Monday, April 30, 2012

Wild Eyes


















Sometimes, when you're taking a snapshot, things happen that you didn't plan on happening. Like this photo of a cat's face. It's cropped, of course, to emphasize the effect. No, this isn't created in Photoshop. It's just the way the flash mixed with the ambient light; couldn't do it again in a million years. Stuff just happens. Click on it to see the full size image.

CF

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

FZ35 Necessary Accessory – The B&W UVA Filter

Some photographers feel that it’s a mistake to place a filter in front of a high quality lens, thinking that the optics of the elements in the lens might be compromised by an inferior piece of glass. But, since the lens in focusing beyond the place where the filter goes, the filter glass doesn’t really enter into the optical equation.

True, an inferior filter can, and usually does, cause other problems, like unwanted reflections, vignetting, (dark areas around the edges of the image, or tunnel-vision), and color shifting. So, the answer is to use the best quality filter, one with the same kind of multi-coating that is on your lens.

First consider what happens without an ultraviolet haze filter. Images can take on a milky, or well, hazy quality, which can soften the detail and rob you of adequate color saturation. And, without a filter, your lens is naked, susceptible to that heart stopping, smudgy, oily fingerprint. So, you’re going to buy a filter, but which one.

I bought the B&W UVA #10 46mm filter from Amazon for about $21.00. It is a beautiful piece of multi-coated optical glass in a sturdy, but thin, black brass frame. Be sure to hold onto the outer ring of the Panasonic FZ35 lens when you screw in on the threads, or the ring will just keep going around. Yes, the B&W costs more than a Tiffen or Hoya filter. But do you really want to explain how you saved a few bucks every time people ask what that shiny round spot is on your pictures? Just get the good one, the B&W, be proud of it and smile the first time you put your finger on it, being thankful that it’s not that Leica glass you’ll be wiping that smudge from.

CF

Monday, December 27, 2010

One of my first FZ35 pictures















The was truly a snapshot, from about 8 feet, I just flipped the flash up and pushed the button in full program mode. A split-second later he was gone. Is that Leica lens sharp? Take a look at the closeup cropped from the original.

CF

Why The Panasonic Lumix FZ35?

After reading many reviews on digital cameras that I thought would provide quality to my standard in given price range, (Canon sx20, Canon sx30, Canon Rebel xs, Pentax k2000 and the Panasonic fz35 and fz40), I decided on the FZ35. Here's my review.

The Canon sx20 and sx30 had too many bad reviews from owners and marginal reviews at Cameralabs.com, citing the cramming of mega pixels and adding more zoom length to the existing sensor of the sx10, which results in images that are less sharp than their predecessor. I was very impressed with the Canon Rebel xs, until I found that the optical image stabilizer was in the lens, not in the camera. That, and the kit lens of 29 to 88 (in 35mm equivalent) was what came for $459. I almost went for the Pentax k2000, which has OIS in the body, was also $459, had the 29 to 88 kit lens, and very good reviews.

It occurred to me that some of the frustration I had during 30 years of film camera use, in formats that ranged from 35mm to medium format, was that either a bag of lenses was necessary in order to have enough range to get an image from very close to very far away, or that the lens I needed for the shot was not on the camera when I needed it, making some situations nearly impossible to capture. Not to mention the hassle of hot-shoe mounted flash units. So, I leaned closer to the super-zoom on the fz35, which is the equivalent of a 27 – 486mm. The Leica lens brought back memories of my old M3.

Reviews of the Panasonic fz35 and fz40 at Cameralabs.com were very impressive. Although, the fz40 suffers from the same problem the Canons had with the cramming of extra zoom and extra mps on the existing fz35 sensor, and the images from the 35 are sharper and have less noise at high ISO. These results were also compared on Amazon.com, where a user had posted images taken of the same scene with both the fz35 and the fz40, and the fz35 simply looked better. Another review on Amazon from a professional photographer from Missouri gave the fz35 very high praise. In the end, it was Amazon’s holiday return policy and the unbelievably attractive $259 price that sold me. And, since Panasonic officially discontinued the fz35, Amazon was one of the few places that had a new one in this price range. Some camera stores had them priced $399.

Upon holding it, the fz35 is about three-fourths the size of a regular 35mm, with only half the weight. It is very comfortable and thumb and fingers seem to fall naturally in place on buttons and switches. The battery comes without a charge, but was 100% after 2 hours. I also purchased a Transcend 8gb class 10 SDHC memory card for about $14.00, necessary because one is not supplied with the camera. Class 10 cards work better and faster, in recording images or video, as well as transferring the data to your computer. Via the USB cable, 100 highest quality jpg images transfer to my PC in about 20 seconds.

Right out of the box, in full Program mode, the fz35 is capable of taking great pictures. However, if you take the time to read the manual (yes, it’s in PDF, not in paper form), which takes about an hour, maybe two hours if you’re not already familiar with photography concepts, the fz35 can produce outstanding high quality results. I’m very glad I bought it. You can get your fz35 on Amazon here.

CF

Sunday, December 26, 2010

My FZ35 Blog

Welcome! I have created this blog as a place to talk about my experiences with the Panasonic FZ35 Lumix digital camera, and will display some images I've made with it.

CF