Just got a GH-1...so the journey begins

[ggibson]

Looks fantastic! Wonderful colors.

 

[slowhands]

Last week was shooting the 45mm macro... what a lovely lens. Ok, the field of view is not very wide, but it is a joy to shoot with.

When the lens is set to full range focus... the focus speed is really slow, but once set, this camera is a fast as any DSLR I have ever used (perhaps faster)...

I am going to have trouble going back to the LX5 for macro...

...

Those were stunning. I put my order in for a 45mm. Just wondering, when you say "once set, the camera is as fast.. " do you mean once the camera has acquired focus, it's fast to shoot? or it focuses fast when the focus is about right? I'm lost. I know this lens has a distance switch to limit range, but it's for portrait distances, not macro. I'm curious how to speed up focus. As I recall you have the GH1 in 10Bar? How do you focus, AF or manual?

Old eyes have lost their visual accommodation, as they say, so I wear a corrective mask which gives me good distance vision, but poor close vision. I have found getting the image in focus is best done by the camera, assuming it and I agree on what to focus on -- sometimes it would rather focus on the Gorgonian than the pygmy seahorse and so on. Hence it's challenging doing macro, which is what I love. I end up moving the camera once focus is set to do the precise focus I want, but that's hit and miss in high current with the seafan and I swaying a bit, and old eyes not quite sure either.

I keep looking for the button marked "Do what I mean" but I can't find it. So what's your technique?

 

[Puffer Fish]

I don't have the best eyes either. Although I do have my dominant eye lens for distance, and my weak side (the right one) set for about 2 ft, so I can see clearly on my right side.

I have the lens set up for spot focus.. the smallest size of spot. When you set the lens to full focus (the macro setting), the lens travel speed slows down, and the range it has to cover is very big. Because of this, focus lock can take next to nothing, or up to around 1 second (depending on which way the lens picks to find focus.

Once you get focus lock, taking the image is next to zero.. amazingly fast. I find it very easy to use.

Those were stunning. I put my order in for a 45mm. Just wondering, when you say "once set, the camera is as fast.. " do you mean once the camera has acquired focus, it's fast to shoot? or it focuses fast when the focus is about right? I'm lost. I know this lens has a distance switch to limit range, but it's for portrait distances, not macro. I'm curious how to speed up focus. As I recall you have the GH1 in 10Bar? How do you focus, AF or manual?

Old eyes have lost their visual accommodation, as they say, so I wear a corrective mask which gives me good distance vision, but poor close vision. I have found getting the image in focus is best done by the camera, assuming it and I agree on what to focus on -- sometimes it would rather focus on the Gorgonian than the pygmy seahorse and so on. Hence it's challenging doing macro, which is what I love. I end up moving the camera once focus is set to do the precise focus I want, but that's hit and miss in high current with the seafan and I swaying a bit, and old eyes not quite sure either.

I keep looking for the button marked "Do what I mean" but I can't find it. So what's your technique?

 

[nycjOHN170]

Today I finally got my GF-1 and 10 Bar in the water. Colloden Point was closed but I did a shore dive. The camera worked great. Didn't see much however. I'll be researching strobes.

[The GF-1 isn't a one trick pony. Nice crisp action shots.