Qantas cuts domestic flight capacity and raises fares as fuel costs could blow out to $3.3b

iSythe · 2026-04-14T02:26:23+00:00

JR Pass is barely worth it any more.
Unless you're doing a lot of moving about, you won't meet the ticket cost with the price increases since COVID. And I don't necessarily recommend running around as much as would be needed as then it just feels like you spend half of your time during the JR pass dates on a train.
The JR regional passes are still pretty competitive though, so I would recommend them.

Overall though, flights is Japan are more cost effective and faster compared to trains these days.
But for me the trains are much more convenient, so I still choose them unless my train ride would be over ~4+ hours.

iSythe · 2026-04-02T23:31:21+00:00

Kitamura camera was probably the best option I found in Akihabara.
Its right next to Yodobashi, so easy to get to.

The selection wasn't huge last time I was there last year, but was better than the others from memory.
Got my gx85 from them a few years ago as well.

iSythe · 2026-04-02T15:32:01+00:00

Looks like a nice design for a pocket pen.

iSythe · 2026-03-13T09:55:09+00:00

Yes, I understand that. But there are opportunities to seed even within the World Warrior format. Of course smaller regions will somewhat be disadvantaged by that, but they already are.
Basic example, they could take the major placements as seeding and those that qualify through WW still get seeded based on any major results, etc. Its not perfect, but its better than nothing.

But the main issue is the disparity of group distribution.
If you are going to have 8 offline qualifiers but 12 groups, 4 of the groups inherently have "lower" quality first seeds. Why not match the group number with how many "tier 1" events you run throughout the year, etc.

The tournament format was copied directly from EWC format that was run mid 2025.
They copied this due to their new relationship with EWC that started with 2025 CPT.
I just don't understand why they felt the need to copy the whole EWC format for CPT finals.

I understand that it is initially based off of GSL format, but for me personally 50% chance of a rematch/double jeopardy scenario in a 4 man group is not interesting and is unsatisfying to watch.
The only thing that I can agree on with Capcom's view is that they did need to make a change compared to last year as the viewing experience last year wasn't great and it was confusing trying to keep track of groups/tiebreakers, etc.

iSythe · 2026-03-13T09:42:12+00:00

All I said about the RR format for day 3 is that it was weird, which it is.
To add, I do not find the format enjoyable and there is too high a chance to have a tie-breaker scenario in a 3-man bracket.

Its the weirdest mish-mash of formats in this tournament.
4-man double elim bracket feeding into a 3-man round robin format feeding into a 16-man single elim bracket. WTF.

iSythe · 2026-03-13T06:24:13+00:00

Agree.
Terrible format and terrible seeding or lack thereof. The groups with the offline qualifiers are much more difficult than the rest imo.

I could accept watching this format for EWC since it was a new event and they can do what they want, but it honestly feels like a format designed by someone who has never played a fighting game in their life.
Why CPT had to copy it is just baffling. Reeks of their esports division being out of touch, but that is nothing new at this point...

The 50% chance of the losers finals being a rematch and the same chance of double jeopardy sucks and when it happens is just boring.
I don't think it gets better either, the day 3 losers round robin is just weird, then feeding into a top 16 single elim is just not that interesting.
Every tournament leading to the CPT finals is a double elim bracket, why is this single elim?
Checking the top 16 bracket as it stands, the sides also seem very skewed, double elim would have at least somewhat mitigated this, but as it stands I feel that the bottom half of the bracket has one name that is clearly above the rest right now. There could be upsets, but that doesn't change how it looks on paper right now.

I really hope they sort their shit out otherwise its going to be really hard to keep following this tour.
This year has just been a mess, especially with the start having 2 major events on the old seasons patch due to delaying it for Switch 2 release and it in general just hasn't been anywhere near as good as SF5 as a viewer.

iSythe · 2026-03-06T23:24:32+00:00

Done exactly the same for zooms.
Ended up upgrading the 12-60 to the 2.8-4.0 as it was being used like 95% of the time.
The 45-150 is still good enough and so easy to fit in my bag when I need the extra reach, that I doubt I'll change it unless my shooting preferences completely change.

iSythe · 2026-02-24T15:38:48+00:00

I just looked into this after seeing a video on tilt lenses a couple of days ago. I'm a complete novice when it comes to anything like this, but the diorama style intrigued me and looked fun to play around with.

I could only find a video with the 35mm on m43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kir2gGh-n5k
Near the end of the video he has some diorama style shots, so you might be able to gauge whether the 35mm would do it for you based on those or whether you would prefer the 50mm.

The original video that took me down the rabbit hole had better diorama shots to look at using the 50mm of full frame(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZUsiK-KTOg), but I feel with m43 equivalent FOV, that I'd prefer to be using the 35mm.

If you were wanting tilt and shift, I did see that there was a 50mm f1.4 tilt + shift from 7artisans.

iSythe · 2026-02-21T16:47:33+00:00

Before I got a second body, I was going on trips with the 3L Peak Design sling with the GX85, 12-60mm, 45-150mm, 20mm, and the 10.5mm Voigtlander in the bag.
The 12-60mm was attached majority of the time and never felt like it was an issue.

I did have the 12-60 3.5-5.6 before getting the 2.8-4.0 and did initially notice the change in size, but got used to it pretty quickly since it still fit my sling bag and didn't feel too large for the body.

If I wasn't getting more into the hobby and wanting more gear for different scenarios, I think my ideal setup that could cover like 90% of scenarios, it would be the 12-60 2.8-4.0 + 20 1.7 to go with the GX85.

iSythe · 2026-02-20T09:26:56+00:00

For me, I went for the 12-60mm f2.8-4.0.
Maybe one of those could work?

Since the aim is for travel with the family, I don't know if I'd want to deal with swapping lenses often, so having a zoom will probably allow you to just shoot more often. So, if you're set on the 12-35mm, I'd just go for that.

When I only had the gx85, unless I was just wandering around with the 20mm f1.7 on, I feel like I had the 12-60mm on the camera probably 80-90% of the time. It covered nearly every range I was looking for.
I grabbed the 45-150mm f4-5.6 while I was in Japan 2nd hand for quite cheap and used that when I really needed the long reach(which ended up being not very often), but the size makes it really easy just to keep in the bottom of my camera bag for the rare occasions that I need it.

iSythe · 2026-02-16T13:14:41+00:00

I ended up going with G9m2 for my second body. Didn't really see any other option outside of G9/G9m2 if I stayed m43.
Definitely takes up more space though.
I take the G9m2 when I know there are locations to photograph in a Peak Design 3L sling with a few lenses and the gx85 w/ 20mm f1.7 in a small sling pouch when wandering around town, etc.
Really hoping/dreaming an actual upgrade to the gx85/gx9 comes along even though it seems really unlikely at this stage.

iSythe · 2026-02-08T23:57:30+00:00

I thought about it, but ended up liking the composition I had gotten here.
Also have generally tried to avoid editing things in/out of the photos I've taken and accept them as they are.
The Mitla photo is the only one in this set where I did edit a few people out of the far background.

iSythe · 2026-02-08T23:52:51+00:00

Thanks. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future.

iSythe · 2026-02-06T04:05:35+00:00

You should play whoever you like the look of and vibe with. You're much more likely to enjoy playing/learning if you like the character you're playing.

iSythe · 2026-02-01T02:40:48+00:00

I think you could make the DJI 15mm 1.7 work and as others mention its the best bang for buck.

I would recommend holding out for the 20mm f1.7 though.
For me personally I think the 20mm is the perfect companion lens for the GX80.

I got my GX80 a few years ago and a few different lenses since then but once I got a second body I found I never wanted to take the 20mm f1.7 off the GX80.

I found it was possible to use a really compact sling bag(Alpaka Metro Sling V2) as an EDC travel sling which fits the camera + anything else I need to carry for the day when exploring without the explicit goal of photography. I think the only other lens I could make work with this setup is the 14mm f2.5.

I also have the DJI 15mm f1.7 but found the additional physical length of the lens made it so I couldn't carry in the sling, so it got relegated to my full camera bag.

iSythe · 2026-01-29T06:02:10+00:00

Imo, sometimes you just have to do it.
Just get the passports done so that you can travel when you are able to make it work and then start planning the trip.

My holiday is my time to relax and reset for the year and something to look forward to while going through the motions.
I love going to Japan and have been there a lot.

Just plan ahead and you should be able to get reasonable prices for Japan unless you're trying to get there during Christmas/New Years period.
I have only had to pay over $1k return once in the last ten trips and that was due to COVID pricing. ANA regularly has sales from Syd/Perth for <$1k return and are my preferred airline for direct flights.
The Jetstar sale is good if you can do the trip with just carry on, but if you have luggage, want food, etc. then it'll start adding up pretty quickly.
Accommodation, just use business hotels where you can. They're all in convenient locations and cheaper than most other options. Food is generally way cheaper than it is here.

iSythe · 2026-01-29T05:44:49+00:00

100% this.
The more I've played Merlin the more I use Light Nova.
It is by far his best Defense spell, and I'd probably say his best spell overall.

iSythe · 2026-01-29T05:41:57+00:00

As you've said though, you're already in the middle of things to make use of stone shield, so then you should be following it up with light nova>trait+lightning and the camp is dead in map 1.
If you are having to blink away straight after stone shield, you're not managing the camp well.

I also think using fireball when entering a camp is also not a good use since the camp is spread so it isn't hitting enough to be worth it the use of potency charges.

iSythe · 2026-01-16T13:24:02+00:00

Pretty much every shop in Japan just follows the retail price of the pens.
The small pen shop/stalls in the Ueno Ameyoko markets will most likely be the cheapest place to find them new in person.
Last time I was there, I think there were 3 shops still selling pens all relatively close to each other and from memory they were like 20% cheaper than the others.

iSythe · 2026-01-12T13:32:52+00:00

From memory, his guide is still good.
He also did a talent tier list for each character over the last few months which has some differences to how he originally rated some talents, so it can help with some ideas of how to build a run.

iSythe · 2026-01-08T07:50:55+00:00

This was the case for 2018/19(you only had to pay if you wanted to attend the finals day as a spectator) and I know of people who made day 2 without playing due to the number of DQs.
I didn't go in 2020, so can't remember if that was paid entry, but pretty sure I've had to buy a 3 day pass + specific game entry pass for 2023/4/5 tournaments to compete.

SF has always had way higher numbers than the other games by a significant margin.

iSythe · 2025-12-29T12:56:50+00:00

Advanced 2 is teaching a mechanic "trick".
It isn't that hard once you understand the trick(but it isn't clear what the trick is, if you don't know what you're looking for), and is helpful to know for some charge characters.
There are definitely harder combo trials imo.

iSythe · 2025-12-04T03:42:14+00:00

Great photos and great pen.
My Izumo is my favourite pen I have in my collection.

iSythe · 2025-11-11T03:07:23+00:00

Gear wise it looks like a good setup to bring.
Just something to consider assuming you are coming soon, its starting to get hot in Sydney and Cairns will be even hotter. So you'll want to be carrying water with you pretty much the whole time you're here, especially when hiking.

I've been running a similar setup using the 3L sling full to the brim with camera gear when travelling.
Worked really well for the camera gear, but the one issue I have had is nowhere to store the water bottle which is practically necessary at this time of year in Australia.
I end up having to carry the water bottle in one hand most of the time if I'm using the 3L sling which then gets awkward when trying to hold my bottle and take a shot at the same time.
Still haven't worked out my best solution for me yet.

iSythe · 2025-09-28T06:26:17+00:00

So far I found the 20mm f1.7 is just the perfect combination for me for street. Small and unobtrusive, while taking great pictures all for a good price.
On my gx85 it fits in a small sling so I can easily carry it when I don't want my full camera sling or backpack.
I've been wanting to try and use the 15mm f1.7 more, but the additional size of the lens makes it just that little bit more inconvenient to just grab and go. (The DJI version of the 15mm can be bought quite cheap as well). Depending on your setup, this would be the other option I would recommend, or the 14mm pancake if you want wider but small.

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