GerrySiegel

<p>I just wipe it on my sleeve. If it gets smudged I wipe it. If it gets scraped bad I will replace it. A screen is just a screen. Cover it if you will, but I leave mine naked and wipe it gently. In a camera bag I turn my GH2 LCD around to blank side. Not sure about the EM-1. My nose is not greasy and my fingers are surgically sterile. No, I want nothing to dim the screen and will take my chances. I believe the plastics on top are resilient and tougher than watch crystals. Anybody know?</p>

<p>A great river excursion well documented. Next time take a few movie clips if possible. Also, any special birds or amphibians live in the lower James. I guess that embarkation must have been near the early colony of Jamestown if I have my geography correct. Anyway, looks like fun for the adventurous. aloha, gerry</p>

Nikon makes a bunch of Coolpix models and one is sure to fit your needs. I used to own a Nikon Coolpix 5000 series about five years ago, used it for a while, then gave it to a relative, and it still is chugging along. You know the brand, so stick with one of them. Affordable price and a size to fit your needs in the lineup. There are so many out there I agree you need to handle a few that meet your needs. Our COSTCO has a good display and attractive prices and some competing brands of P and S. Especially since you don't need a long zoom ratio, the world is your oyster. Good luck

Winogrand I can take or leave. Most of the photos leave me cold, or lukewarm. I like the sailor in the mist one somewhat.

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Frode, my GH2 has the micro 2.5mm input wheras the EM-1 has the more conventional 3.5mm. i am thinking the GH3 probably has the more standard 3.5mm hole. Well it gets confusing. Also, some mics need am vol level reduction chip to not overload the camera input. I presume the Pana mic has this or a switch to adjust the load. I bought and aftermarket cable which has both the L pad or whetever this reducer is called as well as a spare output wire for a headset to monitor sound as it actually is recoreded. It is a TASCAM DR 40. DR 40 has two positions for the stereo microphones. As to wind devices, I see that one of our mail order houses offers one as a promotion now. Normally they charge 30 USD. Ever notice how one purchase leads to another? Now I ( I hate the dead cat appellation, why not dead musk ox?) PS Am in a state of trying to figure out how to label and store the different cables.. as well as IPAD cables...the standard ones and the goofy mulit use proprietary ones from OLympus. I easily forget stuff which I have carefully stored. I need a secretary! Such is life, friend.....gs

Ahhh.I was unfamiliar with Erwitt's work before this reference, Ellis, but I see a real artistry in his people photography. His posed pictures, or staged pictures still yield a feeling of naturalness and are to use a trite phrase 'slice of life shots ' in their effect on this viewer anyway. Like the photo of Kennedy in the office looking out the window. The shot in the portfolio of the cast of The Misfits is posed with grace and an admirable rapport of working with some heavyweight egos. That is Marilyn Monroe, - camera ready- in the power position, closely tied but watched over by the more relaxed Clark Gable and flanked by the introspective the more sensitive type, the already prematurely aging Montgomery Clift. Then, in back row, the overloads of this ensemble, the Director John Huston and writer husband of Marilyn, Arthur Miller-no pipe though this time.... A powerful ensemble that would have any photographer 'wet their knickers' just asked to set up a shot or two on set. Professional he is at his craft,without gizmos or gadgets. A balance that comes easy to some people shooters. So well organized that it looks easy, which it isn't. I rather like the classy family on the sofa, first link you provided. Not the standard issue family grouping. Especially enjoy and chuckle at the mid '60s look of all four. Again the wife has the key spot with legs crossed, and pointed in body language that all women must be born with. The young Joe College with the striped Ivy League tie is earnest and buttoned down. The youngster with the white socks and loafers is with the spirit and relaxed, but has got used to the tie clip as we all did then.... Husband is sitting back with arm along the sofa to express his sturdy second in command personality. The lovely lady has the most charm and the Jackie "do" which means she likes the model job. I like the shot because it is shows a little bit of each personality and could have been one of the Outtakes of a Session, where Erwitt picked this kind of whimsically -- and the family chose other more conventional straight up poses..I betcha!, sly guy Erwitt I think with mischievous humor working to his pleasure in people study. Technically, not much to say which is probably because Erwitt did not let lighting be obvious in any of his shots. Some are funny, like the nude painters and the clothed model, which is a dilly in itself. This is a guy who has the kind of confidence working with people that I really admire. And his work is uniformly interesting and full of detail and worth looking at closely. Nixon being Nixon and a crowd being something else for instance. I like the choice Ellis. I guess that shows:-)

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Let us know what you think of it Bob. Amazon reviews are mixed. I don't know what readers expected. This is one tough camera to get a grip on. It will take a lot of guides for the perplexed to get it to work its magic. I may keep mine on variable program, center weighted metering, and auto WB for a while. But some day, while on the can, I may pick up the Busch book and seek out some elegant variation.....gs

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What camera? What specs on the slider....length and stiffness and does it have a mount that acommodates a quick release? I am using a heavy duty Manfrotto, with their smallest fluid head (micro head) on my mirrorless camera which is light. Your mount should slide easily on rollers to get smooth tracking.... You may also experiment with a parallelogram style bar (has counterweights like home made barbells or super clamps for balance) that allows the camera to glide as well as track....this could be homemade from heavy aluminum stock (even hard wood like oak with teflon spacers) or get something used for big binoculars, the heavy duty binos. Good luck friend. Find a machinist backyard mechanic and offer six pack bounty if you are not handy and have tools....gs

Sometimes the combination is a perfect blend, like peanut butter and jam, like espresso with hot milk, like a harp and a flute...what I mean is that the pictures support the song or the music and the music supports the pictures. How could we separate this vocal from the series of family album photos. Or maybe I am sentimental when it comes to a family album empowered by memories. Check out this golden oldie on You Tube with vocal and guitar and bass. No I am not for big ensembles and crashing chords..Enjoy.

I would tend to agree with Sarah. Looks like a separation of elements. Pretty indeed... (Too bad it has no "theological image" representation, because then Christies might auction it off. Just kidding:-). I have several binoculars I use for backyard astronomy. My oldest is old two piece Zeiss style made in Japan in the late mid century that are fifty years plus old and have been beaten, bruised, and wet often. Given nourishment to plenty fungi as you can see. Still work for star watching so fungus gets over reaction in my view. I mean it is not like Ebola. I keep lenses with some fungus near other optics and I don't worry about migration. I give them lots of air and a sun bath from time to time. Yes, I would buy a decent used lens with small spots on them. I wonder if the new water resistant lenses like the Olympus HD and Pana X series will avoid the quote infection. Or maybe the new cement is tougher than Canada Balsam or whatever the adhesive is called.<div></div>

Not doing something you used to do may be distressing, but not doing something and then feeling bad about not doing it doubles the pain in a fashion. Think about that for a minute. Everybody has a different nervous system and health situation of course....To feel better mentally, and sleep better I find that vigorous physical exercise improves mental state. Even not so vigorous exercise helps. If you are not "stretching" your body, you are not helping your mind in my opinion. Think about bicycling even. Best of fortune in working out your situation which is part of the human condition some of the time. . aloha, gs

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Aloha Bob, As I plunge deeper into this book, I can unequivocally say that the writer attacks all settings with pages after pages of menu options, with a few recommendations attached to some. At least an explanation of why one would want to set a menu option in some fashion. It goes well beyond what a normal photographer would need to learn this camera's menus and buttons and settings. I mean did you know you can combine existing images in a single frame and adjust the level of illumination in each picture you do in multiple bursts? You can also do a lot in camera and create JPEGS that crop and adjust with some of the standard and some non standard flavors of coloration. It is not aimed down to the checklist format if that is what you hope for. If anything, one comes away at first thinking this camera is too refined and has too many options to keep in the head. Each menu gives to a sub menu with a sub sub menu. After looking into it about 2/3 of the way now, I feel that this camera is only for someone with the patience to learn its intricacies and willing to put time into keeping it all in the head....and lastly, learning to set MY SET fall back menus for what you do a lot. A safety net capability. It is a superb asset to anyone puzzled and looking for something more explicit than the company manual. Willl I learn to do all the stuff it can do, not to mention learn the difference between Panasonic approach to video vs Olympus approach....maybe. Still I say " Buy It." Go to Amazon and you won't be sorry I betcha....happy trails photofriend....I send my EM-1 to repair this week, still have a dead HDMI port, and I want all ports active, as in all ports in a storm as we say.......

You can make your own mic boom from a long pole or paint roller extension. As for the dead cat wind muffler for nature sounds, I just hunt and skin a chubby raccoon in the marshes near here, or even a mongoose pelt will do..... Just let it dry over a mesquite fire for several days before you have it sewn to size. Do it yourself is the beauty of this hobby and saves tons of dollars and kroners or euros......gs

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I will take a shot at this. I checked the Busch guide to the E-M1. He suggests that a shotgun microphone is designed primarily to be uni directional, purpose being to avoid motor noise and ambient sounds that might interfere with the subject being recorded. The answer, - in your cae- and unfortunately adds exp[ense, might be to seek out a more sophisticated microphone from companies like Rode, Audio- Technica, or Shure, which will likely have a switch on the body to change the mic pattern. Or a way to spread the sound field. Or, you can get fancier, and buy a portable mixer along with the better microphone which will allow fancier effects, and monitoring of the sound as you record. I decided to go with a TASCAM recorder, which may be larger and more complex. I don't know if the Panasonic is a cardoid microphone but I expect it is designed to keep side sounds muffled. No, I see nothing in the book on using the Panasonic microphone with the Olympus. But I do know that Oly sells microphones and recorders. Give them an e mail.......good luck with your movie making. Someone may have devised a better solution, hope so..... PS: I just found that my Panasonic Viera 5 year old TV will NOT recognize video clip from E-M1 but will play back video from my GH2. So much for compatibility AVHD so called standards. Aloha, gs Olympus's mini microphone SEMA-1 which has a cable and power from the camera ( I am not fond of everything being powered from the camera, battery life is short enough as is when shooting video I think you agree, sir) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674887-REG/Olympus_147592_SEMA_1_Microphone_Adapter_Set.html

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