Friday, April 5, 2013

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 Shoots HDR in the Dark!

 
Kodaiji at Sunset, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, HDR Scene Mode
 
I've been using the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 extensively on my trip to Japan. What an amazing little camera.
 
On this particular night, I went to see a "light up" event at the Kodaiji temple in Kyoto. During the spring cherry blossom season, they light the trees up at night. It's an incredibly beautiful sight. In the picture above, I was hoping to balance the artifical light on the trees in the foreground left with the natural sunset. I decided to try the high dynamic range (HDR) scene mode on the LX7. I was blown away by the results. The camera took three consecutive exposures and merged them on the spot. They were taken handheld, as tripods were not allowed in this location. You're looking at the result straight out of the camera.
 
Needless to say, I used the same HDR scene setting throughout the night. Even when it was completely dark out, it did a great job handling the very challenging lighting situations.
 
 
HDR in the Dark, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, HDR Scene Mode
 
The area inside the shrine above was extremely dark. The lamps were very bright. Again, you're looking at the result right out of the camera. I'm hoping to bring up the shadows some when I get this in Lightroom. Regardless, it's quite impressive, especially handheld.
 
Technology has come a long way in the recent past.
 
I'm sure that I won't be able to make large prints of these, but to be able to capture these images at all is a pleasant surprise to me.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
Get my Kindle eBook on the LX7 here:
 
 
Get your LX7 here:
 
 
 

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