I am re-discovering what a handy and versatile little camera the Lumix FZ300 can be.
I recently gave it a run with some Sydney wildflowers with no special preparation.
All photos are hand held in A Mode at f5.6 (which has a full frame equivalent of approximately f32). I did not use any close-up accessory, light modifiers or flash.
I use AF Macro, Single shot, AF Mode 1 Area, Stabiliser on.
For close-ups I use a focal length of 12.5mm (70mm full frame equivalent). This gives the smallest possible horizontal angle of view of 108mm and a practical working distance from the subject. I allocate step zoom to the side lever to make it easy to set a specific focal length.
I use the Touch AE function as described on page 55 of the Advanced Operating Instructions. This self cancels when the camera powers down so has to be re-set.
The camera proves to be surprisingly capable with this type of subject.
It delivers considerable amounts of fine detail, good retention of tonal gradation in highlights and shadows and medium strong but accurate color saturation.
I always use Raw capture and post processing in Adobe Camera Raw. This allows me to exercise control over sharpness, grain, tonal gradation and color.
I also made some landscapes on the day to see how the FZ300 would cope with a highly detailed Sydney bushland subject with a high subject brightness range. It managed this rather well as you can see from the photo. Unfortunately photos are very compressed for the Blogger platform so you can’t see all the detail which is in the original.
