eric_duncan3

Thanks Allen -- I hadn't noticed that, and it does seem like a contradiction, but now that you say it, I see what you mean.

I will have to try not to mess up a good thing, now, by trying too hard to re-create it as a deliberate style! :D

Thought I'd upload some recent shots, including a seasonal one of a jack-o-lantern as a low-light example shooting with the Lumix S1. In the shot of the Waldorf Hilton, London, I wish I had waited for the woman by the telephone box to take a few more steps into the foreground. The timing was better on the shot in Broadway (the little one in the Cotswolds, not the big one in New York!), with the red Morgan in front of the lovely Cotswold stone buildings.

 

 

Of course I am talking Velvia 50 scanned with a high-res scanner to make prints -- or something like Portra, if you want to look at prints from MF film without any digital workflow!

Barry, the fact that you mention your Mamiya 7 (and I used to shoot with a smaller 645 format Bronica ETRSi), raises an interesting question as to how much digital camera is required to match or exceed the image quality that could be achieved with a good medium-format film camera / lens combination shooting on, say Velvia 50? I remember articles in the photo press back in 2002 claiming that the FF 14MP Kodak DCS 14n and 11.1 MP Canon EOS 1Ds could rival medium-format film quality for most uses. I am not sure now true that was, and how dependent on print sizes, etc. But I can say that image quality from my current Lumix S1, FF at a modest (by today's standards) 24MP, does not leave me in any way wishing to return to film work flow to get the results I used to get with 645 medium-format. So I would be surprised if any of the current Fujifilm (or Hasselblad) MF digital options would disappoint, or have you longing to return to shooting film on the Mamiya 7.

Thanks Barry. I like those shots with the GX7 -- there is a nice quality / feel to them, which I am guessing the ability to play with mixing and matching lenses helped you to achieve.

Thanks Allen -- the zebra one was my favorite from that day, too!

 

g.richards -- don't blame you. To be honest, if I had already had a G9 and some nice MFT lenses, I would not have gone for the S1. Image and build quality of the G9 is fantastic, and the more portable format is very handy. And I am jealous of the prices of Leica lenses available for MFT -- their L-mount prices are eye-watering! Luckily Lumix and Sigma do some great L-mount glass, so I'm sticking with them!

These have all been reduced to about 8.6MP,

Here are a few more images from the Lumix S1, taken on a visit to Chester Zoo

Hi Allen,

 

Oh, GX8 -- sorry for the confusion. Yes, I am 'old school' in that regard, too -- I much prefer manual control dials to diving into layer after layer of menus! I did post a few of my early straight out of camera jpegs with the S1, but they copied as links in my reply, rather than copying directly as images. I will look at how to copy the image intact rather than as a link, and see if I can post more examples. Maybe down-res them a bit?

No worries Robin -- alternative viewpoints make the thread interesting! I didn't read it that you were saying Lumix cameras are not great cameras, just that there are other great ones out there, too, which is true. I know I can't resist argument for argument's sake sometimes, too!

All true, Robin -- I have not had any chance to handle the Nikon Z, but I have had a brief 'play' with the R6 and A7IV. And they are brilliant cameras, too, and with any of them, as with the Lumix S1, the limiting factor in capabilities will most likely be the photographer (at least in my case! :) and not the camera! The same was also probably true of my decade-old-plus 7D!

 

For anyone in the market for a high-end mirrorless, I mainly wanted to share my very positive experience with the Lumix S1 and encourage those photographers in the market for new equipment to give Lumix a good look, as Nikon, Canon, and Sony already get plenty of press. Those cameras mentioned are all brilliant, as are may others; it's just to say those who do choose a Lumix S body are very unlikely to regret it, based on my experience.

 

Great image quality in those shots with the GX80, Allen!

I have heard from others who also are big fans of the FZ-20. The Leica-badged super zooms are great! In fact, my plan was to sell the Lumix FZ-2330 to help fund the S1, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. 25-600mm equivalent in a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture lens, in a great little camera you can slip into a large coat pocket! Hard not to like!

Thanks -- It is early days with the S1, and I have had only a little time to play with the RAW files in post-processing, but here are a few samples of JPEGs straight from camera.

 

 

 

 

I thought my recent journey through sensor formats, and a change of camera brands, beginning with my trusty old Canon 7D Mk1 DSLR, taking me through the drastic change to a Panasonic 1/2.3 inch sensor superzoom bridge camera, and culminating in my recent purchase of a Panasonic S1 full-frame mirrorless camera, may be informative for anyone thinking of changing equipment to a full-frame (I prefer to call it '35mm format') mirrorless camera.

 

I loved my old Canon 7D Mk1, and my pretty good collection of lenses, from a Sigma 10-20mm wide-angle zoom, to the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8, to the affordable, for an 'L' series, 70-200mm f/4 L, among others. So what on earth possessed me to sell said 7D and lenses, and buy a Panasonic FZ-330 (FZ-300 in the North American market) 12MP 1/2.3" sensor superzoom bridge camera?

 

It was a family vacation -- or holiday as it's known here in my adopted home of Britain -- which prompted the sale of my 7D and lenses. We were going to Barbados, and I had come to notice that I was taking my camera and lenses with me on fewer and fewer holidays, as phone camera quality became good enough to make it hard to justify the bulk and weight of my camera bag with the 7D and a selection of lenses. So more and more, my camera gear was left at home, while I limited myself to documentary-style travel shots on my phone camera.

 

But I did miss having a dedicated camera, composing in a viewfinder, dials to adjust ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. So I decided a bridge camera may offer the compromise between the flexibility and control of a dedicated camera, and the compact, lightweight portability of a camera phone. After researching options, I decided on the Panasonic Lumix FZ-330. The very small 1/2.3" sensor did concern me, especially with regard to low light shooting. But reviews said that by Panasonic sensibly limiting the resolution to 12MP (still adequate for many 'jobs'), the low light performance and noise were remarkably good for such a tiny sensor. And the big selling point for the FZ-330 was the versatile and optically sound Leica branded 25-600mm (equivalent) superzoom lens.

 

I found the FZ-330 to be a great little camera, with huge versatility, a high degree of control, and great image quality -- for the sensor size -- even in low light. It was the excellence of the Lumix FZ-330 that led me further down the path of temptation. I thought, "Wow! If Lumix can achieve such amazing performance in these small-sensor bridge cameras, what must the G series Micro Four Thirds or S series 35mm format (full frame) Lumix cameras be capable of?!

 

I also found that I was coming full-circle in missing the substance, and handling of my big old 7D + battery grip.

 

After more research, I decided, 'in for a penny, in for a pound!' and went for the Lumix S1 and Lumix 24-105mm lens. I was also tempted by the 47MP S1R, but for my purposes, 24MP is the sweet spot for resolution, dynamic range, and low-light performance, and 47MP is overkill -- especially given the S1's very usable 96MP high-resolution mode, should I need more.

 

Having used the S1 for a few weeks now, and in addition to the Lumix 24-105mm, Sigma 70mm Macro Art and 100-400mm C lenses, as part of the simply brilliant L-Mount Alliance between Leica, Sigma, and Panasonic, to have a common mount (he Leica L Mount) for their FF cameras, I can only say that Panasonic obviously went out of its way to make the S1 a superb camera for both stills and video, and succeeded. And from reviews, the same applies to the S1R and S5 bodies.

 

Without the dominant position of Canon, Nikon, and Sony in the enthusiast and professional camera market to rely upon, Panasonic needed to apply its technical prowess and considerable resources as a major global electronics company, and passion for this product line, to achieve excellence with the new Lumix S series -- and based on my experience with the S1 -- they succeeded brilliantly. There are several very good, detailed expert reviews of the S1, so I will not attempt to re-create those here, but just to give my impressions as a photography enthusiast of several decades, from Minolta X-700 35mm and Bronica ETRSi 645 medium-format film cameras, to several DSLRs (Canon 20D, 40D, 50D, and 7D), and now the Lumix S1 mirrorless.

 

Image (and video) quality are simply, stunningly superb, even in very low light. Still images (my main use for the camera) show rich detail, great color rendition, and fantastic dynamic range. The images are forgiving and malleable in post processing, even when shot in poor lighting.

 

As for comments that Panasonic's autofocus technology is not as advanced as its main rivals', I have not found this to have any practical impact. I have found the S1's autofocus to be fast and accurate, even tracking moving subjects in poor light.

 

The very high-resolution (5.76 million dot) electronic viewfinder is gorgeous, and has me no longer preferring an optical viewfinder. The build quality is tank-like, and with weather and dust sealing, and a shutter tested to 400,000 actuations (where 150,000 - 200,000 would be a good professional standard), the S1 gives every reason to believe it will stand up to years and years of rigorous use.

 

The S1 is a delight to use, and though my 7D was also good, of my previous cameras, only my Bronica medium-format film camera could approach the S1 for a hugely satisfying shooting experience.

 

For those not tied to another manufacturer's system, and looking for a full-frame mirrorless camera, I would very highly recommend Panasonic's Lumix S series. The S1, for one, is a fantastic camera, and the system has great lenses available from Lumix, Sigma, and Leica through their L-Mount Alliance. Panasonic has recently added the more affordable S5 body, and new lenses keep coming. I am hoping for even more new bodies and lenses for this system in months and years to come! Long Live Lumix and the L-Mount Alliance.

 

The Lumix S1 is not small, and it is not cheap. But for those willing to carry the price and the heft, the S1 will reward you richly.

 

 

,

<p>Hi, Jordan,<br>

As you have an obvious interest in photography, and a desire to learn more, my counterpoint to Ben's post would be, that not knowing how to do this job is the perfect reason for taking it on!<br>

You can learn so much photography by reading, but all good photographers got to be good photographers by getting out there and shooting, making some mistakes, troubleshooting and learning from those mistakes, and shooting again! Why wouldn't you give this a try, when all you have to lose, are deleted pixels, and what you have to gain, are more photography knowledge, and some good images, when you do get it right (and you will, if you keep at it!) :)<br>

The fact that you are struggling to get all of the clothes in focus (if you have the camera on auto or program mode), is evidence that you may, as you suspect, need more lighting firepower. The camera is selecting a large aperture, to try to get as much light to the sensor is it can, and a large aperture gives a shallow depth of field, so not all of the clothes end up in focus.<br>

But your subjects are static, so before you spend money on more lighting, try this:<br>

With your camera on the tripod, set the camera to its aperture priority (usually called Av) mode. Set an aperture at least as small as f/5.6, or maybe even f/8 or f/11, if you want to be cautious about everything being in sharp focus (to follow from the previous poster's comments about aperture).<br>

As your lighting does not seem to be overly powerful, the camera will then choose a slow shutter speed, hence the tripod, and a remote shutter release would be a good idea, too.<br>

If the results are too dark, try increasing the exposure compensation (a scale like ...-2, -1, 0, 1, 2...) step by step, and see if you get to a point where you like the results. If not, then an investment in more lighting is required.<br>

Just a note on ISO setting -- the image quality vs. ISO will vary from camera to camera. But unless you are shooting with something like a Canon 1Dx or Nikon D3, a rough guide would be to keep the ISO to 400, or ideally lower, for the best image quality (lowest noise).<br>

Happy shooting, and happy learning!</p>

 

<p>Thanks William; I'm glad you found my comments useful.<br>

I will be interested to know which solution you ultimately adopt. Although as already stated, I am very pleased with the Di866II / YN622c set-up with my 7D, the 600EX-RT is admittedly very tempting, especially complementing an investment in a 5DMk2 and 5DMk3!</p>

<p>Hi William,</p>

<p>I shoot with a 7D (and am considering a 5DMkIII, too). I second Wilko's positive experience with the Nissin Di866 MkII. I have two, with two more just ordered. I also paired them with Yongnuo's very compact and unobtrusive YN-622C 2.4GHz TTL radio transceiver, which are amazing value for money at about $85 (US) or about £55 (UK) per PAIR! They look good, and they integrate seamlessly with the 7D's in-camera flash control menu and the Di866II. They support high-speed flash sync, and the ability to set the flash power level in-camera, in manual mode, for remote flashes independently in up to 3 flash groups (and you can have multiple flashguns in each group). They also work flawlessly in ETTL-II mode, and the 2.4GHz wireless radio link puts the range and signal reliability on a par with the 600EX-RT, for about half the cost. Build quality is not up to that of the Canon flagship flash, but neither is it flimsy. And the YN-622C attaches to the Di866II via a metal hotshoe, rather than being integral to the flashgun. But the 622 is small and nicely styled, so this is not really a disadvantage (in my opinion).<br>

And as transceivers, the YN-622 units are interchangeable between camera and flash. This, plus the excellent price point, means that it is easy to have a flexible back-up set-up, for high-pressure event photography such as wedding shoots, where equipment failure without a back-up, is not an option.<br>

Alternatively, you can use the Di866II flashguns with their built-in infrared wireless capability, but the YN-622s offer radio transmission, with up to about 100m range, and without the line-of-sight constraints of infrared wireless.<br>

I have been very happy with this wireless off-camera flash set-up, with my 7D. I had also considered Yongnuo's YN568 flashgun. But the Di866II is simply more powerful, on a par with the light output of the 580EXII and 600 EX-RT.</p>

<p>JDM - My 'complements' for your sharp eye for diction! ;) And I second the nomination for the 100-400.<br>

Regards,<br>

Eric</p>

<p>I am certainly not immune to holding an opinion in the emotionally charged, mostly unscientific Nikon vs. Canon vs. alternative manufacturer image / video quality and technical superiority debate, but I see no point in adding fuel to that unproductive fire. Suffice it to say that I subscribe to the school of thought that the free market is a statistically powerful test bed. And as Canon and Nikon both offer cameras with similar pricing tiers, and both continue to sell plenty of DSLRs, neither is delivering a knockout punch to the other, in terms of image quality and technical value for money, or 'bang for the buck' if you prefer. Used properly, and with a suitable lens, both companies' products (and those of their surviving competitors) can deliver excellent results and an excellent user experience.<br>

So my advice? You have spent a considerable amount of time with the Canon 550D, liked it, and got good results. The 700D will likely replicate that good experience, and then some. So try to find a friend or a cooperative camera shop which will let you spend some time with the Nikon D5200 or similar, and decide which YOU prefer, in actual use.<br>

Although I can recite many of the technical specifications of my Canon 7D (and those of Nikon's comparable D7000 / D300s), the reason I really enjoy it, is that, to me, it is almost as comfortable and second-nature as my own eyes and hands, in allowing me to produce the images I envision.<br>

As for Nikon / Canon alternatives, yes, there are fine ones. But in my opinion, they do not offer the extensive lens and accessory system, and (almost) future-proof support and evolution that the Big Two have to offer.<br>

Whichever camera body / lenses / system you choose, welcome to DSLR shooting, and enjoy!</p>

<p>Though I think they can also do so as wireless optical slaves, using the 7D built-in flash as wireless optical controller (master)!</p>

<p>When used in combination with the YN-622 wireless TTL triggers, I should add!</p>

<p>But it is my understanding that the YN-565EX (no high speed sync) or 568EX (with high-speed sync) can be controlled (in 1/3 stop increments) from the 7D's in-camera flash control menu, in manual flash mode.</p>

<p>Either the DSLR commercial teams at Canon and Nikon, and the consumers, are stupid, or the 'failed' 22MP 5D MkIII generally delivers more value than the supposedly superior 36MP D800, because the 5DIII body is approximately £400 more expensive than the D800 body at Wex photographic in the UK, and approximately $700 more expensive at B&H in the US. <br>

Sure, things like markting campaigns influence what consumers will pay for a product such as the 5DIII, but Nikon is no amateur at marketing, either. Such a price differential would not be sustainable without the underlying substance to justify it. The free market will not lie.</p>