Tag: cameras

A New Direction …

After several years of inactivity here on the blog, I’m back.  This lack of attention was not even for any good reason other than the normal distractions of life.  You know how it is to get caught up in the daily chores and various projects; those times when you’re not truly busy but just doing busy work.  Plus, like most of you who write, either in a journal, a blog, or your work I have writer’s doubt when I confront the “blank page”.  As you’ve discovered, the cure for that is to simply start writing but that is easier said than done sometimes. Right?

In order to find inspiration, I’ve done a lot of reading, refreshed the look of this site, and changed the name to align with my other media sites. I also plan to change the nature of the content here, away from being photography-centric to more of a general interest platform. I’ll be keeping up with news and technology improvements to better reflect our rapidly changing world.

Also,  after almost 20 years of an “almost” obsession with photography and digital cameras it’s become more of an afterthought, not even a hobby. Back then I always had a camera with me. Now  it’s just my iPhone which is the only camera I own at the moment. But now I’m ready to get going again, and even caught myself browsing B&H Photo this morning.

Part of the new theme is the header image, just a sliver of the entire image, but still interesting, and it’s intriguing that it was generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence)!  The detail, and the light and shadow are very well done.  I normally prefer to use my own photos, but I had nothing that was even close to what I was looking for so I downloaded it from https://pixabay.com.  Pixabay is an online image site that offers over 1500 free and royalty free images, and that is their mission,  Free Images.  There, I found a 4096 x 4096 pixel image that was almost exactly what I had in mind for the header and just needed cropping to the right shape and size.

Coming up next … a brief look at AI unknowns. Will they determine whether it turns out good or bad.?

Latest Addition to My Bag – Olympus E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1 w/M.Zuiko 14-42mm lens

While waiting for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 to ship (mid-April, hopefully), I decided to get an early start at learning the Olympus system. After doing some reading, I decided on the Olympus PEN E-PL1.

While I haven’t studied every camera available, the E-PL1 has to be one of the best values available, today. On Amazon, it’s only $289 (w/14-42mm lens), and I’ve seen refurbished models at less than $200 … amazing for a camera of this quality and with these features!

The camera is about the same size as the E-M5 and as far as I can tell the menu system is very similar. It has a 12.3 Megapixel sensor, plus it uses the same lenses as the E-M5. Other features include:

  • IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization), so every lens can be stabilized
  • HD Movie mode
  • Built-in (popup) flash with Wireless Control capability
  • Dust Reduction System that vibrates the sensor every time the camera is turned on
  • Many built-in effects and scene modes
  • And much, much more
The extensive menu system allows you to customize the camera so it works the way you do, and the Super Control Panel makes it so easy to change most of the common settings, like ISO, White Balance, Picture Effects, Auto-Focus Mode, Metering, Image Quality, and others.
After just two days, I don’t feel qualified to do a complete review of this wonderful little camera, but I’m sure you can tell I really like what I’m seeing, so far. I think the E-PL1 is going to be a perfect complement to the E-M5 once it arrives.

Now, after getting my hands on this little beauty, I’m even more excited about the E-M5!

NEX-7 + Sony 18-200mm = Ridiculous!

First, let me say that, as an NEX-7 owner, I disagree with that. However, in various forums around the “web”, I’ve seen that claim being made so I thought I would address it.

Some of those statements have ranged from, “ridiculous” to “goofy looking” to “totally out of scale”. Well, it certainly isn’t any more out of scale than say a 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikon lens on a D90. Or, how about the other direction…the 35mm f/1.8 on a Nikon D3.

The bottom line is, I don’t care how it looks as long as I have a great lens/camera combination, which this is. One other consideration is that I can still put the 16mm pancake on the NEX-7 and stick it in my coat pocket…that ain’t gonna happen with a DSLR.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love DSLRs and I’m not knocking them in any way. I’ve had many and they are awesome cameras. But, if I could get a great camera the size of a postage stamp and stick it to a big zoom, I’d do it.

I know – I know, there are some huge technical and practical difficulties with making that a reality like: battery, viewfinder, controls, screen, lens mount, etc. However, technically it could be done. The iPhone 4s has an 8Mp camera, so throw away the phone, antennas, and gps and you could end up with a very tiny stand alone camera. Wouldn’t that be cool!

So, are you ready – mentally – for the coming 54 Megapixel camera that you can wear on your wrist like a watch? It could be sooner than you think! 🙂

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