About a month ago I did a major portrait session of several
individuals and everything was studio flash lit. Nearly all the shots
were done with the DMC-GX85, but I did use the E-1, E-3 and DMC-L1 for
a few test/comparative shots. Exposures were nailed dead-on, requiring
minimal bit-bending. Test images utilized both in-camera JPEG and RAW.
Most image processing performed in Lightroom.
As usual, the E-1 simply nailed it. From a color/tone perspective, you
could take the JPEGs, apply extremely minor adjustments and send to
printer. The L1's JPEGs were also right there, but had different skin
characteristics. The E-3 JPEGs were actually quite close, but the RAW
files almost unusable. The E-3 files could handle no manipulation
without issues. Shadow side of the skin turns gray, any highlights
washed out. The GX85 files almost dead-on matched the L1, but with
substantially more highlight, but less shadow detail. Surprisingly,
the colors held pretty well, but there was one problem. Nearly all
Olympus and Panasonic cameras tend to go a little heavy on the pink
skin tones, but with older cameras it seems to be dialed into the way
the sensor sees. With the GX85, it is obvious to me that the pink skin
tones are not naturally in the sensor image, but processed in. Using
Lightroom, I was able to back that faux ruddiness out and could see
that the sensor image was distinctly CMOS in nature and the skin tones
added in. I verified these traits with a couple other converters.
I could really see the difference between camera files when it came to
makeup. The E-1 is highly forgiving of skin blemishes as well as
transitions between areas of makeup. The L-1, while different in
coloring, is also similar in this regard. The E-3 and GX85 would have
extreme shifts in areas of makeup on the faces and had to be dialed
back and editing done in post. However, in all candor, the worse of
these camera files was still miles ahead of anything I could get with
the Canon 6D which did a great job of putting a death mask on
everybody's faces.
Other than the experimentation and inter-camera testing, all portrait
sessions were done with the GX85, and for the most part, performed
flawlessly. My only problem with the GX85 for this purpose is that
black fabrics can go dead black or can take on a sheen that I normally
don't see with other cameras. It's right in that weird category of
good if you nail it, disaster if you miss. Black leggings or tights
were particularly problematic. Again, this is with studio lighting.
Natural lighting yields different results.
I'm not disappointed with the GX85 results, though. Overall, I think
the GX85 did a better job across all aspects than any other camera.
But it does require a slight change in processing method in Lightroom.
It's better to use standard Adobe Color and then dial the skin colors
in than to use any other profile (or even the in-camera JPEGs) and try
to dial the skin colors back.
AG Schnozz
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|