I was able to spend two days in Merida, Mexico after my last hitch offshore.  I wanted to keep a slim profile and not call attention to myself, so I paired my GX7 with the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 for a majority of the trip. This combination is great for street photography during the day where I could set the camera to aperture priority and focus my attention on searching for interesting subjects and good light.

It was also great for photographing the different architecture around Merida and the ruins that make up Chichen Itza. Sure it would have been great to have the latest and greatest lens offering but I was also wanting to have fun with the people showing me their beautiful country and did not want to fuss over minor flaws in image quality, distortion etc. If you are looking for a small effective lens to pair with your micro four thirds camera, the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 is really all you need if photography is not your main focus throughout your travels.  

 

At night the combination was good but I had to up the ISO to 1600 to keep my shutter speed high. The GX7's sensor performs pretty well even up to ISO 2000 especially if your final medium is web sharing. Also because of the wide focal length and the GX7's IBIS technology I could get away with shooting at relatively low shutter speeds when my subject was stationary. Again, I was making photos while having fun enjoying the food, sights and sounds and the 14mm pancake was sufficient enough for me capture some of what I thought was interesting.

Of course my trip wouldn't have been complete without me taking some portraits. This was actually the first time I used this lens with the intention of photographing people and I plan to add it to my portrait bag. It is definitely wider than I am used to but I learned if you are trying to show the environment and give some context to the scene this lens works like a charm.

Overall the GX7 is a great travel camera and I prefer it over my EM5 (Mark 1) because of its silent electronic shutter which exhibits a 1/8000 maximum shutter speed and Wi-Fi capabilities. In addition, the tiny Lumix 14mm was all I needed to practice photography while enjoying my micro-vacation. If you are considering adding this pancake lens to your arsenal, at around $300, its a no brainer. However, if you are one to fuss over the technical aspects of your photos (and do not care about size) then I would consider something else, maybe Oly's 12mm f/2 or Rokinon's 12mm f/1.8.

Sam

If you live in, or are traveling to Florida and would like to schedule a photo-shoot, I am currently offering portrait services in and around Central Fl. Check out more of my work at www.samgoldphotography.com

I have been spending all my editing time with the fashion photography I shot with my brother and sister in Ruidoso, NM.  I feel I need to step away from this project and let it "cool down" for a couple of days and then re-examine the collection with a fresh pair of eyes. Couldn't help but want to share a few today though and came up with this mini series of square black and white photos from each of the four looks I photographed. Hope you enjoy! Sam 

If you live in, or are traveling to Florida and would like to schedule a photo-shoot, I am currently offering portrait services in and around Central Fl. Check out more of my work at www.samgoldphotography.com

I have unfortunately neglected this site for the past few weeks because I spent some time visiting family in my hometown of El Paso, TX. This desert city is known for its sunshine, good food and happy residents. I had not visited in about four years (way too long) and it was great seeing how much everyone has grown. I come from a very large family and everyone from my generation has been busy building families of their own. I got to hang out with and meet so many kids and definitely used the opportunity to build my family and lifestyle photography portfolio. I was even able to take a trip to Ruidoso, NM with my younger brother and sister to shoot some fashion. Photography gear that I took with me to El Paso included a Panasonic GX7, MZD 45mm f/1.8, OM Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 coupled to a generic focal reducer, Lumix 14mm f/2.5, a Sigma 60mm f/2.8, along with some rudimentary lighting gear (single flash and a 5 in 1 reflector). In terms of lenses, this has basically become my standard kit and I ended up using everything but the Sigma lens. As for lighting, the hot shoe on my GX7 is broken so I was not able to utilize off camera flash as much as I would have liked and was only able to use it indoors using the speedlight's slave mode. I took well over a thousand photos and am still trying to process them all but here is a "mixed bag" look at some of my favorites from the trip. 

If you live in, or are traveling to Florida and would like to schedule a photo-shoot, I am currently offering portrait services in and around Central Fl. Check out more of my work at www.samgoldphotography.com