The Camera can do it All

Written by: Siegfried Seierlein
Last Updated: 19th October 2008

Taken with a E-520 with Leica 14 - 50 lens

I am perfectly happy with the above picture. While taking the picture I carefully adjusted the exposure compensation to get exactly the above look. I previewed it on the camera’s screen and continued my late afternoon walk.

Why do I place so much emphasis on how I wanted this picture to look like? I think the reason is simple, today the technology has become so smart that is possible to take completely strange looking pictures. With modern digital cameras, shadows became a bad word, over exposure a sign of poor dynamic range and modern digital cameras just should not have noise. The result is many people start to use techniques like HDR or they allow sophisticated technologies in the camera to change a picture into a digitally “correct” picture.

There was a time I wanted to sell some of my pictures on a stock photo web site. I took a few of my best, edited them using my best and most neutral techniques and mailed them for review. The answer came back, sorry sir but they just not good enough. I then studied the pictures on that site and I always hoped to get my pictures to look like that. Well today I can do that, I now know the techniques required plus the software one can use. To get back to my statement above. I think its good and interesting to edited a digital picture. Personally I like nature type photographs and of that, landscape pictures are my favorite. Personally I think its a real art to edit a landscape picture in such a way that its still true to nature plus it must have the ability to stir emotions. Many say it should have the ability to pop or to jump of the screen when looked at.

How does one achieve that? By getting to know your camera, to trust your equipment and by practicing. Its only when you really understand your camera that its possible to make pictures pop. Using shadow adjustment technology incorrectly can result in so many problems, using it correctly and at the right time and its a great function.

Taken with a E-520 with Leica 14 - 50 lens

It was so close buying the G10 that I am sure many believed I will do it. I did gave the G10 a good look and I did think by myself, get the G10, its a great cam and it will be good for the site. I went to Zurich to buy one and while there I thought, give the LX3 one last good look. The rest is history.

Why the LX3? Folks its just an amazing camera. Its picture quality is the best I saw to date. Its not as good as my E520 and I do not expect it to be. In fact I am happy its not as good as the E520..;-))

One of the reasons is the great piece of glass fitted to the LX3. Anybody who has worked with a fast prime will know how much fun it is to work with such a lens. What also made me think was the Leica lens I managed to keep when selling the body only of a brand new Panasonic L10 combo. I purposely added pictures of the E520 fitted with the 14 - 50 mm Leica lens to this blog. That lens is just great, I only applied a slight unsharp mask to these pictures, no other editing was done, except for the top picture which was very little edited.

The E420 and the E520 had a real difficult start after a well known site reported filter issues and resulting soft images. I am happy to read that many photographers are now discovering these great cameras and its interesting to see just how much people are enjoying them. I wonder what the new micro format will look like for Olympus. I sort off like the look of the prototypes that was shown on Photokina. Personally I do not like the look or style of the G1. It is just to small in size to have the traditional SLR look. Thats why I think the Oly prototype will have a better chance for taking off strong.

Taken with a E-520 with Leica 14 - 50 lens

I have been working very hard the last few months and found very little time to work on the site. I still enjoy doing it a lot and hope to find more time in the coming winter months to add lots of new information. I am happy to say that this summer I used my camera much more than last year and I was fortunate to see a few really excellent places here in Switzerland.

We had a very nice photographers get together in the Alps this summer. If there is enough interest then I will arrange for a next get together in summer 2009. I hope more of our members and friends will get a LX3 as that will make it more fun to discuss and discover on this site.

I will be happy to add a few articles on the LX3 to discuss some of the great functions one can find on it. Some of the new functions are unique and very sophisticated. One thing is clear, the reviewer that discuss noise and other typically discussed nonsense will clearly demonstrate his or hers ignorance. It will take somebody with experience and a good understanding of technology to really discover and review the LX3.

Taken with a E-520 with Leica 14 - 50 lens

Taken with a E-520 with Leica 14 - 50 lens

Well folks that’s it for today. Photography is changing and its changing fast. I always thought by myself, how sad will the day be when the camera is clever enough to do everything. Just imagine, no dynamic range problems, perfect color, no shaking plus perfect glass.

Then I bought the LX3 and all the sudden I start discovering really unique technologies and capabilities. So interesting that for a moment I thought, that day has arrived!! Well we lucky its not 100% there yet, but what is available is interesting plus fun to use....

Siegfried