ULTRA-Light, ULTRA-Wide And ULTRA-Fast: Real world review of the Panasonic Leica DG 9mm Summilux F1.7 Lens

Over the past couple of months I have been out shooting with the Panasonic Leica DG 9mm Summilux F1.7 lens for the micro four thirds system. Putting it through its paces in real world use case scenarios from the point of a photographer who would use such a lens in their kit. All images were either shot on a GH5 or GX8

Methodogy: I am rarely ever happy with the images I see in reviews online, be it on blogs such as this or in videos. For the most part it seems like very little effort was made in creating them and do no justice to the gear they are reviewing. With my reviews I try and use the gear extensively and create images I am proud of. Not just a simple point and shoot composition on a walk around my block. These reviews will be devoid of all the geeky figures some of us including myself like to make it far more easily digestible for everyone who may be considering the item.

The first thing you notice about this lens is it’s diminutive size both in terms of its dimensions and its actual weight. Despite this it never felt cheap or flimsy and I doubt Leica would allow their name to be associated with such a lens if that ever were the case. There really isn’t ever an excuse to not have it in your bag.

It’s expansive field of view makes it ideal for landscapes as well as architecture, both interior and exterior. You can envelop the viewer within a scene and make them feel like they are almost there.

This lens also has quite the close focusing distance making ideal for detail and macro shots both in stills and video. Speaking of video. I found paired with a stabilized body I could get walking POV shots if I concentrated, mind you, I do not have the steadiest hands around.

So having used this lens extensively I think it is essential to have as part of any micro four thirds kit. It is so versatile, I doubt you will be short of situations in which you can use it. Being a fast aperture of f1.7 it can take you from day to night too.

I hope this has help to equip you with the right information you need for your decision on whether or not to grab this lens. I bought this lens myself so all opinions expressed are my own.

Is Instagram Killing Creativity?

It is one thing to be influenced by the things you see on Instagram but it’s something completely different if your entire feed is just poor reproductions of someone else’s images/ideas.

It is an inarguable fact that Instagram provides a great source for inspiration but far too often these days rather than providing inspiration people seem quite happy to copy an image, without credit and garner all those fake internet points they so treasure. The audience is not to be blamed as more than likely they don’t know better, but the creators, if you can call them that, they most certainly do. The platform unfortunately rewards such behaviour, lavishing these glorified photocopying machines with that which they oh so desire. The momentary attention and approval of complete strangers.

So here in lies my question. Are you trying to be a better photographer or win internet points? Because, doing the above will not lead to the former. You don’t get better by copying and while I understand that’s where a lot of us start, there is a point where we must move pass that if we wish to grow.

If photography is something you consider a passion, get out there and shoot for yourself. Work to find your own compositions and ideas. You may not win the adulation of the faceless masses but I guarantee you, you will be a far better photographer for it.

Panasonic Lumix 18mm f1.8 Ultrawide S Lens - My Real World User Review

Are you after a fast ultrawide lens that can sit on your camera from day to night allowing you to always get the shot? One that is light in weight to toss in your bag for those long outdoor adventures? A lens whose size makes it ideal for gimbal work? Well then my friends this may be the lens for you.

Panasonic Australia was kind enough to loan me this but I will not allow that to bias my opinion at all. What you won’t get here is a deep dive into the technical specs of the lens, there are plenty of sites and people who definitely have that aspect covered. What I can offer you is my opinion on it after using it both for work and my jaunts into nature, providing you with sample images and video so you may better form your purchasing decision.

What you first notice about the lens is it is very similar physically to the other F1.8 primes in the Panasonic Lumix line up. The idea being that you can switch lenses when used on a gimbal without the need to rebalance. This speaks to how videocentric they are as a brand as no other company has considered this with their offerings.

In saying that paired with any S camera it is definitely capable of creating some amazing still images. The lens is sharp with very minimal distortion to my eyes at least, though a correction is already available in the latest Lightroom version.

AF is snappy and face tracking with this lens is improved from my use with it for video and the whole pulsing issue I notice sometimes did not seem to be present when shooting the talking head stuff I sometimes do.

Wide open at F1.8 the lens provides a beautiful blur for non distracting subject isolation. Both great in still and video when you want to give the main subject that extra pop and I know it is what a lot of people associate with “better” quality video in the vlogging world. Speaking of vlogging I imagine this lens will be hugely popular with that user group as the ultrawide coverage will allow them stay in frame more easily while allowing them to show off whatever far flung location they are in.

While some might find the 18mm restrictive, I have always been a fan of the focal length. My favourite lens for a long time was the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2 lens when I shot cropped sensor cameras. This lens is basically a superior full frame equivalent of that. Unfortunately in the brief time I had it, I didn’t get the chance to shoot any astrophotography with it as its been weeks of cloud cover though I am sure it would be great for that very task.

The mistiness was provided by my filter fogging up due to the wet and cold conditions not the lens itself.

If you love shooting landscapes, this lens performs beautifully for that and if you find yourself out in less than ideal circumstances the weather sealing definitely comes in handy. I was told to use the lens as I would normally treat my own gear so was out in the rain chasing some landscapes and it held up brilliantly.

So it can’t be all good right? Honestly the only sticking point for me is the price as it puts it up against the far more versatile Sigma 16-28mm f2.8 in the L Mount range, though both obviously have their disadvantages and advantages. I think if you do more video work though, this would be the choice to make. In saying that if I didn’t already have the Sigma on order I’d probably grab this myself for the faster aperture as well.

I do hope this has helped you somewhat to forming your decision and please let me know what you think about the lens.

Video Review of the Panasonic Lumix 18mm F1.8 Lens

Fuji X Aus - Blue Mountains Landscape Photo-Walk And My Journey With Fujifilm

The first wedding I ever shot, I used a Fujifilm S2 Pro as I remember reading about how great the skin tones were which in my mind at the time made it ideal for weddings.

Even back in the days of the S2 Pro I found it had a quality about it that made me prefer over the Nikon D200 I was shooting along side it at the time.

The first time I had to go overseas for a wedding I found myself turning to a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X-E2 as there was no way I was going to deal with the hassle of lugging two dslr’s with me.

I found that the compact nature of the X-Pro1 made it less confronting when you had one pointed at you compared to the DSLR counter parts at the time.

The colours are just pleasing with little fuss.

One of the last weddings I would shoot saw me turn to a combo of X-H1 and X-T1 for the trip to Ireland. Though time had passed and other companies had their own offerings to compete in the mirrorless game. Fujifilm was still my go to.

What you lose in weight with the Fujifilm, you definitely do not lose on quality.

My relationship to the Fujifilm brand extends to the very start of my professional career and it’s always seemed to be where I turned when I was at the next phase of my photographic journey.

Away from my professional career I had jumped back on the Fujifilm wagon from the release of the original X-100 but it was a particular affinity to the X-T1 that allowed me to hone my ability when it came to shooting landscapes. As any Fujifilm X user can tell you, there is something about them that makes them a joy to use. The camera you grab despite having “better” options.

The size and weight of it made it perfect to take out hiking as my love for the outdoors grew, the X-T1 was right there with me to capture those moments that became defining to me.

Being the gear nerd I am I obviously upgrade with each new iteration of the the X-T line up. While the features and overall performance improved, it never lost the thing that made it a joy to use.

This journey of mine culminated in finally acquiring a Fujifilm GHX 50s, when a friend made me an offer I could not possibly refuse. This body was a complete 180 from the ethos they had adopted to this point but the girthiness you could say was more than made up for by the image quality. To this date still one of my favourite cameras to use and the image quality is hard to beat.

All that dynamic range in one shot from the GFX 50s

Just look at all that detail!!! *SWOON

So all this is to say my connections run deep with the brand so when the admins of the Fuji X Aus group asked me to lead a photo-walk I was more than excited to share my love for both the outdoors and the brand that helped me capture so many experiences communing in nature.

The plan was to walk over to Wentworth Falls and do the walk down to the bottom and wrapping the day with a sunset shoot at Lincoln Rock. As anyone one family with the landscape game knows, not everything goes to plan and time got away from us but I am sure everyone managed to walk away with photos they were happy with.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Blevins with the brave souls who came out on this walk.

It was definitely something beyond my comfort zone but I had a great time and hopefully so did the participants who came along. Thank you to those who attended!

Check out the video if you want to see how the day went.