Welcome to Michael’s blog. Michael Andrew, (aka Michael The Maven) is a freelance producer, photography instructor, tech innovator, and when needed, disaster aid specialist. Disclaimer: Michael is a participant in Bhphoto & Amazon affiliate programs that provides an advertising commission if you purchase through links on this website.
Canon has announced the C200 Cinema Camera, and boy is it a beast! For $9,000 (granted this is a little more expensive than its competitors) you can get access to internally recorded Canon RAW video files that they are calling RAW Light. 15 Stops of dynamic range combined with Canons signature reds (I believe the very best of all manufacturers), and this should be a home-run winner. I am also curious as to what it will do to the price of the AMAZING C300ii, which I shot the film Sacred Vow on. (It was a great camera, and I still debate purchasing one at least 2-3 times a month, but don’t simply because I am not shooting films right now). 10 stops of internal ND filters, super light (~3 pounds) Canon EF mounts. YASSSSSSS 🙂 Cant wait to get my hands on one!
As I write this I am concluding a 3-Day fast and wanted to make some notes. I thought the experience was very insightful and wanted to share with you how I did it, how i felt and what I learned. Part of me feels a desire to push further into the 4 or 5 day range, but I always make a deal with myself to avoid going past certain kinds of goals once they are attained (like giving myself more work for finishing a tough job early for example).
First off, I should mention that I typically do a complete fast on most Saturdays, unless I am traveling, working or there are special occasions. This is something I have been doing for many, many years, so I would imagine that I am a little conditioned to fasting in general, so it may have been a little easier for me.
Secondly, I went without both food and water on the first day, which is typical, but on the second and third days I drank plenty of water, and included some electrolytes like plain old salt in my water, potassium (just one dose) and magnesium. Our bodies obviously need water and electrolytes to maintain homeostasis, which includes a balance of intercellular fluids and ions. Probably best to consult with a doctor before doing any kind of fast if you haven’t before, or for longer periods, there are reports of people really jacking themselves up (even death) with only drinking water only during a fast. Just be careful people!
Thirdly, Why in the world am I doing this ? There are several reasons, but suffice it to say, it was an experiment. Ive never gone without food this long and I wanted to see how I would feel. Part of my motivation was from a study released in 2014 that supports the idea that our immune system resets itself after 3 days of fasting. Very intriguing. Some of the theories include a purging of old white blood cells, being replaced with new ones. There are other studies and theories that suggest several other medical benefits as well, including weight loss, protection against multiple sclerosis and even anti-aging.
Day One was pretty easy, I basically had a normal dinner Saturday night, went to bed and had a normal Sunday- 4 hours of which I spent reading under a tree. I did feel some intense hunger pangs in the evening, but that subsided once I started drinking fluids again.
Day Two I started feeling really, really good. Its hard to explain, because physically you are tired, and there were two dizzy spells but other than that, I felt GREAT. Clear minded, extremely productive, busy and fell asleep easily.
Day Three (today) was even easier. Very mild hunger. Drink plenty of fluids, stayed busy with work and it wasn’t so hard. As I mentioned I am very tempted to push further just to see what else happens, but because that wasn’t part of the plan, I will end it tonight.
The most important thing I learned from this experience: When our minds are hungry, our stomachs go to sleep. It basically means when we are curious, eager to learn something new, watching a good movie, engaged in a good cause or conversation, doing something constructive or fun, it becomes easy to forget we may be hungry. I realized that if I just focused on doing things that I liked and enjoyed, I wouldn’t think about being hungry, and that was exactly what happened. I think there is some gold in there.
Think about that. Our physical desires to eat fade the more intellectually, mentally or emotionally engaged we are in an activity. When we have lulls in time, and we haven’t eaten, we notice our hunger more. From this I am concluding that much of how & when I eat, may be triggered by boredom more so than hunger, and one may be able to lose weight, simply by spending more time doing the things he or she loves!
The second thing that really hit home was the clarity of mind was really pronounced. I wish there was a way to stay in that mode of clarity indefinitely, but I think if I have something big going down and need to have a clear mind, this is where I would want to be.
My third observation was how productive I became. If I am not going to eat, there is not need to prepare food, clean up, etc, and it removed those transitional spaces as well. Felt like I had 2-3 extra hours because of this. No post lunch grogginess either.
Take a look at the color of a Keto Strip after 3 days (I don’t use these anymore, but thought I would take a look just out of curiosity) Never had it this color before! In any event, yes a three day fast was a very positive experience for me and I will be doing it again!
Have you fasted before? What was your experience and what did you learn?
If you would like to be notified when the full course is available, please leave your name and email in the comments below and we will reach out to you when it is ready.
This is one of my favorite reference apps to have with me in the field. For whatever reason, whenever I am on a plane going to a disaster, this app and 2 x 50 cm lengths of paracord keep me entertained for hours. Extremely handy to watch and follow along.
If you are a former boy scout or ever have a need for learning more about knots, definitely check this one out!
Comes with multiple languages and worth far more than the $2 price!
Here is my follow up video on the GH5 vs OMD EM1ii IBIS Tests. Many of you had several helpful suggestions, and I decided to revisit this test with the Olympus 12-100 f4 IS lens, and also ask the question if Olympus IS lenses the Gh4 or GH5 make sense.
Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions on the upcoming Epic Shootout between these two cameras, let me know! Enjoy!
I recently posted a video comparing the GH5 and the EM1 Mark 2 and swapping Panasonic lenses back and forth between the both of them. Many of you had very helpful suggestions including turning off e-stabilization, which clearly degraded the footage. Some others suggested that I try Olympus 12-100 image stabilized lens on both of them and so I did just that.
The first test I repeated was the slow shutter speed test.
1/5 second, handheld
35mm focal length
3.5 feet from color chart
Take 33-35 images
Count % of keepers
Swap lenses & repeat
Leave IBIS controls on, only manipulate IS switch on lens
12-100 Slow Shutter Speed test Results Part 1
GH5 & Olympus 12-100 – IS OFF- 0%
GH5 & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 44.1%
EM1II 12-100 – IS ON – 54.1%
EM1II 12-100 – IS OFF – 0%
EM1II 12-40 – NO IS – 54.5%
This was really fascinating for me. When we look at the GH5 with this Olympus lens turned off 0% keepers. As soon as we turn it on – 44%.
So the Panasonic definitely benefits from the image stabilization in the lens. When you flip that switch something happens. Then when we look at the EM1 Mark II. When the lens is turned on 54%. When the lens is turned off 0%. And I thought this was really interesting because when we did the test with the 12-40, which is not an image stabilized lens, we had 54% keepers. So the questions is how much of this percentage is coming from the IBIS and how much is coming from the lens. And so I dug a little deeper.
Watch the funkiness that’s about to happen on the back of the EM1 Mark II. If I have the 12-100 on and I come in here and it’s turned on, I have these options here, and when I flip the switch off it kicks me out of the menu. Come back in, can’t turn them on again. Turn it on, kicks me out of the menu, come back, and if I try to turn off the sensor by itself, look – can’t do it! It won’t let me highlight the ability to turn that off. Right? So watch what happens when I change lenses. OK. So I put a new lens on there, right? This is a 12-40. Watch what happens. If I come in here now, I can turn off image stabilization. No problem! Right? It’s because it’s a non-image stabilized lens.
One more thing that I need to point out. If you come into the menu under customization C-2 Lens I.S. Priority you can turn this off. Come back out, check that our stabilizer is still on, flip the switch, check it again, now it’s off. So it appears that the lens switch is an all or nothing. If you turn it off it appears to be turning all of the image stabilization of the camera off. This is probably a convenience thing. If you put it on a tripod or whatnot. If I turn it back on, there it’s on, and I repeat the slow shutter speed tests – 55%. So draw your own conclusions from that. It appears that there are a lot more tests that need to be done with the 12-100 but in terms of image stabilization. At my focal length, at my distances, it’s very hard for me to determine how much stabilization is coming from the lens and how much is coming from the sensor.
And just to verify everything else; I put the Olympus lens and the GH4, which does not have IBIS, and lo and behold, 3% keepers when that lens is turned off. I got lucky on one shot. As soon as you turn it on – 48.5%. So as far as stills go, yes definitely! Olympus stabilized lenses play nice on Panasonic’s. At least in the case of the GH4 and GH5.
12-100 Slow Shutter Speed Test Results Part 2
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 – IS OFF 0%
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 54.1%
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 IS ON, C2 OFF – 55.5%
GH4 & Olmypus 12-100 – IS OFF – 3%
GH4 & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 48.5%
Let’s take a look at some of the video stuff (Out on the beach):
Good Morning Everybody! We’re going to do a retest on the stabilization. I got the 12-100 Olympus stabilized lens on the EM1 Mark 2 and I have the 12-35 V2 on the GH5. Dual stabilization on both cameras. I’m going to start walking….Let’s do a shake test on the shadow. Now I’m going to turn off the Olympus. Keep the GH5’s 12-35 on. Lets do a shake test right here (on the rocks and shadows). I’ll stand still. 12-100 is on, 12-35 is off. Lets do a shake test…
Lens Swap
I have the 12-100 on the GH5 and the 12-35 on the Olympus. Holding….Here comes the walk. Shake test. Coming back the other way we’re going to turn off the 12-100 which is on the GH5. Here’s the hold. Here’s the walk. Let’s take a look at the shake. Now we’re going to invert it. Panasonic 12-35 is off. 12-100 is back on. Here’s the hold. Here we go…..Let’s do a little shake test.
In conclusion: Looking at the data both from the first test and the second test, stills and video, the conclusions that I’m coming to is that yes it does make sense to put Olympus stabilized lenses on Panasonic bodies. There appears to be something there that is helping the Panasonic. Putting Panasonic image stabilized lenses on Olympus bodies, it doesn’t seem to improve performance. I think the e-stabilization on the Olympus is world-class. It’s amazing. The problem with it is it degrades footage. There may be some applications where you have to choose between quality and stabilization. I’ll leave that choice up to you.
In any event thank you for your suggestions. Keep them coming. I’m listening. Epic Shootout coming between the GH5 and the EM1 II coming soon!
If you own any of these cameras and you’re looking to use them definitely check out my crash course videos on both of them. Thank you guys for watching and I’ll see you next time.
Michael’s Olympus OMD EM1ii Crash CourseHere is my follow up video on the GH5 vs OMD EM1ii IBIS Tests. Many of you had several helpful suggestions, and I decided to revisit this test with the Olympus 12-100 f4 IS lens, and also ask the question if Olympus IS lenses the Gh4 or GH5 make sense.
Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions on the upcoming Epic Shootout between these two cameras, let me know! Enjoy!
I recently posted a video comparing the GH5 and the EM1 Mark 2 and swapping Panasonic lenses back and forth between the both of them. Many of you had very helpful suggestions including turning off e-stabilization, which clearly degraded the footage. Some others suggested that I try Olympus 12-100 image stabilized lens on both of them and so I did just that.
The first test I repeated was the slow shutter speed test.
1/5 second, handheld
35mm focal length
3.5 feet from color chart
Take 33-35 images
Count % of keepers
Swap lenses & repeat
Leave IBIS controls on, only manipulate IS switch on lens
12-100 Slow Shutter Speed test Results Part 1
GH5 & Olympus 12-100 – IS OFF- 0%
GH5 & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 44.1%
EM1II 12-100 – IS ON – 54.1%
EM1II 12-100 – IS OFF – 0%
EM1II 12-40 – NO IS – 54.5%
This was really fascinating for me. When we look at the GH5 with this Olympus lens turned off 0% keepers. As soon as we turn it on – 44%.
So the Panasonic definitely benefits from the image stabilization in the lens. When you flip that switch something happens. Then when we look at the EM1 Mark II. When the lens is turned on 54%. When the lens is turned off 0%. And I thought this was really interesting because when we did the test with the 12-40, which is not an image stabilized lens, we had 54% keepers. So the questions is how much of this percentage is coming from the IBIS and how much is coming from the lens. And so I dug a little deeper.
Watch the funkiness that’s about to happen on the back of the EM1 Mark II. If I have the 12-100 on and I come in here and it’s turned on, I have these options here, and when I flip the switch off it kicks me out of the menu. Come back in, can’t turn them on again. Turn it on, kicks me out of the menu, come back, and if I try to turn off the sensor by itself, look – can’t do it! It won’t let me highlight the ability to turn that off. Right? So watch what happens when I change lenses. OK. So I put a new lens on there, right? This is a 12-40. Watch what happens. If I come in here now, I can turn off image stabilization. No problem! Right? It’s because it’s a non-image stabilized lens.
One more thing that I need to point out. If you come into the menu under customization C-2 Lens I.S. Priority you can turn this off. Come back out, check that our stabilizer is still on, flip the switch, check it again, now it’s off. So it appears that the lens switch is an all or nothing. If you turn it off it appears to be turning all of the image stabilization of the camera off. This is probably a convenience thing. If you put it on a tripod or whatnot. If I turn it back on, there it’s on, and I repeat the slow shutter speed tests – 55%. So draw your own conclusions from that. It appears that there are a lot more tests that need to be done with the 12-100 but in terms of image stabilization. At my focal length, at my distances, it’s very hard for me to determine how much stabilization is coming from the lens and how much is coming from the sensor.
And just to verify everything else; I put the Olympus lens and the GH4, which does not have IBIS, and lo and behold, 3% keepers when that lens is turned off. I got lucky on one shot. As soon as you turn it on – 48.5%. So as far as stills go, yes definitely! Olympus stabilized lenses play nice on Panasonic’s. At least in the case of the GH4 and GH5.
12-100 Slow Shutter Speed Test Results Part 2
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 – IS OFF 0%
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 54.1%
EM1II & Olympus 12-100 IS ON, C2 OFF – 55.5%
GH4 & Olmypus 12-100 – IS OFF – 3%
GH4 & Olympus 12-100 – IS ON – 48.5%
Let’s take a look at some of the video stuff (Out on the beach):
Good Morning Everybody! We’re going to do a retest on the stabilization. I got the 12-100 Olympus stabilized lens on the EM1 Mark 2 and I have the 12-35 V2 on the GH5. Dual stabilization on both cameras. I’m going to start walking….Let’s do a shake test on the shadow. Now I’m going to turn off the Olympus. Keep the GH5’s 12-35 on. Lets do a shake test right here (on the rocks and shadows). I’ll stand still. 12-100 is on, 12-35 is off. Lets do a shake test…
Lens Swap
I have the 12-100 on the GH5 and the 12-35 on the Olympus. Holding….Here comes the walk. Shake test. Coming back the other way we’re going to turn off the 12-100 which is on the GH5. Here’s the hold. Here’s the walk. Let’s take a look at the shake. Now we’re going to invert it. Panasonic 12-35 is off. 12-100 is back on. Here’s the hold. Here we go…..Let’s do a little shake test.
In conclusion: Looking at the data both from the first test and the second test, stills and video, the conclusions that I’m coming to is that yes it does make sense to put Olympus stabilized lenses on Panasonic bodies. There appears to be something there that is helping the Panasonic. Putting Panasonic image stabilized lenses on Olympus bodies, it doesn’t seem to improve performance. I think the e-stabilization on the Olympus is world-class. It’s amazing. The problem with it is it degrades footage. There may be some applications where you have to choose between quality and stabilization. I’ll leave that choice up to you.
In any event thank you for your suggestions. Keep them coming. I’m listening. Epic Shootout coming between the GH5 and the EM1 II coming soon!
If you own any of these cameras and you’re looking to use them definitely check out my crash course videos on both of them. Thank you guys for watching and I’ll see you next time.
For $9,000 (granted this is a little more expensive than its competitors) you can get access to internally recorded Canon RAW video files that they are calling RAW Light. 15 Stops of dynamic range combined with Canons signature reds (I believe the very best of all manufacturers), and this should be a home-run winner. I am also curious as to what it will do to the price of the AMAZING C300ii, which I shot the film Sacred Vow on. (It was a great camera, and I still debate purchasing one at least 2-3 times a month, but don’t simply because I am not shooting films right now). 10 stops of internal ND filters, super light (~3 pounds) Canon EF mounts. YASSSSSSS 🙂 Cant wait to get my hands on one! 
In any event, yes a three day fast was a very positive experience for me and I will be doing it again!