[REVIEW—PANSONIC LUMIX DMC-GX1]

by terry on 26 January 2012

Panasonic GX1

Price: $1100 with 14–42mm Power Zoom

Superb

THE LOW-DOWN: This is the top Panasonic micro four thirds compact system camera that does not have an integrated electronic viewfinder. The high resolution VFL2 viewfinder is sold separately. It is built around the company’s 16 megapixel sensor and was supplied for review with the motor-driven image stabilised 14–42mm zoom. There is a cheaper ($900) combination of camera and conventional zoom mechanism. The motor zoom is intended for video shooting. Construction is excellent and the familiar Panasonic touch-screen control system is a feature with its touch-expose-focus-shoot facility. There is a useful level indicator accessible through the display info setting.

LIKE: The more we use the Panasonic touch screen system the more we like it. The ultra-fast auto focus means that a light touch on the subject area on the screen takes a perfectly focused and exposed picture every time.

DISLIKE: We wouldn’t buy this camera/lens combination because the power zoom is like a throw-back to compact systems. For anyone primarily intending to take stills the conventional — and cheaper — kit zoom is the way to go for quick, precise changes of focal length.

VERDICT: This is a superb camera. Its only competition is the Olympus E-P3. The GX1 is a whisker smaller than the E-P3, but not so you would notice. The Olympus has a 12mp sensor but in side-by-side pixel peeping we could not see any significant difference in output. As they cost about the same the choice might come down to appearance. The GX1 is brutal, form-follows-function, no nonsense. The E-P3 is sweetly retro and feels nicer in the hand. Either way you can’t go wrong. And for anyone considering an entry level DSLR we would strongly advise to look at these two cameras before buying. You’ll get more camera for your money.

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[RAW PICTURE POWER]

by terry on 26 January 2012

AfterShot~LR4

If you want to start a ding-dong in a group of digital photographers (after you’ve settled the Windows vs Mac argument) just say out loud: “Who shoots RAW and who is happy with jpeg?” (Most compact cameras don’t capture RAW, so point and shooters won’t know what the fuss is about.)

The fastidious pixel peepers will shout their enthusiasm for RAW while on the other side of the room the sceptics are arguing that the visible difference between file format output is so small that it’s not worth the after-camera effort.

Actually the effort argument doesn’t hold water. Opening a RAW file in a photo editing program is no more complicated than opening a jpeg. And you have the advantage of the better image detail and colour and the chance to make corrections.

At the risk of teaching Granny to suck eggs, the difference between RAW and jpeg is that when the electronic information from the camera sensor is converted to colour in the camera, and compressed to take up less memory space, the saved file is called a jpeg. With RAW capture the unprocessed, uncompressed information is saved to the memory card. It must then be processed in the computer using a RAW converter. All cameras capable of RAW capture come with a converter included in the software in the box, but most people use third party programs to do the job.

The most popular converter is Adobe Camera Raw, a free download that installs as a front-end to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Because every RAW format is different, varying not only from maker to maker but also from model to model, ACR is constantly updated to include the latest cameras.

For Mac users iPhoto handles RAW file conversion but without the sophisticated pre-editing controls in ACR.

Two of the big guns in conversion software are Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture. Bibble Labs also make a widely used converter. And here is the point of the story.

Bibble has been acquired by Corel, the makers of PaintShop Pro. Corel has tweaked Bibble and given it a new name – Corel Aftershot Pro. Right now you can download a fully functioning 30 day trial version from tinyurl.com/892vjvw This software is for Windows and Mac.

Not to be outdone Adobe are offering a functioning trial of Lightroom 4 beta. This trial period ends in March. (tinyurl.com/6rr947k)

There will be a considerable difference in price when the trial periods end, with Lightroom being much more expensive. However it is a more complex and fully-featured program to justify the differential.

This is an opportunity to try out two of the best RAW conversion and editing programs. It’s also a chance to settle for your own satisfaction the question of RAW v jpeg.

Just for the record, we always capture RAW. For most conversions we use ACR for convenience, but when we are really fussy we use the camera maker’s software. We also use Lightroom and we are trying Aftershot.

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[REVIEW—CANON PowerShot S100 compact]

by terry on 19 January 2012

Canon PS S100

Price: $550

Outstanding compact

THE LOW-DOWN: Canon has broken with the top quality compact mob with the S100, increasing the pixel count to 12 million and at the same time increasing the zoom range to 5X (24–120mm film equivalent). When Panasonic startled the world with the LX3 with its modest zoom and 10 megapixel sensor the other makers followed suit. The S100 no longer conforms, but it continues to be a serious camera with full manual (as well as automatic) controls and the ability to capture RAW. It is small and robustly made. The function ring around the lens can be programmed to control exposure compensation, white balance, ISO etc, one function at a time. There is GPS and an HDR (high dynamic range) function which seems to take a bracket of shots and then not be able to align them. Best avoided.

LIKE: The image quality is outstanding. At ISO400 there is little evidence of noise and no noise reduction effects at all. Resolved detail is impressive, so the boost to 12 megapixels doesn’t seem to have consequences for picture quality.

DISLIKE: The battery goes flat very quickly if you forget to turn off the GPS function. A warning pops up on the screen to advise that GPS continues to drain the battery even when the camera is off. Take care! The Getting Started manual is absolutely useless.

VERDICT: This is an outstanding compact camera. It fits easily in a pocket and yet feels rugged enough to stand a little careless handling. The function control ring around the lens is most useful for instant exposure compensation — every camera should have it. With street prices in Australia and US nearly identical this is a value for money camera. Highly recommended.

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[TRICKS OF THE TRADE]

January 19, 2012

So, Santa brought you a new camera. You are now part of the vast army of amateur snappers churning out sixty-three gazillion photos a year to be forever lost in the mass in Flickr and Picasa, looked at once and never seen again. But this is not what you have in mind as you take [...]

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[REVIEW—BEAUTIFUL UGLY – The architectural photography of John Gollings, by Joe Rollo]

January 12, 2012

Price: $120 A tutorial from a master THE LOW-DOWN: Age architectural journalist Joe Rollo pays tribute in this book (pub. Thames and Hudson) to architectural photographer John Gollings. This survey of Gollings’ work in Melbourne, his home town, and further abroad is superbly designed and printed and is an insight into how the mind of [...]

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[TRUE HYBRIDS]

January 12, 2012

We are ashamed to admit that it was us at Kittyhawk on that fateful day in 1903 saying: “Don’t do it Orville. It’ll never fly.” In fact all our lives we have been a techno-pessimist. We once describe the Interweb as a device for getting more information that you don’t want or need at the [...]

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[REVIEW—SAMSUNG NX200 compact system camera]

January 4, 2012

Price: $900 An alternative to a DSLR? THE LOW-DOWN: The NX200 has a 20mp APS-C sensor, making it second only to the Sony NEX-7 in pixel count. The black metal body is svelte and handsome with a good hand grip on the right end. There is a full set of accessible controls, plus Samsung’s iFunction [...]

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[PROGRAMS AND PLUG-INS]

January 4, 2012

There are many contented snappers in the world who reckon that iPhoto is all they need for tarting up their photos. And why not? On the other hand we have never heard anyone say that Windows Live Photo Gallery is enough for their needs. We suspect it’s the snappy name that puts people off. And [...]

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[REVIEW—OLYMPUS E-PM1 Pen mini]

December 29, 2011

Price: $600 A step up THE LOW-DOWN: This is the smallest and least expensive of the Olympus Pen micro four thirds cameras. It has the same 12.3mp sensor and 14-42mm kit lens as the E-PL3 and E-P3 but is aimed at customers wanting better quality than a compact but with the same point-and-shoot full automation. [...]

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[THESE CAME TO STAY]

December 29, 2011

Wherever one goes out and about for social intercourse there is one inevitable question: “Do you get to keep the gear you review?” Sadly, no. It all has to go back. But, human flesh being weak and susceptible to temptation, we do end up buying a lot more stuff than we should. On reviewing the [...]

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