2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan has taken an interesting alternative route: a high-quality compact with zoom lens. I am sure that he will share his experiences soon.

I will start on a conservative note: If you are looking for the ultimate image quality, a full-frame camera with a set of meticulously selected lenses is something no-one can beat. The point is, a DSLR is just too heavy. The camera and proper lenses (chosen for intended type of travel photography on a specific route) will take a separate pannier, for example Ortlieb Bike-Packer with Ortlieb Camera Ulimate Insert. Although it can be done, it is a highly impractical way and only a dedicated photographer would take the pain.

An alternative is a most modern "mirrorless" full frame such as Sony A7R IV, again, with a set of interchangeable lenses. Unfortunately, such a system is incredibly expensive; yet its weight is 2/3 to half of a comparable DSLR one.

My gf uses the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 "bridge" camera which in fact is a Leica in a differently painted housing at half the price. The camera with its 24-400 mm (equivalent) zoom lens, excellent ergonomics and high image quality is something I could recommend to anyone. Yes, it weighs as much as a lightweight DSLR camera (up to 900 grammes) but you need to carry no extra lens with it, and the 400 mm focal length end is just amazing. Think about this camera, David: It will fit in your handlebar bag, and the price is just great.

I'm disappointed with the Sony RX100 VII compact camera a little bit. Two things that make it a great camera are its super light weight (300 g pocketable, 400 g with a jacket case) and the 24-200 mm (equivalent) zoom lens. However, such light weight and strong zoom come at some price, not only with money terms but also with handling:

• The handling of the RX100 is very poor. There are many tiny buttons and knobs at the back of the camera that may be inadvertently pressed or rotated, resulting in unacceptable parameter change, especially when you are on the move
• The LCD screen is dim, especially in bright sunshine
• Lack of a proper lens hood often results in images damaged by diffraction
• The lens produces a high amount of purple fringing in high contrast scenes
• The RAW (ARW) files come with "flat" preset (no embedded camera info how the picture should look like an out-of-camera JPG), making it hard to post-process them.

The verdict is "don't". Yes, the RX100 can be carried on a strap for the whole day long but the high price and obvious shortcomings make it a poor choice. The Panasonic FZ1000 is far superior.

Image Samples

Full-frame DSLR

Pentax K-1 with a lightweight 1975 Asahi Pentax 135 mm f/2.5 telephoto lens. All manual. (London 2019).

My gf and her big brother in Brixton London 2019. Pentax K-1 with a 1975 50 mm f/1.4 lightweight lens. All manual. Note great detail and tones.

Pentax K-1. Photo taken near to Maryon Park in London (famous of the "Blowup" 1966 movie by Michelangelo Antonioni). September 2019.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000

On the Thames, September 2019.

On the Thames, September 2019.

HMS Belfast, September 2019.

On the Charles Bridge, Prague, March 2020. All samples developed from RAW files.

Sony RX100 VII

Canoeing on Liwiec, June 2020.

Considering a downhill ride, June 2020.

The monastery in Loretto, June 2020.

St Giles (św. Idzi) church in Wyszków, June 2020.

 

[RabH]

Audaces Fortuna Iuvat (Rivers Liwiec & Bug, Off-Road)

Fortune favours the bold. All weather forecasts promised violent, Belarussian thunderstorms to occur throughout Poland on Sunday.

You sure got lucky staying dry Stefan, loved reading your story! No ride for me yesterday as we had your thunderstorms all day and more heavy rain today and tomorrow, a few rest days then!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Stefan, thanks for responding.

The Sony A7R (what a camera!) and the Panasonic (so sensible) are tempting. There are plenty of positive comments on various forums. I think it's time to visit a camera shop and take a closer look.

David

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The point with the indeed excellent A7R is it is a complete camera system and custom Sony lenses don't want to be affordable There is even no second-hand market for those lenses!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

The Sony A7R's sensor also has a reputation for being a 'dust magnet' – far more so than other interchangeable lens cameras – which is another reason for considering an all-in-one bridge camera with a super zoom. Tempting!

And another reason for having a proper telephoto rather than a fixed wide-angle lens…

Yellow-faced Whipsnake (Demansia psammophis)​

This afternoon on my way back from Brisbane I ran across this little fella (about 1.2 metres long) sunning itself on the bikeway. It's unlikely that a bite from a whipsnake will kill you, but it will make you wonder why you'd been tempted to stop and take its portrait.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

David, the 400 mm zoom lens in the FZ1000 makes miracles. If you are at the wide end, you can focus down to 1 cm. If you are at the long end, you get the same macro magnification ratio from 1 metre! As Brix (it's the nickname of my gf) is devoted to the macro photography, I was shopping for a proper camera for her for a long time.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. A macro photo taken in Hungary, summer 2019.

Ibidem. Both photos (JPG) have been transferred to a smartphone and processed there with Snapseed app.

 

[Adventum]

David, the 400 mm zoom lens in the FZ1000 makes miracles. If you are at the wide end, you can focus down to 1 cm. If you are at the long end, you get the same macro magnification ratio from 1 metre! As Brix (it's the nickname of my gf) is devoted to the macro photography, I was shopping for a proper camera for her for a long time.
View attachment 56354
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. A macro photo taken in Hungary, summer 2019.

View attachment 56356
Ibidem. Both photos (JPG) have been transferred to a smartphone and processed there with Snapseed app.

Stefan, thanks for the recent "lessons" about photography with bicycles. You have included in your notes much useful information. I like hearing your introduction of the FZ100 camera.

I have gone through several pocketable digital cameras through the years (first one, Canon G1). Each contained more advanced digital and optical technology than its predecessor. My latest is the Canon SX710HS, which I intended especially for shooting on bike rides. Its protected lens and 30X optical zoom were deciding factors. Even with this compact firepower I have found that my choice for rides turns out normally to be the i-phone because this powerful "camera" is so handy and so capable. I never bother with shooting Raw because the native .jpg is completely satisfactory.

I should mention that for those interested in a full-featured, light weight compact camera there are other brands with similar capabilities to the Canon I mention here.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Did you get as far as the Nakamura Barn, or was the obstruction before that?

The obstruction was well south of that, but I backtracked, got on a very steep and muddy dirt road which eventually led my to Hwy 9 (lots of traffic, wide shoulder). I re-connected to the trail in Arlington and made it all the way to the Nakamura Barn, where i again got on Hwy 9 (less traffic but poor sight lines and no shoulder: scary).

Here is the rundown of the closure:

Centennial Trail Repairs (2020) | Snohomish County, WA - Official Website

Completed in 2020 The Centennial Trail between Wade Road and Hilltop Road had to close for several weeks to replace a failed 12-inch culvert with a new 18-inch culvert and a 36-inch culvert with a required 9-foot diameter fish passable culvert. The project also included repaving the trail...

snohomishcountywa.gov

 

[RandallS]

Yesterday's ride around a n area of NW Calgary.

This is from a bike path in an area called McEwan Glen.

I used to live just off to the left (and down a bit - one of the grey roofs) and was coming from my brothers place. I had to help him out with some IT stuff.

Lot's of pathway riding from there - I went from Huntington Hills, to McEwan Glen, to Hidden Valley, to Panorama Hills, to Country Hills/Symons Valley Parkway and back home to Huntington Hills. As you can guess by the community names, there's a bit of up and down. Unfortunately, I have discovered that my smartwatch, a Samsung Gear, doesn't play well with Strava, so the stats are gone.

While over on the escarpment that overlooks the Country Hills Golf course (Panorama Hills), I took this shot.
Way over on the left was where I took the previous pic - my new home location is even further to the left,

Overall, 32Km of paths, hills and sunshine. Lots of people out on bikes as well as walkers.

I got home in time to enjoy a beverage before this hit (picture from front window) - second week in a row for major hail storms.
Last week there was an estimated 1billion $$$ damages to Calgary properties - thankfully for me, none for me.

Over the last few years I've had to find shelter from summer storms - we get some doozies here in the foothills of the Rockies.

I think it's time to get my Strava tracking sorted - it would be better to show the route.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

River crossing …

Moggill Ferry​

Brisbane River seen from ferry.
Ipswich (left); Brisbane (right)​

Thought for the Day: Once you've used a ferry to cross a river, you'll have the road to yourself for at least twenty minutes until the next batch of cars zooms past. (In the direction of travel only, of course.)

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Quite a day (so two posts), first a quick ride to the ferry terminal:

Across Fidalgo Bay on the Tommy Thompson Trail:

The view back towards the mainland:

 

[Mr. Coffee]

After the ferry ride, took the absolute best road on Orcas Island -- Dolphin Bay Road:

Killebrew Lake:

Primo Dolphin Bay Gravel:

Now this is something I don't see every day... Near the Orcas Island Airport:

 

[PatriciaK]

Another spectacular day on Whidbey Island; Another FABulous ride on the La Free!

Stand Up Paddleboarders off Joseph Whidbey State Park beach

Olympic Mountains in the distance

Just under 13 miles today - ran into quitting time traffic at Ault Field (Naval Air Station) and then a bit too much traffic in town, but the rural roads were great!

Getting spoiled with this weather!

 

[Anna]

Caught this fellow on tonight’s ride.

So grateful for quad piston hydraulic brakes!

 

[FlatSix911]

That must have been an interesting ride.

 

[FlatSix911]

Here was my uneventful ride this evening.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So grateful for quad piston hydraulic brakes!

Haha! What's your ride, Anna?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I just want to describe my yesterday's ride in a massive rain No photos, no video, just words! Oh, let me show you a map at least.

There was a massive rainfall throughout Poland on Monday, together with thunderstorms. I got a notification my monthly delivery of Nespresso awaited me in the InPost parcel locker by the local supermarket (the InPost service is the best thing to happen to Poland...) I could drive up there but no. "I didn't buy all that waterproof clothing to not use it! I need a ride!" So I put waterproof trousers, jacket and helmet on and I even put goggles on to protect my glasses against the rain Additionally, I wore water-repellent thick gloves and I rode off with truly waterproof Ortlieb Bike-Packer pannier.

Additional items were my smartphone (tucked to the waterproof jacket pocket) and a folded knife; I knew the 30 Nespresso "bars" would be delivered in a big cardboard box so I needed to be able to repack them into the pannier.

It was some Inferno outside. My yard was full of rainwater. There are many gravel streets in the neighbourhood as the town maintains its "forest" character. The potholes were covered with rainwater. I was so glad to have the 60mm-travel air-shock in my Lovelec now... The front brake failed to perform due to poor adjustment. I had strong lights on the bike because the visibility was next to none. I was riding slowly, fully enjoying warm rain; it was pure fun!

When I reached the supermarket (I took the longer route away from the traffic), the gloves were already fully soaked. It mercifully stopped raining for a short while so I could collect the parcel using my smartphone to unlock the locker. I quickly brought the shipment and the bike into the mall, made the knife-work, repacked coffee into the pannier and rode back home. Another massive rainfall!

I could as well be riding naked... Oh no, the jacket-pocket had protected the smartphone at least! I predicted almost everything except of one thing. There is a street called Główna (Main St.) which is by no means the main one There also is the lowest point of the whole town there, by the cemetery. I rode into a puddle... and rainwater went above my ankles! While I was riding!

That was a short ride that made me extremely happy. Coffee capsules arrived dry.

P.S. Lovelec is a rear-hub motor e-bike. I wonder if a mid-drive motor one could be ridden in deep water...

A 6-km ride. I think the little creek flooded.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Riding through Brisbane's semi-rural eastern suburbs …

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[RabH]

Caught this fellow on tonight’s ride. View attachment 56461

So grateful for quad piston hydraulic brakes!
View attachment 56462

He is a big fella, it would be like hitting a brick wall...

@Mr. Coffee Great shot of the plane coming in to land, it must have been a real buzz seeing it live! You live in such great cycling country!

@Stefan Mikes It can be very theraputic riding in rain when its not cold! Today its wet and cold here...