1959 Rome? Nah, 2019 Austin.
I've been rattling on about Fuji cameras so much I'm starting to believe I must be on their payroll but every time I check the mailbox I am disappointed; there's nothing but bills...
I'm kind of side-tracked with the Fujis right now because I'm deep into testing my favorite work cameras to see just how well they can handle video oriented assignments. My brain has them segmented into the video world this weekend so it was only natural that I'd reach for a different camera and lens for a cool afternoon walk through SXSW on the last day.
I pulled a Panasonic G9 out of the drawer and popped the (amazing!!!!!) 40-150mm f2.8 Pro on the lens mount. I grabbed an extra battery (442 exposures, no second battery needed; not even close) put a few bucks in my pocket for emergency coffee and headed down to walk through Sixth St. (the nexus of all things in Austin....).
I shot with the lens wide open at f2.8 all day long. Why mess around with all those other apertures if you're in the mood for some out of focus backgrounds? I set the camera on manual exposure with the shutter speed at 1/1000th and the ISO set to auto. I figured I could always twizzle the exposure compensation if I need to make an image brighter or darker. Better yet, I switched to raw file format and gave up caring if the image in the finder was slightly light or dark.
So, what did I find out in three or four hours of shooting? Well, that the G9 has a great matrix metering set up. That setting the cloudy sky WB icon is just right when.....you have a cloudy sky. That the AF in the G9 is super fast and extremely accurate and that the 40-150mm is a great collection of focal lengths and the lens itself is an impressive performer --- even when used wide open.
I also learned that generations younger than mine approach life, events, culture and image capture in a totally different way. Who could have guessed?
I headed home as the light dropped and looked at my take for the day. Instead of erasing this batch I thought I'd re-open the discussion about micro four thirds cameras and why I don't think the current trend toward 24 by 36 mm sensors matters at all. Disagree all you want but I think the future will focus much, much more on content and much, much less on technique and super production quality. Sure, you can have both but......
But however you slice the camera conundrum it's all moot if you just sit inside and bang away on the computer, having serious opinions about optical theory and whose camera is better than whose. The real test is when you take the gear out on the street, immerse yourself into a different milieu that your usual bridge game or golfing foray and take a peek at the world through the gear you've already hoarded and crowed about. Then you can have a conversation about style, look and content. Much better than waxing eloquent (?) about which company makes a better 35mm f1.4...... really. Go outside. Go where people congregate. Take photographs. Smile at the people. Slide into the slipstream. Go with the flow.
It's groovy baby.
18 comments:
OMG. That last portrait is just amazing. I love it. I wish I could do that with any camera. Thanks for sharing. Albert.
Can't help being intrigued by your need to put some cash in your pocket to buy coffee and something to eat each time you go for a walk with a camera Kirk,do you normally not carry cash or credit cards when out and about? always thought this was the norm for royalty and the super rich.
I love the second last one the most. I can see the emotions she is feeling. A 10 out of 10 imho.
Re the first and last photos: I prefer the b&w.
The last one is indeed lovely. But if I were to rank them based on facial expressions I’d pick the woman with the orange hair just above the jaded couple. (Was it the event or the poor choice of beer that soured their day?).
Interesting question. I carry a wallet with a credit card in it but rarely have cash unless I'm planning on getting coffee somewhere. I just hate to pay for anything that costs less than $5 with a credit card. It seems lazy. Also like to use cash for tip money in the event that someone brews and delivers a perfect cup...
The black & white portrait is classic. The color version is spoiled by the distracting red elements in the background.
Hello, I read your new stuff daily. Your humoristic style is awesome, keep up the good
work!
Hi Kirk, glad the hiatus was short lived. Wonderful set.
I've concluded that the FF furor is a tempest in a teapot. Most statistics show that FF accounts for only about 16% more or less of total ILC units sold (total dollar percentage is of course higher due to higher unit price). Most of the noise comes from 2 sources: website forum "serious photographers" and blogger/vlogger divas more concerned about getting hits than disseminating useful information. (If a 2 time Pulizter winner says m4/3 is all he needs, and a person who spends more time producing youtube videos than actually going on assignments tells me I need FF, who has more credibility?) On the other hand, you have gotten me giving a bit of thought to Fujifilm...(you scoundrel! LOL)
I keep trying to find reasons why I might be better off with FF. Most of my work is concerts, dance and theater, so it would seem "logical" that I should use FF for the lower noise, smoother tonality and higher resolution. Yet none of my clients have complained about any of those IQ factors. Instead, I think of how much I enjoy using m4/3 equipment, due to the size factor, feature sets and overall feel of things.
IQ? Well, frankly, I have developed a workflow that greatly minimizes noise, and a personal style that takes advantage of the look Olympus m4/3 files have compared to FF. I see so many other concert photographers using FF to produce images that look like they are all PP'd by the same person. I don't want to look like everyone else: if I ever become famous, I want people to recognize my images as being MINE.
Which relates to your point: the "unwashed masses" of folks who aren't fixated on ultimate IQ and the dandiest gear want content that matters. They want images that speak to them on a heart level. They don't look at photos and think "OMG the noise level on that shot of my favorite band from SWSX is so low!" they just think about it being a shot of their favorite SWSX band that helps them relive the experience.
I was recently going over some of Henri Cartier-Bresson's images. Some of his most famous ones are technical nightmares. But they are technical nightmares that captured the "Decisive Moment".
Thanks for once again putting a sensible spin on the matter.
Great idea. So much so I'm off on a 10 day road trip to where I don't know. Taking the Sigma SDQ-H a 10-20, f3.5 17-70 f2.8-4 Art lens and 50-150 f2.8 EX DG DC lens 2 batteries an a charger, two 64gb SD cards. What's the old saying? f5.6 and be there.
Roger
Oh ya, as for 4/3 or FF or APS-C or film or or or, way ever works go for it. Just do it. Make prints for people to see.
Roger
Kirk, of the images you posted which one is your favourite, and why. I understand that you must find all of them appealing in some way or you would not have posted them, but one of them must stand out to you.
Eric
Kirk, I am glad that you are back. I just bought an X-t3. Sit alongside my x-pro2. I am enjoing both.
Hi Eric, Thanks for asking. It's a toss up between the very last image because it seems so feminine and so timeless. It could have been taken any time in the last 50 years. And I love the color and tonality. But I also like the image of the African-American woman with the red hair. I love her face and her expression and I also like seeing the slice of pizza in one hand and the cell phone in the other. And the person in the right hand corner of the frame, nicely out of focus. Thanks!
A late add: Robin Wong has an interesting post on Ming Thein’s blog with regard to set-it-and-forget-it street photography. He found himself shooting with an older Olympus EP5 featuring an unexpectedly dead LCD screen and no EVF. The result may be worth a look.
All these pics were square format, I noticed. I must have a mental block, I've never shot square, can't begin to tell you why.
Cameras is not the sole source of revenue here. FF users buy more and more expensive lenses, so it terms of revenue it is likely much larger part of the pie than units sold or even revenue from camera sales suggest. When in doubt, check market - camera and lens manufacturers would put much more focus on APS-C or m43 if it was more profitable. Apparently it is not.
Fabulous pictures, I love them. It looks like that little G9 works exceptionally well for you. Now how about those "experts" and "photographers" on Dpreview who claim you must have a "full-frame" camera if you are serious?
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