The Pros and (Mostly) Cons of Upgrading to a 4K Monitor

Image
I'm in the process of getting back into photography which will mean a new camera, more on that in a later post. But the first step for me was a new computer, one with the horsepower to handle a modern day camera and its RAW files. Along with the computer comes a new 4K monitor. 4K is great for media consumption, right? Your characters on your favorite show or movie really look detailed and realistic. Scenery looks wonderful. Everything looks great, right? Wrong. You know what doesn't look great? That photo I took in 2012 that I thought was sharp but is very much not. I transferred over my past catalogs of photos over to Lightroom Classic and eagerly began opening up some of my favorite photos. At first I was happy with how the colors looked and how the scene was composed. Then I noticed it was a little soft. Well I had just gotten a new contacts prescription so that must be it. Changed to my glasses and the photos were even blurrier! I went through photo after photo and most ca

G3 In The (Light)House

Trinidad Lighthouse for the holidays
The First HDR
I've been a little distracted the last several days, and the above is why. My new camera, the Panasonic G3, uses the same technology as my replaced GF2, but improves on it. Keeping it mirror-less the main differences are the upgraded sensor (16MP vs 12MP) the fold out/swivel 3 inch touch screen, the eye view finder, and a dedicated mode dial. Though the ISO level peaks out at the same 6400 as the GF2, the noise is handled better and I'm now comfortable to break the 800ISO barrier, where before I wouldn't chance it. Details and colors are far better also. In fact they were so much better I am wondering if I had a faulty GF2. But either way I'm much happier with this camera as I regain two key features of the SX10is that I had been missing: the swivel LCD monitor which makes shots below and above my head a lot easier, and the eye view finder which is helpful on bright days that wash the LCD out.

Panasonic G3
My new camera, the G3. Note, not my hands.
Another very cool feature, a first for Panasonic cameras, I think, is the use of an electronic shutter which can shoot at up to twenty frames per second for about two seconds. I'm not sure if the two second limitation is due to the camera or the SD card. The downside in this model is that the photos are reduced to 4MP, but as I don't do burst shots often I'm ok with that. The dynamic range is also greatly improved over the GF2. With a +/- of 3EV on the GF2 the G3 has +/- of 5EV which makes for a greater depth of tonality. A tweak in the bracket software now allows me to shoot of 7 shots at +/-1EV for my HDR brackets making it quicker and more to my liking. I wish I could assign where I want brackets taken, but this works. 

Annoyances. There are some. Such as when reviewing photos the screen that constantly pops up at the beginning telling me how to scroll through photos. I can't get rid of it permanently (that I know of) and I can't dismiss it. Though there are multiple custom settings I can't seem to program anything that includes a change in the drive (brackets, burst, timer, etc.) which is kind of annoying. 

Now about the shot. It's a seven(!) shot HDR. And if it wasn't for that annoying handraid running right down the middle I'd make it into a holiday card. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Pros and (Mostly) Cons of Upgrading to a 4K Monitor