OMD

The 17.

For over a year I have been thinking about picking up the Zuiko 17mm f1.8 lens from Olympus, but never pulled the trigger. I decided before the trip to Estes Park that I should rent the lens from Borrow Lenses and evaluate if it would be worth the investment. I’ve been shooting with it off and on for the last three days, and I’ve decided. It’s time to buy. This lens has been a pure wonder. It’s super sharp, has great bokeh when wide open, and is completely versatile. From candid portraits, to landscapes, to panoramas, the lens can handle it all. Tonight’s test provide the clouds hold back, star trails.

Bottoms Up.

After spending a total of seven hours of hiking through various trails at altitude it’s safe to say I had my ass handed to me. The photo below was at Lilly lake after hiking up to Jurassic Park trying to find rock climbers. No rock climbers, but a great view from the top was great.

This is a mallard duck couple over in the marshland South of Lilly Lake. The challenge, getting them to sit still, not fly off, or swim behind tall marsh grass. Using a tip from a wildlife photo blog I set the OMD to aperture priority, set the f-stop to f-11 and started shooting. The 150mm to 300mm did a great job and the OMD’s image stabilization saved me. This is all the way out at 300 with the birds at about 50 yards.

Minor post processing was done in Snap Seed on the iPad with a little tone adjustment.

The Coyotes Are Hunting

One of the things I love about staying at Tim’s place in Estes Park, Colorado is the abundance of wildlife so close to the property. The image below was taken just a half mile from his house, South of the Lumpy Ridge Trail Head. I was testing out the 150 to 300mm (300 to 600 on a full frame DSLR) with the OMD.

The camera did a solid job of stabilizing the shot, but I need practice with the lens though. Especially at maximum focal length. The shot below has the lens all the way out. The coyote is about 75 yards away.

What I noticed was all the grass seems sharp, as well as the coyotes face. The mid section of his body seems a bit soft though. I think I need to increase shutter speed and find the sweet spot on an f-stop that renders sharpness across the depth of the frame.

Winter Snow.

The first big winter storm of the season is rolling through the Midwest so I decided to go in search of snow zombies. Here in the City Market district things are pretty deserted, but there are a few people out, and the snow sure ads drama to the afternoon.