talkies
PHOTO December 2014
Issue 11
A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS
FASCINATING BOKEH 25 Millimeters of Landscape
SEEKING TRANQUILITY?
Naturally Lit
Food Photography SONY XPERIA Z3 REVIEW
SEEKING TRANQUILITY IN THIS AGE OF NOISE We live in a decibel infested world. Our urban lives are full of chaos, and it can pull us down even when we don’t realize its ill-effects. Thank God for travel. And a further thanks to the many tranquil spots still left on this planet where our bodies, minds and souls can find oases of peace. Living in over-populated and polluted cities may be unavoidable for professional and personal reasons, but getting out from time to time is definitely an option. This is what the current issue of PhotoTalkies focuses on – 10 places where tranquility is redefined. Where you can reconnect with Nature, with all that is pure and innocent, and with yourself. And create memories with photographs. Read further to discover the magic and science in ZEISS lenses. Masters from across the world will transport you to the kaleidoscopic world of the bokeh; they also show how 25 millimeters is all you need for enchanting landscape photography. And if you thought food photography requires elaborate lighting and staging, think again – you can take mouth-watering shots in natural light. For those who shoot from the hip, we cover six phones with great cameras. And review the Sony Xperia Z3, a great device for those who seek an ideal gadget on the go. The issue gets wrapped up with our take on Sachin Tendulkar’s book launched recently. And did we mention that the Kunzum Bucket List will now be a regular feature? To tease you about beautiful places waiting to be shot. Let’s click together.
AJAY JAIN ajay@ajayjain.com
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PHOTO
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A Joint Initiative of Kunzum and ZEISS
CONTENTS
www.kunzum.com/phototalkies
10 PLACES WHERE TRANQUILITY IS REDEFINED BLOOMING BOKEH
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FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY: No Staging or Artificial Lighting
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GADGETS Six Phones That Let You Leave Your Camera Behind Review: Sony Xperia Z3
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BOOKS Books: Playing It My Way by Sachin Tendulkar
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mail@kunzum.com
Want to contribute to PhotoTalkies? Ping us at mail@kunzum.com Disclaimer: All articles and photographs in this magazine are the opinions of the respective contributors. It is understood that they own the copyright to the same, or have the rights to offer the same under their bylines. ZEISS is not responsible for the authenticity of any of the articles and photographs, nor will be held liable for any disputes, claims and liabilities arising out of ownership or copyright issues of the content in the magazine.
PhotoFair is coming to New Delhi from January 8-11, 2015
Come over and meet ZEISS and Kunzum at Stall 104A
See the latest products and services on offer. And get involved in our activities and events.
SUPRISES AWAIT ALL VISITORS!! Dates: January 8 – 11, 2015 Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi For more on the PhotoFair, visit http://www.aiptia.org. Or contact us at mail@kunzum.com
10 PLACES Where Tranquility is Redefined AJAY JAIN One of the important reasons to travel is to be away from the madding crowds and stresses of urban life, and find some peace. Fortunately, there are still enough spots on this planet, and in India, where tranquility can be redefined. Head to these to be with yourself, and to admire Nature and its bountiful ways.
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1. Abbott Mount, Uttarakhand This place was discovered by Britisher John Abbott (whose descendants now live in Jhansi) in the pre-independence era and he decided to name the hill after himself. He built 13 cottages here and some of these still survive. Panorama takes a new meaning as you treat yourself to views of peaks like Trishul, Nanda Kot, Nanda Ghunti and the Nanda Devi spanning in an arc in front of you across a valley. This is the place where you just walk around amidst the woods with no traffic or sounds, sip tea with clouds below and watch beautiful sunsets. There is a church built in 1942, locked now, where prayers are supposedly still held once or twice a year. 06
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2. Shoja, Himachal Pradesh Located near Kullu, the 38 km approach from Aut to Shoja is lined with apple orchards and exotic flower bearing flora. Once there, you will have to pinch yourself to believe the silence and beauty is for real. A part of the Great Himalayan National Park, sit back and enjoy the views or head out for hikes. It often rains in the afternoons, best enjoyed over tea and pakoras. 07
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3. Mokokchung, Nagaland Nagaland is rightly called the land of the misty mountains. And Mokokchung, home to Ao Nagas, is just the place to see it for yourself. Explore and find your spot in this area. Visit Longkhum nearby - locals believe you leave your soul here the first time you visit and must return to get it back. On Sunday, join the locals for Mass in the Baptist church. Or saunter about the spotlessly clean village chatting with the residents, chasing their chickens. Don’t miss out on Mopungchuket model village where the classic romance of poor boy Jena and rich girl Etiben played out. Forced to marry someone else, Etiben starved herself to death. Grief struck, Jena kept playing his flute till he too was heard of no more. The village has a beautiful lake with a rope bridge.
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4. Triund, Mcleodganj, Himachal Pradesh Triund happens suddenly. One moment you are puffing up a steep, rocky path with only a mountain wall to your left and a forested valley to the right to be seen. And then, with one last step where the path takes a sharp turn, you are upon a green meadow at 2842.26 metres (9326 ft) above sea level, surrounded by snow capped peaks of the Dhauladhar range, all seemingly an arm’s length away. And when you step into Triund, there is no option but to pause. Partly to catch your breath, and mostly to absorb what is clearly a breathtaking sight. If there is a seventh heaven, you can be sure you have left even that behind. The feeling is one of being on top of the world, surrounded by a ranges even higher than where you stand. 09 07
5. Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh A four-hour mountain drive from Itanagar takes you to Ziro valley, the most picturesque and culturally rich region of Arunachal Pradesh. It is home to the Apatani tribe. It is a society in transition, where the traditional lives in harmony with the modern. With limited transport access, Ziro will retain its tranquility for a long time to come.
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6. Komic Village, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh The world is full hidden wonders and events – wish there was a way of knowing about them. One such is the Komic Monastery and its annual festival – one that no one will tell you about until you probe. And even when you know about it, you will not find it easy to get there. Komic village is located at an altitude of 4,513 metres (14,806 feet) in the cold desert of Spiti in the Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. The monastery is one of the highest in the world at 4,587 metres (15,049 feet). The monastery itself is small, but its setting is very picturesque. All around you only see snow capped peaks and skies with hues of blue no artist can replicate. The population of Komic village is only 114 (in 2010) – the love for one’s land can make people survive in any conditions. And still put on a happy face! 11 07
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7. Ken River, Panna National Park, Madhya Pradesh If you are looking for tranquility, take a row boat ride on the Ken River at Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh. No amount of words and images can make up for the real experience of being there. The river and the air are as clean as they can get, the bird life in the river will enthrall you, the landscapes will mesmerize you and the calm will captivate you.
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8. Chambal River, Uttar Pradesh If the Ken river is not enough for you, go for a ride along the Chambal River - just an hour from the Taj Mahal in Agra. Another of those pristine and beautiful spots on this planet, you will be in the company of Ghariyals, Crocodiles, Turtles and scores of species of birds. All adding to make for a heavenly experience. 13 07
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9. Munnar, Kerala Rolling hills, temperate weather, tea estates, wildlife - and cut off from much of what ails this world. That’s Munnar for you in Kerala. Where you can find your own peace in a green world under the open blue skies - all over a cuppa. 14 07
PhotoTalkies by Kunzum and ZEISS
10. Osian, Rajasthan Few will recommend you go to Osian, a couple of hours from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, in the middle of the Thar desert. Check into one of the many camps here, and take a morning drive in the desert like I did. The air was crisp and fresh, with no sounds, literally. No birds, no pumps, no vehicles. And then I was surprised by the silhouette of a Nilgai (Antelope or Indian Blue Bull) a few feet to my left when I was least expecting anyone. True to its nature, it scurried away behind bushes and rocks as I slowed down for a closer look. A little ahead, I saw a group of the beautiful and gentle Chinkaras, Rajasthan’s state animal, out for breakfast. And the magic took on new hues with the sun rising in my face. The golden light lit up the fields and the landscape, and the Chinkaras (Gazelles) too. Beat this.
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BLOOMING
BOKEH FASCINATION BOKEH
If you want to compose photographs with an appealing background, it’s hard to ignore the plant world. As a motif a meadow of flowers has a special appeal. And if you open the iris a bit more, the colors melt all the way into the depths of the image. Batu Balkanli likes to work with such a bokeh range. In and around the Bosphorus metropolis of Istanbul and armed with his ZEISS lenses, he is constantly searching for the special bokeh.
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Wild flowers along Turkey’s Black Sea coast near Istanbul, shortly before sunset 25
When Batu Balkanli was first introduced to a ZEISS lens without autofocus six years ago, he was skeptical. He thought manual focusing would be distracting, tedious and too slow. “But after my first tests with it, I quickly fell in love with the experience and realized that, from now on, manual focusing would be an integral part of my photographic journey. This picture of wild flowers, for example, would not have been possible if I had used another technique. With the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 and a calm attitude, I took pictures from several low angles until I got the most beautiful light and bokeh combination I could find.”
PhotoTalkies by Kunzum and ZEISS
Stray cat in Istanbul Batu Balkanli loves nature, even in the urban jungle of Istanbul. Here you find parks, flowers growing along the road and numerous stray cats, with whom Batu has a special relationship. “Sometimes I go out with my camera just to take shots of these wonderful animals. The image above was taken on a lovely afternoon. This cat, that I’ve known since it was a kitten, was sunbathing between two properties. The wall, in combination with the garden on the left side of the picture, creates a beautiful bokeh. I took the second picture of a cat from a distance of around five meters. The cats are very friendly, but they are cautious and always keep their distance from strangers. The colorful bokeh of the façade in the background gives this shot something special.” 26
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What Batu Balkanli likes so much is not the cats as a main subject, but rather the blurred background and foreground — the bokeh in which trees, walls, flowers and façades flow into each other to resemble Impressionist-like art works. “The first time I saw the bokeh from a ZEISS lens was a life-changing experience in my photographic career. I felt like I had entered a new planet – the planet Bokeh – with hitherto undiscovered beauty. Of course, I had seen plenty of beautiful bokeh before, but never with so much detail, so velvety-smooth, with such depth, and full of surprises.”
Stray cat in Istanbul 27
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Wild flowers on Turkey’s Black Sea coast; panorama made of ten individual images
Batu Balkanli’s fascination has grown over the years, and he has bought a large collection of 11 ZEISS lenses with ZF.2 and ZA mount. He has also recently completed his equipment with a Sony a7r with full-frame sensor, for which he adapted his ZEISS lenses. “For me photography is like painting, and I used to do oil painting. Today, through photography, I try to convey to others the impression that a landscape or a detail of nature makes on me. I take the time to compose the background. Most of the time I work with as open an aperture as possible, like in this panoramic shot. I was on the floor, holding the camera by hand, in order to capture the character of these small and inconspicuous flowers.”
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Flower shop display in Istanbul Batu Balkanli makes spectacular shots of motifs that initially seem to be rather ordinary: wild flowers, stray cats or the late-afternoon light. But it is precisely in these situations that he demonstrates how important it is to compose an image with all the technical means that photography has to offer. “In my view, even the most ordinary thing can turn into a piece of art with the right ZEISS lens. The flower shop display, as in the image above, or the plant in the image below — I don’t even know what that plant is called. I was taking a morning walk in winter and it was the angle of the sun that fascinated me. The result shows what makes ZEISS lenses stand out: the three-dimensional look of the bokeh, with structures that seem like brush strokes and crystal-like reflections coming from the light sources.”
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About Batu Balkanli Born in Ankara, Batu Balkanli initially studied engineering in Turkey, and then later in the US, where he lived and worked for 12 years. He decided to switch professions to software development, and returned home to Turkey. Today he lives and works in Istanbul. Six years ago Batu Balkanli bought his first ZEISS lens, and since then photography has fascinated him, especially bokeh.
Flowers along the street in Istanbul 30
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25 MI LLIM ETERS O F
L ANDSC APE
Timm Allrich spent a month in the countryside of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northern Germany with the Distagon T* 2/25. In his impressive images, he reveals a perspective of dunes, the ocean and fields that is only possible with this focal length.
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Canola field in Pingelshagen near Schwerin after a rainy day
“For me the Distagon T* 2/25 was love at second sight. The first time I used this lens, I didn’t see its purpose for my photography. There was a focal length somewhere in ‘no man’s land’. But ZEISS recently offered me the chance to test the Distagon T* 2/25. My interest was raised — and rightly so, as I would find out.” All the images shown here – with the exception of the first one, which shows the view directly in front of Allrich’s house – were created during a threeday photography workshop on the Baltic coast between Rostock and Stralsund in Darß. The area is part of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula and the Western-Pomeranian Boddenlandschaft National Park.
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Portrait with cello in the Botanical Garden of Cologne
In tropical regions one would call the ‘bodden’ – which divides the peninsula from the Baltic Sea – a lagoon landscape. “Very flat, a mix of fresh and salt water, with a unique flora and fauna. A wonderful area, where you can indulge your passion for photography without any distractions”, so Allrich tells participants during his photography workshop. The western beach of Darß, for example, has retained its natural and wild character. “The sunset here is incredibly beautiful owing to the strict west orientation of the beach. In this picture you can see how well suited the Distagon T* 2/25 is for panoramic shots. The lens is almost completely distortion-free, there’s hardly any vignetting, and it’s sharp all the way to the edges.”
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Western edge of Darß at dusk 35
The purpose of the workshop is to question the traditional dogmas of landscape photography, according to which you should try to fit everything in the image with a wide angle and consistently in focus. “This picture shows the possibilities that the Distagon T* 2/25 offers to compose the perspective. The white crest in the foreground was only around 20 centimeters long, the beach behind it about four kilometers. By taking this picture with a 25-millimeter focal length, and from a low vantage point, you can dramatize their relationships to each other.” By positioning the focus point in the center of the image, the attention of the viewer is directed to the middle, just like being caught in a fishing net.
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On another day, at around 5am, Timm Allrich takes his workshop participants to the sleepy bodden harbor of Wiek, where you can still find old fishing boats anchored. “In this picture you see that the Distagon T* 2/25 lets you combine the total view with the details very nicely. At the same time, nothing is distorted, the masts are exactly straight. Even in these difficult light conditions, a high dynamic range was achieved. The shadows have sufficient detail, the highlights do not erode. Overall, it’s a very balanced light.” A sunset is clearly the fitting conclusion to a long day devoted to photography. “The image quality here is sensational: a horizon that is absolutely distortion-free, even though it was clearly placed at the lower edge of the picture. And although the picture was shot directly into the sun – which is not positioned centrally in the picture – there is no lens flare. The golden light puts a wonderful shimmer around the contours of the trees.”
Harbor in Wiek, Darß, Early-morning haze above the bodden. The mirror-smooth surface invites you to linger. 36
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Timm Allrich concludes, “What really convinced me about this lens was that it possesses all the performance features of a wide angle, but doesn’t deliver perspectives that are too dramatic. In landscape photography, that’s a creative plus, especially when details in the foreground need to appear distortion-free. Here, it delivers very natural proportions. The Distagon T* 2/25 is a well-balanced compromise between the natural perspective of a 35-millimeter lens and a wide angle. It combines their respective advantages in the best way. It was difficult for me to give the lens back when the test ended.” Sunset at the western beach of Darß
About Timm Allrich Timm Allrich takes his camera with him almost every day in, and around, his hometown of Schwerin. His preferred time for taking pictures is the early morning. Timm focuses on professional black and white photography and is currently finishing his residency as a radiologist. Since 2013 he has been an official brand ambassador for ZEISS Camera Lenses. Timm photographs for the tourism association of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Western Pomerania Bodden Landscape National Park, and the local photography festival ‘Erlebniswelt Fotografie Zingst’ (Experience World Photography Zingst). http://www.timmallrich.de/ 37
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NO STAGING OR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING DANIEL DYTRYCH’S NATURAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY Food photography is considered the art of presenting food in elegant compositions that resemble true works of art. When Daniel Dytrych takes up his camera, he sees himself as an artist seeking to examine the origins of the food through photography – from a natural perspective. Whenever he needs to produce the best possible pictures, ZEISS lenses are always nearby.
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The key element in Daniel Dytrych’s photography is light – in this case natural light, because he believes that only natural light, not artificial studio lighting, can present food at its best. The dishes and foods for his photo shoots are always freshly prepared, using the best ingredients. The image produced should speak for itself – without artificial embellishments.
Fish, Padstow Harbor, Cornwall, England
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This philosophy gives Dytrych’s food photography a sense of being somewhat improvised. This picture, created during an assignment for the harbor-side restaurant “The Basement” was taken on board a fishing cutter: “Here, you can see one of the cooks examining the fish. He lifted two fish straight from the ice at random, and held them up to me. On the fish on the left, you can even make out a bit of ice still sticking to it – all in all, it’s a completely spontaneous moment.”
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Besides his photographic instincts, his most important tools for capturing such moments are the Distagon T* 2/35 and the Planar T* 1,4/50. “Both of these lenses are fantastic, especially the Planar T* 1,4/50. I use this lens for 90 percent of my food pictures. I’m completely in love with it!” The carefully composed plate with the crispy fried frogs’ legs is a good illustration of what Dytrych means. Though this dish may not be to everyone’s taste, the picture makes your mouth water as if the dish were sitting right there in front of you.
The Basement Restaurant, Padstow, Cornwall, England: crispy fried frogs’ legs, parsley jelly, garlic puree, parsley emulsion, mixed baby leaves and olives 41
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One of the biggest challenges in food photography is developing one’s own style. Daniel Dytrych’s style is a devotion to natural photography: “I use as little staging as possible, and if I do need stage props, I use natural materials. It’s only the food that matters to me. A well-conceived recipe with an abundance of good ingredients needs no further additions. The natural light provides the finishing touch. All of my pictures are shot right there where the food is made.”
Red cabbage
In some cases, props can be as simple as a person’s hands, as in the picture of a halved red cabbage head, which captures the attention with its full and highly contrasting colors. It was this combination of simplicity of subject and photographic composition on location that fascinated Dytrych, and which did so again at this year’s grape harvest at the Coates & Seely vineyard. “ZEISS lenses have many outstanding features, but what fascinates me the most is the ‘3D effect’. You get the impression that the subject is jumping right out at you. Another feature of the lenses that I really like is their velvety bokeh. In the picture with the grapes, the transition from super-sharp focus area to blur makes your mouth water, especially if – like in this image – you take the pictures with the Planar T* 1,4/50 at a wide aperture.”
Grapes, Coates & Seely Vineyard, Hampshire, England. On the left, Pinot Noir, on the right, Chardonnay. 42
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Caffè macchiato, The Missing Bean, Oxford
Daniel Dytrych has been earning a living as a freelance photographer for the last four years. He did not receive any formal training in photography; he is self-taught and keenly pursuing this interest. His photographic fascination with food is, as he freely admits, a “natural” thing: “I always had a passion for healthy food. I like to cook and try out new things. I began to collect cookbooks and became very interested in the food pictures of other photographers. My style continued to evolve. Essentially, it is based on a love of nature and a certain relaxed attitude concerning perfection. My work is anything but perfect, but that is just how I like it. I would say it’s eloquent and rustic.” It is as eloquent and rustic as the freshly brewed caffè macchiato, which he photographed in one of Oxford’s best cafes. The only decoration was two pieces of tree bark, and the lighting was provided by the natural light coming through the window. It is fair to assume that, after taking this picture, the photographer – naturally! – also enjoyed his coffee.
About Daniel Dytrych Daniel Dytrych lives and works as a freelance photographer in Derby (Derbyshire, East Midlands, England). Besides his main area of activity, food photography, his portfolio also includes lifestyle photography, natural product photography and detailed images of flowers. His clients include the restaurant “Fifteen” in Cornwall, which is run by the well-known gournet chef Jamie Oliver. In addition to photography, Dytrych is currently also studying horticulture and tree surgery. http://danieldytrychphotography.co.uk/ 43
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Six Phones That LetYou Leave
Your Camera Behind
NIMISH DUBEY Yes, we know that the very thought of leaving a ‘real’ camera behind and depending on your phone for photography is sacrilege for many people, but given the quality of phone cameras, it definitely is an option, provided you are not a DSLR user. And if you happen to have any of the following six phones, leaving your point and shooter behind is definitely an option. Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Forget about the megapixel count and the fact that the phone is a bit bulky to handle - focus on those results. Whether it is down to the much-hyped Focus Pixels or just plain technological wizardry, the iPhone 6 Plus takes staggeringly good photographs. Why not the iPhone 6? Because the 6 Plus has optical image stabilisation and a much better battery life.
Sony Xperia Z3
The Xperia Z1 and Z2 came with mighty fine cameras, but had their quirks in terms of consistency. The Z3 is pretty much in a different league. It is simply one of the best cameras we have seen on a handset, especially in low light conditions. The fact that it does 4K video superbly and has a wonderful display and superb battery life does not harm its cause one bit.
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HTC One M8 Eye
The HTC One M8 did not exactly blow people away with its ultrapixel camera concept even though it was a very decent performer. However, the M8 Eye replicates its dual camera concept for excellent depth of field, and also bumps up the megapixel count to 13. Top that off with a very good front facing shooter (5.0-megapixels) and you have quite a decent device to sub for your camera on your travels.
Gionee Elife E7
No, it did not get the kind of attention that we think its shooting skills deserved. The Elife E7 was fantastic when it came to capturing detail and also worked at a decent clipthanks to its superb hardware. It also comes with an interface that lets you get into some very serious manual controls if you so wish to meddle on that front. Oh, and did we mention that it had an eight megapixel front facing camera, putting you in super selfie territory?
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
Its fantastic display, powerful processor and above all, surprisingly low price might have grabbed headlines, but make no mistake about it, the Vibe Z2 Pro packs in a very mean 16.0-megapixel shooter - especially if you are the type that likes close ups. A 5.0-megapixel front facing camera allows you to indulge in a few vanity snaps as well. And of course, all that super hardware means that it operates at a rate of knots; thanks to its 4000 mAh battery, it does so for quite a while.
Nokia Lumia 1020
Wait, what? What is this one and a half year old fogey doing in this modern list some might ask? Our answer: showing just how far ahead of its time it was. The Lumia 1020 still has an edge over most camera phones in terms of capturing detail, and its lossless zoom is something that no other manufacturer has been able to ape. Top that off with the fact that you can take a 38.0-megapixel photograph with it and suddenly its lack of speed at launch and capture do not seem like major issues.
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SONY XPERIA Z3 The Perfect Phone for Travel! NIMISH DUBEY
Yes, you read that right - we used the word ‘perfect’ to describe a handset. It is not often that we do not - rare is the review that does not see us grumble about something or the other (we like to call it our streak of perfectionism, others tend to call us grumpy!). But if you are traveller - and the fact that you are reading this would indicate that you have more than a passing interest in travel - then we have to admit that the Sony Xperia Z3 is one of the best phones that you can get. And we have solid reasons for this claim. For one, the Xperia Z3 is dust, scratch and water resistant - you can actually wash the phone if you think it has got too dirty. For another, it is incredibly compact for a device with a 5.2-inch full HD display. Yes, you can actually carry this around in your pocket or in your hand with a degree of comfort. It is very slim at 7.3 mm and the fact that it looks drop-dead gorgeous does not harm its cause one bit. I mean, we are so used to “travel-friendly” devices looking like Arnold Schwarznegger in the Congo that we were actually surprised to see something so tough being so svelte.
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Of course, all those exteriors would be nothing but wallpaper without something substantial beneath it. And the Xperia Z3 comes very well stacked there, in best flagship tradition. There is a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor powering it with 3 GB RAM and 16 GB storage and all the connectivity bells and whistles you could ask for, including some very decent GPS muscle. But the two parts that really impressed us were the 20.7 megapixel camera which comes with an ISO count of 12500 making it an absolute wiz in low light conditions; and its battery, which lasted comfortably over a day of hectic use. Combine that with a very high quality display, good sound quality and Android 4.4 (KitKat) and you have a combination that would be formidable for most geeks. Top it off with the resistance to elements and it is a traveller’s gift from tech heaven. It does come at a price though. At Rs. 51,990, the Xperia Z3 is priced on par with most other major brand flagships in the market. No, we would not call it a super affordable phone. But super phone it certainly is. And if you are a traveller, it is nothing short of awesome.
Price: Rs. 51,990
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Not a Patch on His Batting Playing It My Way By Sachin Tendulkar Hachette Rs. 899
NIMISH DUBEY
It would not be an understatement to say that this was perhaps the most awaited cricket book of the year, right from the time that it was announced. And it had everything going for it - it was the story of an iconic cricketer, one of the greatest of all time, one who was known for not being too public with his feelings, and one who had a prime seat in the roller coaster that was Indian cricket in the nineties and early 2000s. In short, Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography had the potential of being one of those books that reveal what you always wondered about. It had the perfect setting - the quiet man as an author, a period of cricket that was controversial and tumultous, and some of the most compelling characters in the history of the game. Alas, in the end, Playing It My Way turns out to be a bit like Bradman’s last innings. There is high expectation, a thunderous ovation as a reception, applause even from opponents at the outset...only for the receiver to get bowled for a blob. Mind you, the applause was just as thunderous when he walked back, out for a duck. No, we are not being harsh. The stark fact is that Playing It My Way reads like a series of match reports, complete with brief scorecards at the end of each chapter. Yes, there are some gems here, like Sachin’s meeting his wife and how he dealt with reverse swing and Muralitharan’s mystery delivery. But for the most part, the book is incredibly dry. Even the bits of controversy like Tendulkar’s comments on Chappell, his annoyance at being left high and dry at 194 at Multan, and his role in Monkeygate and the Denness controversy in South Africa seem forced - in passing, it is fascinating how the Indian team was ready to walk out of tours to defend the honour of players but were perfectly happy to play with a coach who they now say was bad for the team. All said and done, Playing It My Way is a very decent compilation of the man’s career, but at the end of day, we just ended up wondering about what he did not mention - be it match-fixing or his relationship with Vinod Kambli or the IPL controversy. To be fair, the book is very much like the man, focusing mainly on the action at the crease. The problem is that Sachin’s career has already been very well documented, so there is very little new that one learns here. Read it if you are a Sachin fan (and millions are). But if what you are looking for is a great cricket book, our advice would be to give this a miss. A five minute clip of the man batting on YouTube will give you a better sense of the Tendulkar phenomenon than the four hundred odd pages here.
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About Ajay Jain
Ajay Jain is a full time writer and photographer, and has authored eight paperback books and over 30 e-books. He promotes his photography as collectible art, runs the popular Kunzum Travel Cafe in New Delhi and publishes e-magazines on travel and photography. He is also a regular speaker on Mindful Travel, Personal Branding, Photography and Business Networking. All his creative ideas came to the fore only after he started travelling - mindfully. He has pursued careers in Information Technology and Sports Management before he took up journalism and writing. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Business Management and Journalism.
More on Ajay Jain at http://ajayj ain.com. Connect with him at ajay@ajayja in.com +91.9910044476. Or call his offic e at +91.9650702777.
T-49, GF, Hauz Khas Village New Delhi 110016, India Tel: +91.9650 702 777 / +91.11.2651 3949 mail@kunzum.com Timings: 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Mondays Closed