New Toy-First Images

My iPhone 4S arrived today.  I was able to activate it right from iTunes...cool.  My first impressions of the camera are quite favorable.  It's clear and it's fast.

A favorite Camera App is ClearCam which takes 4 shots quickly, analyzes them and saves the sharpest.  With the 4S, ClearCam takes and analyzes 6 shots in exactly the same amount of time.  The images are larger, 8MB and they appear to be sharper as well.  Not bad for a sensor which is probably about the size of a grain of rice.

Mixing Processes

In the midst of an otherwise gloomy-stormy week we had a brief 10 minute blue sky window.  The fact that it was sunset made for a dramatic sky.  I took a handful of iPhone images which I am working now but also grabbed a shot with my new toy, the Lumix G2.

I processed the image with Film Lab, an Aperture plug-in made by DxO Labs.  The resulting image, an Ektachrome simulation, I sent to my iPad and processed in the App PhotoForge 2.  I like the results.

G.A.S attack

Friend and fellow iPhone Photographer, John Barclay writes in his blog about a newly acquired, used Nikon D-300.  I have to admit to a rush of Gear Acquisition Syndrome myself...GAS attack.

After numerous "conversations" with photographer Chris Eastwood I followed his lead and purchased a used Panasonic G series micro 4/3 camera.

I have been on a steadfast path to smaller and smaller cameras ending with the best yet...the iPhone.  There are however a few things I miss about a larger camera.  Isolation of subject via narrow focus is perhaps what I miss the most.  Another thing I seem to need more and more often is a viewfinder.   Small cameras are terrific and getting terriffic-er all the time but having everything in focus all the time isn't always an advantage.  Also for the once or perhaps twice a year I need a long lens...this will work. 

At any rate, the tendency of digital equipment to see it's cost evaporate rather quickly worked in my favor.  I found a used G-2 for sale through B&H a trustworthy outfit.  The plan was (is) to use my Nikon lenses but B&H also gave me a $100 discount on a lens, so I picked up a pretty sweet f1/7 20mm pancake lens for $249...the same price as the camera body.  Good lenses seem to always hold their value.

The camera arrived the other day and I don't think it's ever been out of the box...it's not used at all, still had the manufacturer's registration/warranty card...sweet.

It doesn't fit into my shirt pocket but it does fit quite easily into a jacket pocket...and as we wear jackets 9 or 10 months a year up here there's always a pocket available.

Some images:  size comparison with my iPhone and my Canonet 17, a small film camera...and a few shots from the G2.

iPhone image

 Canonet, Tri-X image

iPhone image

G2 images