Capturing Passion and Magic

December 28, 2011

Lumix DMC-LX5 for Strobist Work

One of our Christmas presents to ourselves this year was a new point-and-shoot camera. We snagged a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 from Amazon on a one-day holiday sale for about $100 off.

It makes a nice compromise camera for my wife and I. For her, it has a good point-and-shoot mode. For me, it has full manual controls, a standard hot shoe and high enough image quality (RAW files!) that I can carry it and not bitch too much about not having a DSLR on hand.

Other important specs: image stabilization, 24-90mm equivalent lens, f 2.0 - 3.3 (tops out at f/8), shutter speeds from 250 sec to 1/4000 sec with the updated firmware, and face detection AF. You can check out the full specifications on the Panasonic site.

I got my first chance to try out the LX5 with my Cactus v5 radio triggers and my speedlights about week after it arrived. As hoped, everything worked fine, as shown by this photo, lit entirely by speedlights.



Next, it was time go outdoors, and see how well this worked for blending natural light with a flash exposure. It was a sunny day, and I should have been a little worried, since the aperture tops out a f/8, that I might not be able to use fill flash without blowing out details.

But I wasn't worried, because earlier testing had revealed a pleasant surprise: full external flash sync, with radio triggers, up to 1/1000th of a second.

That's right, 1/1000th of a second flash sync - with radio triggers ! (Note, Cactus v5 radio triggers, other brands not tested) See it for yourself below - sunlight is streaming in from the right, and the flash is coming in through a 25-inch shoot through umbrella from the left.




And here's another, at 1/640th of a second:




Combine that high shutter speed sync with the fact that the LX5 has pretty good image stabilization, and it turns out to be an excellent tool for mixing ambient and flash exposures together.





Let me also say that face detection AF, when it works, is a god send. Not to mention, the flexibility in placing the AF area is excellent.

Even with all this awesomeness, it's definitely not a full on replacement for a DSLR. That small sensor, while it produces good images, simply can't match the image quality a DSLR will give you. Another disadvantage of the small sensor: it's hard to control the depth-of-field, the way you can with a DSLR.

This next pic shows pretty much the best this camera can do at crushing backgrounds - the lens is at full telephoto and wide open.




It's not horrid, but with a DSLR and the right lens, I can make that background nothing but creamy blur and make her really pop out.

That said, the LX5 is an amazingly capable strobist tool, and pretty fantastic for a point-and-shoot camera. There will be trips where I leave the DSLRs behind now, in favor of the LX5. Also, it's probably going to find its way into my camera bag as a backup camera for important shoots.


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November 27, 2011

Learning Light Patterns: Honl Grids, Snoots and a Quick 430 EXII vs LP 160 Comparison

Learning Light Patterns: Honl Grids, Snoots and a Quick 430 EXII vs LP 160 Comparison
Controlling light is critical to effective photography. That's why there are so many light modifiers out there: beauty dishes, parabolic...
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October 23, 2011

Back to Nature for a Change of Pace

Back to Nature for a Change of Pace
I've been doing tons of people photography lately. So, Friday morning, I managed to free some time to slip away to the Eno River State P...
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October 09, 2011

Light Modifier Review: Rusty Oil Drum

Light Modifier Review: Rusty Oil Drum
I figured I'd start my Light Modifier Review series off with a rarely utilized modifier: a rusty oil drum. I was hunting outdoor lo...
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September 26, 2011

Thinking About Style

Thinking About Style
I was keeping an eye on the activity on my flickr stream, when I saw something that made me smile...not a little smile but a big, wide, toot...
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September 05, 2011

Dragon*Con First Look

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Working my tail off at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. Posting some photos as I go here: Dragon*Con 2011 First Look
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July 27, 2011

Recent Work III

Recent Work III
Belly Dancer at the Golden Genies Hafla and Benefit in Durham, North Carolina: Couple kissing by the window after a baby shoot gone sideways...
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June 19, 2011

Why I have 3 HDR Programs

Why I have 3 HDR Programs
Yes, that's right. I own 3 different programs capable of tone-mapping multiple exposures into one image that displays a tonal range grea...
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June 11, 2011

Recent Work, Part II

Recent Work, Part II
More of the stuff I've been shooting lately. Schenck Memorial Forest: A pair from a little-visited section of Duke Forest: And some folk...
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May 30, 2011

Recent Work

Recent Work
I've been really quiet, but shooting a fair bit. Here's a sampling of what I've been up to: Undulation Nouveau at Full Steam Bre...
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April 15, 2011

Keeping a Camera Handy

Keeping a Camera Handy
I'm on vacation at the Outer Banks of North Carolina this week, and I have been trying to keep up with my New Year's Resolution to h...
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March 24, 2011

Shoulda Used A Flash

Shoulda Used A  Flash
Would, coulda, shoulda... I was shooting this girl in the moat window of Castle McCullouch in High Point, North Carolina. I had an entire li...
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February 23, 2011

200,000

200,000
Last July, I reported that my Flickr stream , after years of existence, had finally passed 100,000 views. Yesterday, barely more than 7 mont...
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February 07, 2011

Indoor Tennis

Indoor Tennis
I love playing tennis. I also enjoy shooting tennis. Until now, though, I didn't enjoy shooting it indoors. Most indoor tennis courts ar...
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January 27, 2011

Injury and Illness Time Out

Injury and Illness Time Out
Sorry about the silence. I had knee surgery, and then managed to come down with bronchitis. These folks look just a little better than I feel.
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January 09, 2011

Yorick and the Girl

Yorick and the Girl
Buy a Print This is a serendipity image. I shot this at a Strobist meetup, and the original image was terribly overexposed, thanks to anothe...
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January 05, 2011

Paper Mill at Sunset

Paper Mill at Sunset
Buy a Print The paper mill at Fernandina Beach, Florida, belches forth fumes into the sunset sky. I didn't expect what I considered to b...
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