I'm Richard from DPReview and in this video we're in Fremont Seattle to meet
custom bike maker Max Callaway from triple three fab. Over two days we'll
document the construction process from bare metal to a complete rideable
bicycle using the Fujifilm X-E3 - a small capable 24 megapixel mirrorless camera
with a range of photo and video features that we'll use to capture the process from
start to finish. Today Max is building a bike called the Air Land Sea. It's a dirt
road rambler it's the mountain rando bike so it's basically a randonair
bike designed to go out there and get lost on. I've always thought there were
interesting parallels between cameras and bikes - they're both marvels of
engineering that their owners form really personal attachments to. Perhaps
watching how a handmade bike gets built will help me understand why in this
instance both the bike and the camera represent a blend of the traditional and
the cutting-edge. While the X-E3 has a classic look and some very vintage
looking controls it's fully capable of shooting at 8 frames per second and is
able to capture 4k video footage. The bike fabrication process begins with a
drawing that specifies the various gauges of tubing to be used for
different parts of the bike, all selected to match the size and weight of the
rider. These tubes are cut and finished, they're then assembled on a jig and adjusted
to match the intended dimensions. Once everything is fitting together the tubes
all get tacked together in a frame jig, which is fully adjustable and set up for
each frame. It's a steel frame which sounds pretty traditional but it's got
some non-traditional things going on. Every one of these joins has to line up
perfectly - a job made more difficult by the complex shape of the distinctly
modern tapered head tube.
With the X-E3 the traditional and the contemporary sit much more
comfortably together. In this case a touchscreen is used to replace the
four-way controller with directional swipes being used to access your choice
of the cameras key functions. Back with the bike
the main tubes are then welded together using a process called TIG welding where
the area around the metal is flooded with argon gas to create an inert
environment for the weld to take place in. As well as being able to use the
touchscreen the xe3 also has a joystick for setting the AF point. When I'm taking
photographs of Max welding I don't really want to be looking straight at a
welding torch so I've been looking through the viewfinder and in keeping
with the camera's rangefinder style design the viewfinder is placed to the
top left just as it would have been on a 1960s rangefinder camera. Getting close
to the end of the fabrication process now it's just that the little bits that
are going on that help it be a functioning bicycle. The next step of the
fabrication process is called brazing, which uses brass or silver to attach the
less strength-dependent features the areas where there's paste that's flux
and that just helps keep the area clean under heat. For this I use the camera's
dynamic range modes which let me capture more highlight information. This way my
photos retain some of the color of the flame. Like the rest of the X-series the
X-E3 offers the company's film simulation modes. These are exactly what they sound like.
They're attempts by the camera to mimic the colors, the saturation and
generally the look of old Fuji film stocks and some of them are really quite
attractive. I've mainly been shooting in Astia but there's also a really detailed
black-and-white mode called Acros, or if you like your colors super punchy
there's the Velvia mode. The viewfinder also allows me to hold
the camera in a much more stable manner than I can when I'm holding it at
arm's length, and effectively use my face as a third stabilization point. After a
quick bath and some final machining that's the end of the first part of the
process. It goes off to be painted comes back a little prepped and then all the parts go
on it, and then it's really a bike and not just a frame. Before heading off to the
painter I use the camera's Wi-Fi made easier by its constant Bluetooth
connection to send some pictures to my phone so I could share them with Max and
with my friends. We've brought the completed frame down to Georgetown to be
painted by Adam, at Now You're Finished. The Air Land Sea project is something that
Max from Triple Three came up with air the blue color, land which is
the the grey and the green sea color of the Puget Sound. As Adam paints I've got
two cameras in the paint booth with me - one for a mixture of stills and some 4K
video at 24 frames per second and the second set up on a tripod shooting every
three seconds to give a time-lapse sequence. With the painting complete Adam
will add several clear coats to give the finish a greater sheen and depth. Before
we left he showed us some of the custom decals that will be applied under that
clear coat. After the decals and clear coat are applied, the frame heads back to
the shop for final buildup. In the workshop, mechanic Mark adds all the
crucial components with appropriate wheels, brakes and drivetrain being added.
As has been the case throughout this experience the X-E3's combination
of impressive low-light performance and wide aperture lenses means it's done
well with all this indoor shooting. I've got most of the parts on and ready - all
that's left to do is add the tape and the bike's ready to ride. As something of
a bike geek I've really enjoyed watching basically
bare tubes of metal be turned into a fully functioning and I have to say
rather pretty bicycle. But now comes the really fun bit - getting a chance to
actually try riding it. The compact nature of the X-E3
means I'm able to fit the camera and a couple of lenses into the bike's bar bag.
Watching the work that goes into making a bike and listening to Max talk
passionately about it has given me an insight into why people feel such an
emotional connection to a collection of welded tubes but it's when I ride the
bike that it really clicks for me. People end up loving their bike or their camera
because they're both beautifully engineered machines that let you express
yourself. Perhaps that's why so many photographers I know are also cyclists
and vice versa. It's nice to be able to make them and
sometimes I'm fortunate that I get to see other people riding my bikes around and
that that makes me feel really good. To find a bicycle, one that really fits, if it
looks beautiful and it puts a smile on the owners face and makes him want to throw
a leg over it then it's ideal. I have to agree with Adam and I wanted to
capture this ideal moment of me with the bike so I asked our producer Zach to
take my photo. Yeah would you set it up for me?
Absolutely I'm just gonna put it in auto mode. Perfect. That's all I need to do.
With this done I wanted to get a shot of the bike standing against the Seattle
backdrop somewhere that includes the quintessential Pacific Northwest
elements of air, land and sea. Now there are two techniques to taking a picture
of a bike standing up. One is to use a stick to just prop it up and the other
is to have someone hold the bike, step out of shot and then quickly dive back
in before it hits the ground. We're gonna try the latter. Okay you
ready Zach? Three, two, one. Perfect.
So here we are with a complete bike ready to go off to its new owner. Sadly that's not me but I know whoever
it ends up with will appreciate the care, attention and even love that Max, Adam
and Mark have put into it. I've just enjoyed being along for the ride. For DP
review I'm Richard Butler.