For all the stuff that doesn’t fit elsewhere!
How small is too small? How about a micro 4/3 camera that is smaller than most any fixed lens compact sporting a 1/1.6″ or 1/1.7″ sensor (not to mention any of the 1″ sensor cams, or even most compact p&s cameras I’ve owned)? Well, I’d heard that the Panasonic Lumix GM1 was small, but I don’t think I was prepared for HOW small this thing actually is. Have a look…
No journey is greater than the one you’re on, and it is up to us to turn every day occurrence into the spectacular. It certainly doesn’t hurt when you’re lucky enough to have to travel to amazing places for business for some of these every day occurrences. I, like many I’m sure, struggle sometimes to truly appreciate that which life has blessed me with. There are days that I allow the challenge of being a parent, partner or financial custodian get in the way of the realization that I have two healthy, normally happy children and an amazing wife. There are those that say not to look back, but rather forward. For me, I find an amazing amount of solace in being able to relive and appreciate time that has already been, and photography has played a large part in that. It often allows me to reflect and remember why I should be happy and thankful.
We find ourselves in a new year, the promise of new beginnings being urged upon us. With that in mind, I’d like to reflect on a recent trip I was able to take to Portugal where the weather and humanity are warm and inviting. I am lucky enough to get to experience places like this, and for that, I am truly grateful. . .
I’ve been photo blogging for over 6 years now, and this blog has been around for exactly 4 of those. I don’t make my living doing this, nor do I want to. I have a job and while I do make some money through photography, I choose to keep that at a minimum so that I can continue to do this for myself. Not that being a full time pro can’t allow one to love what they do, I’ve just had experience in the past that has shown me that I like to try and minimize my job’s influence on something that serves as my creative getaway from the need to make an income personally. That is where I am with my relationship with photography now, and while I never know which opportunities may present themselves in the future, I am very happy that it provides me with the enjoyment it does. For that, and the things I’ve been able to accomplish through that, I am grateful.
I started this blog purely for the love of making and taking pictures while sharing and learning through interactive experience. Over the past year, this project has grown leaps and bounds thanks to all of you guys and I hope to continue to grow the blog as a resource for insight and entertainment while continuing to collaborate and cross promote. I have some new ideas and projects on the horizon, so stay tuned. I’d also love to continue to connect and collaborate with others, so feel free to hit me up.
I hope that everyone is healthy and happy, and if you or your loved ones are not, I hope that any negative circumstances are remedied in the near future. Photography has always been therapeutic for me in times of need, and a wonderful enhancement in life when all is well, so here’s to our common thread, our common passion and the ability to connect across borders and time zones, cultures and histories through this wonderful medium.
Happy new year and I look forward to our continuing and evolving conversation.
Happy shooting,
Tyson
What the what? Why did Panasonic replace a seemingly near perfect lens with one that from initial reports didn’t remedy the AF speed which was really the only major gripe about the first version? Well, let’s see…
As requested from the camera body shopping guide post (thanks Tim and Chris), here are my opinions on the best lenses for the various mirrorless systems. Keep in mind that I have not shot extensively with all of these lenses, or at least, many of the lenses for systems that aren’t the micro 4/3 system aside from the tire kicking in stores or when getting the chance to shoot friend’s gear, so my opinion is based on minimal use combined with personal intrigue and web based research. Because I don’t own an X series or Alpha E (NEX, etc) camera body, I have not been able to access many of the lenses on offer for any period of time, but there are a few I have, as well as those that I would certainly look long and hard at if I was invested in these systems. As for the micro 4/3 lenses, I have those down pretty well. C’mon in and I’ll lay out my faves…
The season for the commercialization of spirituality (or, SFTCOS) is upon us and following suit, we have been absolutely bombarded with new offerings in the digital photography department. Taking the holidays out of it, and looking at it purely from a gear point of view, it is truly an exciting time to be shopping around for the best bang for your (or a loved one’s) buck.
Over the last 4 years that I’ve written this blog, I’ve been asked quite a few questions about which cameras, lenses, systems, et al, are the best. While I’ve chosen the gear I’ve chosen for my own personal reasons, there are so many others out there that offer their own set of pros and cons, and to put it plainly, there is no universal truth, nor answer to that question.
Come on in and I’ll give my take on which of the newly announced cameras over the last year or so are the most intriguing, interesting, best value or just plain confusing…
Hi friends, family, fellow bloggers and photo fans, the ELK Collective’s most recent project is up for best new restaurant design in Portland. Being that I have been fortunate enough to become part of the ELK collective, and provide all of the official photo documentation for our projects, I have a vested interest in seeing this amazing space rewarded for the design marvel that it is. If you have 10 seconds, we’d greatly appreciate your support in voting for the Multnomah Whiskey Library HERE.
Thank you and happy shooting!
Tyson
These two have gone toe to toe, and we’re all tired. If you’re not, believe me you will be, this final round is a long one, and really the reason I needed to break this into three parts. Now it’s time to see which, if either can really pull itself ahead and prove to be a better choice. I use the word choice because, it will come down to a personal preference, or needed feature for any given shooter because both are great cameras. I’m finding that it is a decision based more on what each camera doesn’t have as opposed to the qualities that they do. Both are great, but what can you live without? Here’s round three, the round to end all others…at least for me and my decision making process.
The first round produced a bit of a shocker with the GX7 pulling out a surprise partial victory in the IBIS battle (read round 1 here). The higher res EVF and LCD also fell in favor to the Panasonic. Now, let’s look at the physical build and ergonomic qualities of these two cameras… ROUND 2!
In this corner, Panasonic’s new, compact, fully featured camera weighing in at around a grand, the DMC GX7! And his opponent, the current system champion in this price range, with many of the same features and weighing in at a cool grand as well, the Olympus OM-D E-M5!
I’ve had the GX7 for about a month now and feel that I’ve been able to give it a proper run through in a variety of shooting scenarios and have been comparing it to my OMD EM5 just about every step of the way. I tried originally to compare these two cameras against each other in all ways I find them to differ, but the article has gotten ridiculously long, so we will break this into 3 rounds… So, how do these two, high end pro-sumer micro 4/3 models compare to one another? C’mon in and I’ll give you my opinion on where each of these cameras wins against the other starting with the in body image stabilization, electronic viewfinders and LCD screens. Round 1, FIGHT:
Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography 