GH2: Radiance of the Seas at DVinfo.net

Dan Carter · June 5th, 2011, 09:20 AM

Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas, San Diego to Vancouver repositioning cruise. Ports of call: San Diego, San Francisco, Victoria Island, and Vancouver BC.

Panasonic DMC-GH2
Lumix 14-140 & f1.7 20mm lenses
Benro tripod
Manfrotto 700RC2 head

Jeff Harper · June 5th, 2011, 10:20 AM

Stunning footage, of course, Dan. Really beautiful, breathtaking.

I wonder though, in the shot at :38 the sky is dark in upper left hand side. Do we know why? It's not light fall-off, I don't think. I've watched it and watched it. If the shot had been underexposed, then the sky on the right would have been dark also, right? I don't know. It was clearly a difficult shot to expose correctly, and it seems you had your settings perfect, but that dark portion? Just weird.

I'm going to shoot some panoramic shots today and that is why I'm wondering if there's anything can be done to avoid that, or if it will even be a problem.

I'm concerned about this because I've read about using graduated ND fileters, and I really don't want to get into them, but there are circumstances where they would be handy for panoramic shots of skylines, etc.

I was struck by how blue your skies were. Were you using a polarizing lens? It sure looks like it.

Martyn Hull · June 5th, 2011, 11:44 AM

Really great footage, I am afraid much as I like using my tripod that I am past taking mine on a trip like that.

Dan Carter · June 5th, 2011, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Stunning footage, of course, Dan. Really beautiful, breathtaking.

I wonder though, in the shot at :38 the sky is dark in upper left hand side. Do we know why? It's not light fall-off, I don't think. I've watched it and watched it. If the shot had been underexposed, then the sky on the right would have been dark also, right? I don't know. It was clearly a difficult shot to expose correctly, and it seems you had your settings perfect, but that dark portion? Just weird.

I'm going to shoot some panoramic shots today and that is why I'm wondering if there's anything can be done to avoid that, or if it will even be a problem.

I'm concerned about this because I've read about using graduated ND fileters, and I really don't want to get into them, but there are circumstances where they would be handy for panoramic shots of skylines, etc.

I was struck by how blue your skies were. Were you using a polarizing lens? It sure looks like it.

Thank you for the encouraging words Jeff. I'm always happy to hear you enjoyed these projects.

That dark area is a polarizing filter effect of the sun being to my left. I usually minimize it by backing the filter off a bit, but was most concerned with glare from the water. Lately, when not dealing with glare, I've preferred the simplicity of an ND filter.

Thanks for watching.

Jeff Harper · June 5th, 2011, 07:29 PM

Yes, now that you mention it, I use polarizing filters most time outdoors, but I usually forget to rotate them, there are so many other things to fiddle with. My shoot earlier I shot for an hour and didn't once check the filter's position or adjust it, I completely forgot.

On the good side, I got a gray card and set my white balance with it, and while I haven't seen the footage yet, I feel confident it will be decent color wise.

Mark Songhurst · June 6th, 2011, 11:34 PM

Very nice video. I enjoyed the recent Alcatraz one as well, and it was good to see it in the overall context of the cruise.

A question if I may - can the GH2 use a linear polariser, or do we still need to use circular ones as per a traditional SLR?

Jeff Harper · June 7th, 2011, 08:32 AM

Mark, read the link at bottom for info about polarizing lenses, and scroll down to the section you need about linear vs circular.

It has been told to me we need circular because of the camera's metering system. Also if you get a "rotating" adjustable polarizing filter, make sure you rotate it to the desired setting, rather than just leave it sit on you camera. This has messed me up where I've had it too dark for conditions. I also suspect the Polarizing filter can affect white balance so that if you adjust your filter, you may want to reset your WB, if you are setting it manually.

For critical portraiture, I am setting white balance manually and am happy with the results.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...larizers.shtml

Jeff Harper · June 7th, 2011, 11:48 AM

I should add that my comments about resetting white balance after adjusting polarizer may be in error, I don't really know if is necessary or not. In truth I don't even know how to properly use my rotating PL filters, when to adjust, and where they should be set.

As of today, I'm generally going to keep them on the lighter setting, and then see how that works out. It is difficult when working in the sun to see what effect the filter has, and I just have to keep shooting, practicing and looking at my results and go from there.

Dan Carter · June 7th, 2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Songhurst

Very nice video. I enjoyed the recent Alcatraz one as well, and it was good to see it in the overall context of the cruise.

A question if I may - can the GH2 use a linear polariser, or do we still need to use circular ones as per a traditional SLR?

Mark,

Since they use a contrast based focus system, I would expect the GH cameras to have no problem with linear polarizers.

Always a good idea to perform auto and manual white balance tests with any filter to check for color shift.

Good luck

Jeff Harper · June 7th, 2011, 08:56 PM

Dan, that's really useful info about the linear filters, they are supposedly better than circular ones if we can get away with them. Unfortunately I've bought 5 circular filters, but I agree after reading the above link, it sounds like they are unnecesary, as our cameras are mirrorless.

below is a great tutorial on polarizing lenses. I have suspected I've not been using mine correctly, and have been reading everything I can find. I was sent here by a friend at photo.net.

DSLR Tips Workshop: How to use polarizing filters to reduce haze and deepen blue sky

Mark Songhurst · June 7th, 2011, 11:36 PM

Thanks for the feedback and links.

Mike Leah · June 8th, 2011, 08:49 AM

I like the footage a lot. Hoping I can shoot like that eventually with more practice.

Dan Carter · June 8th, 2011, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Dan, that's really useful info about the linear filters, they are supposedly better than circular ones if we can get away with them. Unfortunately I've bought 5 circular filters, but I agree after reading the above link, it sounds like they are unnecesary, as our cameras are mirrorless.

below is a great tutorial on polarizing lenses. I have suspected I've not been using mine correctly, and have been reading everything I can find. I was sent here by a friend at photo.net.

DSLR Tips Workshop: How to use polarizing filters to reduce haze and deepen blue sky

Thanks for the link Jeff. I've always enjoyed the Camera Labs video reviews and tutorials.

Dan Carter · June 8th, 2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leah

I like the footage a lot. Hoping I can shoot like that eventually with more practice.

Many thanks Mike. I hope you're enjoying your GH2 journey.

Jeff Harper · June 8th, 2011, 04:02 PM

Your welcome Dan, I really meant the link for Mark, but if you can use it great! Nice site, it's new to me.

June 5th, 2011, 09:20 AM	#1
Dan Carter Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 366	GH2: Radiance of the Seas Radiance of the Seas on Vimeo Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas, San Diego to Vancouver repositioning cruise. Ports of call: San Diego, San Francisco, Victoria Island, and Vancouver BC. Panasonic DMC-GH2 Lumix 14-140 & f1.7 20mm lenses Benro tripod Manfrotto 700RC2 head __________________ Dan Carter: HDC-TM700, DMC-GH2 and DMC-GH3, Sony RX100II and RX10, Final Cut Pro X http://www.vimeo.com/user582748

June 5th, 2011, 10:20 AM	#2
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Stunning footage, of course, Dan. Really beautiful, breathtaking. I wonder though, in the shot at :38 the sky is dark in upper left hand side. Do we know why? It's not light fall-off, I don't think. I've watched it and watched it. If the shot had been underexposed, then the sky on the right would have been dark also, right? I don't know. It was clearly a difficult shot to expose correctly, and it seems you had your settings perfect, but that dark portion? Just weird. I'm going to shoot some panoramic shots today and that is why I'm wondering if there's anything can be done to avoid that, or if it will even be a problem. I'm concerned about this because I've read about using graduated ND fileters, and I really don't want to get into them, but there are circumstances where they would be handy for panoramic shots of skylines, etc. I was struck by how blue your skies were. Were you using a polarizing lens? It sure looks like it. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described." Last edited by Jeff Harper; June 5th, 2011 at 12:28 PM.

June 5th, 2011, 11:44 AM	#3
Martyn Hull Major Player Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: England Posts: 444	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Really great footage, I am afraid much as I like using my tripod that I am past taking mine on a trip like that.

June 5th, 2011, 07:29 PM	#5
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Yes, now that you mention it, I use polarizing filters most time outdoors, but I usually forget to rotate them, there are so many other things to fiddle with. My shoot earlier I shot for an hour and didn't once check the filter's position or adjust it, I completely forgot. On the good side, I got a gray card and set my white balance with it, and while I haven't seen the footage yet, I feel confident it will be decent color wise. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

June 6th, 2011, 11:34 PM	#6
Mark Songhurst Tourist Join Date: May 2011 Location: İzmir, Turkey Posts: 2	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Very nice video. I enjoyed the recent Alcatraz one as well, and it was good to see it in the overall context of the cruise. A question if I may - can the GH2 use a linear polariser, or do we still need to use circular ones as per a traditional SLR?

June 7th, 2011, 08:32 AM	#7
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Mark, read the link at bottom for info about polarizing lenses, and scroll down to the section you need about linear vs circular. It has been told to me we need circular because of the camera's metering system. Also if you get a "rotating" adjustable polarizing filter, make sure you rotate it to the desired setting, rather than just leave it sit on you camera. This has messed me up where I've had it too dark for conditions. I also suspect the Polarizing filter can affect white balance so that if you adjust your filter, you may want to reset your WB, if you are setting it manually. For critical portraiture, I am setting white balance manually and am happy with the results. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tu...larizers.shtml __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described." Last edited by Jeff Harper; June 7th, 2011 at 09:02 AM.

June 7th, 2011, 11:48 AM	#8
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas I should add that my comments about resetting white balance after adjusting polarizer may be in error, I don't really know if is necessary or not. In truth I don't even know how to properly use my rotating PL filters, when to adjust, and where they should be set. As of today, I'm generally going to keep them on the lighter setting, and then see how that works out. It is difficult when working in the sun to see what effect the filter has, and I just have to keep shooting, practicing and looking at my results and go from there. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

June 7th, 2011, 08:56 PM	#10
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Dan, that's really useful info about the linear filters, they are supposedly better than circular ones if we can get away with them. Unfortunately I've bought 5 circular filters, but I agree after reading the above link, it sounds like they are unnecesary, as our cameras are mirrorless. below is a great tutorial on polarizing lenses. I have suspected I've not been using mine correctly, and have been reading everything I can find. I was sent here by a friend at photo.net. DSLR Tips Workshop: How to use polarizing filters to reduce haze and deepen blue sky __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

June 7th, 2011, 11:36 PM	#11
Mark Songhurst Tourist Join Date: May 2011 Location: İzmir, Turkey Posts: 2	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Thanks for the feedback and links.

June 8th, 2011, 08:49 AM	#12
Mike Leah Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: east coast Posts: 91	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas I like the footage a lot. Hoping I can shoot like that eventually with more practice.

June 8th, 2011, 04:02 PM	#15
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: GH2: Radiance of the Seas Your welcome Dan, I really meant the link for Mark, but if you can use it great! Nice site, it's new to me. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."