Photography/cameras and associated gear thread.

[angelo]

Good B/W pics. The black kitteh looks eveel in B/W.

[Made of Stars]

Good B/W pics. The black kitteh looks eveel in B/W.

Ta. He's too much of a sook to be a true basement cat though.

[Macdoc]

Okay bug hunters I got me a gun....er shooter thingy....

This is a shot from the Lx3



Was editors pick when it came out - rate 10 out of 10.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Panasonic ... era_review

Those on a budget looking to do macro - it's a good pick - the lens is just superb and the same as the $850 Leica version which looks identical.
It's a go everywhere camera as it's so small.



It's been called the perfect second camera for enthusiasts and semi-pro use.

[angelo]

That's a very impressive macro shot.

[Macdoc]

Wish it was mine but for $110 knowing it CAN do it and drops in any shirt pocket ...that camera is a keeper.

Eyeing a better prime for the Gx7 ....been hunting for a fast low light lens and this is usually out my price range but a Leica for $513 makes it a deal.



glowing reviews from users.

http://www.amazon.ca/Panasonic-HX025-Le ... B0055N2L22

Pretty strong recommendation

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise Nov. 23 2011
By Russ Lewis - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
I have to confess I was surprised to find that this "Leica branded" lens really behaves as a Leica lens, producing the same tack-sharpness I used to get from the Summicron on my M4, but also producing that mysterious Leica quality that gets imparted to the image, and which even my finest Nikon lenses don't deliver. I was even more surprised to find this happening on a micro four-thirds body. This lens is a jewel. It's a bit nose-heavy on a micro four-thirds body, but not enough to be a problem. It turns a micro four-thirds body into an almost perfect street camera.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharpest lens I am aware of!! June 21 2012
By J. Reilly - Published on Amazon.com
I've owned this lens for 9 months. The images taken with this lens and my G3 are so good it makes want to forget about other gear all together. I also have a D800 and six very good lenses. As of now, I really don't want to use the Nikon unless I'm going to produce a print larger than 20x30. There simply is no point in doing so. This lens is that good. In fact this lens is sharper than all my Nikon lenses. The limit here is not the lens, it is the sensor size. MF sensor size is only 28% of the physical size of a FF sensor like the D800. The G3 has a little over 16 megapixels and the D800 has a little over 36 megapixels. That works out to a pixel density of about 42K pixels per SQ mm on the D800 vs about 71K pixels per SQ mm on the G3. Lower pixel density is better, advantage Nikon, Sensor size, advantage Nikon. Image quality: advantage Leica!!!

[Made of Stars]

I just sold one of those on eBay as I've switched over to Fuji. The only part of my m4/3 kit that I really regret giving up. The Fuji 35mm/1.4 is excellent, so somehow I'm coping.

[Macdoc]

Missed the deal ( tho was only $36 savings ). Camera on loan anyway.
Consoled my self with photogenic helmet.

They won't miss me stopped along the road taking pictures.



got tired of white tho I do look like a cop with white bike and helmet and Icon Hiviz yellow the jacket if it's chilly.

Least the helmet will match the jacket.

Kinda cool design as it's both closed face and open face as you wish - 7 different set ups .



and much lighter than my convertible.

I find my current helmet difficult to shoot the Gx7 while wearing. Some ergonomic changed from the Gx1

[angelo]

Yellow is highly visible therefore safer.

[Macdoc]

Yes we would be aware of that
It wasn't chosen for it's fashion appeal.
Of course the other choice was rather over the top - I suppose KTM riders might opt for it.



Just got weary of white and since I use the bike for a camera platform - viz helps.

and in inclement weather I'm just a walking sun beam...

[Macdoc]

gonna try Nikkor Prime 180mm on the Gx7

Introduction

The legendary NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8 ED is a superb manual focus lens. This manual focus lens has much rightly deserved folklore behind it as being very, very sharp. You can read more here about its development.

When it was introduced in the early 1980s it superseded the non-ED AI version. By reducing the secondary chromatic aberration it became much sharper then the other 180, and offered what at the time was previously unseen performance in a very fast tele.

It is not an internal focusing (IF) lens. It focuses conventionally by moving the entire lens assembly in and out as you turn the focus ring.

See Nikon 180mm f/2.8 History for perspective of where this fits into Nikon's product line.

Specifications

It has five elements in five groups, one big one of ED glass.

It has a nine-bladed diaphragm stopping down to f/32 (the AF version only goes to f/22).

It has a built-in telescoping hood and takes 72mm filters.

It is 3.1" (78mm) around and 5.4" (138mm) long. It weighs 28 oz (800g).

Close focus is 6 feet (1.8m).

Performance
It's sharp at f/2.8 and every other aperture. As all Nikkors, it has some light falloff wide open that mostly is gone at f/4 and is completely gone at f/5.6, on FX and film cameras.

It has no distortion.

Recommendations
Again, there is very little to say about a great lens. It, along with the 105/2.5, has been replaced in most pro's bags by an 80-200 f/2.8 zoom for the sake of convenience. In the old days (1980s) you'd find one in every news photographer's bag.

They are still not that cheap to buy second hand and they are heavy. You can still get them new for $750.

With the internal stabilization on the Gx7 this may be my intermediate lens of choice. Can still put in the fishing shirt pocket.

'm hooked on prime and for $300 plus $30 adapter and not too big size I'll give this a go.

[chairman bill]

It's a superb lens by all accounts

[angelo]

It's a superb lens by all accounts

Would need to be at the price asked for it.

[Macdoc]

Ummm that's exceptionally cheap. The lens is sold new at $850 US and that's not particularly expensive glass so $300 is a bargain and will hold that value for years.

MFT lenses generally are less expensive than full frame but they are getting up there.
Sometimes a lot less expensive...this is $1599

Panasonic H-NS043 Lumix G Leica DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm/F1.2 Lens (Electronics)
I have been shooting with this lens to review it for the last 2 weeks (my full review is online and can be googled) and I will state right off the bat, that YES it is expensive.
I am not going to say "expensive for a Micro 4/3 lens" as I am one who feels Micro 4/3 can compete with ANY format, even full frame. I use and own a Leica M 240 with a couple of Leica's best lenses yet my #1 goto camera is the Olympus E-M1. I have also owned for a long term the Leica $11,000 Noctilux f/0.95 and no, there is nothing like that lens on the planet for 35mm but you can get a taste of the real deal for a fraction of that cost in this Panasonic Nocticron. Yes, seriously. But remember, I said a "taste"

This Panasonic/Leica Nocticron is large, heavy and expensive but not nearly as large, heavy or expensive as the real deal, the Leica Noctilux. In fact, this lens is over $9000 less than the Leica Noctilux! Think about that.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-H-NS043 ... nskepti-20

The Nikkor 180 Prime hits a lot of points for me at the correct price point and it feels very good. The Gx7 is a bit bulkier than the Gx1 so that helps as well as having a larger battery and the really cool internal stablization and focus peaking.
The internal stabilization opens up lenses like the Nikkor 180 which do not have internal stabilization. I shoot mainly handheld tho I really need to get a tripod or a mono-pod.

With 4k coming and 2k common now - the difference in lens quality and preserving images for the long term becomes a factor in my choices.
It's one thing to view shots on a forum ....tho even there, there is noticeable differences - quite another to view a 4k file at 2k on a Retina or a 27" 2560x1600 screen.
There the differences are clear.
My Smithsonian Aerospace shots in particular - I'm glad I could upload them full size.


the rest
https://picasaweb.google.com/1134087148 ... directlink
now I'm just waiting for the photo storage slide shows etc to offer 2k viewing.
I don't see 4k viewing for a while yet.

I spend money on travel. I go back and look at my earlier point and shoot shots and wince when they are view full screen.
I want the quality and in my mind this is $300 well spent.
If it does not get used it gets flipped. That's a nice thing with decent glass. Does not plunge like the bodies do and this glass will let future sensor improvements show up.

Birding drove the initial move up.
The move to higher end imaging in screens and soon in TVs is driving the the rest.

4k is coming....to mangle a GofT meme.

•••

That all said....some of the superzooms are offering exceptionally good performance for a very reasonable price.
You just lose the small size and the interchangeable lens aspect. I'm startled at times by the FZ series performance and I'm sure other marques are superb as well.

Panasonic Lumix FZ70 / FZ72 review

The Panasonic Lumix FZ72, or FZ70 as it's known in North America, is a super-zoom camera with a 16.1 Megapixel compact sensor and a whopping 60x stabilised optical zoom. That's the longest zoom range currently available on a compact camera, so in a single bound Panasonic has leapt over the competition including Canon's best-selling PowerShot SX50 HS and Sony's Cyber-shot HX300, both of which sport lenses with a 'mere' 50x optical zoom.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panas ... FZ70_FZ72/

[angelo]

^^^Still quite bulky. Try putting that in your pocket.

[Made of Stars]

I'm contemplating an M (Leica) mount 50mm for my Fuji XPro body. This would be equivalent to 85mm on the XPro, and give me some quality glass if I ever make the jump to Leica M. Would love the Summicron f2, but it's over A$1500 second hand, and at $850 new the Zeiss Planar f2 will probably get the nod.

[Macdoc]

^^Still quite bulky. Try putting that in your pocket.

That's why I did not go for that category. The point was you can get pretty fine performance without chasing glass by opting for superzoom.

The Gx7 I can shirt pocket and the Nikkor in the other pocket which again was part of the attraction for me.
I can swap out the 20 mm and the 180 mm on the mcycle. Finally tho I will have some light gathering.
I lean toward golden hour photography.

[Macdoc]

Fooling with the Nikkor on the Gx1

Clearly needs the stabilizer that the Gx7 has.

Still this was 3m away in foliage and very easy to get good detail and focus.

[Made of Stars]

I'm contemplating an M (Leica) mount 50mm for my Fuji XPro body. This would be equivalent to 85mm on the XPro, and give me some quality glass if I ever make the jump to Leica M. Would love the Summicron f2, but it's over A$1500 second hand, and at $850 new the Zeiss Planar f2 will probably get the nod.

Picked up a second hand Zeiss on eBay.

[Macdoc]

Technological marvels....the future fossils.

Creamy bokah on the 180 but good detail on the cherry even shot through a window.

[Made of Stars]

Yes, the bokeh is great on that lens. Does it give you any rings on points of light? The spot at bottom left looks pretty good. Nice and round too.