Thank you
I’d like to thank the 550,000 people who visited my website this year. You have inspired me to enlarge, increase the depth and well, to work harder on it. May 2012 be a good year for you all.
Pansonic 20mm f1.7 lens on the G2
Three weeks now with this lens and its become the default lens
First thing was fitting a UV filter to protect it. If there was any addition for this camera then this little lens is it as the camera is completely transformed into quite a capable piece of kit. Not that it wasn’t before hand with the versitile kit 14-44 lens. Some how the G2 largish (for a MFT) sensor size and lens make an ideal combination.
Here’s a still taken in retro look. Sharp at the edges with a good fall off in DoF. You can see the 20m format at work
The 20mm (40mm in 35mm format) is a good angle. For portraits you only need to stand off a little and use a slight crop. Good partnershiip with the 44-200mm.
Video is gorgeous and will be posting some examples shortly. Key improvements being superb depth of field, bokeh, great quality of colour and of course low light capability. Even though the G2 shoots in 720p I don’t believe its disadvantaged by not having 1080p, especially if the final output is Youtube where I believe 720p is better anyway due to Youtube conversion rates used for 1080p.
The pancake nature of the lens and the F1.7 gives a real edge. It keeps the camera truly portable and it feels like every shot is special. Well done Panasonic.
Cons
AF motor noise, though of course with an external mike like a Rode, this is not a problem.
Relatively slow AF compared to the kit lens. Problem if hand held and trying to solo video, however in a tripod situation or more controlled then superb.
In these situations will be using the kit lens so enabling use of the Rode mike.
No other cons.
Pillion Comforts
Part of the ongoing story (nay saga) of Dogs on Bikes.
His Furryness’s head and eyes whilst riding pillion have been a concern. OK we have Doggles which seem effective, ie he doesn’t seem to mind us putting them on, but he swipes them off if stationary or when riding slowly through traffic. Not too bad except when we speed up it means stopping to put them on or at least straighten them up.
This temporary solution using an old fairing is proving very effective. So that it will be enhanced and made permanent.
As can be seen his Furryness is below the screen which now protects him against wind blast and rain. Not only that but the Honda seems more settled in gusty headwinds.
Recent I’ve made up prototype helmet for him. The only helmets for dogs seen on the net have been a bit basic and don’t cover the venerable sensitive nose.
The male plug. Note issue yet to be resolved with the fur under the visor issue.
Female mould. The real thing comes out as the male using diagonal double layer carbon.
First cast in carbon to use as a mould. I’ve allowed plenty of space around his nose and whiskers for obvious doggy reasons.
Carbon is essential since the visor pulls the helmet out and any weight on his Lordships bonce is weight he doesn’t want.
45-200mm Panasonic lens on the G2
Taken late afternoon on around 150mm equating to 300 on full format. I was some 10/12 feet from the subject.
f5.6, iso 400, shutter 1/320s
Beginning to like this lens. I tend to shoot what I find on the moment so being able to use a long lens without a tripod or setting up the camera is a biggy. Have now ordered the 20mm f1.7 from B&Q. Will do some video test shortly but initial impressions are positive. I use an external Rode mike so any (if any) AF noise won’t register, but AF speed will be important.
New Lens for the G2
Just acquired a used 45-200mm lens for the G2. Been trying to decide on the 40-140 specialist video lens, a big investment and this and came up. Worries over AF speed for video have disappeared. Seems reasonably fast -possible faster than the standard 14-42 mm. Great news is that it is very usable hand held up to 150mm with the IOS on. Will post some shots soon but impressed and relieved. Biggest tip so far is to keep the aperture opened up and limit the ISO to a max of 800 and preferably 200.
It means the next lens will be the 20mm f 1.7. and by pass the 40-140mm.
Art, technology and money – getting some that is
Last year on a trip back to the UK my web domain name came up for renewal along with options for a .uk and .eu domain. Later I received an email from Youtube saying one of my videos qualified for revenue earning and could I please set up my account with Google. Of course I did and thought no more about it, though realised both incidents were connected through me administering my site from the UK. More on this in another article. A few months later back in Wellington there appeared a letter (yes a letter) from Google asking to verify my account and how I wanted my money paid. ‘Money’ I thought, ‘MONEY?’
The amount was a diminutive 20 US cents and inversely proportional to the celebration. Just to earn something from the web justified efforts into my creative master plan. Later, reading a bit more, I discovered 20 cents was just for the first day. Over a few months the video crept up to a few hundred views then to 15,000 with the initial 20 cents a day creeping up accordingly.
The video itself is pretty rubbish. One weekend a couple of years ago, I painted something with a 4 inch brush while leaving a little point and shoot camera running. Flat, lifeless, badly shot, everything not to do in fact. It was almost trashed several times but I left it up because a) I couldn’t be bothered trashing it, and b) it was a learning curve – like mustn’t do that ever again and besides, nobody was watching it. That was then.
It’s now heading north of 150,000 views, increasing exponentially. Most days I reply to overnight comments, thank new subscribers or accept friend requests. Demographics range from a Bangladesh family in a one room ‘house’ to a 15 year old guitar player in Mexico. Revenue is becoming a touch more significant and Youtube have upgraded my account twice. The good thing of course is it’s earning 24 hours a day every day even while I sleep. Especially while I sleep, I like that bit.
Needless to say there is now a program in place for the next levels and beyond.
Lessons learnt, well some of them.
There’s no accounting for taste. What I think is rubbish someone else thinks is great and, disconcertingly, vice a versa.
I know nothing about marketing. I thought I knew at least a little bit, but now realise I know nothing. Surprisingly, I find I’m in good company.
Specialise in something and become good at it, no matter how obscure. People out there will find you if you let them.
Work out what your talents are and find similar talents out there to learn from.
Out there means local and global. What is the state of art in your field?
Anything put up on the web can and probably will be copied. Some will use your work and make money off it, selling T shirts and posters perhaps.
Make sure your site is in Google search. Google are getting very particular about content these days so original informative updated content gets priority.
Don’t worry about hitting immediate viral status. Some things just need to grow and find their market or what we call in film structure ‘the inciting incident’.
Exercise caution on expert viewpoints. These need to be balanced with overview.
More is learnt from success than mistakes. Get a success no matter how small.
Its really hard taking something to the next level but this is what needs to be done if success is to be sustained. Research, plan, execute, adapt – see below.
Research research research. Its accepted you may only use 10% of what you research, I think its more like 1%, but either way an awful lot has to be acquired before discovering that tiny bit which sends you forward.
Put a plan into place. Having been a sailing coach for over 30 years I’m used to setting up and working to 4, 6 or even 12 year plans around Olympic cycles. 4-5 years is a workable time span. More on this in another article.
Execute. It’s more than just doing, it’s exploring limits, breaking down, reinventing and transforming.
Adapt. Constantly re-evaluate your core skills and adapt to ongoing change.
Find someone or something really good operating at international level, watch and learn. They won’t make sense at the time, because you haven’t been through what they have, but a few years later the bulbs will light up and what they were really on about will be indelibly illuminated.
A disadvantage can be an advantage
http://marchill.net
NZ Art Show last weekend July
Three works, one done, one underway, one support stretched and primed
Priming a canvas
Just completed this video – first in a series of One Minute thinghies