Yup.

Yup. With a touch of vignetting.

I've also tried the SMC-DA 12-24 on an MZ10 - zowee that was wide

Here's the 16-45 on a Z1: http://www.pbase.com/mattmatic/smc_da_test

Have fun
Matt

Just to add my thoughts...

1) If you are a novice, then leave the exposure compensation at 0.0Ev. Trust the camera until you know otherwise

2) You can never get away from blown highlights completely. Some scenes have so much dynamic range that it's impossible to get a good shot with a single image (RAW or JPG). The human eye is orders of magnitude better than anything you can buy (currently at least).

3) It is better to slightly underexpose than overexpose. For tricky situations when using JPG, consider using the Shadows/Highlights tool in Photoshop Elements - it will bring out detail in the shadows and "even-out" difficult lighting.

Personally, I find it very rare that I need to use exposure compensation... but then you have to just learn what the camera is "seeing". Occasionally I will use the exposure lock feature when using Auto (actually Av mode).

Hope that helps!
Matt

Ditto

(And I bought C1LE before that... so I have 3 licenses. One going spare.)
Matt

LOL! As long as it's not "half baked"
Matt

I agree
As much as I like all the lenses I currently have, I reckon 99% of all my needs could be covered by the 16-50 & 50-135 combination.
It's surprising how many shots with the 12-24 I take in the 16-24 region, and how many of the 80-320 shots are 80-135.

It's often good just to take a single lens and be done with it
Matt

If you read the manual and can cope with the numbers there's always:
http://panotools.sourceforge.net/

Silkypix Developer Studio also does a great job of lens distortion correct, besides being a great RAW converter too

Matt

Can't emphasise this enough Really, really close.
I have a cheap Hama shoot through brolley that I use with the AF360 & AF540 in wide angle wireless mode - and for a head and shoulders you can do with it only just out of shot. (It's almost uncomfortably close for the sitter but creates such a wonderful soft light )

You might also pop down to an electrical retailer... they often have huge sheets of polystyrene that are thrown away. Make great reflectors

Matt

I take it you have light-triggered strobes then? Neat idea too about the purple & green
Matt

I personally wouldn't do it, or anything nearly as pressured
On PC I'd probably shoot JPG, definitely set up manual flash, manual exposure. Shoot a session, swap cards and print.

And even then I reckon I'd need a capable assistant!

(Maybe I'm just too soft! LOL!)
Matt

Think that's probably the issue

Nice to have all the automation stuff for what you do... but then most of us probably shoot first and process later (Or is that shoot first and ask questions later... reminds me of a Gary Larson cartoon )

Matt