Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera

Canon’s line of autofocus-capable SLR cameras is sold under the name EOS. EOS stands for “electro-optical system” but is also meant to be a reference to Eos, a Greek goddess of the dawn. Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera is the fastest and the most powerful digital camera in this category.

Digital SLR Camera or digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that uses an automatic mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens through the viewfinder eyepiece. Or we can say that a camera’s viewfinder looks through the same lens that exposes the image sensor (or film).

This is further added by 3.0 inch LCD monitor with a live view technology making this model to be the most feasible model among all Canon digital SLR cameras.

It has 21.1 full frame CMOS sensor. CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is an image sensor. The image sensor's job is to convert light to electrical energy, which can then be stored in digital form in the camera's memory. An image sensor's photo-capturing power is measured in pixels, and will usually be seen expressed in megapixels. Here, the sensor is 21.1 megapixel CMOS. Cameras which use 35mm film or which use large sensors that are the same size as a frame of 35mm film are commonly called full frame cameras these days. Its Dual DIGIC III image processors randomly work to speed up and refine every image quality.

A key advantage of this camera with interchangeable lenses is the ability to change lenses whenever you want. Lenses built by Canon for use with their EOS series of cameras are technically known as EF-series lenses. Canon EF mount lenses are of the “bayonet” type. This means that the lenses have mounting lugs (three in the case of EOS lenses) which slot into the camera body mount. You then rotate the lens a partial turn to lock it into place with a click.

Details of Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera

Type	Single-lens reflex
Sensor	CMOS
Maximum resolution	3,888 × 2,592 (10 million)
Lens type	Interchangeable (EF)
Shutter	Vertical-travel, mechanical, focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically controlled
Shutter speed range	1/8000 to 30 sec. (1/3-stop increments)
Exposure Metering	63-zone TTL full aperture metering
Metering modes	Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points), Partial metering (approx. 13.5% of screen, at center), Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of screen), Centerweighted average metering
Focus areas	19 cross-type AF points (plus 26 Assist AF points)
Focus modes	Autofocus (One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF), Manual Focus (MF)
Continuous Shooting	10fps up to 22/30/110 frames (RAW+JPEG Large Fine/RAW/JPEG Large Fine)
Viewfinder	Optical
Rear LCD monitor	3.0 in, 230,000 pixels (690,000 dots) TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Storage	Compact Flash (Type I or Type II), Secure Digital, External Hard Drive or other USB Storage Devices.

A.O. Smith-Jaquar Water Heater

Jaquar & Company Ltd, India's largest manufacturer and exporter of bath fittings tied up, on 2nd July 2008, with $2.3 billion US company, AO Smith, to launch an exclusive range of water heaters in India.

Features are as under:

1. Blue Diamond Glass Lining: It offers the best protection against tank corrosion. It also prevents scaling formation which takes place due to Hard Water.
2. Dual Glass Coated Heating Elements: These reduce electricity bills, increases life of the heating element and heats water faster. You have option of heating either one or both the elements.
3. Ideal for high rise apartments: It is 23% stronger than stainless steel tanks, ideal for high rise apartments where water pressure is high, can withstand the water pressure up to 8 bar.
4. User Friendly: The control panel has a LCD screen that displays electricity consumed and can be used for temperature settings. Available with corded remote.

Fixed Maturity Plans (FMPs) in India

FMPs have emerged as favourites by simply combining small investments, assured returns and tax savings. By investing in debt instruments with the intent of holding them to maturity, FMPs are appearing to be a safer haven for all those who are fed up with falling share prices. Anybody, with a one month period could go in for liquid funds but those with 3-9 months time may opt for FMPs.

With more than 27 fund houses having launched FMPs with tenures ranging from 3 months to a few years, FMPs are possible alternatives to fixed deposits in banks.

Advantages:

1. The minimum investment amount is Rs. 5000.
   
2. FMPs offer good fixed income.
   
3. Interest earned on a fixed deposit gets added to the investor’s income. This can mean an outgo of 33% tax for deposit holders in the highest tax bracket. But in FMPs, which have a tenure of more than one year, investors can choose to take all gains as capital appreciation, which result in taxation only at 10 % without cost indexation benefit (adjusting for inflation) or 20% with indexation. In short duration FMP schemes, if the investor receives the gains in the form of dividends, then individual investors will get taxed at 12.5% of the returns.

Risk-averse investors and especially those falling into the higher tax brackets should go for these products. Still, investors would do well to consult their investment advisors/financial planners to determine what avenue will be most suitable to them.

Fixed Maturity Plans are subject to market risks.

LCD TFT Monitors

LCD term is used for Liquid Crystal Display.
TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology provides a much sharper image and higher refresh rate to satisfy gamers in particular. The TFT screen also uses a special assembly process, with layers of glass and various filters. The process greatly increases the viewing angle, both horizontal and vertical.

Advantages:

1. Thin and stylish and takes up very little space.
2. Is energy efficient and consumes very little energy.
3. Relatively lightweight, especially in larger sizes.
4. LCD monitors have extremely fast response times. Varies from 8 ms to 2 ms.
5. TFT monitors have a very crisp image only comparable to very expensive CRT monitors. Pixels are refreshed at a rate of 25 milliseconds. This virtually eliminates eye strain.
6. Have contrast ratio from 5000:1 to 30000:1.
7. More display area (a 15 inch LCD is equivalent to a 17 inch CRT).
8. TFT LCD monitors are not affected by magnetic sources, namely speakers.
9. Widescreen (in the approx. ratio of 16:10) to enhance the viewing of spreadsheets, games and movies.
10. LCDs don't have the geometric, convergence or focus problems of CRTs, and their clarity makes it easier to view higher resolutions than equivalent CRTs.
11. There is much less glare from a TFT monitor.
12. TFT monitors produce less heat and radiation than CRT monitors.
13. The monitor can be mounted on the wall to save even more desk space.
14. Since, LCD monitors are not affected by magnetic sources, namely speakers. As a result, some LCD monitors even offer integrated speakers, and do not require special shielding. Look for in-built speakers to avoid desk clutter.
15. Look for suitable screen resolution as TFT displays are usually designed to run at a specific resolution. Most 15" TFT displays are designed to run at 1024x768 @ 75Hz. Although you can use smaller displays (eg 800x600), the fonts can look out of proportion and blocky. Most 17" TFT displays are designed to run at 1280x1024 @ 75Hz.
16. Look for Extra connectivity such as HDMI and DVI inputs.
17. Look for Additional USB ports for greater connectivity.
18. Look for warranty which may range up to 5 years, even if it costs a litter higher.
    

HDMI - The High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a compact audio/video connector interface for transmitting uncompressed digital streams. This offers high definition images for gaming or high end graphics applications.

DVI - The Digital Visual Interface is a video interface standard designed to maximize the visual quality of digital display devices such as flat panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors. Ideal for high end gaming or work that requires a high detail of graphics.

Disadvantages:

1. They are costlier than CRT monitors.
2. TFT monitors have a limited angle of view.
3. You may experience some blurring on lower end models when there is movement on the screen. This is most prominent in full screen games where you get a motion blur effect but is also noticeable when scrolling through documents or websites.
4. LCD monitors have a single optimum resolution. If a user wants to use a lower resolution, then either only part of the LCD panel is used, or the pixels have to be scaled up to fill the screen, resulting in a blockier look.
5. Dead LCD pixel is another problem. Dead pixels mean pixels that simply do not function. These pixels cannot be repaired, and can be quite annoying if they are in the main viewing area of the monitor, and especially where the screen background is generally white. Discuss this issue before buying.

Digital Camera FX36 from Panasonic

Features:

1. Intelligent Auto Technology: Intelligent Auto (iA) mode offers Intelligent Exposure and Digital Red-eye correction for even better shooting results.
2. 25mm wide: It packs in twice the area compared to a 35mm lens. Ideal for taking group shots and landscapes.
3. Leica DC lens, 4 ASPH lenses, 4X optical zoom: The 25mm Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens offers f/2.8 brightness and 4x optical zoom. This advanced lens unit comprises 7 elements in 6 groups, including 4 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces.
4. HD Photo: All Lumix cameras can take 1920 x 1080 pixel HD (high-definition) photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV for full-screen viewing. You can create slideshows with a variety of change effects and matching music. This camera will add background music, giving you a choice of natural, slow, swing or urban.
   
   The FX36 can record motion images with sensational 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). Just connect the camera to an HDTV and you're ready to view your still shots and motion images in high-definition beauty.
   
   This is in addition to WVGA (848 x 480) and VGA (640 x 480) video.
5. 10.1 Megapixel : The more pixels that exist in an image the higher the resolution and therefore the greater the quality of the image. 10.1 megapixel is on higher side.
6. 0.005 Shutter release: Fast response time means that the shutter release time lag for the DMC-FX36 is as short as 0.005 second. This quick response makes it easier to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities.
7. MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.): It helps prevent blurring from hand-shake, Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings.
8. Buy it from authorised dealer.
   
   

Lumix DMC-FX36 details:
Sensor: 1/2.33" Type CCD/ 10.7 million pixels total/10.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes:
4:3 Aspect Ratio: 3648x2736,3072x2304,2560x1920,2048x1536,1600x1200,640x 480 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 3648x2432 pixels, 3072x2048, 2560x1712, 2048x1360 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 3648x2056, 3072x1728, 2560x1440,1920x1080
Movie clips:
4:3 Aspect Ratio: 640 x 480 pixels, 320 x 240 30 fps, 10 fps 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 848 x 480 pixels 30 fps, 10 fps HD（16:9 Aspect Ratio）: 1280x720 30fps, 15fps
File formats: PEG (EXIF 2.21)/QuickTime (Motion JPEG)
Lens: 25 - 100mm (35mm equiv.)/ 4.4 - 17.6mm/ Wide: F2.8 - 5.6/LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT/7 elements in 6 groups (4 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces)
Image stabilization: MEGA O.I.S lens-shift stabilization
Conversion lenses: No
Digital zoom: Yes, up to 4x
Optical Zoom: 4x
LCD Monitor: 2.5" Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K dots)
Focus: Normal/ Macro/ Quick AF On/Off
AF area modes: Face/ 9-point/3-point high speed/ 1-point high speed /1-point/ Spot
AF assist lamp: Yes
Focus distance: Normal: 50cm – infinity/ Macro / Intelligent AUTO: Wide 5cm / Tele 50cm - infinity
Metering: Intelligent Multiple
ISO sensitivity: Auto/100/200/400/800/1600/High Sensitivity Mode : Auto (1600 - 6400)
Exposure compensation: ± 2EV, 1/3EV steps
Exposure bracketing: ± 1/3 EV ~ 1EV step, 3 frames
Shutter speed: 8-1/2000 sec/Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60sec
Aperture: Wide: F2.8 - F8 Tele: F5.6 - F8
Modes: Intelligent AUTO/Normal Picture/Motion Picture/Clipboard /Scene
Built-in Memory: 50MB

Terminology:

AF - Auto Focus. A system that automatically focuses the camera lens.

Aperture - The lens opening formed by the iris diaphragm inside the lens.

Digital Zoom - Cropping and magnifying the center part of an image

EV - Exposure Value, a very complex thing but in the digital camera world it usually means the ability to override the auto exposure system to lighten or darken an image.

Exposure Bracketing - the camera automatically takes a series of 3 or 5 pictures and slightly varies the EV for each frame. This insures that at least one of the pictures will be as close to perfectly exposed as possible.

Exposure Compensation - Lighten or darken the image by overriding the exposure system. Also known as EV Compensation.

Image Stabilisation - An optical or digital system for removing or reducing camera movement in telephoto zoom lenses.

ISO - The speed or specific light-sensitivity of a camera is rated by ISO numbers such as 100, 400, etc. The higher the number, the more sensitive it is to light. As with film, the higher speeds usually induce more electronic noise so the image gets grainier. ISO is the abbreviation for International Standards Organisation.

Lag Time - The pause between the time the shutter button is pressed and when the camera actually captures the image(exposes the shot). Lag time varies according to camera model.

Metering - Used to calculate the exposure from the existing light conditions.

Optical Zoom - Means that the camera has a real multi-focal length lens, this is not the same as a "Digital Zoom" which magnifies the centre portion of the picture and degrades the image

Shutter - The physical device that opens and closes to let light from the scene strike the image sensor. Digital cameras use both electronic and mechanical shutters.

Official website: www.panasonic.co.in and for service: http://www.atyourservice-panasoonic.in/

Apple iPhone

Apple Inc’s 3G iPhone debuted in India in Aug 2008.

New Apple iphone uses a speedy cellular technology called 3G. It also has a GPS chip for better location sensing.

The 3G iPhone combines three products in a one revolutionary phone, a wide screen iPod and a breakthrough internet device with rich push e-mail and a desktop-class web browser. Moreover, it has a sleek design, brilliant display and an innovative touch screen interface.

Its screen is of size 3.5 in (89mm) and of 480x320 px. Operating System is iPhone 2.0.2 (Build 5C1). It has a 2 megapixel camera. Input through four hardware buttons and multi-touch touch screen. Its CPU is of 620 MHz ARM 1176, underclocked to 412. Its memory is of 128 MB DRAM. Storage capacity is of Flash Memory 4, 8, and 16 GB. Connectivity through Dock connector, FireWire Headphone jack, Wi-Fi (802. 11b/g), and Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR. Its battery is Lithium-ion polymer. Form factor is Candybar Smartphone. It supports iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, iPod, and H.264. Prices in Indian Rupees are Rs. 31,000 for 8 GB and Rs. 36,000 for 16 GB. It is expected to be more affordable in a few months time.

Its capability to load pages is at least there times faster than any other phone currently in the market. Although, 3G capabilities are yet to come in India and a lot depends on how fast the government clears the allocation of 3G spectrum in the country.

What it doesn’t have:

1. Apple 3G iphone has a 2 mega pixel camera but you cannot record video clips.
2. The 3G iphone does not support instant messaging (msg forwarding).
3. 3G iPhone does not support stereo Music Streaming through Bluetooth headsets. You can only answer iphone calls wirelessly with this Bluetooth headset.
4. IPhone does not have a removable battery and expected life is 300-400 charges after that you have visit apple store to replace the batter every year or two like ipod.
5. You can not customize your ring tones with MP3 songs.
6. You cannot send pictures to other cell phones via MMS picture messaging.
7. You cannot download or access iTunes directly form the iPhone, you always have to do it through your PC or Mac’s iTunes program and then Sync files.
8. You can not load more than 8GB or 16GB worth of music, video, audio, documents, contacts, email, etc because there is no removable storage card support.
9. Does not have a Windows OS but a Mac OS.

Recently, in London, Advertising Standards Authority asked Apple not to broadcast its commercial that claimed that people can access all parts of internet from the smart phone. Actually, iPhone does not support Flash or Java, both integral to many web pages.

There is a security flaw in Apple iPhone which allows unauthorized users to gain access to private contacts and e-mails even when the device is locked. The company says a fix is on the way. In the meantime, it is recommended to users to set the iPhone’s “Home” button to open up the phone’s iPod music collection rather than the phone’s “Favorites” menu.

Recently, Apple released a software update for the iPhone that reportedly helped fix problems connecting to faster third-generation (3G) wireless networks. Users should update the iPhone with new software as and when available from the company.

UPDATE1[15.12.12]

iPhone4

Specifications