PANASONIC GF3

Can't get no satisfaction...

In September this year I finally took the leap, and bought a new camera. I kind of had to, because my old one was damaged by gravity. I was looking at micro four thirds cameras because I wanted better image quality, but didn't want one of those huge heavy cameras that make people nervous when you stick it in their faces. Because my old camera was a Panasonic Lumix, and I had so much fun using it, I decided to get another Lumix - the brand new, just out GF3.

I logged onto amazon.jp, clicked on the add to cart button, and put in my credit card details. I often shop on Amazon. It's very convenient, and you don't have to trail past rows and rows of other enticing goods. When I visit appliance stores I always suffer a serious attack of indecision.

The box arrived just as I was putting on my yukata for a dining trip to Funatsuru. I was so excited! I tore open the box, stuck the battery in the charger, then made an attempt to read the manual. In the train on the way to the restaurant I tried to figure out how to change it over to English language, but I couldn't. I wasn't worried - I could take photos with it on automatic, and figure out how to change it later.

Except that.... it turned out there was NO English option. I was surprised to say the least. It is the third Japanese bought Panasonic Lumix I have used, and the other two had English. Printed on the outside of the box in tiny English lettering were the words Japanese Language Only.

!!!!!

I emailed Amazon, and they said that I could return the camera, but that I probably couldn't get a full refund since I had opened  it, charged the battery and used it. I wish I had sent it back, but I didn't want to send it back. I spent hours researching the camera, it was exactly what I wanted, except for the language thing. If I sent it back, I would be camera-less and have to start all over again. So I told myself I would figure out the Japanese, or maybe even find a way to get it changed. After all, I reasoned, that exact model is available in the US in English.

But now, several months and many photographs down the track, I'm still using it on automatic, which is really a step back for my photography. I feel frustrated every time I use it. Panasonic's website has lots of information to waste my precious time, but none to address my problem. There is also no email or complaint form (I really hate that!) There is only a simplified English manual available for download. Customers in English speaking countries get a CD in the box with the full version. But I'm in Japan, so I get nothing.

A friend of a friend of a friend says that English software or whatever you call it is available somewhere for a price. I did a few different Google searches, but no luck. I must track that person down.

I've also discovered several other annoying things about this camera while using it. The strap ruined a brand new T-shirt, the video record button is right next to the shutter button, it's tricky to hold the camera without hitting the photo review button, and the zoom lens hardly zooms at all. I don't know much about lenses, but I don't understand why you'd bother changing the lens when it only gets you the equivalent of 3 steps closer. If I could figure out how, I'd use the in-camera zoom, but it's kind of complicated and I can never remember when I'm on the spot. One last annoying thing... the lens cap doesn't have a string, and I keep dropping it. I figured that must be easy to fix, so I went to Yodobashi today. The best thing they had in the correct size was a string attached to a sticky dot, that you stick onto the lenscap. That's just tacky!

I should have bought an Olympus.

WORLD ART IN JAPAN

Imagine an art museum that had the paintings of artists from all the eras of history, from the mosaic artists of lost Pompei to the Pop Art of Andy Warhol... Imagine that all the famous names were represented there - Botticelli, da Vinci, Constable, Vermeer, Monet, Van Gogh, Pollock, Picasso...



Well, they've done it in Japan! When I first heard about Otsuka Museum in Naruto, Shikoku, it seemed like a bizarre idea to display copies of famous artworks. However I went there recently on the recommendation of a good friend who often visits art museums. Even though the artworks are only copies, it was an amazing experience. I will probably never get to see most of those original paintings, but to stand before life-size framed copies was totally different than looking at art books or prints.

The paintings are reproduced on ceramic tile board, so the color and texture is closer to that of actual paint. Some larger works were divided into several panels. This was a shame because it did diminish their impact, but even so the fact that they were reproduced in the actual size of the original paintings meant that you could experience the image much more closely to how the artist intended. I gained a new appreciation for paintings I already loved, and also discovered many works and artists I did not know of previously.


If you're in Japan and you love art, I highly recommend Otsuka Museum!

see more photos of Otsuka Art Museum here

MO-AN CAFE

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I finally went to Mo-an Cafe in Kyoto. I tried to go there after climbing Daimon-ji with some friends last Autumn, but there was a half hour wait to get in, and I didn't have time to wait. But last week I climbed the path up through the green, mossy garden once again, and had lunch in the beautiful old restaurant. On one side of the restaurant you can see out over the rooftops of Kyoto, and the other side overlooks the trees of the garden.


Athough the setting was absolutely perfect, the food was a little disappointing. It was alright, but nothing special (and kind of expensive for nothing special.) One of my companions used to be a regular at the cafe, and she said the menu had changed. Her favorite in the past was curry, but it was no longer available and so we ate udon, and pita 'sandwiches'.

If I go again, I think I'll just order coffee and enjoy the view.

TOJI MARKET

Every month on the 21st a huge market is held in the grounds of Toji Temple. Vendors set up their stalls starting at 6am. I've never been there that early, but one of my friends sells artwork there sometimes. There are food stalls and all kinds of crafts, antiques, junk, and vintage kimonos.




I've bought several kimonos there. I also bought my favorite bowl for just two hundred yen (It often appears in the photographs on my food blog.) My other Toji Market purchases include a head-scarf, dried fruit, fresh ginger root, and a pot plant.

The absolute strangest thing I saw there was a snake in a jar of alcohol. The alcohol is meant for drinking, not just to preserve the snake specimen. Someone told me it's an Okinawan thing. I wanted to take a photo, but the vendor wasn't happy about it.

MY JAPANESE APARTMENT: A BATH ON MY BALCONY

My apartment is pretty old by Japanese standards (but not by New Zealand standards). Changes in Japanese lifestyle show clearly in the design. For example my shower and bath are on the balcony! This is because when my apartment was built, there was NO bathroom! Until about two years ago there was a sento (a bath house) at the bottom of the hill, where people could go to soak in a large communal bath. I often saw elderly people wandering along the street with their buckets full of bathing equipment. It seemed very strange and inconvenient to me, but on reflection I can see that from  economic, ecological and community standpoints, the sento was a much better idea than every house and apartment having their own private bathroom. Sadly the beautiful old sento was demolished and now generic suburban houses stand on the site. The area has lost both character and a piece of history.

The mini-bath

Getting back to my balcony bathroom, although it was added on like an after-thought, it's not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it's not so much on the balcony, as a small room off the balcony. It has an excellent shower and a very small bath. Although I can't stretch out in the bath, it uses less water and it's deep, up to my neck if I fill it right up. Maybe I even prefer it to the larger baths I was used to in New Zealand. In Japan most people still take baths daily, in the evening. I like this custom - a bath is a good way to warm up, and relax after a busy day.

Sometimes in winter it seems intolerable that I must go out of my nice warm apartment in order to enter my freezing cold bathroom, but the hot water always warms me up again. In warm weather I can sit in the mini bath with the door open (privacy isn't a problem) and listen to birds singing in my neighbor's garden. I always leave the door open after using the bathroom, so mould is never problem, although I do have to check before entering in summer, because centipedes, spiders, beetles and even lizards seem to find it an attractive place.

EVEN MORE FUN WITH PHOTOS: MAKING STUFF

This post is about making stuff with photos. There are lots of cool websites on the net where you can do fun stuff with your photos - for free. This list is just a sampler of what's available.

You can turn a photo into a personalized eCard at Picnik, adding text, speech balloons, stickers and special effects. Some of the choices are only available to paid members, but there are still lots of free options as well. One of my favorite Picnik effects is the zoom focus.




There are also lots of free frames,
text options and special effects at Tuxpi

Surprise someone by putting their face (or your own) on a magazine cover or a billboard at Photo505...










I also use my photos to create impressionist style digital paintings. I use software called Dynamic Auto Painter. It's easy, fast and fun to do. The resulting paintings really look as if they were painted with brushes. There are a number of different styles to choose from, and various ways you can adjust the end result. I've even sold a few of my paintings as posters and cards on Zazzle. My best seller digital painting is from a photo of a Harley motorbike.




And that brings me to another fun thing you can do with photos... you can put them on physical objects like mousepads, t-shirts, and mugs. I haven't tried this particular option yet, but I will... once I make up my mind which photos to use (that's one problem with having over 12,000 images!) Zazzle has a huge range of products to customize with your own images, and you can also sell products designed by you on the website. ArtsCow also has a wide range of products including a few not covered by Zazzle such as umbrellas, blankets and watches. Both Zazzle and ArtsCow have cards, posters and canvas prints, as do Red Bubble and Imagekind.

And if you had a photo or piece of digital artwork that you really really liked, you could even turn it into a wall mural at Murals Your Way.

Have fun!