manobendra's Timeline

Reviewed Vivitar 283 Electronic Flash

Vivitar Flash 285 & difference w/earlier 283 mode

First I have to warn people that some early Vivitar 283 flashes have dangerous Sync voltages which can fry your digital camera circuits. Any sync voltage above 9V (DC) will damage digital SLR’s. Don't use older 283 flashes with newer digital cameras (SLR or not)! The SYNC voltage has nothing ...Read more

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Commented on nbhagwat's review

Very useful for general / creative photography
Vivitar 283 Electronic Flash

Very nice review. But I have to warn people that some early Vivitar 283 flashes have dangerous Sync voltages which can fry your digital camera circuits. Any sync voltage above 9V (DC) will damage digital SLR's. And to clear up a confusion -- the SYNC voltage has nothing to do with how much power a f...lash has. Analog film cameras did not get damaged by high SYNC voltages (sometimes as high as 200v DC!) but today's digital SLR's will. Once the circuit fries in a digital SLR -- you're usually looking at a repair bill of about Rs. 20~30,000. The newer model is Vivitar 285 HV which is actually about US$120 if you buy it from New York City. The 285HV is safe to use with Digital cameras. The 283 is not made anymore so don’t buy used 283’s!! The beauty of these flashes is that they are very powerful and that they are completely manual. Some people I know in the US and UK use them as portable monolight strobes with umbrella reflectors for Shaadi photography. Yes they have that much power (GN 120 @ ISO 100)Read More

Commented on michellewood's review

Don't use flash
Eliminating the Red Eye Effect in Photographs

I believe Red-eye happens because our Pupil parts of our eyes are wide open and the flash gets reflected from the insides of our eyes (epithelium) which has red blood vessels. To avoid red-eye (or minimize it) the Pupils have to be *not wide open*. To enable that -- one needs to shine bright light o...r emit a series of short 'pre-flashes' so the Pupil gets closed and the red color doesn't get reflected back. When you choose 'red-eye mode' in your camera -- the camera does exactly this same thing. HTH - manobendraRead More

Reviewed Eliminating the Red Eye Effect in Photographs

Eliminate Red Eye in digital point-n-shoot camera

Some have mentioned red-eye as a challenge to photography which is hard to avoid. I believe Red-eye happens because our Pupil parts of our eyes are wide open and the flash gets reflected from the insides of our eyes(epithelium) which has red blood vessels. To avoid red-eye(or minimize it) the...Read more

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Commented on sudipto33's review

New Honda CRV 07-Cosmetic Facelift or Sex Change?
Honda CR-V

Great review and keep 'em coming :-) For me -- I'm getting the ACURA version next time (RDX Turbo). That is a nice competition for a BMW X-3 and about US$5000 cheaper! The current styling for the CR-V doesn't excite me and I have to agree with Sudipto -- it looks like a hopped-up station wagon....Read More

Commented on pavan_kishore's review

Canon IXUS 75 is my paper weight now
Canon IXUS 75

I'm disappointed to hear about our mishap with this camera. However accidental damage should be covered by insurance (you should talk to your insurance agent to see if they offer something like this). Warranty never covers accidental damage. I suggest a camera case which provides a little bit of pro...tection next time. I have this camera and I did drop it once into the footpath from my hand. However it is still working great after two years now. It has been through about ten Shaadi ceremonies and still turns out great JPEG files. I process the files using PICASA and they print very well at my friendly neighborhood photo-processing place. I think you should try another trusted source to repair you camera (Maybe a Canon repair facility in Mumbai or Delhi who will give you an honest quote). A drop from two feet can knock out a small part but not the whole circuit board. This smells a little fishy and the guy may be trying to defraud you. Also I respectfully have to disagree that an SD870 takes any better pictures than an IXUS 75. You are probably right in that it is newer than the IXUS 75 but the only more 'advanced' feature is Image Stabilisation (IS) which by itself does not guarantee better pictures.Read More

Reviewed Canon IXUS 75

Digital Ixus 75 -- Highly Recommended

To anyone(especially women) looking for a compact purse camera, the Canons are a surefire winner. For guys - just drop them in your shirt pocket. Here's a non-technical run-down. In India these series of cameras are called Canon Digital IXUS 75, 80, 860 etc. These are under the Canon India wa...Read more

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Reviewed Canon PowerShot SD 800 IS

Any Canon Powershot SD 750 series+ is great

To anyone(especially women) looking for a compact purse camera, the Canons are a surefire winner. For guys - just drop them in your shirt pocket. Here's a non-technical run-down. In India these series of cameras are called Canon Digital IXUS 75, 80, 860 etc.(not SD800 powershot in the heading...Read more

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Commented on s_dpenha's review

When Jaguar meets Wal-mart
Hyundai Sonata

With the intro of the 2006 model Sonata -- the gap has been closed even further. IMHO -- the new 2006 HYUNDAI Azera (luxury version of the new Sonata) actually exceeds the higher trim level accords in Luxury. HYUNDAI's largest luxury car the GENESIS will compete with the Lexus LS430's and the Mer...cedes S-class in Fall 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_GenesisRead More

Commented on imac37's review

Lexus ES 300
Lexus IS 200

The picture on this topic does not represent the ES 300. The LEXUS ES-300 is an upgraded mid-size luxury sedan based on the Toyota Camry

Commented on Scalpel's review

Luxury with practicality
Lexus IS 200

In a few months (Today is Sept. 12, 2005) -- the next Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 will come out in the North American market. No talk as of yet for a convertible version for the US market -- though in a year there will be one for sure. My driving impression of a current IS300 (belongs to a colleague ...of mine) is that it is cramped compared to the BMW 3-series it competes with. However the cornering and handling is tight and top-end acceleration is comparable to the BIMMER. Where it fails is refinement, i.e. the interior and the drivetrain. Not surprising as the IS-300 was _not_ a Lexus product originally -- but a Toyota product named Altezza. The new 2006 model will correct these shortcomings and the pictures I've seen vouch for the fact. Together with the Infiniti M35 and the Acura TL, these are my favourite entry luxury models (North American Market).Read More

Commented on own review

50,000 mile CR-V review (US Specs -EX )
Honda CR-V 2.4

You're absolutely right! The RDX is based on the _next-generation_ (2007) CR-V platform. RDX comes out first (2006)-- then Next gen. CR-V will follow in a year (2007). Typical in that luxury version always comes out first.

Reviewed Nissan X-Trail

X-trail not in US Market

There was a commenter who was defending Nissan from the likes of Toyota and Honda. I intend to clarify a few things... :-) (My opinions) The X-trail is not available in the US Market -- I have no idea why...No idea why it costs more than the CR-V even. The US Market CR-V is built in the ...Read more

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Reviewed Kirby Heritige II

KIRBY Vacuums rock!

For those Indian readers baffled about Kirby Vacuums, Kirby makes incredibly expensive (over US $1200 new in the US, 2000 pounds or more in the UK) vacuums that are supposed to last a lifetime. They have only two or three models and the models don't change often (latest being the GIV or Generati...Read more

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Reviewed Honda CR-V 2.4

50,000 mile CR-V review (US Specs -EX )

It's been about 50,000 miles with the CR-V, so a short and sweet review is in order. Fuel economy as expected continue to be dismal -- but oh well, compromises have to be made. This is one smooth SUV. Even at 50,000 mile, the muted hum of the VTEC engine, the smooth shift of the transmission, th...Read more

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Reviewed Dhaka

Dhaka memories

This is a very progressive city and in parts still very idyllic for us old fogies who remember the 60's of our youth. I visited an ancestral home in 2003 last. The last ten years have changed a lot. Every ten years, 20% of the old Dhaka gets bulldozed over and gets rebuilt (usually 22 story apt....Read more

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Reviewed Olympus Camedia C-4040 - Photographic Cameras

Olympus C-series digital cameras

In my opinion -- the OLY C-series cameras (3000, 4000, 5000 and now, 8000 series) offer the best mix of semi-professional features in a digital camera for the intelligent Indian techie. In fact most casual Indian photo enthusiasts will hardly use all features of even the earliest C-series cam...Read more

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Reviewed Honda CR-V

Most FUN little SUV I've driven

This is absolutely the most fun car I've driven -- bar none. In the USA you get the 2.4 litre engine (same as the US market Accord). In India I believe you get the 2.0 litre engine which still plenty potent for the driving conditions. Mine has a 2.4 litre which gets 22 MPG+ on the Highway. The 2...Read more

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