decision time for the E mount

Having given up on the generational α issue (Minolta A vs. rebadged SonyAlpha bodies with E-mount), I kept watch on e-mount zoom deals. High on my list was compact and wx-resistant types, things which Sony has some but not many in my price range. My TTArtisan 21mm fails both marks but their 50mm f/2 is very compact but without seals. I'd been contemplating a 35mm but the Pentax DA35 Limited is both talented as a 35mm and a 1:1 macro lens, but it too lacks seals. 

For zooms, the internal IS system demands a focal length to optimize the stabilization per unit of twitch; that means E mount, and fully adapted A mount and Canon EF zooms* are preferred over Pentax and Nikon F. One can input an intermediate focal length or change it with each zoom action.. clearly not practical or ideal. After watching for a while I found a Sony 28-60mm retractable for decently for around $200, which is the common break line below which they are seldom seen. It is no speedy item but that's how it stays small - and users have been pretty happy with theirs.

My longer-tele dream was pretty much down to two Tamrons. Either the 28-200mm or 70-300mm would be quite portable for their range, with weather seals and quiet motors to go with good reviews.  (I had hoped the 24-105 +100-300apo Minolta team would cover this zone but adapting them to the α7ii was frustrating me no end.) First one below $400, though it could cost me other gear in exchange? 

In the end the 70-300 won out.

Finally I still had the 35mm prime slot to fill. Tiny Samyang, or wx-sealed Tamron with 1:2 closeups? Or Sony ZA, or something else? Tiny is good but seals are too.. and most of my close-up shooting is between 1:2 and 1:4. Still dithering, but leaning toward Tamron. I've added it to my kit spreadsheet to see how it looks.

* It should be noted that adapted primes are quite painless on the α bodies: just enter the focal length and have fun. That means many Pentax primes can disrupt the kit in nice ways (e.g. 28-60 + adapted PK 70+85+135).

how I do macro.

 Not an article about technique - I know nothing of it - so 'lecture over' if you dropped by for that!

I have three systems and several ways to make macros happen. For someone who very seldom finds 1:1 closeups natural, that's a decent set of choices!

1. simple option = extension tubes. I have one for both PK and µ43, and a pair of shiny blue α extensions. That will turn the native lens of choice into a macro-equivalent lens with no bonus optics. I've seen excellent closeup images with Raynox-&c closeup diopters.. and 
2. I have a few of those as well, come to think of it! Another simple option, and if I have a 49mm thread that will work on at least one lens in each mount. Pentax was a big 49mm fan for decades - and fast 50mm lenses that take 49mm filters for α/µ mounts too.
3. Sigma 50/2.8 1:1 macro in PKa mount. It's an elder manual-focus design, so no loss of AF benefits on any of the mounts. For extra value, my Pixco speed-booster means it's also a 35mm f/2 macro on a µ43 body.
4. Last and definitely not least: a Pentax DA35 f/2.8 Limited 1:1 macro. This is the highest-rated lens I own (probably ever owned) in PK mount, rated ~9½/10 at pentaxforums. First-blush shooting on my a7ii body with entire sensor shows minimal vignette at the edges, and it works fine as a 50mm/e macro in the a7 aps-c crop mode. Vignette definitely won't be a problem on the µ43 gear.

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Pentax goes mono

the K-3.iii 'monochrome'

A cool idea, though not my type. Many have asked for a reasonably-priced camera with no color filter - and here it is. Many others prefer to create their own from the color data, but it has less pure resolution that way. Something for everyone!

can it be.. spring?

 Keep a good thought!

We have already managed to reach our average rainfall (+melted snowfall) for April! That's the first above-average month in the last ten. And after a few randomly showery days early next week, the forecast stars have (apparently) aligned better than past optimistic forecasts in April. We last hit 65° on March 22nd, so actual 70s have remained in the rather distant future - until now? 

Update - we 'overperformed', to put it mildly!

Just checking

I looked into specs on the eM10 mk.IV to see if, seven years after my eM1 mk.I was introduced, the OM range had finally beaten its specs for a tilt-screen camera.

Nope.. but it's close.

The most recent eM10 has the 20Mpx sensor, newer chips inside, 4k shooting and its own flash. Nice updates! But no weather resistance, no audio jacks, and pretty much the same battery life and stabilization. The new body is smaller in every dimension, but to achieve that it has no grip to speak of.

So that's the good news: nothing to buy here, even if the OM-10 comes out to bring a price drop! 

The sad news is that neither Oly/OM nor Lumix has released a tilt-screen body with wx seals in the last ten years - until very recently, with the Lumix GH6 and its tip+flip design (used by their S1 36× 24 bodies, and some Fujis). The GH6 is their latest and most expensive body, packed with top-shelf photo (and especially video) features I'd never use.

Makers of μ43 bodies are absolutely convinced that "advanced" bodies need flipout screens, and expecting that to change is a sure sign of insanity.  So we'll chalk that up as another saved expense = good news? 

Further note - the em5.iii is a 'tweener' model with wx seals, the em10.iv 20Mpx/4k imaging, and an audio input. But then the flip screen comes into play, which still conflicts me.

And now, Wet!

Less than halfway through April and we are almost at 90% of normal!

That makes April the 2nd-wettest month of this (Oct-Sep) water year, just behind November's 95%.

We also had our farewell party for winter this morning, with 1/2" of snow at daybreak. No more can be seen in the 10-day forecast, and by late April it's almost thermodynamically impossible.

Curiously enough, we had over an inch last year at this time also. Before that April had not seen any measurable snow at our location/elevation, going back to mid-2014. Funny how patterns average out with such crazy extremes embedded..

update - we're just over 1/2" short of a normal April as of the 14th, with over an inch in the 7d forecast (which excludes that atm-river chart below). We have a strong candidate for our first above-average month since last June!

p.s. say it ain't so! Friday 4/21

dry, dry again

 March will end like every other month this water year: below average.

We have three more days to catch up, but the forecast shows an inch at most through the 31st. Since we're down 1.8 inches that won't bring us to normal - so that's six consecutive dry months. This is also the end of our wet season, as April-Sep contribute about a quarter of the annual total here.

30yr normal and 2022-23 %

It's definitely not time for a drought alert, but it's definitely not been a wet year. The La Niña season is over, and El Niño is ready to take its place; these ENSO phases really have little effect in the dry season though.

Whatever is next, this has been a surprisingly consistent period of below-normal rainfall!

As to snow, it was a decent 3rd-place showing with just under two feet estimated. About two inches above the eight-year normal. As usual, February was the Big Snow Month; that's been true five of the eight years of record.

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p.s.  forecast for Sunday night shows snow level dropping to 800' overnight, so the recent pattern remains in place.
More storms driving down the coast from Juneau, and headwinds for the northbound birds to endure. If they stay inland a bit more, perhaps a tailwind east of the low can be found!

Final score for March: exactly 75% of normal. Average is precisely 6.00" and we received 4.75" - that's impressive (albeit spurious) accuracy.