North Island Holiday - Part Two

In my last post I introduced some images from a holiday my wife and I took recently to the North Island. Our destination for the first three days of our trip was Matarawa, just north of Greytown, in the Wairarapa. We had been invited to stay by my wife's Uncle Bill in the family homestead, where Uncle Bill (88yrs young) lives on land that has been in the family for generations. It's an idyllic, peaceful spot and a great place to unwind and relax.

Matarawa Sunrise. Panasonic Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. F/8 @ 1/100th, ISO 800

The first morning of what felt like the 'real' start to our holiday started bright and early with a magnificent sunrise. My wife woke me around 6.00am and suggested we might like to get outside with our cameras - right now! It was a beautiful sunrise, and an amazing way to start the photography aspect of the holiday. 

What I love about using the Panasonic S5 is its incredible ibis (in-body-image-stabilisation) and its fantastic low-light capabilities. With the full frame 24MP sensor I will happily crank the ISO up to 6400 if I have to without incurring any noise issues. Hand-holding shots at sunrise gives perfectly sharp results. I'm also amazed at the IQ I get from the 20-60mm 'kit' lens. Some say that it isn't the sharpest lens around, and while this may be true, my copy is plenty sharp for me!

Matarawa Morning. Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/400th, ISO 800

This is my favorite shot of that first morning. The light is just gorgeous! It was a beautiful location, with beautiful light, so we were spoilt for choice. Great images presented themselves wherever we looked. It really was a perfect way to start the holiday, and I was a bit worried that we had peaked before we'd even begun! (Spoiler alert, we hadn't).

Before going away my wife and I created an itinerary, so we could make the most of our time away and get to the places that interested us the most. With only two weeks away, and at a different place almost every day, we needed to be a bit targeted so we weren't spending time sitting around making decisions.

With this in mind, for our first day with Uncle Bill he had suggested taking us to Castle Point to see the lighthouse there. I'm a sucker for a good lighthouse, so was very keen. And even better, Uncle Bill insisted that he chauffer us so we could just sit back and relax. Sounded good to me.

Castle Point Lighthouse. Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/1250th, ISO 400

To say that we had a perfect day at Castle Point would be an understatement. The weather was simply amazing - the clouds were incredible - and the lighthouse was stunning. It's a short (but somewhat steep) walk up to the lighthouse, and there are several caution signs along the way that warn of dangerous high winds. As exposed as the lighthouse is, I can imagine it could get pretty fierce up there. We, however, had nothing but the very gentlest of breezes. Amazing.

I loved pretty much all the photos I took at Castle Point, but the above photo captures the place perfectly. Standing at 52 meters above sea level, it is the North Island's tallest lighthouse, and one of only two in New Zealand that is still lit by the original rotating fresnel lens. It's a truly impressive sight, and is super easy to get to, and to photograph.

The Shop - Castlepoint Store. Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/1600th, ISO 400

After spending an amazing couple of hours exploring and photographing the lighthouse, we drove back into Castlepoint village to have lunch. I noticed this sign on the side of the Castlepoint dairy and couldn't resist taking a photo. It's such a typical image of 'kiwiana' it could have been taken 50 years ago in the 1970s.

I love taking 'retro' images of old stuff (cars, buildings etc), and this would become a reoccurring theme throughout our holiday. We had our itinerary sorted out, but had given ourselves plenty of time for random stops along the way for photographic opportunities. Something I was very keen to make the most of.

Old barn, Tinui. Panasonic Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/200th, ISO 200.

On the way back to Matarawa, we passed through the little town of Tinui. The name comes from the Maori words 'ti' (cabbage tree) and 'nui' (many). It also claims (apparently falsely) to be the first locality to have had an ANZAC ceremony.

What it did have, was this very old barn that I simply had to take a photo of. As I said, this is my kind of photo. I love the rustic feel of these photos - the colours, the history, the sense of time, and also something of the sadness of these buildings that speak of a bygone era. I also just think they look cool...

Over the last couple of years (maybe even longer) I've been struggling with my photography - or more precisely my photography motivation. I haven't really been that bothered to get out and make images, and I felt that maybe a large part of this was familiarity breeding contempt?

After only one day on holiday in the Wairarapa, I had been pulled out of this 'funk' and felt completely re-energised photographically. In the space of about 10 hours I'd taken maybe some of the best photos I think I've ever taken. Matarawa Morning in particular is right up there with my favorite photos of all time! And some of the Castlepoint Lighthouse aren't too far behind!

Yes, I was 'lucky' with the light and the weather conditions, but it was also about being out with the camera, exploring new locations, and getting inspired by these fresh subjects. And this was just day one in the North Island...

Kodak Ultramax 400 film recipe for the X100

Ok, I lied.

Not on purpose mind you. I just changed my mind at the last minute.

In my last post, I ended it by saying that the next recipe I would program into the C3 position on the X100 and try out would be Kodak Tri-X. But then when I went to go out last evening to take some more photos (and walk the dog), the light so was nice that I changed my mind and went for a colour recipe instead... my attempt at Kodak Ultramax 400.

The path less travelled.
Fujifilm X100. f8 @ 1/300th, ISO 400. Kodak Ultramax 400 film recipe + Color Efex Pro 4 Grain

It's still a Kodak film recipe, and it still uses 400 as a base ISO, but that's where the similarities with Tri-X end. My Ultramax recipe is more punchy than the previous Agfa Optima recipe, but also uses Provia as a base. It uses 'Daylight' as the White Balance setting though, giving a slightly warmer tone to its images in certain lighting conditions.

Cabbage Tree
X100. f5.6 @ 1/50th, ISO 400 + grain

Kodak Ultramax 400 Recipe

Film base: Provia

Dynamic Range: 200

Colour: High

Sharpness: Soft

Highlight: Soft

Shadow: Standard

Noise reduction: Low

White Balance: Daylight

White Balance Shift: +1R, -1B

ISO: 400

The slightly warmer tones of the daylight white balance can be seen in the photo of the Cabbage Tree. Although the sun was fairly low in the sky during golden hour.

I have to say I'm really enjoying taking the X100 out with me in the evening on these photo walks. It's just so easy to carry around and use. It's also reinvigorating my picture taking, and I'm looking forward to getting out with a camera again.

So while I'm confessing my lies and changes of mind, I may as well 'fess up' and say that I am now considering 'tweaking' my one-camera, one-lens new year's resolution - maybe just for the month of February. Explanation incoming....

My wife and I are planning a North Island road trip for February this year - we've already booked the time off, the ferry to get us from the South to the North Island, and half of our accommodation. And in so much as I am loving the X100 (and I am), do I really want that to be the 'only' option I take away on holiday with me?

Cobden lagoon. X100. f8 @ 1/450th, ISO 400. Grain added in Nik Color Efex Pro 4

I'm not really suffering from analysis paralysis (honestly, I'm not) - but my wife and I don't get out much (this will only be our second holiday on our own in 27 years of marriage). I want to make sure that I'm well covered for most shooting opportunities - of which I hope there will be quite a few on this trip.

So I have decided to do one camera, one lens x2, and take the Fujifilm X100 and my Lumix S5 with the S20-60mm lens. When we are walking around cities and urban settings, just travelling from place-to-place and not necessarily concentrating on photography, then I will use the Fujifilm X100. Then, when I am going out to specifically take landscape photos, I will use the Lumix S5. Still one camera, one lens (kind of).

Overgrown. Fujifilm X100. f5.6 @ 1/30th, ISO 400. Kodak Ultramax 400 recipe + grain

Yeah, ok. Maybe it's 'cheating'? So what - sue me 😊 But I'd be crazy to leave the S5 behind. I still love the camera and the images it produces. It's the 'superior' landscape camera with its higher dynamic range full-frame 24MP sensor - even though the X100 is no slouch in the image department. But it can't really compete with the S5, and it's not really supposed to. They are two different systems designed for two different styles of shooting experience. And I plan on using them both as they were intended to be used on this trip away.

I'm also intending to continue playing around with the photo styles on the S5 - which does have a grain effect you can add in-camera. But I will shoot RAW + Jpeg on the S5, and only jpeg on the X100.

The path less travelled.
Kodak Ultramax 400 film recipe + Color Efex Pro 4 Grain/Tone

I thought I would end this post with a different edit of the first photo - just to show what is still possible with a Jpeg.

Yes, the processing is 'baked in' to the image when the photo is taken, but even jpegs have some latitude for post-processing. 

The editing was done very simply and easily with the photo editing app that comes standard with Microsoft Windows 11 and then finished off in the 'free' Nik Collections Color Efex Pro 4 (you can still find the download from Google for this on the interwebs).

To some extent it is about getting it right 'in-camera' when you take the photo (check the histogram to make sure you aren't blowing out the highlights). In extreme lighting conditions this often means letting the shadows go black. This isn't the end of the world, as some of this information is still recoverable - even in a jpeg. But as humans, we prefer to see details in the highlights and don't mind if the shadow detail remains fairly dark. This makes sense to us visually. 

My experimentation with the X100 continues, and I'm really enjoying it. I may also start to intersperse this with some more experimentation with the Lumix S5 picture styles, before going on my North Island trip in February. I'm very blessed to have two amazing cameras to use. And that's just what I intend to do.

Creating custom Photo Styles on the Lumix S5

In my last post I said that I was going to have a play around with making my own Photo Styles for my Panasonic Lumix S5 - a bit like the Fujifilm 'recipes'. When I shot with the Fujifilm E1 and E2 (excellent cameras and I rather miss them), I spent a lot of time creating my own film 'recipes' and then shooting them in either RAW + Jpeg, or sometimes even Jpeg only. I decided to try and replicate them in my S5, just to see how close I could get, and whether the results would be worth it or not.

For the colour styles, I wanted a classic film look (similar to the Classic Chrome film simulation of the Fuji's), as well as a more punchy 'Velvia' style. Above is my 'Classic Film' Style next to the Standard Panasonic picture profile, and my 'Velvia' next to the Vivid picture style that comes with the camera.

The 'Classic Film' style certainly has a slightly de-saturated film look compared to the Standard profile, since it's based on the L. Classic Neo photo style. My settings for the Classic Film look are:

Base: L Classic Neo

Contrast 0

Highlight 0

Shadow -4

Saturation +3

Hue +2

Grain Effect: Low

Colour Noise: On

Sharpness 0

Noise Reduction 0

For my Velvia photo style, I started with the Vivid base, and then ramped it up a bit more:
Base: Vivid
Contrast +2.5
Highlight 0
Shadows -1
Saturation +4
Hue -2
Sharpness +2
Noise Reduction -2

For the monochrome styles I wanted two contrasting styles - and these I've called Acros and Tri-X.

Acros is based on the standard Monochrome Picture style and is not a huge change, although it does add grain and a yellow filter. For my Acros style I used:

Base: Monochrome

Contrast 0

Highlight -1

Shadow +1

Tone 0

Filter: Yellow

Grain: Low

Sharpness +1

Noise Reduction +2.5

And for my grittier Tri-X style I used:

Base L. Monochrome D

Contrast +3

Highlights +1

Shadows -3

Tone 0

Filter: Red

Grin: High

Sharpness +1

Noise Reduction -2.5

Does the end justify the means? Is it worth all this fluffing about - especially when you can achieve all of these results with just the one RAW file in post?

If I'm honest, it's probably not really worth the hassle - and I basically came to the same conclusion when shooting Fujifilm. Unless you are a Jpeg shooter only, who wants their images to have a particular look and feel SOOC (straight out of camera). Then all this picture style stuff really does make sense.

The only picture style above that is markedly different from Panasonics own offerings is the gritty, contrasty Tri-X style. But even then, I discovered while playing around with picture styles that there are also 'Filters' that can be set as well (although not in conjunction with Picture Styles). Most are just gimmicky (sepia, fantasy, stars etc), but a couple of them might be worth using. Especially the Dynamic Monochrome which gives results like (you guessed it) Tri-X! 

I've got the above Picture Styles programmed in now, so I may as well keep them there. But will I shoot with them? Maybe. Just maybe....

OMG! - A Macro lens for my S5!

It's no secret that I've been struggling with photographic motivation over the last few years. My image production, and time spent out and about doing photography, has reduced insanely!

But if there is one genre that has pulled me slowly and inexorably back into the picture taking process, it's been fungi/macro photography.

Over the last two or three years, whenever I've posted on my blog (and no, dear reader, that hasn't been frequently), it's mostly been about macro/fungi photography. Therefore, not surprisingly, whenever I've gone out to take photos, it's to do fungi photography. I've even kept a Sony A99 around to shoot with because it has a specific 100mm macro lens. If I was going out fungi hunting I would leave my S5 at home, since I only had the 20-60mm 'kit' lens and standard 50mm f1.8.

That was, until very recently.

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art

I had always hoped that I would one day get an L-mount macro lens for my S5, but given the price of them, I thought that 'one-day' would be a long way off! I had been keeping an eye on the Panasonic 100mm macro lenses on the second-hand market here in NZ, and a good copy is going for around $1300.00NZ (and about $1850.00NZ new). Yikes!! Too rich for my blood!

Fortunately for the L-Mount system, Panasonic (and Leica) aren't the only game in town. Sigma is also part of the L-Mount alliance, and bring another option to the table. And with their 'Art' range of lenses Sigma produce some of the best lenses in the world. As a third-party manufacturer, they also tend to be 'slightly' cheaper than the maker's own lenses. The Sigma 105mm f/2.8, brand new, is around $1100.00NZ - some $700.00NZ cheaper than the Panasonic. This is definitely a savings, but still a lot of money for a poor boy like me.

But recently, while looking through a New Zealand second-hand photography Facebook group, I came across the bargain I had been waiting for. A used Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Art Macro L Mount lens, at a very reasonable price. It was, in fact, for about the same price I thought that I could get for the Panasonic GH3 kit that I had sitting around unused. I'd purchased the kit at the start of the year when I thought I was going be doing a lot of real estate videography, but this never actually happened (don't get me started).  

Long story short, I sold my GH3 kit to a local photographer, contacted the seller of the Sigma on Facebook, and a few days later I was the very excited owner of a mint/like-new 105mm macro lens! It would be a month later before I would have the chance to get out and shoot with it, and pickings were slim this time of the year, but I did manage to find some fungi to shoot in my local area.

Coal Creek Fungi. Lumix S5 and Sigma f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art. f/18 @ 0.5 sec, ISO 400

The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art is a beautiful lens -both in its construction and in the images it produces. It is packed with all the latest technology - as opposed to the Panasonic version which is very much a bare-bones offering. Both lenses have a focus limiter (fairly standard for macro lenses) and a MF/AF switch, but the Sigma also adds an AF lock button, an aperture ring, an aperture ring click switch and an aperture lock switch. The Sigma also has a dust and splash resistance structure, with water and oil repellant coatings.

Fade to Black. Lumix S5 with Sigma 105mm macro. f/11 @ 0.6sec, ISO 400.

Although it is a reasonably hefty lens at 715grams (over twice the weight of the Panasonic), it still balances well on the S5. The front half of the lens consists of a ribbed soft-grip to aid in manual focusing (important for a macro lens). The lower half is mostly smooth metal with aperture ring (yes, an actual aperture ring), and the aforementioned buttons. It's an elegant and practical design, making the lens a joy to use.

As well as being twice the weight of the Panasonic, it is also twice the height, especially with the provided lens hood attached. Despite this, the front element filter size is smaller than the Lumix offering (64mm for the Sigma and 67mm for the Panasonic). This, for me, is the only unfortunate thing with the Sigma. It would have been ideal if the filter thread was the same as the Panasonic so that I would only have to carry one set of filters. I do, however, already have a 64mm polariser - which is probably the only filter I'll need to use on a macro lens - so in the end its not a huge issue.

Stand out from the Crowd. Lumix S5 with Sigma 105mm. f/18 @ 1/6th sec, ISO 400.

As a first outing with the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art lens, I'm very happy (ecstatic) with my purchase. From the moment I got the S5 and decided it would be my 'forever' camera, I've wanted to get a macro lens for it. I thought it would take me a lot longer than this to get one if I'm honest, so I am very grateful that the planets aligned and I was able to make it happen sooner.

I've still got a few technical 'tweaks' I want to make to the S5 when shooting macro images (I'm not sure I've set it up to make optimal use of the manual focusing aids the camera has to offer), but I've got a couple more months to get this sorted before fungi season really kicks in. 

At least my first outing with the lens was a great success! Bring on autumn and more fungi fun!

Playing with aspect ratios on the S5.

For most of my photography 'career' I've been a fairly traditional shooter. By that I mean I don't tend to make much use of the technology that is built into todays cameras. There aren't all that many settings that I change or play around with on a regular basis. Growing up a film shooter, I tend to just focus on aperture, shutter speed and composition. I don't even really move my ISO around that much (mostly using the lowest native ISO setting the camera has).

Rapahoe Pier Structure. Lumix S5 with S20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/100th, ISO 100

Now having just said all that, I'm also not a luddite! I use image stabilisation as a matter of course, and will change the ISO if and when I need to. When I owned Fuji I spent endless hours playing around with film simulations. And of course, I shoot in RAW so I can get the best out of my images during post-processing. But usually, that's about it.

I've said on numerous occasions that I'm not a video guy, and would be more than happy if camera releases came in two flavors - with, or without video. My S5, although now 'old' by digital camera standards, has video features that I will never use. It is, in fact, by all accounts, still an amazing camera for video shooters - being predominantly designed with video shooters in mind (according to the hip on-line hybrid content creators). I don't care. Didn't buy it for its video capabilities - obviously. Because it is also - for all its video centric capabilities - a damn fine 'camera' for photography. Who'd have guessed?

Magick is Real. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/50th, ISO 100

In terms of photography-centric features, the S5 has a few that interest me slightly - and that I will 'play around with' from time to time. One of those is the high-res mode, which takes the 24MP sensor and turns it into a 60+MP monster! This does have some limitations - the camera must be on a tripod, and the scene you are photographing must largely be static (landscapes and not portraits). 

Do I really need 60+MP images to deal with? I suspect the answer is no. In fact I know that the answer is no. But hey, fun to 'play' with - right?

And maybe going out with your camera to 'play' with settings you don't normally shoot with, can be a door back into shooting with your camera a bit more? A bit of a spark to kick-start the creative juices again?

That's how it was for me the other evening when I found myself at a local beach and I decide to play around with aspect ratios.

Rapahoe Xpan. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/60th, ISO 100. 65:24 aspect ratio

I was watching a review of the S5 on youtube the other night (as you do), and the reviewer mentioned that the camera could shoot in the 65:24 'Xpan' ratio. I kind of knew this already, but hadn't given it much thought. But as I stood in front of a dilapidated pier structure at Rapahoe Beach, stretching out across the sand, I suddenly remembered about the panoramic aspect ratio of the Xpan. This, I thought to myself, would make a perfect subject for it. And I was right.

I really like the above image, and the subject works perfectly in this aspect ratio. Once I switched the camera's aspect ratio over to 65:24 and could 'see' in this format, it was a hell of a lot of fun trying to compose using the wide field of view.

Not that I don't think the subject doesn't work in the S5's native 3:2 aspect ratio - see the first image in this post. But it's undeniably 'fun' and then undeniably challenging, to compose for a totally different field of view.

Something fishy. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/5.6 @ 1/50th, ISO 100. 1:1. Mono conversion

Once I had started exploring the possibilities of other aspect ratios, I started looking for compositions that would fit a particular framing. As an ex-medium format film shooter, I have a love-hate relationship with the 1:1 square format. When I was using medium format almost exclusively, I often struggled with composing in the square format. But every now and again I'll come across a subject and I'll 'see' it as a square image.

I saw the above image of the washed-up fish on the beach not only as a square 1:1 composition, but also as a monochrome photo. I have also added a little film grain when I processed the final image in Camera RAW, to give that familiar film-look. Might not be everyone's cup-of-tea, but I like it.

Standing Tall. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/8 @ 1/80th, ISO 100. 1:1 aspect ratio

Of course the square format also works well for colour. The above image reminds me of the colour rendition of Kodak Ektar 100 medium format film. Has that 'look' with the overall green and blue hues. It's actually very faithful to the scene, and I love the colours coming from the S5's sensor. Even the RAW files look pretty good and don't need a lot of punch added in post.

All in a Row. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/9 @ 1/40th, ISO 100

I had a lot of fun shooting in various different aspect ratios during the evening, and it did inspire me to keep shooting and find some interesting compositions. But, because I shoot in RAW mode, the aspect ratio I chose to use in-camera isn't set in stone like it would be if I was shooting jpeg. All of the images imported into Lightroom as a normal 3:2 ratio that makes use of the whole image sensor. The aspect ratio is a crop attached in the metedata. So it can be changed or removed at any stage.

So what's the point in shooting with different aspect ratios if you can just crop later on in post? Good question, and I've asked this myself. And I guess there's two parts to the answer. First, as mentioned above, if you are shooting in jpeg mode, then the aspect ratio (crop) is locked in to your final image. So any final jpeg images straight from camera will be as you saw it through the viewfinder.

Second, it's that 'play' aspect - and also the pre-visualisation - that happens when you are composing with the actual crop through the viewfinder. It's a bit like shooting monochrome on a digital camera. If you shoot RAW, then the monochrome setting is just attached metadata - the colour information is still retained in the original file. But the great thing is that you 'see' in monochrome through the viewfinder. I can't stress enough what a massive help this is when learning to shoot black and white images. Suddenly it's not 'theory' anymore, but actual visual feedback.

Have you shot in different aspect ratios in your camera? Do you even know where to go to change them? If you haven't, then go ahead and have a play. It's a lot of fun. It can also be a very helpful compositional aid. And if you shoot in RAW mode, then no harm - no foul. You can always undo what your clever camera has done.

Is there life after Adobe?

John Lennon once sang that 'the best things in life are free' (yes, I know it's an old Motown song, but I grew up with the Beatles version). He then, however, went on to say that he'd rather have money. And I'm sure that this is a sentiment shared by most in the west today.

Don't get me wrong, I need money just as much as the next person. But with the price of living sky-rocketing, I also need to be careful how I spend it. Which is a long(ish) way of saying that I've decided to end a couple of my software subscriptions.

One of these just happens to be Adobe's photography subscription which gives you Lightroom and Photoshop. It's actually pretty good value to be fair. But it's still a monthly subscription, and I still can't afford it. 

So of course, that means that I start looking around for alternatives. FREE alternatives. Yeah - right! But hang on a minute. There actually are some very good, open-source, free alternatives to Lightroom and Photoshop. And it turns out they are actually very - very good. 

Raw Therapee 5.9 Catalogue interface.

The first one I downloaded was Raw Therapee - an Adobe Lightroom alternative with a very similar look and feel to Lightroom. The one (major) advantage that Raw Therapee has over Lightroom is that it doesn't require you to set up a catalogue. Instead it simply accesses the images from your hard drive and uses the file structure you already have.

You can key-word, tag, compare and stack images, just like in Lightroom, and the thumbnails can display a good amount of shooting information (or none). Speed is very good, since there's not a catalogue to slow things down, and if you've used Lightroom, you should feel right at home with Raw Therapee.

Raw Therapee 5.9 Editor interface.

Double-clicking a thumbnail in the File Browser loads the Raw file into Raw Therapee's Image Editor. And BTW, it reads the Raw files from my Lumix S5 with absolutely no issues.

Again, anyone with even a limited knowledge of Lightroom will feel at home in Raw Therapee. All the slider controls are on the right side of the screen, and are all arranged in a mostly obvious order. Which is a good thing. Because there are a LOT of controls. Which is also a good thing. Although it may mean a bit of a learning curve - especially for newbie photographers. But stick at it if you are considering trying a free Raw processing programme, because Raw Therapee is incredibly powerful and you will be richly rewarded with first-class results. Amazing for FREE software!

A quick tip for anyone who is new to Raw image processing and is thinking about giving Raw Therapee a go - use the 'Auto levels' button in the Exposure tab. There's no shame in it, and it will get you in the right ball-park immediately (very much like the same button in Lightroom will).

Buoyed by my overall positive impressions of Raw Therapee, I decided to download another free, open-source image conversion software that I'd heard a lot about - Darktable.

Darktable 4.4.2 Image Browser (Lighttable)

If Raw Therapee reminded me of Lightroom from a few versions ago (and it did), Darktable upped the ante even more - reminding me of a somewhat more up-to-date Lightroom. Again, navigation is easy and logical, with a plethora of options when it comes to key-wording and image tagging.

Moving into the editing (Darkroom) section is as straight forward as double-clicking on a thumbnail - and again, as with Raw Therapee, speed is decent because it works off of your already created computer file system. Whenever you make changes to the Raw file, it simply adds a sidecar .xmp file to note the changes. So just like Lightroom, it is 100% non-destructive (as is Raw Therapee).

Darktable 4.4.2 'Darkroom' module. Look familiar at all?

Of the two (Darktable vs Raw Therapee), Darktable seems the more feature-packed - but also comes with a slightly steeper learning curve? I've watched a few Darktable tutorials on the interwebs, and the features and explanations can get pretty complex. But I also find Darktable to be the programme I gravitate towards - maybe because I am a fairly experienced Adobe user, and Darktable is the more modern Lightroom-like of the two. 

Having said that, both programme are absolutely amazing. And well worth the money.

Yes, that's a joke. Because remember folks, both of these programmes are absolutely FREE! Gratis. Nada. Zilch. Mind officially blown!

Arthur's Pass Viaduct, Developed in Darktable. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. f/10 @ 1/100th, ISO 100

I've been an Adobe Lightroom user since version one. And was an Apple Aperture user before that. I love the Adobe Lightroom interface - but I don't love the monthly bill. With the price of living ever-increasing, it's hard to justify yet another monthly subscription charge. Something has to give. And as someone who doesn't make a living from his photography, a monthly subscription to Lightroom (especially when I haven't been shooting all that much over the last year), was an obvious choice to let-go.

I may be struggling financially, but I'm also not crazy! I do need a Raw conversion programme of some description. But to be honest, I hadn't really taken the open-source (free) programmes very seriously. I mean they are Free after all, so how good could they be - right?

Fortunately for me (and you), it turns out they can be good. Very, very good. Maybe even (dare I say it) as good as (if not in some areas maybe even better than) Adobe Lightroom.

Is there a bit of wishful thinking and self-delusion involved in all of this because I want them to be as good as Lightroom? Maybe. But I don't really think so. Having downloaded and 'played' around with both open-source programmes, I have been super impressed.

I still have a lot to learn, and am riding the learning curve at the moment. But even that gives me hope. Because neither Raw Therapee or Darktable are 'simplistic' versions of Lightroom, dumbed-down for the masses. Oh contraire. They are both fully-fledged Raw conversion programmes that are serious contenders for the best software out there - money aside. 

So do yourself a favour. Download both and give them a go. You might just find that the Beatles were right. The best things in life might really be free!?

Setting up the Lumix S5 for stills photography

I've had a couple of forays out with my new Panasonic Lumix S5 and have gradually been setting it up for my shooting style.

The S5 has 3 custom dials (although you can set up to 13 shooting styles since C3 has slots for 10 different variations), and I have programmed all 3. I don't usually use Custom modes (in fact I don't think I ever have), but since this was a brand-new camera, and the option was there, I thought 'why not'?

Waterways. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. F/8 @ 1/2sec, ISO 100

There are certain settings I change on all cameras as soon as I get them. First things first - the autofocus confirmation 'beep' gets turned off! Then the file format is set to RAW (I seldom bother with RAW+Jpeg), and the control dial is set to 'A' (aperture priority). I'm shooting a lot in M (manual) now too, but for casual shooting I stick with 'A'.

Then it's a matter of tweaking the rest of the buttons and dials to work how I like them to. And fortunately, with most of todays cameras, there isn't a dial or a button that can't be reprogrammed! I do, however, try to keep it as simple as possible and I don't go changing all the buttons functions.

The Lumix S5 is a great camera to reprogramme, since it allows you to name each custom setting with something that makes sense to you (and not just CS1, CS2 etc). I have called CS1 'General Photography' and CS2 'Landscape Tripod'. Pretty self-explanatory, don't you think!? The CS3 setting (with 10 extra slots for different variations) I've kept for 'fun' at the moment, and have programmed some black and white settings. In this post I'll just concentrate on the CS1 and CS2 settings - the two I will use most often.

Old Mine Site. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. F/11 @ 1/15thsec, ISO 100

For both CS1 and CS2, I have them set up in Aperture Priority, to start with an aperture of f/8 and an ISO of 100. Because I'm working in A mode, the front dial is set to choose the aperture, the back dial is set to change the exposure compensation, and the real control wheel is set to change ISO. When (and if) I switch to M mode (manual), the exposure compensation rear wheel changes to controlling shutter speed. So with the two top control wheels, and the rear control dial, I have the exposure triangle instantly accessible.

Also, and very importantly, I have 'Constant Preview' set to ON! This is set to OFF by default (don't ask me why), and means that if you're changing the exposure you won't see the effect in real-time in the viewfinder! If you want to see what is happening when you change exposure values, make sure 'Constant Preview' is set to ON.

You will also need to enable the histogram to appear in the viewfinder as well - which is also OFF by default!? The great thing about the histogram in the S5 is that you can place it wherever you choose within the frame (I have it bottom right). Very cool.

The level gauge in the viewfinder is on by default. I find it somewhat annoying so turn it off. This is easy to do by simply hitting the 'back arrow' button on the camera body - which will toggle between the level gauge being on or off when in live view.

For the CS1 'General Photography' setting, I have picture mode on 'Normal'. This gives me a fairly good indication of how the RAW file is going to look. For my CS2 'Landscape Tripod' setting, I have the picture mode set to Landscape. This gives me punchier colours and helps me visualise what my final, processed image might look like.

In CS1 I have single autofocus area (centre) and single shot mode activated. For CS2 I have the self-timer automatically set for 2 seconds, and I have the Image Stabilisation turned OFF (it's turned ON for my CS1 general photography setting). In CS2 Landscape Tripod mode, I also have the 'touch to focus' screen activated (it's turned OFF in CS1).

The Blue Men. Lumix S5 with 20-60mm. F/8 @ 1/80th, ISO 6400

I hope that's not too confusing? Basically in Landscape Tripod mode I have IS OFF (because the camera is on a tripod), 2 second self timer, and touch to focus activated.

As mentioned earlier, you can 'tweak' the camera to your heart's content. But the more you fiddle and change, the more you need to remember what you changed it too! So I try to keep the fiddling to a minimum - just changing the parameters that make sense for what I'm trying to achieve with my images.

Of course none of this relates to video - this is purely a stills-centric setup. As much as the S5 is a film-making beast, I will never use the video. Video is there because we demand it (apparently). I'd be more than happy if it wasn't included, but there you are. That's progress I guess.

There are other settings I could mention, but really they come down to personal preference. You can, for instance, change the direction of the dials as they relate to moving the settings, tell the camera what to do for both card slots, set up auto ISO, control AF magnification, change photo gridlines, focus peaking colours - the list goes on, and is practically endless. 

Which is why I have only changed a few parameters so far, and I live with them for a while. Then, when I'm out in the field actually taking photos and I think - "I wish I could change/add this...", that's when I know I need to dig back into the menu and add this functionality to my custom settings.

So the custom mode settings are used somewhat fluidly, and can be changed or added to over time. But I think I'm fairly set now with my C1 'General Shooting' and C2 'Landscape Tripod' custom modes.

If you haven't set up the custom modes on your camera before then give them a try. They speed-up the shooting process considerably. Just make sure you can remember what you re-programmed all those buttons and dials to do!

My new 'forever' camera system

In my last post I discussed my struggles recently with the Sony system. More specifically the A-mount system. I won't go over this again (read my last few posts) - needless to say I had decided it was time to move on to something else. Something 'new'.

And this time, when I say 'new' I actually mean it. In the past on this blog, when I have changed systems and introduced my 'new' camera, it's always been placed in inverted commas. 'New' has meant 'new - for me', but second-hand in reality. And I can't say that I've had a brilliant run with used camera equipment in the last year.

I'm not going to draw this out too long (you'll be pleased to know) - other than to say that I did do some serious thinking, and a bit of research to try and figure out what my 'forever' camera should be. But in the end, as is often the case (weirdly), the decision was almost made for me. How so?

I had a good idea of the features I wanted, if I was going to stick with this camera/system for the rest of my life (yes, you heard that right). And to be fair, my list wasn't long. I really don't have a large wish-list of must-haves - especially if you take video out of the equation altogether (which I do). Several brands could have quite easily have fit the bill.

And then a post came through my Facebook page from Photo & Video in Christchurch. And I had 'found' my forever camera and system. They were (and still currently are as I write this) having a fantastic deal on the Panasonic Lumix S5 with 20-60mm (almost $1k off the price) - while stocks last!

Panasonic Lumix S5 with 20-60mm f3.5/5.6

To be honest, I didn't know all that much about the Lumix S5. I'm not even sure I knew it existed! The Lumix S1 had vaguely been on my radar a few years ago when Panasonic launched it - but it wasn't a camera - or a system - that I'd taken much notice of. It was a) full frame, b) big and heavy, and c) didn't have many lenses available for the system.

But that was about four years ago, and the system has grown since then. Panasonic have addressed all of the above issues during that time. The S5 is smaller and lighter than the S1, is still full frame, and the lens lineup has grown substantially. This has been helped by the S series being built around the Leica 'L' mount, and the establishment of the 'L' Alliance between Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. With all three companies producing lenses for the system, the line-up has trebled almost overnight! That's great news for anyone looking to 'invest' in the Lumix S full-frame system.

And if that wasn't enough, the S5 itself is an absolute beast of a camera (in terms of specs). It is mentioned, and reviewed, favourably - up against the likes of the Sony a7iii, Canon R6 and Nikon Z6. Of course Lumix are well known as a video brand, and as such the S5 is crammed with seriously impressive video specs (including built-in vlog). But since I'm only interested in it as a stills camera, those are really the specs that interest me. And the S5 doesn't disappoint. 

For a start, it has a fantastic 24MP full-frame sensor with dual ISO (whatever that is!?), amazing low-light image quality and 14+ stops of dynamic range! It has dual card slots (one UH1 and one UHII), Live Composite Mode, High Res Shooting Mode (for a 96MP image), Image Stacking, Intervalometer, Face and Animal Focus/Tracking, and a host of other features I'll probably never use. Although it uses contrast detection AF, Panasonic have mastered this for stills photography, and the AF is as fast and as accurate as any other system on the market. Once I'd read the specs on the S5, and watched a few review videos on Youtube, I couldn't order one fast enough!

But first things first - I needed to convince my wife that we should be buying me a brand new camera!

Moana Sunrise. First image shot on my Lumix S5 with 20-60mm lens. f/11 @ 1.3secs, ISO 100

I've been writing this blog for over 15 years now, and I've stopped counting the number of times I've changed camera gear. In numerous posts I've written about my latest purchase being 'the one' - only to change to something else six months later. Anyone could be forgiven for rolling their eyes when I claim that 'this is the one'. But my wife, who has followed along on this journey with me, has more reason than most to be sceptical. So when I sat her down and proposed that we buy me a brand new 'forever' camera, I could completely understand (and was expecting) her scepticism.

But to her great credit, she did listen. And she did understand my frustration at the second-hand gear woes I had been having. She doesn't understand all the techy jargon I throw at her, but she does appreciate my knowledge and enthusiasm for all things photographic. So in the end, she said 'yes' (thanks honey), and I purchased the camera on-line that evening.

Lake Brunner Reflection. Lumix S5 with Lumix S 20-60mm. f/11 @ 5 secs, ISO 100

Is her support misplaced? Am I going to change my mind in six months time?

No, I'm not. Unequivocally. And here's why... 

I've been a serious photographer for over 35 years. And in that time, I've purchased maybe four cameras brand-new. My first was the Canon T70 - my first film camera. The second was the Canon EOS 10, which I purchased new after trading in all my manual focus Canon gear once they had changed their lens mount to the EF auto focus technology. My third was the Nikon D70 when I moved (eventually) from film to digital. And my last brand-new camera purchase was the Canon 5D. 

I loved the 5D, and would probably still be using it (or have upgraded to the Mk2/3/4) were it not for the fact that it developed a circuit board problem. Although to be fair, even that statement is somewhat disingenuous, since the 5D isn't a mirrorless system. And I have, for a very long time, been an advocate for mirrorless cameras. So in fairness, my change to mirrorless was inevitable. But that's also the point...

Whenever I have purchased a new camera, it has been at a pivotal moment in technology, and I have moved with the times (eventually). The T70 was replaced by the EOS10 when Canon switched to autofocus. The Nikon D70 was brought when I moved from film to digital. And the 5D was purchased when digital cameras finally went to full-frame sensors. I've never purchased a new mirrorless camera. The closest I got was with the Olympus OMD-EM-5Mk2. And I wanted to love that camera. I really did. But in the end, it was too small and fiddly, and really not for me.

Mt.Te Kinga, Moana. Panasonic S5 with Lumix S 20-60mm. f/11 @ 1/25th, ISO 100

The Panasonic Lumix S5 is my first - and last - brand new mirrorless camera. And I do say this with utmost confidence. I have thought for a few years now that cameras - at least if you are primarily concerned with stills photography - have seriously peaked. Manufacturer's just don't make bad cameras anymore. Period. I honestly believe that camera technology for the stills photographer has plateaued. To the point where 'what' camera you buy if you are a general (travel/landscape/portrait) stills photographer has basically become irrelevant.

Does that mean manufacturers will stop adding new features to their cameras? No, of course not. But most, if not all, of the 'new' features will be 'fluff'. Heck, most of the upgraded features on cameras for the last five years could be considered fluff. Nice to have, but fluff. In a recent review video I watched for the new Canon R8, at the end of the video the reviewer said that he hated reviewing modern cameras. Because they are just all brilliant. They all have everything that 99% of photographers will ever need.

Which is why I can say, with the utmost confidence, that the Panasonic Lumix S5 will be the only camera I will ever need. And, barring accidents or malfunction (please no), it will be the camera I will use for the rest of my life! There, I've said it.

Andersonia. Panasonic Lumix S5 with S 20-60mm. f/8 @ 160th, ISO 100

I'm 56 this year (don't tell anyone). God willing and if my eyesight holds up, I may have another 30 years of taking photos left in me? The S5 should last 30 years (I've got a Nikon D70 that is coming up for 20 years old and still takes great images) all things being equal. But even if I get 20 years of solid work out of it (I'm no longer a heavy shooter) I'll consider that a win.

As you can see from this post, I have already been out on my first shoot with the S5. And very successful it was too - as can be seen in the images. The full-frame 24MP sensor is fantastic, the lens is sharp and contrasty - with a great range for travel/landscape photography, and the body controls and ergonomics are a joy to use. Can I finally say I've found my mirrorless home? Yes, I think I can.