 400 at 528 mm eq. Exposure Triad: f/8, 1/320 sec ISO 800
It was a gorgeous 84 degree day yesterday when I arrived in Titusville for the Space Coast Festival but this morning it was a cold 51 degrees. This rapid change is no good for bird photography as most of the birds were hunkered down in the mangroves. The few that braved the cold were mostly way out of reach even with an 800 mm equivalent lens.
These are a few decent images albeit severely cropped. Now for the good news – the new Leica 200 mm f/2.8 arrived and I have just unpacked it. Will give this lens a shot tomorrow morning.
Snowy Egret. Lumix G9 with the Leica 100 – 400 at 800mm eq. Exposure Triad: f/6.3, 1/6400 sec ISO 400
Spoonbills and Great Egret. Lumix G9 with the Leica 100 – 400 at 800mm eq. Exposure Triad: f/6.3, 1/2000 sec ISO 200
Spoonbill Preening. Lumix G9 with the Leica 100 – 400 at 800mm eq. Exposure Triad: f/6.3, 1/1000 sec ISO 200
I have been asked this many times and no matter how much I explain it there is still some confusion. Basically, the Post Focus function in the supporting Lumix cameras rely on the high-resolution video capability in conjunction with focus racking to capture a sequence of images that can be selected by defining the plane of focus. So as an example, if you were to set up a yardstick and let the camera take a post-focus image – the camera would focus on the nearest point to the lens take an image and then gradually refocus a bit further out and take another image till it reached the end of the frame at the farthest point. There would be a series of images each one at a different point of focus. Note however that this sequence is captured using the video mode of the camera.
Once the images are captured, the camera does internal processing that then allows you to tap on the screen to select the image that has the best focus at that selected point. You can then opt to save this selected image. Supporting this function is post-capture peaking to confirm focus and in addition, you can magnify the image for a selective selection.
This feature is further augmented with a merge function. You can merge all the images captured into a single image that is tack sharp from the closest focus point to the farthest. However what is even more useful, particularly if you use large apertures for a shallow depth of field and you want to keep your background out of focus. You can select the range you want to merge and thereby leave the remainder of the scene out of focus.
The following image that I used as the lead image was captured in post focus and merged in its entirety.
For this next Post-focus demonstration I placed a postcard on the background and merged the entire set of images. As you can see the postcard is in focus as are the flowers.
Next, I used the same Post-Focus set but this time iI selected just the range I wanted, just the flowers and executed the merge. The following is the resulting image with the postcard nicely blurred:
I hope this gives you a better understanding of the power of this feature and the many ways you can use it. Please note that when these images are captured using 6K Photo Mode, the resulting images are 18 MP and suitable for very large enlargements when processed with the appropriate software.
Many new cameras have repurposed their in body image stabilization to create high resolution images employing sensor shift capture. The Lumix G9 uses the same concept but shifts the sensor by 1/2 pixel rather than a full pixel. It captures 8 images in raw and combines them in-camera to generate a single 80 MP Raw file. Whats more is that you can capture a single standard resolution RAW file of the same image in addition to the high resolution image. This is a great feature for studio based product photography, still life and architectural photography. As there is (releatively) significant capture time, any scene with moving subject matter is not suitable for High Resolution capture.
I set up a simple shot of a Gerbera Daisy with an artificial background to test the resolution and imprtance of this feature. the image above is what I was photographing. The shutter delay was set for 15 seconds to give me enough time to exit the room and to stabilize any vibration or tripod and camera body. The exposure triad:f/8, 1/200 sec at ISO 200.
The red stroked are is enlarged below for comparison. Of significance, is the minimal pixilation of theis crop in the hi-res image compared to the standard 20.3 MP file.
Cropped section of the High Resolution Mode Capture
Cropped Section of the Standard 20.3 MP image
The base file at 300 DPI is approx. 34.5 inches by 26 inches. I have sussessfully enlarged this image to 30 feet by 22.5 feet and the image maintains exceptional quality.
Press release:
The New Compact, Lightweight Ultra Telephoto Lens with POWER O.I.S. For Handheld 400mm Equivalent Ultra-Telephoto Shooting
November 8, 2017 (Newark, NJ) – Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is proud to introduce a new telephoto single focal length lens, the LEICA DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S. (35 mm camera equivalent: 400 mm). The LEICA DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S. is the first large-diameter ultra-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a name of LEICA DG. It boasts sharpest-ever image quality from corner to corner in the history of LUMIX digital interchangeable lenses. Featuring high mobility in a compact, lightweight design, it also realizes handheld ultra-telephoto shooting.
With its 400mm ultra telephoto focal length and stunning descriptive performance, the LEICA DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S. is suitable for wildlife or sports photography. The 1.4x Teleconverter (DMW-TC14) is bundled*1 to extend the focusing distance to 560mm (35mm camera equivalent) for close-up shots.
The fast F2.8 aperture lets you capture fast-moving subjects while the POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) effectively compensates for hand-shake movement, making it easy to shoot even without a tripod or in low-lit situations. The lens works with Dual I.S.*2 (Image Stabilizer) and Dual I.S. 2.0*3 system when mounted on the compliant Panasonic LUMIX DSLM (Digital Single Lens Mirrorless) cameras for more powerful hand-shake suppression.
Clearing the stringent quality standard of LEICA, the lens is comprised of 15 elements in 13 groups, featuring two UED (Ultra Extra-low Dispersion) lenses. The use of UED lenses and Panasonic cutting-edge optical technology achieve high resolution, high contrast image from corner to corner while suppressing distortion and chromatic aberration.
Incorporating a triple linear motor system and max.240 fps sensor drive, the new LEICA DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S. achieves high-speed, high-precision contrast AF system for both photo and video recording. This stunning AF performance is excellent to record 4K video, where precise focusing is required. In addition, the micro-step drive system in the aperture control section helps the camera smoothly catch up to brightness changes when panning.
It boasts a rugged, dust/splash-proof design and are even freeze-proof down to -10℃ (14 degrees F) to withstand professional use under harsh conditions. Offered in sharp, metallic black color, it stylishly matches the LUMIX G Digital Single Lens Mirrorless (DSLM) cameras.
The LEICA DG ELMARIT 200mm / F2.8 / POWER O.I.S. can also be used with the 2.0x Teleconverter DMW-TC20 (sold separately), which extends the focusing distance to 800mm (35mm camera equivalent) to capture subjects at a greater distane.
*1 The 1.4x Teleconverter (DMW-TC14) is also sold separately as an optional accessory.
*2 Dual I.S. is available on GX8, GX80/85
*3 Dual I.S. 2.0 is available on GH5, G9, G80/81/85
•Some functions of H-ES200 cannot be used with DC-GH5. The firmware for DC-GH5 to fully comply with H-ES200 is scheduled to be released by the end of March, 2018.
•Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.
•LEICA is a registered trademark of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
•ELMARIT is a registered trademark of Leica Camera AG.
The new ELMARIT 200mm lens and accessories will be available in early January 2018. The lens with the 1.4x teleconverter MSRP will be $2,999.99 and the optional 2x teleconverter is $599.99.
This is a late post but never the less the Out of Acadia conference was spectacular. Over a hundred participants and multiple instructors made the event a great success. Between leading excursions and doing classes there was not much time to do a lot of photography but this was photographed on the last day at Little Hunters Beach. Given the shape of the cove and the direction of the sunrise, one has to wait for the light to hit is peninsula.
I used my new Leica 12 – 60 mm with the GH5 that I am loving more and more – particularly with Version 2.1 of the firmware update. Exposure triad: ISO 200, f/7.1, 6 sec at 12mm (24mm equivalent). Benro filter holder with a polarizer and 4 stop ND and a grad.
The image below is the same converted to B&W using Capture One 10.
