On 11/15/2014 7:45 AM, Bob Whitmire wrote:
Very nice. The diagonal progression of drops is quite pleasing, and the capture
of drop detail is very good.
Thanks! I went to some little trouble to capture and enhance those very
qualities.
Remind me, what is the ZS40?
It's the latest in Panny's long running series of Travel Zooms, pocketable cameras with long zoom ranges - all you might
need for your travel snaps. :-) Why they have changed from the TZ model designation to ZS in NA, I don't know.
I see I've only as yet posted two images from it, the water droplets and Golden Gate just after sunset. Here are some
more. <http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=14927>
A couple have both full frame and crops, to show how it holds up enlarged. The ones in the Academy of Sciences are
mostly beyond it's remit. I had not been there since they leveled the old building and started over, and simple brought
the wrong equipment. Still, it's a decent stress test. Next time there, probably Friday, full kit. :-)
On 10/14/2014 6:13 PM, Moose wrote:
...
OK, time to fess up. In one of my little fits of GAS madness, I picked up a Panny ZS40.
<http://www.dpreview.com/products/panasonic/compacts/panasonic_dmczs40> I tried this ploy, a looog zoom compact to
carry in a pocket along with a more capable camera with better image quality and a much shorter zoom range, with the
Samsung WB650. The Sammy worked for me for a while, then slid into little use.
The ZS40 has twice the zoom range, better IQ to start with in JPEGs, and, wonder of wonders, puts out Raw files. In
reviews of this and other small sensor compacts with Raw, I read that it doesn't add much, if anything.
This guy gives a pretty good review, speaking positively about the Raw capability.
<http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_TZ60_ZS40/> But then he compares JPEG to Raw, SHARPENING WITHOUT
NR. so of course he then says: " I certainly don't think you'll extract much more resolution or saturated detail from
the TZ60 / ZS40's RAW files, .." Well, of course not, when you do it wrong!
OR ignoring Raw completely, as in this review:
<http://cameras.reviewed.com/content/panasonic-lumix-zs40-digital-camera-review>
"At first blush there's a lot to like about the ZS40: 18.1MP sensor, 1080/60p video, 24-720mm f/3.3-6.4 Leica-branded
zoom lens, and 10 frames per second (fps) burst shooting at full resolution. That sounds like a great camera.
Unfortunately the ZS40 winds up being something less than the sum of its many parts, with overaggressive, heavy-handed
noise reduction that too often smears away whatever fine detail your shots might've had."
Well, duh. That's why Raw, and understanding the ISO limits of the relatively
tiny sensor.
And: "For starters, the lens is just not good enough. It completely flunked the sharpness tests through most of the zoom
range. This isn't a massive surprise, and it's due to a tricky little physics nugget called the diffraction limit. ...
in short on a small sensor with small pixels if the aperture is too small you'll get soft images, even with a great
lens. Now, the lens here is by no means great, but hitting the diffraction limit as soon as you zoom even 1/3rd of the
way through isn't helping matters."
Again, ignoring what Raw can do and the possibilities of proper post processing. I've used FocusMagic to excellent
effect, and DxO plans to release their custom deconvolution module for this camera/lens Dec 14, which may up the ante.
Other reviews follow more or less in these directions. No one even comes close to plumbing the depths of what Raw and
post can do. Hey, I get it, it's a pocket, travel camera. BUT, that's not what I bought it for, and it is capable of
much more.
I'm here to say BS. I can get much better IQ than the JPEGs, done to my own taste, and at least at lower ISOs, there
is actually a little highlight recovery available.
Viewing in something like FastStone is deceptive. The JPEGs often look pretty poor @ 100%. But so do the Raw files!
Maybe even worse. I suppose it's because FS just uses the embedded JPEGs for these files? Or doesn't have a decent magic
decoder ring? I was shocked when I looked at my first shots, almost panicked. Then I opened them in ACR/PS, where the
story is very different.
Still trying to decide if I really like it.
We're becoming closer. :-)
Wide Range Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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