The Travel Trail - Panasonic Part One - The Silver Style

Today's Travel Trail brings us one of the more stylish of the Panasonic compact cameras. Those of you who have an eye to fashion may wish to look closely at the shape and colouration of this...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ110 box says "Silver" but that is a kind of inadequate description for what looks very much like a two-tone titanium finish with a red accent stripe separating the different colours. Of course you can get these cameras in black, but the appearance of this on is so appealing that it rivets the eye instantly. Will we ever get past black boxes completely? No - but this is a good start.

The camera is the type that has a fixed zoom lens and provision for eye-level viewfinder as well as LCD screen viewing. For the tech-conscious it has a 1" sensor and 20.1 megapixels MOS sensor. The lens is a 10 x optical zoom that gives you the angles of view from the classic (35mm film classic) 25mm wide-angle to 250mm telephoto. This instantly identifies this as an overseas travel camera.

Why? Because you need a long lens for Alaskan bears or African lions. And for surf shots closer to home. Of course you can take anything with the telephoto and bring it in closer, but the traveller who wants to do the world circuit with the least encumbrance of gear is the person for this camera.

Now remember that you can also shoot night time, parties, restaurants, family, and an amazing number of Australian travel photos with a smaller camera like this. The fact that you are carrying that much zoom power in pocket or purse means you are never caught wanting when something develops.

On a more serious technical note, the camera shoots 4K video - the current standard of excellence. It is literally a one-button process. The fact that the camera can shoot 4K means that Panasonic have also been able to do something rather magic - they have made arrangements for small bursts of recording that take different focus points during action sequences that let you go back later and select the exact peak of focus. Here's where the sports people faced with a moving object will cry with joy -no more missed shots.

Of course Panasonic have included a number of fun programs in the mode dial - panorama, miniature effect, picture effects, etc. Macro, stabilisation and WiFi are all included. Quite frankly, this camera and a small tablet are all you need for a world trip, and that is two pockets and a space in your luggage for the charger (I pack mine in my spare pair of shoes...), a spare battery, some cards, and a "I don't speak your language" app on the tablet should do it. If you get taken for a rich tourist by the look of the camera you'll have to talk your own way out of it.

PS: That's a no-joke Leica zoom lens made by some serious Panasonic workers. I know- I saw 'em being made.

See the Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ110 on the Camera Electronic website 

The Macro Secret - And Everyone Can Afford One

A quick whirl through the internet with the word "macro" in the search will turn up a bewildering variety of equipment and advice. There is science, art, alchemy, and obfuscation in about equal measures. And yet it can all be so simple.

In my weekly review of the warehouse I lit upon a number of Olympus Stylus cameras that were stacked on a shelf. I think they might be trade demo models. They are certainly inexpensive... pocket money cameras. As a speculation, I added one to the studio illustration list and took it away. Charged up the battery and tried it in the studio.

Good Grief, Charlie Brown! This is amazing!

As a little pocket camera it has been designed with a lot of automatic features - it will play between program and auto modes as well as a number of special effect programs. You'll get no hot shoe or viewfinder, but the screen is large enough to see clearly, and there is a tiny little pop-up flash that you can use to trigger other flashes or to provide a macro fill.

You can choose your aperture, thankfully, and this makes the most of the close-up experience. I elected to set the WB to tungsten to match the modelling lights on the studio strobes and let it go at that. And then I played with the special effects. Hey, I'm not above playing - anyone with a studio full of toy cars has a perfect excuse...

The basic shooting is very simple. Point. Hold steady. Shoot.

The results are excellent. The short focal length of the zoom lens means the depth of field is maximised, and the resolution at 16 megapixels is more than enough for subjects with this much illumination. Note the ease with which I got into the dashboard of the Mercedes model.

Some of the effects like the tiled image or the fisheye would quickly become clichéd but the pinhole and the dramatic have a wider application. As they are in-camera you can see at the time of capture whether they actually do work. I did not try soft focus or miniature because it is a miniature to start with.

Note as well the results on a couple of flowers - one of which is very miniature indeed.

At the pocket money price of these cameras, you can afford to dedicate one to your wildflower or closeup shooting and leave the big rig for other things. Your camera club won't even need to know how you beat them!

Fujifilm Week - Day Two - The X-T10

Well, I'm on familiar ground with the Fujifilm X-T10 - I own one and I use it every week. Heres a black one - mine is silver. The aesthetics of the two choices is something you can go and debate at the camera club for yourselves - the nights are cold and you can generate a useful bit of warmth by yelling at each other. In my case I bought the silver one because I fancied it and because I reckon as I wear down the edges they wont look as scuffed as a black one would.

You see, I am using the camera bare - no heavy aluminium Arca-Swiss cradle for this one and a rather elegant brown leather strap. And I mount a Fujinon 27mm f:2.8 lens on the front most of the time. The idea is to get the lightest and most capable rig around my neck while making me look like an innocuous tourist. Because tourists get away with it 99% of the time.

I discovered this on a train to the show the other day. Two 40+ tourists posed and vogued for each other in the priority seats for five minutes while other everyone else in the carriage tried to look the other way. I was longing to whip out the Fujifilm and capture them but did not have the courage. I regret it now.

Anyway, back to the X-T10. Some people have tried to decry this as the cheap cousin of the X-T1 and have failed to realise how good it it. The X-T1 is a magnificent camera and so is this one...but this one is smaller and lighter. It isn't weather sealed, but as I am smart enough to come in out of the rain, I have managed pretty well so far. It does not seem to be a dust magnet either because I have not been plagued with sensor cleaning.

The tilting LCD was the feature I wanted above all - my legs are no fun if I have been doing deep knee bends in the studio looking at a screen. I can't praise it enough. And one other feature endears it to me over its bigger brother - the EVF is just as fast and is a slightly smaller size - so I get to see all of it with my eyeglasses on.

I also appreciate the fact that there is a small popup flash secreted in the viewfinder housing. It is a battery drainer*, but invaluable for quick closeup lighting. I've even used it to get good room shots with a slightly higher ISO.

BTW, this is the first Fujifilm camera that has broken me out of the my self-imposed ISO limits. I used to quail at anything above 400. Then I shot a dance show at 800 ( with the extra speed I got another f stop and more depth of field ). Then I tried 1600, 3200, and have even shot at 6400 with success. And Good Old Fujifilm then supplied us with a firmware update for the X-E2 that effectively brought the same performance and features to that camera - so I have a T-10 in another form for field use.

The external controls via shutter speed dial, rings on lenses, and front and back thumb and finger wheels let me run speed, aperture, and ISO without diving into the menu. I must confess to rarely shifting the drive knob off of single exposure though I will try the high speed shooting on some jpegs later this year. The panorama shooting mode does fine - I rather like this one for tourism shots and even if I am not exactly steady on the turn it seems to make a reasonable strip.

I must also confess that I occasionally use the full automatic lever situated under the Shutter dial. In the days of my old X-10 there was something that they called EXR or SR mode that similarly took over the reins and it was a blessing in weird lighting conditions that I couldn't guess at. This is not to decry my great photographic knowledge ( hahaha x 8 ) but let's face it - even with the most sophisticated cuisine in the world, it is sometimes still most satisfying to eat fried potatoes.

If I were to have one gripe about the design it is that the tripod screw is off-centre. No big thing unless you swing round it for panoramas.

Final note - with a smaller-bodied camera like this there is a limit to the number of external controls that can be hung off it. The " Q " menu is your friend here - if you program it to your 16 most important criteria you can fly round the choices very quickly with the function wheel and menu buttons. I rarely have to enter the main menu for most shots.

I can thoroughly recommend the camera to anyone. Black or silver.

Note on battery life: I get about 290 shots per battery charge if I leave the LCD on. If I just use the viewfinder and chimp every 20 shots or so it'll go to 400.

Is There Anything Quite So Awkward...?

I took my Fujifilm X-T10 camera along to Christmas lunch at the Pan Pacific Hotel - as part of my new policy of taking it everywhere.

I was not disappointed as it captured the fun of a good day out beautifully. I just set the ISO to Auto 2 ( ISO from 200-1600 ) and pressed the button. The self timer yielded the heading image. AUTO was also a good choice when other family members took it for their shooting.

But what a contrast for the rest of the luncheon crowd. Santa was in attendance and several families wanted to record his visit - nearly all of them had opted to bring their mobile phones with the tiny little lenses and sensors in them or the equally awkward tablets. Every time they used them it was two hands and a napkin needed and about a half a minute of trying to position the screen in front of both themselves and the target before they could get the things to shoot.

Just as well Santa was a patient visitor.

I think the fumbling ergonomics of using a mobile phone instead of a camera completely negates any benefit they might have seen in taking only one item. And the idea of using the otherwise useful tablet as a camera? It has the handling of a baking tray.

Folks, small cameras are small Cameras. Compacts can be really tiny and mirror-less are compact enough for any sensible person to carry - and their sensors do far more than the phones. Don't believe all the mobile retailers try to tell you about photography. Panasonic, Olympus, Fujifilm and Sony know better.

PS: Christmas buffet lunch in the grown-ups room of the Pan Pacific Hotel is glorious. Eat till you bust and drink till you leak. Elegantly.

Learn On Disc

I see there is a new rack of pre-recorded DVD's in the shop. The DVD's have some useful home training courses that may well assist newer digital users - as well as confirm the suspicions of more experienced shooters.

There's quite a bundle of them - I'm not sure if they are all going to be applicable to everyone but there should be something there for most tastes. You'll find them behind the counter near the Cokin filter wall. Check out these:

1. Learn How Yo Use Your Compact Camera - simple step by step videos.

2. Learn How To Use Your SLR Camera - settings and exposure explained.

3. Learn Photoshop Elements Quickly and Easily - my favourite program. You're soaking in it now.

4. The Ultimate Compact Camera Course - 2-disc set - concentrates on people, travel, and landscape.

5. Photoshop Techniques For SLR Photographers -3-disc set - things you really need to know about the king of editing programs.

6. The Ultimate Real Estate Photography Course - 3-disc set - things you really need to know about real estate photography. Meet the emotional needs of buyers. Hide the bathroom mould.

7. The Ultimate SLR Camera Course - 6-disc set - now you get studio, fine art, commercial, fashion, cruise ship and anti-tank photography.

We all pick up books from time to time and watch YouTube tutorials for new stuff but these discs give you the luxury of running the information on the screen at your own pace. Even if you know it all, someone you know may not and these disc sets may help them to advance in the hobby.

Touring With The Canon PowerShot G5X

You and I might be entirely different tourists - you might think sleeping in a hoochie every night surrounded by wild animals and incipient disease is just peachy - I will look for the greatest comfort my money can buy. Me and four-star hotels is friends.

With our travel pictures we might be at different poles - you with a giant DSLR and enormous lenses taking 55 megabyte RAW images of steaming landscapes and me with a hand-sized tourist camera taking hot rod shots.

Well today's camera won't be for you - you need the Canon EOS 5Ds or EOS 5DsR and some "L" class glass. Good luck hauling them up the montain. I'm going to charge up the battery on the Canon PowerShot G5X and head for the show. 

What do I get for my money? I get a 1" CMOS sensor - and a swivelling rear screen and a proper electronic view finder. I get an f:1.8-2,8 lens with a 4.2X zoom range. It starts out at the 35mm equivalent point of view of a 24mm lens, so it is quite wide. As it finishes up at about the equivalent of  a 100mm view I know I can take tourist portraits with it.

I've got a 3" rear screen that swivels for waist-level viewing and a standardised Canon-fitting hot shoe. I've got ready control access for apertures and shutter speeds in manual mode and as many of the auto and program modes as I can deal with for other times. It'll shoot multiple shots in sequence at low or high speed, if that is any help. As the things I shoot don't move, for me it is no help.

There's a tiny built-in flash that is not occluded by the lens when it is in the taking position. The little tube is just perfect for macro and close-up. 

If I don't want to plug and unplug cards I can transfer files via WiFi.

And the best feature - the ergonomics of it are right. That and the styling and build quality. It fits my hand and eye and is hefty enough to assure me that it will not unwind like a ball of string with travel jolts It is metal. It is not so big as to attract the thief nor so small as to get lost in the luggage.

In short - along with similar offerings from other manufacturers, it is a perfect set of compromises for the traveller. I'll bring back record shots, blog images, and A4 album shots with ease.

Here's the camera in action:

"Ready for my close-up now, Mr. De Mille..."

Selfie Time

" Hold still, Junior, and stop making a face like a horse."

http://cameraelectronic.com.au/spec_sheet.html?catalog[name]=Canon-PowerShot-G5-X-Digital-Camera---Black-%28Redemption-available-via-Manufacturer%29-G5X&catalog[product_guids][0]=1177359

Day 7 - Sony Gets A Turn At Your Wallet - And You Get A Dip Of Theirs

This year Sony has leapt ahead with new equipment and now is the time to benefit from this and the Christmas crush to get a substantial cash back return. Here is the layout of the offer for today only:

A. Sony a7MkII plus a 24-70 lens has an RRP of 3798. Today the price is $ 2777 and you get a $ 200 Visa redemption.

If you're feeling flush you could add a 16-35 lens or a 70-200 lens for $ 1599 and get an additional $ 400 Visa redemption as well.

B. Try a Sony RX 100 Mk IV compact zoom camera with an RRP of $ 1399 for only $ 1239....and then take an additional CE cash back of $ 100 to lay it low at $ 1139.

C. For the mirror-less fans - a Sony a6000, a 16-50mm, and a 50mm f:1.8 lens  - it runs an RRP of $ 1797 but today it can go out at $ 999 and then you can skim out another $ 150 Visa redemption. Wooo.

D. Sony a7MkII again - this time with a 28-70 lens at an RRP of $ 2698. It comes down to $ 2066 and then you get the $ 200 Visa redemption as well.

Note: Tis the season to be jolly and charitable and all but don't go mad. Buy the a7MkII for yourself and give the RX 100 MkIV as a fancy gift. Heck, at these prices you can afford to give two of 'em.

My Charger /Camera/Battery/Life Is Broken. Can I Buy Another?

Yes, of course you can. We sell cameras, chargers, batteries and lives as a matter of course. Indeed some of the lives in stock are as coarse as you can get. But you may be giving way to panic too soon*.

Our technical staff tells us that they have noticed people bringing in compact cameras that have had no use or exercise for six months or more and that are dead as a doornail - prompting the sad tale at the front counter. Certainly no response from the camera and the charger does not put any electricity into the battery. The user assumes the worst.

But once the camera is taken under the wing of the repair staff they test voltages and circuits and then try the procedure of applying a higher than normal voltage to the battery. If you were to use the term " kickstart " it would be as useful as anything. It's only a very small jolt for a small period of time but it helps to reverse the degradation of the battery and lets the charger recognise it and refill it at a slow trickle. There is still a couple of hours of charging needed but in this case you have a live battery again instead of a relic.

Note - The tech did not tell me the voltage or amperage so I cannot tell you. It's not exactly welding voltage but I would suggest that the readers do not try this one at home at all. Leave it to the trained professionals. If any one is going to fly backwards across the workshop emitting sparks and the smell of cooked fingers...let it be them.

Talk to Thomas at Repairs and see if Camera Electronic can help.

* We can tell you when to panic...

Yellow And Black And Money Back!

Yes!

There is nothing quite as nice as getting money back...unless it is getting money back and a brand new camera and lens for the start of summer. The Nikon Australia people are keen exponents of the cash-back system and have come up with a list of goodies that will qualify for this deal.

Have a look at the cash-back offers here and come on down to Camera Electronic to see the goods in action. All of these cash-back offers go from the 1st of November 2015 until the 31st of January 2016 so you have plenty of time to get shooting and to contact Nikon Australia on the web for the money.

We start out with:

Nikon D3300 camera...............$ 100 cash back
Nikon D5200 camera...............$ 100 cash back
Nikon D5500 camera...............$ 100 cash back
Nikon D7200 camera...............$ 100 cash back
Nikon D610 camera.................$ 300 cash back

Now for the more compact Nikon cameras:

Nikon P610 camera..................$ 50 cash back
Nikon S9900 camera................$ 50 cash back
Nikon AW130 camera..............$ 50 cash back

And if you would like to step out with a complete new kit:

Nikon D750 camera and 24-120mm f:4 ED VR lens............$ 300 cash back
Nikon D810 camera and 24-120mm f:4 ED VR lens............$ 300 cash back
Nikon D610 camera and 24-120mm f:4 ED VR lens............$ 600 cash back

Please note these last three deals are only cash back if purchased as body and lens in one transaction.

Now is the time to jump into the quality of a Nikon camera and start to enjoy the benefits of the Nikon system. Your pictures have never looked so good.

The Embargo Is Lifted

Start shipping the Cuban missiles to Russia and the Russian cigars to Cuba...No, wait...that can't be right...let me check the screen again...

Ah. I was reading the wrong screen. The embargo that has just been lifted was on the new Canon cameras and lens. Not too much detail yet, but here is a précis from the press release.

1. A new " M " series mirrorless camera is coming - the Canon EOS M10. Think of this one as a round-the-neck camera with LCD screen sighting and the EOS M series removable lenses. 18 megapixel APS-C sensor. DIGIC 6 processor And Hybrid CMOS  AF II sensor on board. 180º selfie screen, touch screen operation, and full WiFi operation makes for simple control. Shoots RAW ( Yay!) has a built-in pantograph flash, and any number of special assistant shooting mode to jazz up your pictures.

2. A new lens to accompany the Canon EOS M10. The lens has an unusually wide scope at the bottom of the range for a standard zoom - you start off at 15mm. As this is an APS-C camera thats 22.5mm in the old filmspeak and that means a really useful landscape lens. Most normal kit lenses start at 18mm ( 27 in filmspeak ) and the different angle of coverage is significant. If you are going to be a landscape shooter, seriously consider this.

The long end will give you 45mm - 67.5 in filmspeak - just about enough for a 3/4 portrait.
The lens has an f:3.5-5.6 maximum aperture and the STM motor means it is silent enough to make good videos on the Canon EOS m series cameras.

Image stabilisation is 3.5 stops. The diaphragm blades are arranged to give a circular aperture and therefore clean out of focus areas.

3. Don't care to change lenses? Pick up a new Canon Powershot G9X and go on holiday. this is an in-the-pocket camera with a20.2 megapixel sensor and a DIGIC  processor.

It has a front control ring to give you something to balance the hold and change aperture and shutter speed. Use the touch panel LCD to control a number of functions. Charge it with a separate charger or plug it into the USB port of your computer. Talk to the computer with the built-in WiFi.

3X optical zoom and a fast aperture mean you're shooting good things in bad light. And lotsa bells and whistles to make tourist shots fun.

4. Bigger? Like to have a round-the-neck camera with more zoom and a dedicated eyepiece? Canon Powershot G5X is coming. 4,2 X optical zoom with a wider wide point  and a larger aperture. Swivel LCD screen, full viewfinder, Manual control, and the same sort of easy operation with WiFi, touch panel and fun programs as the G9X.
A bit bigger hand hold, more external dials to access internal controls, and a super-convenient compensation dial for fine-tuning the exposure.

When they hit the shelves we'll let you know so that you can come down and play with them.

On an editorial note; looks like the Canon range of mirrorless cameras and dedicated lenses is taking off. But remember that adapters from Canon mean that you can clap all your other EOS lenses on the M cameras as well. You are not stuck for good glass.

" I'm Going To Europe, So..."

" So - I want to get a good camera in Singapore. Which one should I get? "

" As they say on Radio Yerevan...basically, no..."

If you hope to capture glorious scenes of the high life of Paris and fabulous trips down the Rhein and the majesty that is England...with something that you are going to haggle for in Popup Market Stall No. 34...we wish you the best of luck and will be looking out for your name in lights at the photography exhibitions.

You are in no different position than those who have preceded you - the generations of English migrants who bought cameras and projectors in Aden on the way here - and their Australian neighbours who went up to Singers and did the same all through the 60's and 70's. The building that houses Market Stall No. 34 is new but the philosophy of 34 is old.

You won't be sorry. Much. Even if the contents of whatever box N0.34 presses on you works, it is unlikely that you will be able to learn enough of the operations to let you make good pictures. You may wish to study the paper instruction booklet in the camera box, but if they only include the manual on CD...all you can really do in the airplane cabin is play frisbee. But you won't be sorry. Much.

When you get to Europe you may well discover that the plugs on the chargers do not fit the local wall socket. If you are going to the UK you will find that nothing ever fits any electric socket there. If you go to Greece the electricity authority will suck voltage out of your battery to help feed the local grid. It is possible that the camera that No.34 sold you has a battery that was last made in 2001 - which explains the high fives that store staff were giving each other as you left. But you won't be sorry. Long.

Take heart - at least you are not going to be in the same position as the English tourists who bought 12V DC slide projectors in Aden and then plugged them into Western Australian 240V AC sockets. I've seen one of those and it must have been as good as Vesuvius for a very short period of time. I wonder if they were sorry...

Let's face it. If you are going to Europe to have a good time and need complex electrical, mechanical, or optical equipment to function well - and if you need to train yourself on that gear - you are far better off shopping locally and giving yourself adequate time to get up to speed. You need to deal with someone who has genuine warranties. If you buy within a couple of months of your trip you'll still get 10% back at the TRS desk, so you needn't feed Stall 34.

You won't be sorry.

Nothing Says Lovin'

The time for  annual vacations is rapidly approaching. Wise shoppers are beating the crowds by shopping early. The camera trade is no exception to this.

Now is the time to come in and get the summer vacation camera. Because you'll have enough time to read the instructions, take some photos, and discover exactly how to set the thing before you head out. The deadliest mistake we all made in the dear old days was to buy a camera, unpack it on our lap in the airplane, and try to learn photography between Perth Airport and the first lap of the drinks trolley. Our vacation pictures showed us that we should have done it different, and this was just with 35mm film.

Nowadays what was the simple pathway of a roll of Kodachrome and a Pentax Spotmatic has been enormously complicated with all the digital controls available. Even setting a new device to Automatic and pointing it away from you*- normally a good thing - might be complicated by not knowing which button to press or where to hold it. You really should get this sorted before you board the Boeing.

Fortunately the chaos that used to be Duty-Free has settled somewhat - you need not cart your photo goods to the plane in a sealed bag and you can wait until you actually arrive back at the terminal before loading up your shopping trolley with litre bottles of gin**. You can get your GST back at the airport if you meet certain criteria and can certainly learn, practise, and use the gear before you fly. Your pictures should be vastly better.

You won't be saddened by spending a little time with learning while here in Perth, either. The Shoot Photography Workshop just next door has classes that help all sorts of photographers do all sorts of things and you might be just the one to benefit with a short travel shooting course before you shoot off. Shoot, they helped me with my computer work...

Lovin? Pillsbury used to say it was something from the oven, but we think it is learnin' that makes for success.

* At least it said that in the Heckler and Koch instruction book....

** Have you seen some of the strange grog they sell in Duty Free shops? Who drinks that stuff? And who drinks it in 1 Litre bottles?

Pick The Darned Thing Up!

A computer mouse is a very light object - pick yours up and see what I mean.

Oh, if you are a gaming nerd or a computer freak you might have one of the types that has a joystick and a gun button and a dozen different adjustments - and always runs out of battery power halfway through a game...Those are serious electronic interfaces and can be the size of a loaf of bread. But the average mouse is a tiny thing.

Not that they are not still dangerous - spend all day steering one over a desk while locked into a plastic office chair and see what it does to the muscles and tendons of your wrist. Also see what sitting all day in that chair does to your waistline. Be warned.

Okay - translate these thoughts to the camera market, and start hefting the different models we have here on display. You may have just spent a month steering your computer mouse around the net looking for the best specifications, but I'll bet you were looking at megapixels and shadow detail and facial spot recognition rather than looking down into the mundane numbers in the weight and dimensions section.

Pick up the camera you thought was going to be the most fabulous - with the do-everything lens that had the best bokeh and got 15 and a half stars from Ken Rockwell. Hold it to your eye and see if your eye can see anything inside it. If it can, hold it there for a minute. Then hold it there for 4 more minutes. Then hold the camera in one hand for 15 more minutes without putting it down.

Can you feel your hand? If no, then you need the next model down on the list - the one that has been made with a lighter casing and less glass. Any camera user who wants to use it in the field for any period of time is going to have to support it and if the whole process becomes a weight-lifting rather than artistic exercise, all the tech specs that you read about last month won't amount to a hill of beans. You will be buried UNDER a hill of beans.

Take heart - Olympus, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Pentax, and Leica all make lighter-weight cameras that produce marvellous results. Do not discount them ( and please do not ask US to discount them...) in your search for a travel camera. Be kind to yourselves.

Mk.IV On The Floor - Sony's Time Warping Camera

Dr. Who is not the only one who can alter time - you can too if you get the new Sony RX100 Mk.IV camera. Specifically, you can slow it down.

Boy, can you slow it down.

The form of the little camera will be familiar to anyone who has had their Mk. I, II, or III models. Zeiss zoom lens, 180º flipping LCD screen, pop-up electronic view finder. Solid build.

New is the 4K capability and the 1/32,000 second shutter and the HFR. That acronym means that it has a High Frame Rate...up to 250 frames per second that you then run back as a video. The universe slows down to the extent that it looks like Winnepeg on a wet Sunday...

It is a camera that demands experimentation. Come in and test it out. Show us the results.

Red is The Colour Of My True Love's Heart - Panasonic

No reason for this post, except...

Look at the glorious colour of the body on this Panasonic TZ70.

No need to be dull when you photograph bright subjects.

The Red Window And The Gas Gauge

We need a red window.

We used have them - on the back of old roll-film box cameras. The red celluloid window let you see - dimly - the numbers on the back of 620, 120, 0r other paper-backed films. You got words and dots warning you to beware of the start of he film, then numbers as the film wound past the square throat of the camera and then another set of dots to tell you it was done and to wind the trailing paper on before you removed the roll.

It was a wonderful way to concentrate the mind and sharpen the skill - having 10, 12. 0r 16 shots only on the roll meant you had to do it right each time - no flapping about with a dozen shots and pick the best out later. You couldn't shoot 12 similar shots to get one good one. If you were a kid you had one roll of film for the entire summer vacation and it had to record 3 months of your life.

We also need a gas gauge. Not a petrol warning light - not an LCD icon of a half of an AA battery - a gas gauge. When we had a dial with a needle that swung from full to half to empty we watched it closely - again the one tank of gas might have lasted the entire summer if we were prepared to take the trolley bus and walk as well. We need that gas gauge on the back of the digital camera to tell us what the battery is REALLY doing.

Some camera makers have done better than others. A big Nikon DLSR will have a battery measurement window accessible through the menu and will give an actual percentage of charge left on the battery. Presuming it to be accurate, it means that you can know whether you have enough juice for the shoot before you start.

Other makers give us little battery icons and they don't even agree amongst themselves what the divisions might mean. Good for the shop - we can sell more batteries to those who are nervous about it. But if they can include dog face recognition and miniature effect backlighting for fireworks in HDR macro at a touch of slightly dubious finger...surely they can give us an accurate and readable numeric battery display.

Uncle Dick

" Does It Come With Batteries?"

Today's post is occasioned by an enquiry that I had last Saturday from a customer. It pointed out that there may be some misconceptions regarding modern cameras and their sale - misconceptions that we may be able to clear up. Here goes.

1. Does it come with a battery?

If it is a modern digital camera, yes. All the manufacturers include a battery with it. Generally it is the rechargeable Li-ion type. If it is a camera that runs on 2 or 4 of the AA batteries they generally include a set of alkaline ones in the box.

If you are going to do anything with your camera past leaving it in a dresser drawer - ie actually go out and take pictures - you would be very wise to purchase a second rechargeable battery or a second set of AA's for it. They don't cost that much and if you are on a trip you can leave one battery to recharge while you go on with the other. Which leads is to the next question...

2. Does it come with a battery charger?

As they say on Radio Yerevan " Basically, yes..."

Most manufacturers do include an A/C charger block and connecting cords. You pull the battery out of the camera, pop it into the charger, and plug the charger into the wall.

Some clever clogs makers have decided to have the battery charge within the camera and include a cord from an A/C adapter to the side of the camera. NOT clever, clogs. It ties the camera to the A/C just when you might want to be out using it. Owners of these cameras need more batteries and sometimes need an additional off-camera charging block to free them for field use. It might be tempting to think that you are avoiding taking a charger on your trip, but that electricity has to get in there somehow...

Note: Many people lose the chargers from their cameras when they leave their hotels. Every hotel concierge has them in store. If you forget, ask to borrow one from the concierge.

3. Does it come with a case?

As they say on Radio Yerevan " Basically, no..."

The good old fitted never-ready case that we got free with the 35mm camera was made of leather by wizened old craftsmen. Whether it is the leather or the craftsmen that has disappeared, they are no more. The one exception to the rule in the last few years was the case with the LE edition of the Fujifilm X-100 camera. Wonderful and nostalgic, but mine sits in the box unused as I take the camera out and about.

You can get bags and in some cases, cases from independent manufacturers. We have a wall of them and there is a shape and size to suit all tastes and pockets. Knock yourself out.

4. Does it come with a strap?

Yes. The big cameras will have neck straps and the small ones will have wrist straps. If you get a crick in your neck from the maker's strap, you can always purchase a Black Rapid, Joby, Lowepro, or Op/Tec strap to spread the load.

When it comes to attaching the strap to the camera be prepared to expend language - or ask one of the staff members nicely and we will do it for you. We know language...

5. Do I need to buy batteries for my flash?

As they say on Radio Yerevan " basically, yes and no..."

Yes, if you want your new portable electronic speed light to flash. You will need to put 4 AA batteries into it. Fresh batteries. Two up, and two down.

We have the excellent Toshiba AA batteries for sale. Also the excellent Powerex rechargeable AA and chargers for sale.

No, if you are content to leave it in the box and not use it.

6. Do I need to buy a memory card?

See answer #5. None of the manufacturers put a memory card in the box as a matter of course, though they occasionally panic around the end of the Japanese financial year and have been known to throw a tiny one into a deal to boost sales. It is never big nor fast, and it is never enough.

Memory cards are not expensive in monetary terms and extremely cheap when set against the value of the time and effort taken to make images on them. DO NOT STINT YOURSELF by purchasing a no-brand card. You will regret it. Get a good one.

7. Does it come with a lens?

If the camera design does not have an interchangeable lens, yes. Yes it does. Turn it on and go for it.

If the design has an interchangeable mount, it comes with a lens if you buy a lens. Sometimes the lens and body are in one box as a kit, which is a good idea, and sometimes they are separate and you can choose what you like, which is a good idea. You'll know hat you need.

Please note that we have not got into the subject of wifi, Bluetooth, near-field connectivity, or Pilsner beer. These are delightful topics but beyond the scope of this simple posting.

Being Safe Amongst The Cattle - An Car Event Photographer's Guide

Having survived two days at the WA Hot Rod And Street Car Spectacular - that's two days of cars, enthusiasts, and startling food prices - I can offer some advice to others who go in harm's way.

1. Take your own food. Or an Armaguard truck full of money. Venue caterers have a license to be there and so does the mint in Canberra. A coincidence? I wonder...

2. Disregard the appearance of the teenage participants. They are mostly harmless, despite wearing tee shirts that promise death and destruction. If they are not your teenagers you can breathe a sigh of relief.

3. Do not poke the cars. They resent it.

4. If you want to shoot long exposures with a tripod, go very early in the morning or stay very late at night. The crowds during peak hours are pressing enough to make tripod use inconvenient, if not dangerous. A monopod or a Steadepod is a help in those cases.

5. Up your ISO to the best high compromise figure. Find this out by proper testing well before the show. You can drop it to 400 for the outside shots.

6. Patience. The crowds that move into your shot and obscure the outlines of the car you are trying to photograph seem to work in tag teams - one lot drifts up, clings around and then just drifts off when the next team is ready to replace them. It is not a personal insult - it is just the behaviour of cattle on a range.

Sometimes you can get only 5 seconds in between herds to get the shot - be ready with pre-focus and accurate exposure.

Sometimes you can get a good clear space around yourself by singing " On The Good Ship Lollypop" in a high sweet tenor and nodding your head from side to side. Dimples help.

7. The car show promotion girls are all pretty and happy at the start of the show. At the end of the show they are still pretty but their feet hurt. If you annoy them at that time they  relieve some of their discomfort by kicking you really hard. Be warned.

8. If you ask a car owner how they made the car, they will tell you. The. Entire. Story.

9. Each car that you photograph will also be photographed by an iPhone, an Android phone, an iPad, a compact, a bridge camera, a mirror-less, a DSLR, and an instant pack film camera. The pictures will all look the same as they will all be taken with the event lighting. If you want yours to be different, use a flash - use it sensibly.

10. Go low, go high, go close (Use a tele lens if you they barrier off the car.), go dramatic. Make the shot for a purpose - and then use it for that purpose.

11. Look at all the stalls and stands and make something of them as well.

The Subtle Difference Between Lenses...gravy or mustard?

I used to think that there were major differences between lenses of different makers and that I could get widely-different results by choosing the correct one. And that this would then colour which camera system that I should choose for a particular purpose.

Oh, the hours I agonised over whether to choose Miranda over Exakta or if the Petri was up to the quality of the Topcon...Unfortunately there was no internet at the time so I had to get my misinformation from magazines - fortunately I had limited funds and could not afford too many of these and my level of confusion was moderately low. Nowadays I can bounce from one forum to another - from one manufacturer's website to that of their rival - and pick up enough opinion and angst to boil the water in a large pot.

Note: Time and economics have relieved me of my worries - all four of those manufacturers are cactus. I am also delighted to report that modern optical offerings do not have enough variation between makers to foster such cares.

Oh, there ARE differences. Get out your optical bench and your steam-powered MTF generator and go for your life. You'll find that you can get different numbers for sure. The numbers won't make your pictures look better, but.

You'll be able to differentiate products in each maker's catalog by price ( always a good thing...) and weight. More money and more weight means higher or lower numbers in the laboratory. Again your pictures may be annoyingly similar but at least you have different numbers.

I would also caution those people who are contemplating the purchase of lenses that are very, very expensive against doing the sort of mathematics that sets these prices against that of a Sunday roast dinner and a pint of beer. The results are unsettling - in one case I calculated that an optic was the equivalent of five and a half years of Sunday dinners ...including the pint and, on suitable occasions, Yorkshire Pudding. Strong as my desire might be to take wonderful pictures, my respect for Yorkshire Pudding with gravy is stronger.

Moral? There is none, except the purchasers of modern lenses of the modest sort can comfort themselves that they are getting a very good product and, as far as their characters will permit, can go out and be happy with them.

Uncle Dick

I've Already Got A Camera, But...The Ten Big Questions

1. But I'm going to visit France and I don't want to carry something the size of a trench mortar through the fancy boutiques and restaurants. Can you sell me a compact camera?

2. But I'm going to visit Alaska to photograph the grizzly bears and I need a camera the size of a trench mortar to bring them into focus without getting so close that they maul me. Can you sell me a DSLR with a 400mm lens?

3. I'm going to visit Ukraina. Can you sell me a trench mortar?

4. I want to take pictures of spiders. Can you sell me a macro lens, a macro slider, a tripod, and a can of Mortein.

5. I want to take street pictures in the rain and look cool and hip like the pictures in the advertisements. Can you sell me a mirror-less camera that's weather-proof.  I can organise my own red Nikes and two-day stubble.

6. I have no idea how it works. Can I take a course that will tell me what to do?

7. I need a memory card. Do you sell memory cards?

8. I need to do a wedding shoot tomorrow. Can you set my camera for me and sticky-tape the controls down? I'll pay for the sticky tape...

9. I put the memory card in upside down and now nothing works and it won't even open up. Is there a technician on duty?

10. No-one makes film any more. I read that on the internet, so it must be true. Can you sell me some film for it?

The answer, as if you couldn't guess, to all these questions is " yes ". We regularly encounter random requests and do our best to fulfil them. In the case of the trench mortars, they are made by Nerf and are suitable for use inside the home.