The Mayon Volcano has been erupting continuously and I was able to attempt some night Live Compositions with the Lumix S5II and 70-300mm. I was approximately 15km on the Legazpi side shooting off a bare concrete retaining wall without tripod. The night image was exposed for around 5 minutes hence the star trails which I think are pretty cool. Not the most ideal setup; however…still super cool.
Daytime shot from approximately 22km
Night shot Live Composite mode.
As the title says part III. This time we switch over to the full frame Lumix S5II with the 24-70 f2.8 S-Pro (best lens I have ever owned period) and the excellent 70-300 F4.5-5.6 S-Macro. Edited in DXO Photolab 7.
Part 2 featuring more Sony a6400 with the excellent Tamron 17-70 f2.8. Edited as always in DXO Photolab 7.
Before the current hostilities kicked off in the Middle East spent the the best part of a month in the Philippines. Lots of Donsol, Subic-Subic, Ligao City and surrounds, Mayon Volcano and as much everyday life as I could see. Shot with the Sony a6400 and Tamron 17-70 f2.8. Edited in DXO Photolab 7.
Checked out the Dubai Global Village and later spent a week staying in Deira while working across the creek at the USCG. It’s rare to feel ok shooting street in the UAE-worked out ok thanks to a super busy night market. My little Sony a6400 is turning out to be more enjoyable as a street shooter given its size and I picked up the excellent Tamron 17-70 (25.5-105) f2.8 and that’s a big step up in optics. Very sharp across the range and the extra brightness really helps when the light gets low. Edited in DXO Photolab.
Art festivals, bike races, and the Louvre….Abu Dhabi culture in winter. S5II with 24-70 f2.8 S-Pro and 70-300. Edited in DXO Photolab.
Still learning to shoot fireworks. A bit too far away but it came out looking rather pretty. Live Composite Mode S5II with 28-70 f2.8 Pro.
We decided to have an adventure-driving 250km south of Abu Dhabi to the northern fringe of the Arabian desert Empty Quarter (Rub’ Ak Khali) where the Liwa Festival is an annual event featuring powersport-based extreme dune bashing and attempting to conquer the 250-300 meter Moreeb Dune. The festival also highlights Emirati culture and a nice chance to actually meet our hosts. We camped out about 1km from the base of the dune and were treated to a sleepless 48 hours as the attempts to climb the dune in every imaginable vehicle went on 24/7! It was wild….loved it and will return next year although will camp a few km into the desert for some peace and quiet at night! Vehicle star was definitely the H2 Electric Hummer! Honorable mention to the crazy awesome dune rolling down in a Lincoln Town Car! Lumix S-5II with 24-70 f2.8 Pro and 70-300mm. Also shot with the Sony a6400 with 18-135. All edited in DXO PL7.
Took a small day trip to the Al Ain Camel Market-a regional livestock hub featuring….you guessed it….camels. The opportunities for street portraiture were excellent as we met people from Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, Egypt, and others from around the Arabian Peninsula. Lumix S-5II with 24-70 f2.8 Pro edited with DXO PL7.
I have the a6400 as a sort of backup-honestly a friend never used it and I bought it at a reasonable price for use when my big full-frame Lumix is a bit much to haul around. It does a decent job; however, with no in-camera stabilization and the older crop sensor it’s tricky to use as the lights go out…excessive noise and handholding magic experienced with Lumix Dual IS is incomparable. I find myself wondering if I should just get the latest a6700 body (the lens is fine) to get decent stabilization….and then I look at something like a m43 camera from Olympus that can do insanely good work in a very small package (APS-C lenses get big to the point of full-frame) and round and around we go with Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)! Processed in DXO PL7.
A few shots with my backup Sony a6400 of the static displays. It was hot on the ramp and I had only an hour to wander around before the flight demo’s. 18-135mm is a very handy lens for APS-C giving 27-202mm actual. Smaller sensor does require a lot more care in processing. DXO PL7.
Lucky enough to be an exhibitor guest with direct flight line access. Too busy at work to attend more than one day and quite out of practice. The UAE flight demo team was a total highlight in my opinion as were the unusual aircraft not usually seen at civilian shows. It was hot, aircraft somewhat distant with lots of heat shimmer interference and very dusty. Still….I think the S5 MKII with 70-300mm held up really well…..all edited in DXO Photolab 7.
Lumix S-5 MKII with PL24-70 f2.8 and Lumix 70-300 f4.5-5.6. Edited in DXO PL
I have been a pond slug between work, travel, and heading to my new posting. The Philippines are very special and was there for another visit in 2025 - happily I did not destroy my camera this time! A quick stop in Manila then visited Boracay (wildly overrated) and far more enjoyable parts of Albay and Sorsogon. Lumix S-5 MKII with PL24-70 f2.8 and Lumix 70-300 f4.5-5.6. Edited in DXO PL
I believe I found a locale to potentially call home once I retire. Southern France (Cote D’Azur) is spectacular with stunning coastlines, amazing seafood, and super chill atmosphere. I did not want to leave. Have a look! Lumix S-5MKII with PL24-70F2.8 and Lumix 70-300f4.5-5.6. Edited in DXO PL.
Paris is fabulous. Superlatives do the place no justice. Please enjoy what I saw wandering around for the first time in decades from Notre Dame to the 10th Arr. and of course the Eiffel Tower. Lumix S-5MkII with PL 24-70f2.8 and edited with DXO PL. I normally stick to variations of Fuji film looks; however, Paris called for some experimentation and I used several of the available DXO “Time Machine” specialized looks as a baseline. Enjoy!
Lumix S-5MkII with PL24-70f2.8 and 70-300f4.5-5.6. Edited in DXO PL. Enjoy!
I have been shooting Panasonic with the G9 since 2017. With the 12-60 f2.8-4 and 100-300 f4-5.6 I was covered with 2 lenses in a reasonably light tough kit giving me actual reach of 24-600mm thanks to the M43 sensor. A good 75% of all legacy images here on my site were made with that setup. I beat the hell of it too and finally managed to kill it last year visiting the Philippines (cliff-sides and monsoons don’t mix well). M43 struggles in a few areas notably lower light and digital noise induced when cranking up the ISO. While I was spending the best part of 2023 trying to decide between going back to Fuji with the X-H2 or step up to full frame (35mm digital) in the form of Sony, Panasonic, or possibly Nikon-I picked up the lovely little Sony RX100VA seen here for a little walkaround. Its a great little pocket shooter and super quick autofocus thanks to inheriting the module from its full-frame siblings. After much hemming and hawing and finally several product demo’s and brilliant pricing I went with the Panasonic S-5II. They threw in the 85mm S f1.8 (I will have to start doing proper portraits now!) and amazing pricing on the Pro 24-70 f2.8….and I just picked up and shot for the first time the S 70-300 f4.5-5.6 completing the kit for full frame 24-300mm reach.
Why didn’t I jump ship from Panasonic? Sony’s ergonomics are ass, software and menu structure remains ass, and any advantage in size is negated by the monstrous and super expensive G Master lenses needed to really get the most from the system unless you are just shooting “cats n brats n shit in the garden”. Sony’s AF is ridiculous….best in class…but by how much? With the addition of PDAF Panasonic has closed the gap and in stills there’s not much between them. A forthcoming software release promises to make what is already an excellent AF system even more competitive.
I really like Fuji. But the wight and reach advantages for what is an APS-C sensor package are again negated by the big lenses needed to resolve the big ass new sensor. And there is way more noise than I expected even at low ISO. It would be a step backwards for me anyway. Thier color science is amazing but Panasonic is close….and of course I shoot RAW so who cares.
I picked up the Nikon Zf wanting to like it….and put it right back down. Ergonomically its a wannabe Fuji retro body without the charm. Nikon will sell loads and its got great spec’s….but if it don’t feel right….you know it.
Didn’t even bother with Canon. Blah blah pro shooter blah blah honesty who cares. If I was a pro shooting the Olympics….ok you go with CaNikon or possibly Sony top end speed guns….but I’m not a pro.
The S-5II is a bit of a beastie. Add on the two big lenses I have and its actually quite the hog around the neck. That’s really my only complaint….and the thing ergonomically fits my hands and balances well so….yeah. I am still learning the system and looking forward to getting more of the specialist features in play…Hand Held Hi Resolution, pre-burst, and especially Live Composite for night scenes.
That’s my rambling story and I’m sticking to it!
Whats in your bag?
Newly acquired Panasonic 70-300 S lens is excellent. Edited with DXO Photolab 7.
