flipping out

Kit mutation alert!

As I had planned but failed to execute three months ago, the 2021 kit will be big Oly/small Lumi. I ordered a used E∙M1b with 12k clicks a flash and 3 batteries, and a GX7b with its original accoutrements. The GX8 and ePL8 will now be going to more appreciative folks, and boxes of 'b's or 'ii's are coming soon :^)

Somehow, somewhere, this all makes sense. Sure it does.

What did I gain with this flip??  -  Good question! Let me see if it can be described in more detail.

In either case I have one small body with (my preferred) tilt touchscreen, and one high-end 20Mpx body with more capabilities, more inch³ for buttons and switches, and moisture seals. Going with the GX7.ii /gx85 I gain faster autofocus with DFD compared to the ePL8, I get the 4k features that allows the GX8 to depart, and I get charging via USB. This last has become a priority with both gx8 and epl8 dying at bad times recently; the gx7.ii has a short battery life but is absurdly easy to charge in the car, at home, or with the solar power-bank that I recently acquired. That will help - or at least it should, time will truly tell. On the down-ish side I lose the dedicated EV± from the GX8 (which I didn't like) and the AF/MF switch (which I will have to spend a precious button to replace).

superimposed, from camerasize.com

With the eM1.ii I get similar features to the GX8 - most of which I like, though the flipout screen is on both :^(. The 4k-photo features now descend to the smaller gx7.ii, and the eM1.ii takes over from the ePL8 with Oly's live time / composite features. Beyond that is a huge set of new features: top-notch sensor stabilization with stills and video, multi-shot hi resolution images, a different set of 4k video options, custom autofocus limiter (in body not lens!), and 400+ images per battery charge plus sleep modes and a possibility to add a battery grip.

Given the recent eM1.ii price drops on the used side, it's less of a reach than it was - but that assumes I can sell the two departing cameras at decent prices. Just before posting them, two others posted GX8 bodies to the virtual market, so I'll be dangling my bait in a different pond until at least one of those is gone. Inevitably this will (had better) make sense!

November begins

 Time change, Halloween and a Blue Moon all fell this weekend, with Election Day immediately after. And then - the storms!

The jet stream that favored us with a few nice days has brought cool sunshine to us. At election time it goes zonal, bringing storms straight into our area. Looks like three inches in seven days, and given that the first two are dry that's pretty impressive. Not much snow from zonal flow in November, but it's a rare year when Thanksgiving finds any ski areas open so this counts as normal.

November has been a curious month around here for precipitation. The 30-year average has this as the wettest month, twice the amount of October and a bit more than December - yet we've had several dry ones. Last year was exceptionally dry at 25% of average, and the year before was also dry. This looks like the right start for a normal November, but things can turn quickly here. 

Time will tell its tale at the usual pace..