Canon Powershot G1X.3 in Canberra 3 March 2022

 

I recently visited Canberra,  Australian national capital   to view an art exhibition and visit parliament house.

The occasion was enlivened by thousands of protesters complaining about the (covid) “mandates” and demanding “freedom”. Most of the protesters appeared unaware or unwilling to acknowledge that  they were exercising more freedom than most people on this earth would ever have. The federal police took a surprisingly relaxed  approach to 10,000 noisy citizens advancing on parliament house, some  threatening to enter the place by force and some attempting to do so.

Some said they are “sovereign citizens” to whom the usual laws and regulations of civil society do not apply. The basis of this claim seemed to be a convoluted narrative about  drug companies doing secret experiments on unsuspecting citizens.

I chose the Canon Powershot G1X.3 for the trip. I wanted something which gives me more control over the capture process than a smart phone but would not draw attention to itself. I did not want to be taking pictures in the national gallery and parliament house with anything which looks like professional camera gear.

In the event the G1X.3 proved ideal. This camera is very compact and inconspicuous yet allows the photographer extensive control over the photographic process and delivers excellent results.

Some reviewers including me initially expressed doubts about this camera’s ability to operate effectively indoors in low light conditions, given the lens aperture of f2.8-5.6.  In fact it managed rather well. I used Tv and a slow-ish  shutter speed around 1/25 second. The image stabiliser worked well to keep all the shots nice and  sharp.

One of the reasons I prefer a proper camera to a smart phone in situations like this is that with a camera I can shoot raw then  utilise thoughtful  post processing to achieve the result I seek.

Many of the subjects which I photographed had very high brightness range and a complex mix of light sources requiring differential color correction across the frame.

The G1X.3 files post processed in Adobe camera raw and Photoshop managed these complexities quite well.