Page 7 of 11

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:42 am
by shiv
abhik wrote:
Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:59 am
Hi guys, what is good starter DSLR? My knowledge of photography is close to zero, but it's something I have always wanted to take up. Not something too expensive but doesn't have to be the cheapest one either. Purchase will be made in India.
Do not buy a DSLR. Learn photography by taking photos with a reasonably good camera. I am surrounded by people who take the worst possible photos..

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 3:48 am
by Singha
point n shoot compact cameras are dead

its either phone camera which lacks most controls that aid learning or entry level DSLR.

obviously things like lighting, composition, waiting for right moment, framing etc are universally applicable.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:31 am
by Marten
Two of my google accounts (unrelated accounts) were hacked. I have no more access to these.
From the UK! No idea how to recover these by contacting the Google team. Apparently, they just say we cannot verify that the account is yours and that's all that they need to do! Good fun.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 11:49 am
by Primus
Singha wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2017 3:48 am
point n shoot compact cameras are dead

its either phone camera which lacks most controls that aid learning or entry level DSLR.

obviously things like lighting, composition, waiting for right moment, framing etc are universally applicable.
There is a saying in the photography world - "the best camera is the one you have with you".

In that sense the smartphones these days cannot be beat, you will always have it with you. If you want controls there are ways to add an accessory like the DXO-One camera module to the phone, it gives you a 20 plus MP camera with an f1.8 lens though fixed at 32mm.

http://www.dxo.com/us/dxo-one

However, if you want to 'learn' photography then yes, a different approach would be better. Even then, a compact camera with a variable zoom (or even a 'fixed' lens) is quite adequate. The principles do not change.

A DSLR only offers you the option of changing lenses but has the big disadvantage of adding a lot of bulk to carry with you at all times. Not only that, getting good lenses is not cheap and you run into problems like sensor dust.

IMHO currently for somebody who is starting out and simply wants to take good family and holiday snaps, a compact mid-range zoom camera like say the Canon G series, or the Panasonic Lumix or Sony Rx100 variants is a great choice. These are not cheap but overall give you as good if not better image quality as an entry level DSLR with the enormous advantage of size and convenience. Some of these you can carry with you in your pant pocket!

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/2017-r ... cameras/14

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:28 pm
by Shandilya
shiv wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2017 12:42 am
abhik wrote:
Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:59 am
Hi guys, what is good starter DSLR? My knowledge of photography is close to zero, but it's something I have always wanted to take up. Not something too expensive but doesn't have to be the cheapest one either. Purchase will be made in India.
Do not buy a DSLR. Learn photography by taking photos with a reasonably good camera. I am surrounded by people who take the worst possible photos..
When I got the itch to learn photography, I did not have the means to support the (then) hobby (now profession). So to get through the learning curve, I got myself a bridge camera - sort of a high end point&shoot, where you cannot change the lens; but can manipulate all controls like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, picture control, etc. When I could, I transitioned to a Nikon D90 DSLR with a prime lens (fixed focal length) and a nifty zoom lens. So if the itch is strong, get whatever you can afford (even if its a top line dslr) and practice, practice, practice. Never stop shooting, that is what hones your skills.

Nikon and Canon have a good enough presence in India for support, and both are good technologies. Once you commit to a system, you are likely to stay with it for life since each lens is a investment and will generally mount on that brand body.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:25 pm
by Primus
Shandilya wrote:
Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:28 pm
............ So if the itch is strong, get whatever you can afford (even if its a top line dslr) and practice, practice, practice. Never stop shooting, that is what hones your skills.

Nikon and Canon have a good enough presence in India for support, and both are good technologies. Once you commit to a system, you are likely to stay with it for life since each lens is a investment and will generally mount on that brand body.
Agree, nothing beats constant learning and use of the camera, whichever one you end up buying.

I am not a pro, never made money from photography but it is a major passion for me and a major expense in my life. In high school I had made a dark room out of a corner in the house and did a lot of printing at home using simple gear - did not even have an enlarger. Couldn't afford anything for over 30 years and life was too busy to think about photography.

When the Gods started smiling I went back to my teenage passion and was able to live my dreams again. I have been a Canon user for most of the past 16 yrs but have now moved over completely to Sony mirrorless. I settled for Sony now because for me it provides the best value and is truly at the cutting edge.

However, it does not matter what one ends up buying, the fundamentals as I've said, remain the same.

One thing I have learnt is that if you believe in yourself, you can do it. Unlike many other arts eg music, you CAN learn to be a good photographer, it comes with practice and with patience. With digital media all you need to invest in is the camera system. The running costs are minimal if you have a computer, unlike in the old days when you needed to keep buying film and then pay for processing it.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:27 am
by Vyoman
Did anyone buy iPhone X? how hexy is the camera?

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:56 am
by Raja
The iPhone X is hefty. Till Fruit comes out with an iPhone thinner and lighter than iPhone 6 I am not buying a new one.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:44 am
by Vyoman
yup, hefty in price.. but heard its camera is 2 1/2 years ahead in terms of its competitors. Note 8 is close near $1000k, but I got BOGO with goodies - wireless charger and 128gb sd.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:40 pm
by Mort Walker
Raja wrote:
Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:56 am
The iPhone X is hefty. Till Fruit comes out with an iPhone thinner and lighter than iPhone 6 I am not buying a new one.
According to AAPL all new iPhones will use face recognition camera. In the future, we may see two iPhones, a large and small. So you may get your wish next year. What is disturbing is that the iPhoneX has a BOM of $300, so the margins are very high. AAPL sells only a 64GB and 256GB, but no 128GB.

Having traveled across the US for business, at airports I see >95% of all phones being iPhones. In the last week or so, I've seen more iPhone X than newer Android devices with business travelers.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:42 pm
by Mort Walker
Vyoman @saikanomie wrote:
Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:44 am
yup, hefty in price.. but heard its camera is 2 1/2 years ahead in terms of its competitors. Note 8 is close near $1000k, but I got BOGO with goodies - wireless charger and 128gb sd.
Having briefly played with both, the Note 8 screen is absolutely beautiful.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 3:01 pm
by Raja
Vyoman @saikanomie wrote:
Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:44 am
yup, hefty in price.. but heard its camera is 2 1/2 years ahead in terms of its competitors. Note 8 is close near $1000k, but I got BOGO with goodies - wireless charger and 128gb sd.
That 2.5 years stuff is nonsense probably peddled by Fruit marketing via their blogger pals. :lol: Even the most state of the art technology in a consumer product is not 2.5 years ahead of competition - that’s the reality of consumer hardware. Today one cannot build a moat using hardware in CE if the technology becomes popular among consumers. Fruit’s FaceID uses structured light which is a old known technology used in the first generation Kinect (by the same guys who did Fruit’s camera) and their rear camera is still inferior to what GB’s top end camera phones used to have back in 2010 - 7 years ago. The camera hardware improvements now take a backseat to massive improvements in computational photography.

The iPhone C is hefty in price and weight. I have one thru KB and it’s heavy enough that it’s impractical for me to use as a daily device.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:14 pm
by Singha
OP5 is here. yawn.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:41 pm
by Gus
thought of note8 or pixel 2xl ...but those things are so expensive and all i do is read stuff, tweet now and then and youtube / podcast for timepass. all these features and stuff take time to learn and i am no longer excited to do those things.

maybe just settle for op5t. ironically their logo is "never settle" :lol:

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:11 pm
by Karthik
Gurus, of moto G5 and Samsung J5 prime, which one is better? I've never purchased Moto before but saw many colleagues use it. G5 seems to have a better config even though it's 3k more. Suggestions please.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 3:46 am
by Marten
Why would you consider a chini kit? Pricewise, asus zenfone 3 gives you better power for the same price. Nokia 6 or LG Q6 are the two capable alternatives (430 + 3 gb ram).

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:58 am
by Singha
went to a samsung dedicated showroom yesterday.
TVs were the usual UHD with no real content in india. meh meh.
fridges were massive in part, god knows who uses. one new innovation. the freezer can be converted into normal chiller. desi flats have no room for the 2door beasts.
saw a gigantic front load washing machine of *23kg* load...the b52 of such machines...
checked the S8 and Note8....the S8 remains their best product , superb build quality and screen...but neutered by android :)
menus were as usual designed by a engineer for engineers like the camera settings menu - a superb camera and again neutered

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:17 am
by BhairavP
Ordered an Echo speaker for the house.
Convinced SHQ that our 5 year old can learn a lot from it by asking it questions for her general knowledge; little does she know that this was only step 1 in the masterplan to "smartify" the house.
Next up - Philips Hue smart lights.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:04 am
by Raja
Our main fridge is a LG french door with the 2 freezer/chiller drawers. The bottom one is freezer onlee while the top drawer can be converted to a chiller - which is what we use it as. It has a door in door design and is quite spacious even though its counter depth onlee. The ice maker is much slimmer than Sammy and others so there's a half decent bunch of shelves on the ice maker door too. The fridge in the garage is for keeping all of SHQ's stinky fish and seafood stuff in exile. I never even open that one.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:28 am
by Vyoman
A bong that complains about fish is something..

BTW, here is some irksome camera comparison
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/camera-s ... 37585.html

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:09 am
by Mort Walker
Raja wrote:
Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:04 am
Our main fridge is a LG french door with the 2 freezer/chiller drawers. The bottom one is freezer onlee while the top drawer can be converted to a chiller - which is what we use it as. It has a door in door design and is quite spacious even though its counter depth onlee. The ice maker is much slimmer than Sammy and others so there's a half decent bunch of shelves on the ice maker door too. The fridge in the garage is for keeping all of SHQ's stinky fish and seafood stuff in exile. I never even open that one.
It sounds very similar to the one we have. My question is that if you have it in the garage, then you can't enjoy the chilled water or ice maker unless you have a water line in the garage?

I never found Bong sea food preparations to be stinky. Always delicious.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:14 am
by Mort Walker
SHQ and I saw this Sammy fridge at a store just recently. The massive 21.5" screen and cameras for viewing your food was interesting. SHQ was intrigued.

Image

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:19 am
by Raja
Mort Walker wrote:
Tue Nov 21, 2017 7:09 am
Raja wrote:
Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:04 am
Our main fridge is a LG french door with the 2 freezer/chiller drawers. The bottom one is freezer onlee while the top drawer can be converted to a chiller - which is what we use it as. It has a door in door design and is quite spacious even though its counter depth onlee. The ice maker is much slimmer than Sammy and others so there's a half decent bunch of shelves on the ice maker door too. The fridge in the garage is for keeping all of SHQ's stinky fish and seafood stuff in exile. I never even open that one.
It sounds very similar to the one we have. My question is that if you have it in the garage, then you can't enjoy the chilled water or ice maker unless you have a water line in the garage?

I never found Bong sea food preparations to be stinky. Always delicious.
Main fridge is in the kitchen, old 2 door fridge is in the garage. She doesn't make Bong sea food prep - mustard fish can be quite stinky.

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:44 am
by Singha
I saw a 23kg capacity samsung washer dryer for home use last weekend. Its nearby as tall as my chest and packs a huge drum.
Saw the huge fridges with door in door and convert modes.. meh meh yawn. Engineers need basic food n beer fridge not a godrej almirah

Re: Phone, Tablet & Gizmo Thread

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 4:25 pm
by Mahakala
All you domesticated fellows.
Netgear x4s sold out before I could get my grubby paws on one. Buggers are quick on black friday sales :(