The next skyriver is on the doorstep

Another solid round of rain is coming soon. The last one dropped nearly 4" at Thanksgiving, and this adds up mighty close to that. It's still a couple of days away so the final location of the heavy rain will shift at least once, but an inch or two appears guaranteed!

---

Update - quantities are a bit higher than before, and Monday 12/8 is in play for a deluge. The table below shows WxUnderground 10-day forecasts at Longview for the last three days. 

We're a few hundred feet higher so it's quite possible our total will be higher! As of 11:30 on the 5th we have 1.61" for 4+5 December. That's nearly an inch above these forecasts.

 

EF first (and 2nd) tests

 I'm satisfied by my initial tests with the Viltrox EF-L adapter and Canon 100-300/4.5-5.6 USM lens.

Tests show nice color contrast and sharpness, and - so it's a typical sample that verifies what reviewers have said. It focuses at a decent pace but definitely not to L-native standards - but that's OK for now, and better than my no-AF adaptations of Minolta AF, Sigma SA and Pentax K lenses. Manual override is straightforward, and the S5 internal stabilization provides four stops with acceptable results (1/10s at 200mm is consistently decent, 1/8 or less would be a crapshoot). Focus is sufficiently silent if somewhat pokey, and AFc is not available at the USM grade - I'd have to check online to see if newer, higher-grade lenses can manage it. Weight isn't an issue for me, which is quite nice and sadly rare for L-mount telephoto lenses at any price. The new Sigma 20-200 and Lumix 28-200 lenses are lighter, but both stop at 200mm and are slower than this lens!

Viltrox EF-L adapter summary: 

• Viltrox EF-L (first edition, not Pro)
• adapter weight is 134 grams
• AFc is not available with USM sample lens
• camera screen shows "use AF-S" when set to AFc
• O-A switch - needs to be A with 100-300!

Canon EF 100-300 f/4.5-5.6 USM summary:

• Tests show nice color, contrast and sharpness (noted in reviews)
•  some chromatism away from center at longer focal lengths (also noted)
• manual override is straightforward - just rotate ring at base of lens
• 640 grams with adapter; weight is very nice
• no IS within, but S5 internal stabilization provides four stops
• f/4 only to about 120mm but f/5 to 180mm!

Curious bonus coverage!!

The lens does not focus accurately with my polarizing filter! It took me a dozen shots or so to remember that I'd put the filter on (a K&F nano cPL). It wasn't just shake either, as the first shots were outdoors. Focus didn't look right in the viewfinder, nor could I get a sharp image with manual focus. Once the filter was removed I felt a bunch better about what was happening. 

Still.. what's going on, we wonders?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

More news!

A poorly-focusing copy of the EF 70-210/3.5-4.5 is coming. Possibly its problem is front or back focusing on a dSLR, and it will do fine with the S5 contrast detect AF - but possibly not. In any case, I picked it up for a great price! Another experiment is also coming: a 28-300mm Tamron with VC stabilizer. This would be quite wonderful if it can work without issues, but it can be returned after a thorough exploration. It takes the same filters as the 20-60 and could be great or not-so; we shall see!

Update: the 70-210 has arrived, and it's all true. AF is fast - and wrong! It's backfocusing by a large amount, even with the supposedly more exact contrast AF of the S5. Weird! Early tests at 200mm ± show it doing well for overall IQ wide open f/5 vs the 100-300 at 5.6. I'll do some research on the back focusing; could shims help it out?

damp turkeys this year

 

An inch today, 3/4" tomorrow. Less but still more coming on Thursday. 

Casual football will be messy around here!

11:30am = 0.01" - - - - 6:30pm = 0.90"

retooling

 After many thoughts in several directions, my kit is settling into place.

I had promised that if the S5 system didn't work sufficiently well enough I'd consider retooling the micro43 kit instead. Looking that over it doesn't make enough sense, as used S5 and eM1.2 or .3 is nearly a price match now - so I gave myself a week off, and considered other kit mutations.

Once I settled on the Lumix-S as my best choice, I evaluated my sorry lack of AF telephoto. It's clear that SA to L adaptation is not of value. So what about EF lenses using the Viltrox EF-L adapter? It's  cheaper than the Sigma SA-L, and much less than Sigma's EF-L option - so we're giving it a try. 

Reviews suggest that 3rd party EF is less consistent with adapters from all brands, so the reverse-zoom Canon options were explored - well those in my miniscule budget zone at least. Too bad, as the Tamron 28-300 vc would be handy and it zooms the "correct" direction!

Of course I'm also wishing to keep weight down also! The table below (almost) sorts some options by grams, with adapter included. The bulk factor eliminates a few - but many more are in play with EF. Canon actually made a 36x24 compatible 55-200mm.. bummer that it's old and reviewed rather poorly. They have a couple of 70-300 types, and an early 70-210/4 with push-pull zoom. Wow: Tamron has a modern 70-210.. but ugh 990g when adapter is added, nearly 300g heavier than the Canon.

I finally decided on a bargain 100-300 f/4.5-5.6 with USM drive but no IS. The S5 can stabilize it internally,  so hopefully that will serve. That 70-210 might catch me yet though* - it's closer to my S5 dream lens (a 50-200ish telezoom that's faster than f/5.6 at max FL). 

Also, the 100-300 leaves a sizable kit gap from 60-100mm; that isn't ideal. The vivitar 70-150/3.8 is a good manual option, and I expect a Meike 85mm or TTArt 75mm will plug the gap at some point. Or maybe that Pentax 85/2 that I own will resurface! 😃 

But another option would also serve: the EF 28-105 usm is small and light, faster than many at f/3.5-4.5, and it takes the same 58mm filters as the 100-300. And it's quite cheap! So I dumped most of the SA mount lenses and adapter to a reseller for a copy of the 28-105. 

The Lumix 20-60 will serve me well much of the time, and the two Canons can fight over the long end of my focal-length needs. For now.

I did search for the 75/85 primes online but didn't see any deals.. but of course Winter is Coming! No red wedding, but a black friday might be nice.

However..
I did stumble upon an open-box Meike 35/2 in L mount, for $50 off! The TTArtisan 40/2 was nice and tiny, but the Meike has a moisture gasket; that isn't proof of much, but feels comforting. I won't test it much in bad weather though: that's the 20-60's place to shine! For clear nights and other low light, though, a fast 35 will be great.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

* an EF 70-210/3.5-4.5 usm has turned up: that's news to me! The f/4 push-pull model is a bit lighter but has no USM motor, so this sounds appealing. A pinch heavier than the 100-300, but a smidge more capable when lights are low. We'll consider this option once the previous announcements have arrived and given their chance to impress. It definitely gets added to the wish-list and threatens the 100-300! After all, I have a 300/5.6 mirror lens when long shots are important. And with that I get free donuts! :^)
Also, I see the TTArtisan 75/2 is $50 down for the holiday. Must hold for a bit though.. and/or offer a few swaps?

A few too many

options! But how to choose 

which telezoom to carry??  

What I'd like is an L mount answer to this question. Sadly the two listed below are not available on my current budget. Plus they are heavy - not by current standards, but definitely so compared to most of my other acquisitions shown here!

So for mow I can choose from the manual-focus options below. 

Ideally I'd prefer to get to 200mm and brighter than f/5.6, which suggests the pleasantly light 100-200mm .. but its minimum focus is quite disappointing* . I also have that Focal 80-200, which is nearly a stop faster - but it makes modern lenses seem light!

The most convenient are the SA mount 70-300 and 28-300 lenses as they share focal length and aperture data with the camera.

So we then move to the other options. The relatively light 100-300 is f/5.6 at 200mm, as is the more versatile 35-200mm with its nice range & close focus. The 28-300mm uses the same filters as the 20-60mm, but it's bulky and uses the reverse zoom direction from the rest of my collection. 

The vivitar 70-150 f/3.8 is light and fast, and it doesn't leave the gap that the 100-x00 lenses create. But of course this stops 50mm short on the long end! But I do have the 1.5x multiplier - but then the lens becomes 105-225mm f/5.3 and the 60-100mm gap returns. Taking off and putting on the multiplier fixes the gap but is twice the work of swapping a single lens, so that's a new problem. So this option has a few too many 'but's.. but when I want a little tele in low light, it's the right choice!

So each lens has its good and difficult points. 

Clearly that means I have everything covered! 😉

* I do have a Minolta 50/2.8 macro for when that's a problem!

the Oct '25 kit

And so we return to a familiar spot.

An S5 with the 20-60mm lens, several adapted primes and telephoto zooms, and a GX7 with a good supply of µ43 lenses.

While I'd prefer an AF long zoom, the 70-150 Vivitar f/3.8 available will do for now* until more suitable native teles are available.

I'm covered at 20 to 300mm/e and 1:1 macro in both formats, and 600mm/e with μ43 gear for when that seems like a good idea.

---

The S5 can do things I really like, and several other things I've dreamed of but have not yet achieved (nice 4k videos, composite images, super resolution shots). 

Learning these features will occupy more of my time, rather than presuming that another camera would do a better job. I'd decisively proven that by owning almost everything in the past fifteen years.

* Update -

I found an MC-21 adapter for $80. Now that I know what it can and cannot do, the SA-mount Sigmas (28-300 and 70-300mm) are back in play. No autofocus but focal length does reach the camera for properly stabilized shots, and aperture control is on the dials. That's more than my other lenses can do! 

While much of the time the smaller 70-150 Vivitar will serve nicely, on well-lit days the 28-300 is all I'd need, with the 20-60 and 70-300 also being a good pair (as both take 67mm filters). 

A Samyang 60-180 f/2.8 has been announced, but that's all we know.. that and Samyang's very slow rollout of L lenses.

Surveying the battlefield

So what is my camera decision?

A decision has been rendered. At last?

The Lumix S5 feels right overall, but it hurts to see no clear telephoto zoom option today. Its benefits (noted in the past, summarized below) win the day - but not by a huge margin. The Z6 is a worthy camera but planned for a seasoned Nikon user I believe.

The order of my table looks odd, but it reflects my order of importance for each. I may adjust the z6 order and repost at some point.. or perhaps not - I really like Silence! 

Some things may betray my ignorance (e.g. Lumix Club using the cloud may serve as well as the Nx app). And the bottom items are nice, but not Massively Big Deals.

It's those first 3 or 4 on the list that bring me the feeling that I am more likely to enjoy the S5 more than the Z6. 

I shall feel some regret the day that a Z-mount 20-xx lens arrives - and I shall rejoice when i pull a 'Silence' LUT from Lumix Lab!

This has been an exhausting experience. OK not exactly: having surgery to remove my prostate plus correcting a post-op complication while doing this - that made it hard. Timing is important in photography, and in real life.

For now I'll go forward with the following kit until a telezoom arrives that's a good fit for me. None currently qualify, and the announced Samyang 60-180mm f/2.8 is merely words. I see that the Nikkor-Z /Tamron 70-180/2.8 has 1:2 closeup ability and is 'only' 795g, so it weighs the same as the 70-300S.

weight includes L adapter

Several of the primes I would call optional, given the two zooms I've listed. If I carry the 70-150/3.8 the 135/3.5 really isn't as valuable, and the 20-60 can do .43x so a true macro isn't as vital - and I have a lighter Pentax 50/2 if low light is involved. 

For most of my imaging, the two zooms are sufficient* - unless 300mm is needed, of course! Beyond that range, the GX7 can take over to 600mm/e.

In the meantime?

I must find that missing pentax-m 85mm f/2!!!

---

Bonus! Just scored an $80 MC-21 adapter, which brings the SA-mount 28-300 and 70-300 into play!

The AF will not function, but EXIF and therefore i-Stab will perform as expected. 

That means fewer manual focal lengths to deal with, which was an S5 drawback. Whew.

* with the 1.5x TC, the 70-150 can become a 105-225mm f/5.3.