I know that on paper this is a crazy comparison.  It’s also not fair in that we have two very different sensors, one, a 21 mega pixel full frame at the end of it’s 3+ year life cycle and the other about a quarter of the size and which is not even 10 months into its own.  Well, these are the two cameras that I have and use on a regular basis.  As I’m contemplating leaving one home for an upcoming trip, I wanted to see just what I was going to be getting.  This is purely a fun/bored post, but one that I thought might be at least somewhat interesting to a few of us out there.  How does the new 16mp G3/GX1 sensor stack up?

Using the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 (40mm equivalent fov) on the G3 and my comparable Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 pancake on the 5DII, I wanted to see just how these two compared.  I have heard quite a few folks on the interweb of late waxing lyrical about how they shoot with camera X, Y or Z and no one can tell the difference between their full frame shots and their APS-C, 4/3 or even compact sensor shots.  While I do know that there are many, many factors when viewing a picture, be that on a computer screen or printed, I feel that while under certain exposure situations, there is most certainly a visible difference.  These were of course met with a comment akin to “come to my gallery/studio/home and tell me then, which I shot with X, Y or Z!” which I found to be funny and I’m sure I would in fact have a hard time.  That doesn’t quite mean that a smaller sensor is equal to a larger sensor, at least not in all situations right?

To me, at base ISO, in good light and with a good lens, most any current digital camera can produce a very quality image file.  If you’re shooting in these well lit conditions with a lens stopped down to f/22 (let’s ignore diffraction for this hypothetical) yes, I agree that most anyone would have a hard time distinguishing a 10×15″ or even some larger sized print from two different cameras (maybe even larger depending on the viewing distance…but that is yet another variable that we’ll ignore).  To me, I rarely shoot in well lit conditions (on account of normally being holed away working during the daylight hours) so high ISO/noise performance is a very crucial piece of this argument for me.  Assuming all this prior hypothetical equivalence, I wanted to see how these two looked at high ISO in low light.

Here are a few shots from ISO 800 – 6400 shot @ f/8 under identical conditions and at identical exposure values from a tripod.  Shot in RAW with the 5DII’s 5616×3744 pixel files resizedto match the 3:2 4576×3056 pixel RAW files from the G3 and then all were exported as compressed jpegs.  Click on any of the crops to see them at 100% magnification.

Now, something that rarely makes it into the conversation when talking about noise is how, when pixels are resized to match a different file size, the noise is also resized, meaning if the file is smaller (lower mpx) and it’s up-resed, then so is the noise grain, and conversely for a larger file size.  Also, there is relative pixel size to take into account.  A 16mp 4/3 sensor is going to have much smaller pixels than a 21mp full frame sensor.  So, when you view your file at 100%, or 200%, etc, it may not be the same as a larger (or smaller) file at the same magnification, and too often I’ve seen noise comparisons where the image is just cropped into to “match” the same view, which isn’t exactly telling the truth.

That said, I am very impressed with the G3 files when seeing them side by side.  Noisier, yes, but they do a good job at retaining definition and color.  With a fast lens in low light, I feel like I can certainly get a good, workable ISO 3200 file if the conditions require pushing it that far which helps me feel okay with leaving the 5D travel kit home next week.  It’s more psychological than anything at this point making the decision to finally travel without the big boy, but I’m sure my neck will thank me.

If you missed the GF1 vs G3 battle, that post is HERE and really that is what led me to even thinking about trying this, so… (It’s really crappy outside, and I’ve been wanting to get out and shoot so this will have to do)

Thanks for the read and I hope everyone is having a good winter (or summer for you lucky suckers in the southern hemisphere).

Happy shooting,

tyson

I’ve had a little time now with the absolutely minascule Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens and I have to say, I have no problem proclaiming that I have a tiny lens.  A truly impressive optical feat considering it’s being used on a 17.3mm x13mm 4/3 sensor.  Of course, there is the beautiful Olympus 12mm f/2 lens, but at 2.5x the cost, could one be satisfied with the trade offs and savings?  Beyond that you have the much ballyhooed 20mm f/1.7 pancake which is amazing in its own right, but for a bit more coin you can get the Panaleica 25mm f/1.4… And then of course, the Oly 45mm f/1.8 which has been universally praised for both quality and price, but the other Panaleica lens, the 45mm f/2.8 macro should certainly get some attention too.  Folks, I think we have a few candidates for the micro 4/3 holy trinity.

Many photographers have heard of the “Holy Trinity” for various systems in regards to lenses, and often when asked, an experienced photographer will rightly say that lenses are a better investment than a new camera body in most cases.  I feel that the Micro 4/3 system has not only a Holy Trinity, but two.  One for the truly budget conscious and another for those who are willing to spend a bit more coin to get to the top of the IQ hill.  Both are great and depending on your needs, you really can’t go wrong.  How many systems can you say that about?

The idea of a Holy Trinity in lens terms usually starts with a moderate wide angle lens, than a standard to short portrait focal length and finally a longer portrait / short tele focal length.

Users of the micro 4/3 system are lucky in that they not only have access to truly quality lenses but quality choices, which is unique in the mirrorless world (and any system really).  Here are my two versions (with their current estimated prices which may change daily!) of the micro 4/3 Holy Trinity… Click on any of the links to see the lenses at B&H.

First, the “quality is king” choice:

Oly 12mm f/2 ($799) – What’s not to say about a fast, well built, optically precise wide angle lens?

Panaleica 25mm f/1.4 ($539 ) – The first proprietary “standard” lens for the micro 4/3 system, and it is a beaut.

Panaleica 45mm f/2.8 OIS Macro ($669 ) – The tortoise of the bunch.  Not the fastest focuser, not the fastest prime lens in the lineup, but has optical image stabilization, is sharp as a tack and also does true 1:1 macro.

(set total $2007.00 )

Next, the budget minded/mine are smaller, choice:

Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 ($303 ) – Better than average optical performance for the mirrorless category as a whole, and absolutely friggin’ tiny.  I have lens caps that are bigger that this lens.

Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 ($340 ) – In my opinion, the one true, must have lens for the micro 4/3 system.  It is fast, it is sharp, it is small, it is reasonably priced and at a 40mm equivalent fov, great for almost everything.

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 ($385 ) – This would be my next m4/3 lens (and still may be) if it weren’t for my Contax G Zeiss 45mm f/2 lens that I use.  By all accounts, this Oly gem is exactly what the system was screaming for in a lens.  Fast focusing, fast max aperture, relatively small, sharp and all at an honest price for the package.

(set total $1028 )

Of course, any one of these can be easily replaced by the other and beautifully fill out a shooter’s personal holy trinity.  Something that no other mirrorless system can boast at this point.  Choice is good.  Some may point out the newly rumored/leaked f/2.8 X zooms, which for what they are look great, but I’m a prime fan, period.  I do have some zoom lenses for my other systems, but they only get busted out for specific shoots.  Zooms are big, bulky (in my case, heavy) and my whole love affair with the mirrorless systems is overall size reduction.  No disrespect to zooms, or the people that love them, I’m just not interested at this point with my compact system.  Luckily for me, the micro 4/3 system has really rounded out their prime lens offerings and this is exactly why I think, as a system, it is far and away the best system in the mirrorless landscape right now.  There are better sensors, better AF performers and better systems at handling noise, but none have the optical choices for anyone who desires fast, discreet, sharp, affordable prime lenses.  Of course, if fast, small primes aren’t your bread and butter, than feel free to ignore my claims.

My lens cap, er, 14mm pancake lens. Sorry.

I’ve gone the way of compact in my micro 4/3 system quiver.  As a secondary system, I used it to replace my compact, carry around cameras.  I chose the micro 4/3 system largely because of the stellar 20mm f/1.7 pancake, and at the time, it was the only game in mirrorless town.  When the 14mm f/2.5 pancake was announced, I’d wished they’d gone a little wider (I was hoping for a 12mm f/2.8 at the same price and relative size) so I’d held off on buying it to see what Olympus was going to do.  When the beautiful 12mm f/2 lens was announced, I was a little disappointed.  Certainly not for the lack of quality in the new Oly lens, but because I was hoping for another pancake, and one that would have come in under $400.  Oh well, it’s better that the system have two different choices, one faster, larger and more cost prohibitive for the more discerning shooter.  I’m happy with the 14.  Would I like the Oly 12mm?  Yep, but I’ll stay happy as is.  With the 14mm and 20mm pancakes, you get two very quality lenses at reasonable prices.  That, and they’re both absolutely tiny.  Here is a shot showing the 20mm overlaid on the 14mm to show how much smaller the 14mm actually is compared to the already small 20mm lens on my GF1.  I haven’t measured, but I’d say the GF1 (or even more the GF2/3 and EPL/EPM series) + 14mm pancake is close in size to the LX5 for example.

20mm pancake over the 14mm pancake on a GF1

My last holdout is the 45mm, and I have to say, I would go with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 at this point due to the cost and 1 + 1/3 stop speed advantage over the Panaleica.  Lucky for me, I have a great, compact 45mm f/2 Contax G – Zeiss lens.  I don’t have auto focus, but that’s okay.  If the pricing drops even further on the Oly, I may grab one, but for now, I have my own holy trinity with my 14mm, 20mm and 45mm lenses.  A perfect kit for most any situation, for me.

Now that I’m feeling better about low light performance in the G3 vs the GF1 (see GF1 vs G3 comparison shots here) I think I finally feel comfortable with bringing out my micro 4/3 system in lieu of my larger full frame system for traveling and the like.  I would not have been caught without my 5DII and L lenses on any trip in the past, but now, I think I’m actually ready to take my first trip without a full frame camera in over 5 years…  It may seem trivial, but trust me, it is a big deal for me.  I was curious to see the pure difference in weight seeing as I’d literally carry my camera bag everywhere anytime I was travelling, so I added up the total weight between my two “travel kits” and here’s what I found:

G3 + 14mm f/2.5 + 20mm f/1.7 + Contax 45mm f/2 = 675 g (just shy of 1.5 lbs)

5DII + 35mm f/1.4 + 85mm f/1.4 + 135mm f/2 = 2,841 g (about 6.25 lbs)

I guess that I should also mention that I’d normally have the GF1 +20mm with me on trips too so, with filters, cords, cards, ipad, etc I’d probably be slinging 10-15lbs + around when all things were said and done which may not seem like much, but after a full day and sometimes many miles of walking, I’d feel it in my neck, back, shoulders, ……  Seeing that my m4/3 kit weighs less than my 85mm lens alone, I feel that I might have just convinced myself I can get by without a full framer on this next trip.

I enjoy photoblogging and do it purely as a passion project, so I don’t have my blog monetized.  Because of this, I don’t have any links to B&H, or Adorama, etc which would give me a commission, so I’d like to direct you to two places I visit regularly that do and would whole heartedly suggest the next time you do make a purchase through B&H, Adorama, Amazon or the like, do so from these guys.  FourThirdsRumors (Ale is awesome and has helped me by linking to many of my articles in the past) and SteveHuffPhoto (I read Steve’s blog daily).  Both of these hard working gentlemen are well worth helping out, so if you do feel like making someone’s day brighter by buying your lenses on line at no extra cost to you (they get affiliate commissions if you buy by clicking their links) I’d like to suggest these two.

As always, thanks for reading through.  Fire off any questions, I’d be happy to try and answer them.

Happy shooting.

*the product shots of the listed lenses are used for editorial reference and are the property of Olympus and Panasonic.  All others are © Tyson Robichaud Photography

When it came time to upgrade my beloved GF1, I waited for its true successor to be revealed.  The GX1, not the GF2 nor GF3, is seen by most GF1 users as the camera that has had the GF1′s torch passed to it.  I’ve spent two solid years with the GF1 and have finally felt that the current crop of mirrorless system cameras out there have upped the game enough for me to trade it in.  I surprised even myself when I decided on the G3 over the GX1, NEX5n, EP3 or NEX7.  A budget conscious option which I feel punches well above its weight.  I’ve got some low light test shots, size comparison shots and the like.  C’mon in and I’ll explain why I feel the G3 was the best option for a shooter like me…

If you’ve read any of my rants or ramblings over the last couple years regarding the mirrorless system cameras you’d be right to point out that I tend to criticize the dSLR “lite” style bodies as I find that they’re too bulky to be truly “compact” and because of this, I tend to feel the Rebels and D5100′s of the world are the best option due to the larger sensors and vast array of available (and more affordable) optical choices.

With the introduction of Sony’s killer NEX-7, integrated electronic viewfinder, 24mp APS-C sensor and its tri-navi enthusiast friendly interface, it is making well deserved waves in the market (as I’m sure the mere announcement of the Fuji XPro1 will also have enthusiasts drooling).  Priced at or above comparably performing APS-C dSLRs (with a lens), it caters to a different market than I reside in though.  I already have my big “serious” (and more budget challenging) cameras for my more demanding applications though, and I really don’t want to have to spend over two thousand dollars to get the NEX-7 with a good, fast prime lens, so I started looking at the Sony NEX5n, Panasonic GX1, Olympus EP3, Panasonic GH2 and to my surprise, the G3.

7 x 1 stop continuous auto exposure bracketing is one of the G3's cool tricks for HDR.

My main criteria in an upgrade was a bump in low light performance (both ISO and access to fast lenses) and noticeable IQ improvement (by way of resolution, color rendition, dynamic range, etc).  Having already been happily married to the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake since my union with the GF1, that set the standard that the Sony NEX system had to compete with, as far as the lens was concerned anyway.  Buying another micro 4/3 body had the edge as I already had invested in a few adapters and lenses.  While the NEX5n is a killer little camera, it still suffers from some of the same issues I had with the NEX5, namely the interface.  The IQ and low light performance are top notch, but that isn’t as important to me if I struggle to quickly control common and (what I see as) necessary exposure elements resulting in a frustrating shooting experience (I prefer a more dSLR style interface, and less P&S automated interface ultimately).  This is just my personal opinion and I know these things don’t matter to many out there.  Anyway, with the 5n out of the running and the NEX-7 + Zeiss 24/1.8 necessitating the sale of a liver to justify the cost to my wife, I started to look squarely at the sub $900 m4/3 cameras.

I was very tempted by the GH2 price drops over the holidays, but decided it was the time to give, not give to myself, so I let it pass me by, plus I felt that it was just a bit too large for what I was looking for in my secondary compact.  The GX1 and EP3 were my main contenders at first.  I started to look at what either would cost with the add on EVF’s as I’ve come to rely on having one for use with my compatible manual focus lenses (which I see as one of the most beneficial perks of the m4/3 system) and this priced each of these cameras up around, or beyond $1000.

For comparison’s sake, I started taking a second look at the G3.  I dismissed it upon its release based solely on its form factor.  It wasn’t until I really looked at the specs that I noticed how compact it actually is.  The G3 wasn’t the cool throwback rangefinder style body,  but it houses the same sensor as the new GX1, has an integrated 1.44 million dot EVF and a few bells and whistles of its own (tilting/rotating LCD, good grip, stereo mic, touch screen, etc) in a body that, IF you could remove the EVF, is smaller than the GX1 or EP3 believe it or not, for nearly half the price (of the GX1/EP3 + EVF).  Hmmm.

Well, I had a good look at the G3 in store after exhaustive online research and walked out with one.  I couldn’t be happier.

Firstly, size wise… The GF1 was, in my opinion, the best balance of size and performance in the MILC category to date.  I think the EP3, GX1 and NEX7 cater to the same crowd, and cater well, but the amount of direct control and snappy response times make the GF1 an amazingly responsive and capable camera, slightly ahead of its time setting the pace that others have had to catch up to in many respects.  The GX1 looks to walk in its footsteps, so I feel the torch has been successfully passed in Panasonic land, and the EP3 is arguably one of the best mirrorless cameras available, but for the price, I found the G3 to be too good to pass on.

Next, the low light/high ISO performance… The resolution and dynamic control in the G3 is noticeably better than the GF1 and the S/N with high ISO shooting shows a two stop benefit vs the older 12mp GF1 sensor to my eye.  Through a couple test shots, I found that the G3 defaults to controlling blown highlights and handles reds and skin tones much better (which was a challenge with the GF1 in my opinion) at the expense of the midtones being slightly shifted to the left at the same exact settings vs the GF1.  Good news for me is when I add a third to two thirds stop of exposure comp when using the average metering setting in dynamically challenging scenes, the G3 still does well to keep the highlights under control but helps with the mids and shadows.

Below are some controlled test shots at varying ISO settings to help anyone else in a similar predicament see for themselves.  I chose to upsample the 12.1mp 4:3 GF1 RAW files to the same pixel dimensions as the 15.8mp G3 RAW files to attempt to compare apples to apples.  For those contemplating the GX1 as well, I’d imagine that the results would be near identical as these from the G3 as the brains and sensor are shared between the two cameras.  As I found the GF1 to be very good up to ISO 400, I’ll share the comparison shots starting at ISO 800 and up.  Click on any shot to see a larger version.

*All shots from both cameras taken from a fixed tripod, using the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens @ f/4, Incandescent WB, 2 second self timer, and the scene was lit by one single 60w continuous bulb.

GF1 @ ISO 800

100% crop GF1 @ ISO 800

G3 @ ISO 800

100% crop G3 @ ISO 800

GF1 @ ISO 1600

100% crop GF1 @ ISO 1600

G3 @ ISO 1600

100% crop G3 @ ISO 1600

GF1@ ISO 3200

100% crop GF1 @ ISO 3200

G3 @ ISO 3200

100% crop G3 @ ISO 3200

And of course, the G3 goes up to ISO 6400.  While I doubt I’d attempt to use it unless I was really desperate, I do feel it still looks better than the GF1 at ISO 3200.

G3 @ ISO 6400

100% crop G3 @ ISO 6400

To my eye, the G3 has an almost two stop advantage in controlled conditions which compared to my previous tests between the Sony NEX5 and GF1 makes the G3/GX1 sensor better at handling noise than the original NEX3/5 sensor.  Of course, the 5n sensor will gain the advantage again, but it still has the disadvantage of fewer fast proprietary lenses which negates the superior noise performance of the sensor from a pure exposure standpoint (unless of course you pony up for the Zeiss 24/1.8 – which, if you have the money, I think you should).

I’m very impressed with the G3 and this was exactly what I’d hoped for with the upgrade.  Here are the 100% crops from the G3 @ ISO 3200 compared to the GF1 @ ISO 800 and 1600 for comparison sake to show the near 2 stop performance gap.  First the ISO1600 from the GF1, then the G3′s ISO 3200, then the GF1′s ISO 800 shot just to show where I think the G3 compares favorably vs the GF1:

100% crop GF1 @ ISO 1600

100% crop G3 @ ISO 3200

100% crop GF1 @ ISO 800

I think that the GF1 at ISO 800 has a slight (very slight) edge over the ISO 3200 from the G3, but something else to consider is that I found the G3 has much more accurate color replication when using the default incandescent white balance for this test (I haven’t tested pure color replication using other WB settings, or manually measuring and adjusting WB).

I feel that the ISO 1600 in the G3 is very, very useable and I’d not hesitate to use ISO 3200 at all where I’d cringe a bit if I needed to use ISO 800, and was unhappy if I needed to bump to 1600 in the GF1.  The G3′s ISO 6400 shots are messy, but hey, better to have a noisy shot than no shot at all I guess…

The build quality, interface and grip of the G3 seem to have gotten a lot of negative attention.  Well, the aluminum build (not plastic) of the G3 body feels close to as solid as the GF1 to me with both in my hands, if maybe a little more “hollow” for lack of a better descriptor.  The battery door feels weaker, and with the tilt LCD (and any moving part really) I will keep a closer eye on it when shoving it in and out of bags and pockets.  I wouldn’t hammer nails with it, or throw it off a building, but it’s solid enough for me to feel comfortable that I’ll get many good years out of it.

I regret that I lose the dedicated switch for drive mode from the GF1, but again, the cost savings and performance plusses have helped me get over that.  I now have the touch screen Q-menu to change it, or a dedicated single button which I then have to switch on screen.   Otherwise, the touchscreen interface is intuitive enough, and I still have enough direct buttons (along with two customizable function buttons) to get to my main exposure settings (WB, ISO, AF/focus area, drive mode, movie recording, etc) with a single push.  The articulating LCD is awesome.  I’ve never had a camera with one, but have been thoroughly enjoying this along with the single point AF which allows me to drag the AF point (literally, by touch) anywhere on the screen, not to mention change the size of the AF point.  Seems gimmicky, but when I think about having to change AF points, or focus/recompose, this is an amazingly handy gimmick if I’ve ever seen one.  Add to that, the ability to fire the shutter by tapping that AF point and now you can take all the discreet street type shots, or handle quickly materializing scenes to your heart’s desire.

All I can say for the grip is that it is exactly the grip that a camera the size of the G3 should have.  I have much longer than normal fingers and larger hands overall and one only needs to grip the G3 the way they intend to see how clever it is.  By wrapping your middle finger over and down the grip (see pic above), it puts your wrist upright, allows you to brace your right elbow against your body, and gets your index finger in the proper position to operate the shutter while allowing you to get a good, solid grip on the camera body comfortably.  The buttons on the back are a bit too easy to unintentionally touch with your thumb or palm if I’m being honest, but that is a trade off I’m willing to take for overall size reduction (and the articulated screen), as a half shutter button press will reset the camera and have you shooting immediately.  If you try to hold it like you would the GH2, or any smaller dSLR, it can feel awkward trying to hold on with fingertips, but compared to the ‘grip’ on the GF1, it is miles better in my opinion.  If you have the hands of a normal sized human being, I’d imagine that you’ll have an even better fit than my large gargantor hands allow me.

After the high ISO/low light and IQ improvements, my main factor when looking for a GF1 replacement was for use with my legacy lenses.  I held off purchasing the add on EVF for the GF1 for a while as I’d heard it was mediocre, which it absolutely is, but adds a third point of contact for stabilized shooting, and for manually focusing, it is very helpful.  I was upset to learn that the new add on EVF for the GX1 is not backward compatible.  Ridiculous in my mind as this smacks of Panasonic either A) not having the design foresight to make the GF1 compatible with an EVF that everyone wanted, even before the crappy EVF1 was released, or B) just wanted to push the hand of those wishing for a better user experience by having to buy a new camera to gain access to their add on accessories.  BS as far as I’m concerned, but look at me, it kind of worked as I found myself buying a new camera, so congratulations Panasonic!

Anyhoo, as I am a fan of gear porn, here are a couple shots of the G3 with the stellar Contax Zeiss 45mm f/2 (thank you to my father in law Dan for the honor of babysitting this little gem) which has singlehandedly saved me from buying the Oly 45mm f/1.8 lens.

This all being said, I think I can safely say that I’m happy to retire my GF1.  What I’ve lost in pure pocket-ability due to the integrated EVF on the G3, I’ve gained in IQ, resolution and high ISO performance which is exactly where I felt the GF1 was starting to fall short for me with all the recent advancements in sensor tech (all while getting the G3 for $300 less than I paid for the GF1 originally).  I can still fit the G3 + 20mm pancake into a coat pocket so I really have only lost the ability to fit it into the back pocket of loose fitting jeans. C’est la vie.

Here is a quick example for SH Lew showing the noise from a 30 second exposure at ISO 160 and f/16.  I know it is a horribly boring shot, but it was about 30 degrees out and I wasn’t feeling very inspired.  First the Jpeg with the in camera NR off, secondly the Jpeg with in camera NR on and then the RAW file converted without any NR to Jpeg for comparison’s sake.  You can click on any to see them at 100% (14mp 3:2).

In camera Noise Reduction OFF

In camera Noise Reduction ON

Compressed (jpeg) version of the RAW file

I’m impressed by the in camera NR as the file with the NR turned off, while it handles the noise well, it is really, really soft and mushy.  I thought I’d had it backwards when looking at these, but nope, the file with the long shutter NR on is sharper and retained lines and contrast much, much better.  I haven’t done much in the way of long night exposure type stuff, but I am really impressed with the noise suppression in the RAW file and I’m sure with a run through Define, Denoise or Noise Ninja would be great.  The Jpeg file with the NR on is pretty impressive to my eye as well and if I end up ever shooting long exposures in Jpeg, I will most definitely use it.

In Conclusion…

I’ve been lucky enough to have gotten to play around with the GX1, and there is no doubt that the GX1 and new EVF will be an amazing addition to the micro 4/3 family, but for my needs, I’m happy to have saved about $500 by grabbing the G3 and can say that I’m glad that I revisited the idea.  While the G3 isn’t a perfect camera, I feel that it is an amazing value at the current prices and I’d put it up against any sub $600 camera (with lens) on the market right now.  Sure the XPro1 or NEX7 will no doubt be the cool kids at school, with the NEX5n’s, GX1′s and EP3′s as the smart kids that try harder in class, the G3 is the little guy that ends up kicking the crap out of the class bully when no one expected it.  At near half the cost and at a comparable IQ performance standpoint vs the GX1/EP3/NEX5n + EVF’s all while gaining access to the largest offering of lenses in a mirrorless interchangeable lens compact system, the G3 provides enough of an argument to not be ignored.  It ends up, in my mind, as the poor man’s NEX7 or GH2, and I’m happy I saved my money.

As always, I’d be happy to try and answer any questions you may have, or do comparisons between these two cameras while I still have the GF1

Thanks for reading and happy shooting!

Tyson

For other micro 4/3 related articles, check these out:

NEX 5  vs.  Lumix GF1, the showdown

Micro 4/3 and Sony NEX Lensbaby Tilt Transformer!

Your Micro 4/3 camera + your existing lenses = limitless fun!

With my blog’s second anniversary coming up, I wanted to thank everyone that has stopped by, commented and added to the content.  It’s been a fun couple of years and has been far more educational for me than I’d ever thought it would have been.  I wanted to make a list of my more popular posts as well as some that can help some of us who may be just stumbling into the fold.  Any of us who have recently acquired a new camera and may be wanting to learn how to use it to its potential, or are looking to build up a few post processing techniques, I’ve compiled some of the more useful and popular posts below…

Read on for anything from free actions and discount codes for popular software to refreshers on basic (and even some more advanced) photographic techniques.  I’ll break it down into three categories, Photography Tutorials, Postprocessing Techniques and the most popular Gear posts.  Feel free to contact me if you’d like to network (I’m always game) or have any questions.  Tell your friends and feel free to link to any of my articles.  Much of what has come to be here has been born from contacts and networking, so I’m happy to continue to try and help cross-promote other photographers and hard working bloggers.  I’ve also compiled an ongoing list of free resources (the “free-sources” tab at the top of the page) and personal faves from around the web.

Happy new year to everyone and I’m looking forward to continuing our collective journey.

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

*The Exposure Trifecta, learning to shoot in Manual mode – Get your camera under control and off the green box!

*Understanding your lens Aperture – One of the most useful built in tools to distinguish your photography.

*Metering and Exposure compensation – Which, when and why to use certain settings to make your images look they way they should.

*RAW vs JPEG – the pros and cons for each.

*Which lens and why!? – You want to diversify your lens arsenal, but which lens will get you what you’re looking for?

*Focal length, crop factor and field of view explained – A basic explanation on how these seemingly confusing topics act in real world use.

*Color contrast with Henri Matisse – Far and away the most popular post I’ve written.  Basic concept, but one that can help provide great results.

*Rembrandt lighting – Dramatic, effective and simple.

*Compositional theory a la Gaudi – Addressing some of the fundamentals of photographic composition and branching out past the ‘rule of thirds’ to use your images to grab attention and tell a story.

*Establishing and understanding Hyperfocal distance – An age old technique to ensure your scene is in focus.

POST PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

*HDR with Photomatix - If you haven’t stumbled upon HDR (high dynamic range) imagery yet, this will help.

*HDR 101 – Capturing dynamic range – Everything you need to know about HOW to capture a scene’s full dynamic range.

*HDR 101 – Processing dynamic range – There are a few techniques to use to extend and utilize the dynamic range captured via the techniques in the previous post.

*Floating in Photoshop – A simple technique to enable levitation in photographs! Impress your friends, gain explore status on flickr, wow your coworkers and attract unwanted attention on facebook!

*A Free Photoshop Contrast Pop Action – have a look, pictures speak louder than words, especially when you bump up the contrast.

*Using selective color in Black & White imagery – not sure what else to say, but have a look anyway.

*Presets! Unleash the power of your image editing software. – Are you using Aperture, Lightroom or Photoshop?  Here are a bunch of resources and freebies.

*It’s all about the Eyes – A handful of easy techniques to quickly enhance the eyes in any portrait.

*Adding a vintage feel - A few popular techniques to digitally age your photos.

*Free Bleach Bypass Photoshop Action – Replicating a film developing technique digitally to add an edge to your imagery.

*Fractalius for Mac! - Replicate the popular (windows only) software effect.

GEAR

*Using your lenses on different cameras via adapters - One of the most popular posts ever on my blog.  I use my GF1 and various EF mount lenses to varying effect.

*Using Legacy (old) optics on new digital cameras – Pretty much a continuation of the above post, but on a budget

*Lensbaby Tilt Transformer for NEX and Micro 4/3! – A really cool tool for users of these mirrorless systems.

There are of course, many software review posts as well as more techniques, tricks and gear related articles.  Have a look around and let me know if you have any particular things you’d like to see on the blog.  I’m always game for new challenges.  I don’t make any money from my blog, it’s merely a passion project and I enjoy sharing what I’ve gleaned and learning more as I explore.

Thanks again everyone and here’s to a happy and prosperous 2012 for all!

-Tyson

I had a read through mirrorless rumors today as I do most everyday and saw that there was an article posted regarding Canon’s recent ideas on a mirrorless system.  Having been a fan and user of the micro 4/3 system as my mirrorless system to date, it had me questioning what I’d like to see in a Canon system.  My thoughts may be off base, but c’mon in if you’re interested…

Canon is arguably the last of the major manufacturers to enter this growing market which seems to be settling in between the compact point and shoot camp and DSLR land.  About a year and a half ago I wrote an open letter to Panasonic and Olympus in regards to the growing competition from the likes of Sony and Samsung which have brought some big guns to the party over that time.  To an extent the Micro 4/3 system has answered some of my concerns, but still seem to be focused on engineering small, slow zoom lenses vs. maintaining small, fast lenses and pushing sensor performance (give us useable ISO 1600-3200 and 14bit RAW files please oh please).  Sony has landed quite the blow with the recent NEX 5n and if the NEX 7 lives up to the hype, it looks to be the camera to beat for the enthusiast and I must admit, it has me very interested.  If the NEX 7 wasn’t so expensive, and had a realistic balance of price and performance in their lenses, I might be tempted, but as is, they’re asking way too much of the average shooter looking for that proverbial price and performance golden egg.  That said, I think people willing to throw down about $2200 for the NEX 7 + the Zeiss 24 f/1.8 will have a beautiful combo with unparalleled IQ in the mirrorless realm.

While Nikon recently announced their J1 and V1 compact MILC cameras, they seem to have missed the boat to the discerning eye.  Granted, a cool package, but I just cannot get over the fact that they A) used such a small sensor, and B) then chose to build such a bulky “compact” camera with said small sensor.  I think that Nikon, more than any other manufacturer missed the mark.  They could have offered an F mount option and kept the body size relatively the same.

Which brings me to Canon.  With the recent interview posted at mirrorless rumors, it seems that they’re calculating an entry into this market.  I see two possibilities, one being a new mount a la Nikon/Sony, or secondly being one that will be directly compatible with an EF/EF-s mount.

Personally, I’d love to see an APS-C sensor mirrorless interchangeable lens compact replace the T3 in the next iteration.   The reasons being that it would fit nicely in this “bridge” category between the compacts and DSLRs all while allowing those already using the system’s many lenses the ability to immediately incorporate a high performance compact camera.  They’d immediately be selling to two very eager demographics, both of which are growth markets.  Of course, I’d like to see a couple pancakes released to accompany the new release which would also immediately benefit the users of any other EOS camera to date which would like a smaller lens for portability or more low profile street type shooting.  Instead of asking users to reinvest in an entirely new system (as each other company has so far done) why not buck the trend and not only satisfy existing users, but use it as a vehicle to retain and grow your customer base.  Compact users looking to upgrade to a mirrorless compact… Existing users looking to supplement their kit with a compact body… Generating needed hype for your brand in an increasingly challenging marketplace…

I’m no Canon fanboy.  I do shoot with Canon DSLRs along with a variety of other cameras, but, I’m really confused as to why no one has done this.  Offer a Panasonic G3 sized body (very compact all things considered) using an existing lens mount that would immediately allow users access to an established lens lineup without having to buy an expensive adapter to enable AF and you would win, assuming the design was innovative and offered image quality to back it up.

I understand that due to physical mechanics, the mount would require a bit more bulk to remain compatible with current EF/EF-s lenses, but taken into account, I’m sure you could remove the mirror and pentaprism from the base model rebel, recess the sensor as far back as physically possible, decrease the overall body size, include an electronic viewfinder and make a compelling little package.  Certainly smaller than an M9 for instance.   This market segment, more than any other currently is pushing the digital landscape to great technological leaps and I find it frustrating from a consumer’s standpoint that no one has offered existing system users an answer like this.

My ideal direction for a new mirrorless from Canon?

• Make compatible with EF/EF-s lenses
• Remove as much bulk from the Rebel T3 (keep the T3i or whatever it becomes as your entry DSLR)
• Incorporate a cutting edge EVF (akin to the NEX 7 or even a hybrid like the Fuji X100)
• Introduce a couple pancakes to play to overall system size all while having access to full EF lens lineup. (look to the full frame/APS-C compatible pancakes like the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 or Pentax 40mm f/2.8)
• Focus on low light performance.  So far the Sony’s seem to be doing the best all while keeping up with the megapixel war.
• Build this to satisfy both the crossover crowd AND the enthusiast crowd.  (ie: don’t dumb it down, keep the same functionality as the current Rebel line)
• Keep the price competitive with the entry level DSLRs (sub $800)

Do this, redesign the base level rebel into something slick and compact and I think as long as the design wasn’t horrendous, Canon would absolutely kill it.  Canon has the resources to do this, it is something I think would not only retain Canon shooters jumping to compliment their “bulky” DSLR systems by going to m4/3 or Sony, but attract new users into the EOS system.

Agree?  Disagree?  Fire off a comment.

Happy holidays to everyone and here’s to hoping 2011 has been great for all.

Cheers,

Tyson

It’s funny.  When I mention to folks that I go to Amsterdam on an annual basis, many of them get a glazed look in their eye, the corners of their mouths curl skyward which is inevitably met by a slow motion head bobbing.  I’ve gotten so used to this response that I have a pre-baked answer regarding the trade show I attend, the beauty, history and culture engrained in a city that has lived many lifetimes, survived many events, and how even though I’ve been fortunate to visit this amazing city 10 times now, I have still only been into one solitary coffee shop and I’m taking a Slick Willy on that one.  Of course Amsterdam will always spur a distinct visual to a specific demographic, which makes me realize I might be hanging out with too many mental teenagers…

An Amsterdamian Coupe

It truly is a beautiful city.  For me it is the right balance of historical culture and modern madness with a sharp learning curve on street survival.  If I could paint the picture of a drug induced nirvana-like cityscape, it would sure as hell have fewer bikes, trams, crazy taxis and open waterways.  Seriously, if you’re not standing in the middle of the road, you’re probably about to get run over by a quickly moving moped or bicycler.  Be careful as you step backwards when you realize that you’re playing the part of a human traffic cone as you may very well be stepping off of a ledge directly into a canal.  Sometimes I think that there is an office somewhere, run by the shadow society that helped politically facilitate the relaxed culture in Amsterdam while working with engineers to only slightly differentiate sidewalks from bike lanes, where they watch live CCTV footage of stoned youth falling into canals.  If anyone knows of such a shadow society that uses such an office, please let them know I’d love to visit.  Watching loaded people falling into water from the comfort of an underground super bunker would be both hilarious and awesome.

Against the monotony of fall.

A fixed vantage

Spui

Nature photographically cooperates

On the way to University

Through 5 bridges look see.

below street level

kitteh

thanks for stopping by

The history and emotion endure.

into the Fall sun

Familiarity, years later.

View from the apartment

Vondelpark, after dark.

Bikeh!

On the eve prior to our departure, we drank and were merry.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for sticking with it.

Happy shooting!

Tyson

Hill Head, Fareham, England.  A town that resides between the south coast cities of Portsmouth and Southampton, just across the water from the Isle of Wight.  Being that my day job consists of manufacturing components that end up in sails for water faring vehicles, it only makes sense that I’d have a distributor on one of the larger island nations in the world.  Lots of water = lots of boats.

Just so happens that my distributor is on the south coast of this island nation in a beautiful area.  I guess I’m lucky that my grown up job has me galavanting around the world meeting and collaborating with people who love to do what they do.  It’s also nice that I’m getting to travel to locations where boats are, as there really is no sense in selling sailing equipment to or from places where the sail boats aren’t.  This means water.  This also means no major trade shows or customers in areas without water, beaches, lakes, rivers… you get the idea.  I am a pisces after all.  I’ve been off travelling for the last 10 days or so, as I am every year at this time for the largest marine industry trade show in the world which happens in Amsterdam (post to follow I’m sure).  We’ve always tried to take advantage of this annual necessity to visit with friends and associates in Europe while we’re over here.  This year, Mrs Squeeze and LBWHF stayed back (not by choice, but to the great enjoyment of our collective bank accounts) so I carried on without them.

I stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast in Hill Head by the name of Longfield.  Kath and Eric were the essence of British humility and hospitality.  If ever you are in their neck of the woods, please look them up.  Their home is beautiful, the rooms are comfortable and Kath makes a mean full English.

I guess what I am saying is that even though photography isn’t my full time job, I get to bring it with me wherever I go.  This time, I went to Hill Head, and here are a couple of pictures of it.

Happy shooting!

There are no shortages of plugins to help photographers and digital artists streamline their workflow and help fine tune their look. Tiffen Dfx-3 offers an amazing amount of digital filters and user manipulatable options in one plugin. Is it useful to have this many options in one plugin, or is it too much? Well, depending on your needs and budget, this may be the only photoshop plugin you’d ever require. Read on for examples and my tip of the iceberg review on this amazingly filter packed plugin…

Firstly, Tiffen Dfx-3 is offered as a plugin (PS, LR and Aperture) or as a standalone program. I’ve been using the plugin inside Photoshop CS5, so I can only share my experience with it from this angle, but I’d imagine the breadth of this program translates just as wholly, regardless of the platform or host.

Okay, I’ve been playing around with this plugin pretty extensively for about three weeks and I still feel overwhelmed with the task of trying to explain it. It is immense and feature rich. At first, it is hard to figure out where to start, but with a deep breath and a few clicks, the plugin starts to come into focus. Never mind that the plugin has many (I lost count, but near a hundred I’d guess) native presets, but each and every one of these presets have controllable parameters and many have up to hundreds of sub filters (film duplicator, digital filter settings, etc). If there is a problem to be remedied in a photograph, Dfx-3 has a solution, or 5. Finding them may be trickier, but they’re there and live under categories. A jack of all trades type of plugin as it were and the more that I play with it, the more I realize how handy it can be.

The interface is complex but intuitive. Dfx-3 allows photographers to use multiple filters on one image file by way of integrated layers (a la photoshop) with blending options (again a la photoshop, ie: screen, multiply, soft light, etc), masking as well as adjusting opacity for each individual filter layer shown on the left hand side of the screenshot above. This may be a bit much for someone not used to working in Photoshop, but with a little effort to learn, you quickly realize how amazingly useful this is. You get to add layers and adjust their effect as you would in Photoshop directly in the plugin! This is pretty damn cool. When using Dfx-3, I will still first duplicate whichever layer I’m working on inside Photoshop before running Dfx-3 on that duplicated layer. Dfx-3 will not automatically output your results on it’s own layer like Alien Skin plugins do (which I love) so remember to duplicate your layer before you run the plugin to apply it to that duplicated layer. Other than that, the amount of control in regards to blending or adding multiple effect filters is unparalleled to any plugin I use, and I use quite a few.

The results range from simple and concise, to sky’s the limit. If you need to apply a colored lens filter (like you would have back in the film days for instance), you can choose from a plethora of existing choices, and then tweak any of those choices to your heart’s content. If you want to add a fill light to your subject, you can all while manipulating the intensity and placement. Want to add a bleach bypass layer, or add a Kodak Portra 160 treatment layer, a texture layer from the collection of preset textures within the plugin? No problem. From exposure fixes to artistic filters, Tiffen Dfx-3 provides a remarkably large library of applications in a single plugin.

If I were to suggest this plugin to a particular photographer, I’d say it would truly benefit at least two sets of shooters that I can think of.

First, I believe it would benefit a photographer without any or many existing plugins. This one plugin has so much going on, while it may be bested in certain areas by other more specific plugins, it does a good job at providing a very complete set of filters, fixes and artistic accoutrements. For instance, I use Alien Skin’s Exposure 3 for my color and black and white film replication filters, but Dfx-3 has almost as many offerings. The grain and pure film replication is better in Exposure 3 for me, but Exposure 3 costs almost as much alone and the film replication is one of dozens upon dozens of categories that Dfx-3 offers. I’ve used Nik Color Efex Pro for years, but Tiffen’s Dfx-3 offers many similar effects, plus so much more. Does Dfx-3 have u-point technology? No, but it has an EZ Selection mask which does better for fine detail as opposed to globally changing parameters based on tone like U-point does. I’ve been finding more and more reasons to push my Nik Plugins further and further down the pecking order and aside from Silver Efex Pro, I don’t even really use them anymore. Dfx-3 offers the largest single library of digital filters that I’ve seen in a plugin.

Secondly, for shooters like me that like to have as many tools available to them possible. I am one who appreciates and often intentionally keeps it simple, getting it right in camera, not wanting to spend hours in front of the computer post processing, but on the other hand, I am a huge fan of digital file manipulation. I don’t like to think of myself as a one trick pony, but one who attempts to learn a variety of skills to be able to more diversely offer solutions to project output or artistic idea. Visualizing the end shot, be that a simple lighting set up, or all out composite monstrosity, I want to know how to be able to do it all and have the tools to be able to help me more easily do so. Will I use Tiffen Dfx-3 for every shoot? No. But, for the shoots that I need it, it will easily carry its weight.

You can download and try the software for free directly from Tiffen’s website HERE and I would suggest doing so. It’s free to try and fun to play around with. Most any software plugin is available to try for free so the beauty of the times we exist in is that we can use these tools before forking out the cash. This to me means that software developers have to really offer value. Why would we buy something unless we’ve done our homework and determined that it is a good value? Rhetorical questions aside, I would absolutely suggest anyone interested in this plugin, download the free trial and watch a few of the videos (on the site via the link above) which will do a good job at getting you started. Dollar for dollar, you might be hard pressed to find more for your money in a plugin.

While it may not offer the best singular solution depending on the specific application, it certainly offers more solutions than any one plugin I’ve ever used. If you need a plugin that has an answer for just about any challenge, a one plugin solution, I think Tiffen Dfx-3 is it.

You may say that I tend to speak highly about the plugins that I review, which is true. The reason is that I don’t review the plugins that I don’t feel offer a good value, or are plugins that I’d use myself. This is one of those plugins that I will certainly be using for a long time. So, just to be clear, I’m in no way affiliated with Tiffen. They’re not paying me, nor holding a gun to my head. I just like this program and I think you might too. It’s free to try, what do you have to lose?

As always, we’d love to see any examples in our flickr group so please stop in and drop an image in the pool. You can subscribe to my blog by entering your email address at the top right of the page which will fire off the articles as I publish them or you can follow me on twitter @photosbytyson.

Thank you for reading through and let me know if there are any collaborative projects you would like to discuss. I’m always game to try and connect and network with other photographers and bloggers. Hit me up!

Happy shooting,

Tyson

While at times my blog has dropped a few pegs in the daily pecking order of demands on my attention and immediacy of my prioritization, it has continued to be a vehicle for networking and international friend making.   The connections and conversations have proven to exceed my expectations and I wanted to take a moment to thank the folks who have helped not only promote my ramblings, but help me grow as a photographer and fledgling digital artist…

From Eric at Photography Bay and Steve Huff, to Jimmy and Jeff at Alien Skin, my good friend, very talented photo-blogger (and sometimes photographic business partner) Shelby, Alisdair at Cooking with Apples, the fine folks at HDRSoft, Thomas at Presetpond.com, Everimaging and Ashley at Topaz Labs to the team at Kubota, (the development crew on Tiffen’s Dfx3 plugin, which I am currently in the process of reviewing)  and of course my good friends at Lensbaby as well as Ale from 43rumors.com, I have been thrilled and lucky to get to play around with and review the amazing products that these folks work hard to develop and bring to market, or submit my articles which have garnered quite a bit of feedback, conversation and experience.  It’s easy to see the ads in magazines as faceless companies trying to push their newest software or hardware on us, but through the many conversations I’ve had over the last year and a half or so, I realize that so many of these companies that bring cutting edge tools to us are small, innovative groups that strive to provide tools that they themselves want to use and share.  They appreciate feed back and many make themselves available to their customers.  I don’t make money from my blog.  It is merely a way for me to use the tools that keep me excited, and write about photography, my passion.  In my real job, I help run a small, family operated business in which we develop, manufacture and market our wares.  The service of and passion for our product is at the forefront of every decision we make.  Quality and customer satisfaction is king.  Customer service has in many industries become an automated phone tree, or FAQ page buried on a website, but in my experience with the people and companies linked above, service has maintained itself as a priority and it is in this vein of sharing and service that I want to extend my appreciation.  I want to take time to share with those of you who’ve not yet stumbled upon my friend’s Inna and Pablito’s blog House of Bokeh, their very own passion project.  The web is filled with amazing individuals who share their expertise and look to network likeminded people so that we may all benefit.  House of Bokeh is a tireless blog that shares tips, tricks and tutorials from a large community of photographers who enjoy learning from each other while sharing personal experiences.

If I may, I’d like to suggest you have a look at a couple of the (many, many usefult) articles that House of Bokeh has put together which I’ve found to be enjoyable and very informative.  Take a quick break from work, bookmark the site to go back to when you’re in need of that little inspirational, creative push.  I’m happy to have friends like this who selflessly network and share their expertise.  It is exactly what I started trying to do with my blog here.  Here are a few reads I’d suggest to get started:

Smoke and Mirrors tutorial by Rob Webb

Waterdrop Photography by Dan Borg

Painting the Photograph by Pablito

Building Bokeh in Photoshop by Pablito

Live, learn, shoot, share and tell Inna and Pablito I say hi!

Happy shooting all,

Tyson

A fractalius like effect for apple users... (click image to see larger)

No, the developers of Fractalius haven’t quite broken down and offered those of us using macs the plugin we’ve been pining for, but I have found a way to get similar results.  You may have seen a very cool effect in the threads or photo pools in your favorite photography forum.  I, like many, found myself attracted to the effect produced and became discouraged when I found out that the software that enabled the digital artists I’d been admiring, was a Windows only program.  I’m no fanboy, nor do I get paid to push one brand over another so I in no way mean to stoke any ‘which is better’ type conversation, but merely pass along a work around that I’ve found to create a similar effect for very, very little money…

For just shy of thirty bucks, you can use Topaz Clean 3 to create similar edge manipulation to that seen in Fractalius, plus you get a pretty killer skin retouching app too!  (you can read my review of Clean 3 HERE)  Here are the settings I’ve found that tend to work well to recreate the effect as well as the work around to resize your file (you’ll see why this is relevant shortly).  You can download a free 30 day trial of the Photoshop plugin Clean 3, or purchase it for $30 via the Topazlabs.com website HERE.

Here is the original image prior to running it through Topaz Clean followed by a screen shot of the settings I used to get the hair to look the way it does.  I actually masked the rest of the image out leaving just the hair as I found the effect on her face to be weird.

The 'before' image

The trick here is that Clean3 manipulates edges based on pixel measurements where larger files (higher amount of megapixels) make for a much more subdued effect as each pixel is much smaller, relatively compared to the whole of the native image dimensions.  To gain the fractalius like effect, you need to work on a smaller version of your image.  I have found that by downsizing my image to roughly 1000 pixels on the long end is just about the sweet spot.  I know, I know, we have taken a beautiful, large image file and stripped it of much of its detail.  (If you aren’t using a ‘nondestructive’ DAM like Lightroom or Aperture, duplicate your image file before resizing just because like mom always says, never mess with your originals.)  Well, the effect we will apply is going to be fine without the millions of extra pixels and we can resize it back to near original proportions via reopening the finished file as a smart object in Photoshop, so, while not perfect, it is a way for those of us working on Macs to play with the whimsical styling of a fractalius like effect.  After downloading and adding the Topaz Clean 3 plugin into Photoshop;

1. open an image with the dimensions at 1000 pixels on the long end in Photoshop.
2. duplicate the background layer and run Filter>Topaz Labs>Clean3
3. play with the presets, adjust the settings or try my settings above as a starting point.
4. to resize back to a larger native file size, save the image and in Photoshop, open the image as a smart object File>Open as Smart Object.

•      I then create a new photoshop document at say 2000×3000 pixels (go bigger if you need to) at 300dpi, drag the smart object onto that new file and click CMD(Cntrl-PC) + T to free transform the smart object.  Holding SHIFT while doing so will maintain the proportions.  Drag out the corners, flatten and viola!  You have a resized image.  Of course it isn’t as clean at a pixel level as the original file was, but especially with this effect, it isn’t as crucial as most detail has been blurred anyway.