Thread for Lumix FZ18 and FZ28 Series


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....That was scary, but I still laugh when I think of him laying face down spread eagle in the mud.:bsmilie:
We now have a new rule to add to the many safety rules we impose on each other.
Rule 1 All shooters must be at least 50 metres from car before shooting.:nono:


You should have 'shot' him with a camera to capture that 'priceless' moment of him laying spread eagle in the mud!! :devil: :p
 

P1070884-1.jpg

Mr Swallow :)
FZ18

This one rocks. distance to target?
 

wow... the bird shot damn nice, sharp and clear... good composition... make FZer proud... haha
 

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This one rocks. distance to target?

I cropped the pic coz I didnt zoom far enough.

83mm ISO 125 f4.2 1/125sec Aperture Priority.

The bird likes the camera.

:D
 

I cropped the pic coz I didnt zoom far enough.

83mm ISO 125 f4.2 1/125sec Aperture Priority.

The bird likes the camera.

:D

Still pretty good, the resolution is maintained =) Quite pleasant for a FZ18... I dont remember having that experience much!
 

Yes, very nice bird.
I took some pics this morning with +10 close-up filter and noticed weird spots in centre of pic and toward top left, lens and filter looked clean only came up on this one, strange?!?
Was not happy with focus on this one but spots have got me stumped.
P1010439_1_.JPG
 

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nice photo rob... u manage to shot the ant fast enough... now i'm wondering how come my cam so slow when shooting ant... haha...

hmm as for the strange mark... it seem like liquid or gel like stuff... but also not sure wat is it... good things it dun look like fungus...
 

Hi skyguy, was talking to a friend who said that some ants squirt some sort of spray to defend themselves, looks like I may have been squirted. :dunno:
 

Yes, very nice bird.
I took some pics this morning with +10 close-up filter and noticed weird spots in centre of pic and toward top left, lens and filter looked clean only came up on this one, strange?!?
Was not happy with focus on this one but spots have got me stumped.
P1010439_1_.JPG

Vignetting!

Anyway about the spray... yea it could be. I forgot the name but I read it before.

Anyway their spray should be colorless and odorless, its a pheromone. shouldnt be detectable by your camera.

Have you got photoshop? try the Unsharp mask
 

Hi skyguy, was talking to a friend who said that some ants squirt some sort of spray to defend themselves, looks like I may have been squirted. :dunno:

ah... yes... some ants can do tat to protect themselve... and they squirt from their butt... looking at the photo and the ants butt aiming, it sure look like it... but i heard the ants squirt is acidic... not sure whats the pH... but using acid is how they protect themselve...

yea... ombre rather observant... spot the viginette... i didn't see tat... maybe can do some photoshop to crop and enlarge the ants...

acid spraying ants video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYCbt0ou98E
 

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Yeah it is Formic Acid that they spray, not supposed to be that strong about the same pH as vinegar. Strong enough to sting your eyes.
I have Photoshop on my laptop but not on my home pc, still battling away with marking. Will have to wait until I finish my work before I can play some more.
Four weeks today and I will be arriving back in Singapore about 9:30 pm. Cannot come soon enough.
Got a quote from the smash repair people to fix the damage done by the goose, $2660. Worked out to be an expensive outing. Had to report it to the Police for insurance puroses.
The cops couldn't stop laughing. Hopefully it will be fixed before I leave Darwin.
 

Yeah it is Formic Acid that they spray, not supposed to be that strong about the same pH as vinegar. Strong enough to sting your eyes.
I have Photoshop on my laptop but not on my home pc, still battling away with marking. Will have to wait until I finish my work before I can play some more.
Four weeks today and I will be arriving back in Singapore about 9:30 pm. Cannot come soon enough.
Got a quote from the smash repair people to fix the damage done by the goose, $2660. Worked out to be an expensive outing. Had to report it to the Police for insurance puroses.
The cops couldn't stop laughing. Hopefully it will be fixed before I leave Darwin.

Hah sorry about the rather fast and direct reply that almost sounded like prick. I was in lectures but surfing CS. =X

Pity your car! That amount of money is enough to get me all my dream lenses! =X

I didn't know about the formic acid, quite cool, seems like it perhaps only applies to certain species of ants?

Anyway, You do have a wide variety of natural habitation where you are Clunk, you should seriously consider upgrading to a better close focus filter, great potential.
 

Apologise for what? No worries mate! you're cool.
Yeah we have lots of places where there is wildlife. Many parks, Botanic Gardens just across the road from work, rainforest just a short drive away, a bit further hunting reserves and National Parks eg. Kakadu National Park. Litchfield National Park,
I am thinking of getting a Raynox DCR 250 (while in S/pore), is that the way to go in your opinion?
I went for the close up filter set first cuz I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but I do. Did not want to waste $$.
How much do you think a DCR 250 will set me back?

PS. Car repair is covered by insurance and friend is paying the $300 excess cuz I have not had a claim in last 10 years will not lose my No Claim Bonus.
 

Apologise for what? No worries mate! you're cool.
Yeah we have lots of places where there is wildlife. Many parks, Botanic Gardens just across the road from work, rainforest just a short drive away, a bit further hunting reserves and National Parks eg. Kakadu National Park. Litchfield National Park,
I am thinking of getting a Raynox DCR 250 (while in S/pore), is that the way to go in your opinion?
I went for the close up filter set first cuz I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but I do. Did not want to waste $$.
How much do you think a DCR 250 will set me back?

PS. Car repair is covered by insurance and friend is paying the $300 excess cuz I have not had a claim in last 10 years will not lose my No Claim Bonus.

In singapore, DCR 250 cost about $100-$120... not bad, ur insurance transaction work quite fast... good things its cover... maybe u can ask the repair man to deal with the scratch at the left of the bump
 

Apologise for what? No worries mate! you're cool.
Yeah we have lots of places where there is wildlife. Many parks, Botanic Gardens just across the road from work, rainforest just a short drive away, a bit further hunting reserves and National Parks eg. Kakadu National Park. Litchfield National Park,
I am thinking of getting a Raynox DCR 250 (while in S/pore), is that the way to go in your opinion?
I went for the close up filter set first cuz I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but I do. Did not want to waste $$.
How much do you think a DCR 250 will set me back?

PS. Car repair is covered by insurance and friend is paying the $300 excess cuz I have not had a claim in last 10 years will not lose my No Claim Bonus.

You have to decide if Raynox is right for you. I think your focusing distance is already good. How about trying some B+W close up filters? =X (at this point, I don't know the price, but it should be about the cost of a raynox)

Raynox has its disadvantages, at least I really didn't like the focusing issues I had on it. (playing with Skyguy's that is), your subject has to be about exactly 10cm from the lens to focus right. with a CF filter you don't need to be this precise. (Although you may not get that close)

But of course, CF filters introduce fringing and quality loss, quite obvious in your pictures, but not sure if it will go away with a good filter. I'm hoping it will. Having that said, Raynox filters cost you image quality too, just that it isn't as bad in this comparison.

Raynox filters' magnification also force you to focus on one target (somewhat), whereas for yours, you can compose a scene with a few subjects if you like.

I believe you should be able to stack close ups with the TCON. (but your close up has to be infront of the TCON i think, this may take some DIY, but it will give good magnification too. =X

most versatile, borrow one during the FZ outing and get a feel of it =X

Otherwise get a dSLR with a true macro lens. about 800 bux damage, but you get very good quality for it. I think you have the potential to make good pictures! =) I like your pictures, not sure if its just because of the feeling it gives due to a different environment (because singapore is so boring!), or if its your skills =P but either ways, they're nice.
 

Hi skyguy and ombre, the entire front guard will be replaced so the scratch will go, good news.
It would be good if I could try skyguys Raynox when I am there. I don't think buying a DSLR would be feasable so soon, it would not get approval from the Minister of Finance, who just by coincidence is Minister of War.:o
Thanks for the encouraging words, I am still learning and want to improve my skills which are very basic.
I did want to ask, do you find a monopod any use when shooting closeup?:think: I have found it better to move the legs if the tripod into the centre ala monopod which enables you to use it as a pivot and move in and out from the subject small amounts. The constant adjustment of the tripod is bothersome and difficult on eneven ground.
 

Hi skyguy and ombre, the entire front guard will be replaced so the scratch will go, good news.
It would be good if I could try skyguys Raynox when I am there. I don't think buying a DSLR would be feasable so soon, it would not get approval from the Minister of Finance, who just by coincidence is Minister of War.:o
Thanks for the encouraging words, I am still learning and want to improve my skills which are very basic.
I did want to ask, do you find a monopod any use when shooting closeup?:think: I have found it better to move the legs if the tripod into the centre ala monopod which enables you to use it as a pivot and move in and out from the subject small amounts. The constant adjustment of the tripod is bothersome and difficult on eneven ground.

Haha, well you're off to a good start. If you need a referral to the minister of war, we can write you some. =X

I personally find the FZ hand holdable in almost all circumstances except for the long exposure night lights effect. I even handheld the FZ18 at 4am in the morning. Its perfectly reasonable, just lean on something. Most sources will tell you that handhold-ability WITHOUT IS is actually 1/ focal length in seconds of shutter speed. This is largely the rule of thumb, but you could be making this mistake. Your FZ18's focal length at 18X zoom, is not 504 (thats the equiv), but is only 83mm. which means you can perfectly well hold a 18X zoom at only 1/100s (quite a safe figure). especially with the IS. but this is of course, just a rule of thumb. If you plan to do 100% crops (bad idea on the FZ18 anyway), you may still need more shutter speed.

In anycase, a monopod is my choice, any day, anytime. Honestly I only use it to look professional =X (Vain ass.) Do get one just incase.

Alternatively you could get a little creative like me. I always bring a ziplock plastic bag, If I ever need a makeshift tripod, I open it to fill it half with air, and use it as a cushion tripod for my camera. put it on a ledge or something.... carefully though. shouldn't be a problem doing like 20seconds exposure if theres no wind. It has its limitations of course, but it weighs less than 10g =)
 

Today I found someone holding a FZ28S under my block snapping up. =X I pulled out my extra long lens to snap at him, wonder if he saw me haha.

Is this anyone of you?

IMG_1769.jpg


and also a picture to share

IMG_1250-1.jpg

admittedly, the picture was a little soft, I was handholding at 300mm with the wind gently rocking the web, I believe i applied a 50% unsharp mask to it.​
 

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It's not me!!! :bsmilie:
 

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