kranky
photographer and artist
To contact me if you want a print, a painting, some photography work or a commission please click the link below.
I was born in West Bromwich where I attended college to become an electrician . After working as an electrician for a number of years I moved into telecoms working for BT and then Mercury Communications. I later setup my own communications business.
I'm now retired due ill heath and I now fill my spare time photographing and painting things that grab my interest. That might be people, animals, objects, sports or landscapes.
Thank you for dropping by, I hope you see something of interest to you.
Dave
my gear
I guess I’m like many who take up photography after deciding that their point and shoot camera should be handed down to a family member or resigned to the bits and bobs drawer I started to look for a new and better camera. But where do you start, with a Bridge, a Mirrorless, a DLSR, a Full frame or even a medium format camera, the choice is mind boggling.
I also guess that many buy a camera and then upgrade or change maker a number of times before settling on a particular manufacturer and model. It’s a major investment, the cost of the body, the glass and the time in getting used to the menu system, the buttons and how to get the best out of it. Once you commit to a system it’s very difficult and expensive to migrate over to another.
And which system is best, and what compromise will you have to make. DSLR’s have been around for years and there’s plenty to pick from. They have a plethora of lenses to call upon, primes, zooms and third party, all claiming to be brilliant. But they’re heavy to carry and take up a lot of room. FF mirrorless are relatively new and there doesn’t seem to be as many lenses available without adapting lenses from another system. Some say Mirrorless maybe the way to go in years to come but they all seem to have some limitations at the moment, I'm not so sure!
So which way to go. I decided to go with the Panasonic Lumix systems, both Micro Four Thirds and their Full Frame S series. You may ask why when there are so many other manufactures out there that make brilliant cameras, and that are very well established. Well I guess it comes down to the fact that when I had my own telecoms business we sold and installed Panasonic telephone systems. They were excellent value for money, very reliable, easy to use. And what’s more, they were easy to setup via the menu systems. I found that this translated over in to their cameras. The menu system is the just the best, logically laid out, easy to understand, very customisable. If the Lumix cameras are anything like their phone systems the only way to stop them working will be to blow them up. I have seen some of their phone system still working away brilliantly after 30 years and showing very signs of use.
I now own a Lumix S5 MK2. I have a few of lenses for it at present, the 24 -105 F4, 20-60, 50 F1.8 and the 70-200 F4. BUT, wow, does this camera produce some fabulous images or what. I have been absolutely blown away with it. The detail in the images is just extraordinary. The menu system is a doddle to get used to. The camera feels great in the hand, solid with great ergonomics. I’m looking forward to the future lenses from the L MOUNT ALLIANCE, Well done Panasonic.
I recently got my hands on the Fujifilm HX2, a solid camera which I really like. I have
Fujifilm X-H2
The Fujifilm X-H2 is a high-end 40MP APS-C mirrorless camera for both stills and video shooting. Its high-resolution stills and 8K video capabilities stand in contrast to the high-speed shooting and fast readout 4K capabilities of its X-H2S sister model.
Key specifications
40MP BSI CMOS X-Trans APS-C sensor
15 fps with mechanical shutter (20 fps with e-shutter, 1.29x crop)
8K, 6.2K, or 2:1 oversampled 4K video at up to 30p
Three versions of Pro Res, H.265 or H.264 video encoding
Built-in image stabilization rated to 7.0 stops
5.76M-dot EVF capable of up to 120 fps refresh
1 CFexpress Type B, 1 UHS-II SD card slot
Full-sized HDMI port
680 shot-per-charge battery rating (CIPA)
Compatibility with battery grip or transmitter module
Panasonic Lumix S5 MK2
Е24-megapixel (6,000 x 4,000) CMOS sensor
14+ stops of dynamic range with V-Log
5-axis IBIS (5 stops)
6K 30fps video (200Mbps LGOP 4:2:0 10-Bit)
C4K 60fps (4:2:2 10-Bit)
Image plane phase detect AF / Contrast AF
DFD (Depth-from-defocus) technology
-6EV – 18EV AF sensitivity
ISO 100-51,200
Extended 50-204,800
Dual native ISO: Normal 100/640, V-Log 640/4000, HLG 400/2500
1/8000 – 60 sec shutter (mechanical and electronic)
Continuous shooting: 9fps (mechanical) 30fps (electronic)
USB 3.2 Gen 2
Card slots: Dual SD
Dust and splash-proof
Dimensions: 134 x 102 x 90mm
Weight: 740g
Panasonic L mount 70-200
Panasonic L mount 24-70
Panasonic L mount 24- 105