An Actor from Zach Theatre. On Halloween 2019.
In October 2019 I was still halfway into one system and on the way out with another system. I'd been shooting with Fuji XH-1 cameras, and some of their (optically) really good lenses but the Panasonic S1 system caught my attention and just seemed to make so much sense.
I started out with one S1 camera and the 24-105mm f4.0 zoom and on my first week out with the new camera I shot the image above, hand-held and in low, mixed light, with the lens wide open. A few days later I was at the Day of the Dead celebration, downtown, and I shot a bunch more images that I liked right way. In fact, there were dozens and dozens of keepers. I wrote a blog and showed a bunch of the images here: D.O.T.D.
The upshot of these two sessions was my wholesale abandonment of one system and my embrace of the new system (which I should note is still my primary photography and video system with nothing new on the horizon).
I bought a number of amazing lenses, probably motivated by the "idea" that an "all in one" zoom lens like the 24-105mm couldn't possibly be as good as, say, a Sigma prime Art lens. But as I look back through everything I've shot I have to say that the zoom is just perfect. On almost every level. Just perfect.
If I could go back to early October 2019 in the VSL time machine I'd convince my younger self to just buy the 24-105 and the 70-200mm f4.0 (which is also superb) and then I would snatch the credit cards right out of my past self's hands and declare a buying embargo for either five years or until such a time as one of the lenses experienced a catastrophic failure. They are both that good.
If I were to recommend a "system" to an aspiring professional on a limited budget is would be to just buy the 24-105mm lens and an S1 body and then add to that inventory only as needed and when the work paid enough to cover the additional costs.
I recently bought a Leica SL2 and have been using it as much as possible so I can become familiar with it. I have an embarrassing admission to make. Embarrassing since I spent $6000 on the Leica.... But at this point in time I still like shooting with the S1 a bit better. Might be a case of being more confident with a camera one is most familiar with but...there it is.
Heading out the door to walk and think about all this. After having written of my high regard for the 24-105mm lens you'd think it's a "no brainer" that I would take that lens along with me but---no. I'm walking out the door with the 70mm Art series macro and the S1. Trying to get comfortable with that lens right now. Later on I'll slip the 24-105mm onto the SL2 and see if I can learn to love the camera through my familiarity and respect for a great lens. All conjecture at this point.
9 comments:
I suppose I understand your embracing the S1 series of cameras, as have I. Perhaps the best way for me to describe using them is the "usability", the user interface, and just the ergonomics and intuitive layout of the controls. Thankfully Panasonic employed essentially an identical layout to the S1 when designing the S5, which in my experience is the most user-friendly I've ever experienced. The end result is they are truly a joy to shoot with.
I'm also reading your experience with the 24-105 and thinking I regret not purchasing the 24-105 when buying the S1. My thinking - at the time anyway - was I wanted a pro-grade 24-70 f/2.8 zoom, which I had never used before when shooting full frame. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing lens and I absolutely love the images, which do have that "3-D" look I've often read about. Yet as amazing as it is, I've come to realize for what I'm doing with stills and video, the 24-105 would have given me everything I needed and more at a significant cost and weight savings. I've been told wisdom must be learned and cannot be taught.
I think I know what you mean when I look back at my MFT 12-100 F4. If the situation was right in terms of lighting...and I kept my head about me when shooting..it never failed. Any failure was mine alone. I guess that is why you'd call it a system lens. I could by the system just for that one lens. Any other fast lenses...I could do just fine with the "cheap" F1.8's and I was always happy. Nice shot by the way. HCeers
Thanks for the link to the Day Of The Dead series. Smashingly good photos. True, you probably could have saved the $6K plus all the additional lens costs. But what’s the fun in that?
Exactly! Besides we just ended up burning handfuls of $20 bills in the fireplace last week to keep warm....
Did you get zapped by a $10K electric bill once the lights came back on?10
Enjoyed the Day of the Dead pics. I completely understand the 24-105 love; it stays glued to my S5. Now let's hope the forthcoming 70-300 is as good.
Hi Scott. Nope. We're on the City of Austin Power system. You have the option in Texas of paying a constant rate or choosing to go to a discounter/wholesaler offering a variable rate. In times of plentiful natural gas and no outages you'll save a bit of money going with a discounter/wholesaler like Griddy. But when the supplies go nuts you have no ceiling! No failsafe switch. Very little recourse to a nasty surprise in the billing.
We just got our bill from Austin Power on Saturday. It was a whopping $65 for the month. That's it. Less $ than the additional charges I paid to AT&T for running a non-wifi hot spot to keep Ben, Belinda and I online during a couple days of outages...
We've been with Austin Power for....decades. No surprises, no hidden billing trauma. Funny, Americans profess to be all about freedom of choice...until it bites them on the butt. There's no such thing as a free lunch.....
I was just being facetious with MM above when I made the comment about burning $20 for heat. The $10s burn just as well...
I'd think you'd burn $1 bills, but perhaps this is false economy if the btuh content of $10 and $20 are higher? And yes, we like our freedom of choice, but only when the outcome is in our favor.
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