Olympus PEN E-PL8 - Part Two

Here is a touching story about a camera - the new Olympus E-PL8 - and how it made all the gardening that I didn't do worthwhile.

The last post about this camera extolled the folding geometry of the LCD screen - how it not only can lay out like an airline food table, but also fold up at a 45º angle and then down under the camera body for selfies.

I will assume that people have all tried that by now and have discovered the truth about their self portraits...something is wrong. They are not nearly as good looking in the finished file as in the bathroom mirror. This is not a fault of the camera, nor of the person modelling for it. It is a defining characteristic of all portraits that are sketched, painted, or photographed - they are good for the most part but there is always something wrong with the mouth...

Well, moving on past the pit of self-realisation, we can take the camera out into the garden. Western Australia in springtime is one big garden - everything that needs to bloom when there is a little water left in the ground does so now, because it knows that the place is going to dry up in a couple of months. It's bloom and pollinate now or never.

As a result, the wildflowers go mad out in the bush...as do many of the tour companies and horticultural photographers. There are bus, 4WD, and car trips everywhere to see the fields in colour. Some enthusiasts take massive macro rigs, extra lights, artificial screens for backdrops, sun shades, and big botany books. I tend to think that the ones who go out with a camera like the Olympus E-PL8 and an umbrella do the best. They can move through bush areas with minimal fuss and carry their gear far further afield. And look at the results:

Note: the flowers seen here are wild. In as much as I have not pruned, weeded, sprayed, trimmed, or fertilised anything, what you see is what decided to develop itself. The roses might have had a little help from the wife, but the orange vine flowers are volunteers at the studio and manage their own affairs. I am grateful.

All images JPEG straight out of camera and the camera straight out of the box. All factory settings. No adjustments - I'm a tourist - what would I know? I'm a blooming fool...

All images JPEG, straight out of the camera, with no alteration of the dials from the factory default. It is pure point and shoot straight out of the box - as our target tourist might do. The focusing was done by the camera by the simple action of pointing to the subject on the LCD screen - fast focus and snap for the exposure. The vine flowers are in shade and the roses are in cloudy bright.

See the Olympus PEN E-PL8 on the Camera Electronic website
230 Stirling St, Perth
2/324 Murray St, Perth