Playing with the Panasonic G9

Thanks to Panasonic Australia who arranged a Photowalk with Rob Mulally as part of Michael's Camera and Video Melbourne Photoshow, I got to play with the Panasonic G9 for a little while. I don't have the infrastructure to carry out an objective and detailed test, so just journaling some of my impressions in this article.

I am somewhat interested in an ultra-wide MFT lens - I'm quite satisfied in the images from my old Four Thirds Olympus Zuiko Digital 7-14mm but it is quite bulky and heavy, so just looking with #GAS. Of the ultra wide MFT lenses, the Leica DG Vario Elmarit 8-18mm is the most entrancing to me.

The photo below is quite interesting for me. It's the Lumix G9 with the 8-18mm.

Taken into Adobe Camera Raw October 2018 with Process Version 5. I first applied the Camera Matching Cinelike D Color Profile. This seemed to handle the deep shadows (where the people are standing) and the super bright sun further away without needing work from me.

Then I chose Auto in the ACR Exposure section of sliders which automatically removed the still deep shadows and delineated tones in their clothes.

This is a scene with very challenging dynamic range and the software / hardware combo did well.

Finally, after depositing the image in Adobe Photoshop, I invoked the DxO Filmpack 5 plugin. I have the free edition. I don't particularly like the magenta cast that sometimes plagues images coming from Panasonic cameras, and this time, chose the Kodakchrome 64 look from the Filmpack - the sky light blue and the reddish brick is what I like.

Lumix G9 + 8-18mm lens, processed ACR, DxO Filmpack

The photo below is also with the Lumix G9 with the 8-18mm.  The workflow is the same as the one above. However, before I transferred it from Adobe Camera Raw, the magenta cast was quite undesirable. Like a faux aged Agfacolor process. I manually adjusted the cyan-magenta slider in ACR and also the blue-yellow white balance slider. With the Kodakhrome 64 profile from DxO Filmpack, the result is actually quite pleasing with soft "organic" hues.

Lumix G9 + 8-18mm lens, processed ACR, DxO Filmpack

Bottom line: They're not the famous "Olympus Color" that Olympus JPEG enthusiasts like but they are quite satisfying for me. Will I be satisfied with the Panasonic colour (JPEG or raw) with less tweaking? Can't say, I would need to do more photos with the G9. (I do have the old G2 and the GF3)

The Use of Style to Convey a Narrative

I'm usually not conflicted in deciding between a Monochrome vs Colour interpretation in my photos. I prefer natural or visually believable colour to preserve the essence that colour conveys. I choose a Black and White interpretation when colour is intrusive or detracts in conveying shape and texture. This is one instance, when I think either works because they do convey different messages.

The Monochrome Version

Straight Out Of The Camera JPEG from the Panasonic G2 set to Dynamic Black and White Profile

I feel the texture of the fabric and the back of the Dragon Head's puppeteer, the exaggerated stance of the guy holding the cymbals and the frozen-in-time women are emphasised by this treatment

The Colour Version

Processed from raw through Adobe Lightroom 5.3 with highlight recovery and tonal adjustments then the Nostalgia - Agfa RSX film emulation filter applied.

The colours have been grossly saturated in the film simulaiton - it gives me an old-time feel of the organic, mixed colour structure of film. The reds and yellows convey the Chinese New Year sentiment and again, the people in the scene are frozen in time for eternity, taking part in this photo.

I initially thought that this would be one of the forgotten shots but now I've got two to show. 

Life with a prime

I didn’t use a prime (fixed focal length) lens until early year, as my general, everyday use lens. Digital saw me with a 3x zoom on the Nikon 775 compact cam and then a 10x zoom on the Olympus C-750uz ultra zoom, then the 5x zoom on the Kodak P880. When I went digital, I had the two kit lenses on my E-510 and the story continued.

This year, David Williams introduced me to the 20mm f/1.7 Lumix pancake (40mm in old coin, film parlance) and 45mm f/1.8 Zuiko Digital (90mm in old coin). And I fell for these lenses. I wanted a shallower depth of field like in the film days plus more chance to take shots in dimmer light levels.

I fit the 20mm a lot – it allows closer camera distance, in fact, it forces a closer camera distance. And I switch over to the 45mm when I want some distance from the subject, when I have the space to back away or when I want to frame a tighter portrait.

Beginners to photography often gasp and say “What can I do without a zoom? I can’t live without one. Walking backward and forward isn’t an option I want to take or I have”. To that, I have to reply – what is impossible or immutable is only a state of mind, not an actuality of circumstances.

The honest gaze of sincere friend Kuan – we’ve known each other since University and now we’re apart except for the annual visit but we still find lots in common

The cup of Malaysian coffee is very important – after all, it’s a coffee shop. I didn’t develop a taste of habit for any kind of coffee. We used to have those old carved wood stools and marble seats, it’s been plastic chairs and melamine tables for a long while now. You’ve got to give the coffee a good stir of course, with the overflow dripping down the sides of the cup, otherwise it’s not authentic. The mouth expression in anticipation of before the event or savouring the taste afterwards.

The mahjong boys are back in town. Mahjong can be a gambling addiction and also a generational family and community pastime. Players and onlookers gaze in concentration and exclamations of animation abound when some event happens. Notice the half tiled wall (to save costs) and the unburied wire running (used to be stapled onto bulky wood runners, the modernisation brought PVC conduits. But then again, you could just run it along the wall.

The stand fan provides a breeze and if you are attired in a singlet, well that’s tropicalised wear for you.

Life goes way too fast in the concrete city staffed by Twenty-Somethings. It’s all hustle and bustle and winning the rat race except there are huge number of rats in the race.

When you’ve had your day in the sun, what you yearn for a nice tasty bowl of Yong Tau Foo. The slower you stir, the slower time passes, or so it seems. You can almost see some glimpses of past splendour and activity in the ripples and the reflections.

We close with a note to people who make such food happen. The lady below is peeling mengkuang otherwise known as Yam Bean. It’s good eaten raw, crunchy like an apple except that it is a root, not a fruit. It’s also the sweet taste in poh piah and joo hoo char

And, at the end of the day, we need money to survive. To keep the fridge stocked and running.

In the photos above, we’re not talking about action shots, urgent 5 frame per second shooting. These subjects are evocative, story telling. Yes, some of these shots are indeed cropped and a zoom might avoid that. But a zoom would, for the same price be darker, bigger, more clumsy – with these primes, you can make like you’re fiddling with your camera instead of framing up a shot.

The Reflect Verb

Whoa, it's been quite a hectic period in my photography, thanks to Marg Wong, the fun gang at the Melbourne Photowalk on Google+ and encounters with the Melbourne Street Togs Facebook group.

I'm posting more and most of my photos more frequently to G+ (it's addictive) and my flickr account is languishing. Will have to correct that soon. Before I get waylaid by words (the downfall of several nights now, let me share my latest favourites.

This is my favourite from my walk along Toorak Road, South Yarra. Slightly darkened for the patina, hand held with the 20mm f/1.7 Lumix on my Olympus PEN E-PL1.

Since I got the lens, I've experienced a few answers to questions of image "look" (I refrain from using the often misconceived words image quality)

This second shot is the most bokelicious I've ever made.

More later...