Single In Single in January (SiJ) 2021: discussion

I've had both the GX9 and Pen-F. I liked them both, and IQ was very good, but each had quirks that were mildly annoying. Probably worst was that focus peaking on the Pen-F was not accurate. I was puzzled as to why I was having to toss close-up images that should have been in focus. Turns out if peaking showed a spot in focus, the actual focus was a bit behind where the peaking said it was. Was not a problem if using a native lens and back-button focus.
 
And if the X100V had the X70 lens I'd consider it. :D

But that's more the sensor and AF as I did actually really like the overall X70 package.
I’ve done two Singles in challenges with a 28 mme compact, one with the Nikon Coolpix A and another with the X70. I like the little compacts and I can find shots with the 28. Once the challenge is over, however, I never pick up these cameras again. The X70 especially was a great little pocketable beastie. Maybe an X80 with a 24 mp sensor would give me more crop space.
 
And here’s me, quite happy with the cameras I now have, only missing a waterproof but not being able to justify the purchase of one... Yes, they all have their shortcomings, but buying the latest model or a different camera I have found is not the answer (for me, anyway). Every camera ever made has its good/bad points, and advantages/disadvantages... it can’t change me, or how I photograph things... from the lowliest of P&S, to the best of DSLR, I still seek the same results and most of the time I’m happy. Perhaps if my cameras were also my work, I’d feel differently...

In the meantime I discovered something about myself today... before meeting my friend for brunch, I drove into town, heading for the beach. And, as I was approaching, realised that I am just about over it. It (beach/ocean) was always my favourite subject... now, I don’t have one.
 
I've read Matt's and Martin's thoughtful and informative exchanges about the GX9's EVF with both interest and enjoyment...and some of the complaints Matt voiced reminded me of my own issues with the GX9's ancient predecessor, the GX7 - a camera I shot with for several years and, in spite of its limitations, truly enjoyed...and almost loved. Its one flaw (and I confess, I am a glasses wearer generally) was the EVF - which had that looking-through-a-too-small-and-distant-tunnel feeling - as opposed to what I always wanted (or hoped) the EVF to do for me. Then I replaced the GX7 with the GX8 - and though I missed (and still miss) the smaller, thoughtfully engineered size and layout of my old GX7, once I looked through that enormous and gloriously revealing EVF which the GX8 possesses...it was all over.

Having a great EVF changed the way I used the newer camera - the GX8, I mean - as well as the way I felt about it: suddenly, putting the EVF to my eye to focus and view and scan (and do a million other things) became an engrossingly fun experience. It made me want to use the camera.

A good EVF is helpful... but a great EVF is worth its weight in gold. That's more or less what I've come to feel.

Although, curiously, I don't mind the smaller EVF's of either my G1x Mkiii or my X30 - which I think makes me wildly inconsistent. And coming back to our current Single-in-January 2021, I'm finding my Pen F's EVF eminently enjoyable. It's not quite in the realm of my GX8 - but it's a significant improvement over the other GX EVF's I've used, looked through, or played around with.

Thanks, Matt - and thanks, Martin - for making me think again... about how I see...what I think I see
 
Having a great EVF changed the way I used the newer camera - the GX8, I mean - as well as the way I felt about it: suddenly, putting the EVF to my eye to focus and view and scan (and do a million other things) became an engrossingly fun experience. It made me want to use the camera.
This is what I keep thinking about when I think about the G9. A big beautiful EVF and a wide angle such as the PL15 should prove to be a most satisfactory experience.
 
The struggle continues, I nearly gave up today and with the light (there's a joke, it's been very dull and damp) nearly fading along came a saviour, of course it had to be in the shape of a tractor didn't it. Talk about living from hand to mouth. There's still too many days left for failure at this game. Hopefully I won't try and repeat yesterdays (day 11) effort, I was not pleased with that, I should have followed my own advice from earlier, if in doubt don't post. This lockdown is one too many!

Barrie
 
The struggle continues, I nearly gave up today and with the light (there's a joke, it's been very dull and damp) nearly fading along came a saviour, of course it had to be in the shape of a tractor didn't it. Talk about living from hand to mouth. There's still too many days left for failure at this game. Hopefully I won't try and repeat yesterdays (day 11) effort, I was not pleased with that, I should have followed my own advice from earlier, if in doubt don't post. This lockdown is one too many!

Barrie
Obviously, you should do what makes the most sense to you. Still, a person's photography is a product of their environment. Street shots taken in cities can get really old as well, unless the photographer can walk out and see something new. When I'm stuck at home, I have household shots of knick-knacks and pets or pictures of that country road on which I live, with cows, squirrels and chickens in starring roles. Still, that is my life and where I live. On the other hand, I always find your shots interesting. You and I live in similar environments in different countries; our pictures provide a contrast of national identify and personal vision.
 
Obviously, you should do what makes the most sense to you. Still, a person's photography is a product of their environment. Street shots taken in cities can get really old as well, unless the photographer can walk out and see something new. When I'm stuck at home, I have household shots of knick-knacks and pets or pictures of that country road on which I live, with cows, squirrels and chickens in starring roles. Still, that is my life and where I live. On the other hand, I always find your shots interesting. You and I live in similar environments in different countries; our pictures provide a contrast of national identify and personal vision.
Hi Steve,
Many thanks for your kind words and encouragement. I live in a very small village, some 30-40 houses, some of which are 2nd homes and over the recent years I've very much done it to death photographically speaking. So this time I planned to go into my nearest market town, population 4500-5000 and try and obtain what I've come to call spontaneous images obtained by just walking around. After 4 days of that we went into lockdown and are being encouraged to stay at home. This time the lockdown is not being as well observed, however I am big on principles so I'm not prepared to walk around town when I'm requested not to except for essential purposes. That throws me back onto my local parish, the only tarmac road through it is the one in the photograph, what we call an A class road, so a main road. As A class roads go it's a bit of a joke, well used by cyclists but officially the most dangerous road in the county of Devon (and there are 8000 miles of roads in Devon) for accidents to cyclists, as you can see it can be quite narrow and I don't walk very far on it, just 200 yards to get to a local shop although I will walk to the next village in the summer at about 05:00 in the morning, then walk back through the fields. That leaves me with farm lanes to walk down, wet, muddy, and with little variety to photograph. Most cattle are being overwintered indoors, I don't know anyone with chickens outdoors and squirrels are well out of reach of the little Leica D-Lux I'm using 😀.
I live on my own, I always have done, most things in my life are functional rather than ornamental, I have little interest in things ornamental and even less interest in photographing them. I guess if I could be catagorised it would be as a documentary photographer and at this time of the year there's little going on to document. I also have health issues which are impinging on my ability to get out and about, lockdown is also taking its toll on my mental health although I know I'm lucky not being shut up in an inner city flat (apartment), indeed I'm eternally grateful not to be in that situation. I'm trying to hang on in there, but this Si... is proving to be the most challenging ever, but for the wrong reasons. There are a few shots I could go out and take tomorrow, but I'm saving them up for near the end so I have a fall back, in the meantime it's rather hand to mouth.
However, once again I am most grateful for your thoughts and encouragement, it heartens me to think that there are members out there prepared to take the time as you have :2thumbs:.

Barrie
 
Last edited:
I acknowledge how difficult such challenges can be. I've had a very difficult day today - because of something so annoying it actually felt disheartening and depressing, a real blow (though not exactly directed at me, but still felt). However, going out and shooting actually helped a little.

But of course, if it's photography that feels like a burden, that's not the idea behind the challenge. However, I'm just reading this - and even the first couple of items feel so "right" in many ways that I think I should share it immediately:


Maybe you can take something from that - I certainly do, especially today. Point 3 is so - well, poignant ... and may even concern the situation I feel so bad about (i.e. it could just be in my head - I certainly hope so). I may find out the hard way tomorrow because I may have overreacted, but anyway ... As long as we live, we learn. Differently put: Live's a moving target - if you let it, which you should.

M.
 
I acknowledge how difficult such challenges can be. I've had a very difficult day today - because of something so annoying it actually felt disheartening and depressing, a real blow (though not exactly directed at me, but still felt). However, going out and shooting actually helped a little.

But of course, if it's photography that feels like a burden, that's not the idea behind the challenge. However, I'm just reading this - and even the first couple of items feel so "right" in many ways that I think I should share it immediately:


Maybe you can take something from that - I certainly do, especially today. Point 3 is so - well, poignant ... and may even concern the situation I feel so bad about (i.e. it could just be in my head - I certainly hope so). I may find out the hard way tomorrow because I may have overreacted, but anyway ... As long as we live, we learn. Differently put: Live's a moving target - if you let it, which you should.

M.

Thank you for this link, Matt. The author is at times almost irritatingly positive (though maybe that's merely a reflection on or from my own tendencies towards nihilism) - but he makes some fine points. Including rephrasing the famous (or infamous) quote attributed to Robert Capa - if your pictures aren't good enough...then you're not close enough. But my favorite, I think, is #12 - the part about doubting, questioning, and challenging oneself... continually. I know that in my chosen profession (which also is probably my mental disease or obsessive sickness as well) of writing, #12 - the ability to question and challenge what I think or thought was right - and allowing myself to change things even when I feel like I'm stumbling down a metaphorical blind alley - has probably helped me more than anything. So, photography-wise, it sounds like a good adage to keep in mind--

Or to keep in the back of one's mind - in one's 'mind's eye', so to speak - as one zig-saws endlessly (as I tend to do) between looking at things... but really hoping some day I might be able to 'see' them.

It's a good read. As a minor note, some of the 'creative struggles' which the author, DL Cade, talks about for photographers - also apply to writers, many of whom sometimes (often?) struggle with the dreaded 'Writer's Block'. The best (and possibly most entertaining) piece of helpful writing which offers perspectives on that - and on creative blockages in general - may be in Steven Pressfield's book, 'The War of Art' - which, for those who sometimes find themselves stuck in deep creative (or other) trenches, can sometimes be an eye-opening ladder to getting back to a better 'place'.
 
I give up. For 5 days in a row I haven't been able to produce anything remotely interesting, and during most of the days I didn't even touch the shutter button. Motivation has collapsed completely, even when cruising around by bike and on foot. These ever-tightening lockdowns are killing me. So thanks Matt @MoonMind for organizing all the challenges, including this one, and I wish everybody a good continuation of the Single-in January 2021.
 
I am finding it hard to get motivated, and missed day 11 entirely, I only remembered it before getting ready for bed and didn't even feel like taking a gimme shot of something around the house. We've had some long days at work, changing software platforms for key roles and it required being at the office over the weekend for installation and testing. Plus it's been the biggest storm I can remember in recent years for this month, which on the one hand I rather enjoy (living right on the coast means true storms with lots of rain and wind, last few years have been relative drought and the rainfall when it did come was unexciting), but combined with short days there is virtually no light for photographing.

I'm getting tempted to try a zoom lens for the Pentax. The LX100II makes things so easy. I know I would find a decent K-mount zoom to be much larger than any lenses I've used in a long time. Sigma's 17-70 2.8-4 and even more the 17-50 2.8 would open up opportunities, but I suspect I'd find the combined size/weight of the system to be overwhelming after having gravitated to such smaller cameras for so long.
 
........
I do agree that the GX9 is a bit fiddly
........
It's funny, I have enjoyed most of the Panasonic bodies I've owned (didn't really like the mini LX10). But it's the interface I've always found a bit fiddly on all of them. Two things in particular bugged me.

Programmable physical buttons; programmable screen buttons with tab pages, and a default two row Q-Menu or 3 screen custom Q-Menu. And some of the functions could only be assign to some of the control. Maybe I'm just overly forgetful, but there were time I had to search for where I programmed something.

I also couldn't understand why the "display" button cycled through screens with and without the level gauge (which I do prefer over Olympus') when they also have a function to turn the level gauge on and off? If the display button could just cycle through the "with information" and "recording information" it would have worked better for me. (Yes I know I'm basically saying an on/off Olympus Super Control Panel).
 
I have been against too computery cameras for a while now and Panasonic generally definitely falls into that category. I bought my first Panasonic M4/3 as a gift and looked at all the icons and on-screen buttons with disgust when the recipient tried the camera out.

So many layers of options. Not in the menus mind you, but the physical buttons, on-screen buttons, Q menu, like mentioned. Yes, Panasonic's a fiddly son of a gun.

But after the initial shock I had with the onscreen button overload, the overall flow of the operation clicked with me.

For example a small detail that I like is how Panasonic doesn't force face detection to every mode, instead if you want it you enable it. It's great because I don't want to use it so it's never "on". I like how the full area AF (49-point) can be focused to a particular 3x3 subarea by a touch on the screen and then a simple "OK" restores 7x7 back. Makes sense!

These may be fiddly little computers without mirrors but perhaps the main software lead at Panasonic is on the same brain wave length as I am.
 
Back
Top