Regular readers of my musings will have followed my journey into the world of point and shoot cameras over the last twelve months, with many of my recent blog entries centered around the Lumix LX5 and Lx7 cameras and the Canon S95, G11 and G12.
As my collection has grown, there are certain cameras that are going to be left behind, a case of too many cameras and too little time, or another opportunity for a photo project where perhaps I just use one camera for a month? (with my collection as it is, this project would take over a year to complete!)
One such camera in question is my Sony RX100 which I acquired in July of this year and took for its first outing to the seaside at Budleigh Salterton.
The single image that features for this post is one of my favourites from that shoot, which has prompted me to ensure the Sony will be used more over the next week or so, when I have a few days off from work and more opportunity to get out and take photos.
Tag: Digicam
More from the LX5
Without doubt, the LX5 has become a favourite among my collection of vintage compact cameras, nearly always finding a spot in my camera bag on weekend shoots and often in my daily carry bag for work.
I had started today with my Lumix GX8 and Olympus 12-40 pro lens, for its weather proofing, given that the start to todays outing was slightly damp.
I took a few shots along the Exeter quayside with this combo but as the rain ceased, out came the LX5 for what I had thought would be a few shots but turned out that I would shoot with this one for the rest of the morning.
In terms of image quality the GX8 wins hands down over the LX5 but there is just something about the ‘5’ that makes me want to use it, so I do just that.
Some may suggest that the older CCD sensor has a ‘filmic’ quality which is why digicams have had such a resurgence, others say that the collaboration with Leica for the fixed lens makes it such a good camera, both are compelling arguments but for me, it is the fun I get in using this little pocket rocket.
Twelve months of digicams
This is a post I never thought I would be writing this time last year, I had just dipped my toes into the world of retro digicams with the purchase of a Canon S95 compact camera, a camera I thought I would use now and again, then after the curiosity value had faded, it would end up in a box or cupboard, rarely seeing the light of day again.
How wrong could I be, with this initial purchase justified as a ‘phase’ the collection has grown somewhat over the last year, as the phase has become something bordering on obsession!
For this post however, it will be to celebrate my humble S95 and how it still finds its way into my camera bag.
There are many videos and discussions about the early generation digital cameras that sport the ‘ccd’ sensor, the precursor to the cheaper CMOS sensor used in most cameras these days, the ’95’ has the ccd and I think there is something about the colour rendering that digicam fans really like, myself included.
It was not my intention to walk the same route with the S95 as I had for it’s first outing, that was a case of pure serendipity but I am glad I did, if only for the sight of three kingfishers darting to and fro in a blur of bright blue and orange, too fast to capture with the camera but locked away in my mind as one of natures gifts. a memory to treasure.
Even the weather was similar to that first shoot, skies of blue and still waters on the Exe, creating some lovely reflections.
Of course the ’95’ is not perfect but is any camera?
It is a camera that I have learned to use with the restrictions that a smaller sensor brings but for me the flaws are outweighed by just how much fun it has been to experience that learning curve and return to taking good old fashioned snapshots.
It is fair to say that I have taken some of my favourite shots this year, with this camera and others in my collection, simply by virtue of having them with me most, if not all of the time.
A morning stroll with the LX5
In my last blog post, I mentioned that I have started to take myself out of my comfort zone in my photography and I did so again on my latest photo walk.
More often than not, there will be a compact camera in my bag, backed up with another micro four thirds camera body and a prime lens, the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 being a big favourite.
For this walk, I wanted to see what I could get with just my Lumix LX5, removing the dilemma of which gear to use on a particular shot, as so often becomes the case.
I did allow myself the luxury of the optional filter adaptor, as I have not tried long exposures with a compact camera before, besides which, the filters barely took up any space in my camera bag anyway.
The LX5 is the perfect tool for keeping to my square format project, the dedicated aspect ratio dial is much better than having to dig into camera menus, for me dials are king!
In the not too distant past, I would never have seen myself enjoying my photography this much with an old point and shoot camera, a big part of me wanting to have the latest gear, and too big a part of me wanting to be seen with it.
One of the other advantages of a smaller camera, is the fact that I will happily have it in my hand for the entirety of my walk, there is no weight to it at all, so it is always ready for another shot.
Knowing that I had only the LX5 actually gave me a sense of freedom, rather than restriction, my mind was set to compose the shot with the single camera, either I took the shot or I didn’t, simple.
More often than not I did, with an almost equal measure of colour and black and white images, I may have mentioned on more than one occasion that I love the black and white colour profile on the ‘5’.
In the last few months my outings with my collection of digicams have been mostly around my home city of Exeter, but the coming months will become a little less manic in work terms, allowing some time off and trips further afield.
A grey day in August – Perfect!
It’s a Saturday morning but I have a few hours of overtime at work to do before I can get out with my camera and get a few more frames in the bag with my square format project.
I have packed my Lumix LX7 in my rucksack, so I am good to go, once I am back in town, even though it will only be an hour or so, I’m looking forward to finding a few images of my home city again.
I really like the monochrome profiles from the LX5 and LX7, so much so that I am happy to shoot Jpeg, the small sensor digicams add grain and noise that for me, look better than in post editing, it also saves time being sat in front of a PC monitor.
For most of the morning it has rained, as I arrive back in town, the rains have cleared but a thick cloak of grey remains above, perfect for my needs today!
My favourite from today is the old bus station yard, I deliberately set an ISO of 400 to increase the grain and noise to give a gritty feel to the scene, not to everybody’s taste but I am enjoying experimenting.
Post editing consists only of straightening and exposure adjustments if needed and a frame added on a selected few.
Keeping the habit.
In autumn last year I posted a blog about always carrying a compact camera of some description while travelling to and from work during the week.
Through the autumn months, I took plenty of images of the changing colours as I walked through local parks and public gardens, from mid November the Christmas markets, were easy fodder, food stalls, vibrant displays of Christmas decorations adorning the many and varied stalls.
January will always be more of a challenge, often grey wet days do their best to deter my short impromptu photography walks but today I was determined to buck the trend and attempt to keep the habit going.
My bus journey from work takes me to St, David’s station, from there my walk home takes around 15 minutes, it is this area of my home city that I decide to capture a few frames of what to me is familiar ground but trying to capture the grey bleakness of a January afternoon.
The images were taken with my Canon s95, one of my bargain purchases last year but a camera I often reach for on my daily commute and a camera that is just fun to use.
Sidmouth in November
A sunny Friday in November, the perfect recipe for a seaside photo walk in the East Devon town of Sidmouth.
If ambling around the coast in the off season months is a pleasure, that pleasure is twofold when it is before the weekend, almost as though it’s an exclusive members only club.
With my Canon S95 taking a day off, I use the Lumix LX5 for many of today’s shots, I love using this camera with its multi aspect ratio switch, where I choose to shoot a good few 1:1 square images alongside the usual 4:3.
The more I use these compact cameras, the more I am amazed at how good they are and just how much enjoyment I get in using them, they have become the latest chapter in my photographic journey.
A new habit
Since delving into the world of almost forgotten camera gear, I am pleasantly surprised at how much fun I am having using small sensor compact cameras, so much so that my Canon S95 has found a spot on a regular basis in my take to work rucksack.
Knowing I have a camera with me at all times on my travels, means that I have developed a habit of walking a more circuitous route back home from work, in the hope of taking a few shots on an almost daily basis,keeping the photographic eye and mind in good shape for my lengthier weekend outings.
My preference for early morning sunrises have become my comfort zone, to the extent that I rarely seem to shoot later in the day but it is time to shed that skin and develop new habits, however short these more spontaneous photo outings are.
I managed about twenty or so shots on my way back home today, I have picked six that show the everyday things that catch my eye.
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