[LRflex] Reading manuals is incredibly informative

From: Bille Xavier F. <hot_billexf@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:39:26 +0100
Good Evening Flexers.
 
At the Paris Fair, I had been quite impressed by the Lumix GX7 as well so I 
decided to download the user manual, advanced version and read the pages. 
Not all of them, just a few pages to grab a detail I could not find while 
manipulating the camera.
 
It is amazing the number of functions these cameras hold by now. Add the 
connectivity to your WiFi favorite system and it becomes an extension of ....  
your mobile phone!
 
The Camera has pages and pages of options, thus reducing the time spent behing 
a computer to post process each image. The downside is, to me, the time it 
takes to create the 'perfect' picture.
 
In still life subjects, that is all right but in my style of  'street 
photography', I admit not being able to cope with the parameters.
My skills during the shooting session consists of white balance, Iso and usual 
speed/aperture. With the venue of the latest mirrorless camera, even my modest 
point and shoot X20, it is possible to change the highlight and shadow response 
curves. These, I learn to change through SilkyPix, for some pictures in black 
and white only.
 
In the day of the chemical film era, I chose my film according to the mood or 
the subject, take pictures, more or less adjusting the exposure for the film 
(slides or negative) and it was a lottery when dev was done by the lab. At that 
time, I was not really into bracketing, it was a mere rule of the thumb.  My 
parents offered me a lab for B&W in their home (er, mine now, RIP) and it was 
fun to experiment.
 
Today, I should be happier since it is easier to take pic and 'chimp' it 
immediately. But applying David Young advice, I keep that activity for break 
time, for example, my Fav break time at lunch:
 
http://xavierf.b.free.fr/Temp/Paris_10_2013/DSCF3817_dev_1.jpg
 
On this image, I have applied some correction in the V perspective, it looks 
better than the original. One point though, it has been taken with a wide angle 
lens at close range, the distortion is a normal part of the image, although at 
equivalent of 28mm.
Post processing is such a trend that I have subscribed to a trimester magazine 
named 'Workflow', en Francais dans le texte. They cover techniques of post 
processing, storing, calibrating, etc. All this being a little of witchcraft at 
my level of knowledge.
 
Is post processing such a trend? Well by reading the manual of the Lumix GX7, 
the Fujifilm XE2 and the Olympus OMD E1, I can forcast that this is 'has been'. 
The camera has all features embedded (even a Raw Converter in the Fujifilm XE2 
and X20) to produces superb images in the standard JPEG with the sRGB space 
(Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc).
 
To sum up this long and non sense 'journalistic post', we are sent back to 
square one by the producers of Digital Cameras: we ask more features and we get 
these, but in final, images are offered in 1024 or 1200 pixels max for 
portabiliy with a space color and a a strong compression to squeeze into Flickr!

In the basement, behind me a a print of 30cm by 40cm from tha Digilux3 (7.5 Mp) 
with a Vario Elmar 80-200 F4. One of very few images I ever had printed large. 
My Partner, Ayda tought it was bought on Ebay.... It is an image produced in a 
winter daylight (ISO 200 probably) and I had time, that day, to catch the 
moment:
 
http://xavierf.b.free.fr/Temp/Paris_10_2013/_1030857_dev_1.jpg
 
Yes, I had time and light. The main sources of photography, just forgetting the 
'options' of the camera!
 
Have a good Week :)

#-----------------------------------
From : Xavier F. BILLE 
mail : hot_billexf@xxxxxxxxxxx
Maisons Alfort - France
[LRflex] Reading manuals is incredibly informative

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