New York March NYC Meet-Up

I'm all for the 5 borough tour - that's once a year and you can make plans - and the bikers and everyone is safe. :)
 
NY_Dan said:
I'm all for the 5 borough tour - that's once a year and you can make plans - and the bikers and everyone is safe. :)
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Dan,

Back in the day, say when Rudy was Mayor, it was about 35K bikers, but now it is vastly bigger.

Back in the day, even with 35K riders there were pile ups and crashes caused by "casual riders." In other words "idiots" who were clueless.

Back in the day, it was also a bit of a bike freak show, almost like a bike parade. Now I feel it is too suited for tourists and not really bikers.

Last time I did the 5 Borough my friend Iron Mike was pissed. He was taken down by a rider and basically his rear wheel got trashed. Mike finished the ride by releasing the cable stradel on his rear brake. His rear wheel was "Taco'ed" in the pile-up.

Cal
 
Wow, I didn't realize how bad the 5 borough had gotten. I did it in the 80's but slow and leisurely. Yesterday I saw two bikers go down thanks to a jerk riding against traffic on 9th avenue - he got the worst of it, so that was justice of some sort...
 
NY_Dan said:
Wow, I didn't realize how bad the 5 borough had gotten. I did it in the 80's but slow and leisurely. Yesterday I saw two bikers go down thanks to a jerk riding against traffic on 9th avenue - he got the worst of it, so that was justice of some sort...
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Dan,

Up in East Harlem near where I live is Mount Sinai Hospital on Madison Ave.

I slow down to check the traffic so I don't get "pancaked" by a car, bus or truck; and it is all clear except for this hipster approaching on a track bike, so I accelerate to proceed.

This poser starts yelling at me, claiming that he is riding fixed gear and that he has no brakes. He pretty much has all of Madison Avenue, three or four lanes.

So with a track bike with fixed gear you have to have "flow" and make judgements, but this guy had none of that. By no means did I even get close to this guy, I never invaded his space, and by no means was this guy in danger.

A totally clueless mofo.

I yelled at the fool, "How many lanes do you need? You are a clueless poser."

Ought to be a law that if you kill someone who is obviously brain dead it is not murder.

Literally on Madison Avenue there was no traffic and only this fool going uptown.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Leica Store SoHo will have a ring light portrait session with John Kreidler using the new Leica Q2 this Saturday March 9th 1-4 PM.

47 MP.

Cal
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Portrait session with a 28mm fixed lens camera?

I guess I'd pass... even if I was in the 'hood.;)
 
icebear said:
Portrait session with a 28mm fixed lens camera?

I guess I'd pass... even if I was in the 'hood.;)
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Klaus,

Kinda like my style. I shoot with a 28 Cron a lot. Pretty much I get about a step closer than when I shoot with a 50.

Also 28mm FOV is like on a cell phone. 28mm is the new 50.

Cal
 
Saul said:
That's a great working theory until someone else finds YOU brain dead :D
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Saul,

"Natural Selection," I say. LOL.

Moral to the story is don't be dumb or stupid.

In natural history it was the weak or infirm that culled the herds.

Funny thing is that I have done many foolish and dumb things yet I have become an old man. I should have been killed long ago. LOL.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Robert,

Kinda true because the most popular and numerous cameras are cell phones.

Use what you have...

Cal
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Yes, since I have the Summaron 28/5.6 it is my most used (and satisfying) lens. I have the Nikon 28/2.8 CRC lens for my FM2T as well.

I'm becoming a 28 holic... :D

robert
 
Hi all, I decided to sell my Nikon S3 with the Nikon 35mm f2.5 lens let me know
if there's any interest, good camera. I'm only selling because I use my Rollei's more.


Sold!
 
I love carrying my Nikon Af600 and my Ricoh GRD IV. The Nikon has a nice little 28mm lens and the effective focal length of the Ricoh is 28mm as well. Both cameras combined weigh less than most of my lenses alone, for other cameras. So I carry them everywhere and basically have a film backup for the digital images I make. Or, vice versa.
I just picked up a truly mint, if not absolutely unused Vivitar 28mm f/2.5 in AR mount from a friend of mine who owns a junk shop. It is a nice little lens with a wonderful vignette wide open. 28mm is fantastic for urban shooting.
Phil Forrest
 
Too old to ride?

Too old to ride?

Remember Cal.

You're never too old to ride. You get old because you stop riding.


Calzone said:
Jorde,

Mountain biking on Long Island's pine barrens is a lot of loose sand, deer trails, with some glacial rock outcroppings. Due to erosion roots and rocks get exposed.

The climbs are not long, but can be steep. In some sections like steep like a flight of stairs.

I was a big fan of long epic rides and doing "Centuries." In one season I think I did five of them.

One Century was called the Gold Coast where it was all these wealthy estates around upper Brookville. Then there was the Tour of the Hamptons out on the East End of Long Island.

The one hundred mile ride that is known for hills is called the "Highpoint." Motor Parkway formally was the driveway to the Vanderbuilt Estate. It is a long constant grade going uphill south to north. What makes this ride rather mean and cruel is that the tallest and steepest hills are concentrated into the last 30 miles of the century.

I remember Ralphie getting dropped. Next was me not so long after. The group of riders that dropped me and Ralphie were Cat 2 racers so there is little shame in getting killed by these guys.

So in Huntington there is "Snake Hill Road" which is so steep that it basically is a series of switchbacks. At this point I'm riding by myself, I'm tired, and pretty much slugging along, but I pass this rider in distress who is "bonking" at the very beginning of Snake Hill Road.

As I pass him I hear him scream out in pain. Forensics denote that he likely cramped up, lost momentum, and crashed because he could not release or get out of his clipless pedals.

I know it was mucho mean, but I laughed. How cruel was that? LOL. "No mercy," I say.

Out towards the end of the Long Island Expressway, Exit 70 I believe is this Hot Dog stand called "Gracies." Pretty much this is the only place around to get food on the way to the Hamptons on the South Fork and it is in the middle of nowhere.

One day I drive to Gracies, park, and jump on my road bike. The North Fork of Long Island use to be just potatoe farms, but now they have been made into wineries. The glacial past is evident in rolling hills on Sound Avenue going through village after village. The vibe is of New England and not Long Island at all.

For intervals this rolling terrain is wonderful. Charge every hill and rest on the downhills. The average speed goes up and it is somewhat easy to exceed a 20 MPH average riding by yourself in a sustained manner if you have the conditioning.

So eventually I run out of road and "How did I get to Orient Point?" I grab a large milk shake to refuel me, and I check my bike computer and see I covered exactly 50 miles, and now I have to ride another 50 miles back to get to my Jeep parked at Gracie's.

The first 50 were easier. Towards the end I was pretty much close to "bonking." Also know that I rode to far west on Sound Avenue and had to backtrack east.

Because I became lost the overall ride was about 112 miles or so and time in the saddle approached close to 7 hours.

What I love about riding: not a lot to think about, and this I find peaceful. Another thing I love, and it is about "being a man" and feeling connected to my body. I know my strengths; I know my weaknesses; I know my limits; and I know what I'm capable of. This connection to my body for me is part of being a man. Proud of it.

Cal
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Range-rover said:
I bet that 28/2.8 CRC would be great on my Nikon D700.
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Bob,

The 28/2.8 withe the CRC is the latest AIS version. It is compact and light weight also and is said to be "Nikon's most corrected lens." In this manner it is like a Leica lens, meaning perfect in every way.

I have to get another 28/2.8 AIS.

Cal
 
robert blu said:
Yes, since I have the Summaron 28/5.6 it is my most used (and satisfying) lens. I have the Nikon 28/2.8 CRC lens for my FM2T as well.

I'm becoming a 28 holic... :D

robert
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Robert,

On a M-body use the 90mm frames as the center rectangle following "The rule of thirds." I use this center rectangle to frame a tight head and shoulder shot and the rest of the composion seems to fall into place.

My photography teacher back in art school taught us to use Hyper-Focal distance so our cameras were always ready to shoot. This requires stopping down. Marc cited this photographer who took this award winning shot of a woman falling from a building. Pretty much he took the shot by just pointing the camera and firing the shutter without framing or looking throught the VF'er.

When I do this on a 28 I stop down to F5.6 and set he focus at 2 meters. This gives me a "Kill zone" of 5 feet to about 10 feet where I can just point and shoot. A 35mm has too tight a range.

Also if I'm 2 meters from my subject I know that the frame length of my background with be a about 7 feet or two meters. I tend to think of an equalateral triangle of where I have my distance scale set so I know my framing in advance.

For street a 28 offers mucho advantages in pre setting the camera and having an advanced insight of framing and composition. Like a Navy SEAL I drilled this home like a reflex or a deadly Kung-Fu move.

Also like a deadly assassin I tend to shoot in three round bursts. I learned a lot by studying a Diane Arbus contact sheet where she emptied a Rollieflex to capture that kid in Central Park playing with a toy hand grenade. It was obvious how Diane kept her distance the same and repositioned herself in relation to the subject.

I find out of three shots one is always the best. I like having choices when editing.

My two 28's are a 28 Cron and a rare black Canon 28/3.5. Most of my shots are at F5.6 (90%) so the lens speed is seldom used unless I need it. The old Canon has a wonderful retro signature. The center is sharp, but the corners and edges get soft in a good way.

Cal
 
chipgreenberg said:
Remember Cal.

You're never too old to ride. You get old because you stop riding.
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Chip,

Women are starting to notice.

"Maggie" said, "You look skinny," but actually I have gained weight and am more muscular.

Yesterday I put on a suit to go to an awards presentation. Maggie got a medal for 20 years of service as a Graduate Professor. Also her dean gave her the honor and asked her to be the keynote speaker at graduation this year.

Maggie's grand daughter whispers in my ear (almost 5 years old), "Don't tell Coco (Maggie) or mommy, but you are really handsome." LOL.

I expect this spring and summer when the weather moderates that I will likely get skinnier by all the cardio on my bike and running. Right now I'm concentrating on mostly strength.

Cal
 
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