Panasonic Lumix 35-100mm f/2.8 Mk II is here

 In 2012, I bought the Panasonic GH3 and the Lumix X 35-100mm f/2.8 in order to get started with micro Four-Thirds.  It was a rough start.

The GH3 EVF had the wrong color and the 35-100mm f/2.8 was subject to horrible flare with the lens hood in place and the sun out of the frame.  The OIS also had terrible stutter during video recording, even after a specific firmware update.

 

Besides that, it just didn't measure up to the US$1400 price or my Olympus ZD SHG 35-100mm f/2.0.   $1400 vs $2499 makes it seem as though the Panasonic lens was priced too high.  It took time to come to terms with micro Four-Thirds but I was using the system most days in 2015 and 2016.

Today, January 15, 2026, I received a used Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 Mk II.  I spent about US$500 on it.  The Panasonic G97 isn't as big as the GH4 that I was using daily but it has similar capabilities and IBIS (in-body image stabilization) that the GH4 did not have.  With most Panasonic lenses using OIS (optical image stabilization), they will be combined in what Panasonic calls Dual I.S.  I considered the Panasonic 135 Format 70-200mm f/2.8 instead but it's over US$2000.

 

Ugly flare with sun out of frame 

The second photo was taken with the sun out of frame, similar to the first, but look, there is no ugly flare.  Hopefully, it's not just that it was later in the day.

 I took the lens for walk of about 5 miles.  It feels like the earlier lens and it also felt surprisingly like a brand new lens.  Considering that it was used and coming from a rental company, I feel that my choice was good.

 

Color cast is non-existant.  I'll see if I can do a video test because I've been told that the OIS stutter still exists, even in the Leica-branded lens.  I hope it's been eliminated. 

Mozilla Monitor and removing your personal information from the internet

 Since time began, people have been trying to get the most out of someone else's misery.

I remember people saying that J. Edgar Hoover (head of the FBI and a cross-dresser supposedly), had a file on each of us.  I didn't doubt it.  While we live in a free country, it has rules and spies.  Mrs. Pyle down the street from my grandmother used to feed me cookies and milk to learn all the secrets of my grandmother's household.  My grandmother did the same thing.  Spies were everywhere.

 A little over a year ago, I bought an annual plan for Mozilla Monitor to remove my information, as much as was possible.  The thing is, once it's out there, it isn't easily removed and there is always another to take advantage of your situation.

 Mozilla Monitor found my information in loads of places and sent requests to remove the information.  For each one completed, another two or three would arise.  It's like pulling weeds.

A few weeks ago, they renewed my subscription.  About a week later, they sent an e-mail to tell me that they were discontinuing the service.  I asked when I would get my refund, and they said that it would wait until the service was discontinued, about 3.5 weeks later.

 I got an e-mail from them after that to enter my PayPal information.  I don't have PayPal.  They sent that by mistake, apparently, and they sent me another form to enter my banking information.  They HAD my banking information when they took my money. 

It looks like a scam to clear out my bank account.  I never expected Mozilla to be so sloppy.  I'm not usually so protective but these days, it feels as though trust is also a commodity in short supply. 

Solo Leveling: Arise another month gone, 2 years on the horizon

 It doesn't seem that long but the other day, I was finding when I only had three Hunters and was struggling every time I played.

 The 16.0 live was just a few hours ago and you'll find the codes here, if you didn't watch.

More changes have been added and you'll see them when you enter the game.  The game is still a bit broken on Windows.

 They pushed my character level up twice, but I didn't really notice the maximum.  It's usually extended outward, as well.

Nothing much has changed with the hosts.

 

Happy holidays!

 

Update 2026.01.09:  I forgot to mention something.  I followed the seasonal story and it got the family to the shore to watch the sunrise, which is a typical Korean New Year's Day outing.  That was such a Korean thing to do.  Thanks to the developers for including that. 

Have You Played Where Winds Meet?

 Have you tried this game?

 I've been playing off-and-on for a few days and I'm starting to understand the complicated battle strategy.  Button mashers beware!

The developers, the artists, and everyone putting the game together have put their best into it.  It's obvious that they've worked hard on it.

 

The worst thing I've seen is the reaction to it.  People try to categorize it.  Don't!  It does so many things and you can do so many things that you should just enjoy it.  One moment, I'm in a battle.  The next moment, I'm solving puzzles.  That sounds like Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves but it doesn't feel anything like those.  I even saw something about building a house.

I've been playing a bunch of games from China, South Korea, and Japan.  However, it's surprising to me that I'm seeing or hearing some of the same places mentioned.

I seem to find that playing one game that leads to another gives me a versatile viewpoint and I can switch to another game and find my way more quickly.  Then, I can return to the earlier games and solve problems that gave me headaches. 

This game has a Solo episode to start.  Apparently, there are co-op episodes.  It's funny how it feels a bit like real life.  However, I never thought that I'd play Mah Jong as a dog, but that has happened.  One thing I did was to activate all of the teleport/fast travel locations as soon as possible.  Trying to find the resources to finish a quest may require something far away.

 Hopefully, I can make some progress.  I've been spinning my wheels a bit on Wuthering Waves because the ability to level up the 5-star characters is a bit much using 4-star characters.  Solo Leveling: Arise is still interesting.  Finishing the stories can sometimes be too easy, especially since I've been playing from the first day.

Upgrading weapons and armour in WWM can require additional resources. 

 

 I haven't seen a need to buy anything.  I usually don't, but I did it for a while with Solo Leveling: Arise.  It made sense for a while.  However, WWM is something new and whether I will last or it will last are yet to be determined.  They supposedly had over 250,000 players on Steam at one time, but the average is lower.

 

There is a test of ascension via combat. Making it past level 20 is the trick right now.  I missed some snakes and was defeated.

Update 2025.12.14: Got through the ascension test and I'm at level 25 now.  I would tell you about what's happened but all I can say is that I'm not going to Kaifeng City yet. 

Oh, a couple of hours later, I'm at level 31 and had another ascension (breakthrough) test.  It's still weird seeing/hearing Qinghe because that's been mentioned in two other games I've played.  I've been able to tie up some loose ends and finish quests.

 

 

They sent me a survey request and I was pleased that the survey was so precise.  They asked me if I had any other suggestions and I mentioned that I'd like the iPad version to be modified to work on Mac, as Wuthering Waves is. 

 

Update 2025.12.16: I finished another breakthrough last night.  This time, it used the mausoleum trials.   I wonder if I finish trials levels 3-5 early, if it will help.  The latest only grants access to levels 50-55.

According to Steam, I have got 8 of 34 achievements.

Draining a lake was interesting. 

Update 2025.12.18: I have another breakthrough/ascension test to handle.  At this rate, I should be at level 1300 by next year (with only two weeks remaining) as long as I can surpass the tests.  I never expected that my knowledge of Daoism, Buddhism, and astronomy would be helpful in a game.

I'm not as slick with the battles and I have one battle with an angry woman in the lowest level and she isn't about to  be beaten.

Update 2025.12.24: This game is a bit of everything and should be game of the year.  It requires so much of a player, as it calls on knowledge that westerners might not have, and some extra keyboard combinations (macro time?) that I don't have in muscle memory.

 It's beautiful and sometimes disgusting, but you can see that the artists went 100% to get the look and sound that make you feel something.  Then again, I'm seeing a lot of that in the free-to-play games.

Panasonic G97 is here

I bought a Panasonic G97 and received it yesterday.  Previously, I've had the GH3, GH4, GX8, and GM5 micro Four-Thirds models from Panasonic, plus the Olympus E-M1.  Of all those, I've only kept the GM5.

The GM5 is a tiny marvel of a camera body, but it doesn't have much to offer but its size.  While it is quick and easy, it's sometimes frustrating.  The G97 is a bit like a GH4.5--a hybrid hybrid camera body.

The GH4 was known as the best camera for 4K video under US$10,000 when it was new.  However, it was a bit under-powered and lost focus occasionally when shooting video at 1080p. Add to that the original Lumix X 35-100mm f/2.8 that had a myriad of problems from OIS stutter to severe lens flare and the combination seemed a good reason to throw it far away.

The G97 is more powerful, but has to shoot 4K30p video at a crop.  It can also shoot 1080p video at 120 fps, but it isn't the greatest.  That's a shame.

The 5 stop IBIS is good, especially at the US$849 price point.  When you combine it with a lens that has Mega OIS or Power OIS, things become better, as the Dual I.S. combines the stabilization.  The viewfinder is another surprise at this level.  You can get an OLED display at 0.74x magnification, which is the same as the GH4 has. 

First impressions

After charging some batteries (without the USB cable and AC adapter that they don't include), I took the G97 and some lenses for a walk.   The body is very small, even though the controls are the same size as the GH7 and G9 Mk II.  Then again, I found the GH4 small, and it wasn't quite large enough for a good balance with some of my Four-Thirds Olympus lenses.

Controls on the top are in the same place as the GH4 but controls on the back are not.  Labeling is very different but it seems as Panasonic wanted to push flexibility and allow buttons to be re-mapped.  I tend to use controls as they come from the factory.

The internal structure of the G97 may not be as strong and light as the GH4, but it feels just as sturdy.  Using aluminium and steel instead of magnesium alloy works just as well and costs less.  I was surprised to learn that the G80/G85 and G90/G95 were weather-sealed.  Having photographed in hurricanes and sports events where rain was sudden, I want to feel comfortable that my equipment can handle it.

 There are a couple of settings I change right away.  I turn off the Beep.  I set the photo style to natural and the file to Raw.  I usually set the focus point to pin-point but I set it to Face Detection, although I wonder if it's a combination of two settings to make face detection work.  On the GH4, it was a disaster compared to the Olympus E-M1.  I want to learn if this version of Face Detection works.

Walking at night makes for difficult photography.  Film cameras didn't work well, especially when film was rated at ASA(ISO) 100 or even 400.  Sensors in 2004 weren't that good.  In 2012, I was photographing regularly at  ISO 1600 or even 3200.  In 2025, it's less of a problem.  Sensors have become better and image processing has become much better. Having strong IBIS can save a situation that a tripod can't.  I can hear how hard the IBIS is working to keep things steady.  The EVF can show me things that my eyes (or an optical viewfinder) can't see in the dark.

The camera body didn't let me down.  I'm sure I still have settings to find to fine tune my experience.  However, the G97 is quite capable, and coming from the GH4, etc., it's an easy transition.  Contrast that to my occasional frustration with the S5 Mk II and S-series lenses.  Auto Focus locks quickly and the shutter engages quickly.  In the dark, AF goes down to EV -4, just like the GH4.  There are only 49 AF areas, just like the GH4, but it works well so far in stills mode.  I doubt that DFD on video is any better than it was.

The 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS lens that came as part of the kit seems good. At 5x reach, it's the longest zoom kit lens for micro Four-Thirds.  The FoV is like a 24-120mm lens on a 135 Format camera.  On the S5 Mk II, the kit lens was 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 without OIS, which seems strange for a lens of around US$600.  The Dual I.S. was activated and I'm sure that I got shots that wouldn't have been usable otherwise.

IBIS on Four-Thirds was not very good.  I had the Olympus E-5 and couldn't tell that the IBIS was working.  My best lenses were heavy.  On micro Four-Thirds, Olympus had IBIS and Panasonic had OIS.  Of course, they would not work together.  If they had, micro Four-Thirds would have been more compelling.  IBIS in the G97 is not Panasonic's finest, being about the same as the GH5 but the Dual I.S. functionality extends that stabilization, much like Sync IS works on Olympus equipment and makes it possible to get shots handheld that were never possible.  Back in the film days, I remember standing against a tree or a wall to get certain shots when light was scarce.

Firmware updates

Naturally, it's a good idea to have your equipment up-to-date and when I was photographing sports most every day, I'd be ready.  Both the body and the 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens needed updates.  As well, I checked my other lenses and my Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7 got an update back in 2022.  It's the lens I use the most on the GM5. 

Update 2025.11.15: It's been about a month since I've had the G97.  Using the lenses I have, it's worked well.  I ordered the Panasonic/Leica 9mm f/1.7 just a couple of weeks before the G97.  Both are on the Amazon 5 payments plan.

I already had the 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Mega OIS lens with the GM5.  It's a collapsible kit lens that does an amazing job at a tiny size.  When I bought the GM5, I also bought the 42.5mm f/1.7 Power OIS lens.  The other Panasonic lens was the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7.  I also have three Olympus lenses: 25mm f/1.8, 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6, and the 8mm f/8 (almost) fisheye lens cap lens.

Since I don't have reach past (135 Format) 300mm, I bought a 2.2x screw-on tele-converter for a 58mm filter thread.  It should be good enough for a while.  I noticed on Amazon that the Panasonic/Leica 100-400mm f/4.0-6.3 Mk II version is available on 5 payments.  That will change by the time I'm ready.  That lens will give me a 135 Format effective 800mm reach, and you can use a tele-converter for even further reach.  However, that tele-converter is a bright light solution.

Update 2026.01.12: I was at the Korean church where I go sometimes and I was trying to photograph something with the Panasonic S5 Mk II and the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6.  It was quite good, except that the slow aperture indoors was strangely too much for the scene and I didn't feel like pushing the ISO sensitivity so high.  It's strange because I had just photographed the supermoon without a problem.  I couldn't hold it steady and the Dual I.S. just wasn't enough to compensate.

Today, I decided to rectify the problem with a lens for the G97: the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 Mk II.  It's not the Lumix X (blech!) version and not the current Panasonic/Leica version and I got it for about US$500.  Hopefully, Very Good condition means very good. For half of the price of the Panasonic/Leica version, it's very good.

In my opinion, it's a bit too small and relies too much on software corrections.  It has a 58mm filter size vs a 77mm filter size for the Olympus ZD SHG 35-100mm f/2.0 lens.  The Lumix X (1st version) was sufficient in most cases, but when it was bad, it was a POS.  I'm hoping that the revision will be satisfactory.  The G97 will work with it to employ Dual I.S. to get a stabilized shot, even in lower light situations. 

Affinity 3.0 or Canva/Affinity?

 It's been 40 years since I first saw Serif Publisher.  At the same time, I saw Timeworks Publisher, Ventura Publisher, and Adobe PageMaker.  I ended up using Calamus on the Atari ST but I became familiar with practically any available graphics software and even designed some of my own.

Today, Affinity announced that they are combining everything into one application, including Canva AI.  You can mix things a bit through Personas, but I don't know if it's going to be so capable.   What I know of all-in-one graphics software is that it has never worked well enough.

 I'm skeptical but I don't have any huge projects.  After the announcement that they were to be acquired last year, it was obvious that changes were on the way.  If you want the Premium version, there is a subscription, as I understand that there has been with Canva.

For typical users, it's free.  When upgrades are available, what will happen? 

Update  2025.11.18: I downloaded the Windows version.  They actually had four different downloads and  I downloaded one of the x64 versions.  Hopefully, I got the correct one.

In any case, it's installed and I took a look at the first tutorial, which was way too small to be useful.

I tried to bring up a raw photo that I had and tried to re-size it after expanding the application's window.  The frame for the photo went one way and the image stayed where it started when I tried to increase the magnification past 25%.  Maybe, it will be ready in a few months.

 Unfortunately, going back to Affinity Photo didn't work.  I still have the version 2.x Affinity applications on my Mac, and Affinity Photo worked on that machine just fine. 

Update 2025.12.19: Got the first update and it looks better.  I'll make an effort to test and hopefully, I'll be able to transition to the new application. 

Solo Leveling: Arise 1.5 year anniversary on the way

 The latest live stream was almost two hours.

 

You will see the codes, of course.  There are new Hunters and new Weapons.   There is a collaboration with Frieren.

In November, there will be a 1.5 year celebration.

How is everyone keeping up with all of the changes?  I feel as though I play regularly, but not as much.  I have characters at level 115 and a few weapons at level 120, with more at level 110.  Most of the skills are at level 7, and the level within Armory is level 7.  Finding resources is the main thing still.  I tried to keep everything balanced.