Sunday with my cell phone

Recently Steve (Scooter in the Sticks) (<-- click link) wrote about how deficient the photos were from his new Apple iPhone. So with this challenge in mind I set out to document my ride with photos taken with my Samsung Omnia multi-media phone, model i910. My phone has Windows Mobile 6 and can play many different types of video and has a very capable 5mp camera on board.


(Samsung i910 Omnia)

I take all of my photos at full resolution then downsize them using an Image Reducer freeware program able to process whole directories at a time. Very seldom will I crop, merely just downsizing them for web display.

Finally the rain stopped. We have been receiving torrential storm after storm for the past 3 weeks. Today we had a narrow window of opportunity to roll the bike out of hibernation. The roads were still a little wet with lots of mushy leaves on the ground. I decide to just take a little ride around our University of British Columbia which is on the western part of the city and winds along the ocean.


(Samsung Omnia i910)

From home, I take West 41st avenue west to Marine Drive where the speed limit changes to 80 kmh (50 mph). After a few miles you get to some twisty sections then you come around the corner and head downhill towards the beach area at Spanish Banks. The parking lot is nearly deserted this time of year. Temperatures are a pleasant 7c (45f). I pity those poor souls down in the southern climes who sweat and cannot live without their necessary air conditioning. There was a little spitting rain and there was no need to turn on my heated grips nor wear my heated vest, unlike those poor souls in Alberta where the temps (with chill factor) are dealing with lack of heat in the -5c range.


(Samsung Omnia i910)

In the background you can see Vancouver shrouded in clouds. If you peer a little to the left you can get a small glimpse of the mountains where it appears to be raining. Grouse Mountain is directly opposite the main city, and to the left will be Seymour Mountain. From the city centre you can be on the ski slopes and downhill skiing in a mere hour with a commanding view of Vancouver below.


(Samsung Omnia i910)

There is still a lot of pooling water around, especially on city intersections where the leaves have clogged the storm drains. Sometimes they create little lakes 2-3inches deep. You have to be very carefully to not find yourself going too slow in one of these lakes. When it is raining you cannot see these hazards for the wet roads make them invisible.
This particular phone actually has an autofocus lens, while others have "fixed" focus which is not as good. There isn't much zoom as it is digital only, not optical but it is fine enough if you are stuck for the camera in your pocket is better than the one at home. A fuzzy picture is better than no picture at least this is what I always say to myself.

I head over to Kits Beach (Kitsilano) to find a photogenic spot to pose my mighty V-strom DL650 (Wee) before the light fades. It is only around 6pm and I notice that darkness comes too fast this time of year.


(Samsung Omnia i910)

I was lucky to have found a spot in a nearly perfect spot with a city backdrop. There are many apartments in this area and parking is difficult. Immensely more difficult when you also have to fight for those wanting to get to the beach in the summer.

As I look over the incline towards the city I snap another photo with my cell phone.


(Samsung Omnia i910)

If it weren't so cloudy I would have captured a beautiful sunset with the warm glow of the sun reflecting off those buildings in the downtown core across the water. That's Kits Pool in the foreground and the treed area straight ahead is Kits point where we have a Maritime Museum. In order to get into the downtown core you have to travel over one of three bridges: Burrard Street Bridge, Granville Bridge, or Cambie Bridge.

My camera also contains a video recorder which records in 3g2 format. I downloaded a 3g2 to AVI converter so you can view using WMP.



i910 weekitsbeach.avi

(Samsung Omnia i910 video recorder)

Earlier when I was riding in the Jericho Beach area down by the Yacht Club I noticed a beautiful BMW 1200GS doing some manueuvers in the parking lot. Of course, like a magnet I had to head over in that direction. I passed the Beemer and looped to the other side of the the parking lot and stopped, and nodded at the rider. We introduced ourselves and I found out that Bruce is a new entrant to the riding scene having ridden for about 3 years. He took a riding course and purchased a C50 which he rode to Alaska on the Top of the World highway (I think this is the Dempster). He also took a bike tour to the Baja Peninsula last year with a local BMW dealer. I've always wanted to have one of those GS's, oh well, we can still dream . . .

Anyway, let me introduce Bruce to you and I hope that he makes it over into our Blog community. I really like the colour of his bike. We probably talked for over half an hour and he told me he likes to read Riepe. When I mentioned Twisted Roads his eyes lit up and I was proud to say that I know Jack "r" . Of course, there may be times where it is probably better not know Jack, especially on Duval Street in KW where his reputation is MUD.


(Bruce & his BMW 1200GS)

. . . and of course, my mighty V-strom Wee in the background

All of my photos on today's post were taken with my Samsung Omnia i910 cell phone camera with Autofocus. There is 8gig on board memory, with an additional 8gig micro SDHC card installed.

Disclaimer: This is not a testimonial of the cell phone/camera's capabilites, nor is it a sponsored ad for profit. I do not sell phones nor do I have any vested interest with any dealer who sells phones. I am happy with its performance and it performs very well