An interview with Nadine Bango-Witt
of “Photography by James,” Beaver, Pennsylvania.
How did you first find out about the Lumix S5II camera?
During a breakfast meeting at SPAC last year, ACI’s President, Mark Lane, told my brother Jimmy and me about the Lumix S5II camera. He said it was the most advanced camera he had ever seen for volume photographers, emphasizing its cutting-edge features and capabilities.
What were the reasons why Photo by James wanted to change their image capture and matching workflow for your volume school photography?
We attended SPAC with the goal of finding workflow solutions to elevate our studio to the next level, driving greater sales and profits. Our current workflow felt like a barrier to growth, so we were actively seeking opportunities to improve. When we discovered the advanced image capture capabilities of the Lumix S5II and learned that its software seamlessly integrates with ACI’s Order School Pix software, adopting the system became an obvious choice.
What were the key features the Lumix S5II have that helped you decide on purchasing the camera?
The S5II’s ability to capture and embed a student’s ticket code (identification code) directly into the file’s metadata, that blew us away! This feature streamlined our workflow, saving us hours of production time both during the shoot and in the office.
Has the Lumix S5II fulfill your expectations?
The Lumix S5II has exceeded our expectations. Not only does it deliver on its promise to streamline our workflow, but it also proves to be an exceptional camera for a wide range of studio projects, far beyond just volume school photography.
How do your photographers like working with the Lumix S5II camera and school image match software?
Our photographers love shooting with the S5II, in fact because we only bought 2 cameras, we have had to settle arguments over who gets to use the Lumix cameras vs. one of our older Canons.
Does the Lumix S5II image quality match meet your studio standards?
The S5II absolutely meets our quality standards! In fact, the file quality of the S5II files was the most surprising aspect we learned about the camera. We can tell the difference between the Lumix files and our other cameras. The Lumix files look sharper with more realistic vivid color.
Did ACI’s OrderSchoolPix’s Software ability to accept the Lumix S5II data help you with your decision to purchase the camera?
Yes, absolutely being able to use the S5II camera right out of the box with OPS was extremely important because it is great workflow, and it meant we did not have to change our workflow if we purchased the cameras.
How much production time would you estimate the Lumix S5II camera and OPS software save you and your studio?
We are getting project shot and to the client much faster now with the S5II and ACI’s OPS software. We know this because there are fewer steps required during the shoot, which shortens the amount of time it takes for us to photograph our schools. Plus, the auto image matching and no order entry thanks to Lumix and ACI’s OPS’s software handles it for us. We have OPS ship our students’ orders directly to their homes, which means once the orders are sent to ACI for printing and shipping, we are done with the project!
What is your favorite “thing” about using the Lumix Camera and ACI’s OrderSchoolPix software?
Our most favorite “thing about the Lumix S5II camera is its Image Matching Software, it’s amazing. Our shooters are done in less time, plus there are little to no errors during the day of the shoot. In the rare occurrence there is an error, we can easily correct in OPS’s management software.
Would you recommend the Lumix S5II camera and OrderSchoolPix software to other Photographers? Why?
Yes, we already do recommend both OPS and the Lumix 5SII camera to other photographers. (As long as they are not located near our territory! 😉) We can now see a pathway to taking on more schools and growing our studio business thanks to our Lumix’s S5II cameras and ACI’s OrderSchoolPix.com software. It has been an amazing system for our studio!