February 5, 2021
When I pulled out my Lumix GX8 DSLR camera over Christmas, I noticed that the “cheap” batteries that I had purchased as backups to the primary Panasonic branded 1200mAh battery were no longer holding charges. They were still chargeable, but their life was short. So I added a new spare battery to my shopping list […]
Filed under: Archive, Gadget, Photography, Shopping by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: amazon, battery, camera, dslr, gx8, lumix, online, panasonic, powerextra, prime, replacement, Shopping, tech friday, techfriday
March 12, 2018
It was a crisp and cold night for March in Cincinnati and with a pitch black sky at 6 AM (after the Daylight Savings time change), the Waning Crescent Moon (see Lunar Phase) gave me a chance to see if my Lumix GX8 and 100-300mm lens was up to the task. I’ve tried still photos […]
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Tags: crescent, gx8, lumix, moon, photography, telephoto, video, zoom
April 16, 2017
With the buds and flowers popping this Easter weekend around Cincinnati, a sunny morning was a great opportunity to put the lesser used prime lens on my new Four Thirds Lumix GX8 camera. The 14-140 stabilized zoom is usually on my camera for convenience, but today I suspect the slightly faster f1.7 prime lens might be sharper […]
Filed under: Holiday, Personal, Photography, Photos, Technology by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: camera, easter, flowers, lumix, photography, prime lens, speedtest, spring, yard
April 8, 2017
As happens every year, a "not so bright" woodpecker decides to wake us up by pecking on our chimney cap. The noise resonates down the flue and can be pretty loud in the house. Crazy Woody! But since I’ve been wanting to experiment with my relatively new Lumix GX8 and long lens (a 100-300mm zoom), […]
Filed under: Nature, Personal, Photography, Photos, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: birds, camera, chimney, gx8, lens, lumix, stabilization, woodpecker, zoom
February 2, 2017
The larger "old" tripod that I’ve owned for 40 years and a small pocket tripod that I gave to my son is now unacceptable for my new camera (my bias opinion) … so it is time to update with something I don’t mind hauling around. I would have liked a $300+ carbon fiber ultra-light, but that […]
Filed under: Photos, Shopping, Travel by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: camera, dlsr, gx8, hobby, lumix, photography, slik, tripod
January 5, 2017
A little snow arrived today (maybe 2-3″), so while waiting for the follow-up call on our new furnaces in the afternoon, I shot a 10 second video and encoded with Handbrake to cellphone size for web streaming. Quality is still decent, but not the HD video that the Lumix GX8 is capable of.
Filed under: Misc, Video, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: encoding, gx8, handbrake, lumix, panasonic, snow, streaming, test, video
January 4, 2017
A little testing of the somewhat faster Lumix 4/5s 25mm f 1.8 Prime lens vs the Lumix 14 – 140 slower f 3.5 zoom gave me surprising results on closer distances, at least different than I expected. First off, neither lens impressed me when it came to edge to edge sharpness. The Prime lens "may" […]
Filed under: Advice, Photos, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: comparison, gx8, lens, lumix, panasonic, photography, sharpness
December 18, 2016
Testing the new 25mm Four Third Panasonic Lumix prime lens on before "wrapping it up for my Christmas gift from Brenda." I needed to know if it works … cough, cough. (click here for Large Image — be warned) Also updated the GX8 body to Firmware 2.2, so we are up to date on […]
Filed under: Misc, Photos, Tidbits, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: aperture, gx8, iso, lindsey stirling, lumix, panasonic, photography, prime lens, settings, violin, youtube
August 22, 2024
This past week the weather was cooler and clear … just right for evening and early morning skywatching. I didn’t bother to set up the Lumix GX8 camera on a tripod or use a different lens, but I did have the lightweight 14-140mm lens mounted and took a couple morning photos (above) and a photo […]
Filed under: Photography, Photos, Space, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: gx8, lens, lumix, moon, skywatching, sturgeon moon, supermoon
May 11, 2024
On Friday May 10, 2024, I started noticing the beautiful northern lights (aurora borealis) photos showing up on my X.com social media feed. They were so impressive that I told Brenda that we would need to go outside in the evening. While glancing at my skywatching info, I also notice that the International Space Station […]
Filed under: Archive, Cellphone, Diesel, Environment, Photography, Photos, Repairs, Social Media, Space by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: aurora borealis, backyard, diesel, gx8, international space station, iphone14, iphone7plus, iss, kubota, lumix, northern lights, skywatching
April 9, 2024
Click images for larger images Our backyard may not have been the absolute best location to view a perfectly covered sun for the solar eclipse, but it was very impressive. Taylor took an afternoon off of work and came up with Gigi in the afternoon (we are north of Cincinnati), and I suspect he […]
Filed under: Archive, Human Interest, Memories, Personal, Photography, Photos, Space, Video, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: eclipse, event, family, gx8, interesting, lumix, moon, photography, skywatching, solar eclipse, sun
March 30, 2024
Seeing Mallard Ducks show up in the spring “like clockwork” had me wondering just how long this particular pair has been showing up at our pool (still covered) and landscape pond … and how long they live (see below)? For years ducks show up in the spring, have been chased by our dog Tootsie (for […]
Filed under: Nature, Personal, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: duck, ducks, mallard, pond, pool, tootsie, yard
December 27, 2023
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Tags: 2023, annalyn, bria, christmas, cookies, corbett, ellerie, family, oostra, teagan, tree, zoo
August 4, 2023
When trying to transfer photos and video from SD cards to a computer, you really need some kind of card reader. I have several that are USB readers, but none that are USB-C and will plug into my MacBook Air M2. So instead of a bulky dongle with extras, I opted for a small Anker […]
Filed under: Computer, Gadget, Photography, Shopping, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: anker, cardreader, gadget, tech friday, techfriday, usb-c
May 4, 2023
Several years ago Drew and Katelyn gave me a premium everyday carry messenger bag for Christmas (2016). It has been a fantastic bag or briefcase like bag for my notebook computer, iPad, books, etc and a lot of tech gear (originally used for my Lumix camera). Unfortunately after years of travel and admitted overloading, it […]
Filed under: Business, Gadget, Misc, Shopping, Travel by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: bag, camera, Computer, messenger bag, notebook, peak design, warranty
August 29, 2022
Neither photo is mine, but Brenda and I were both startled in hearing the sounds of owls coming from was seemed like inside the house. Great Horned Owl Hoots After we slowly crept around inside our house, wondering where they were, we deciphered that the “hoots” were coming from the fireplace. "Hm, were they […]
Filed under: Audio, Environment, Misc, Nature, Personal by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: audio, birds, cap, chimney, great horned, hoot, house, huge, owl, wingspan
March 18, 2022
Each year I think I take a photo of either our flowers or trees coming back to life in the spring. I know from a quick search that there are at least ten posts similar to this one over the years … here is one from February 2017. Since this particular lilac plant can’t be […]
Filed under: Local, Nature, Photography, Photos, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: buds, flowers, lilac, spring, trees, weather
November 28, 2021
Having Thanksgiving at my brother’s house with our family (minus Jaben who recently had COVID19) was one of those photo days that I should have packed my Lumix camera. The lighting was a bit dark and into window light for an older iPhone … and without a tripod was challenging. I propped it between some […]
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Tags: corbett, cross, family, Holiday, project, thanksgiving
September 15, 2021
As our current Apple iPhone smartphones age (currently Brenda and I have iPhone7 and 7 plus), there is an interest in upgrading to the 5G capable Apple A15 chipped iPhone13 or 13Pro. The Apple Event on Tuesday afternoon highlighted the new smartphones and focused on their photo and video capability. As a photographer and Apple […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Gadget, Marketing, News, Photography, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: a15, apple, appleevent, bionic, digital, iphone13, iphone13pro, photography, promotion, smartphone
August 21, 2021
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Filed under: Archive, Personal, Photography, Photos, Space by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: carseat, ellerie, family, granddaugher, gx8, lumix, momc, moon, photo, preschool, summer
July 20, 2021
Most news outlets are covering the Jeff Bezos and crew launching the few minutes delayed Blue Origin first crewed 11-minute space flight on the anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing in 1969. The New Shepard spacecraft launched flawlessly and was a beautiful site … although, shockingly short, for $28 million dollars per passenger. Interestingly, […]
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Tags: astronaut, blue origin, flight, gx8, iphone7plus, jeff bezos, lumix, moon, new shepard, Photos, rocket, space
December 29, 2020
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Filed under: Archive, Holiday, Personal, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, brenda, christmas, corbett, coronavirus, covid19, coyote, drew, ellerie, family, katelyn, lumix, megan, oostra, Photos, richc, taylor, toolkit, truth for life
September 15, 2020
It has been eleven years since we last purchased a few trees from my brother Ron’s retirement avocation – a nursery dedicated to NativeOhioPlants. He started planting trees years before so after he retired from the Air Force in 2018, it was a natural to make it a part time business. It’s not too big […]
Filed under: Archive, Environment, Memories, Nature, Personal, Photography, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: backyard, birch, brother, camera, deer, gx8, ivy, lumix, maple, nativeohioplants.com, nursery, oak, pavers, Photos, ronc, sweetgum, swing, sycamore, trees, yard
June 3, 2020
Every once in a while when seeing what cellphone cameras can do, I wonder why I even bother to ever grab my camera bag and relatively expensive DSLR camera anymore? Last night the weather in Cincinnati was clear and humidity low. The moon was large and rising in the sky in the southeast and looks […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Photography, Photos, Space, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: archive, astronomy, iphone7plus, moon, photo, photography
April 11, 2020
The bookshelves have been on-again, off-again as the laborious painting and improved spring weather dictates my indoor verses outdoor activities. I did get a chance to finish the “art display area” in the center bookshelf section … and so far, so good. My plan was to create a little depth perception by bring the art […]
Filed under: Archive, Art, Nature, Personal, Photography, Photos, Woodworking by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: artwork, bookshelves, dslr, flowers, lighting, lilac, lumix, phlox, photography, project, spring
March 1, 2020
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Filed under: Archive, Personal, Photos, Woodworking by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: annalyn, baby, birthday, brenda, changing, diaper, dresser, drew, ellerie, family, granddaughter, katelyn, ohio, oostra, perrysburg, richc
June 14, 2019
With the colder weather and clear sky over Cincinnati late Thursday evening and Friday morning this week, I took my Lumix GX-8 camera and 100-300mm lens out in the backyard to see what I could photograph. Not much as expected from Jupiter, but I think I could make out a couple moons in the pixelated […]
Filed under: Photography, Photos, Science, Space by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: astronomy, camera, cincinnati, gx8, jupiter, lumix, photography, Photos, planets, space, stargazing
April 23, 2019
Although Brenda worked Easter Sunday this year, the weather could not have been more beautiful in Cincinnati for a few chores. I buffed out the oxidation on our 2002 Honda Odyssey, as the Florida sun is hard on paint. After buffing, I wax and buffed again in order to add a layer of protection … […]
Filed under: Archive, Hobby, Holiday, Personal, Photography, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, cincinnati, flowers, gx8, honda, house, lumix, odyssey, ohio, photography, Photos, spring, van, yard
March 22, 2019
There is isn’t anything wrong with my current 2014 Apple iPad, it is just getting older as far as technology goes, and is a little sluggish (or so it seems). It is still the single most used tech device that I have … and the reason I’ll likely replace it with another when the time […]
Filed under: Apple, Cellphone, Computer, Personal, Productivity, Tablet, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: apple, brydge, chromebook, device, gadget, imac, ipad, iphone, lenovo, tech friday, techfriday
December 26, 2018
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Filed under: Archive, Holiday, Personal, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: 2018, ani, annalyn, bompa, brenda, christmas, cookies, corbett, drew, family, gif, gx8, katelyn, lumix, oma, oostra, Photos, richc, santa, taylor
August 19, 2018
In preparation for an upcoming work related project, I need to record a video for a client’s website and include both their voice and that of someone asking questions. I was hoping to keep it as professional as possible and will be using my Lumix GX8 DSLR.f I am using my external Rode shotgun microphone […]
Filed under: Advice, Audio, Blogs, Business, How-To, Misc, Technology, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: gx8, interview, lavalier, lumix, mic, microphone, rode, shotgun, video, website
July 23, 2018
The moon and Jupiter circled from my iPhone on Sunday night July 22, 2018 I have fond memories of sitting out with Katelyn when she would get out her telescope and was learning astronomy … but I do also still enjoy special nights like last night to "try" to capture the amazingly bright and large […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Photography, Space by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: astronomy, cincinnati, jupiter, mars, moon, nighttime, planets, saturn, skywatching
July 14, 2018
It was a great week of skywatching in our backyard in Cincinnati this week. The sun magnificently lit up planets, especially Saturn and Jupiter while Mars, Venus (the brightest) and Mercury (doubtful) remained a bit low in the sky while I was out viewing. I was purposely out for Mars, but it will have to […]
Filed under: Cellphone, Photography, Space by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: astronomy, iphone, jupiter, mars, photography, skywatching, space
January 31, 2018
I haven’t been wielding my camera around much lately as it is so much easier to whip out the iPhone and take a photo or some video … but occasionally there’s a subject that can’t be photographed easily with a smartphone or even with a DSLR. Here was my quick attempt last night with the […]
Filed under: Photography, Photos, Space, Travel by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: coast, dslr, florida, lumix, photograph, photography, photoshopped, supermoon, treasure
May 11, 2017
The previous later evening blog update when the contractor left was a bit of a blurry photo, so I wanted to include a better photo and opted to give the Lumix GX8 pano-mode a try (above). Since I was not sure exactly how it would turn out, opted for a normal wide angle image as […]
Filed under: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: construction, house, kitchen, project, remodel, update
February 28, 2017
While eating lunch today I was tinkering with my Lumix GX8 camera to play with depth-of-field and sandwiching images (see Photoshop technique in old post). In a low light macro situation there isn’t a way to keep items in front and back sharp enough to read … so in some cases, sandwiching two images is […]
Filed under: Photography, Photos by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, depth-of-field, image, lumix, photo, photography, photoshop
January 6, 2017
U.S. employment increased less than expected in December, but wages are rising, ever so slightly after a long stagnancy. Most economists are positive since they say we only need to create 56,000 jobs per month to keep up with current levels of new entrants in the job market. Others will point out that our job […]
Filed under: Financial, Misc, Technology, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: djia, dow, economy, microphone, rode, tech friday, techfriday
January 3, 2017
I’m feeling guilty about receive a Christmas present from my daughter and son-in-law after realizing the price ($$$). I mistakenly admired a bag Drew‘s brother demonstrated to me when they had the baby reveal … and although I knew is was above average in price, I never took the time to do the research as […]
Filed under: Holiday, Photos, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: bag, camera, family, gx8, lumix, mp4, peak design, test, video
December 27, 2016
After a bit of a delay in maintaining daily blog posts, Brenda, Taylor and I returned from our family Christmas with Katelyn and Drew in Wayzata, MN on Monday night. It was a whirlwind trip and thankfully without incident. First thing first … our growing granddaughter is definitely noticeable as a “babybump” (an overused word). […]
Filed under: Holiday, Personal, Photos, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: babyoostra, brenda, christmas, drew, family, katelyn, richc, taylor
December 9, 2016
The top image is a daylight test image while trying a new camera and lens combination (Panasonic Lumix GX8 and 14-140mm lens) and is a very large original image … so if you click it, it will prove to be a larger image download (be warned). The image below as been reduced in size but […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos, Technology by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, gx8, lens, lumix, panasonic, tech friday, techfriday
November 26, 2016
No visits to the mall, stores or even online shopping for me on Black Friday, but I have started the process of looking for a new camera "system" to replace my aging DSLR. With my first granddaughter on the way, it might be time to get back to my roots and revisit my old hobby […]
Filed under: Personal, Photography, Shopping, Technology, Tools by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: camera, hobby, lumix, panasonic, photography