Canon 17-40mm L Lens!

FINALLY, I got my first pro grade Canon L lens in form of the Ultra-Wide zoom 17-40mm. On the 40D, which has a crop sensor, it is like a 28-64mm lens, which makes it a standard zoom on it.

Having used the EF-S 17-85mm, I found the build quality of the 17-40mm to be much better. It is dust and water resistant but you need to use a filter like an UV to make it completely ‘DW-R’. The fixed F4 aperture makes it faster at 20-40mm range. Other difference between the two lenses is that 17-85mm has one Aspherical lens, while the 17-40mm has 3, along with one Super UD lens. I found that the 17-40mm gives a slightly better color reproduction and contrast. The barrel distortion at 17mm is somewhat similar on the both the lenses. With the 17-40mm being an EF lens, you can also use it on a Full Frame [FF] body! And like I said before, if you use it on a FF, it becomes an ultra-wide angle zoom!

I haven’t had a chance to compare the 17-40mm with the faster [and more expensive] EF 16-35mm L F2.8 lens. From the reviews and comparisons that I have read, the 16-35mm shows better contrast and is sharper at 35mm. 17-40mm controls flare better and is sharper at 17mm. Other option for those with cameras with a crop sensor is EF-S 17-55mm F2.8. It’s faster and longer than the 17-40mm but does not have the same build quality. I have heard about the zoom ring problems on it and you can’t use it on a full frame but it is known for capturing razor sharp images!

Overall, I am satisfied with the 17-40mm lens. Having used it now, I can’t imagine using anything other than an L lens. I would recommend the 17-40mm to anyone  looking for a wide angle zoom unless you absolutely need the F2.8. With the cameras becoming better and better at high ISO, you can live with F4 most of the time.

Sony Handycam DCR-SX40

Buying a handycam can get confusing as there are quite a few good models from manufacturers like Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony. And then you have to decide amongst hard drive based, flash based, hybrid, Standard Defination, High Defination, Night shooting capabilities and the list goes on! Surely those willing to spend the right amount of money would not go wrong with getting the top model from most manufacturers but what when you are looking of an entry-level one or mid-priced one. That’s where things start getting tricky.

I decided to get an entry level one as I won’t be using it a lot, which meant my choice narrowed down to a Standard Definition Camcorder. Now I had to decide b/w one that had hard drive or flash drive. Both have their pros and cons. The one with hard drive gives you lots of space on board but becomes slightly bulky, adds moving parts to the body and you can risk losing video if the hard drive fails in the event it falls.  One with solid state memory is slick, has no moving parts [at least to my knowledge] and said to be faster with a comparatively longer battery life but then you have to shell out more for comparable storage vs a hard drive. The solid state one appealed more to me for no moving parts, sleekness and longer battery life!

Now was the time to look around for models and I finally decided upon the Sony DCR-SX40. This has been with me for a few weeks and below is my take on it:

It’s pretty sleek and probably looks the best amongst the entry level models. I got the Sony Memory Stick Pro -HG Pro HX [the name is handful] 8 GB card to complement the 4 GB internal memory. The 8 GB card gives about 2 hours of video in the highest quality mode. The life of the standard battery is around the same. The DCR-SX40 also has 60X optical zoom and has a touch screen interface, which is something that I prefer.

OK, everything sounds good so what about the video quality? Naturally it’s not comparable to HD camcorder but it’s good and comparable to others in its class. The videos shot outdoors are sharp, while those in low light could have been better but then which entry level camcorder takes great video in low light? Most of us won’t be disappointed with the video quality unless we are looking for a HD like quality in a SD camcorder.

The DCR-SX40 shines as an all-round package. It neither tries to excel in one department nor fall short in another. It’s good in every department be it looks, user-interface, features and video for its class.  The editing software that comes along with the camera is useful too and allows you to do basic video editing quickly. It connects well with the PS3 so to view the videos I connect it to the PS3, which is connected through HDMI to my HDTV. The touch screen based interface is easy enough for an 80 years old to start operating it quickly!

I would definately recommend this one to anyone looking for a good all-round package!

Nokia E71

I have been busy with work to add much to the blog but the purchase of Nokia E71 prompted me to write its review. I will break the review down in to categories so that it is not only easy to understand the device but also why I got it.

The outside: It is said that it’s the slimmest ‘qwerty’ keypad phone on the market. The design is definitely eye catching. It’s made up of metal [stainess steel may be] so feels sturdy. The keys on the keypads are tiny compared to Blackberry Bold but they do the job. It has a 5 way pad for navigation, which is what I prefer. Those who prefer trackball will have to look elsewhere [Blackberry]. It has 4 quick access buttons on the keypad to get you to home menu, calender, contacts and mail. If you press the keys longer than you have access to other applications, which I guess are programmable. The display is QVGA and displays 16 million colors.

Features and connectivity: GSM, WCDMA, WLAN, 3G, GPS [subscription based but you can download google maps], Nokia Maps,  Bluetooth, Infrared, Modem, FM radio [you need to connect the headset to use this feature], voice recorder, 3.2 mp camera with auto focus and LED flash. You can shoot images as well as videos. It also has a barcode scanner or something like that. I haven’t used it much. It takes up to 8 GB micro SD card. You get two customizable home screen modes, i.e one for business and one for home.

Applications: Office, Mail, Mail for Exchange, Multimedia player and so on.

I have my gmail set up on it. I haven’t tried Mail for Exchange yet, I guess, I will have to get some settings from my IT department to get my work email on it. You can access internet through WLAN or 3G. The Nokia web-browser is pretty fast. I have installed Opera Mini [www.opera.com] too but mostly use the Nokia web browser.  Other nice application that I have installed is truphone [www.truphone.com], which allows you to make internet calls from the mobile. Truphone is useful when you want to make long distance calls using the WLAN.  I have installed a 4 GB card on it so that gives me a lot of room to install applications.

Overall, I am impressed by this beauty. I would highly recommend the Nokia E71 to anyone looking for a smartphone. For those in Canada, Nokia has a limited time promotion going on the E71 where it mails you a bluetooth headset, car charger and case after you send the application in. You can get details on http://www.simplygetmoreoutoflife.com/

What makes a top brand?

What do Ferrari and Rolex have in common? The answer is a powerful brand that connects emotionally with customers so much so that a Ferrari is not an object that just gets you from point A to point B and a Rolex is not an object that just tells time.

How are these brands able to build that bond? No doubt that a part of it can be attributed to the great quality products that these brands offer but great quality is just the starting point. It is the ability to create a mysterious aura that keeps customers interested forever and dreams that connect emotionally with their customers that elevates these brands above others so much so that a roar from a Ferrari’s engine or a tick from a Rolex’s chronometer sets the pulses racing. In many cases the brands become an extension of their customers’ personality.

How to build a powerful brand that connects with customers? Some of the factors apart from great quality that make a great brand are

1. An unmistakable address – Italy for Ferrari and Switzerland for Rolex

2. The vision of the creator

3. Originality

4. Fanatic attention to details

5. Marketing geared towards creating dreams and building mystery

 

Just like how well the ingredients of a meal are put together to make it good, the above points should be blended in a way that can make a brand come out on top. The perfect recipe depends upon the product or the service being offered, along with the vision of the creator.

GPS – Garmin 265WT

I got myself the 265WT, a boxing day deal. 265WT adds Bluetooth hands free calling and free life time traffic to 255W. The GPS capabilities of both the units are probably similar.

First Impression

In the box: 265WT unit, windshield mount kit, car charger with built in traffic receiver, USB cable and  some manuals.

The unit was quick to receive GPS signal on initial set up. It took around a minute or so to get the signal and be ready for navigation. The Bluetooth worked well with my phone and the call quality was acceptable. The life time traffic worked right out of the box. I have heard that you get bombarded with pop up ads with free life time traffic but so far I haven’t received any pop ups.

I took it for a spin on my trip to Bay and Bloor in Downtown Toronto from Queen and Dixie in Brampton. Like the 255W, it wanted me to exit at 410 on Steeles but once I made the turn on Clark Blvd [nearest exit from my place], it was quick to re-calculate and take me to the nearest 410 exit on Clark Blvd.

1. The route it took from Clarl Blvd to Bay and Bloor: 410 -> 401 E -> Allen Rd -> Bay and Bloor

2. The route it took from Bay and Bloor to Clark Blvd: Gardinar Expressway -> 401 W -> 410 -> Clark Blvd

As you can see it took two different routes for a return trip. And let me clarify that traffic was not an issue as the traffic icon was on green throughout the trip. I also checked on the traffic section on the GPS and it said that everything was fine. I liked the return leg’s route better. My old Tomtom Go 510 used to make me take that both ways. So far it appears as if the route selection of Tomtom is better.

Once I got over the fact that more often than not no GPS is going to satisfy 100%, I liked the unit especially since it has life time traffic and bluetooth, along with acceptable navigation capabilities and good build quality. Overall, I would say that this is not a bad buy especially if its on sale.

Update[s]

January 8, 09: I traveled to Downtown Toronto again via a friend’s home. The route that 265WT made me take was horrible. After I realized that I was on a bad route, I went on my own and then the GPS re-calculated the route correctly but all that detouring made me 15 minutes late for an appointment. At this point, I have to say that this unit does most of the things well but the main part, i.e proper navigation. I will test it out a bit more before I give a definate word on its navigation capabilities.

LG 37LG30 Display Settings [calibration]

The LG 37LG30 gives you a lot of options to tweak your display settings on top of the standard AV modes i.e. Cinema, Game and Sports. You can calibrate your display and save in Expert1 and Expert2 settings. 

This is how you can do it: Go to Menu –> Picture –> Picture Mode –> Expert1 and then you can calibrate your display. 

Below are the settings that I use, along with the cinema mode. You can find a lot of others on the net. 

37LG30 display settings 

Expert1

Picture menu 

Aspect ratio: Just Scan

Backlight: 43

Contrast: 90 

Brightness: 37 

Sharpness: 30

Color: 47 

Tint: G4 

Expert 1 control menu 

Fresh contrast: OFF 

Noise reduction: OFF (unless really noisy picture) 

Gamma: MEDIUM 

Black level: HIGH 

Real Cinema: OFF (unless 480i/1080i cinema input) 

Color Standard: HD (grayed out/automatic switch to SD when SD input) 

White Balance: Warm 

Method: 10 point IRE

IRE R / G / B

100 0 / 0 / 0

90 -16 / 0 / -15

80 -13 / 0 / -16

70 -13 / 0 / -16

60 -8 / 0/ -16

50 0 / 0 / -16

40 -8 / 0 / -6

30 -8 / 0 / -6

20 -9 / 0 / 5

10 4 / 0 / -17

Color management system 

Red color: -1 

Red tint: 4 

Green color: 0 

Green tint: 0 

Blue color: -4 

Blue tint: -10 

Yellow color: -1 

Yellow tint: 1 

Cyan color: -2 

Cyan tint: 3 

Magenta color: -2 

Magenta tint: -3 

 

HD source[s] – Sony PS3  …. Pioneer DV 410-K up-converting DVD player

HDTV shopping guide

Unless you have tons of money to spend on a HDTV, buying a HDTV can be a daunting task. There are so many models, so many brands, so many specs, and so many opinions to confuse you. The easy way out of this is to pick up a HDTV from the brand you trust and enjoy it but then you would not know whether you made the best use of the resources available to you.  You could have got a better TV for the price you paid for your favorite brand’s TV!

The first question that usually comes up is whether to go for a plasma or a LCD. The answer to this question depends upon what do you watch the most and where do you keep your TV. If you are watching movies and sports a lot then you should go for a plasma. If you are more into playing  games [PS3, Xbox, Wii] for long periods and doubling the TV as a PC monitor then LCD is the way to go. Plasmas are said to work better in a darker room environment, while LCDs in brighter but the latest plasmas come with anti-glare screens.

Plasmas are known for producing better blacks and having greater true contrast ratios. There is no or little motion blur when watching fast moving action. On the other hand, plasmas have burn-in issues. Burn in occurs when the logo of a TV channel for example stays on even when you change the channel, which is the reason why gamers go for LCD. The latest models have anti-burn in technology built into the TVs so burn-in is not a factor that it used to be a few years ago. If  your budget is decent then you can’t go wrong with picking up a mid-range or up plasma from Panasonic or Pioneer.

LCDs have no burn in issues but suffer from motion blur, which is why LCD manufacturers have come up with 120HZ models which reduce, if not eliminate, the motion blur. If I am no wrong, 120HZ is useful only when images move horizontally and not when images move vertically or diagonally. The LCD technology that various manufacturers use also differs, for example LG uses S-IPS, Samsung/Sony use S-PVA and Sharp uses ASV.  Each technology has its own pros and cons, so you may want to pick the one that suits your needs. Since different manufacturers use different technologies, don’t read too much into ‘dynamic contrast ratio’ when comparing models of different brands.  Also note that the panels used on screen sizes less than 40 inches may be out sourced from companies in China or Taiwan by the manufacturer. Again any high-end model from any major manufacturer should do the job well.

Other question that comes up is whether to go for a model with 720p or 1080p. Right now the major source of 1080p is the blue-ray, i.e. blue-ray players and Sony PS3. So if you plan on playing a lot of PS3 games and watching a lot of blue-ray discs, 1080p is the way to go. On the other hand, if the majority of your programs are standard definition, DVDs, 720p broadcast from HD TV channels then 720p should be fine. It is said that it is difficult to see the difference between 720p and 1080p on TVs with screen size smaller than 42 inches and you need a 46 inches or more screen size to truly appreciate 1080p. In short, 1080p could just be another specs on screens that are less than 42 inches, so if you are taking anything less than 42 inches, a HDTV with 720p should be fine.

The question of LCD or plasma also depends upon your budget. If your budget is $1000 or less, I would recommend a LCD. Many entry-level plasma models could have a native resolution of less than 720p, which makes them enhanced definition TVs [EDTVs] and not HDTVs. I am not sure about how good the anti-burn in technology is on the entry level plasmas.

Recommended models:

Plasmas: Panasonic plasma Z80 and up, Pioneer plasmas

LCDs: Samsung 6 series and up, Sony W series and up, Sharp Aquos, LG Scarlet, LG 60 series and up

On budget:  Sony V series, LG G50 series, LG G30 series

My HDTV: LG 37LG30

Pros : Price [got a good deal on it], S-IPS ‘LG’ panel, 720p [I didn't want to pay for 1080p on a 37 inch model], 3 HDMI ports, 5 ms response time, Sharp picture, lots of calibration options

Cons: Sometimes you hear a humming sound from TV speakers but it is not an issue if you use a home theater system …. I guess that LG’s onboard  invisible speaker system is still better than the onboard speakers of some of the other manufacturers

Would I recommend it: Yes …. Highly recommended

Happy HDTV shopping!!

GPS – Garmin Nuvi 255W

My Tomtom Go 510 needed a map update so instead of getting a new map, I thought that why not get a new GPS. I looked into various systems and liked Navigon and Garmin, besides Tomtom. As I had used Tomtom, I wanted to get something different this time and since Garmin is the big fish in GPS, I decided to get the Nuvi 255W. The 4.3 large screen with 2009 Maps did the trick for me, along with the piano black finish of the exclusive version available at Best Buy.

One issue, I had with my tomtom was that sometimes it would take me off a route only to get me back on that route at some point later on. The solution to the problem was that I looked at the route summery before starting my trip to see that if a route appeared twice on it. If it did then I would stay on it and not make any turns. I was hoping that the newer GPS would be near perfect in this respect.

The Nuvi  255W’s package came with a car charger and a windshield mount. The Tomtom 510’s package was more generous with a PC dock, home charger, GPS cover, car charger that didn’t charge the GPS but held the charge and a windshield mount.  For Garmin, I had to buy a GPS case. The USB cable that came with my Canon 40D works with 255W too so I didn’t need to buy an extra one.

I tested it first on my way to work and its route selection was close to the one that I would take so it went well on the first test. On a trip to Mississauga from Brampton, it asked me to take a highway that was far from the nearest highway exit from my home. And then at one of the intersections, it asked me to go without considering turn restrictions so that was disappointing. This issue could be because, unlike Tomtom,  it probably does not take two sections, i.e. the left and the ride sides, of a road into consideration. On a trip to home from Woodbridge, it asked me to turn right when a left turn would have brought me to my home. When I made the left turn, it was quick to recalculate the route and give the right direction.

In short, the upgrade from Tomtom Go 510 to Garmin Nuvi 255W doesn’t seem to be worth it. This probably shows that at the end of the day, GPSes are mainly to be used as a guide and most of the decisions have to be made by our brains, unless you have no clue about the route. Too bad, I can’t go back to my Tomtom as it was snapped up in moments after I put it up for sale on the craigslist.

On the positive side of Nuvi 255W, the screen is awesome. I like the fact that it selects major roads instead of little known roads. The piano black finish looks good and so is the build quality.  As long as it gets me to a destination of which I have no clue about with major hiccups, I am fine.

 

Update[s]:  I have switched to 265WT, which adds Bluetooth and Lifetime Traffic to 255W …. 265WT’s review is posted on the blog too.

Digital SLR

I got my first Digital SLR a few months ago in early August. It was the Olympus E520 with 14-42 mm and 40-150 mm lenses. For the first time, I felt that I had control over what I was shooting. Needless to say that it was a major step up from point and shoot. I loved the way I could change lenses and control exposures. The E520 was easy to use and a perfect entry-level DSLR. I picked it over the Canon XSi. What I liked about the E520 was its in body image stabilization, the Zuiko lenses and intuitive menu. 

After coming to terms with the SLRs, I thought it was time to move up to an advanced amateur or a semi-professional model. The Nikon D90 was making a lot of headlines with its capabilities to shoot HD video and other features like automatic chromatic aberration correction. It appeared like an ideal step up from the entry-level E520. On the other hand price of the Canon 40D, a semi-professional model, was going down as the Canon 50D was hitting the market soon. The Canon 40D boasted of a 6.5 frames per second shooting [probably the best in its segment], a penta prism viewfinder and a tough magnesium alloy construction. It was tough to decide between the two but I knew that one can’t go wrong with getting either of the model!!!

In the end, I opted for the semi-professional model, the Canon 40D, and have been pleased with it. It’s tough and fast like its tagline “Birds are fast, so you have to be faster” says. The high ISO performance is pretty good. The lenses that I have are the 17-85 IS USM, the 50mm f/1.8 MK2 prime [for low light photography and getting that background blur, Bokeh] and EF 75-300 mm lens.  I have to build up on my lens collection and get an external flash too.  The key accessory that I have is the Manfrotto 190XB pro tripod with a pan and tilt head. A tripod is particularly useful for low light photography and when you went to use small aperture or slow shutter speed. This Manfrotto one is brilliant, especially since it is flexible. The downside of owing a camera like the Canon 40D is that you cannot blame the camera for bad pictures anymore! 

I have realized that digital SLRs are an expensive hobby. But for the right equipment, every penny is worth it. As you learn more and more about photography, the more fun it becomes.