for the last time..

The choice of standard zoom remains for me to select a winner. Lumix 14-42ii or 12-60? Miniature bulk or maximum versatility? What would I use more /miss less among the features?

Both these zooms receive generally good marks in online reviews. The larger lens has more range, weather seals and has not reached f/5.6 at 40mm so is a bit faster at the 14-42's long end. Adding hoods make them look similar in overall size but it's definitely not so - the 14-42 takes 46mm filters compared to 58mm on the 12-60. Weight isn't quite 2:1 but it's fairly close to that ratio. I like having 12mm but I can stitch two shots at 14mm when wide is a big deal.

So each has its values and drawbacks - no surprise there.

Here's the most valuable point of separation for me: close focus ability. Both get to nearly the same distance from an object but a 60mm closeup will out-scale a 42mm closeup every time in that circumstance. This is something I can see clearly, and that I will often use when I don't have my 10mm extension tube handy. I really don't need 1:1 closeup for my typical use (the 4Thirds 35/3.5 is for slide duplication more than general use) so flower shots and the occasional bug will do fine with the 12-60.

The last-body-ever hunt ended when a GX85 body was found for only slightly more than I expected to pay for a healthy GX7, so that's that. Complexity wins (as does updated shutter and better/dual IS!).

So here's where the kit stands now:
Body - GX85 (still holding GX1 and YI M1 w/kit lenses)
General-use lens: Lumix 12-60
Tiny telephoto: Lumix 45-150
Wide prime: Lumix 14/2.5
Bonus 4Thirds lenses:  ZD 35 macro & 70-300 tele

I'd love to spend a bit on more primes some day, and maybe the 35-100/2.8. Some day will not be any time soon, barring a massive financial windfall. Not much chance of that.

challenging my theory

My former gear is now crawling cross-country to be evaluated. In a week I shall know if I am wealthier or claiming a used GX7 - or an ultrabargain GX85? As usual, time will tell.

I recently railed about how complex cameras are messing with my brain. To restate: the most recent µ43 cameras can do a lot but mostly they do things I do not need on a camera. Many have pointed out "so don't use those features" - but when they invade and complexicate the menus it isn't that easy. I cannot expect them to revamp their menus by putting "4k" as a separate tab for video and photo tricks - but I sure wish that could happen.

During that complaint I encountered another issue: I have uniformly disliked the large µ43 bodies. Despite all their advantages (splash seals, better viewfinders, more space for more Fn buttons), nearly all of which I like! I have failed to get along with G7, G85, EM5/10/10ii despite their being about the same size as my well-liked Pentax K-5/50 cameras! I have no explanation for this; my tip-not-flip screen preference downgrades the G7/80 .. but it's more than just that. And the OM-D bodies use a tip screen - so is it the menus wrecking my experience? No, since the eP5 felt nice. That one was still not quite right for me though.

This led me to conclude that the GX7 is where I should stop.
Is that reasonable though? The GX85 loses 2-3 items on the outside that I'd miss (AF switch, tilt VF), but updates the GX7 inside in many valuable ways (usb charging /microUSB plug, no AA filter, ISx2, updated shutter) even without the 4k features. I owned it before and the complexity did not strike me as a big deal. 
Hmm /grrr.

So does my avoidance-of-complexity model break down here?
We'll find out when soon, when prices for used GX7/85 compete for my attention.

complex matters

Now that I've made a statement about complex cameras.. let me move on to software for those cameras. I've re-installed PS Elements v10 on my computer. Wow that's old!

Yes but -
I've tried several newer items in the past year or so. No doubt they are amazing and can do impressive stuff. But with a few bargain plugins Elements X has curve lighting (SmartCurve), pseudo HDR (reDynamix) and really good noise reduction (NeatImage). No doubt I can spend more and do better - but I know Elements pretty well and the new models are (yet again) complex beyond my needs. So why work harder for small returns?

My all-time favorite imaging software was made in 1996 and remains my most-used photo tool. It does all the basics (OK it cannot rotate in sub-90° increments or auto-scale to screen dimansions), it's tiny and therefore fast. I can resize, change color balance and saturation, sharpen a pinch - even add text. So for casual images, which is pretty much all I'm able to shoot right now, this is plenty.

big deal

So after consulting my internal reality specialist I decided to go forward with the GX1, 14mm prime, 12-60 and 45-150 Lumix zooms. The eP5 and other primes are off to a dealer for more tax relief. The 14-45 is also going back since the 12∙60 is staying.

And I'm OK with this. 
Well, today I am.

As I posted recently, the technology buried within the most recent cameras is beyond my ability to absorb right now. I barely shoot video at all, so why have 4k? I rarely use the camera for anything creative, so why deal with 4k-based focus stacking and other cool tricks? I almost never use burst mode so what's the difference to me between 4 and 9 shots per second? It all exceeds my needs now, and until something major changes in our family life it's just excess that hinders more than it helps.
compout alert - I still have 4k via the YI, since the best offer so far on the m1 is under $60!

So the GX1 and its very familiar feature set will do. Unless, perhaps, a GX7 were to appear at the dealer when the final check is ready to be cut. The EV-4 AF and touch-AE features really were useful to me, so I'll be watching.*

I do still have the 12-60 despite putting it up for cheap and owning the tiny 14-42ii. The longer range is nice, the lens only a bit thicker than the 45-150 and just as long - and to my surprise it feels better on the GX1 than it did on the eP5! Curious. I haven't offered the 14-42ii yet, might as well hold on and see what develops.

* and what if find a GX85 near my hoped-for GX7 price? Both would be acceptable but the complexity creep would be there. So would usb charging, no AA filter... argh.

"Stay this madness"!

Gandalf and Denethor.
Also me and cameras.

I've been thinking - that's never a good start to a paragraph on this site, but true nonetheless. I really like the 12-60mm Lumix lens.. But I have no wx-sealed body for it. I also really like the eP5, and that's the first Olympus body I can say that about with little hesitation. (OK: I wish it were sealed. Happy now??) But the 12-60 is kinda bulky on that body.

But Hey: an E-M1 body is sealed, has a better grip for improved handling and has PDAF focus points for my 35 macro and 70-300 ZD (4Thirds Classic) lenses. Maybe I should

[Cue Gandalf]

The voice of reason demands to be heard, and commands to reconsider!

I have enthusiastically purchased OM-D EM5/10/10b - and let them go quite soon after, with very little remorse. In each case my research indicated it was a great idea: excellent feature set, top-notch sensor and the cameras were pretty much beloved by owners. The E-M1 is just like them: greatly admired, talented, good ergonomics, all that stuff.

Two quick facts and a history 'lesson'

• The dxo website shows that the eP5 is its equal within dxo measurements. 
• The camerasize site shows just how large the eM1 is in a relative sense (for more humour check this one!).

and a "history lesson": my 10-year history of owning high-quality digital gear (dSLR and mirrorless) reveals that 1) every time I have had a  bargain camera in hand that I dumped for "better" stuff it has been deeply regretted (e.g. my $20 K-r), and 2) despite all my best research and logic the OM-D Olys have not suited me. Hm - come to think of it the G7 and G85 struck me the same way, unlike the gx1/7/7b bodies. And the ePL bodies were almost right but for the second dial circling the 4way pad..

So maybe just this once I will break with my (admittedly stupid) tradition and keep the bargain camera that I really like more than I expected? Maybe even let the slightly oversized 12-60 depart and use tiny primes (14/20/30 +45-150 zoom) or the nice, tiny 14-42ii instead? What a concept.

Madness, indeed.

a small investment

Much gear has been recycled in the past month, including the Pentax K-50 and Lumix G85. I shall miss every item - yet they were more mentally valuable than anything as I've spent so little time actually using them.

The IRS thanks every buyer in participating in their funding efforts.

One item that has not left the building is the YI M1. One of its frustrations for me is the lack of image stabilization of any form, even with lenses that have the feature. Before the selloff began I'd been watching for a deal on the classic 14-45mm lens, the original and still-liked Lumix μ43 kit lens. I found one just as the sale funds were slowing to a trickle, and I decided to pick it up.

What makes the old 14-45 different is that it has an OIS switch, which reportedly is the only way that an IS lens will work with the M1. I want to know that for certain before I let this camera go, as it has several features that I'm reluctant to lose for a miniscule sale price. The updated 20mpx sensor is here, the in-camera charge setup via 'standard' microUSB cable, timelapse/4k/2k and a simple interface.. several good features. And one more firmware update (or open-source 'hack') could make this a very sought-after camera!

The purchase brings me a bewildering array of  'standard kit zoom' lenses in this format:

• 14-45 Lumix, original that I know from my G1 era
• 14-42 ii Lumix, the latest successor kit lens
• 12-32 Lumix, the tiny marvel (with no focus ring)
• 12-40 xiaoyi, the retractable M1 kit lens
• 12-60 Lumix that didn't leave with the G85

Each has something somewhat special about it.. but I definitely don't need 5 lenses for 4 bodies (GX1, M1, eP5, wife's GF2) - especially with the 14 and 20mm primes still in house!

One interesting prospect - if the xiaoyi performs well enough on the ePM5, the 14-45 can take over on the M1. We'll see about that.

tax bill, no Foolin'

Our taxes are done, at least the first draft - and no revisions will soften the blow. Withholdings in the new tax era were underdone to the point of criminality; of course I'm the criminal and will be forced to pay a penalty for it. New part-time job, an IRA pull, and general withholding changes that I foolishly assumed would be reasonable. Silly me.

That tax+penalty will be paid for by my camera gear.
Boy does that sound familiar.

And so, yet another fire sale will remove as much of my gear as buyers are willing to take. That may well strip me down to the GX1 again - but I'd be OK with that. To be honest I'd say that my tech interest seems to have peaked at the GX7 level; all new features past that are complexity that I like as a concept but may never actually use.

It will be interesting to see what gear remains, from which I can assemble a 'phoenix' kit. As of today it's the EP5 and either the 20/1.7 or 12-60 superkit lens. And the GX1. If the YI isn't taken I'd likely swap it to a dealer rather than leaving it on a shelf to decompose. Nice sensor but not my type, and if the firmware makes a great leap forward I'll survive the disappointment.

Once you've done this routine four or five times, it apparently hurts less.
Still no fun though.