Lumix Ambassador.
Last summer I had the chance to become one of the Lumix-ambassadors. Just in time for my departure to Vietnam I received the Lumix G9 with the Leica 12-60mm and 50-200mm + tele converter. A light and compact camera of top quality made it the ideal travel partner.
So the first big test was on my trip through Vietnam. Together with the G9 I travelled from the North to the South, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh and from big abandoned rice fields to the busiest cities of Vietnam.
If I had to choose one thing that I will remember from my stay in Hanoi, it would be train street. This is a famous place in Vietnam, not because it is beautiful or religious but because at this place a train passes by 3 or 4 times a day at high speed. The street is just big enough to let the train pass. By the time the train will pass everyone who lives here or has a bar, can hear a bell ringing. Then everything has to go really fast and in a few minutes all furniture from the small pubs must be on the side of the railway.
For security reasons, we even had to wait in a Vietnamese women’s living room.The train didn’t slow down for a second and passed very quickly. Luckily the Lumix G9 has a fast autofocus with 20 frames per second. This is why I was able to take this sharp photo. My favorite photo from my trip to Vietnam has to be the one with the rare monkey. During research I had read that somewhere in central Vietnam there lives an endangered species. This was something I definitely wanted to see myself.
As a travel photographer I always want to meet as many people, places and new cultures. The stabilisation in the body and lenses made it easier to travel without a tripod. Mainly because I could move faster from place to place. In the months of June, July and August Northern Vietnam is known for its monsoons. The rain falls out of the sky and a few minutes later it can be dry again. During our entire trip we only had 2 showers. Because the Lumix G9 is weatherproof I was able to shoot even in the toughest conditions.
Via, via, I ended up at a local ranger. I contacted him and he took me on a 5 hour trip. At 4 o’clock in the morning, the jeep was ready to drive to the nature reserve. After a quest of almost 3 hours we caught some glimpses of the endangered species. But then suddenly I saw a little group of three monkeys named the ‘red-shanked douc langur’. Me and the species looked at each other for almost 1 hour. I was very impressed. Despite the distance I had to shoot some very good shots. Especially because I travelled with the 50-200mm and teleconverter. Due to this lens I could perfectly capture the emotions and details of these monkeys in their habitat. And because I used the G9 it was very comfortable to hold it for such a long time.
Lumix S1R.
24-70mm - 24-105mm - 20-60mm
Testing limits.
In August and September I also had the chance to test the Lumix S1R. This is a full frame camera, what felt very familiar because I always shoot in full frame. The quality is exquisite. I always shoot in RAW and it is a pleasure to edit these very sharp photos afterwards in Lightroom. I tested the camera in Scotland and Italy. Especially in Scotland the weather was typical 'Scottish'. So there was a lot of rain and fog. Luckily the body and lenses are waterproof. This means you're not limited to only shoot when the weather is clear and dry. This is why the S1R was the perfect travel partner during my trip through Scotland.
I can't wait any longer to discover some more places together with Lumix. If you're searching for a camera that even in the worst weather conditions never disappoints, I strongly recommend to have a look at the website of Lumix. They sell some very good cameras. Every photo on this page is taken with the Lumix S1R.