SLR for Dummies

This blog aims at people who have point and shoot camera and are ready/interested to upgrade to SLR Camera. I dont want to get into the details but mostly the overview. There are tons of articles over the net if you need more details on the same.

Advantages of SLR over point and shoot:
SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex Camera. In an SLR camera, you see the actual real image that the film will see. If you take the lens off of an SLR camera and look inside, you'll see how this works. The camera has a slanted mirror positioned between the shutter and the lens, with a piece of translucent glass and a prism positioned above it. This configuration works like a periscope -- the real image bounces off the lower mirror on to the translucent glass, which serves as a projection screen. The prism's job is to flip the image on the screen, so it appears right side up again, and redirect it on to the viewfinder window. Whereas in a point and shoot what you see in viewfinder is not the same as what your lens actually sees. Moreover the precision of SLR cameras are unmatchable. More details.
Below, you can see an image taken by an SLR and a point and shoot camera. The picture speaks for itself.
SLRs are capable of collecting more light over a larger surface area. Furthermore, their photosensors (tiny individual collectors of light that make up the image sensor) are larger than the ones on point and shoots, leading to less noise.

SLR Lenses:
Another big advantage of SLRs is the flexibility to change lenses. Depending on the kind of photographer you are, you could choose your lens. The very first questions any person who owns a point and shoot(PS) camera would ask: My PS gives me 3x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom. What would I get from SLR? Answer: There is no such concept of 3x, 10x etc in a SLR. Generally all the point and shoot cameras are 35mm cameras. This is actually the focal length of the camera. And when they say 3x zoom, then the camera is capable of extending its focal length to 35*3 = 105mm. But as you know, the more you zoom in your PS, the more distorted the image would be. The reason is nothing but the amount of light that falls in the lens. In SLR world, lenses start from 16mm and the most common lenses are 18-55mm, 18-105, 70-300, 55-200, 18-200 etc. click for Full list.

So how do you compare a PS and SLR on zoom perspective. Consider 18-55mm lens. The maximum zoom of the lens is 55/18 = 3x. But 3x in PS is 105mm. For 55-200 lens, zoom is 200/55 = 4 approx. So it is actually the lenses that control the zoom of SLRs rather than the camera itself.

Also, one major advantage of the 18mm range lens is that, its a very small focal length, so you can easily take a nice picture of someone standing pretty close to you and still capture his entire face and surrounding. 16mm and 18mm lenses are called wide angle lenses because you cover more at that focal lengths. Now this concept is also catching up in PS cameras as many cameras now come with "wide angle shoot" but mostly 27mm only.

Now, lets get into every lens in little detail:
18-55: The everyday lens. This lens generally comes as a standard attachment to majority of the low and medium budget SLRs. For most of the people, this lens is more than enough. Most apt for indoor photography and but not so good for outdoors. You can take a nice panaromic view of the scenery in front, but if you want to focus on something, this is not the one.

55-200: The Outdoor Lens.  A Very good lens for outdoor as it provides really very nice zoom. You can point an object at a much farther distance and still capture a razor sharp picture of it blurring everything around at 200mm. I really like this lens a lot. I like taking pictures of my daughter only with this lens, as I can stay pretty far and let her do whatever she wants without much distraction. Again not a good lens for Indoor as the minimum is 55mm and I may not be able to cover everyone in house.
Generally the above lenses make a great combination and most recommended because of two reasons
- Solves your indoor and outdoor problems.
- Cost effective. When you buy as a package, its very cheap.

I also bought the same way, now I am thinking otherwise. The reason, when at outdoor you would like to take a picture of someone nearby. And you cannot take it. So you have to go really far from the person to take the picture. Sometimes you really cannot go so farand abort the shoot instead. And the vice versa for other lens. So, you would end up changing lenses often and this creates an annoying situation and you will be tired soon.

18-200: The All-rounder. I would say this is the best. No need to change lenses. Covers the entire range. Such big advantage comes with big cost as well. This costs around 5times more than 55-200 lens. And its really too heavy. See the chart below for weight comparison.

Weight of SLR + Lens Combination

As you can see from above, 18-200mm lens weights more than double that of 55-200mm lens. I have compared it with 2 cameras Nikon D40 and D90. D40 is an entry level camera which is also light weight. So if we attach 18-200mm to this, your camera becomes front heavy, it will be too difficult to even hold the camera. But while D90 is a much advanced one and built considering in mind the big lenses. The weight gets evenly distributed and you wont feel the lens much heavier.

18-105: Mr. Compromise. Its somewhere in the middle. Also it is not so costly. Ofcourse when you decide on a SLR, you should be already ready to shell twice or thrice the cost of a normal PS.

70-300: Mr. Zoom. Strictly for zoom purposes only. More apt for Wild life photography, artistic monuments etc. Some of my friends have this lens and to utilise this lens, they have taken safari tours in jungles. 

Comparison of all Zoom levels - The pictures on the top are taken from Nikon D40 (6.1 MP)  and the bottom from Sony Cybershot (3.2 MP). Click on Image to Zoom

Look how the subject is focussed leaving everything as blurred. The more your zoom, the more you can achieve this.

Fish Eye lens: This is not so popular one for regular buyers. But an attractive one. Seen an image reflected over a concave lens (e.g. old fashioned rear view mirror). Well thats is the result of this lens. Sometimes this would be pretty interesting.

Note: Every company has their own set of lenses. Also, the prices too differ a lot.

Cameras: Now, that we have looked at the lens, lets see the cameras. The best of breed SLRs are Nikon, Cannon and Sony. Among all, Nikon is considered to be the best in terms of picture quality. But if you are not a professional photographer, you may not find any difference between them. Sometimes a shot comes well with Cannon and not a nikon and vice versa. But I have seen very few Sony cameras. But whichever it is, if you decide to buy an SLR, try not to buy the entry level ones, buy a little higher level. In case of Nikon D40 (now D3000) is an entry level. But you can take video only with D90 and further. Cannon and Sony give more features for the same price of Nikon. E.g: Generally in low end SLR Cameras, you cannot see the scene in front of you using the LCD. Higher end yes. But in Sony, you can see the scene even in the low end cameras. Its much easier for a person who upgrades from a PS. Sony α500 goes one step further. You can swivel the LCD monitor behind to have a easy view. Believe me, thats very very convinient. Also in Sony, Zoom can be adjusted the same way like a PS which is not the case in Nikon and Cannon. I have a friend who has this and he is very happy with it and uses much for wild life photography. But I dont see many Sony around. Thats little puzzling.

If you need more details about all different SLR Cameras and all different lenses, then this is the best site to visit. http://www.kenrockwell.com/. He has provided an extensive coverage of every single SLR and its lens. He easily guides you to choose the best from his own experience.

Disadvantages: There are two sides to every coin :). The very first thing that comes in everyone's mind is, its too heavy. Yeah, you are right. It no longer fits in your pocket like your PS. If you try hard, it will easily put a hole in your pocket, be it weight or price. Its definitely not for the light hearted. Also, if you go on a hike or trekking, it feels like a big burden on you. Especially in Travel it takes more space in your baggage. The camera bag is much bigger.

Another thing is that, its really tough with old people. Every time, I give the camera to my mom to take picture, I have to set it right and wrap the cord around her neck so that she is comfortable.

But as travel has become more affordable, baggage carrying is very easy with all the 360deg wheels and ultra light big big boxes, space is not a big criteria. It more depends on your interest in photography. For me, I will never go back to a point and shoot. After seeing the clarity and the sharp pictures, I hate to use my point and shoot. Its still a nice backup camera. My wife's dad, who has no idea of what an SLR is, always wanted us to take a picture in my SLR rather than take a picture in his 10x Sony Cybershot.

But recently, there have been many attempts by Sony, Lumix, Olympus to create some mini SLR Cameras ( a hybrid of PS and SLR with interchangable lenses). I am not sure how well they flare. But eager to see one and find out the difference. If I get one, will definitely update my blog. If you have one, please update me how it compares with a SLR.

I hope I have provided a good overivew. Thanks for reading.

The Great Economic Divide

    In Bangalore: Once I stopped at a roadside coconut vendor and asked him to provide tender coconut and a bigger one, so it contains more water. He stopped, stared at me and told, if you want more water, just buy a Bisleri bottle. You can afford it. Without saying a word, I started my car and left the place. This may be very easily seen in the metropolitan cities but also happens in smaller cities too.


People who have money are getting richer day by day and poorer getting more poorer day by day. This is what I am calling as the Economic Divide and the gap is widening more every day. One could easily argue that irrespective of the corruption, many new companies are starting in India and many job opportunities are also getting created. But how many people are benefited from this? Not everyone. This is the problem.


Not only that, even if per day wage of people is increasing, the inflation and there by the prices are increasing in twice the pace of it. In 2008, I used to have a good lunch in Vasantha Bhavan ( very popular in Tamil Nadu ) for Rs.20. But my mom now says that no meals are less than Rs.40. Has the daily wages also increased that much? No. Think of your house maid, the laundry man, house security, a government clerk. 


When the middle and upper middle class flaunt in front of them with their new car, new LCD TV, Hero Honda, luxury travel, these people get really irritated and become more greedy. The Talented ( real talent / talent in making social networks ) somehow move up the ladder while the others act like the coconut wala. And worser, I now hear more news about kidnapping, ransom, killing etc. Recent example is the Coimbatore double murder of sister and brother.


India is not a poor country, but its wealth lies only with certain people who can really a make a difference. We people can talk about it, make petty donations to NGOs. But this does not help much. If you see in US, prominent people like Gates, etc devote lot of time, money and energy to the Underprivileged. Gates was ready to part with his wealth. But people like Mukesh Ambani spent $2 billion only on his home. He has every right to build a lavish home but I am just questioning the social contribution of such people. And not to mention the corruption that is happening.


India may be already shining, and everyday more polish is getting applied. But it would be really shining only when:
- The wealth is spread across
- Things are made affordable for the underprivileged.
- We Indians behave more responsibly (lets not just blame the politicians here. They are just one of us).
- Reduced corruption. 


Also, lets try to appreciate the smallest good thing that individual people / government tries to do. We need to encourage them for more. May be we can start from here. We can vote Narayan Krishnan as CNN hero of the year and appreciate his contribution, if possible with a donation. I am not marketing for him. But hope you got the message.


Lets make India shining. 

Paypal look alike Fradulent Emails - Beware

This is an experience that happened to me today. I was planning to sell my camera Lens and buy a bigger lens. I had put the Ad in Craigslist. One guy responded and mentioned that he would do the payment through paypal. Since it was paypal, there was nothing to panic for me. I got a Paypal confirmation from him today morning, mentioning that I have received the amount and I can go ahead and do the shipment.

Couple of things didnt look normal in the mail
1. The Shipment Address was Nigeria. The guy had mentioned that he is gifting to his fiancée. I thought this guy to be some merchant and he didnt want to mention it.

2. I wanted to login to my paypal account and wanted to see any amount in my account. I was searching for a link in the mail. Normally, such mails will have a link that points to my account and once I provide the password, I would be taken to my account. But unfortunately, there was no link to paypal.

3. I opened paypal site in a seperate browser and checked the procedure for such kind of payment. The procedure said this: Once the buyer sends the money, the amount will be shown as "Pending/Hold" in my Paypal account and once I do the shipment and provide the tracking number to Paypal, the amount will be credited.

4. My mail id was highlighted. When I clicked the link, it opened "Compose message" window and the To Address was some wierd yahoo mail address.

5. I called PayPal Customer Care and asked them whatz happening. I provided them the buyer's email address and they told me there is no such account and it is fraud. Had I not taken steps to ensure the accuracy, I would have lost around $300 in this transaction. They asked me to forward the mail to spoof@paypal.com and they would verify it and take action on it.

The Paypal confirmation mail was hand drafted by some hi-tech thieves and unless you look into it very very closely, you cant make out any difference.
I got the mail from service@paypal.com. But actually that is the name and the mail id was paypalcustomerservicecentre@ukaccountant.net, which is not a Paypal ID.

I havent done such kind of transaction in Paypal and this is a eye opener for me. It may be a eye-opener for you as well. So beware of any email especially related to shopping and money.

Yellowstone Park - Wonder world

I didnt have much idea about the park until I saw two movies (2012 and another I dont remember). Now that I have gone, I found it really fantastic and even feel like going back again. In all the destinations I travelled, I rate this as Number one, pushing Key west to 2nd and Niagara Falls to the 3rd. Yellowstone: Its not an ordinary park. Its total area is around 3500 sq.miles and length of roads inside the park could be 100-150 miles. So why its so special: Simple - Its sitting on top of a volcano. I was also shocked to hear that Yellowstone experiences atleast 2000-3000 earthquakes in a year (not big enough to feel though). Yellowstone - Network of Roads - Only 10% of the park can be covered by roads The Core of Yellowstone park is connected by roads which is in the form of an 8 shape. The park has a very diverse landscape and to see the beauty of the park you must go through the entire park roads and some time off roads also. The left side of the park (from Mammoth to West Thumb through Norris) has most of the geysers, hot springs, mud pots etc. The right side of the park (Mammoth to West thumb through Canyon) is more scenic, and you would love to take photos at every mile of those roads. There are more chances of spotting wild animals too as the forests are dense on the right side. The park has basically five entrances and all of them are closed during Winter. The only way to get into the park in winter is through snow mobiles / coaches.   The picture to the left tells the hydrothermal features available in Yellowstone park and with some examples. Though these hydrothermal features are available in different parts of the world, yellowstone park has the highest number of them in a single space. The park also boasts as the first national park of the continental USA. And, to the right, we see the various hydro thermal features and how they look like beneath the earth. As I said, its sitting on top of an active volcano and magma(lava) flows within 5 miles underground. (In a normal surface, lava could be around 50 miles deep). Mammoth Hot Springs We started our journey from Billings, MT and travelled through the North Entrance. Our hotel was in West yellowstone, so we decided to cover the sceneries on the way.   The first one to encounter was Mammoth Hot Springs. Its the headquarters of the park. An european style village and its pretty scenic as well. We passed through the city searching for the hot springs. And there it was beautiful, colorful.  It was sort of like a small almost dried fountain with varied colours. The fountain was full of water (very hot) until the 70’s but dried later.  The fountain was a mix of orange, blue, reddish brown color. We learned the colour of the fountain is due to three factors: Superheated Water, Thermophiles, acidic chemicals. Thermophiles - These are heat loving bacteria and likes to live in extreme conditions (thermo - heat, phile - love). So when you really see varied colours, you actually see millions of bacteria.  There were terraces of different colors. Took couple of pics and proceeded to the Upper Basin (trail of ~1 miles). The lower basin is basically like seeing waterfalls from below and the upper basin is where the river is.. At first sight it was so different, full of colors everywhere, some ugly some beautiful - millions of bacteria. Norris Basin We then proceeded to Norris where we saw the highest number of geysers in one place. We had to get off the car and take trails (flat) of around 2 to 3 miles to watch the geysers. These trails were very narrow passages of just 4-5 feet in width and both sides geysers and hot springs, with super heated water and vapors around everywhere. When vapors arise, there was pungent smell in them and we found that it is nothing but sulphur. So we were inhaling sulphur all three days. The biggest geyser was the Steamboat geyser whose major eruption was in 2005 and water sprouted around 400 feet high. But minor eruptions happen every 5 to 10 mins. It was already too much for the day and proceeded to our hotel after that. It was a small petty decent room but still costed $100 and thats how it is in yellowstone. We started the next day morning to Old Faithful. Norris - Old Faithful This entire route is pretty scenic. Its green plains with golden colored grass spread across and small streams of water running across everywhere. We stopped at many places to take pictures, played in the streams - well enjoyed a bit. Then there was the Lower-Middle-Upper geyser basins. Every geyser / spring looked completely different and we couldnt stop admiring each of them.  The next biggest we saw was the Grand Prismatic ring, a picture of which if taken from the sky, should look like a distant colorful sun with hot gases escaping around. Its the biggest display of colors I have ever seen - And billions and billions of bacteria at one place. It had lot of Bacteria mats - Layers of bacteria.  The bacterias at the top layer use sunlight to do photosynthesis while bacterias at bottom layer derive energy from chemicals produced by surface microbes. There was numerous number of trail paths here and had we gone before our kid, sure we would have taken couple of them. Old Faithful Reception area of Old Faithful Inn This is the town where the most famous and beautiful Old Faithful Inn is situated. The famous Old faithful geyser and the Morning Glory pool is also here. It was already 4 in the evening and we have just travelled 30 miles all day. So you can assume how many stops we made by then. Old faithful Inn is like a Old western Hotel fully built using Wood. Hardly I saw any steel anywhere. Old Faithful Inn from the outside  Its interiors looked like I was staying inside a tree village with branches spread everywhere. They have a viewing gallery with benches to view the eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. There was a clock where the next predicted eruption was displayed (+/- 10 minutes). Ha Funny.  A clock showing the predicted eruption in the hotel The Old faithful geyser is the only geyser in the park which erupts to around 150 - 200 feet high and constantly for every 60-70 minutes. May be thats the reason its called Old Faithful. Also thats the only place in the park where you get mobile signal (and too with edge). We went near the geyser and watched the eruption. Vow.. it was like a 1000 HP water pump beneath the ground forcing water atop.  Never seen such a thing in life. Wished I stayed in that Inn. Other than the geyser there was around 4 mile long trail with full of geysers of different shapes and sizes (completely different from Norris) + morning glory pool. West Thumb Explaining the formation of the area The area was as such was formed by a simple uplift and lot of mysteries here like craters in the waters etc. This is where the biggest Yellow stone river begins. Again hot springs - but not so hot.  These were calm springs - plain blue color and transparent - Beautiful. And this was the first sighting of me of such clear water anywhere. And the riverbeds were having so many craters like the craters of the moon. They call them “mystic craters”.  A crater inside the river. Many such are found in the river During the winter, it seems seals will be around hunting fish here. And to be noted, the river as such has lot of geysers within. It looks only a part of the river can be used for boating which generally is in the Fishing Bridge area. Mud Volcano We continued and went to the Mud Volcano. These are full of mud pots. Again a trail. and this time pretty steep. And sure the height was almost of the tempe lake hill. Our cars looked so tiny from there. And with a stroller and baby in hand - my goodness it was tiresome. And thats when we realized that 3 day is not enough for yellowstone and we did a big mistake. We wished atleast we had one day more. But it was too late. Dragon’s mouth hot spring was the most fiercest one there. It was sort of a cave and a spring is inside the cave. So water raises and the gases and hits the wall of the cave, it raises a voice as if a dragon is shouting from inside. Thats it, we called it a day and returned to the hotel and had a sound sleep. Day3 - And the final day Old Faithful Until now the temp was around 80deg. but not today. It was cloudy and chill. We were ready with all accessories to protect us. Came to Old faithful and saw blazing sun. Went back to arizona costume. Started our walk towards Morning Glory pool, very relaxed, playing with our kid, letting her enjoy her walk etc. On the way saw an eruption of another geyser and it was like mud and fumes coming out. Pretty different.  Morning Glory - The colors looks like glass Continued further. It was 3.5 mile round trip. Clouds appeared from nowhere. Our leisure walk ended there. Reached morning glory. Its named after the morning glory flower. It was so beautiful, so lively with colours (again bacteria). It has orange, green and reddish brown colours and you can see the depth of the pool as though its completely transparent.It was like a mouth of the underworld. Also called as fading glory because of vandelism and carelessness its losing its colours now.  Look the change the colour already Now sudden rains lashed away along with wind, we rushed to the hotel. A passerby was so kind to give his umbrella so that we dont get wet. Once rains started pouring, it was just fumes everywhere. Assume, you were in the middle of a gigantic hot hot plate and some one sprinkled water on the plate. We were little frightened but managed to reach the hotel. We were very tired, took lot of rest and lunch too. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone: After we regained our energy started the drive again to the Canyon of yellowstone (canyon village). Now the outlook was completely different. No more geysers, no more hot springs. It was like the roads to the Grand canyon, flat grounds, mountains and looked completely different.  We proceeded to the North rim. And went to a view point. Amazing. Its a massive canyon, not to the size of grand canyon but still pretty beautiful than it, as it was completely green. And the best was there was a tiny (actually big one) waterfalls at the end of one side and a river between the canyon. And it looked so so beautiful. I thought the geysers and hot springs were much beautiful. but this has surpassed everything.  We took a trail to the “Upper Falls mouth” - so close to where the water falls from the river. Very beautiful in the midst of a dense forest. Amazing. Now proceeded to the south rim. There was a view point called Artist Point. And it is the best view point I have ever seen. Its like I am seeing from within the canyon. So beautiful. Dunraven Pass (Canyon Village - Tower Falls) Its a hill route full of pine trees, varied colourful landscape, plains, burnt forests, lot of deers - all in one place. My goodness, I still cant believe the beauty of this. And it was perfect weather. After some rains, water dripping from the leaves of the trees with perfect lighting. Best time and place to take pictures. I really took lot of pictures here. I leave it to the pictures to describe this area.  But this is the area where in its easy to sight Grizzly Bears. Wonder what they eat - Wildflowers, roots and tubers i.e. they are vegetarians. But if you cross them, you are done. They are really very very tall.  And now we started our way back to Billings - half hearted and fully tired. Was afraid whether I will have the strength to drive another 250 miles. but still had to reach it and reached it. Was such a wonderful and  memorable trip. Do’s and Dont’s Every place , every geyser, every spring is much different and you need to stop at every place. Must have a good camera preferably SLR to capture the beauty of this place and capture the beauty of your family too.. Try to have atleast 4 days in the park. Always stick to the trails and board walk. You never know where there a geyser is. You may create one, if you step out of the safe walk. Lot of wildlife left free - Park says - We cannot guarantee your safety anywhere in the park. So be watchful. Eat Stock upon with food and water before you enter the park. There is no shelter, no food nor water anywhere except the towns(mammoth, old faithful, canyon, fishing bridge) have something i.e. only one shop. Lodging We wished to stay inside the park but we were late. There are very few hotels inside the park and they get filled one year in advance. So we need to call the hotels every now and then so that we can grab a room if someone cancels their reservation. Park hotels can be reserved only through this xterra website. We stayed at West Yellowstone, just very close to the west entrance and the closest city to yellowstone park and its sort of in the middle of the park, so its easy to travel between room and park. Gardiner is another city where rooms are available but pretty far. And you would the world’s smallest rooms for $100/night. Thats the rates for yellowstone.  And finally, we managed to capture so many photos of the park and still even with the best camera, you cannot really capture the beauty. You need to be there to experience the beauty. I wish I had free flights so I come here again once in winter and again in summer.

iPhone4 - My 10 day Hands on Experience

Well.. people were much worried about the oil spill and the ruin of wild life and the affected coasts. And like any news this became insignificant in a month... Got replaced by iPhone4 in June and its release and its fancy stuff and so on.. Then came soccer, Wimbledon etc etc... Well.. since soccer and Wimbledon are not relevant to this blog.. So lets leave them for now..

I was never a great fan of iPhone but always liked to have it. Happily continued with my t-mobile. My contract was ending in May and my desire to put my hands on a iphone increased... Took a 3GS.. exchanged it for 4.. Thats a big story.

I have a great respect for apple and its products.. and ofcourse everyone knows why.... It was Jun24th 10a.m. I was told that the parcel has arrived. Picked it up. Happy about its looks.. It was really well above expectations.. And I felt apple did it again...So happy for my new toy. That feeling didnt last long....

Slowly started finding information about the antenna issues, the yellow spot on the phone, apple's response etc. Not only I closely followed them until now.. but I also started doing my own field study.. Ofcourse I have the phone with me... And now its been 10 days, I feel I have enough information to share with everyone on the features of the phone.. the way I think...

Lets start one by one:

The Look: Its definitely stunning. I had a 3GS for a month. I definitely liked the iPhone4 better... Both sides were so shiny. Its simply a show off. I think apple guys know the meaning of "Perfection" pretty much than others. Pretty neatly done... the edges, the apple logo and the words in the back all are pretty crisp.. And the glass itself its well done.

The Back Camera: They say its a 5.0 MP camera. May be its equivalent to a 3.5 or 4MP camera. Want to take some nice pictures in broad sunlight and still people??. Well the camera is just awesome. But moving objecs esp kids is tough to be shot with the camera. Well you can see below some pictures taken from the camera.

Front Camera: Its just like a normal VGA Camera. There's not much to tell about it.

Retina Display: I totally agree to Apple here. Its pretty crisp. Especially when multiple bright colours are displayed on the screen, its really awesome. In the below picture, I have compared a 3GS and iphone4 next to next and you can see the difference for yourself.

Facetime: I think thats a really good innovation from apple provided... Apple allows apps like Skype and Fring to make use of it. Instead if apple puts a lot of condition around it.. then its a complete waste of effort. Currently skype / fring does not seem to be enhaced to use it. And currently facetime only works in wi-fi and the other person also must have an iPhone4. Whats the use of it then...

Glass sides: The Glasses are made of the same material which is used for helicopters etc and bullet proof.. Ha ha ha.. cant stop laughing. The iPhone4 break test conducted by couple of guys brought the truth out. May be the glass is strong.. Its only our mistake :D. If you have a phone.. you must buy a CASE for it. And its not a 3G or a 3GS. The advantage of the 3G* phone is that, its sides are curvy. So even if it falls it wont have a big impact. The phone will easily slide off. iPhone4 has a flat side. It really hits hard. And you dont need to buy a steel protection around the iPhone4. A bumper or a silicon skin is more than enough (thats my assumption). I think it has enough cushion and it makes the sides curvy. But I really wish that someone does a Drop test with a bumper on it, so that I am more confident.

Battery Life: Its really way good than a 3GS. When I used to have a 3GS, I had to charge it often. But with the 4, though the charge reduces, I dont feel its reducing to that extent. Certainly they have improved it.

Reception: I know this is the most awaited section for everyone. And I am going to spend more time on this section than any.

I have till now talked over 400 to 500 minutes on this phone. And how many times did I had a call drop - None. I have been very conscious about where I hold the phone initially. But as time went on, I used to forget that as I talk. In certain times I do realized that I was holding the phone exactly in the way jobs does not like.. I see NO BARS in the signal. And my call keeps going on without issues. That means there is something wrong with the "display" of the bars. Apple's letter on July 2nd is partially correct according to me.. Yes, I said "Partially". But I also noted couple of times, when I was in a weak signal area... and naturally I see less bars on the phone.. and my calls will have a blank second (i.e. me or the other person cant hear anything)... I dont know what that is. As per Apple I should be seeing many bars even in weak signal area. And I dont see that. Apple's letter seems not correct.

And there was once, I was holding the phone and browsing on my laptop. After 5 minutes, I found "No Service" on my phone. Yes.. I was holding "there". I had to switch off and switch on the phone to resume service. I saw 5 bars immediately.. ha ha ha...

It was always easy for me to simulate the death grip situation. But I was trying to simulate the "death grip" to my colleague last friday (without any case on the phone) in my office.. and to my surprise I could not simulate it at all. Was the signal so strong there. This buys me into Apple's theory.

May be I am in a Area where AT&T signal is good/strong and I dont get into the reception which many people get and its really worse people have "dropped calls". I am happy that I didnt have any. But I will not go to office and home. I would go for vacations.. outside the city etc. And I would expect something consistent in the phone.. like anyone. And wish everyone have some good news soon.

And I bought a bumper today. And based on my experience, the reception issue didnt go off fully. Still the bars reduces.

I am getting frequently lost into this reception thing.

But why should I have all these confusions!!! I just bought a phone which is supposed to be a time-tested one and a pioneer in the industry. Increased my monthly bill by $20. Paid a $199 for a phone. May be in India we pay a lot more to buy a phone. But not in US. I get really good free phones here.

So is it really worth a buy.....The phone is really a marvel. But the reception issue makes it less attractive. Moreover, Glass on both the sides really makes me a lot nervous. Am being very very conscious in holding the phone. When I had 3GS, I never bothered much about it. Only the following weeks and Apple's software update would really determine whether its really that worth or not.

iPhone4 Vs. Android Phones: Well, I would say lets not compare both. My colleagues call Android as Geek and iPhone4 as cosmetic. Thats true.. Android phones have a lot of easy to use features.. provides video conferencing capabilities in skype/fring already. provides a better multi tasking than iphone4. Developer friendly. And the best is Over the Air sync.

Whereas, iPhone is its own world. It never had a good competitor until now( for some reason I dont feel Droid/T-mobile G1 as a competitor. Dont know why). But not anymore. Apple keeps innovating new things.. but misses the basic necessity which the androids provide.

Apple needs to start thinking about the missing features to continue its success journey. Otherwise iPhone could become another Mac resting in the hands of only its Fan boys. May be I am wrong. Ofcourse I am not a person with in-depth knowledge of such things...