Tag Archives: #Lumix

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Lumix Views of the Night Local

This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post https://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/dusk-at-greenfield-road/

Kris had suggested seeking out Norfolk Southern’s night local, which we found working at Greenfield Road in Lancaster, Pa.

After exposing a few photos using my FujiFilm XT1 (as presented yesterday), I made this series of images with a Lumix LX7.

The first image is of the train at Greenfield Road, where it was working High Steel Structures. The others were along Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line along Jefferson Drive.

All the images were converted in DNG format from RAW files using DxO PureRaw.

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Lumix RAW File Epiphany . . .

I just experienced an ‘oh wow, you must be kidding’ moment.

For more than 15 years I’ve been making photos with Lumix LX-series cameras. One of the principle advantages of these cameras is their ability to capture images using both RAW and JPG.

Recently, I’ve been reexamining my Lumix RAW files using DxO PureRaw software, which corrects for lens aberrations and converts the files to DNG format.

For this TTL post, I thought it would be neat to compare the camera-RAW file, the un-adjusted PureRaw file, and my cropped but otherwise unadjusted RAW file.

I didn’t expect to learn that all of my Lumix RAW files exposed since 2009 have had MORE image area (albeit distorted) than I was aware of!

In other words, I’d never seen the full picture before.

Below are the three variations of a single Lumix RAW image that I exposed at New York’s Grand Central Terminal in July 2018.

Each is described in the captions.

Lumix RAW file directly out of the camera without cropping or cosmetic adjustment. This was converted to Jpg, but not scaled or otherwise altered.
Lumix RAW converted to DNG format, but presented without cropping or cosmetic adjustment. This was converted to Jpg using Lightroom, but not scaled or otherwise altered.
Lumix RAW converted to DNG format and cropped to eliminate the areas without lens coverage. Compare this image with the top photo in terms coverage. Notice how much more image area is at the sides compared to the top photo. In simple terms, I’ve been getting more covereage with each photo than I had been aware of. WOW!

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On This Day 2016-Bordeaux

Nine years ago, my father and I visited Bordeaux, France where we traveled on the city’s trams.

I made this photo using my Lumix LX7, exposing the original image using the camera’s RAW mode.

Last night I revisited this nine-year old image and converted the Lumix RAW file to DNG format using DxO PureRaw, then make a series of adjustments using Adobe Lightroom to improve contrast and exposure.

These changes resulted in a much better image.

Original Lumix RAW file, scaled for internet without interpretation, lens- correction or alteration to color, contrast, or exposure.
First round of changes: High contrast image following PureRaw conversion to PNG format with lens correction and adjustments to contrast and exposure using Lightroom.
Second round of changes and refinement to the RAW file following PureRaw conversion to PNG format with lens correction and adjustments to contrast and exposure using Lightroom.

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Amfleet Article in May Trains Magazine

Among the magazines waiting in our post box upon our arrival back in Lancaster, PA, was the May 2024 Trains Magazine.

Pages 49-50 featured my monthly travel column. I focused on Amtrak’s Amfleet in a personal retrospective titled ‘Last chance to ride Amfleet.’

Below is a short list of out-takes from the photos I selected for my May column.

These were exposed with my various Lumix LX-cameras.

Lumix LX3. Amcafe at New Haven, Connecticut.
Amcoaches at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Exposed with 16:9 aspect ratio.
Quiet car on Amtrak 95.

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Grab Shot on the New Holland Secondary

I was running errands. On my way back to the apartment, I found that Greenfield Road under Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line was closed—likely as result of flooding from the recent rains—so I detoured around via Willow Road. On my way, I heard Norfolk Southern’s New Holland local sounding for a crossing.

I approached Willow Road (in greater Lancaster) with haste. With my Lumix LX7 in hand, I pulled over in time to see theNS local freight approaching. I didn’t have much time to set the camera. So, I zoomed in, framed up my photo and exposed a series of digital images.

The first two were the best.

When I got home I discovered that the camera was set to record in JPG rather than RAW. That’s not the end of the world, but not having a RAW file greatly limits the ability to make adjustments.

In this case, it doesn’t matter much, December morning sun produces excellent lighting conditions with very good contrast and color.

I’ve scaled the best of the sequence for presentation here, but the photo is otherwise unaltered, and appears basically as it looked right out of the camera.

I was home about 5 minutes after I made this photo.

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Lisbon Metro Seven Years Ago

On this day (April 6th) 2014 I exposed a sequence of digital images of the Lisbon Metro (no, not Lisbon, New Hampshire) using my Lumix LX3.

Although I was soon to replace my trusty Panasonic Lumix LX3 with the more advanced and flexible LX7 model, I feel that in many ways the end-picture quality of the LX3 was preferable over the that from the LX7.

Recently, through the kindness of Tracking the Light reader Wm Keay, I now have in my possession my third LX7, which makes it my forth Lumix digital camera.

I’m looking forward to the next round of photos from the ‘wee Lumix’—long may it serve me!

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