Photography Opinion : How to choose your camera?

I came across to this article at Digitalrev and i think it is very good opinion/tips for newbie who decided to get a DSLR.Thus i would love to provide an opinion or tips for peole who wanted to get themselves a camera, not only DSLR. As everyone know DSLR nowdays are very affordable and i can see nearly everyone can afford at least a basic gear.

However, there are people who did not have experiences with camera sometime do doubt and confuse which camera are better for them? Now here is the question you should ask yourself before getting any camera:

• What you need it for?
• What is your budget range?
• What brand you prefer?

I think with this 3 question above is sufficient enough for you to make decision which to get. Lets get started.

What you need it for?

What you need it for? To take pictures of course! oh yea that's true but which should you get? DSLR? Compact? This always pop out in my friends mind whenever they decided to choose a camera. Whenever that come across, i always ask them what you need it for? Most my girl friends used it for casual. They don't really care to learn the basic photography as long as they can take good picture. However on my guy friends side, some who doesn't know a nuts on photography begin to pick up it as hobby and they started it with DSLR.

So here is the question, What you need it for? There is no restriction that which camera you must get if you need it for this and that. Bare in mind, NEED and WANT is two difference thing. eg You WANT a DSLR because everyone having it and you NEED a DSLR because i want to use it for my job. See the difference? There is once i WANT to get alot lens that I had in my mind but in the end I didn't get it, because i don't NEED it or use it odten. Once again, see the difference? So bear in mind what you need it for and that's gonna lead you to next question.

As my opinion, if you wanna learn basic photography, yes it is good to started with low end DSLR, Mirrorless Camera or Compact that provide you full control of ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed. Afterall, photography is all about framing, composition and setting. Notice that i put them in order? Yes setting is always the last thing to concern for me. If you just a casual/travel user but want a good image quality, you're always welcome to get any of the 3 choices and use Auto mode all the way. In the end the picture result is make WOW impact for your viewer. Do remember sometime size of the camera do affect your choices and decision depending what you use it for.

What is your budget range?

I am sure you do have your own budget and yes, always set a budget for yourself or else you'll lost. However with current market price, budget RM 1,200-RM 1,500 is good enough for you to have a high end compact (which i called it semi pro - Lumix LX5, Nikon P7100, Canon S95, Canon G12, Olympus XZ-1) or a second hand DSLR for beginner. If you are rich, then yea go ahead and get whatever you feel you like.

Afterall, even you are beginner and given a Nikon D3S you'll get a decent result of your picture. Even the pro cameras have got P modes, so it's not like you need to know what all the settings are and what everything means to get a shot. So they key for those who want a better value buy is, "what camera cam I get without breaking the bank and not wasting loads of money"?

What brand you prefer?

Canon? Nikon? Sony? Panasonic? Samsung? Olympus? Honestly there will be always never ending choices in camera. Difference spec, design and brand keep coming out and no doubt, they are getting better and better. For my opinion, go for whichever you feel like. Difference people will have difference opinion. Some would say they love Nikon because of user friendly. Some will love stylish design of Sony compact. Some will love Panasonic Lumix GF3 because it was small. Some will love Olympus Pen art filter. I am sure all this question will pop out in your mind, thus i would love to refer back to first question, "What you need it for" and narrow down your choices. As for me, I am kind of brandism of Nikon but i do give a try on other brand as well. In the end now I am both Nikon DSLR and Olympus Pen user and i actually used my Pen the most and i sold off my DSLR.

I always believe that skill come first and camera just a tool for you to execute your artistic side. Based on the 3 question, i am pretty sure you can figure out which you want.

You can take a look on Digitalrev opinion too :)

Android Tips : How to set up Hotmail for Android

Recently I found an interesting article about synching Hotmail to Android. Previously i was a Blackberry user, synching email is never a problem. But i have change to Android system now and Hotmail is actually my main email for my work. My previous other Android phone never setup hotmail account since i just setup google account to access the market.

Thus, here is a guide for you who looking on how to sync the hotmail in your Android devices. First thing first your device must running Froyo and above because Microsoft has activated Exchange ActiveSync for Hotmail from there. It also syncs up your Windows Live Contacts and Calendar with the phone. Pretty handy and badass as gmail ;P

First, you put in your email address and password, then you hit "manual setup" (not "next"), then choose "Exchange". From there, you'll see the following...

• Domain\Username: Clear out and put in your full hotmail address
• Password: if not pre-filled, obviously put in your hotmail password
• Server: m.hotmail.com
• Check "Use Secure Connection (SSL)"
• "accept all SSL certificates" can uncheck

After all the setup complete HOLA! You got your hotmail sync with your android phone ;)

Android Tips : Root

I believe there are still alot newbie in Android or some of you are actually migrated from another platform to Android. Well first thing first, i would like to say welcome to Android OS. I myself is an Android user for few devices before and honest speaking, I love android so much than other platform! ;)

Alot people who don't know much about android and lost at the moment they got the phone. Some of you might use it as normal phone without tweaking it anything. Well, i am here to tell you, don't waste the potential! You can Root your phone!

Rooting is same term like jailbreak for iOS..well at least that's the easiest way to explain it up. Rooting is the process by which you regain administrative access to your phone. Even though Android is an open source operating system you still don’t have full “root access” to do what you please. Back when the iPhone launched in 2007 the hardcore techies quickly realized the true potential of the device, and the cruel software limitations that Apple had sealed it with. What became ‘Jailbreaking’ on iPhone was quickly translated to other platforms as well, and when the world saw the first Android back in 2008, the term “Rooting” was born.

The main reason people root their Android device for freedom and control, when you root your Android phone or tablet you gain full control over your system and can tweak it to your liking such as :

Improved Performance: You can speed up your Android device by relocating your phones cache thus allowing you to save phone memory and have a faster phone. There are applications available in the Android Market that will allow you to overclock your device to make it go as fast as you dare.

Alter System Files: You can replace many parts of the “Android Core” which include the ability to add new themes, edit the core apps (maps, calendar, clock, etc), change the recovery & boot images, add linux binaries.

More Application Choics: You will be able to install apps that are only compatible with rooted phones, some of these apps include an app that will allow you to take a screenshot on your phone, overclock your device and tether apps.

Install applications to your SD CARD: One of the most talked-about feature (or disadvantage) of any Android device is the limitation where you can install applications only in the phone’s internal memory and not the SD card. While Google may reason that SD cards are slower in general and cannot run apps as effectively as internal memory, fact of the matter is that most Android devices do not come with massive internal storage spaces, and hence greatly limit the number of applications that can be installed at a time. With rooted devices, you can use Apps2SD, which will copy ALL your applications to a ext2/3/4 formatted SD card an will also store future builds in card. Freedom to choose!

Latest Android OS (Operating System): With many carriers holding back the updates to the latest Android operating system, rooting your device will give you the option to install any current and future OS’s by installing custom-tailored ROMs. (I will talk more about this in next!)

So you got rough idea what rooting is about? Your next question probably would be "OMG I wanna root my device! How should i do it?" Well sorry i cant help you in this. Difference phone will have difference way to root it. If you really wanna know the way to root, try google it around or visit http://forum.xda-developers.com/ :) those guys done pretty good job in android developer section!

Like jailbreak, yes there is a risk in rooting your phone! nah just scare you all. The only risk you'll bear when root you phone is warranty void. owever you may be able to find the stock rom for your device in which case you can reverse the rooting and make your phone stock again. You may have difficulty finding the stock ROM for your device, it all depends on your device, but it’s something worth finding before you do root.

Now, dare to root your phone to next level? My advice, do more research on the method before you root it :)

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