MICRO FOUR-THIRDS IN WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL

A couple of months ago I went for a walk in the centre of London. To be honest, I had thought of going to Beckenham Place Park, but resolved to grab the first train towards town that came in and see where it took me. (I’m over 60 and so get them free, you see! 😉 ) As it happens, the first was fast to Victoria, so that’s where I went.

It was one of those bright and showery days that can make spring a lovely yet surprising thing. Clutching my best “holiday camera” I sallied forth.  I just had the Micro Four-Thirds (MFT) Lumix G9 with my little 20mm 1.7 pancake lens, and no battery grip, so the camera was about as subtle as I ever normally achieve. It is also the camera Cynthia used for the bulk of the images in her recent guest blog.

I always try to keep in practice with all cameras and lenses – the only way to be quietly confident in the pressure of wedding photography is to be  completely familiar with your equipment. And that applies to my holiday cameras too. I wanted to try out this combination, to see just how good it could be in low light, and when cropping images to get closer, even without zoom. So it was both a fun and technical walk!

First stop, Westminster Cathedral. Unlike certain other large religious establishments in the capital, it costs nothing to go in and they are surprisingly relaxed about cameras. Good thing too – I don’t think I had really appreciated what a remarkable building it is. I remember it from my youth as very dark and forbidding; this time it seemed full of light and colour. Is that just my theology getting woollier, my knowledge of marble and granite cladding increasing, my camera eye developing, or have they cleaned it up?!

It was the last week of Lent, and most of the statuary was covered with bright scarlet hoods. I’m not really sure why, but they were also photogenic in their way. All the photos shown here were taken hand held, with no bracing on walls or furniture. The vibration reduction system in the G9 really is GOOD.

The Lumix G9 used to be Panasonic’s top Micro Four Thirds stills camera. It is no longer top – the G9ii has replaced it. But it is an excellent camera, and with prices now falling in the secondhand market because of the Mkii, it is a great buy. I wanted to see how much cropping that 20mega pixel sensor and little pancake lens could handle.

The two photos here are from the same exposure – one is a crop of the other. I chose an area of the image that was away from the centre (where things are sharpest).  Due to the relatively low light and hand-holding the camera, ISO had to be highish, at 800. I think the result is startlingly good. Some grain is visible, and there is loss of detail in the heavier shadow at top right, but it isn’t bad.

The same test, but outside. The lens is stopped down to 5.6 and ISO can drop to its basic 200. Again, I love the colour handling and brilliance of sun on showered streets, and I love the way you can crop pretty seriously and detail stays good. I did choose a slice of the image nearer the centre – and caught a pigeon I hadn’t noticed in the process.

I wandered out of the cathedral and did a loop around, taking in Buckingham Palace, St James’ Park, stopping for a pint of Young’s Special (Dad’s fave) in Petty France and missing a very sharp shower in the process.

Conclusion: Much as I love my Nikons for professional photography, if I were simply an amateur taking family and travel pictures, then Micro Four-Thirds would do for me, and the G9 would be all the camera I would need. The 20mm f1.7 is gorgeous too – unobtrusive and fun, pretty economical and seriously sharp.

Photos © copyright Andrew King