Not expecting much, I carried the silver E-PL7 with the 45mm/f1.8 mounted just for something different. Rainbow was a pleasant surprise.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 09:01 Saturday, 23 March 2024

I shot this on July 5, 2017 with my E-PL7, which I liked to travel with back then. This is a downsized version of a downsized version, I'd have to go into my old library and look for the original. I just searched for E-PL7 "favorites" in my Photos library and this is one of them.

Some years ago, I decided to try and save space in my Photos library by only adding 3MP versions, then increased that to 5MP, now I just do full-res and deal with the heartache of finite disk space.

But I liked this shot. Shot it with the 14-150mm super-zoom. Kind of a big lens for that body, but I had a cheap, detachable grip/L-plate that I could use when the 14-150 was on it.

Anyway. Cool camera. Looking forward to getting a black one. It'll take better pictures! 😜

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 13:30 Thursday, 21 March 2024

This is an Olympus PEN E-PL7. I have a silver one, it looks like this. The camera was released in August 2014, almost a decade ago. My first PEN was a black mini, E-PM1 in November 2011; and it was my introduction to micro four-thirds. My next M43 camera was the E-M5 in October 2012, followed by an E-PM2 in May 2013 and the E-M1 in November 2013.

I ordered the silver E-PL7 on March 25, 2015. A refurb that came with a silver 14-42mm/f3.5-5.6 zoom, not the pancake electronic zoom. It was my third PEN camera, but the first that really embraced the retro-rangefinder vibe. (The E-PM2 was white. While it had a rangefinder body style that evoked the retro look, the color was definitely more contemporary than "retro.") I can't recall if I ordered the silver one because that was all that was available, or because it appealed to me in terms of its retro-aesthetic.

I still have that camera. It's among the ones I've shot with the most, with nearly 10K shutter activations. Still works fine and looks great. No dings, scratches or screen issues.

I recall getting the E-PL7. Mitzi was at her place, recovering from her ankle surgery and I was staying there helping her out. I remember being surprised at how heavy the camera was, for being so small. The E-PM2 was considered "entry level," and it felt very light. As a "mid-tier" product, I thought the E-PL7 looked and felt quite premium, and I recall being really pleased with how it felt in my hand.

I don't recall the first time I actually noticed the black E-PL7. I know it was years after I'd bought the silver one. I do recall thinking at the time that it was a very smart looking camera, better even than the silver one.

I've had or have several of Olympus' PEN cameras. Of the ones that were explicitly evoking that "retro" look, they were all silver and black. My E-P5, PEN-F, E-PL7, E-PL8 and OM System E-P7 were or are all silver and black. (I still have the 7, as mentioned, as well as the PEN F and the E-P7.) I should add that I think the E-PL5/6 design (I have a red, sooo red, E-PL6) was transitional between the modern look of the earlier digital PENS (other than the flagship models), and the explicitly retro style of the E-PL7 and E-PL8.

I also have an E-PL10 kuro, which hedges on the retro vibe, tending back toward contemporary. I almost sold it to KEH, but do I like the appearance. I think it leans much more modern in its design, embracing clean lines and flat surfaces more than the E-PL7. I think that's partly to accommodate the built-in flash, which the E-PL7 lacks.

(The E-PL8 started the move toward a flatter, more squared-off body. Some people like the look of the E-PL8, I feel like it's neither fish nor fowl. Can't decide what it wants to be. The brown one is nice though. It was easy to sell the E-PL8.)

But, for reasons that I can't pretend to understand, I'm presently searching for a black E-PL7. I think it's just about the best looking (digital) PEN Olympus ever made. The PEN-F is a nice-looking camera, and fully embraces its retro chic. But it's kind of big and chunky, and a little busy with the twin control dials and a separate exposure compensation dial. I mean, if you like buttons and controls, and many if not most photographers do, the PEN-F is fully equipped. But I'm accustomed to dealing with just the one control dial of the E-PL series.

The other thing I like about the E-PL7 over the E-PL10 is that the 7 retains the accessory port beneath the hot shoe. I can plug in an electronic viewfinder on sunny days. And the E-PL7's TruPic VII image processor retains nearly as many customization settings as its OM-D siblings. The E-PL10 has the TruPic 8 image processor, with a much simplified user interface and far fewer options for control customization or saved settings.

My silver E-PL7 remains a favorite of mine, but I'd really like to have an all black one. I think the proportions of the black paint to the black leatherette are more pleasing than on the E-PL10. The black is a real black on the E-PL7, while the E-PL10 is more of a dark gunmetal gray color. I think the dark lettering looks nice on the E-PL10, but the small white letters against the black paint of the E-PL7 are more appealing to me.

Anyway, this kind of thing seizes me and I'm a bit transfixed until it passes. The black ones seem to be in short supply on the auction site, but I've put a bid in on a "best offer" listing. They're also kind of pricey, I think, for a nearly 10-year-old camera. We'll see how it goes. If the offer is rejected, maybe the feeling will pass.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:56 Thursday, 21 March 2024

Woke at 0400, figured I might as well get up. Probably last clear morning for several days. This should be old hat by now, but the moon remains irresistible to me.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 04:23 Thursday, 21 March 2024

Got up to get a glass of water, saw the moonlight through the kitchen window. Had the water and went back to bed. Kept thinking about the moon. So here I am.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 03:25 Wednesday, 20 March 2024

After this morning's "work," I went for my walk. It looked cloudy and I wasn't sure the light would be favorable, so I didn't bring the OM-1 with the 75-300. Instead, I just stuffed the OM-5 in my vest pocket and headed out.

A pair of swallow-tailed kites whistled overhead, I wouldn't have been fast enough to get them anyway. It was fun watching them fly though.

I mainly walk to get some exercise, but I carry a camera because I "see things" that "look like a photograph." And I usually want to get the walk done quickly, because there's usually something else I'd rather be doing than walking. (Other times I'd rather be walking when I'm doing something else. I'm a complicated and conflicted guy.) So there's always some tension on the photography piece.

I saw the blue heron and didn't think it amounted to much until I began to pass it and saw its silhouette against the light in the retention pond. Does it "look like a photograph?" I thought so, but I could be wrong. Other people are more talented than me. (I? Better writers too.)

I got back and made my breakfast, then went to the garden to water our new plants. They looked fine, not stressed at all. Then on to Publix to buy more eggs, mushrooms, spinach avocados, 78% cacao dark chocolate, deluxe mixed nuts (no 'lightly salted," alas), blueberries, and raspberries. On the way out I went down the ice cream aisle. BOGO on Ben & Jerry's!

Did I mention today is Mitzi's sister's birthday? The one who's staying with us?

Yeah, ice cream tonight.

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Originally posted at Nice Marmot 13:29 Saturday, 16 March 2024

Again?

I have quite a few of this kind of shot now, and it still amazes me that they can choke these fish down.

They're killers, though. Little doubt about that!

Not a great shot, I was hustling and it didn't seem too happy about me being there.

Excuses, excuses...

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 09:39 Friday, 15 March 2024

Watched the Starship liftoff and then headed over to the Garden Club. Dave the Plant Man was there and we got some plants and some tips. We put in five tomato plants, but I'm afraid they won't be bearing fruit before we leave for New York this summer.

In addition to the tomatoes, we put in some sugar snap peas, pole beans, some spinach-thing I can't spell or pronounce. The bush beans are still producing so we're leaving them in, as with those leafy broccoli plants. One has gone to seed and we're going to let the pods mature and dry and then hang onto the seeds and see if we can plant them.

Still very little idea what we're doing, but we got some tips about where to plant each type of plant in the bed. Spread some Black Cow soil amendment over the whole thing. We'll see how it goes.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 11:54 Thursday, 14 March 2024

Yesterday, after I'd shot the kite in flight and checked the image, I was excited to notice the anole in the bird's beak. I started hustling up to the corner to get around to a more open area over the preserve to maybe get some more shots.

A thought crossed my mind, unbidden, "Don't get greedy, be grateful." I slowed a bit and sure enough, when I got to the more open area, there were no birds to be seen. Would there have been if I'd hustled? I don't know. But I wasn't disappointed, I was looking forward to checking the images on the iMac when I got home.

And a couple of opportunities came up on the way home anyway, and I was happy for those too.

So this morning I didn't expect much, because yesterday was such a good day. Sure enough, no kites over the preserve. Nothing until I got to the clubhouse area where I'd seen a rabbit last week. I looked for a rabbit along the walkway but didn't see one where I expected to and decided that I wasn't going to get a bunny today either.

And there it was.

So, "let go" and "be open." Or just relax and enjoy the walk.

Brought the same combo this morning and I'm glad I did. Guessing there are two nesting pairs in the preserve nearby. Go to Flickr and watch the sequence (arrow-left) as it transfers the anole from its talon to its beak.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:32 Tuesday, 12 March 2024

The orange blur at the top of the frame is my big giant head, because I always forget how wide the fisheye is.

A lot of satellites, but you probably not big enough to see in this post. Larger version at Flickr.

Kind of a nothing shot (with the OM-5), except for the story it tells. I'm sure the guy must go to larger retention ponds where an air boat isn't as absurd. At least it's a small one, and very quiet.

But what he's doing there is spraying chemicals into the retention pond to control (prevent) the growth of algae and unwanted aquatic vegetation which thrive because of the fertilizer we spray onto our lawns.

It's a self-licking ice cream cone for the landscape and chemical fertilizer and herbicide industries.

<blockquote>But you tell me over and over and over again my friend Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction</blockquote>

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:29 Monday, 11 March 2024

Before I had my breakfast, this wood stork had its. Brought the OM-1 with the 75-300 this morning. It was 50°F, so I wore a sweatshirt and my vest, which has nice pockets, into which I stuffed the OM-5 with the 14-42mm EZ pancake zoom. Fits well. Double-OM morning.

Kind of a "cheese sandwich" post, almost literally, for any who recall what those were.

I'm a creature of habit, so I don't have to think too much. I have this nearly every morning as long as I'm not in a hurry or out of something. It's two extra-large Eggland's Best eggs, a few sliced baby bella mushrooms, a large handful of spinach, black beans, turmeric, black pepper, avocado and hot sauce.

Basically, sauté the shrooms and the spinach (you can just put a cover over the pan, it'll take a while) while you're mixing the eggs, turmeric and black pepper in a bowl. The turmeric will clump up and stick to the side of the bowl, but the spinach takes care of that. Add the beans, and after the spinach is reduced and bright green, put it in with the eggs and stir well.

Pour that whole thing back into the same 8" frying pan, cover and go slice your avocado and do some cleanup. By the time you're done slicing the 'cado, washing the bowl and spatula and putting those away, it's probably done.

Slide it onto a plate, add hot sauce and eat. Might need to let it cool.

I used to make it with shredded cheese, but I decided that was unhealthy so I substituted spinach. It tastes great and ensures I don't get hungry until after noon.

Did a late walk yesterday, in the afternoon. There were several birds overhead, including a vulture and a swallow tailed kite, but these wood storks are always impressive. Only had the 14-150mm on the OM-5 with me. I'm just going to start carrying the 75-300mm with me from now on. Maybe stuff a compact in a pocket if anything wider looks appealing.

Lovely day yesterday.

Yesterday I learned about this site, and now I have several bookmarks in my Climate bookmarks folder.

The peak of our civilization.

I went out this morning with the E-M1X and the 40-150mm/f2.8 Pro with the MC14 1.4x teleconverter mounted. There was one swallow tailed kite, but it was pretty far away. It seems like the teleconverter adds a bit of chromatic aberration. Shot wasn't compelling enough to share it.

Thought I'd be shut out when I saw these cedar waxwings flock to this tree. Had kind of hoped I'd get a shot of them all going airborne, but they didn't seem like they were in any hurry and I wanted to get home.

It's a much heavier rig than I normally carry, so I used the Cotton Carrier G3 vest. At least I got more of a workout. I couldn't have carried this setup for 3.3 miles on a sling without getting a painful knot between my shoulder blades. As it was, I felt it a bit in my quads, and toward the end in my calves. I wasn't booking along by any means, but I wasn't sauntering either.

Whelp, I guess I should learn to just go with my first instinct.

I thought about bringing the 40-150mm/2.8 Pro with the MC14 teleconverter mounted, which would have given me a 56-210mm/f4 (112-420mm efl), which would have been useful for birds. I'd seen a few yesterday with the 14-150mm/f4-5.6 and it's not ideal for birds.

Well, it was getting cloudy and I thought I might have better luck with something as a landscape composition. Dumb move.

As I got toward the end of my street I heard some birds calling that sounded vaguely like ospreys, but not same as an osprey. It wasn't a "chittering" call either, which might have been bald eagles. I finally saw them above the trees and they were swallow-tailed kites!

I think I've only seen them twice before around here, and then just a single bird. Here were three or four! And all I've got is the 14-150! The 100-400mm zoom would have been best, but I don't do my morning walk lugging that thing around.

So, "The best camera is the one you have with you," rules applied and I did the best I could.

The low angle light makes for some interesting shots. This is "society garlic," and it is kind of stinky.

Absolutely gorgeous morning today. Air was cool and crisp and sweet. I got started earlier than I have recently and there were no lawn mowers or leaf-blowers, few cars, low angle light. Saw this rabbit and it was quite accommodating with having its picture taken. Then I noticed the other one. It's not uncommon to see rabbits here, though I haven't seen one in quite a while. Perhaps because I wasn't out early enough.

Overcast today. Uninspiring. Brought along the Oly TG-6 and shot a bunch of frames with the "Grainy Film" filter, might put a couple up at Flickr.

This caught my eye. Used the OM-5 with the 14-150. SOOC.

Mostly this is to verify the workflow again. It's installed where the AppleScript calls it, and I've already checked to see if it moved the image to the correct folder, and it did. The real test will be in 2025, but at least I'm not getting any errors.

I'll be working in the Blog Test Platform TBX today. I have a few Buckaroo Banzai gifs that I'd like to post from time to time, so I'm going to borrow an idea from Jack Baty and see if I can get that set up in the BTP today and then bake it into the marmot.

Guess that's about it for now.

The weather's been crap, so I haven't taken any pics, and I didn't want to write about Automator, which I both love and despise, and, oh what it might have been.

Anyway, I was thinking about the E-M10 Mk4 the other day because I'd just ordered another copy of the lens that I shot this image with. ("Never end a sentence with a preposition," I hear Mrs. Peretta in my head, every time.) It's the mZuiko 45mm/f1.8 prime.

I just got another black copy from KEH.COM for about a third less than I could get a new one from OMDS. I have a silver one, which is what I used for this shot, that I bought in January, 2012. (I paid $3.99 for faster shipping. Pre-Prime I guess.) I bought a black one back in 2021, which I gave to my son with the E-M10 Mk4. I bought it for the E-M10, because a silver lens on an all-black body looks dumb.

The silver one looks fine on all of my PEN cameras, I shot that pic with the PEN-F. (Northern Ireland, April 2018)

Since I used "Sparks Joy" on the last post in February, I didn't want to use it again so soon. But this lens does exactly that. It's a tiny thing, not as long as your thumb, smaller than a shot glass. 90mm effective focal length, into the telephoto range. At f1.8 it's very bright (and just don't start with the "equivalence" bullshit), and at that focal length, when you get near your subject, you get excellent background separation. I won't speak to the quality of the bokeh (or the "toneh"), well, actually I will. It's excellent.

Anyway, I wanted another black one for the OM-5, which is all black. The combination makes for a very small setup. Unobtrusive. You can get some great shots.

I've got the 45mm/f1.2 which is by all measures a vastly superior lens. But it's also bigger and heavier. You're not going to get away with slyly grabbing a candid. When that honking barrel swings your way, you notice. It's not huge by any measure, and by full frame standards, it's positively petite. But it's big enough that I'm much more comfortable shooting with it on the bigger bodies with a substantial grip, which makes the whole thing a much more imposing proposition.

Which is why the 45mm/f1.8 sparks joy. It's just this tiny little thing that punches way above its weight. If I could have only one lens, it'd probably be the 14-150mm super-zoom. Gets me maybe 80% of what I like to shoot. If I could have a 3-lens kit, it'd be the 14-150, the Lumix 20mm/f1.7 (another lens that sparks joy, although it can also break your heart being slow to focus), and the 45mm/f1.8. But I wouldn't be too sad if I could only have one lens and it was any one of those three.

That shot is SOOC ("straight of the camera"). Looking at it on the 27" monitor, I'd probably add some sharpening, but not much, and maybe go with a 3:2 crop. It was bitterly cold that evening, with a stiff wind. A better photographer might have stuck around for some smoother water on the beach and more of a reflection, but I was cold.

The weather's been crap, so I haven't taken any pics, and I didn't want to write about Automator, which I both love and despise, and, oh what it might have been.

Anyway, I was thinking about the E-M10 Mk4 the other day because I'd just ordered another copy of the lens that I shot this image with. ("Never end a sentence with a preposition," I hear Mrs. Peretta in my head, every time.) It's the mZuiko 45mm/f1.8 prime.

I just got another black copy from KEH.COM for about a third less than I could get a new one from OMDS. I have a silver one, which is what I used for this shot, that I bought in January, 2012. (I paid $3.99 for faster shipping. Pre-Prime I guess.) I bought a black one back in 2021, which I gave to my son with the E-M10 Mk4. I bought it for the E-M10, because a silver lens on an all-black body looks dumb.

The silver one looks fine on all of my PEN cameras, I shot that pic with the PEN-F. (Northern Ireland, April 2018)

Since I used "Sparks Joy" on the last post in February, I didn't want to use it again so soon. But this lens does exactly that. It's a tiny thing, not as long as your thumb, smaller than a shot glass. 90mm effective focal length, into the telephoto range. At f1.8 it's very bright (and just don't start with the "equivalence" bullshit), and at that focal length, when you get near your subject, you get excellent background separation. I won't speak to the quality of the bokeh (or the "toneh"), well, actually I will. It's excellent.

Anyway, I wanted another black one for the OM-5, which is all black. The combination makes for a very small setup. Unobtrusive. You can get some great shots.

I've got the 45mm/f1.2 which is by all measures a vastly superior lens. But it's also bigger and heavier. You're not going to get away with slyly grabbing a candid. When that honking barrel swings your way, you notice. It's not huge by any measure, and by full frame standards, it's positively petite. But it's big enough that I'm much more comfortable shooting with it on the bigger bodies with a substantial grip, which makes the whole thing a much more imposing proposition.

Which is why the 45mm/f1.8 sparks joy. It's just this tiny little thing that punches way above its weight. If I could have only one lens, it'd probably be the 14-150mm super-zoom. Gets me maybe 80% of what I like to shoot. If I could have a 3-lens kit, it'd be the 14-150, the Lumix 20mm/f1.7 (another lens that sparks joy, although it can also break your heart being slow to focus), and the 45mm/f1.8. But I wouldn't be too sad if I could only have one lens and it was any one of those three.

That shot is SOOC ("straight of the camera"). Looking at it on the 27" monitor, I'd probably add some sharpening, but not much, and maybe go with a 3:2 crop. It was bitterly cold that evening, with a stiff wind. A better photographer might have stuck around for some smoother water on the beach and more of a reflection, but I was cold.

Mitzi and I went to another talk in the Florida Forum series on Monday. Same series that we saw Woz at last month. She drove, so I shot this with my iPhone from the window of our car. It's a pretty skyline in the golden hour.

We went to hear retired Admiral James Stavridis. He lives not far from here, in Ponte Vedra Beach. I've been reading or listening to Jim Stavridis for almost 50 years (48 or 49, I don't recall if he was Brigade Commander first or second set.)

Before there was blogging, there were journals. Jim was always getting published in Proceedings, the journal of the United States Naval Institute. I can recall that he was very highly regarded at the academy, which is saying something. He went on to a very long and distinguished career, including Supreme Commander of NATO. A little bit goes a long way with Jim, and you're never going to get just "a little bit" of Stavridis. He does seem to like to hear himself talk.

As I suppose I do, as I "hear myself" as I'm writing.

Anyway, it was a good talk. He threaded some very fine needles in commenting on current events in the Middle East and in domestic politics. He was on the short list for VP if Hillary was elected according to some friends who know him. Maybe it was SECDEF. I can't see a guy with no domestic political experience being a running mate. SECDEF makes more sense, so maybe I'm mis-remembering. But that gives you an idea kind of which way he leans.

Basically, he took the audience around the globe and talked about "challenges and opportunities for leadership," and it was mainly geopolitical. Nothing really about climate. Nothing about uncontrolled growth and system overshoot. Which is fine. Not exactly in his wheelhouse, so to speak.

He had some things to say to the audience about how they might help. "Read more." Well, it's an expensive talk, (a fund-raiser for Wolfson Children's Hospital) so the audience that perhaps really needs to be encouraged to read more probably wasn't in the seats that night. "Listen to each other," was the other. Yeah, I don't know about that one. People don't "listen," around here, so much as "wait to speak." So maybe the advice was good, but I don't think anyone heard it.

He had some kind things to say about Jacksonville, which was polite, I suppose. Although he called Jacksonville natives "Jacksonians," and I've never hear them referred to that way. It's either the neologism "Jaxsons" or "Jacksonvillians." His wife is a native, so that was kind of an inexplicable slip.

He said that people are "so nice" here. But it's Florida, a part of the former Confederacy and "southern" nice is a different kind of nice than, say, New York nice. New Yorkers may be abrasive, but there's seldom hostility; and if there is, it's right in your face.

This is "bless your heart" country. The myth of the genteel ways of "Old Dixie," dies hard. They'll smile to your face, but stab you in the back in a heartbeat, and do so gladly. And it won't be "personal." It'll just be one of two things: business or politics. But, "nothing personal."

Also bear in mind that Florida is really two states. One Florida is of and for the privileged, mainly white but all relatively wealthy people. The other Florida is the ignored. The people in the margins. The poor, immigrants, people who aren't cis-gendered. The people Florida's generation-long Republican rule won't expand Medicaid for.

They used to be just "the ignored." Now, under DeSantis and Republicans like Randy Fine and Dean Black, they're the openly attacked. So, yeah, if you're among the privileged, I suppose people seem nice.

All of that "southern hospitality" and "civility" was a mask for one of the most brutal cultures in history.

Which I think is why hate has found such a welcome home here. It never left. It's not Jim Crow pervasive yet.

But give it a chance, and it will be.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 07:02 Thursday, 29 February 2024

Another shot from yesterday morning. Wood storks are just amazing to me. They're huge in the air, and they look almost prehistoric on the ground.

On the last part of my walk when I do the 3.25 mile loop, I'm headed south, so everything in front of me is pretty backlit. I thought it worked for the feathers. This is at 150mm (300mm effective on a full frame body), so I could have tightened up the framing with the 75-300. But I wouldn't have gotten something like this with a normal zoom, like the 12-45. That's an ibis on its right. There were quite a few different wading birds all next to each other.