Monday, August 23, 2021

big (and little) deals!

 After a time of relative quiet, some big changes are coming to the kit!

from dpreview forums
Big Zoom: I recently picked up a 14-140 Lumix and it serves me well. Problem is, it's not sealed against splash/dust unlike the version IIb (mine is f/3.5-5.6 so it's a IIa). The 12-60 is sealed but cannot do much in the tele department.

I'd really like a 25-125mm lens (50-250 equiv) but nobody's doing that with the popularity of wider abilities on the 14-1x0 design.

So I looked into swapping for either a IIb Lumix or the sealed Olympus equivalent, the 14-150∙II f/4-5.6, and found a forum seller with the m.Zuiko. Dumping the freed-up zooms to a dealer was worth about that asking price, so I initiated a swap. Image at right shows m.Zuiko 14-150 (ver. 1 w/no seals) and Lumix 14-140 (ver. IIb with seals).

I also offered a couple of primes to lower my purchase price - and things got interesting!

I've been dealing with the 30/35mm 'problem' (owning one of each) so offering the excellent TTArtisans 35/1.4 was sad but would not have a big impact on the kit. I also own their 7.5mm and 17mm so I have plenty of other TTArt fun in hand! 

My other 'problem' is forgetting that I own the Samyang 12mm f/2 - every time I list lenses I forget that and need to add it later, so I offered that as well. Yes, we should all have such lens-surplus problems.. oh right, we almost all in fact do have that problem!

So it turned out the seller likes new primes, and offered the 14-150 for two of my TTAs (7.5 + 35) and the Samyang 12. 

Straight up - wow.

Six lenses depart tomorrow (including the 45-150 Lumix), one will arrive soon.

Time again for a different kit! 

  1. The 14-150 will be different in use, as it has no IS inside and zooms in reverse to my expectations. However, its direction will match my old 75-300 ZD lens, so both zooms will match! The seals will be nice, and more recent Lumix bodies have IS inside just like Olympus - so no 'problem' here.
  2. Primes will still have good spacing, but less curb appeal: pixco 8/3.8, TTA 17/1.4, Oly 30/3.5 macro, Zonlai 50/1.4 and adapted telephoto primes. I'll miss the 2½ stops the 35/1.4 provided over the macro, and some day I'll find the right wide prime - perhaps that nice Laowa 10mm?
  3. .. and cash to pay earlier deals and other debts.

Little zoom - I won a low-bid offer for a m.Zuiko 9-18mm zoom. That was a surprise! This replaces the 7.5 and 12mm lenses, though it doesn't replace f/2 as an aperture setting :√( oh well. Most of the time this will be an excellent option for trips where wide is important; it definitely allows the 14-150 to do well with no regrets. Some day the laowa 10/2 will go here instead, but this was a bargain and that's what I need.

Update - the 14-150 is quite nice, but not quite paid for, as the 14-140 was rejected by the buyer. Its front element isn't.. ideal. Once it reaches me I'll decide the best way forward. The optical results from the Lumix were fine by me, but they weren't scrutinized all that much. The 9-18 also has some perfection issues with its front element, but images don't suffer much to my eye. The joy of low prices accrue to those who don't demand perfection!



Saturday, August 21, 2021

practicing for the equinox

 The weather has taken a rather cool turn! I'd say showery too, but really just drizzle with a few heavier droplets. We've had a third of an inch this month, and some fell up in Anacortes during our visit. 


The forecast is for sub-80° weather for the next week, so outdoor work is possible. Sadly it won't be happening: a sag has appeared in our bathroom floor, and something is dripping in the area beneath that part of the house. I'm still trying to determine the best approach to the area - from beneath a layer of thick fabric hides the pipes, from the side I'm staring at a metal beam, and approaching from above may be the only sane choice. The water is tepid at best, so it's not hot water being wasted. In the meantime the water is turned off except for brief uses, and a large container holds enough to scoop out for a warm or cold drink.

I guess once it's done it will be time to redecorate the (master) bathroom with new flooring and some nice tile. This place needs work in more than one area, and it's sad to spend much on fixing small items. We do as we must.




Thursday, August 19, 2021

geeky things recently learned!

We took two separate-yet-same trips north this past week, and we learned a few things. 

1) EV data

Our new Niro EV is a great driving computer. That's the best way I can describe it: a computer that rolls and behaves like a car. We're still getting accustomed to the new way of doing car things, but it's going pretty well. It claims 235 miles per charge by EPA standards, but when 100% charged the reading is generally above 280 miles. Coming down from our hill-top home it tries to add power with the brakes but we generally get the too-full-to-regenerate message every time.

The trip north to Anacortes is about 215 miles via I∙5, and we made it up on trip #1 with no recharge. The in-laws' home only has 110v so recharging is slow - but the local Safeway has higher-amperage charger (with 2-hr parking limit) so that helped to get us ready to come home. That trip was notorious in its huge delays in both directions; a 4-hour trip was about six each way that time. Thank goodness we weren't burning fuel while stopped, and regenerated a good amount with all the braking..

The night before heading north again we visited my mom in Portland, and we did not quite have a full "tank" going north. We still made it up on trip #2 in one charge - but only about 40 miles was available upon arrival! The mileage numbers on ev-odometers is definitely not a given fact, more like "guidelines". Going uphill and downhill, turning on climate controls and lights.. pretty much any given hour of driving will give a different result. We returned on a partial refill and stopped in Olympia for a boost at a high-kWh charger, and stopped at 125 miles for the 75 mile drive home. 

We almost didn't make it! With lights on the whole time and both stereo and climate in nearly full use, we hit Kelso with about 15 miles on the meter. With the last miles uphill, I turned off the headlights and fan and went the last mile or so with running lights. We reached home with 4% battery life and six miles of available range.

What we learned: the Niro EV range is accurate and is dependable nearly to 0% charge. Knowing this is good, but I don't ever wish to drive like that again!! Assuming about half the maximum range will be a new practice as darkness and cold descend on us. We've found faster chargers on US30 at the PUD south of Deer Island and in Rainier, plus some at Three Rivers Mall off I∙5. Costs vary quite a bit (the Deer Island site is a clear winner there!) but it's still pretty inexpensive compared to our former Fiat, which would need a full tank on that trip (at least $25-30, and more as gas prices rise). 

p.s. Charging at home gives us about 5kW at 220v, Safeway was close to 7kW, and the two CCS chargers in Olympia and Deer Island were about 70kW. The in-laws have 110v outside and it conflicts with the waffle iron! They are contemplating options that could give us a stronger option, while we consider how to repay them :^)


2) portable 'power station'

We recently picked up a 300W power station for remote camping or star-gazing. It can run our cpap device without an adapter (though it needed a cable adapter to work directly) plus AC converter, cig-lighter adapter and multiple USB plugs. It can charge from 110v, car battery or solar panels (definitely Not Included).

I brought it up on the trips to evaluate; the first time I did not have the cable adapter so it wasn't used, but I had what was needed the second time! The cpap came along too, but not the heater/humidifier - just the pump, which is definitely the lower power draw of the two.

The first night started with 100% screen readout. I had left a small cig-lighter flashlight on in the tent to find it more easily at bedtime, but it died before I went to bed. I also drained the phone while driving and it needed about 70% of charge. I plugged in the back of the flashlight and turned on the DC controller (far-right black button), plugged my phone into one USB port and my old CPAP used the 12v DC output port (lower right). I slept for 9-ish hours with the cpap and awoke with fully charged phone and flashlight - and it took 20% off the station. Yay! Night two was just the cpap and the next morning we were about 70% of original charge. 

What we learned: Apparently one cpap machine could work for 4 days or more with a phone charge or two thrown in - and with solar panels or other form of recharging it could go for longer! It won't be going backpacking, but a good night's rest is generally a good thing. It's a fine substitute for our kind of camping; we recently cashed in our RV/trailer and won't miss it much.  We were getting very little use from it since 2014, and paying a good amount for the privilege of parking it in our driveway..

We bought this particular model because it has both 12v and 24v DC inputs, so if my next cpap takes the higher voltage it should still provide a couple of good nights' rest. Some day we'll add the solar panels.


3) driving by Puget Sound

We found a new way to avoid the misery that trip #1 inflicted on us. For those of us who have no plans to stop in the Olympia-Everett metro corridor (other than the single rest area) driving through the area via I∙5 (with or without 405 'bypass') makes Zero sense. I've always preferred the Port Townsend to Whidbey Island ferry, but for several years now that route has had limitations and strongly-advised reservations needed. For trip #1 no ferries were available except the last one, and the system knew this several days in advance! That's no way to run a dependable ferry, so it had forced me to take I∙5 - although now and then we've taken the Mukilteo ferry, by then the damage of high-stakes driving has taken its toll.

What we learned: This time we turned left at Olympia and right at Shelton, which isn't a fast road* but leads to the Kingston-Edmonds ferry. That route is well populated with two ferries, and needs no reservations - well not at the moment. The total mileage is within 20 miles of the I∙5 route and brings only Everett into the high-density freeway driving. We went up and back this way, and it was far more dependable than the Interstate System. 

That's how I spell RELIEF.

* trip #1 had dead stops or sub-15 mph driving in Centralia, Tacoma and near Seattle northbound, and north of Everett plus many points from Seattle through the Fort Lewis area southbound.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

the Delta effect

 Times are not ideal in the world as the Delta COVID19 variant fills in the gaps between formerly safe spaces. Even here in western Washington state: Cowlitz county shows a steep rise in mid-age and younger cases. The worst cases for over-65 came just after Christmas 2020, after which the vaccines were introduced. The most recent week of reports were the highest counts for under 35 and for 35-65 age groups (and the 65+ cases are rising too). Bad news all around, and time to continue keeping masks handy.

weekly case reports for Cowlitz county, March 2020-late July 2021

At last report Pfizer vaccines are still about 80% effective, Moderna closer to 90%. Considering that early vaccine estimates were hoped to approach 70% effectiveness, that's still a tidy margin. We'll see how long they protect as time goes on, and the virus sadly uses the unvaccinated as mutation factories in every corner of the USA and the world. 

The game isn't up yet, not by a distressingly large margin.


cnn community-transmission graphic


Friday, August 6, 2021

next wave

 It appears that we're about to get our second strong heat wave of the summer. We had a brief warm spell between the two but this time we're seeing 3-digit forecasts. Not as hot as the unprecedented first wave, but more than the moderately warm second. We'll drive from NW Washington and its marine air directly to this; the transition will make it a bit more of a shock.

Before the heat arrives, a few showers dropped in for a visit.  The moisture felt good and smelled nice outside last night, so hopefully a week from now we can try it again. A few more showers put us to ¼ inch; Monday will be a pleasant transition day.. and then the heat.



Most recent update shows minimal change on the edges of the heat.
That quarter-inch of moisture = Eight Times the July total of 0.03!


Thursday, August 5, 2021

the Smokey Times - 2021 edition


The dry spring and absurdly hot week in late June jump-started the 2021 fire season. We have had decent local sky clarity until now, but an approaching storm from the SW has pulled an amber blanket over us. It's fairly thin and up high so no smell of smoke, but not a pretty sight. Thunderstorms will no doubt accompany the welcome rain this weekend, so we must wait and see the costs and benefits of the storm. Looks like Roseburg is finding out right as this image was taken!

It's clearly worse on the east side of Oregon, as the Dixie fire in northern Cal has just swallowed a small town* and found other adjacent fuels for a major flare-up. The Bootleg fire down by Paisley is still the country's largest but it is getting under better control.

Among other summer casualties, the 2021 Oregon Star Party had its permit pulled by the Ochoco NF - just too risky this year to gather a bunch of people in such a flammable environment. That's happening more frequently over the years, and whatever the human climate impacts may be it's becoming clearer that August isn't ideal for scheduling large gatherings on public land. Either the location or the timing will need to be seriously examined for the 2022 event, it seems.




* a map of the area, showing Greenville (mostly destroyed yesterday) and its proximity to Paradise (destroyed in the 2018 Camp fire).