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amipal

amipal
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Before I went on holiday, I upgrade from a Panasonic Lumix GH2 which has been pretty much the best camera I've used or owned. The GH3 which has replaced it is amazing as well, but just seems to lack some of the soul which made the GH2 a bit less of a tool than the newer GH3 is.

The GH3 performed wonderfully in Japan and Hong Kong. Auto ISO (limited to max 6400) and Auto WB set, and rarely missed a beat. Even with an ND8 on my fast primes so that I could shoot wide open in bright sunshine, the images from darker areas at higher ISOs were crisp and delightful. The autofocus on the camera is also top-notch, nailing focus in low-light as easily as during the day. I did a quick write-up over on DPReview.

I've begun to upload some of the Japan photos now, as I went on a bit of Tankfest-2012-revisit as some of you may have noticed... But I should be off the military photos for a bit, at least until the Shoreham Airshow at the end of August! I should also begin to put some of my Hong Kong street photography up, so look out for those.

In other news, I completed the 100km London-to-Brighton walk for the British Heart Foundation at the end of June. 105km to be precise, completed in 28 hours and 30 minutes. That's non-stop, overnight. No sleep. It was a brilliant and very tough experience, but I and my team mates managed to walk across the finish line at Brighton Racecourse together.
I took along my handy Olympus EPL1 to grab some shots throughout the two days of walking, all of which I condensed into an eight-minute video here.

Once again, another shout for the benefits of Micro Four Thirds - the EPL1 with the Lumix 20mm pancake on it weighs barely anything, yet can take some great images. It couldn't be more different to my GH3 - an old Olympus with the first-generation of Micro Four Thirds sensor versus a previously top-end prosumer body. And yet they both serve a need.

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Help the BHF

4 min read
Hello all! I'm back after a nice long holiday, taking in the delights of Japan and Hong Kong. I took too many photos in the former, and not many in the latter. Suffice it to say that two weeks in Japan left me with nearly three thousand images to go through, so as you can imagine I am still in the process of working out what is worth showing both here and elsewhere.

Anyway, I need to let some of you know about a very long walk I am doing in June - the 64-mile London to Brighton walk! This is to raise money and awareness for the British Heart Foundation. I'm currently training for it by doing twenty-odd mile walks with the other members of my team, as well as walking home from work and generally being much more active than normal.

If you could find it in your hearts to support me in this endeavour, I would be very grateful. For more information, visit my JustGiving website,

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Look Forward

4 min read
So much to write, so little time....

As I mentioned last time, I'm continuing with my photo 365 project. This has meant that I'm developing an image every evening for upload to my Flickr page, but rarely putting anything on DA at present. I really need to have a trawl through what I've already uploaded (all 69 images) to see if there's anything worthy of display on my DA page - I like to keep this for my good stuff. ;) So if you were wondering why I've been quiet, that's the main reason!

Last week, I picked up a new camera body - the Panasonic Lumix GH3. Always been a Panasonic fan since buying my FZ50 bridge camera, and have since progressed from the GH1 to GH2 and now GH3. The reason why I've bought this is to ensure I have the best camera with me for our holiday in the next few weeks. I'm also upgrading my 14-140mm lens to the newer, smaller, lighter and slightly faster Mk.II version, as well as picking up a 45mm prime. Pricey!

Where are we off to? Well, two weeks in Japan followed by a week in Hong Kong. Loved the former when we visited on a guided tour in 2011, so are heading back there again during (hopefully) cherry blossom season. As for HK, I love that just as much - any excuse to go back. :)

So I should have some shots to upload from that in just over a month's time.

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Out with 2013

4 min read
I'm glad to see the back of it frankly. A bad year for my family and I, a very bad year.

We learnt around March time that my mother had cancer, and despite the excellent work done by the doctors and nurses at the various hospitals in and around Sussex, she passed away in November. She was followed mere weeks later by her mother and my nan. Both are greatly missed, and a huge hole has opened up in my life. We are all looking to 2014 to be a year of happiness and positivity.

So photography-wise, I haven't really been in the mood this year, particularly towards the end of 2013. I was lucky enough to be able to sell some shares in October, allowing me to purchase the Panasonic Leica f/1.4 25mm lens. This is equivalent to the traditional "nifty fifty" beloved of many photographers, and opens up a new focal length to me which I've previously shied away from. In particular, it offers some very nice bokeh effects on Micro Four Thirds, which are similar to f/2.8 on a full-frame camera.

What does 2014 hold for photography? More shots with that lens for a start! Currently I've only been out a couple of times with it, but I'm already loving the way it renders images. Subject isolation is also wonderful from it.

The Southwick Camera Club (which I'm a member of) are doing a Photo 365 this year, which I'm part of. Obviously today is the first day. I upload my images to the group on Flickr, but probably won't be putting them on DA - that's because I use this site for my "good" stuff! ;)

Later on in the year, I'll also be taking part in the second Brighton Photomarathon. Last year's was great fun (my journal here), so I look forward to participating again within such a limited ruleset, really focusses the mind.

Have a great year everyone.

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Almost 100

4 min read
Matilda by amipal The Depths by amipal
Nyhavn Sunset by amipal Diesel Power by amipal
Just had a quick look at my stats (I love statistics, me). The four images above are almost to one hundred favourites, just need that one final push to get them in the big leagues!

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Featured

Micro Four Thirds brilliance by amipal, journal

Help the BHF by amipal, journal

Look Forward by amipal, journal

Out with 2013 by amipal, journal

Almost 100 by amipal, journal