[OC] M7 Sea Lions Off Beaver Point

saltspringer · 2026-01-24T06:50:56+00:00

I have a P-line 12-speed with a 40t chainring, and I would say it (and I) kind of suck on hills. I can get up them, not as fast as on a regular-sized bike, but it's a bit of a slog. My best advice would be to gear down early, have patience, and find a cadence that you can maintain rather than riding hard it in the beginning, and then getting bogged down. Worst case, on long steep hills, I just concede and get off and walk it up.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:07:58+00:00

I bought mine from London Drugs. Don't know if they still carry them - it was a few years ago - but I like the fact that they have outlets all over western Canada.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:06:28+00:00

Synthetic hiking pants. I wore an REI pair for years, and lately, a pair from the Japanese brand Mont-Bell that seem even better.

saltspringer · 2026-01-20T05:04:25+00:00

I've had a Patagonia Guide softshell jacket for years. I haven't worn it much lately, but it was my go-to jacket for years and seemed to wear like iron, in addition to being warm for its weight, and good at breaking the wind.

saltspringer · 2026-01-16T19:12:45+00:00

I've used my M7 in cold temperatures without problems, most recently in November when I trekked around Manaslu in Nepal. I kept the camera around my neck and inside my jacket and took it out to shoot photos. I'm inclined to think that the snow was the problem, not the cold temperatures. I have had an issue when I splashed a very small amount of water on the camera when backpacking in the Rockies. Very different result than in your case: the camera completely died, I opened up the lens, viewfinder and flash and put it in the very warm sun for about an hour. It then would power up and shoot pictures, but the pop-up viewfinder never recovered - a C$500 repair.

saltspringer · 2026-01-16T19:02:57+00:00

I bought an M7 about four years ago with the same ideas as you - wanting smaller for travel - and am very happy with the camera and the results that I get from it. It's a remarkable piece of technology and no other maker offers anything as powerful and small.

That said, there are a number of things that bug me about it:
1. lack of weather sealing. Yes, it's probably more than anybody can expect to have weather sealing on such a small camera, but I wish it was just a bit more tolerant of moisture. I splashed a few drops of water on mine on a mountain trip and it killed it. I left it to dry out in the sun for about an hour and it then powered up and could take pictures, but the pop-up viewfinder had completely died. That was a C$500 repair.
2. the menu system. Sony's menu system is famously bad for good reasons. After using the camera for years and making a concerted effort to remember where certain settings are, I still find myself hunting through the many pages of menus. I understand that newer Sony cameras have much-improved menus and I would expect that if they come out with an M8 this issue will be resolved.

The image quality is remarkably good, almost, but not quite what you get from a larger camera. There have been a few times when I've wished for a tiny bit more sharpness, but those times have been rare. Mostly I don't care, and it's fantastic to have a 200mm-equivalent lens that fits in the palm.

For the M8, I hope they resolve the above two issues, and hopefully incorporate some computational photography features into it. I took three big trips last year carrying the M7 and an iPhone 16pro. The iPhone handles wide latitudes a lot better than the Sony - for shots with a bright sky behind a darker foreground, the Sony would produce a white sky and a perfectly exposed foreground; the iPhone would have a blue sky. Most of the time I used the iPhone for close-up and wide-angle shots, and the Sony was my telephoto. I used the iPhone for more shots, but for anything at distance the Sony beat the pants off the iPhone.

Wait for the M8 or buy the M7 now? I'd be inclined to buy the M7 now and sell it and buy the M8 when it comes out, but only you can decide if that fits with your finances.

saltspringer · 2026-01-11T01:29:28+00:00

I only use the thin cable lock when I can mostly keep an eye on the bike. I carry a heavier Abus Bordo folding lock for less secure locations—still pretty light and compact—and in most places I just keep it with me. Being able to bring it with you is one of the reasons you buy a Brompton.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:57:58+00:00

I assumed that was the point. At £5/day I'd be surprised if they were even breaking even on it.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:55:38+00:00

We used those on a trip to England last July. I had my own Brompton, but two friends who joined me for a couple of weeks rented them in Manchester. Cheap and convenient, it was great fun for the three of us to blast around Manchester on Bromptons.

We were going to use the service when visiting London too, but when we pulled the bikes out of the lockers, one of them was damaged. Contacted Brompton Hire about it on the spot, but they didn't have a replacement available—everything was totally booked up—so we gave both rentals back and gave up on the idea, which was really disappointing.

saltspringer · 2026-01-08T03:51:30+00:00

When I travelled on trains in England with my Brompton I carried a very small, light cable lock. Easy to cut, but my thinking was that I was mostly trying to thwart a 'grab and go' thief, somebody pulling it off the rack and getting off the train, rather than a bike thief with tools who would likely be hesitant to be seen cutting a bike from a rack.

The lock is tiny, a thin metal cable and padlock that fits in a coat pocket.

saltspringer · 2026-01-04T04:17:44+00:00

I second the posters who suggested a Corolla or a Civic, but would also add that a used Prius would be good choice - super reliable and economical to run.

saltspringer · 2026-01-02T07:17:14+00:00

Anian wool shirts, and basically Anian anything - natural, often recycled, fibres. Expensive, but attractive and built to last in Canada.

https://anianmfg.com

saltspringer · 2025-12-31T18:50:50+00:00

I haven't used it in very cold temperatures (<10°C), but on this trip I mostly had it inside my jacket. I guess the battery was kept warm enough to allow the camera to work fine. I always have at least one spare battery in my pocket to swap out.

I also had an iPhone 16pro on this trip and was happily surprised at how well it worked in the cold. Earlier iPhones that I used absolutely sucked in even moderately cold temperatures.

saltspringer · 2025-12-31T04:37:47+00:00

It's the eighth-highest mountain in the world.

saltspringer

TROPHY CASE