2010 Jan 07 Snap in Style: Digital Cameras That Deserve Exposure
Rolleiflex Minidigi Af5.0
For nostalgia nuts
MiniDigi AF5.0 is a miniature replica of the legendary twin-lens Rolleiflex. It’s compact (one-sixth the size of the original), but it packs enough digital technology to snap 5MP images. Although the MiniDigi doesn’t use film, a turn of the side crank gets the camera ready for the next shot, just like the original Rolleiflex.
The viewfinder is located on top of the camera, which allows you to take pictures from an angle as low as your waist. The sight of this nostalgic gadget will make your subjects grin and relax; you’ll get more natural and candid shots. Win-win.
RMB 3,699
www.rollei.jp/e/pd/MiniDigiAF.html
Rayi. Unit S0502, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (8589 2659) 锐意，朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城底商S-0502
Minox Digital Spy Camera
For secret snappers
This discreet gadget is smaller than a business card (measuring just 86 x 29 x 20mm). It can be slipped out of your pocket at any moment to snap spontaneous (or incriminating) candids. It features 5MP resolution and a bright viewfinder. An additional external flash with a 1.5-inch-LCD monitor can be connected to the DSC when needed. The Minox DSC has a 128MB built-in memory and supports micro SD cards (up to 16GB).
RMB 1,999
www.minox.com
Rayi. Unit S0502, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (8589 2659) 锐意，朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城底商S-0502
Leica M9
For enthusiasts who buy with their heart, not their mind
To be honest, Leica isn’t for everyone. The brand appeals mainly to pros with a passion for perfect pictures and amateurs who can afford expensive toys.
The new Leica M9 has an 18MP image sensor that captures images in full 35mm film format; when mounted on the M9, therefore, all M lenses offer the same focal length as originally intended. Although it lacks some fancy features that are included on Nikon and Canon SLRs, such as autofocus, image stabilization and video, the Leica M9 is the smallest full-frame SLR (measuring only 139 x 37 x 80mm). The fact that you can operate it with one hand means you’ll snap A-class professional pictures while looking as casual as an amateur.
RMB 63,030
www.m.leica-camera.com
Beijing Shemao Jinguangjiao. 303 Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District (400 700 5182) 摄贸金广角, 东城区东四北大街F303号
Samsung Dualview St550
For self-portraits
The best thing about the Samsung ST550 is its extra LCD in the front next to the lens. When taking pictures, you see what you get and you get what you see. Ideal for snapping people who like posing in front of a mirror but get nervous and unnatural when facing a lens.
The ST550 has 12.20MP, 4.6X optical zoom and a 27mm wide-angle lens. Other features include 720p video recording and playback, touchscreen LCD in back, and a built-in image stabilizer. It also has a trash can function, so you can recover photos that were accidentally deleted.
RMB 2,499
www.samsung.com.cn
Suning (Sanyuanqiao branch). 10A Shuguangli, Chaoyang District (6468 9288) 苏宁 （三元桥），朝阳区曙光里甲10号
Fujifilm Finepix Real 3d W1
For tech heads
The two lenses of the Real 3D W1 each take the shot from a different angle; then the built-in processor evaluates factors such as focus, brightness and color tonality before merging the two images into a single one with enough depth to create the illusion of 3-D. You can review images in 3-D on the camera’s LCD monitor.
To better display and share your W1 images in 3-D, though, you’ll have to pay separately for the Fujifilm Real 3D V1, an 8-inch 3-D digital viewer that will make images jump out of the screen.
W1 RMB 3,400
V1 RMB 2,999
www.fujifilm.com.cn
Fuji retail store. Rm 806, Phase 1, Dinghao Building, Zhongguancun, 38 Haidian Dajie, Haidian District (6269 2381 ext 812) 海淀区海淀大街38号中关村鼎好电子大厦一期806室
You might also be interested in :
Tech Beijing: The Shape of Things to Come
The following is a web-only version of the Cover Feature from our December issue,
for those who want to read more about the technologies mentioned in the article.
The original version can be found here.
Look around you. Nearly every object you see is an amalgam of human ingenuity and engineering – a technological marvel that once elicited sharp intakes of breath and low whistles. Once upon a time, each one was cutting-edge.
Peking Man: George's Guide To Getting a Seat on the Subway
Rule number one: Don’t queue.
Your best chance of getting a seat is being the first person to charge through that train door, and being at the back of a line won’t help. If you see people lining up, simply ask them what scissors do – and then do it.
If the line has already collapsed into a mass of bodies, then push, jostle, climb or crawl your way to the front. If you’re not getting dirty looks from people around you, you’re doing it wrong.
Cocoa Crunchies: The Things People Do With Chocolate
Come February 14, will you be giving someone chocolates? If you’ve come to us looking for recommendations, think again. Unless you’re trying to end the affair, these affordable crunch-themed bars of milk chocolate are unlikely to do you many favors.
Peking Man: The ’Jing And I
When I first came to Beijing four years ago, I thought I had stepped into an alternate universe. At the end of my first interview, when my supervisor was going over the contract, I could only focus on one thing: “You’re going to pay me this much to speak English?”
No one in their right mind would have offered me this starting salary in the States, and certainly not for such little work. I was fresh from film school with no marketable skills. I had come to Beijing on a lark and the plan was to find a short-term job so no one could say I was afraid of the real world when I eventually retreated to graduate school. That’s how I found myself being offered an American salary in a land of Chinese prices.
He's Always Invited
It takes a special personality to be a wedding emcee – to say those sweet words over and over again with the greatest sincerity. Fortunately for Li Yao, he really does seem to be in love with love.
