Thursday, March 31, 2011

Ancient Rome - UKpix video



The Olympus Pen E-P2 is now my camera of choice when travelling light. It is bigger than a compact but much smaller than the digital SLRs I have and the high-quality RAW output is good enough for submissions to the Alamy picture agency.

Pictures of Rome using the Pen: UKpix.com Rome

Video on the Pen is exceptionally good, too, as this short movie of the ruins of Ancient Rome shows.

The electronic viewfinder is a must-have accessory.

Great travel camera: the Olympus Pen E-P2 with 17mm pancake,
14-42mm zoom and electronic viewfinder













When I reviewed the Pen E-P1 at its launch, I said the lack of viewfinder was a problem and preferred to carry the Panasonic G1. The E-P2 changed all that - and you can slot on many different lenses using adapters, even Leica lenses, turning it into a much cheaper Leica M (we are talking thousands of pounds here!). It has a lower pixel count (12.1mp compared with 18mp) and not the same quality you would expect from a Leica M9, but it gives the M8 a run for its money.

Picture examples are available on the review page of the E-P1, which is essentially the same camera as the E-P2 but without the electronic viewfinder, of course.


Olympus UK Pen site


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Website: http://ukpix.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UKpix/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ukpix

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Pictures of Iceland on Alamy

My latest pictures on Alamy include a set taken on a visit to Iceland a few months ago. The light is so amazing and the country so photogenic, it must be near the top of any photographer's list of places to visit.

See my whole set of Iceland images on Alamy


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Website: http://ukpix.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UKpix/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ukpix

Italia 150

150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy - Fireworks in Rome
150º anniversario dell'Unità d'Italia - Fuochi d'artificio a Roma

Went to Rome for what I thought would be a quiet visit to some of the ancient sites I had not fully explored - and landed in the middle of the 150th anniversary of the unity of Italy.

Celebrations appeared to be fairly subdued, but that was probably because of the sheeting rain. I guess there were a few thousand people in Piazza Venezia waving flags and singing and the fireworks were entertaining, but overall I would have expected a little more enthusiasm - especially from a nation that is prone to displays of intense passion when the Italian football team is playing. Mind you, I can't remember much celebration in the UK for our 200th anniversary 10 years ago.

The video is taken from the Via dei Fori Imperiali, near the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, in the centre of Rome.



Latest pictures of Rome





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Website: http://ukpix.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UKpix/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ukpix