My P & S nikon camera was not able to capture the images the way I wanted it to.So we decided to upgrade to a dslr camera. There is so much of a good deal of dslr cameras manufactured by Sony, Nikon, Canon, Panasonic etc that it really becomes difficult to find a camera that suits your needs and is affordable too, which in our case meant a price range of 500-800 dollars. Since my knowledge of dslr's was minimal, so I started with youtube videos to know what features are important in a dslr and also compare cameras of different manufacturers. Also I looked at the price range of cameras from amazon.com, from where we eventually bought our camera delivered right at our doorstep within 3 days of ordering it online. I found some good sites for camera comparisons like reviews.cnet.com and dpreview.com which provided extensive user reviews of cameras they bought. One site, i think it was dpreview.com, offered side-by-side
comparison between any number of cameras that you select from the available list of cameras
available in the market for all manufacturers.
The choices of manufacturers was narrowed down to Nikon and Canon, given their lead over others in technological advancement. In Nikon, I liked the D3, D50 and D5000 models but
they all cost over 1000$$ while in Canon, I liked the Canon EOS 50D and higher models which
were again out of the price range we set.
The basic features that I wanted in camera were Megapixels > 6, frames per second > 3 with a
good buffer, good dynamic range, easy-to-use, lightweight, ISO range > 700, CMOS type sensor (consumes less battery than CCD type), atleast 3.5" screen and good picture quality in low light conditions. Canon EOS Rebel XSi fulfilled all these conditions and was rated high in all the websites I visited. We then decided to go check in Best Buy store and compare between the dslrs. The picture quality of canon was excellent and was quite light compared to Nikon D40. The marked price of camera in the store was 750$$ while we got it for 640$$ for amazon.com including the shipping charges. The price of the same camera one and a half years before was 950$$ so we think we have a good camera at a reasonable price.
I hope to use the camera soon in our next trip to Yosemite National Park and then in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Road trip to Big Sur
The day after our San Francisco visit, we headed for our next destination - Big Sur. The main attraction of the place is the long drive along the Pacific Ocean which gives spectacular views of the ocean, the mountains and the turning, twisting roads adjoining the ocean.
We had a heavy breakfast and carried lunch before starting on the trip.
The road lead us through the farm-lands on either side of road to our first stoppage point which was where the drive along the ocean started. We stopped at many more vista points ( place where you can stop your car and take some pics) along the way, each point giving a new perspective on the beauty of the place. A lot of campers and adventure enthusiasts visit this
place. A number of camping grounds could be seen from the road, some people could be seen cycling on the road, which they brought along in their car.
At around 5 pm, we stopped, had our lunch, drank some coffee and moved on.
Our last stop was at a beach along the highway and that too at the time of sunset. The view and the air were refreshing, to say the least.
On our back journey, we could see a rainbow towering above the mountains, some of which reflected red color maybe due to the sunset.We could not have asked for a more beautiful view in that moment.
The whole drive back and forth lasted 10 hours, and till the end of it, we had enjoyed every moment. I had never seen such beautiful sights in my whole life as I have seen in the last few days.
The trip is still on, the next tentative destination being Yosemite National Park. It is located on the east-side of California and offers Glacier Point, Waterfall and hiking as the main attractions.
Lodging is going to be expensive as we plan to go on a weekend when the rush is heavy and most hotels are booked. Pray that we get a nice affordable lodging at the place or else !!
We had a heavy breakfast and carried lunch before starting on the trip.
The road lead us through the farm-lands on either side of road to our first stoppage point which was where the drive along the ocean started. We stopped at many more vista points ( place where you can stop your car and take some pics) along the way, each point giving a new perspective on the beauty of the place. A lot of campers and adventure enthusiasts visit this
place. A number of camping grounds could be seen from the road, some people could be seen cycling on the road, which they brought along in their car.
At around 5 pm, we stopped, had our lunch, drank some coffee and moved on.
Our last stop was at a beach along the highway and that too at the time of sunset. The view and the air were refreshing, to say the least.
On our back journey, we could see a rainbow towering above the mountains, some of which reflected red color maybe due to the sunset.We could not have asked for a more beautiful view in that moment.
The whole drive back and forth lasted 10 hours, and till the end of it, we had enjoyed every moment. I had never seen such beautiful sights in my whole life as I have seen in the last few days.
The trip is still on, the next tentative destination being Yosemite National Park. It is located on the east-side of California and offers Glacier Point, Waterfall and hiking as the main attractions.
Lodging is going to be expensive as we plan to go on a weekend when the rush is heavy and most hotels are booked. Pray that we get a nice affordable lodging at the place or else !!
Friday, August 21, 2009
San Francisco Visit
In our first long-distance trip in US, we went to San Francisco City today. It started with an hour long drive from Santa Clara to the Golden Gate Bridge located in the city. The drive took us through the roads neatly carved out from the beautiful mountains sitting pretty near the S 101 highway and then lead us through the streets of San Francisco with houses, shops and hotels dotting the sideways. The drive through the bridge gave a glimpse of the clouds passing through it as if they were passing through the mountains. We stopped over in the parking area, put our jackets or sweaters on, took some pics, had a skyline view of San Francisco city through the telescopes all the time reminded of the force with which the wind was crashing against us.
The wind was so strong that at times it was literally becoming difficult for me to touch my whole feet down on the surface.
After a brief stay near the bridge, we went to Pier 39 also known as fisherman's wharf, whatever that means. It is one of the most visited places in US and the second most popular tourist destination in the US after disneyland. When we had reached the place and parked our car, we could see a crowd gathered in a circle as if some show was going on. Infact some black guys and a latino were going to do some crazy dancing with one of them entertaining the crowd, cracking some jokes and all. Their dance was really awesome some of which I captured in my camera.
Then we moved on and could hear some great music being played by two guys, the crowd sipping on their beer while enjoying the music. The place had shops lined all around, with a big store for breadmaker Boudin, a big crab restaurant and some other smaller non-veg restaurants, a shop/space for seeing some incredible stuff of Ripley's Believe It or Not etc..
All in all the place was beautiful and worth visiting atleast once in a lifetime.
By the time, we started on our journey back home, the stars had filled the sky. In the darkness of the night, the roads were well-lit and the city glowed in its arms. The Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge looked very beautiful from the view we had in our car.
The trip is special to me for various reasons, one because my whole family is together and second, because this is my first visit to US and a first visit to a major city in the country.
Through this trip, I realised the importance of Google Maps. In my view it is absolutely essential to have your navigator with you when going out on a trip in US so that you find your destination without much hassle.
That is enough for today, going to sleep now !!
The wind was so strong that at times it was literally becoming difficult for me to touch my whole feet down on the surface.
After a brief stay near the bridge, we went to Pier 39 also known as fisherman's wharf, whatever that means. It is one of the most visited places in US and the second most popular tourist destination in the US after disneyland. When we had reached the place and parked our car, we could see a crowd gathered in a circle as if some show was going on. Infact some black guys and a latino were going to do some crazy dancing with one of them entertaining the crowd, cracking some jokes and all. Their dance was really awesome some of which I captured in my camera.
Then we moved on and could hear some great music being played by two guys, the crowd sipping on their beer while enjoying the music. The place had shops lined all around, with a big store for breadmaker Boudin, a big crab restaurant and some other smaller non-veg restaurants, a shop/space for seeing some incredible stuff of Ripley's Believe It or Not etc..
All in all the place was beautiful and worth visiting atleast once in a lifetime.
By the time, we started on our journey back home, the stars had filled the sky. In the darkness of the night, the roads were well-lit and the city glowed in its arms. The Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge looked very beautiful from the view we had in our car.
The trip is special to me for various reasons, one because my whole family is together and second, because this is my first visit to US and a first visit to a major city in the country.
Through this trip, I realised the importance of Google Maps. In my view it is absolutely essential to have your navigator with you when going out on a trip in US so that you find your destination without much hassle.
That is enough for today, going to sleep now !!
Stanford University
Yesterday I saw Stanford University with my own eyes, not in some photos on the net but indeed with my own eyes. The sight and the feeling was unbelievable. Here I was standing looking at one of the best places to be in the whole world and how lucky I felt. The drive to the university was great too with the Palm Drive providing open invitation to the world for making a visit to the remarkable university. We were welcomed by a cool breeze making the experience all the more enjoyable and worth-remembering. We took some pictures and just roamed about the place looking at the architectural marvels that thronged the place. Stanford University has approx 19 libraries, which may sound surprising but once you get to see the place, it does not seem very surprising. I can only guess how much blessed the people studying in this university
must be feeling. But seeing it in my lifetime is in itself a big achievement. God bless the souls who conceptualised and created this wonderful university !!
must be feeling. But seeing it in my lifetime is in itself a big achievement. God bless the souls who conceptualised and created this wonderful university !!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Westfield Valley Fair Mall
We visited Westfield Valley Fair Mall, arguably, the best mall in Bay Area.
Being a weekend, the parking was full in the shed area, so we had to contend parking our Honda Civic on the open top floor.
It is the best mall I have seen uptil now. It has excellent high-end clothing stores - ranging from Gap, Armani Exchange,Nordstrom to normal stores like Louis Vuitton. Personally I found the Armani Exchange collection the best I have ever seen. Trying their jackets, shirts and T-shirts was in itself an exhilarating experience. Gap had an exclusive store for kids on the ground floor and kept the men & women clothing collection on the first floor.
It also had an excellent food court with Mongolian B.B.Q, Japanese eating joint, Panda Express and other food joints catering to Mexican, Japanese and American tastes. Each of us had a sixteen size smoothies made up of strawberries, raspberries, blue berries etc. It was quite yummy and thirst-quenching.
It even had exclusive shops for caps and teas.
We roamed around for 4 hours, still could cover only one floor of the two-floored mall.
In the end, we did do some shopping - a Polo jeans for me, two Gap T-shirts each for me and my brother and other minor stuff.
Overall the experience was good, hope I get another chance to visit it again.
Being a weekend, the parking was full in the shed area, so we had to contend parking our Honda Civic on the open top floor.
It is the best mall I have seen uptil now. It has excellent high-end clothing stores - ranging from Gap, Armani Exchange,Nordstrom to normal stores like Louis Vuitton. Personally I found the Armani Exchange collection the best I have ever seen. Trying their jackets, shirts and T-shirts was in itself an exhilarating experience. Gap had an exclusive store for kids on the ground floor and kept the men & women clothing collection on the first floor.
It also had an excellent food court with Mongolian B.B.Q, Japanese eating joint, Panda Express and other food joints catering to Mexican, Japanese and American tastes. Each of us had a sixteen size smoothies made up of strawberries, raspberries, blue berries etc. It was quite yummy and thirst-quenching.
It even had exclusive shops for caps and teas.
We roamed around for 4 hours, still could cover only one floor of the two-floored mall.
In the end, we did do some shopping - a Polo jeans for me, two Gap T-shirts each for me and my brother and other minor stuff.
Overall the experience was good, hope I get another chance to visit it again.
Friday, August 14, 2009
My current address... Saratoga Avenue, Santa Clara, CA
Along with my parents,I am on my first visit to US and so far the experience has been great. We boarded Cathay Pacific Airlines on 11 Aug 2009 and landed in Hong Kong 5 hours later. I found the Hong Kong airport much better than the Chattrapati Shivaji Airport of Mumbai (it turned out to be much better than I expected), Changi Airport of Singapore and San Fransisco airport. Hong Kong airport looked majestic standing among the mountains from all sides. We had 5 hours of time to kill in Hong Kong which we did by roaming around in the airport itself. The airport had a lot of eateries, apparel stores (had some of the most expensive brands of France, US, Italy and even Kashmir), WiFi stations, book stores etc. We were a little apprehensive about the swine flu scare and its possible repercussions but we did not face any such problem in our entire journey.
We then boarded our next flight from Hong Kong to San Fransisco in Cathay Pacific. Video screens were fitted on the backside of seats and I got to watch some good movies from the huge collection of entertainment stuff available. I started with "I am just not that into you" but got bored in a little while. Then I watched the new X-men release of "X-men origins : Wolverine" having some incredible action. After that I watched an episode of Scrubs - Season 8 which was as usual fun to watch. In between, lunch and dinner was served and I dozed off a little too. Then I watched "I love you, man " and "The revenge of Chun-Li" back to back. A couple of hours were left before we were to reach our destination so I thought I should catch a little sleep to invigorate myself.
When I woke up, we were 20 minutes away from San-Fransisco and flying low enough for me to get a bird's eye view of the region below. I could see a maze of highways below, mighty mountains and sea adjoining the San-Fransisco airport. The buildings were fairly spread out with no sign of clutter as well as nice parking space for vehicles around the residential places.
We landed on the airport and went through customs and luggage recovery before we came out all ready to meet my brother in the waiting area.
That is how our visit to US commenced.
We then boarded our next flight from Hong Kong to San Fransisco in Cathay Pacific. Video screens were fitted on the backside of seats and I got to watch some good movies from the huge collection of entertainment stuff available. I started with "I am just not that into you" but got bored in a little while. Then I watched the new X-men release of "X-men origins : Wolverine" having some incredible action. After that I watched an episode of Scrubs - Season 8 which was as usual fun to watch. In between, lunch and dinner was served and I dozed off a little too. Then I watched "I love you, man " and "The revenge of Chun-Li" back to back. A couple of hours were left before we were to reach our destination so I thought I should catch a little sleep to invigorate myself.
When I woke up, we were 20 minutes away from San-Fransisco and flying low enough for me to get a bird's eye view of the region below. I could see a maze of highways below, mighty mountains and sea adjoining the San-Fransisco airport. The buildings were fairly spread out with no sign of clutter as well as nice parking space for vehicles around the residential places.
We landed on the airport and went through customs and luggage recovery before we came out all ready to meet my brother in the waiting area.
That is how our visit to US commenced.
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