I was miles outside of Asheville, NC (a beautiful town!) out into a part of the countryside most people won't see because few paved roads go there. We were on the construction site of a big spillway project and I found this view. I set up the Panasonic G9 on a tripod using the 8-18mm Leica lens at 11mm and f6.3. I had the camera set to a two second delay and tripped the shutter. The process was much faster than I expected and the 10,000+ wide pixel file wrote to the card in seconds.
The file needed a bit more sharpening that the regular raw files out of camera but not much more. The detail is ample as well. If I was a landscape photographer for whom portability was critical I'd sure think of ditching the bigger, heavier, traditional cameras and getting a small rig like this. But in the long run the most critical part of the equation is the stalwart Gitzo tripod I've been using for ages.
High resolution in the camera is only theoretical until you put down rock solid support for the platform.
Fabulous lenses can only deliver hypothetical brilliance until you anchor them to unmoving ground.
All in all the G9 and the 8-18mm Leica/Panasonic lens are a good combination. New software is coming next Sunday that should allow the use of hi-res up to f11 instead of just f8. Just the ticket for people who WILL use the hi-res mode for still life .... and even architecture.
Nice that I was able to hike in without feeling burdened by the tools. Next, we'll talk about that wonderful backpack from Think Tank. A revelation. In a good way.
Tripods are a secret high tech way of getting sharper photos; and Kirk, I've always thought of you as well grounded.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask - what “effective” shutter speed is the hi res mode creating ?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the hi res mode. Did you see any artifacts due to subject movement, especially with this being a landscape image?
ReplyDelete