Photography from a motorcycle - why I chose Micro Four Thirds

[MacDoc]

Forum Sponsor

Camera - yeah figured if you spend money on travelling a decent camera is a good long ter investment. The MFT is ideal for riders due to the size.

GF ( also non-rider ) and I have bucket lists we are knocking off as you can see from the photos.
https://picasaweb.google.com/113408714888195024530

We are doing another Viking Cruise to Norway this coming June .that will knock off the Above the Arctic Circle check mark and we really love travelling the high northern latitudes in June.

I ride 3 months in Australia each year.

Adventure blog here http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?151439-Down-Under-on-a-KLR-650-second-season

•••••


As we see from Lightcycles adventures and some others on ADV Rider good photos bring the trip alive and we take the time and expense to travel. The photos let us share with friends but carrying gear can be a pain and phone cameras and small point and shoot have their limits.

I use either PhotoBucket or Picasa for storing photos. Photobucket does give you some editing as well.
I ride with a MacBook Air - tiny and does the job for business and for photos.

this was from another forum and thought it might be useful here - couple of riders have talked about moving up in quality as they recognized the limits.

Luck or not, those are excellent results, Macdoc. At any rate, a bit more than luck is required - such as having a go at photographing flighty birds, again and again and again and...

Onya, for persisting.

Thanks
You have a point in that it's one of the reasons I chose the Micro Four Thirds format.

the good pictures are taken with the camera you have with you ......

To be able to shoot from the motorcycle and to have a camera with me all the times I need something to fit in my top pocket.
I used to carry a decent Lumix point and shoot....but the AF drove me crazy trying to photograph birds and the big superzooms were - well...too big.

The Gx1 and now the Gx7 fit the bill

become this - the Gx1 on the right has a longer reach than the full sized camera on the left.

.

Yet the camera goes in one shirt pocket with a sweet prime lens for landscapes and city shots etc.
The 300 mm ( 600 mm equivalent ) goes in the other shirt pocket.
I can shoot from the motorcycle with either lens and if I'm stopped for lunch as with this case

....I have the camera and two lenses at hand.

I usually just stick the long lens on and I can even slip the whole rig in my jacket with no weight on my neck....the lon lens slips into my shirt pocket and takes the strap weight off my neck.

I'm still on a big time learning curve so even with no birds about there is always something to shoot...flowers ( the 300 mm does macro at a distance ). - landscapes - sometimes people and I learn a bit each round.

Because it's with me, the unexpected occurs.

Now the Blue faced I was stalking birds

The Babblers...I was having lunch

The MFT format means the camera is with me.
And the long lens tucks away nicely.

and even the pancake lens can get some cool shots as it's so fast.

This guy was wailing in at a good clip and again it was shot from the hip - the wide angle worked to my advantage - no way I was getting this with a long lens.
Lose some detail but it cropped out okay.

I didn't need the Gx7 but it's nice to have the next generation. I'll use the Gx1 for rougher conditions - like Monday going off road and keep the Gx7 for tamer circumstances.
GF got hooked on the MFT on our US trip so now we have two camera's with fully interchangeable lenses so we can both shoot.

She's not a birder so I use the long lens and she uses either the pancake or the small light 14-42 zoom.

GF shot this crossing the Millau Bridge

She took this at sunset and Mount St. Helen...both very pleased with it

The nice thing is you go fully auto and rely on the camera or full manual and a whole bunch in between. There is a AF assist - the AF gets close and then you finish the focus manually.

As easy as you want or as manual as you like ....caters to to both.....and they are with us...I drive and she snaps happily away.

I can sit on the bike pull out the camera and get Ken and a lovely early morning shot of the Pacific - point and shoot.
Love it.

What I find amusing now is some of the other riders are moving up to better cameras like the Gx series as they see the limits on the point and shoot.
Took me too long to find out.
When you think what travel costs....having a good camera that is always with you and at hand is chump change.

'

 

[Rotten_Ronnie]

I ride with a Lumix DMX 3. My previous camera would allow dust into the lens body (courtesy of tractor trailers on the Trans Labrador Highway) so I went with a waterproof shock proof model with built in gps tagging. Now the camera doesn't have to be put under cover when it rains, but I am very envious of your close up shots.

Have a look at my blog and the last couple of rides on Prince Edward Island and you will see that with decent lighting it's not so much the camera as what the operator can do with it.

Although I am envious of your setup, the cash just isn't there.

When I toured the Alps in 2012 I came home with 3000 pictures all nicely Geo tagged for use in my albums. Picasa mainly.

 

[MacDoc]

It's really birding that drives my rig and macro at a distance. The thread is more to encourage going beyond the phone camera's and cheap point and shoots and swap storage tips etc.

There are many times I just carry the Gx1 with the pancake lens - it's fine for buddy shots and landscapes/city shots.

The camera market is reflecting the sitation with low end point and shoots losing ground because of phone cams but the upper end of small camera's like the MFT and Fuji Sony etc showing strong growth as people want better quality in a small device.

One reason to go MFT is the huge lens choice and once you buy a lens you can move up in cameras.
If a quality non-interchange lens unit fails ...you toss the whole rig.
My Gx1 is slowly failing - I could have just replaced the body as the lenses represent a long term investment and are pretty durable. My big lens has taken a beating.
The body only of a Gx1 is around for $250 and I've seen older MFT bundles with a basic lens in the $200 range

Olympus and Panasonic are joint venture in this and now other lens manufacturers have jumped in - but man $$$$!!!! for some of the Leica offerings.

One tip for riding....neutral filters are cheap and protect the lens. I tend to buy German made for the quality threads but even there it's only $30 or so and then I feel okay not having the lens cap on all the time. Basic filters can be as low as $5 each.

I must admit having to be nervous about wet is a pain. I carry a couple of zip locks. Waterproof dustproof would be nice.

Which one is the DMX 3 - can't locate that model.

GPS tagging is a great idea.

 

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Whoops, make that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

 

[Rotten_Ronnie]

I used to ride up and snap pictures of the road signs so I knew where I was later on while editing the shots.

I'd like a dslr one day as I am really impressed with the light captured by the sensor as opposed to my point and shoot or phone, and the wide angle for landscape panoramas has me drooling.

 

[Sunspark]

As a sidebar, Dropbox has released their own photo organization app Carousel.

 

[Sunspark]

Cameras are tough to choose. I had a film SLR that never got used because it was too big to carry around. I take almost all my photos with the iPhone now as it is in my pocket. But the sensor size is still tiny. Larger sensors have less noise in the image and more light sensitivity.

All those shockproof waterproof cameras have tiny sensors so that's not ideal either.

 

[zacm7]

In my backpack while out touring I'll usually carry my go pro, 5DmkII w/50mm 1.4 and my iPhone. All of which get used quite a bit. iPhone takes amazing photos if the lighting is right, and for internet quality its just fine, or prints that are 4x6.

If you shoot lots of pictures on your phone get the app "snapseed" its the best photo editing app, and I've used them all...Here are some pics from my phone.

 

[Poindexter]

I bought a Nikon L820 last fall to replace an ancient Kodak digital camera I'd have for centuries. I don't really know much about cameras and this one got a decent review in Cons Reports and wasn't overly expensive. So far I'm happy with it, taking lots of pictures. It's a bit big but I definitely wanted a camera that uses AA batteries rather than proprietary rechargables just in case for some reason I ran out of juice somewhere you can always buy some batteries in any store. I learned that a few years ago in the rockies shooting some train pics.. a guy nearby had a camera that used built in batteries, they went dead and he was SOL.

 

[MacDoc]

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Cool - match your gear
That's really compact and I like the waterproof aspect for riding.

http://www.dcresource.com/news/newsitem.php?id=4260

•••

In the top end DSLR world MFT is moving forward and there is convergence coming

Has Olympus killed the DSLR with the launch of the Olympus OM-D E-M1?

By Simon Crisp

September 12, 2013

The new Olympus OM-D E-M1 could be the end of the DSLR, at least as far as Olympus is concerned

Olympus has revealed its new flagship camera, the OM-D E-M1. While the mirrorless camera builds on the success of the E-M5, it's actually been designed as the successor to the last DSLR the firm produced, the E-5. As such, the camera boasts a chunky grip and manual controls galore. There's also a 16 megapixel sensor with no optical low-pass filter, a speedy autofocus system and built-in Wi-Fi.

The OM-D E-M5 was a big hit for Olympus, which is presumably why it will remain on sale alongside the new camera. It charmed people with its retro good looks, and introduced many people to the potential of mirrorless cameras. Now, a year later, Olympus thinks it's created a truly DSLR-beating camera in the OM-D E-M1, which combines the portability of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with the manual controls and image quality normally associated with DSLRs. It's hard to imagine the company releasing another mirrored camera after this.

more

The nice thing is you can move up but your lenses are long term buys and there are lots of them. The MFT doesn't command the respect it should.

These haters are gonna hate, but they clearly havent put their hands on the EM5 or EM1. I shoot weddings professionally. I have done so for the last 4 years and pull between $2k-5k per wedding. So I'm what you would call a "real professional." I bought the OMD EM5 a year ago and have begun to build a strong portfolio of primes. About 6 months ago I decided to do a test with my 5Dii and all of my L lenses against my OMD and its primes.

The results were so amazing that I have now ditched Canon. My images were consistently sharper across the board with the OMD (by a significant margin). The L lenses are a joke in comparison with the Zuikos primes, especially for the huge price tag and the ridiculously heavy weight of the lenses.

serious bit of kit but not for many motorcyclists....yet it shows the potential

so you don't end up tossing the camera when something goes.

Earlier MFTs are as low as $200-250 maybe even less used and the lenses are all interchangeable so you can start with an inexpensive rig and move up.

My Gx1 is failing a bit so I treated myself to near top in class but all my lenses just move forward and I end up with a spare camera I'll use for rougher situations ( it's very functional - just not working 100% ).

The market is going in two directions...phones or quality.
You can stay small for motorcycling and still get quality.

Hey especially for those few in a lifetime trips ...having some quality pics is worth a bit tho I tell you the small compacts without interchangeable lens are getting amazing.

Thanks for the comments and the pics....keep em coming.

 

[jc100]

Interesting stuff. I have the same panasonic as rotten Ronnie and also a canon 60D with about 6 lenses. It's the lenses investment that keep me upgrading camera bodies after a few years. I onLy have one L lens but the thing is a tank and together with the body it's a minor weightlifting exercise after a days trip or hike. I love the quality of the pics you get but nothing has beaten my old film camera and prints taken from Kodachrome slide film. The panasonic is a brilliant camera for a P&S, I've always taken waterproof point and shoots with me and they are invaluable, on the beach, underwater, taken through a jungle in pouring rain too. My only gripe is battery drain on it, the GPS sucks power.

I'll take a look at these smaller cameras.

 

[Schneller]

Motorcycles and photography are my thing. iPhone 4S or 5 for digi snaps, but for me, it's black and white film for my serious photography.

I'm about to retire, my bike is pretty much sorted, and I'm in a pleasant quandary over what cameras to take on my trip. Call me crazy, but I'm taking more photo gear than the average motorcycle traveller, but that's what I'm going to do, because photography is very important to me and I'm not the type of person who is paralyzed by choice, or one that feels that less is more. I am taking both 120 and 35mm systems; the black and white film is already bought.


My medium format gear was certain to be a Rolleiflex TLR and a Fujica gs645w. The tlr was chosen because of the positive attitudes people have towards these "antique" cameras. The Fujica was chosen for its wide angle lens. Now I'm thinking that my Hasselblad with 80 and 50mm lenses is a good alternative. The lens apertures are faster than the Rollei and Fujica lenses, but the Rollei and Fujica choice offers 120 backup redundancy.


My 35mm gear was certain to be a Leica M2 and Leica CL with 21, 28, and 50mm lenses. An alternative 35mm kit could be a couple of Nikon SLR's, (maybe FG's or 801s') with 20, 28, and 50mm lenses. The advantage of the Nikons is built in metering and no need for external finders. The advantage of the Leicas is user satisfaction - I simply enjoy using them more. But maybe not in a demanding situation like a motorcycle tour.


I just laid out the MF gear, and the Hasselblad with 80 and 50mm lenses take up more room and are heavier than the Rolleiflex and Fujica wide. The Fujica has a built in meter. So they get the nod over the Hasselblad.


I'm not thrilled with the Nikons. They are in some ways the more practical 35mm camera choice, but is there anything about my whole trip that is based on practicality and logic? No, it's an endeavor of the heart all the way!


I may have found a compromise: I could take my Konica Hexar RF camera. It is a rangefinder camera like the M2, but it has built in metering and 28mm framelines so there is no need for an externalviewfinder, like the advantages the Nikon SLR's offer.
The caveat is that the rf mechanism is delicate in these cameras, but with a 28 I'll be scale focussing anyway. With aperture priority metering and motorized film advance, it is very quick to use. It's battery lasts a long time so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[MacDoc]

a dying art no doubt...but how do you share ...you do have to digitize at some point to share online.
Lots of bubble wrap in order.
Hell that's a film studio.....no stat camera?

•••

Some luck in this shot, car at 80 mph, low light, 14 mm pancake lens through the window glass.
GF was pleased....now she's hooked so its Gx1 as a backup for her to use and Gx7 for the main camera.

 

[homme de fer]

Good write up about 4/3rds. I used to shoot with a couple DSLR's, the Nikon D200 and a newer D7000, with a bunch of lenses: 50mm 1.4, 24-200mm zoom, and a 70-200mm 2.8 . The problem is, they take up a lot of room on the bike and I'm not comfortable having all that money just hangin off the side of the bike. Last year, I starting using a crap Point and Shoot and got decent enough results that I rarely pulled the DSLR out. Also, I find my GoPro does a nice job capturing my rides such that, by the end of last year, I rarely bothered taking the DSLR with me.

Now, I'm selling my DSLR gear and looking for smaller gear. I'm not completely sold on the 4/3rds seeing as it isn't really that much smaller than DSLR but the pancake lens seems to be a nice feature. The camera that gets a lot of talk on the ADVRider forum is the Sony RX100; bigger sensor than a point and shoot, amazing colours, tons of features, ability to shoot full manual, small enough to fit into my jacket pocket, and rediculous resolution at night. The price, though, is quite high.

 

[stevie t]

Motorcycles and photography are my thing. iPhone 4S or 5 for digi snaps, but for me, it's black and white film for my serious photography.

I'm about to retire, my bike is pretty much sorted, and I'm in a pleasant quandary over what cameras to take on my trip. Call me crazy, but I'm taking more photo gear than the average motorcycle traveller, but that's what I'm going to do, because photography is very important to me and I'm not the type of person who is paralyzed by choice, or one that feels that less is more. I am taking both 120 and 35mm systems; the black and white film is already bought.


My medium format gear was certain to be a Rolleiflex TLR and a Fujica gs645w. The tlr was chosen because of the positive attitudes people have towards these "antique" cameras. The Fujica was chosen for its wide angle lens. Now I'm thinking that my Hasselblad with 80 and 50mm lenses is a good alternative. The lens apertures are faster than the Rollei and Fujica lenses, but the Rollei and Fujica choice offers 120 backup redundancy.


My 35mm gear was certain to be a Leica M2 and Leica CL with 21, 28, and 50mm lenses. An alternative 35mm kit could be a couple of Nikon SLR's, (maybe FG's or 801s') with 20, 28, and 50mm lenses. The advantage of the Nikons is built in metering and no need for external finders. The advantage of the Leicas is user satisfaction - I simply enjoy using them more. But maybe not in a demanding situation like a motorcycle tour.


I just laid out the MF gear, and the Hasselblad with 80 and 50mm lenses take up more room and are heavier than the Rolleiflex and Fujica wide. The Fujica has a built in meter. So they get the nod over the Hasselblad.


I'm not thrilled with the Nikons. They are in some ways the more practical 35mm camera choice, but is there anything about my whole trip that is based on practicality and logic? No, it's an endeavor of the heart all the way!


I may have found a compromise: I could take my Konica Hexar RF camera. It is a rangefinder camera like the M2, but it has built in metering and 28mm framelines so there is no need for an externalviewfinder, like the advantages the Nikon SLR's offer.
The caveat is that the rf mechanism is delicate in these cameras, but with a 28 I'll be scale focussing anyway. With aperture priority metering and motorized film advance, it is very quick to use. It's battery lasts a long time so that shouldn't be an issue.

Not worried about the film getting too hot on the bike?

 

[MacDoc]

$700 for the Sony

$3-400 for a Gx1 you can use your existing glass with
$800 for the Gx7 you can use your existing glass and have it stabilized.

There are Olys for even less.

and the GM1 is even smaller than the Sony

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gm1

Panasonic has announced the Lumix GM1, a truly tiny mirrorless camera. Despite its 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds-sized sensor, the GM1 measures just 98.5 mm x 54.9 mm x 30.4 mm — smaller even than Sony's RX100 II compact, and an undeniably impressive feat of engineering. The camera also features a 3-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, a pop-up flash, and a retro aluminum design that continues down the Fujifilm-inspired path first trodden by the Lumix GX7.

but again you can have a choice of lenses and love the retro look

I've never gotten hooked on video for trips tho my kid loves it.

The thing that sold me on the Gx1 was that I could add a EVF - can't see using a camera without one. Bright sunlight makes it near impossible to see any LCD screen and I find the process slow for shooting and manual focusing?? fugedaboudit.

$285 for the Olympus used

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...ale/582285626?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

$450 for a Gx1 with lens brand new - this one you can add an EVF and use some of your glass with an adapter for half the price of the single lens Sony.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...kit/576380334?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

 

[Schneller]

Not worried about the film getting too hot on the bike?

Thermal bag, motel ice.


iphone for sharing pics, also scan negatives

 

[MacDoc]

hehe covering the spectrum

here's a collectors item for your iPhone

and even one for an SLR lens

 

[homme de fer]

$700 for the Sony

$3-400 for a Gx1 you can use your existing glass with
$800 for the Gx7 you can use your existing glass and have it stabilized.

There are Olys for even less.

and the GM1 is even smaller than the Sony

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gm1



but again you can have a choice of lenses and love the retro look

I've never gotten hooked on video for trips tho my kid loves it.

The thing that sold me on the Gx1 was that I could add a EVF - can't see using a camera without one. Bright sunlight makes it near impossible to see any LCD screen and I find the process slow for shooting and manual focusing?? fugedaboudit.

$285 for the Olympus used

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...ale/582285626?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

$450 for a Gx1 with lens brand new - this one you can add an EVF and use some of your glass with an adapter for half the price of the single lens Sony.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-camera-camco...kit/576380334?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Damn you to HELL! Now I have to spend the rest of the evening researching that GX1. The size is right, but I'd want a fast lens (or several).

 

[MacDoc]

That's the best deal I've seen for a new Gx1 - I'd grab and then take your time finding lenses.
I've done well with used MFT lenses on Kiji.

There are a ton more coming but $$$ for the upper end ones.

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-ontario/lumix-lens/k0l9004

One of the pancakes is a must have. Personally after using the 14mm for 18 months the 20 mm is not as fast and costs more.
The 14 mm is really pocketablle on the Gx1.
And no slouch

He was coming in fast and this was really a shot from the hip - quite pleased with it

Forum Sponsor