A Sony Mavica FD7! I've wanted one of these things since seeing one as a kid, back when they were already way obsolete... but I don't think there was any point where they stopped being cool. Only reason I never got one since then is because I didn't have even the slightest excuse to till this post. This post is the excuse.
Still can't believe it still works. I've had nothing but bad luck with anything camcorder-esque.
It's such an awkward brick to hold that it really requires a strap of some sort. The way the lugs are placed over the hand grip area makes me wonder if they were intending a camcorder style hand strap to help hold it at some point.
It's also interesting how you can select between field/ frame mode, which has me thinking that along with all the goofy solarize and sepia filters they're probably borrowing alot of the internals from an analogue video camera in it. The LCD viewfinder is surprisingly responsive compared to anything contemporary, possibly as a result of the analogue thing, even if the viewing angles are crap.
Here's some assorted photos.
To get them onto my PC i'm going via a USB thumb drive in my uncle's old Thinkpad that smells like 20 years of cats and chain smoking. It's cool to have any excuse to get this thing out. Turns out it was released the same year as the camera too!
Aside from that though, I don't know what I could say about it's features that haven't been covered better elsewhere... it produces neat images but it's still a bit limited with no manual white balance and such. But it IS fun to play with and great at capturing the vibe of all those cool old websites. Especially ones that still hold tons of useful information like Sheldon Brown's. I can imagine the ability to upload images almost immediately after taking them and at no extra cost would've made documenting your stuff and interests way more appealing.
Either way, here's my stupid bikes also:
Some Kinda Repainted Old Trek Hybrid I Could Never Identify
I got this one years back. It's had bits replaced from several other junk bikes and makes all kinds of alarming creaky sounds, but it's also the ideal bike to not worry too hard about being stolen.
One time the derailleur got sucked into the spokes and mangled, I think cuz the chain must've slipped over the big sprocket and the plastic protector disc had already embrittled and cracked off years ago... and online consensus calls them dork discs and insists you don't need them. They could be right if you're on a bike with a more robust derailleur. After that I had to make it back home single-speed style and missing some rear spokes. It was a fun day out and I mean that sincerely. I like when stuff happens.
It's currently sporting one of those horrid gel seat covers and very high handlebars because my dad was borrowing it.
A Specialized Something or Other Hybrid
I picked this up a couple years ago as I was getting more excited about cycling, and getting especially excited about how I could go further with each trip out to see more stuff in the area. With alot of the best cycle tracks being disused railways it also coincides with seeing alot of industrial ruins.
Like this crap!
The handlebars started to get silly since one big limiting factor on range for me was wrist and back pain, and I tried alot when attempting to solve it. I think the ideal thing for ergonomics in the end is just to have more postures you can sit in and switch between as you ride or really when doing anything.
For the kind of cycling I was doing, a drop bar gravel bike would probably have been a better fit - but those also still cost alot of money. Converting flat bars to drop bars is also a convoluted process so I instead went the alt-bar route, but assembled from whatever was cheap on the usual eShops.
The gross looking forward grips are made from 3d prints attached to some aluminium blocks with threaded rods. There's a couple other 3d printed bits too. I also replaced the original super-heavy and kinda useless Suntour front shock absorber with something a bit lighter but it probably wasn't worth the effort.
Either way i'd say this is the main bike. I got yelled at over the intercom for going through the pedestrian side of the Jarrow tunnel while on it. I still feel bad about it cuz I read the sign saying which side was which and everything and then went into the wrong side anyways... cycling makes you stupid.
Raleigh Twenty Stowaway
I like how these things look. It's heavy as all hell though and the 3 speed hub isn't too practical for how hilly this area is. But it can just about fit in the car when collapsed.
Bought it as a project bike really with the intent of putting better stuff and possibly a motor on it as I could afford it. If nothing else those chromed steel rims need to go - they're near impossible to stop when even slightly damp.
I started feeling hesitant to strip it though with how complete and in good condition it is. But more than that, the real reason I didn't do more with it was because I caught coronavirus at the end of that Cycling Summer and it just knocked me out for months. By the time I recovered enough to maybe head back out it was already the middle of winter and not quite as appealing... and then I just never quite got into it the same again in subsequent years.
The plan for next year is to build up some stamina on a stationary bike over winter. There's still a bunch of cycle tracks and stuff around here I want to look at, and some old buildings and stuff i'd love to try take photos of, but they're too far to reach in my current unhealthsome condition.
I'll also have to try think of other excuses to mess with this camera. I like it.
