THE PIT OF KNOWLEDGE

Panasonic Lumix GF1 vs GF2 Comparison

2011-04-14T03:40:00.000-07:00

I recently bought the Lumix GF2, after using the GF1 for about a year. Here is my comparison between the two cameras.

I prefer the Lumix GF series because of the size (The best camera is the one you bring, etc….), but after I had the GH2 a little while, the video performance of the GF1 (not hacked) was grainy in comparison. With the GF2 it’s less noise and the sound recording is much better. The low light video recording performance is especially improved.

I have always been very satisfied with the GF1 photo quality with RAW, and the GF2 is basically the same. I do miss the one Jpeg setting I really liked on the GF1, the B&W Dynamic which was great. Hope they bring the setting back in a firmware update (not likely) or a later camera.

Molde Landscape, GF2 jpeg, 14-140mm @95, f/10.0, 1/800

(Click images for larger version)

The camera is 19% smaller than the GF1, which feels more than I thought it would. The size can be very handy and easy to bring, but it feels too small with a bigger zoom lens. It works fine when I add the viewfinder though.

Molde Landscape, GF2 jpeg, 14-140mm @41, f/13.0, 1/640

I don’t miss the mode dial from the GF1 and the touch screen functions are nicely implemented, the touch to focus is also a nice addition. The GF2 is also much cheaper than the GF1 was on release.

Molde Landscape, GF2 jpeg, 8mm Fisheye, f/8.0, 1/500

I believe the iterative improvements to the GF2 were not what many expected it to be. Especially the use of the same sensor and the inclusion of a touch screen reminded many of their dislike for the NEX.

I think the improvements made a great camera even better, I even got a good friend of mine into the m43 format (he bought my GF1). So now I have one more photo discussion partner.

Panasonic Lumix GF1 VS GH2

2011-01-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

I have been impressed with my GF1 camera over the last year, so in December I decided to get the newer GH2 after reading some enthusiastic reviews about it. The GH2 is a top of the line photo and movie camera that lived up to my high expectations and I can highly recommend it, despite this I decided to sell it.

GH2, 28mm, f/5.6, 1/320

Why I Sold the GH2

I spent my Christmas holiday in Stockholm, and brought with me my new camera, thinking I would take many memorable pictures. I guess I forgot one of the reasons I really liked the GF1, its small size. While the GH2 is a small camera for what it is, it is a little too big to easily put away in my jacket pocket. So I basically did not bring it along where I would normally take most of my pictures. The GH2 needs planning for me to use it, the GF1 does not. As the GF1 is smaller and more point and shoot styled, it also feels more anonymous.

The 14-140mm (28-280mm in 35mm terms) lens had a great x10 zoom range and a quick and silent autofocus while being smaller and sharper than its APS-C cameras competitors. I liked it very much, until it got dark, until I wanted to put it in my jacket or until I compared the pictures with my portable, sharp, fast aperture 20mm pancake.

1080p/24 video from the GH2 looked great on the HDTV, but as I am still learning about video, the GF1 is more than adequate. The increased ISO performance and megapixels in the GH2 were good to have, but the improvement was not good enough for me to defend the spending and increased bulk.

I had hoped that I would get the same good experience with the GH2 as the GF1, but I did not. Instead I rediscovered why I liked the GF1 so much in the first place and sold the GH2.

GF1, Leica 45mm Macro 1:1, f/2.8, 1/25, Lumix text on lens cap

What I Did Instead

While using the GH2 I found the Electronic View Finder (EVF) very useful, not necessarily to frame the pictures, but to hold the camera more stable while shooting. I tested this with many shots and found an investment for the external LVF1 for my GF1 worthwhile. While some has criticized the quality of the display, I find it adequate, I would not do without it.

I liked the 14-140mm, but thought I could get some more interesting lenses to increase my creative possibilities. So I decided to get the Leica 45mm f/2,8. Perfect for getting a close perspective with its 1:1 macro shots and I also found it to be a very good portrait lens; I really like the contrast and bokeh of this lens. Together with the 20mm I have some flexibility and two fast aperture lenses to experiment with on the go (and some money left to spend on more lenses like the small 14mm, which would fit well with my kit. More on that development later).

iPhone, My current setup

10 Reasons Leica Will Release an M43rds Camera

2011-01-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Finding interest in the Micro Four Thirds cameras, I have often wished that Leica (the crème de la crème camera manufacturer) would release an M43rd camera. Putting the puzzles together, I predict that this will be the year for Leica to finally release one.

1. Panasonics Connection to Leica

Panasonic and Leica release many cameras that are only different in firmware and small cosmetic changes and Panasonic cameras often come with Leica branded lenses. Despite this, Leica have yet to release a camera in Panasonics flagship camera format.

2. M43rd Success

It seems that Panasonic and Olympus learned from their experiences with 43rds and has created a format with broader appeal, a format that other manufacturers must copy not to miss out on a large market opportunity. Samsung and Sony already followed track, Canon and Nikon are expected to release their hybrid cameras soon. Will Leica get involved?

3. Basic Lenses Covered

The m43rds lens offering has grown gradually and are now (January 2011) covering a selection of wide angel, standard, fisheye, fast pancake, super zoom, macro and tele lenses. The format has enjoyed commercial success and has a good base of users and supporters. The next natural step for the format is delivering sharp premium big aperture lenses, which happens to be Leicas speciality.

4. The Leica 45mm Macro Lens

Leica have already released the Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro Lens for M43rd. Which shows that they are not dismissing the format. A macro lens is a speciality lens that needs to be sharp with good contrast, which is why they released the premium (Leica) lens at once, without any intermediate solution.

5. Panasonics Missing Roadmap

Samsung, Olympus and Sony all have a detailed roadmap for their lens releases of 2011. Panasonic only mentioned what kind of lenses they where considering making in a PowerPoint. This could be because the new lenses will be co developed and Leica branded.

6. Leicas Missing Segment

The premium Leica camera M9 including lenses is extremely expensive, and only for especially interested. Their intermediate offering today is the X1, which is similar in size to the M43rd cameras, but without interchangeable lenses and only one focal length. An M43rd Leica to replace the odd (but good) X1 would make perfect sense from both a user and marketing perspective.

7. Leica M Mount Lenses good fit on M43

Leicas M mount lenses fit nicely on M43rd cameras with an adapter. By including information about the products in the package, it could be a great opportunity for Leica to introduce photo enthusiasts to their finer glass.

8. M43rds Sensor Development

Leica VP of marketing Christian Erhardt said this about Micro Four Thirds:

"One reason why we've decided not to move into Micro Four Thirds is that we have looked at the sensor size and realized that it cannot produce the image quality that we need. Therefore we decided to stick with the full format in addition to APS-C. It's all about the ratios"

Many were disappointed with his comment. The sensor is only marginally smaller then the APS-C and they sell many Leica branded models with smaller sensors. There could be many motivations for saying this, including tactical reasons, like selling more X1. Olympus has proven that getting great Jpeg quality of the 12MPx sensor is totally achievable with their E5.

The new multi-aspect GH2 sensor shows that the M43rd sensor technology is evolving with increased ISO sensitivity, increased megapixels and reducing noise. Maybe Leica is finding the sensor up to standards today?

9. Increased Competition

M43rds has the first mover advantage to the hybrid camera market., their camera and lens selection are more developed and better then the competitions. They have the goodwill from many supporters now, but only as long as they stay ahead of the curve. Some have been tempted by the Sony NEX smaller form factor (the camera body, not the lenses) and bigger sensor. Getting Leica onboard the M43rds format will create a lot of buzz and give the format the boost it needs to keep the big train in front of the pack.

10. The Lumix GF2 Release

The GF1 was an extremely well received camera by enthusiast and critics. Its good buttons and knobs setup, large aperture 20mm lens and big sensor in a small package created much joy. It is the camera that got me really interested in photography and is still my favourite. Many were curios what the second generation GF2 would bring.

The answer was the GF2, a nice and small camera, but very different to the GF1. It is targeted at the “point & shoot” users/mass market with focus on the touch screen and a blue intelligent auto button. Its small size and gimmicky features make it an obvious competitor to the Sony NEX, but the enthusiasts who had expected the next GF1 was left wanting more.

The GF1 is discontinued and there is a room in the market for a premium compact hybrid camera, so I predict to you the spiritual successor of the GF1:

The Leica M43rd Camera

The camera will be similar sized to the GF1, have a built in EVF, the multi-aspect GH2 sensor and Leicas great Jpeg engine. Released with the Leica 25mm f1.4 and/or the Leica 14-75 f2.8 bright zoom lens. The pictured camera is the Leica X1.

Do you think this is realistic? Would you buy the camera? What would you pay for it?

The Path to Micro Four Thirds

2010-12-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

Photography is a hobby that has grown on me lately. A couple of years ago I started taking photos with my phone, even though the picture quality was low, photography appealed to me. (Click the pictures for a better view).

Picture of my girlfriend taken with the Samsung SGU-600 mobile phone.

In 2008 I bought a Sony DSC-W300 after reading a couple of good reviews, and the ball started rolling. After first being very happy with the picture quality in the Sony, I realized that it was still some way to go before reaching the level of the pros. This was in terms of knowledge, technique, equipment, and post processing.

Picture taken with the Sony DSC-W300 in Molde, Norway.

Picture taken with the Sony DSC-W300 at Preikestolen, Norway.

Panasonic recently introduced the innovative Micro Four Thirds format, promising SLR picture quality in a more compact offering. After reading many favorable reviews of the Lumix GF1 and the Lumix 20mm f1.7 lens, I decided to go for the combination. To me this has been a perfect camera to learn the in and outs of photography, the camera is small compared to the SLRs, so its easy to bring on most occasions. With the bigger senor and the manual controls, it was easier to learn about the interactions between aperture size, shutter speed and iso. I also upgraded my software from iPhoto to Aperture, to get the most out of the RAW format.

Picture of my girlfriend taken with the Lumix GF1 and 20mm lens

Molde, Norway, taken with the Lumix GF1 and 20mm lens

My parents, taken with the Lumix GF1 and 20mm lens

Recently I have done some video creation/editing in some projects at my work. I have found it to be creative and rewarding, so after reading many great reviews for the Panasonic Lumix GH2, I decided to purchase it. The camera has gotten a lot of attention and praise from both pro photographers and videographers in comparison with the best from Canon. There are some beautiful videos on Vimeo.com that shows of its potential, personally I like these two very much:

By Pilpop.... Lumix GH2 Test !

Crop Dusting

Compared to the GF1, the GH2 has less noise at high ISO values, it has an electrical viewfinder that is more convenient than I thought it would be, 5 fps (or 40 fps with reduced mega pixels), articulated screen, multi aspect sensor, better grip when using large lenses, increased mega pixels and of course a lot better video record possibilities (higher bit-rate, higher resolution, HDMI out, stereo sound and possibilities for external mic). So it is a worthwhile upgrade. With that said I will keep the excellent GF1 as a backup camera and for its compact size. Together with the GH2 I got the 14-140mm lens which is sharp, covers a large range and is optimized for video with step less aperture and silent focusing. Together with the 20mm f1.7 they make an excellent pairing, that I expect will cover most of my photographic needs. Still interested in the 7-14mm, the 45mm macro and maybe the 100-300mm lenses though. Here are some shots I took at mostly ISO 6400 with the B&W Dynamic film mode in my dark apartment, all handheld:

Basketball shoes, ISO 6400, f/5.8, 1/10, 73mm (X2 for 35mm equivalent)

ISO 6400, f/5.8, 1/500, 140mm (X2 for 35mm equivalent)

ISO 3200, f/6.3, 1/1000, 22mm (X2 for 35mm equivalent)

The Micro Four Thirds has proven to be a great standard, the quality of my pictures and videos are not any longer restricted by my equipment, but by my skills. The Micro Four Thirds size/performance/flexibility/price ratio hits the sweet spot, it shows in the enthusiasm for the format by bloggers, reviewers and award givers.The system is easy to use for beginners and flexible and powerful for the experienced.

If you are looking for a camera, I highly recommend any of the Panasonic or Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. If you are looking for the best video capabilities as well, you should go for the Panasonic GH2.

SVG to go mainstream with Apples Snow Leopard?

2008-06-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) has had a troubled history and not really taken off into the mainstream of the world wide web. It's a shame, because properly integrated into a browser, SVG would make rich graphics on the web as accessible as HTML is today and opened up a flow of creativity, interactivity and possibilities to web designers and developers in a way a plugin like flash can’t do.

The biggest stumbling block today is that Microsoft have no support for SVG in their Internet Explorer. Despite Microsoft lacking browser effort in general, they have the biggest market share, which make their support important. SVG is based on VML which is already implemented in Internet Explorer, and their Silverlight proves that they have the talent to do it (not that I doubted that), making the exclusion of SVG a mere political decision to lock us to their technology. This in turn leaves the web developers and average Windows user who they are trying to get as customers suffering.

Adobe contributed much until they released their Adobe SVG Viewer 3. After that they stopped it all together. It’s probably because their implementation were slow, they realized it would be hard to compete with Flash and it would be better to buy Macromedia. Maybe they just realized that the technology would fit best as native support in the browser. Anyhow it was another big company abandoning SVG.

There are some good news as well and SVG seams to be on the uprise. All of Internet Explorers main opponents, Opera, Safari and Firefox has gotten some degree of support. The newest KDE Linux window manager has also good SVG support. A new company called Examotion, has made a new plugin called Renesis. Renesis is multi platform and have focused on speed and looks impressive, but it’s more like a locked in Flash player or Silverlight using SVG.

So back to my headline, the reason I think Apple could be a big contributer to SVG is:

-The open source Webkit, which is the rendering engine behind Safari. it now passes the acid3 test which incorporates some SVG test. Apples seems to be interested in keeping up with the web standards.

-With Apples Offline web app plans for Safari 4 makes it an Adobe AIR competitor without the proprietary flash engine behind it. Combined with the involvement in the Flex like open source SproutCore framework for online web applications, it looks like Apple wants to keep the web open. SVG could be Apples flash and could be an important part of SproutCore future widgets like pay charts and diagrams.

-It is rumored that they are working on resolution independent graphics for Snow Leopard, could it be that they are using the SVG standard? And could this mean that they will push it on the web as well?

I sure hope so, I would love to be able to define vector graphics with filters and gradients native in the standard browser, creating interactive, scaleable designs not possible today.

3G iPhone vs HTC Touch Diamond vs Nokia E71

2008-06-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

The iPhone gets a lot of praise these days for a good reason, it's a beautiful crafted phone with great functionality and it's easy to use. Apple's competitors have not slept in class and HTC and Nokia has each come up with their own compelling handsets. Looking for a new smart phone myself, I have decided to compare the iPhone, Touch Diamond and E71.

Screen:

1. Touch Diamond.

It has 640*480 pixel resolution and is 2.8" big, making the viewing super smooth.

2. iPhone.

Large 3.5" screen, but the resolution is a step down from the Diamond at 480*320 pixels.

3. E71.

Its has both the smallest screen at 2.36" and least pixels at 320*240.

Size:

1. Touch Diamond.

102*51*11.35 mm and 110 g.

2. E71.

114*57*10 mm and 127 g.

3. iPhone.

115.5*62.1*12.3 mm and 133 g.

The thinness is the most important factor when carrying phones in your pocket. The original iPhone was a brake trough in this regard.

Design and build quality:

1. E71.

The device has mostly metal casing and Is real solid. I have never seen a mobile with full QWERTY keyboard that I liked, but Nokia pulled it of.

2. iPhone.

The iPhone looks very elegant, but I'm not sure how much I like the rounded glossy backside. It definitely looks like a fingerprint and scratch magnet.

3. Touch Diamond

It looks nice, definitely a big step from earlier models, but the "Diamond" pattern on the back looks kind of tacky. It also has the glossy look that is supposedly a real grease magnet.

Design can be a little hard to review as people has different opinions, I have focused most on the build quality.

Battery:

1. E71.

With the biggest battery a Nokia phone has ever had with 1500mAh and the smallest screen this phone definitely has a great battery life. Some reports say they have used the device 5-7 days without recharging.

2. iPhone.

The original iPhone had a decent battery life as long as you didn't use the screen to much. Going to 3g haven't weakened the battery performance according to Apple, some of the reason can probably be accredited to the increase in its size.

3. Touch Diamond.

with the smallest casing the Touch Diamond had to sacrifice something, it seems to be the battery with only 900 mAh.

With little detail of the iPhone battery, I have to come back later to see if my assumptions that the iPhone battery is better then the Touch Diamond one.

Camera:

1. E71.

3.2 Mega pixels with auto focus and a LED flash.

2. Touch Diamond.

3.2 Mega pixels with auto focus.

3. iPhone.

2 Mega pixels.

None of these handsets are typical camera phones, so it you want the best camera you should probably look elsewhere.

Operating system:

1. iPhone.

It has an elegant and intuitive OS that is build around touch input from the ground. They locked out the 3rd party applications in the beginning, but now developers are flocking for the new SDK.

2. E71.

It uses the well tried Symbian OS, with the S60 platform. It is stable and has lots of 3rd party applications ready for use, but it lacks some of the "flash" of it's competitors.

3. Touch Diamond.

The new TouchFLO 3D interface works nice, but its still the unintuitive Windows OS behind the scenes and the first models have reported to be a little slow at times. Personally I wish they could do without the stylus.

Mail/Messaging/Calendar:

1. E71.

With its designated buttons for mail and calendar and the nice keyboard will make adding events in the calendar and answering mail a breeze.

2. iPhone.

Many was sceptical to the screen keyboard, but that was until they tried it, it works great. It can never fully replace the real deal though. For a fee, MobileMe is going to be a good way to synchronise your mail, calendar and address book. MMS is left out thought, I guess they figured out that email would do.

3. Touch Diamond.

A good screen based keyboard here as well, but with a smaller screen the buttons are getting pretty small. Alternatively you can multi touch your letters like a regular phone.

Web browsing:

1. iPhone.

The iPhone redefined web browsing for mobile phones. There are also many sites who have made tailor made web apps for the iPhone. With the new 3g version the surf speed is good without a wifi connection as well.

2. Touch Diamond.

Opera makes some great browsers and the resolution in this device gives you much detail. There are reported some bugs in the earliest versions, but they will probably be ironed out.

3. E71.

The smaller screen on this device make it inferior for surfing compared to the other two. But it still works pretty well.

Multimedia:

1. iPhone.

Being an extension of the iPod, the iPhone does the job even better. This is a music and movie powerhouse! Unlike the other phones this has a standard 3.5 mm headphones jack as well. You can listen to music a whole day without the need for a recharge.

2. Touch Diamond.

The 2.8 screen is still large in the mobile world, and will be good for movies. I still have my doubts about the battery though.

3. E71

Once again getting last because of the screen, but the music playback time is probably good.

Conclusion:

Lets give two points for first place and one for second and summarise:

iPhone 10 points.

Nokia E71 10 points.

Touch Diamond 7 points.

A draw between iPhone and Nokia E71. I think i prefer the E71 for its battery life, a thinner profile and the buttons, What do you think? I'm setting up a poll on the sidebar, you decide.

On the road to a MBA

2008-06-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

In September I'm to enrol at Copenhagen Business School to start my MBA studies. After working as technically responsible for an Advanced Planning and Scheduling web application at ComActivity the last years, I was ready for a new challenge. Getting an MBA degree seemed like a good move.

"The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialised and companies sought out scientific approaches to management." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mba, accessed june 24, 2008).

Getting a MBA will hopefully boost my qualifications and open up new interesting career opportunities. It's going to be a busy and interesting year that I'm really looking forward to. I will blog about the experience regularly.

Blogger it is!

2008-06-20T01:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks for helping me out on choosing what blogging software to use. In the poll "What should I use for blogging?", 9 persons voted for Blogger and 2 for iWeb.

After some more experience with blogger, I'm sure I've made the right choice. Another strength not mentioned in the first article is that having all the editing functions online, means I don't need my main computer to blog, and I don't need a Mac.

My only regret right now is cashing out for iLife 08, but I guess the research is half the fun.

Living in Australia

2008-06-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

“Good day mate! How's it going?”. Now that I have lived in Australia for a couple of months it’s time to share some of my experiences.

First of I will say that Australia is a large country and I have only been to parts of the east coast. It is a big difference in weather and nature when you go from Tasmania in the south to Darwin in the north. Townsville where I have spent the majority of my time is a tropical city with lots of palms and warmth. When I came straight after the rain season in February (straight from winter in Norway), it was extremely humid and hot. It has been a blue sky and sun every day since. Even now when it is the coldest season of the year, I generally use shorts and t-shirts, and maybe a jeans when going out at night.

Townsville has 163000 inhabitants, and feels like a real cowboys place, even in Australian standard. Their rugby team is even called the Cowboys. They also have a military base, which may contribute to the general ruff feel. The night life in Townsville is great, as I suspect it is in most of Australia, one of the discos is called Mad Cow and fits the place well.

For a city this size, Townsville has a small city center with very little shops and people. My home town in Norway, Molde, has 25000 inhabitants, but it has more shops and more diverse offering. Part of the reason for this might be that Townsville is very spread out, you should definitely have a car in this city as the bus connections are poor. It is a lot of city development going on, in the few months I have been here, many large new buildings have appeared, I am pretty sure this place will change much the next ten years.

The nature here is pretty exotic when you are used to the Norwegian flora and fauna (which also is beautiful). The palms and long sand beaches are fantastic. Townsville is not where you go to surf, because of the Great barrier reef, but the diving is fantastic. Kangaroos, koala bears, wallaby and parrots are all remarkable animals that are impressive to look at up close. 20 minutes with ferry from Townsville you find Magnetic Island, it’s a beautiful place and surly a piece of paradise.

When I traveled down under I thought I needed to take lots of precautions for poisonous spiders and snakes, but I haven’t seen any of them yet. The sea has some larger dangers, like sharks, saltwater crocodiles and stingers. Especially the stingers are a pain, since you can’t just jump into the sea wherever you are, only in certain areas within a net that are controlled by a lifeguard. This is only a problem in the north and in the summer as the water gets to cold for the stinger to survive in the colder part of the year.

The other places I have been to in Australia includes Sydney, Byron bay, Surfers paradise and Brisbane. And they are all fairly different from each other. Sydney is a large beautiful city, with lots of tall buildings and the well known Opera house. It still feels clean and fresh for its size, it feels international with its own China town and it is also a bit colder then in the north.

Byron bay was a very laid back place with a nice beach and lots of hippies. Surfers paradise feel like it’s Las Vegas and Brisbane feels like a typical south european city. Wherever you go in Australia there are backpackers everywhere, this country must earn a tremendously amount of money on tourism. Most people here are outgoing and friendly, "See you mate!".

Starting a blog, Blogger vs iWeb/MobileMe

2008-06-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to start my new blog. As I have been very satisfied with my Macbook pro and the iPod touch, I decided to use iWeb and try out the .mac service. I went and bought a copy of iLife 08 and got started. So here is my experience:

The design of the templates of iWeb looks pretty neat and I created a blog that I was happy with. Then I uploaded it and then I started getting a little skeptical. First of, the site was very slow, I asked some friends and they said the same thing. The fonts had a different color than they had in iWeb and some of the links also had different colors. This might be a minor thing, but when Apple locks everything so thight that you even can't access the HTML code, it better work. Then there were absolute no statistics information, you could but a web counter there, but that looks to old school. So I went to check out Google analytics to compliment my solution, but you had to put some HTML into your page, witch in iWeb I don't get access to. I found a work around for this with applescript, but it turned me off. The last thing that bugged me was the internet adress I got, it looked like this: http://web.mac.com/ivar.brekke/pitofknowledge/Tech_blog/Tech_blog.html. Soon Apple will replace .mac with .me and call it MobileMe, but exept that, they are still going to use the same clumsy adress, It's to long and it's not practical.

All this made me look for another solution, and after trying out blogger, I found it so much more open and accessible than iWeb. All the problems I had with iWeb went away. It was fast, I could quickly edit the HTML, and http://pitofknowledge.blogspot.com is a far better address. Blogger is also a free service while .mac cost 99$.

The one thing that was better at .mac was the design templates. But is that worth all the trouble? I'm setting upp a poll on the right side, you decide.