My long cherished dream of learning photography seems to be on track. After much thought and deliberation, I have finally managed to get on to the SLR ladder, through an entry level Sony Alpha 200. Last Sunday, I finally walked into an Argos store and picked up the camera, which kits out with a 18mm-70mm lens. As of now, I have no plans to invest in any accessories, lens or filters, other than the minimum necessities of a Compact Flash card and a carry case.
I haven’t really had an opportunity to explore the Camera as I am still expecting delivery of the memory card from Play.com. However, the first impressions of the camera are outstanding. Complete technical specifications of the camera are listed on the Sony website here. In the past, I had been advised by a couple of friends that I should go for a Canon EOS 400D. But I have always had an inclination to Sony cameras as I have previously owned a Sony T5 Compact. Sony is a new entrant in the SLR market and they have had a fair bit of success with their Alpha range (Ever since they launched the Alpha 100, I had always contemplated buying one). Also, since their acquisition of the Camera & Photo division from Minolta in 2006, the SLR market is braced up for a slew of Sony Cameras.
In 2006, Sony announced their entry to the SLR market through the Konica-Minolta based Alpha 100. At that point of time the camera, though affordable for entry level photography, was a bit out of my budget (I vaguely remember it’s price in the £600 bracket). Subsequently, the company introduced Alpha 700 for advanced photography. In February 2008, Sony announced the extension of their Alpha range by introducing the Alpha 200 & Alpha 350. Alpha 200 is a slighlty modified version of an Alpha 100 and has had favourable reviews.
Considering that am off to Paris, Amsterdam and Athens this Saturday for the big Easter Weekend…it is an ideal time to brush up my basics in photography, before I take it to the next level. Expect to see some good pictures from my trip here…
The second test match in Sydney has created plenty of furore for all the wrong reasons and is sure to go down in the history books as a disgrace to the Gentleman’s game. The umpires ensured that the Indian’s were on the receiving end, but they didn’t help their cause much by surrendering timidly. With three wickets in hand and a mere two overs to go, a draw was always there for the taking. But the cold-footed Indians ensured that the Australians reign.
On the game itself, there were a few positives for both teams. Laxman’s silken grace, Tendulkar’s controlled aggression, Dravid’s incredible perseverance and of course Hayden’s belligerence. (Remember, am missing out Symonds and Hussey though each of them played beautifully paced innings) But Anil Kumble was the true champion. He bowled like a champion and batted like one in the second innings and had almost secured a draw before the fatal five balls by Michael Clarke uproot the Indian challenge. Although, Ponting may claim confidence in his trusted lieutenant, it is definitely an act of desperation to use Michael Clarke for bowling the crucial last few overs in a riveting test match. But the ploy worked a treat as the hapless Indians fell in a heap.
The 16th consecutive victory added another feather to already crowded and messy Australian caps, for they’ve not only dominated the world cricket, but they have also bulldozed the visiting teams to submission with various means which they term as ‘hard and fair’ cricket. Undoubtedly, they are a bunch of extremely talented cricketers and have been the deserving winners on many occasions. But the current crop of egotistic Australian Cricketers under the able arrogance of Ricky Ponting has reinvented the Australian way, or is this the Australian way?
To be fair to the Australians, confidence grows with success and cements itself firmly as aggression. This deep rooted aggression often receives a fair share of biased luck from the administrators, which probably could be better explained by the Freudian principles. But there is a thin line which separates acceptable aggression and barbaric aggression. At one end is the savagery of dignified sportsmanship which the Aussies under Mark Taylor showed and the other is the demonic cannibalism. Then there is the third, puerile absurdity! It is these latter two paths the current Aussie team seem to have chosen. And the cricket administrators are bent on creating this new breed of ruthless and senseless cricketers. The Australians simply call this cultural difference. If this is the Australian way of ‘hard but fair’ Cricket, then the Australians should be flighted back to prehistoric times!
And of course, Mr. Bucknor should be reminded that age is patting him on his shoulders in case he hasn’t realized it yet, and Mr. Benson should be sent to officiate kindergarten games. But the crux of the issue is unchanged – Indians play poor cricket despite being economic power house of the cricketing world!
