Got word that the Lumix call center has been receiving a number of calls from people who are confused about which SD cards are recommended for which models. In the past “Class 10” were regarded as the fastest out there. The link below shows the speed of each type of card.
Most important numbers to look for when choosing an SD Card for cameras. The write speed.
Also, most people are not aware that SD cards have three speed ratings – Read, Write and Copy. The fastest speed, usually quoted, is the READ speed. The WRITE speed is the important one to consider when selecting a card.
This time of year Arizona can lay out a pretty nice palette for us to enjoy. It’s called monsoon season and thunderheads will pop up in the afternoon and put on a show. I gather all kinds of cloud formations for use in my artwork. I decided to challenge the Lumix G7 (new baby brother to the GH4) to see how well it could do in capturing some panoramic photos of the sky in camera. In the past I’ve found that sometimes the lack of definition in sky scenes made it difficult and I would find stitching errors there occasionally. So I shot some soft cloud formations and some harder edged formations and here’s what happened…
I really thought that the camera might have problems with the lack of definition with this panoramic cloud capture. No problem at all!
Overall did a great job on this one. There was one small area on the left that I had to look hard to find a small stitching error that was easily rectified with the Patch Tool from Adobe Photoshop
Here was another that had an error. It was off to the right and was in the transition area from bright clouds to very dark clouds. After a quick crop this is what’s left.
And, not to forget that the camera can create panoramas in different directions. No stitch errors on this or about 10 other files I let the G7 create.
My overall thoughts on the new panorama stitching in the G7 gets high marks. I always recommend using good camera technique. I point my body to the direction where I want to end up. Then using stomach muscles turn back to the start of the panorama and slowly pivot using the stomach to make the movement to capture the image. If it is a very important pano I will always shoot it several times just in case. Many times an in camera stitching error can be traced to operator error of not capturing the scene smoothly. Even though you can play back the panoramic image at a larger size on the camera you might miss small errors that wouldn’t show up in another pass with the camera.
And then I felt this warm drippy sensation on my arm…
Yep! If you get underneath seagulls while they are feeding you can be shat upon.
It was interesting shooting video from behind (and under) the birds. In addition to the extra present sent my way I thought it was fun capturing this angle for something a bit different.
As I was working on the Lumix GH4 4K files I saw some still frames I want to extract to to experiment with in creating some art pieces. Since I was shooting the video in 4K I’ll be able to pull 8MP still frames. Now I wasn’t shooting in 4K Photo Mode so the frames will have some movement in them which is what I like about them. If I was to capture in the Photo Mode the shutter speed would have been automatically increased in order to make sure there was no ‘Rolling Shutter” in the still frames.
Seagulls in Sarasota, Florida video.
Lots of fun to be had with the new tools that keep coming our way!
Had a radio show interview with Mike Tabback on the weekly Tech Talk radio show. I’m on once a month to chat about cameras, photography, shooting techniques, Photoshop and more…
In this weeks episode we chat about some of the new Lumix cameras and our Luminary meeting in Sarasota, Florida. In the second half we talk about the International Photographic Competition for photographers put on by Professional Photographers of America. I am one of 45 the Judges who volunteer almost a week of their time to judge and critique entries. It is quite an honor and intense experience to be part of that event!
Finally catching up with some of my posts after being on the road for an entire week working with the Lumix Luminary Team and helping to judge the PPA International Photographic Competition outside Atlanta.
Here’s an image from our first night in Sarasota. This was captured with the Lumix FZ1000, a camera I find in my hand on a regular basis because it is so versatile. As they say, the best camera to create an image is the one you have on you. With a built in 25-400mm f2.8-f4.0 lens that weighs under two and a half pounds it makes it pretty easy to have on hand.
Sunset after processing with NIK Filters and Adobe Camera RAW Renders the scene closer to my memory of the scene. (OK maybe a little extra zing but not much)
Capture straight from the camera. I could have preprocessed the image in camera but we were busy enjoying getting together with fellow Luminaries and even though we are all photographers we tend to ‘grab’ some images when we are not officially being paid for a specific job.
For infrared conversion of my cameras I use LifePixel. Infrared allows you to put an older camera to use and opens up a new time time of day for productive image creation.
Fotopro tripods are well worth checking out. You can learn about the ones I use and recommend by clicking on the Fotopro Tripods link at the top of this page. If you want to see what other tripods might fit your needs check out the Fotopro.com website. Check back with me before you buy as a Fotopro Ambassador I’m able to get you discounted pricing including complementary continental USA shipping for my followers that you won’t find through retail outlets.
Learn Photoshop in a fun environment. Aaron Nace applies the right amount of fun with easy to understand and follow tutorials. Actions and brushes are included with lessons!
Lightning, waterdroplets, sound, time-lapse, HDR sequences, smiles and much more control for your camera!
Cameras Get Smarter -
A High Speed Smart Camera Remote
Best embroidery ever. Give Queensboro a try, get a $20 instant credit to get started by clicking on the logo! They specialize in great quality custom logo apparel and promotional products with the best customer service.
Platypod has become a great resource for being creative in getting your camera gear easily into unusual places. As an Platypod Pro I get to work/play with the gear even before it comes out. Head over to Platypod, subscribe to the newsletter and you will get special discounts reserved only for subscribers.
