Fine Art America – Page 10 – Bill Swartwout Photography

June 16, 2021January 20, 2022

Nikon DSLR vs. Olympus Mirrorless Micro 4/3

Which camera to keep and build into a better system?

I am in need of a quality macro lens but was unsure what to purchase – to add to which camera bag. Today I decided to evaluate my arsenal and did an A/B comparison between my Nikon DSLR and my Olympus Mirrorless Micro four-thirds cameras. I tried two different “kit” zoom lenses on each – varied the focal length (18-300mm) and ISO (200 and 3200). Below is one comparison – guess which one came out ahead – in all instances…

Both cameras were mounted on tripods on our front porch and targeted a neighbor’s front window for a variety of surfaces. Some of the more “distant” shots (wider angle) included sky and lawn for additional comparison textures. But the stone and window frame were good for comparison in the sample below and are indicative of all the shots.

Both camera are 5+ years old and have been true workhorses for me. We cruise often and these have been in several foreign countries as well as all up and down the East Coast of the USA. Both still work perfectly.

The cameras are 1) Nikon D3200 compared with 2) Olympus OM-D E-M10 (original model – now up to model 4, which may be my next purchase.)

BTW, if you haven’t already guessed, the Nikon image is the one on the left. An old adage states, “The best camera to have is the one you have with you.” That may not always be the bigger, more expensive camera.

The caveat is that the Nikon can produce a large art photograph because the pixel size is 6012 by 4000. That is good for up to a 60″ print at my Fine Art America Gallery. The Olympus images are 4608×3456 pixels, good for up to a 48″ print.

The “fine print” so to speak…

A friend said if I didn’t do this in RAW I ain’t done. True, I ain’t quite done. However I tried to keep this as “real world” as I get. I stopped using RAW a good while back. Why? Everything in RAW has to be converted to JPEG in post processing and I found that the camera software engineers did as good a job as I would usually do – nearly every time (with a slight edge going to Olympus). Today I only save an image in RAW if is is majorly important and I may not have opportunity to re-shoot – but that is seldom the case. Keep in mind that both of these cameras are of a vintage going back over a half dozen years.

The sample image above was one of several comparisons I looked at and is representative of what I saw across the board. Nikon DX lens AFS Nikkor 55-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 G ED. Olumpus MFT lens M. Zuiko 40-150mm 1:4-5.6 R ED MSC.

Focal length for those samples was set to 100mm, using an aperture of f-8, shutter speed 1/160 and ISO set to 200. I chose that because I usually shoot Aperture-preferred and either wide open, fully stopped down or f~8. I also usually zoom to 100mm if I am in a tele frame of mind – or I’ll go quite wide in the 20mm range.

Your comment(s) will be appreciated…

February 23, 2021January 20, 2022

A Pirate and an American Flag

Skull & Crossbones with Yacht Ensign on a Fence in Ocean City, MD.

This presents, for comparison, two nearly identical, outdoor still-life style photographs. The first has been edited with a gold-tone filter to give it more of an “old time” feel/appearance and the second is almost at captured by the camera.

Please feel free to leave a comment saying which one you prefer – and why. Thank you.

(Yes, the links do work to browse prints for sale at Fine Art America/Pixels Gallery. )

Skull and Crossbones with Yacht Ensign in a gold tone edit.

Pirate and American Flag (yacht ensign style) as photographed – no edit, other than cropping.

Link: Edited Photograph Prints

Link: Natural Photograph Prints

Can you identify the location in Ocean City, Maryland where this display can be seen in person? Hint: it is near a dune crossing.

February 22, 2021February 23, 2024

US Pictures @ USPictures.com

Bill Swartwout Photography and USPictures are one in the same.

So why the different domain names you ask? One is so much easier to say, to spell and to incorporate into a logo for advertising. US Pictures is also appropriate because Bill has traveled through most of the states in the United States – 48 of the 50, to be exact – and has photographs available from many of those travels. The only caveat is that he has also traveled to 20+ different countries in Central America, Europe, North America and South America. Photographs from those areas are included in his “wanderlust” mix.

Over the years, Bill Swartwout Photography has worked with many (too many) of the art/product fulfillment companies out there – and has eliminated most of them. Some are fast, some are high quality and some are cheap. Just remember that you cannot have all three of those qualities from the same source. Our main focus is having high quality products delivered to your door that you will be pleased to hang on your walls. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Bill has worked to hard over the years to trust his work to just any production company but he is also one who believes it is not safe to keep all of your eggs in the same basket, so to speak. The best situation is to work with only the “best baskets” out there. Here is the rundown of product fulfillment companies with which we are associated. These companies handle the sales, production and delivery process and, in reality, license Bill Swartwout’s work to use on their products.

Fine Art America / Pixels – The Fine Art America “family” is the largest single Print On Demand (POD) art company in the world. They produce great quality art – we have seen only four returns out of the last 500 products delivered. They currently host Bill’s photographs in three configurations.
– Link: Fine Art America – Wall art and home decor items.
– Link: Pixels – Wall art, home decor and ancillary products, such as puzzles and face masks
– Private Label Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Offers all of the products on a stand-alone website.

Pictorem – Pictorem is a Montreal, Canada based company that is smaller in scope than many others but produces a boutique level of high quality wall art on a variety of substrates. Because Pictorem has shipping centers in both the the United States and Canada they currently offer FREE SHIPPING throughout North America with no “duty” charges and a favorable dollar exchange rate. Pictorem currently hosts a very popular gallery for Bill Swartwout Photography.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography

Zazzle – Zazzle is a multi-faceted POD company that produces a wide variety of products, many of which are based on art by Independent Artists but also working with customer-submitted photos and designs. Bill likes Zazzle for high quality calendars and jigsaw puzzles that incorporate his photographs.
– Link: Bill Swartwout Photography – Bill is a “Pro Bronze” Seller with Zazzle.

Imagekind – Imagekind is an older, traditional company producing fine quality wall art by Independent Artists – but only as prints, framed prints and canvas. Bill has been with this company for a decade and a half. They also sponsor some of his popular pieces on Amazon.
– Link: Travel at Imagekind