FZ1000 cruises New Zealand's Fiordland

I recently had the fortune to cruise New Zealand's beautiful Fiordland on a small ship that could navigate small passages not open to larger vessels. Even better, we had three consecutive days of near-perfect weather, which is almost unknown in that rainy part of the world.

Here's a few pictures shot with my FZ1000, all shot RAW and processed using DOP 10. More in:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/collections/72157662783089243/


New Zealand's Southern Alps, viewed from the Tasman Sea


Pilot boat approaching. The pilot stayed on board for three days.


Milford Sound helicopter passengers get a close view of the cliff sides.


Lady Bowen Falls, Milford Sound


Elephant Peak and Lion Mountain in Milford Sound


Secretary Island, Doubtful Sound. The 'Blanket Bay Hotel' is a base for local lobster fishermen whose catch is stored (alive) in the white cube, to be lifted out by helicopter (the small helipad is on the right). Almost all is exported to China.


Red-billed gulls


Speeding away from the ship by Zodiac, to explore the local temperate rain forest.


Exploring the water's edge rain forest by Zodiac


Navigating the ship towards the small channel to Cook Passage in Dusky Sound


Predator trap on a small island. The local fauna evolved in the absence of introduced mammals, against which they have no defence. The traps catch rats, etc that swim across.


This Zodiac was punctured on deck in high winds and waves on the Tasman Sea, and is being repaired.

Looks like a great adventure Nigel. I'm green with envy.

Jack

Jack Brandt217 said:

Looks like a great adventure Nigel. I'm green with envy.

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Yes, we were very lucky with the weather, and the FZ1000's zoom range is ideal for a trip like that. Fiordland is so remote that not many people get more than one chance to visit, so it was great that we had rare good weather every day.

Its a beautiful part of the world and your excellent shots reflect this beauty. I have only made it to Doubtful Sound, as the road to Milford was closed at the time.

What a spectacular area as your photographs show. I especially like your composition of Lady Bowen Falls.

- Richard

--
http://www.rsjphoto.net

Great pictures, I love our Country but many of us do not get to this area. I am very close to purchasing a FZ 1000, how bulky did you find it?

Beechee said:

Great pictures, I love our Country but many of us do not get to this area. I am very close to purchasing a FZ 1000, how bulky did you find it?

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I think it's bulkier than it needs to be, but it's not too heavy and handles very well. It's roughly the same size and weight as my a6000+18-200 lens, but handles better and is nicer to use. The sensor is smaller, of course, but the brighter lens pretty much balances that out, and the zoom range is more.

I also inadvertently proved on this trip that it's much more robust than it looks. I managed to fall flat on my face on to a concrete ramp in Christchurch NZ, while carrying the FZ1000, turned on and lens extended.

I was battered, bruised and bleeding, and I feared that the camera would be smashed. But once I popped the battery out and back, and wiped the blood off it, I was astonished to find it was still working perfectly. I wonder if a metal-bodied camera would have been so resilient, or would it have cracked?

I managed to find the location of my fall in Google Street View:

Or if you can't access the link:


Screen capture of fall site from Google Screen View

I was walking along the grassy bank on to the concrete, from right to left in this view, and simply didn't notice the unmarked ramp, which really should have had a coloured edge or guard rail. I fell off the concrete roughly at the white light, landing flat on my face, with the FZ1000 crashing on to the concrete ramp.

This was the last picture I took before falling, so you can see where I was walking:


The last picture before I fell, which I feared would be the last picture ever taken by the camera!

Later that morning, I took this picture of the same TranzAlpine train using the abused FZ1000, at the Arthur's Pass station:


TranzAlpine train at Arthur's Pass. Hurray, the camera still works!

I'm convinced that the plastic they use in cameras today is better than metal in the ability to withstand impacts without damage.

Jack

Jack Brandt217 said:

I'm convinced that the plastic they use in cameras today is better than metal in the ability to withstand impacts without damage.

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Yes, polycarbonate is very tough. That's why it's used for helmets.

I don't know why people still think a polycarbonate camera body is inferior to a metal one that's easily scratched, can crack, and transmits more shock to the delicate parts inside.

Really nice images with colors that pop! They are sharp and saturated..jpeg or raw? I don't see ISO? This camera appears to have a excellent IS system as the all appear in focus. Glad you and the camera survived the fall.

Sactojim said:

Really nice images with colors that pop! They are sharp and saturated..jpeg or raw? I don't see ISO? This camera appears to have a excellent IS system as the all appear in focus. Glad you and the camera survived the fall.

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They were all shot RAW and processed in DOP 10. Unfortunately this version has a bug that messes up the ISO field in the generated JPEGs, but most of these images were shot at fairly low ISOs, as the light was good.

Yes, the five-axis OIS is very good indeed, though I did use high shutter speeds in some cases, such as when shooting from a fast moving, bouncing Zodiac. The camera also got splashed a bit with sea water spray, but with no ill effects.