Tag Archives: #Lumix

Valley of Fire

February 24, 2020 by sverma | 0 Comments
White Dome

I had a little time to myself today so I decided to check out Valley of Fire State Park. It is a little over an hour from Las Vegas. By the time I got there, it was Noon and the light was not good. Also disappointing was the sky. There were no clouds even though while driving there the sky looked promising.

The image above was taken as the sun dipped behind one of the many ranges in the park. I was using the Lumix S1R with the 24-105mm f/4 lens. Exposure triad: f/16, 2 sec., ISO 100.

White Dome – another view

The next image is from a more direct viewpoint and captured shortly after the first image. For a brief moment, the colors in the sandstone just came alive. Exposure triad: f/16, 2 sec., ISO 100.

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Post Focus & Focus Stacking

January 10, 2020 by sverma | 0 Comments

Just posted my latest YouTube episode on Post Focus and Focus Stacking

Click Here for the link to my channel

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Peace and Tranquility

December 30, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments
Lumix S1R, Lumix 24-105 mm, 10-stop ND filter.
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.

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2019 Favorite Images Part 2

December 29, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments


I just posted the second segment of my 2019 Favorite Images and a few back story video clips.

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Creative Photography

December 16, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments
Exposure triad: f/9, 1/30 sec, ISO 400
The set

As I tend to spend more time indoors during the winter, I am looking for unique ways of image capture. I love using my Platypod – tripod alternatives as they are so convenient and maneuverable. For these images, I went a bit overboard, one Platypod Max to support my Lumix S1R with the 24-105 f/4 lens, one Max to hold up the LensBall, two Platypod Ultras with a Platypod gooseneck and a Litra Torch 2 each. A third Platypod Ultra with a gooseneck and a clothespin to hold the flower.

Tiny shifts in the camera angle or flower position create beautiful fluid lines since the Lensball acts like an exaggerated fish-eye lens.

I captured hundreds of images – here in this post are two that I really like a lot.

Exposure triad: f/9, 1/30 sec, ISO 400
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Light Table Photography on a Snowy Day

December 3, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments
Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas

With 8 or more inches of snow and not being in a mood to go outside, I set up this composition on a makeshift light table. It is the top of a slide viewer placed on four plastic cups for support. The lights are three Litra Pros set at 5500 Kelvin and full brightness. 7 images were captured starting with a normal exposure for the flowers and then increasing in exposure by 2/3 stop for each subsequent image. The images were then blended in Photoshop 2020 with selective masking for this final result that gives the effect of translucency.

The starting exposure was f/14, 1/160 sec at ISO 400. Captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the 24-105 f/4 lens.

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Pushing the Limits

November 18, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments

It was very early morning when we spotted this young lion. He has been through some territorial fights – see the scars. The sun had not risen and I was not sure if I could get a decent image. Captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the S Pro 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens. I had the ISO on “auto”, and I set the shutter speed to 1/160 sec (i wanted to be as close to one over the focal length I was at). The focal length was at 130mm. The aperture was set at f/2.8 and the camera set the ISO to 16000. Typically I set the limit at ISO 6400 but there would be no image at that sensitivity.

The image a direct conversion from RAW to JPG – no adjustments at all except a crop for composition. The noise reduction is at 0, sharpening at 0. Image processed using Capture One 12.

Please do click on the image to view it larger.

IMPRESSIVE!!!

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Lumix S Pro 70-200 f/2.8 hand-held

November 11, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments
Zebra Family at Sunset

One of the greatest features of Lumix cameras, the G and the S series is the incredibly good image stabilization. On the S1R was rated at 6 stops. With firmware version v1.1, the in-body IS system will reduce shake by an additional 1/2-stop, for a total of 6 stops with non-stabilized lenses and 6.5 stops with Dual IS-compatible glass. With the new S Pro 70-200 f/2.8, the stabilization is rated at 7 stops.

This image was captured hand-held with the S1R and the S Pro 70-200 and a 2X Teleconverter. The combined focal length was 400mm. Exposure triad f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO 800.

Click on the image to view a larger rendition.

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Lilac Breasted Roller

November 7, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments
Lilac Breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)

This bird is one of my absolute favorites. This avian lives in acacia country where there are well-spaced trees, bushy game lands, riverside areas, and cultivated lands. However, they do not associate with human habitation. They are about 14 in. long.

The Lilac Breasted Roller is also referred to as the Fork Tailed Roller or Mosilikatze’s Roller. They typically perch at high points of trees, poles, etc. so the can spot thir prey close to ground level. they will swoop down to grab insects, scorpions, lizards and even small birds.

This specimen was photographed with the Panasonic G9, the Leica 50-200 lens with the 2X tele-adaptor. Exposure triad: f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 250.

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My impressions of the new 70-200 mm L mount zoom lens – LUMIX S PRO 70-200 O.I.S (S-E70200)

November 6, 2019 by sverma | 0 Comments

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.

Color rendition
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.

Superb detail and dynamic range
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.

Smooth focus fall-off.
Impala Stag
Exposure triad f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400
Another example of smooth focus fall-off
Cheetah Yawn
Exposure triad f/8, 1/1300 sec, ISO 3200
Fast action capture
Wildebeast Migration
Exposure triad f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 250
Tracking performance with fast-moving subjects
Wildebeast (Connochaetes gnou)
Tracking performance
Impala on the run (one of the fastest four-legged animals)
Exposure triad f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 320
Tracking performance.
Juvenile African Fish Eagle  (Haliaeetus vocifer).
Exposure triad f/11, 1/800 sec, ISO400
Low Light Detail
Lion Family on Kill
Exposure triad f/8, 1/800 sec, ISO 2500
Low light longer exposure.
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.

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