tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post3956459510826163158..comments2023-05-20T04:17:12.313-07:00Comments on My life with the critters: Please Stand By.....Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231007979360748217noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post-51661511200246148302009-12-14T19:11:10.680-08:002009-12-14T19:11:10.680-08:00Thanks you all for your thoughts, advice, feedback...Thanks you all for your thoughts, advice, feedback! Yes, it was the Leica lens on the panasonic that was a big selling factor for me - same lens as my various better-quality binoculars have been. But I'm still struggling with the lack of sharpness and waht seems like washed-out colour or incorrect colours on the photos I'm taking compared to previous cameras like my Fuji or the recently-deceased Nikon. <br /><br />I tried doing some shots on the sports setting yesterday, but didn't really get anything worth posting - inactive dogs/birds and poor lighting. I shall work with it some more tomorrow when I take the dogs out in the SNOW.<br /><br />I do have vibration control and have activated it. I tried some similar shots with it both on and off and couldn't see any difference. I'll play with it some more. <br /><br />Evensong, I know all about the barn jacket pocket phenomena!! That made me laugh - I'm always stuffing my camera in my pocket, no case on it, and pulling it back out with bits of straw or dog cookie crumbs clinging to the lens. Oooooops.Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08231007979360748217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post-23999238481064914052009-12-14T17:33:48.205-08:002009-12-14T17:33:48.205-08:00Sorry, no advice about cameras for you Jean, but I...Sorry, no advice about cameras for you Jean, but I'm with Deb - more dog pics please!<br /><br />Even if the one of Oliver is slightly off-focus, he sure looks good to me!<br /><br />SharonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post-69204691663553483552009-12-14T09:41:19.627-08:002009-12-14T09:41:19.627-08:00My input is to be taken with a grain of salt. As ...My input is to be taken with a grain of salt. As you know, I'm very much in a learning process. Still, a couple of thoughts:<br />1. Every new camera takes time to understand, so a day or two of shooting may not be enough to give a fair assessment.<br />2. If you were anywhere near Vancouver, I would very highly recommend you pay a visit to Henry Wong, of Broadway Camera, on West Broadway, just west of Oak. He would look at your blog, talk with you about the kind of results you are hoping to get, and come up with what he truly believes would be your best choice. He doesn't work on Tuesdays, and I think has one other day off, so best to call before going. He's definitely there on the weekends.<br />3. I have had two Lumix Panasonics and felt both were excellent cameras - the DZ18 gives you amazing zoom for the size, price and convenience. I used it a lot, and although I finally did it in, it took a lot of abuse, and worked beautifully. I think there's a new equivalent that is even sharper and with some added features. Shiprock swears by them (though he has gone to the big time now with Canon and telephoto lens for bird shooting). It's the Leica lens that he says makes all the difference.<br />4. Vibration control of some sort really helps, for sharp pictures. But, as I'm learning the hard way, a tripod is just about the only way to get truly sharp pictures. Like you, I resist that, simply because many of the spontaneous shots give us the most pleasure, and they don't lend themselves to set-up time.<br />5. Of the shots you posted, I agree the flower was the most successful. Indoor, and night shots take quite a bit of reading and experimenting, I think. I never did succeed with either. Oliver is beautiful, but you are right that the focus seems a bit fuzzy. I assume you are using autofocus, holding the shutter half way, and giving the camera time to focus before completing the shot. Do you have a vibration control? <br />6. All the best with your new camera, which ever one you finally choose!Black Jack's Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18436115876996209227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post-37095368765628388212009-12-13T17:52:10.397-08:002009-12-13T17:52:10.397-08:00Jean,
Tho my better-[photographer]-half is a die-h...Jean,<br />Tho my better-[photographer]-half is a die-hard Nikon man (thank Paul Simon's "Kodachrome"), his old pocket point-and-shoot, that became my barn camera, is a Cannon PowerShot 60. <br /> <br />Pretty small display in this older 2.0 megapixel model, but separate eye-ball viewfinder, shutter release (that's what it's called!) is convenient, with the zoom control right there for adjustments, too. Pretty user friendly menu, as well.<br /><br />Lots of my earlier blog photos were taken with the Cannon--until Al upgraded to the Nikon D200 last spring, and I inherited the D40, which is what most of the rest of the blog photos were taken with--hard to see much difference, except for actual pixel size of the images and the zoom capability of the D40 (with its detachable 18-200mm zoom lens!). And what videos I've posted of silly Jackson were all taken with the Canon, as well. <br /> <br />The Canon has recently gone kaput on me--not sure yet why (or if it's fixable), but I suspect it's from having been carried around in my barn jacket so much, with hay and shavings and other horse-related detritus. <br /><br />I yet haven't decided whether to buy a replacement [it's so much more handy to taken on a trail ride], or to go for a real video camera, instead. Al says the current models are even better.EvenSonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02032555334605790413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041437999194031830.post-48421628118420369022009-12-13T14:38:50.600-08:002009-12-13T14:38:50.600-08:00Congratulations on your new camera! I am a fan of ...Congratulations on your new camera! I am a fan of Panasonics (I have one) albeit mine is FZ30 --definitley not pocket-sized and fairly complex to use, but it has an amazing Leica lens. I have to say I've been VERY pleased with it, but as with anything new, it did take a while to get the hang of it. I'm no expert, but here are a couple of things I've learned. I have found that when photographing animals, the "sports" setting works best because the shutter speed compensates for any slight movement - movement that is otherwise picked up by the "all-purpose" setting and can result in a blurry photo. And for close-ups, try standing a litter further back and use the lens to zoom in. It's true that over a certain distance, the 12x lens doesn't make much difference (you need a telephoto lens to bring distant things close), but you will notice a difference with objects that are less far away. The photos you took look pretty great on my screen. Have fun snapping! Let's see more dog pics.<br /><br />Deb S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com