Glennn
Veteran
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
- Name
- Glen
Holy smokes.... I just put the GX85 in my hand... it feels like a massive ship anchor in comparison with the GM1...
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Single In Single in July (SiJy) 2022 - discussion
- Thread starter MoonMind
- Start date
- Location
- Knoxville, TN
- Name
- Bob
Truly a fun experience.
This was my first Single In challenge and here are a bunch of random notes I've written down today.
I found considerable improvement in my manual focusing using the adapted lens. Both speed and accuracy are noticeable better, with an increase in keepers. And now know which direction to turn the focus ring.
Panasonic's focus assist systems work pretty fair sometimes, but often aren't very good.
I didnāt find the adapted 50mm held me back much, although it was long for many situations. My normal two carry lens are the Pana Leica 15 f/1.7, and the P42.5, so 50 is close.
Got back in the habit of always taking my camera anywhere I go, whether the garage, the doctors, or the store. I used to do that but got out of the habit. Hope to continue.
Most everything I did was handheld, often in the early morning. Learned I could bump the ISO far more than I have in the past, and still get decent results.
After a couple of weeks, I started associating styles with screen names, which is very cool.
Shortly after we started, I developed a routine. Get up early, grab 30-60 photos, spread over 5-6 subjects, from golden hour to lunch. Whittle things down in the afternoon.
If the sun comes out in Eastern TN this time of year, it is just harsh, bright, sunlight between 9am and 6pm. I often hoped for clouds and received rain.
Many subjects required repeat visits over the month. Some finally gave me something I wanted; others never did. But I still may go back.
Most fun of all was looking at all the super photos every dayā¦.Wonderful.
Thanks to all of you. Canāt wait for the next one.
Regards,
Bob T.
This was my first Single In challenge and here are a bunch of random notes I've written down today.
I found considerable improvement in my manual focusing using the adapted lens. Both speed and accuracy are noticeable better, with an increase in keepers. And now know which direction to turn the focus ring.
Panasonic's focus assist systems work pretty fair sometimes, but often aren't very good.
I didnāt find the adapted 50mm held me back much, although it was long for many situations. My normal two carry lens are the Pana Leica 15 f/1.7, and the P42.5, so 50 is close.
Got back in the habit of always taking my camera anywhere I go, whether the garage, the doctors, or the store. I used to do that but got out of the habit. Hope to continue.
Most everything I did was handheld, often in the early morning. Learned I could bump the ISO far more than I have in the past, and still get decent results.
After a couple of weeks, I started associating styles with screen names, which is very cool.
Shortly after we started, I developed a routine. Get up early, grab 30-60 photos, spread over 5-6 subjects, from golden hour to lunch. Whittle things down in the afternoon.
If the sun comes out in Eastern TN this time of year, it is just harsh, bright, sunlight between 9am and 6pm. I often hoped for clouds and received rain.
Many subjects required repeat visits over the month. Some finally gave me something I wanted; others never did. But I still may go back.
Most fun of all was looking at all the super photos every dayā¦.Wonderful.
Thanks to all of you. Canāt wait for the next one.
Regards,
Bob T.
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William Lewis
All-Pro
- Location
- Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Name
- William Lewis
For me it went the other way as I put my Elmar on in place of the Nikkor. A bit lighter and much more compact when collapsedHoly smokes.... I just put the GX85 in my hand... it feels like a massive ship anchor in comparison with the GM1...
William Lewis
All-Pro
- Location
- Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Name
- William Lewis
I have a number of these locations; I refer to them as my "usual suspects"
That said, I find some of my best work has come from going back to them time and time again around the wheel of the year. Perhaps if you continue to explore your subjects that same way you can find some gems as well.
Its a good plan, am somewhat leery towards the single years, though.
I rate these challenges rather high, even if I came sideways into this one.
Alberta Dave
Veteran
- Location
- Central Alberta Canada
- Name
- Dave
Thank you to all involved with the challenge, especially @MoonMind for organizing and overseeing it. It has been really nice seeing pictures from all over the world which are inspiring. This was my first challenge on here and I totally enjoyed the experience
I found quite early on it was nice to have and idea of what to photograph for the day and where to find it. Generally having a bit of a game plan helped me.
The X1 was pleasure to shoot with having the Brightline finder helped on the sunny days as the screen is unusable in bright light. I used a 1GB card in the camera so I was limited to 40 shots for the day. Most of the time I was no where near that number. I had the camera set for manual focussing but as the camera remembers the last lens setting you can just switch on and "go".
Going to a 7 month schedule looks pretty good to me what are other peoples thoughts on this.
I found quite early on it was nice to have and idea of what to photograph for the day and where to find it. Generally having a bit of a game plan helped me.
The X1 was pleasure to shoot with having the Brightline finder helped on the sunny days as the screen is unusable in bright light. I used a 1GB card in the camera so I was limited to 40 shots for the day. Most of the time I was no where near that number. I had the camera set for manual focussing but as the camera remembers the last lens setting you can just switch on and "go".
Going to a 7 month schedule looks pretty good to me what are other peoples thoughts on this.
- Location
- Boston Burbs
- Name
- David
7 month I think for me.
What did I learn? I think the 42.5 is not for me. I'll probably sell it on. I might trade it for an Olympus 30mm macro.
What else have I learned? Not sure the GRIIIx is for me either. I've been sitting it along side my E-P7 and am finding I still like the E-P7 better. But I've got a few more days on vacation to last with both so we'll see.
What did I learn? I think the 42.5 is not for me. I'll probably sell it on. I might trade it for an Olympus 30mm macro.
What else have I learned? Not sure the GRIIIx is for me either. I've been sitting it along side my E-P7 and am finding I still like the E-P7 better. But I've got a few more days on vacation to last with both so we'll see.
For me, the 7 month cycle would be doable. Agree with your thoughts on 5 and 11 months. And if the 7 month cycle is problematic for whatever reason at some point, I could just skip that cycle.
- Name
- Miguel Tejada-Flores
In answer to Matt's thoughtful (and fascinating, to me) question - a 7-month cycle sounds... interesting. I'll vote for it.
As a general comment, having used my Fujifilm X30 every day for the last month... I'm remembering, again, why it is such a great little camera. It does many of the things I hope a camera could do, and it does them unobtrusively and organically. Though it doesn't have the dedicated (and rather retro-ish) shutter speed & ISO dials of its larger sibling, the XPro3 (not to mention the click-stopped aperture rings of some lenses), it nonetheless provides a shooting experience which seems rather old-school, in a good way. As (I think) I've said before, it reminds me in some ways of what for years was my favorite small (and small-sensored) camera, the little Lumix LX7 - except it's better, in many small ways.
Quite a few photographers often complain about how they'd prefer a newer and improved model of their old cameras - but though the X30 is a 9 year old camera, I can't honestly think of anything significant about it that needs improvement. For me, it was and still is one of the all-time great small-take-anywhere-and-enjoyable-to-take-pictures-with cameras.
As a general comment, having used my Fujifilm X30 every day for the last month... I'm remembering, again, why it is such a great little camera. It does many of the things I hope a camera could do, and it does them unobtrusively and organically. Though it doesn't have the dedicated (and rather retro-ish) shutter speed & ISO dials of its larger sibling, the XPro3 (not to mention the click-stopped aperture rings of some lenses), it nonetheless provides a shooting experience which seems rather old-school, in a good way. As (I think) I've said before, it reminds me in some ways of what for years was my favorite small (and small-sensored) camera, the little Lumix LX7 - except it's better, in many small ways.
Quite a few photographers often complain about how they'd prefer a newer and improved model of their old cameras - but though the X30 is a 9 year old camera, I can't honestly think of anything significant about it that needs improvement. For me, it was and still is one of the all-time great small-take-anywhere-and-enjoyable-to-take-pictures-with cameras.
- Location
- Switzerland
- Name
- Matt
There may come a time when I can host but not participate ... But that's completely unrelated to whatever cycle we choose.
M.
William Lewis
All-Pro
- Location
- Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Name
- William Lewis
7 Months looks good to me as well but I can do what ever it is.
- Location
- Rutland, UK
I was very happy with my choice for this challenge. I grew up with autofocus and only in recent years have I dabbled with manual lenses. The thought of limiting myself to a manual lens for everything was a little daunting I have to admit! It did not take long though for my confidence in focussing to improve. The Pen F has some great focus peaking/magnify functions to aid my learning curve of course!
The Pen F has had mixed reviews over the years regarding the various customisable colour/mono profiles with the inbuilt Jpeg engine, with an opinion that it was too Jpeg focussed, so maybe not considered to be a "serious" camera!? I personally really like the "vintage" feel I can get with this body. With the added bonus that I can apply these same custom profiles to my raw images using the Olympus Workspace raw developer, this means I can get the best of both worlds. For this challenge, I decided to use just OOC Jpegs, with said custom profiles. A few tweaks in PP here and there, such as cropping and maybe a bit of denoising where needed.
Overall, It's a joy to use, it looks great, loads of buttons to assign to different functions, and small enough that it makes it easy to take with me pretty much everywhere I go. Love it so much, I have 2 of them, so of course this means I am biased! haha!
The vintage 1960s lens has it's flaws compared to the modern offerings of course, but has it's character, and is definitely sharp enough when stopped down a little for most scenarios.
All in all, a very enjoyable month with my first forum challenge. Some great photos posted by others, which inspired me to get out and take more photos every day. Thanks to @MoonMind for overseeing it all, and thanks to everyone for taking part! Love your work!
PS, I'm happy with the 7 month cycle. Bear in mind though that if I take part in Feb '23, then be warned as most of my photos will probably be baby orientated! haha!
The Pen F has had mixed reviews over the years regarding the various customisable colour/mono profiles with the inbuilt Jpeg engine, with an opinion that it was too Jpeg focussed, so maybe not considered to be a "serious" camera!? I personally really like the "vintage" feel I can get with this body. With the added bonus that I can apply these same custom profiles to my raw images using the Olympus Workspace raw developer, this means I can get the best of both worlds. For this challenge, I decided to use just OOC Jpegs, with said custom profiles. A few tweaks in PP here and there, such as cropping and maybe a bit of denoising where needed.
Overall, It's a joy to use, it looks great, loads of buttons to assign to different functions, and small enough that it makes it easy to take with me pretty much everywhere I go. Love it so much, I have 2 of them, so of course this means I am biased! haha!
The vintage 1960s lens has it's flaws compared to the modern offerings of course, but has it's character, and is definitely sharp enough when stopped down a little for most scenarios.
All in all, a very enjoyable month with my first forum challenge. Some great photos posted by others, which inspired me to get out and take more photos every day. Thanks to @MoonMind for overseeing it all, and thanks to everyone for taking part! Love your work!
PS, I'm happy with the 7 month cycle. Bear in mind though that if I take part in Feb '23, then be warned as most of my photos will probably be baby orientated! haha!
- Location
- Boston Burbs
- Name
- David
Instruction for the group and for help creating personal favorites have been posted in the favorites thread.
cameraderie.org
Single In - Single in July (SiJy) 2022 - favourites
Thanks to David (@davidzvi), we're able to continue with the "Favourites" collage - and additionally, there'll be an opportunity to create (or have created) your own personal collage from all of your entries. David will announce where you can upload your chosen images to shortly; as is becoming...
cameraderie.org
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- Location
- Seattle
- Name
- Andrew
I think the challenge went very well for me. It was fortuitous timing, since I had really recently acquired the K1 mark II, and using it with the Pentax-M 1.7/50 I got a really immersive education on how the camera works with manual lenses, what the characteristics of the lens are like, and got to reacquaint myself with shooting with a 50mm lens, which I actually had not done for some time, preferring 40mm lenses. So, it was valuable on several levels. I'm also pretty happy with how I kept up with the challenge... this may be the first monthly challenge where I never missed a day, at least in the past few years for sure. Last month wasn't the most interesting month, though I did get a couple of short trips in. So, apart from a few days in Portland or Seattle, there were several safety shots taken in and around the house, as well as quite a few "stroll photography" shots during evening walks. We have pretty much the same walking route down from our house to the ocean, so I see the same scenery, but changes in light can make for some interesting iterations on the familiar sights.
I found everyone's shots this challenge to be quite compelling, and the participation was strong. Great challenge, everyone! And thanks to Matt for the tireless facilitation.
I found everyone's shots this challenge to be quite compelling, and the participation was strong. Great challenge, everyone! And thanks to Matt for the tireless facilitation.
Glennn
Veteran
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
- Name
- Glen
First, thanks to @MoonMind for organizing this, and thanks to all for welcoming in this site newbie. I didnāt get many shots that I loved, but did get a few I was really happy with. I knew going in that the 14mm prime lens was going to be a task, precisely why I chose it. I think it did cause me to look at scenes in a more graphic way. To be honest, I didnāt really have the time to fully dedicate to this. I had hoped that it would have gotten me back into the routine of nightly walks in town, but itās been an incredibly busy summer, and Iām taking the fact that I saw this thru as a small victory in itself.
The GM1 is a peach... even though itās āonlyā 16 megapixel I was quite impressed with it, particularly when I was able to shoot at 200 ISO. I learned a lot about itās menu structure and much of it will carry back over to the GX85. It has a lot of odd filter options the scream last decade. I really have come to love itās small size even though battery life isnāt great. This was a brand new camera that had been sitting on a shelf for years so the batteries may just be old.... but I have four so Iām good.
The only thing I really miss compared to he GX is the tilt screen. Other then that I dig it. I think it will continue to see regular use.
As far as the future contest schedule, Iām good with whatever.
The GM1 is a peach... even though itās āonlyā 16 megapixel I was quite impressed with it, particularly when I was able to shoot at 200 ISO. I learned a lot about itās menu structure and much of it will carry back over to the GX85. It has a lot of odd filter options the scream last decade. I really have come to love itās small size even though battery life isnāt great. This was a brand new camera that had been sitting on a shelf for years so the batteries may just be old.... but I have four so Iām good.
The only thing I really miss compared to he GX is the tilt screen. Other then that I dig it. I think it will continue to see regular use.
As far as the future contest schedule, Iām good with whatever.
Glennn
Veteran
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
- Name
- Glen
Agreed. A familiar spot can be a great thing. Iām usually a hot mess photo wise when I visit a new location. There is a reservoir and park about 20 minutes from me itās been a great and convenient location that Iāve spent many hours at photographing in all seasons. When I get tired of it, I stop for a bit and returning is like visiting an old friend at it was this past Saturday.I have a number of these locations; I refer to them as my "usual suspects"
That said, I find some of my best work has come from going back to them time and time again around the wheel of the year. Perhaps if you continue to explore your subjects that same way you can find some gems as well.
Glennn
Veteran
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
- Name
- Glen
I bought a like new Sears 50mm f1.7 manual lens last year for $10. I wanted a fast lens on the cheap. The things that shooting fully manual taught me are worth their weight in gold.
Thanks Matt, for cheering us along and doing the heavily lifting with all the posts! Super trilled to see all the participation, even those that only did partial. I marvel at the discipline to follow a theme for the whole month. With a busy travel and work month, I was scrambling to get images each day.
Overall a personal success to keep the SI and the Today images going simultaneously this timeā¦
Learned a lot about the Z5 and found it to be a wonderful camera. And the 40mm f2 may be my new favorite all round focal length.
I vote for the 7month cycle. Given our global group, it should give us all a chance to work through the seasons.
Overall a personal success to keep the SI and the Today images going simultaneously this timeā¦
Learned a lot about the Z5 and found it to be a wonderful camera. And the 40mm f2 may be my new favorite all round focal length.
I vote for the 7month cycle. Given our global group, it should give us all a chance to work through the seasons.
Iron
Hall of Famer
- Location
- New Zealand
- Name
- TĆmo
I don't really mind the 7-month Single-in cycle, Matt (@MoonMind ).
Welcome to the GM or tiny MFT club. When I was actively shooting the GM5 and was looking for a bigger/more featured MFT, every millimetre counted. It felt like the GX9, E-M10, E-M5 were much bigger and bulkier. After going into a camera store again, I realised how truly small the whole system is as the lenses dictate the overall size. For me, though, a 10-year old, MFT is so much more than enough to satisfy my Linear ProPhoto RGB needs. We're really living in a time period where there's just so many choices.Holy smokes.... I just put the GX85 in my hand... it feels like a massive ship anchor in comparison with the GM1...
- Location
- Cheshire, England
- Name
- Martin Connolly
Thanks again to Matt (@MoonMind ) for organising this. As usual, there were some excellent contributions, from both old and new forum members.
I'm happy with the proposed 7 month schedule. It seems to cover all the seasons quite nicely.
I've been quite pleased with the photos I got out of the Sigma 30, although I felt like I had to fight to get it to focus where I wanted. It frequently claimed to have acquired focus when clearly it hadn't. I haven't noticed any problem focussing with other lenses, so I assume the lens is at fault. On the occasions it got it right it was really good, but that was maybe 20% of the time. So TL;DR, it's up for sale.
Next time I need a slightly looser theme, I think. I had to plan ahead to see which plants & flowers would be suitable on the day for their colour, and I'd rather just go with the flow for a change, having done 3 consecutive themed challenges.
I'm happy with the proposed 7 month schedule. It seems to cover all the seasons quite nicely.
I've been quite pleased with the photos I got out of the Sigma 30, although I felt like I had to fight to get it to focus where I wanted. It frequently claimed to have acquired focus when clearly it hadn't. I haven't noticed any problem focussing with other lenses, so I assume the lens is at fault. On the occasions it got it right it was really good, but that was maybe 20% of the time. So TL;DR, it's up for sale.
Next time I need a slightly looser theme, I think. I had to plan ahead to see which plants & flowers would be suitable on the day for their colour, and I'd rather just go with the flow for a change, having done 3 consecutive themed challenges.
