Before you decide to buy a Camera

It was a photo from my dear friend Raghuram Ashok that made me inquisitive to learn more about photography. Since then I have tried to learn as much as I can and I still do a shoot which are here and here. I have tried my hands on people, kids, caves, stills, streets etc.  Have done couple of exhibitions as well. I have been asked by several people, what camera I should buy. Here are some tips before you decide to buy a camera

• Purpose: First of all understand the purpose, why is it you are buying the camera. Following may be some of the reasons
• Family Events, Casual shoots etc.
• To be a professional and/or to learn and explore
• Budget: Once you decide the purpose, decide the budget. You get a camera right from around Rs. 5000 onwards to few lakhs of rupees.
• Decide the camera: Once you have decided the purpose and the budget, now it’s time to decide the camera. Note the following 
• Family Events, Trip etc.:Depending on the budget you can select cameras ranging from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 20000. 
• Professional: If you want to be a professional, then start with a prosumer camera. These start around with Rs. 10000 onwards and have the functionalities of DSLRs. Understand the functionalities and then upgrade to DSLRs once you are fit to be a pro. You can even start with DSLR if you are serious about it but I wouldn’t recommend this.

Points to be noted

1. Camera doesn’t matter:   Photography is not about DSLR or any particular camera. Camera just gives you the view of what is already imprinted on your mind. It just brings up the reality of what you have thought before the click. Camera may matter at times, but without you knowing how the picture should be, camera will be useless whatever expensive it may be. There are lot of people who use point and shoot cameras and have done exhibitions and are doing well.  The photos that you see on my link viz. flickr are from prosumer.

2. Don’t buy just because you have money:  Just because you have money and have disposable income, don’t buy expensive camera.  Just think about the number of events you capture every year and see what best suits you. You can even buy less than Rs. 10000 cameras and it may serve your purpose than buying Rs. 20000 camera.  Most of the time, people who ask me intend to buy a very expensive one without understanding their need.

3.  It’s not about Pixels:  Most of the marketing strategies to sell camera is focussed on the Megapixels, but the Mega Pixels are of little value addition unless you are highly professional expert.  A 1 Mega pixel camera will also do. Adding more Megapixels just increases the size of the photo on your hard disk.  Preference should be given more to Optical Zoom then megapixels or digital zoom.

4.  Photography is not about DSLR:  This is the most important question that I have been asked. I want to buy a camera, Which DSLR should I Buy? Remember one thing, it’s not about DSLR. It’s about your purpose. No doubt, DSLR gives good clarity and may be available at around  Rs. 20000. But, they are bulky to carry, to be extra careful and you need to invest on additional lenses and that creates a dent in your pocket. It took me 3 years of using a prosumer before I graduated to DSLR. But, I still prefer a prosumer to a DSLR.  Point and shoot cameras are light weight, easily put in to a luggage while travelling, easy to carry around.

5. Photography is about Imagination:  If you think by buying an expensive camera, you can become a photographer then forget it. Photography is about the use of lights, your imagination and your thought. Camera is just a medium to achieve that.

Now, decide the camera, buy the camera and start clicking ;-)

The Ever Changing World

Year 1996 : A Visit to one of the National Banks with  my relative and I noticed a room from a distance that had an electronic machine with a display on it. After an enquiry, I learnt that it was an ATM - Automated Teller Machine. My relative chuckled and said its a waste as nobody uses it. Coming from a small town and looking at the machine was something new and I was quite inquisitive. I accepted the comment from my relative though the thought of the machine giving away the money for the customer was there for some time. Times have passed by and people cannot live without using an ATM.

As the time has passed, things have changed on a day to day life, remembering some of those things is nostalgic.In the past two to three decades, life has changed completely not just for me but for every one around. I could recollect some of those things here, and there may be many.

Antenna : This one is of the most nostalgic and I miss climbing the guava tree to go up the building,then take a pole,  try tilting the antenna towards a particular direction by looking at how others have positioned their antennas. And, shout below to your mom or aunt or father  to check if the TV is functioning with clarity. It has been over  a decade that I have seen any tv antenna.

Banking : The generation next might be oblivious to the word 'Chalan'. Long queue was inevitable to deposit money and /or withdraw cash. Perhaps, the incidence in the beginning of the article is evident for the reason of the way banking has transformed. Internet Banking, Mobile Banking , ATMs have taken over. Though the nationalized banks have  transformed, they have more trust than the private ones.!

Bulb :  Nothing lasts forever, not even the Great wall of China (someday). Edison demonstrated the bulb in the year 1879. He is one of the most influential person who has influenced life around every one. As the times have transformed, the bulb is out of production. Remembering the days when the bulb used to fuse out and you try to merge the cut tungsten wires by tilting left, right and some times it used to work also! I wish I could capture those moments !

Camera : Things that were expensive and/or rare are now ubiquitous and camera is one of them. Imagine taking a Konica or a Kodak Roll, rolling it inside the camera and getting ready to shoot for a family event. After 36 shots, you take it to print and sometimes you realize the prints have not gone bad. Not only you curse yourself, but also others whom you  clicked with the camera would have cursed you.  Such a scenario is a  history. But, the reactions after taking bad shots would be unforgettable now !

Internet :  Wheel was one of the incredible innovation (though it may not appear anymore) of all times. On top of the wheel, there were other innovations like the transport system, pulleys etc. Like wise, if computer is one of the greatest innovation, Internet could be considered as another greatest innovation that was built using the network of computers. Without Internet, computer could have been less useful. Further, Internet could be considered as wheels for Social Networking Sites. Perhaps, there are many more things to innovate in future.

Language ,Writting & News Papers:  The only time you pick up the pen these days would be to sign and sometimes to take notes. Seldom you would have written a sentence using a pen. Writing is still an art, but the use of pen is getting obsolete.  Similarly, seldom I read Kannada nor I write in Kannada, same would be the case with others for their mother tongues. And, with the round the clock news channels, social networks the importance of newspapers has diminished and rarely have I subscribed to news paper in the past 4-5 years.

Mobile Phones: Certain things that were a luxury are now ubiquitous and have become part and parcel of life. Along with Roti, Kapada, Makaan, Mobile is one of the essential needs for everyone. There was a time when we applied for a telephone and it took over 3 years to get the phone. And, receiving the phone made us feel that we have achieved something incredible and definitely there was a moment of celebration. And, now ! If you do not have a mobile,  you are looked down !

Post : Some of  the new generation are oblivious to the word 'Post' and they may not be able to associate with it. The peak of the postal department was evident through the program 'Surabhi' that used to be aired on the national network. The program used to ask questions and the public used to send answers through post and a special post was designed for participating in the competitive question. The cost of normal Post Card was 5 paise and it was such damn cheap so that even the poor can send message through post. Ofcourse, like every one I used to write post to my parents and cousins. Probably, It has been over a decade and a half that I have written anything on the post card or Inland Letter. The reason for this is evident and its none other than Mobile Phones. No doubt, the postal department it trying to transform itself, it is still the most economical way of couriering letters and any other items.

Retailing:  Organized retail is around 5 % of the total market. The recent developments in the retailing have changed the way we shop items. The ambience, the discounts, the size and the lifestyle dictates how we shop and what we shop. The Kirana Stores or the local retail outlets are not only facing the pressure but also compelled to change their profession.

Roads and The Trees : Traveling on the roads might be quicker than before, but the ride has lesser pleasure than before,  because of the trees on either side. No doubt, the highway roads are now two lanes or three lanes and the travel time from Hubli to Mumbai is now around 12 hours from 16 hours earlier. Thanks to the National Highway authority of India (NHAI) and buses like Volvo !

Scooter : Many of you might remember the 'Humara Bajaj' ad. The ad had gone viral through out the country if I can call it so. But, the scooters have diminished. We had the Allwyn Pushpak (also akin to Lambretta) bought in the early 80's, and we used to make out whether my Uncle had come home from work just by the noise of the scooter. And, we sold it couple of years ago. The mileage of the scooter was still around 25 km when we sold it.