“Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review” plus 1 more: Digital Photography School |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review Posted: 19 Oct 2013 12:37 PM PDT The MILC models keep rolling out Panasonic’s door. Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras still appear to have flavour of the month gloss, so Panasonic as well as Olympus are keen to milk every drop from the technology. This one is especially attractive, although it does appear you will have to pay for the ‘smarts’ in the camera as it leads the G Series in imaging capability. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 FeaturesThere’s a whole heap of attractive features on the Panasonic Lumix GX7.
[embedded content] Video? It can shoot in AVCHD or MPEG4 format, recording Full HD 1920×1080 pixels. I was able to record video and shoot stills mid recording. StabiliserBut the big news for those who may have been tossing up between Olympus and Panasonic in the quest for a MILC camera is that the GX7 now has an internal stabiliser. Up to now only Olympus offered an internal stabiliser, while Panasonic’s G series had to rely on specific lenses to keep the camera image steady. In Panasonic’s own words: ‘The DMC-GX7 is Panasonic’s first G Series camera to offer an in-body optical image stabilisation system. Now blur-free photography can be enjoyed with classic non-digital lenses and digital interchangeable lenses without image stabilisation.’ Mind you, there always was a degree of noise from some Olympus owners that ‘Image stabilisers in Olympus cameras are mostly useless, claiming only the OM-D E-M5 as being acceptable.’ Wasn’t me that said it! HandlingThe camera is comfortable in the hand, thanks to a well-defined speed grip, nobbly surface texture and good balance. The lensless camera body is pocketable. ControlsNo surprises as we find the top deck relatively uncluttered. Rightwards we find the on/off lever; nearby is the red video record button. The mode dial has positions for auto, PASM, creative video (you can manually set aperture and shutter speed), three custom modes, scene guide mode (24 settings from clear portrait to sunset glow to panorama) and creative control mode (eight settings, from expressive to retro, high and low key etc). The shutter button is encircled by the front command dial. A second command dial is placed just behind the on/off switch. Nearby is the AF/MF lever. Rear panel: three function buttons, replay and trash, display options plus the four way jog dial offering access to ISO, white balance, continuous shooting, self timer and AF mode options. Overall, the control geography is well designed, with no devious buttons or mysterious options. And then I fell upon a neat scheme where you can adjust the highlight and shadow curves of an image pre-shoot. Simply tap the function 2 button and you sight a series of preset curves. Alternatively, you can adjust the highlight and/or shadow section of the curves by rolling the forward or rear command dial. The menu setup is well-designed and not overpowering. One feature that should tug the heart strings of video shooters is the option to completely suppress camera sounds, you know those bumps and clicks from operating the camera, rolling the lens’ zoom etc. The camera also switches the shutter from mechanical to electronic, turning off any operating sounds, and suppresses the AF assist lamp and flash. Good news. The sad news is that there is no input for an external mic for video work. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 ISO TestsGood quality all the way up to ISO 6400. Only at ISO 12800 is a slight appearance of noise visible. At ISO 25600 noise is up further but images are useable. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review Verdict
An ideal camera for the enthusiast who wants the benefits of an internal stabiliser and ability to use a wide range of lenses. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review Rating: 4 Stars out of 5. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 SpecificationsImage Sensor: 16 million effective pixels.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips. Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review The post Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review by Barrie Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School. |
How I Shot My ‘Mini World’ Image Posted: 19 Oct 2013 08:37 AM PDT Over on our Facebook page this week we shared our recent ‘Small World‘ post featuring some of our readers shots of miniature figurines shot in larger scenes. On Facebook one of our readers – Dave Flynn – commented that he used to take these types of photos but now does something different. He shared a link to his Mini Worlds Gallery where he showed his different take on it. It includes this photo! I immediately shot Dave a message asking if he’d write up how he took it. Here’s what he sent in. My name is Dave Flynn, I’m 45 years old and got into photography 3 years ago when I was made redundant from my career in retail. I’m completely self taught through reading magazines and watching online videos. I don’t have a particular field of interest and have a varied portfolio which can be seen at www.dflynnphotography.com and www.facebook.com/daveflynnphotography In my bag
For most of my creations I use the 50mm, 90mm and 18-70mm. I will always try to use natural light where possible and have a roof terrace which is perfect for getting shots of the posed models and backgrounds. On wet days, I use my bedside table which is next to a large window. I don’t have expensive equipment or studio lights, my editing is all done on my laptop so I am proof that you don’t need every photography related gadget or the latest kit to create amazing images. They key to all photography is the light. It’s the first thing you should think about when creating any image. Inspiration just comes to me, I might see an item/person/scene and imagine a final image in my head then set out to create it. Photography for me is a great way to share what goes on in my brain and I hope you can get some inspiration from my thoughts. ONE LUMP OR TWO: How I Shot ItI’d been to a festival in London and got some shots of the various performances. The bearded man in the shot below is jumping on a trampoline for his act. Shot using my 70-300mm at f/5.6 @200mm, ISO 400 with a fast shutter. When I reviewed the images; this one stood out so I tried to think how to use him in a mini world. It was a few days later when I was making coffee and I got the idea. This is how I created it. In photoshop I use layer masks to remove the model from the background. There are other methods like using the pen tool or quick selection tool but masks are my preferred method. There are very good tutorials on youtube about using layer masks in photoshop. The scene is set for the background. I used 2 speedlights to balance the light. I think they were both set to 1/128 sec because I had natural light coming in the window too. I used my wide angle lens at 18mm with a shutter speed of 1/160 and an aperture of f/8. Next it was time to drop a sugar lump into the scene, remember the speedlights are set to freeze any motion in the image. It took a few attempts for me to get this shot to catch sugar cube where I wanted. Exactly the same settings were used. The same technique was used to catch the splash at just the right moment. This again took a few attempts ( and a lot of cleaning) to get the splash how I wanted. The ‘studio’ in my bedroom and the scene setup. The final edit with some curve and level adjustments in photoshop. Thanks to Dave for sharing this behind the scenes look at his shot. Check out more of his Mini Worlds here.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips. Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips. How I Shot My ‘Mini World’ Image The post How I Shot My ‘Mini World’ Image by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School. |
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