I'm curious as to what motivated you to get into this area of interest. What do you take photographs of? When you pick up your camera, what do you think?

For professionals, on assignment, this is a relatively easy to answer question, so I'm more interested in the opinions of hobbyists at all levels.

Is it your family? Your pets (same thing right?)? A love for scenery? Or is it because you just like the idea of taking snapshots of life?

I'm not sure what I'm expecting in response to this question, and have no idea where (if anywhere) this thread will go. I guess to some extent, I'm trying to justify why I want a new camera so much. I don't tend to get GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), and have more than enough other things to spend my hard earned money on (I'm a technology based musician - it's all expensive, and there's lots of it!). My wife refuses to have her photo taken, and she's the only family I have within a couple of thousand miles. I enjoy scenery, but probably spent the first four or five of my years in Newfoundland capturing all there is here. I have no pets (though a dog is hopefully in the near future). I don't often go on vacation. I have no idea why I want to up the standard of my photo taking. It doesn't bother me enough to stop me from spending my money - I will get my money's worth out of any camera I buy. But I would love to be able to justify it to myself, and I'm hoping that a reply or two from you will make it click in my mind - oh yeah, that's why I'm doing this, or even make me think of something new.

Rich

Panasonic to Launch World's First** Interchangeable 3D Lens for LUMIX G Micro System***



** For a digital interchangeable lens of July 28, 2010
*** Compatible models to be announced

Panasonic is pleased to announce the development of the world's first** twin-lens digital interchangeable lens to make 3D shooting possible with an interchangeable lens system camera. The 3D lens will allow high-quality shooting in 3D as a new member of the powerful lineup of interchangeable lenses for Panasonic's LUMIX G Micro System***. As 3D content becomes ever more popular across a variety of media, Panasonic plans to release this new lens for sale before the end of the year and deliver the joy of 3D shooting to interchangeable lens system camera users.

This year, the “First Year of 3D Era,” Panasonic has spearheaded the industry by launching 3D-capable VIERA televisions and 3D Blu-ray Disc™ players. While 3D content, including movies and sports, has become more widely available for viewing, there are many customers who want to enjoy 3D shooting themselves. This new lens will respond to such demands. This lens allows users to shoot landscapes, people, and a variety of subjects in high-quality 3D, to be enjoyed later with their 3D VIERA televisions at home.

Until now, 3D shooting with an interchangeable lens system camera has only been possible by using panorama systems or a combination of two lenses and two CCDs, but these systems have drawbacks including the need for a dedicated 3D camera and the difficulties capturing moving objects.

Panasonic's new 3D lens for the LUMIX G Micro System features two optical systems installed within the diameter of the lens mount, creating stereo images from the left and right lenses, to be processed with a 3D image processing system. Thanks to Panasonic's advanced technologies in optical technology, image processing system, and lens barrel design, the 3D lens still manages to retain an extremely compact size.

This new compact 3D-capable interchangeable lens allows easier handling and instant 3D shooting with cameras without a special structure for 3D shooting. It produces 3D images without distortion or time lag between left and right images, even for moving objects. The 3D images, even close-up shots, taken with this lens are easy on the eyes when viewed on 3D VIERA televisions.

Panasonic has led the industry in bringing a true-to-life 3D experience to its customers, and will continue to expand its lineup of 3D products with innovative technologies.

My sentimental favourite lens is my Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 40mm f/1.9 lens from my 1953 Robot Star IIa.

My Olympus Pen E-P1 allows me to play with this lens again so I decided to give it a treat and take it to the seaside. Oh well, the weather was a tad gloomy but my little Schneider didn't complain. I had a 38mm to 52mm stepping ring made so I could use my Cokin filters on the lens. No one makes 38mm filters any more.

The spot is South Flagstaff Point, Wollongong about 1 hour south of Sydney

gf1, 20 mm

This forum mu-43.com started out great. Great information, great discussion, great moderators (that is/was important). Since its' inception I have thoroughly enjoyed the information that I have gleaned from the postings, I have and continue to enjoy the fellowship between the participants. I have notice that other forums are being added to the mix that seem to have many of the same people participating and I wonder to myself out loud why....why do people wander all over the map conversing about the same subject(s) and getting much the same answers. If I may use the term"love"...well that is my feeling about Amins' efforts to produce this site and the capable people that help him to tend to it. Why, oh why, is there any need for more forums. Yes, I signed up on the new ones only to see what they had to offer and I find it unnecessary to continue with the others. Let us all together make this the only and I say only good forum for the mu-4/3rds concept of cameras. Quality surpasses quantity!!

Good article that outlines the advantages of the various mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras and their advantages for outdoor photographers at outdoorphotographer.com.

DSLR Performance In A Point-And-Shoot Size? - Outdoor Photographer | OutdoorPhotographer.com

We were so excited to be able to enjoy the exciting entrance into the world - of our 4'th grandchild "Oakley Gabriella".

Our youngest son Ryan (who I recently completed the music video for) and his wife Ashley, were so thrilled to have the identity of their first child - revealed to them at around 10:00 this morning. Ryan sobbed with tears upon finding out that it was a "girl" nestled inside Ashley's womb for the past 9 months. A girl was what he was hoping for.

Ryan and Ashley invited us (Anne and I and our children and grandchildren - as well as Ashleys mother father and sister) into the birthing room, about 20 minutes after Oakley's arrival. She was bright eyed, strong and beautiful and I was prepared and ready to capture HD footage and still images of the goings on, with my Olympus E-PL1 with kit lens attached - as well as some natural light stills with my Olympus E-3 with 50mm f2 macro attached.

A new family - portrait taken about 1/2 hour after the birth.
Olympus E-PL1 with 14-42 @ 33mm : f6.3@1/50'th sec : 3200 ISO


My grandson Mason was capturing still images with my E-3 and 50mm f2 lens - while I was shooting the video and stills with the E-PL1
Olympus E-PL1 with 14-42 @ 14mm : f6.3@1/40'th sec : 800 ISO


Proud uncle Robert (our oldest son) with Ryan watching on. Love this shot!
Olympus E-PL1 with 14-42 @ 14mm : f6.3@1/30'th sec : 640 ISO



----

I took my buddies on their first multi-day backpacking trip last weekend. It's not only important to take photos of a trip like this but to come back with some crazy stories for the ladies. We came back with enough stories for a book, lol. They wanted to kill me the entire time but I know they had fun and hopefully got bit by the backcountry bug

We started at White Wolf and hiked through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne for 3.5 days and roughly 33mi. In previous trips I used a Canon SLR but this was my first time with a m43 camera, the GF1 + 9-18mm combo. It saved lot of weight and kept me in line with the ultralight philosophy (debatable since I had a tripod and 2 extra lenses )).

Snapshots here: Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne 2010 - a set on Flickr

The album for the previews below can be found here:
Tuolumne Favorites - a set on Flickr


Yours truly marveling at the sunrise


Early morning shot from the bridge at Glen Aulin to Tuolumne Meadows.


Sunset just outside Glen Aulin


I'm not sure if this is even a good picture but the longer I look at it the more it appeals to me. This was taken on the climb to Le Conte Falls.


This is a stitched panoramic of Waterwheel Falls (I think). The great thing about panos is you can get so much in a scene to give viewers some context to just how beautiful the place is. The problem is it shrinks even huge waterwheeling waterfalls into something mild.


Stitched pano. The great thing about this hike is seeing how the Tuolumne River takes on different forms.


Another stitched pano. Taken at the top of the Muir Gorge, what a climb!

Hello everyone,

as you may know, I am the founder of the Olympus Photo Safari Group - this is just a personal invitation to join us in the planning of a number of Street Shooting and Landscape Events in Sheffield and the Peak District over the summer.

This will be a great opportunity to get free advice and peer-to-peer coaching on the E-P1/2/PL1 + m4/3rds and adapted lenses in these environments - all free of charge.

You will need to register with the group to join the discussion - in order for us to maintain a reasonable level of privacy for our members arranging to meet up.

Further events worldwide will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months, so please keep an eye out here for more news.

Kind Regards

Brian

I'm excited to announce a companion forum/blog to Mu-43 at SeriousCompacts.com.

Some of you will recognize Serious Compacts as a site where I blogged for nearly three years prior to starting Mu-43. In fact, many of the early members on this site found Mu-43 via the links on Serious Compacts.

After a period of inactivity, I've decided to re-launch Serious Compacts. The idea behind S.C. is to cover everything of interest to small(er) camera users. These days, with Micro 4/3, Samsung NX, Sony NEX, Ricoh GXR, and more mirrorless systems sure to come, this is a rapidly evolving area.

I think Mu-43 and S.C. can complement one another very well. Mu-43 will remain focused on being a great home specifically for Micro 4/3 users on the web, while S.C. is meant to serve as a forum and blog for those interested in the full range of compact photography systems available and the work being done with these remarkable tools.

Soundimageplus will be joining me as an admin over at Serious Compacts. We hope some of you will come and contribute your ideas, experiences, and images!

The new site can be found at www.seriouscompacts.com