Hughenden to Brandenham

The weather has been great again and I decided to make use of my National Trust membership before it expires so took the train to High Wycombe and went hiking to Hughenden Manor and afterwards to Brandenham.

This is a series of some pictures I took at the different places and along the way, with exception of the last all are JPGs taken with the GR, the last is a RAW conversion but without much processing.

Thanks to the macro mode and the great high ISO quality the GR is very versatile and works great as the only camera for a trip. It's also very small and light and can be carried in a jeans pocket if needed, although it should really be in your hand because it won't take pictures in the pocket. ;)

Waddesdon Manor

 

After visiting Stowe yesterday, I went to see Waddesdon Manor and spent most of the day there, the manor is huge and the property is also quite big so it takes time to see everything.

The RD1 did again a good job and it felt nice at times to go back in time but I am glad I have the GXR to go back to as it can be frustrating at times not to have the ability to preview exposure, DOF or be able to focus or frame accurately.

This is a larger series than yesterday as I have taken quite alot more pictures. I have used again mostly the Pentax Limited 43mm lens, the Heliar 12mm and 15mm and the Jupiter-12 although most pictures in this post are with the Pentax.

Stowe Visit

Hoping for the great weather to continue, I decided to go for a trip to see some National Trust places near Aylesbury.

Took the Epson RD1 along rather than the GXR for a challenge and to give it another outing. For lenses I used the Jupiter-12, Pentax Special 42mm and Heliar 12mm and 15mm.

While it's fun to use and the RD1 has a very film like rendering and unique character, it does not really stand up to the GXR and it feels quite strange to use a rangefinder without being able to accurately compose a picture or see the exposure before taking a picture.

Nymans and Standen Visit

Went with Tom for a day trip to see some National Trust properties around Sussex, the weather was a bit mixed but still quite nice overall. We went to see Nymans first and headed to Standen afterwards although the house was closed we still managed to walk around the property and take pictures.

Took the GXR with the Jupiter-12 and Leica OUFRO adapter, this was a good combination as I could take some macro shots of flowers although I will spare you most flower shots in this post.

Visit to Sissinghurst Castle and Garden

A small series from Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens, the pictures are taken with the Epson RD1 and the 35mm Nokton lens and the iPhone 4 with the Hipstamatic app.
The last picture is a heavy crop but I prefer it to the full picture and I really wanted to include it, although it does not really fit in this series very well.

Castle Visit

The initial plan for was to go to Bath for a daytrip but the weather was mixed so instead we decided to go to Bodiam Castle. It was a very nice trip and the castle offers some great photo opportunities even in mixed weather and with some light rain.

At first I thought of taking the GRD I and GX100 along but the dynamic range of them was a concern so I decided to take the GRD and Panasonic LC1 instead. The LC1 has a higher dynamic range and the slightly longer zoom is certainly very usefull. It is truly a unique camera with fantastic controls, aside from the GRD this is my favorite camera. Panasonic really needs to release a updated version of it with only a different sensor and leave the rest alone.