Photography for painting is intended to assist the creative process by capturing detail and transient lighting conditions. Such images are useful to the artist; but, will hold little meaning for viewers.
Like the painting gear, it needs to be light and portable while taking good quality shots under various lighting conditions and at distances from close-up to on the horizon. Accurate color rendering and clarity are also important. Since my focus is landscapes, low light ability is not critical. And, I want easy to use and computer compatibility.
Lumix FZ-35 Camera Kit
The following items are are carried in a small SLR camera bag by Case Logic. It has a shoulder strap and a belt loop which provides hands-free carrying options.
- Camera is Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35, 12MP digital point-n-shoot
- Lens is Leica 27-486mm wide angle to telephoto 18x optical zoom
- Aperture Settings 2.8-4.4 wideangle, 4.4-8.0 telephoto
- ISO of 80/100/200/400/800/1600/auto
- Shutter Speeds 60 seconds to 1/2000 second
- Focusing with assist lamp by center/area/11 spot select/face recognition/AF/Quick AF/Macro AF/Tracking AF
- Metering by multiple/center weighted/spot/HDR
- Image Quality of JPEG fine/JPEG standard/Raw/Raw plus JPEG
- Record Modes of iAuto/Program/Aperture/Manual/Movie/Custom/Art/Scenes/Burst
- Optical Image Stabilization for stills and movies
- Aspect Ratios of 3:2 (35mm)/4:3 (monitor)/16.9 (HD TV)
- Self Timer with 2 sec/10 sec/3 shots at 10 sec
- Flash built-in pop-up with adjustable strength
- Storage Media used 4GB and 8GB SDHC by Transcend
- Filters 46mm Tiffen nuetral density/Tiffen circular polarizer/Hoya UV
- Battery is Panasonic lithium-ion rechargeable
- Charger for 120V wall socket
- Tripod with 2-way head, level and quick release by Promaster
- Monopod by Targus doubles as a walking stick
- Miscellaneous items lens cap, lens hood, lens cleaner & paper, lens brush-blower, AV and USB cables
This camera is considered a bridge between point-n-shoot fixed lens type and a DSLR. Its numerous features match capabilities that a SLR photo enthusiast would want. I use it for on site shots, documenting my artwork, and for personal photo albums. For me, it is a very good all-around camera for painting and traveling.
