The Usual Suspects

Getting some practice with available light portrait shots using the Voigtländer manual focus lens. I like the shallow DOF and sharpness the lens produces wide-open... Though I and many others are really wanting for someone to make a fast portrait lens native to Micro Four Thirds. Manual focusing can be fun, and the retro look of the lens is neat, but I'd rather auto focus because life doesn't always stand still...

Sights and Sounds and Dancing Waters at Americana

Scarcely a day after Thanksgiving, and already the holiday lights are bright, the trees decorated, and the waters dance to the tune of joyful carols. It feels a little like Christmas at the Americana...

Stomping on Potato Chips

Didn't go anywhere special this weekend... Nevertheless, Ryan had a blast of a time running around the front yard stomping on potato chips. Around this time of year, the big tree on our front lawn sheds a ton of leaves. Believe it or not, the gardener cleaned the yard only one week ago. My wife once told me a story of how when she was little, she would have fun stepping on crunchy leaves on the ground, because it reminded her of potato chips! Sometimes the simplest of things bring the greatest of joys...

A Quick Gold Line Ride to Downtown L.A.

I had the day off, and decided to take Ryan aboard the Metro Gold Line train in Pasadena for a quick trip to Downtown L.A. There were a few places I wanted to take photos at: Union Station, the Department of Transportation Building, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. I've only been to a couple of these places, but none with Ryan. We didn't head out until 2PM, and the sun sets at 5pm these days, so I knew we weren't going to be able to hit all those places. Plus, this would be the first time going out with Ryan by myself on public transport. It turned out, the both of us had a great time...

On the train


At Union Station




A reverse fountain at Los Angeles Mall


The Olive Garden at Catheral of Our Lady of the Angels














From the streets the place doesn't look very cathedral-like: a huge concrete monolith. But once you get onto the grounds and into the buildings, you'll realize that this is very beautiful and awe-inspiring church.




View of the skyline from the Department of Water and Power Building

Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 Nokton

Picked up a second lens for the GF1: Voigtlander 40mm f1.4 Nokton Classic (Leica M mount.)

My first full manual lens, but manual focusing is not as difficult as I thought it would be. Though tracking Ryan on the run will probably not be possible... It does create the thin DOF I'm chasing though :)

Summer Come and Gone

The Summer has come and gone so fast this year, it almost passed us by. Luckily, this weekend warmed up enough to make Ryan's first visit to the beach a reality... We drove to Will Rogers State Beach and found a strip that wasn't too busy. Ryan was crying in the beginning because of the noise from the crashing waves, but soon enough found the sand fun stuff to play with...















Enjoying his first sunset...

My Take on Micro Four Thirds and the GF1

As some of you know, I have been eyeing the Panasonic Lumix GF1 + 20mm f1.7 pancake lens since its announcement early last month. I finally took delivery of it and have been experimenting for about a week now... Being a Micro Four Thirds (m4/3) camera, there is a 2x crop factor, which means the 20mm will have an equivalent 40mm field of view on a 35mm/FF body. The draw of m4/3 is that it is an open standard which packages a large sensor into a small form factor with an interchangeable lens system to boot. The reviews of the body, and especially the lens, have been spectacular. I took the bite.

Like most DSLR users taking a look at m4/3, I'm in the hunt for a camera that is small, yet have DSLR capabilities and image quality. My goal? If this small package can match one of my all-time favorite pairings: Canon 30D + Sigma 30mm f1.4, I would be an extremely happy camper.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the beginning. My normal indoor, available light shooting at ISO 1600 revealed a lot of noise. I would say ISO 800 is the highest I'd feel comfortable shooting at. My biggest disappointment however is with DOF control. Being a shallow DOF junkie, it is harder to achieve subject isolation and background blur. Nothing close to, or as easy to achieve, as what I can get with the 50mm f1.2 or even 35mm f1.4 on my 5D, Though it probably isn't too far off from what I had with the 30D + Sigma 30. I've read that the 20mm f1.7 on an m4/3 is equivalent to about f3.5 on FF...

My perception changed when I had a chance to scrutinize the output more carefully and working on them a bit in post. I've also had a chance to take some pictures at a wedding over the weekend (a bit tough with Ryan constantly clinging to my side.) In good light, it looks like the camera can produce some very nice images. One thing is for sure, my neck is thanking me, as the bulk, or lack thereof, is a huge plus. It's not a pocketable camera like a point and shoot, but it wears on the neck pretty comfortably. One thing I didn't expect is that this camera is very inconspicuous. People don't notice you, unlike the attention you can draw with a DSLR and big lens. That is a big plus for me.

Overall, once I've adjusted my expectations back to reality, and considering the obvious compromises, I think it's a keeper for me (at least for now.) It's great to have a camera I can carry easily with me, and still allow for some creative picture taking. Who knows? It might teach me to experiment with different f-stops more. I don't know why I always shoot wide open... I know having f1.2 doesn't mean I should always shoot at f1.2. It's an Achilles' heel I need to overcome.

So is m4/3 for everybody? In the m4/3 world, size matters, and the smaller the better. So I'd say m4/3 is most compelling with small primes. Perfect for me, but if you're primarily a tele-photo or even a zoom shooter, it's probably not for you. I'm excited about the direction m4/3 and other EVIL Electronic View, Interchangeable Lens system) cameras are heading... And it is neat how because of the short-flange distance of m4/3, a whole host of legacy lenses can be adapted. I'm already reading about old Olympus/Zuiko, Pentax, Leica M, Voitglander, Canon FD...

Can you tell? I'm excited :)



Next to the big boy 5D + 50L:

Pepperdine University

Ryan has been walking for a while now, and he is loving his new found freedom. What better place to let him run free than a big grassy lawn...