sabrina huang's photo blog

Wide Angle Compact Cameras for Realtors

Many Realtors use Camera phones to take photos for their listings; however, the camera on a cell phones still can’t compete with even the point-n-shoot cameras on the market today because camera phones don’t have many control functions so the picture quality is not as good.  Although we carry our cell phone everyday to everywhere we go, we still need to invest in a good compact camera if we want to have better photos.

For Real Estate photos (interior and exterior), wide angle is a must but there are not many compact cameras that come with 24mm wide angle capability.  I did some research, luckily there are four pretty good ones, and two of them are new on the market to choose from.

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, 24-60mm, $500
2. Canon PowerShot G9 with a Wide Converter, 24-210mm, $600
3. Ricoh Caplio GX100, 24-72mm $440 (GX200 came out)
4. Samsung NV24HD, 24-86mm $350 (Three new one in 2009)

Update (8/13/08): The newest camera with 24mm wide angle lens is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3.  It has F2.0 24mm ultra-wide-angle Leica lens, Large 3.0 LCD, Raw, HD Video Recording and slideshows, ISO 3200, approx. 2.5 shots per second, Face Detection (up to 15 faces).  Optional items such as Wide Conversion Lens brings the maximum wide angle to 18mm; ND Filter and PL Filter, aluminum External Optical Viewfinder (DMW-VF1),  and the GN22 Compact Flash. If you were consider Canon G9, you might want to take a look this camera because it can do about everything G9 can do and a 24mm lens without converter and under $500.

The second one is the Canon PowerShot G9 with Raynox HD-6600 Pro 58mm Wide Angle Converter, 24-210mm, $620. This is a alternative version of a DSLR because it has features like Raw, AP and TV modes, special scene modes such as aquarium, underwater, kids and pets, color accent and swap.  It has the biggest LCD screen (3.0 inch) among all, hot shoe for external flash, record movies, ISO 3200, f/2.8 to f/4.8, and 12.1-megapixel. A new Face Select and Track function enables the user to manually select and track an individual face from up to 35 faces detected in frame. Other useful features include an in-built ND (Neutral Density) filter, AEB (auto exposure bracketing), focus bracketing and a live histogram display. The only drawback is a littler bigger (4.2 x 2.8 x 1.7 in) and heavier (13.1 oz).

The 3rd one is the Ricoh Caplio GX100, 24-72mm $440.  What I like about is that it comes some features that you normally see in SLRs, including Raw, AE and AP modes, 1 cm macro mode, Exposure bracketing, f/2.5 to f/4.4, and hot shoe for external flash.  If you want wider than 24mm, you can purchase 19mm DW-6 Wide Conversion Lens and HA-2 Adapter.  The best part is that you don’t need to sacrifice your wallet or convenience to have an SLR-like quality camera.  The only drawback is that it’s 10-megapixel images sensor is pretty noisy above ISO 400 but I don’t see it is a problem for Realtors. (Update 08/13/08: New GX200 is 12-megapixel, $599)

The last one is the Samsung NV24HD, 24-86mm $350.  Other than wide angle, its Face Detection technology can detects up to nine faces and automatically adjust focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality that makes taking pictures of family and friends a snap.  By utilizing Face Detection technology, it automatically detects the user's face, adjusts focus and exposure, and will only allow a photo to be taken if the subject is centered in the frame.  Additionally it includes the ability to shoot at ISO 3200 and 14 scene modes to choose from -- Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Café, Food, and Self Portrait. (Update 03/21/09: Samsung has three new 24mm wide-angle compact cameras in 2009 - HZ10W, HZ15W, TL320, and they all come with Live View function).

You can buy these cameras on Amazon.

Buying eyeglasses online

The last time I went to an optometrist to check my eyes was at least three years ago when I went back to Taiwan.  Buying a pair of prescription eyeglasses in Taiwan is not only easy with many choices but also cheaper than in the States.  Since I had my Lasik done five years ago I though I no longer needed to wear glasses. 

Not true.  Maybe I am getting old, but I noticed my eyesight is somewhat regressing over the past five years after the Lasik.  I am still ok during the daytime but the nighttime driving is getting to me.  I have a hard time to read road signs from far away but by the time I see what the road sign says I already missed the turn. 

Finally, I said to myself that I need to find an optometrist to check my eyes.  Luckily, one of friend referred me to her doctor when I was telling her about my eyes.  I went to Family Eye Care on Hamilton Ave in Campbell to see Dr. Larry Wan for a full eye checkup.  He is very nice and knowledgeable.  We had a fun time talking about Photography.  In the end, he gave me several options – wear contact lenses, do a Lasik touch up, or wear eyeglasses.  Since I can’t wear contact lenses, which is one of the reason for me to do Lasik, and Lasik is too expensive for just a touch up, I choose to wear eyeglasses.

I went to the Valley Fair Shopping Mall to check on a few eyeglass stores to see what my options are for frames and how much it would cost for prescription lenses.  It would cost me around US$500 for a pair of prescription eyeglasses before tax.  I thought it was more than I am willing to pay for simple nighttime eyeglasses and I thought I could wait until I go back to Taiwan at the end of the year.  However, I did write down the information on the frames I was interested in and went home to do more research to see what my other options might be.  I buy a lot of stuff online but buying a pair of prescription eyeglasses online never came to mind. 

When I was surfing around I found three online eyeglass stores selling the ones I like when I tried them in the mall – DecorMyEyes, BestBuyEyeglasses, PopularGlasses.  Then I went to BizRate and other websites to see the user reviews so I can get a better idea of those online stores.  To me, service will be the most important thing, and then it’s about the price so after comparison I choose to make my order through PopularGlasses ($310).  I placed an order on March 14 and received my glasses on March 27, which was two weeks.  I wish the time was shorter but I am happy with the glasses.  They are exactly what I ordered and well packaged.

I am glad that my first online eyeglasses shopping experience was good.  One thing I would like to remind you if you are going to buy a pair of prescription eyeglasses online is to ask your Doctor about your Pupillary Distance (PD) number.  A good prescription should have 4 numbers for both eyes - SPHERE, CYL, AXIS and PD; otherwise, you can ask your family member to help you measure it for you.

Image Consultant/Personal Shopper/Wardrobe Therapist

How I started

I love to watch TLC channel’s “What Not to Wear”.  Although I do not always agree that the clothes Stacy & Clinton (the hosts) believe looks good on them, they do provide some great concepts on Dos and Don’ts.  I never understood why anyone would not want to throw all their old and ugly clothes away and buy everything new for FREE ($5000).  If I had a chance to do that, I would be more than happy to start all over again.

I used to be a college student so I wore T-shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes almost every day.  It is comfortable and easy, and who doesn’t like jeans.  Also, I notice in Silicon Valley that people don’t really dress up.  Maybe in New York City or San Francisco you will see more fashionable people walking on the streets.  But that wasn’t the case in Tokyo or Taipei because people in these two cities do care very much about how they look and they are willing to put in the time and effort each morning.  I am the naturalist – I don’t like makeup and don’t like to spend a lot of time on picking out clothes every morning. 

Ok, the truth is, I am lazy and I hate shopping.  I enjoy window shopping when I have no particular things I need to buy -- just browse around, and it also helps me get some exercise (walking that is).  Every time when I made a list of the things that I am looking for and then go shopping for it, I never had any success finding it.  But I was dying for some change and needed help for my look when I graduated from college. 

The Search

One day I read an article that talked about Image Consultants and the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI), Bingo!

After I graduated from College in 2006 I went to AICI website to look for Image Consultants in the Bay Area.  I was surprised that there are many Consultants around here but very few have a website.  I looked through everyone who has a website first, and then the web design, web content, and consultant background, so I narrowed down to four Consultants to contact.  From their email responses I clearly know who I want to work with because some response was very short, some looked like a standard template answer, some even seemed they didn’t read the questions I asked in my email.

In the end, I picked Teresa Gay Morisco because her reply was the longest, most detailed, and she answered every question that I had asked in my email.  Also, she was the only one who had a blog (wardrobe 911) back then and the only one who listed the prices on the web for all of her services.  I appreciate her honesty and patience so I set up a time right away for consultation.  After setting up the date, she gave me homework to do – an 11 page questionnaires form with basic questions such as height/weight/shoe size to occupation/dress needs/day schedule to a personality test.  Then I needed to collect some pictures from magazines to show her the styles that I like to have.

The Consultation

In our consultation session, we first talked about my daily life and work so she can get to know me a little bit more.  Next, she went through many different color palettes to see what are the colors that would look good on me, so she can put all the colors together later to create a unique personal color palette just for me.  The purpose for the personal color palette is for me to carry it with me if I go shopping alone so I won’t buy the wrong color clothes.

She then brought out a big organized styling bible created by her to show me six different styles with details on the style, show me which celebrity represent the style, which brand represent the style with a lot of pictures to demonstrate her points and then let me pick one style that I like for my work and one style for casual.  After that part was done, she started to measure every piece of me so she could shop for me if I needed.

The Closet Sweep

We spent three hours to go through my closet.  She start by putting wrong color clothes on the side and then asked me to try everything that was left for her to decide.  In this process she will take notes on what I would need to add in to my closet for future references.  She also showed me how to mix-and-match, and then take a picture of me for my record.  When everything was finished, she took every note and piece of information with her and then I will receive a personal style report, a personal color palette, and a small retrievable measure within ten days.  Then we made another appointment to go shopping together.

The shopping

The first shopping was focused on what my closet needed at the moment and I let her know what was my budget.  Usually she will spend about 1.5 hours to pre-shop for me before I arrive.  We quickly go through all the clothes she had picked out for me and then I tried them on piece by piece.  Although I trusted her taste and opinion, I still can pick and choose what I want to take home without any pressure.  I can tell her to look for something else if I feel there is something missing and she will look for it right away.  She is pretty good on keep within my budget and will remind me when I want to buy more than I can afford so I have to set my priority.

If you like to shop, you can make an appointment with Teresa the day after your shopping so she can go through your purchase with you and give you opinions and suggestions.  And then you can decide if you need to return or exchange some of them.

The overall experience

We usually shop at Bloomingdale's in San Francisco but sometimes we will also go to other places such as Loehmann’s if we need to.  Bloomingdale's also has Valet parking, just remember to bring the parking ticket with shopping receipts to the Concierge on the first floor to validate.  The “At Your Service” fitting room is located on the second floor.  This fitting room is reservation only.  You can call ahead and let them know what you are looking for (including style, size, color, etc) and then reserve a room so you can try them on the next day.  You don’t have any obligation to buy any of them if you don’t like it.  The “Women’s Lounge” (restroom) is just around the corner.  If you happen to shop in Bloomingdale's and want to go to the restroom, especially if you have baby with you, go to the second floor’s restroom – it’s big and comfy.

I love to have Teresa as a personal shopper and I love the experience that I can just go in and out of the fitting room with less than two hours to get everything I need.  Teresa knows the brands and designers, and she knows what would look good on me, and she knows where to shop.  More important is that since Teresa brings her clients to shop in Bloomingdale's so often, her clients usually can get at least 10% off for on-season items and also you will be treated like a VIP.

Since 2006, I have shopped with Teresa once a year.  Today is my third time to shop with her.  What I see as a benefit to having a personal shopper is that she would introduce me to something outside of my comfort zone, either it is a color or style that I normally won’t pick out.  I remember the first time we went shopping together, the majority of items I buy would be black because that’s what I like.  But I noticed I pick out a few colors that I normally won’t wear the second time we went shopping together.  And this time from everything I bought, there is only one piece is black.  I am sure Teresa noticed my change because it is so obvious.  I am happy for the change too.

It’s Springtime and the summer is just around the corner.  Do you want to look better?  Do you also hate shopping?  Maybe it is about time to call Teresa for help.

Ps. If you love fashion and are looking for a new position, contact Teresa.  She might have something for you.

But do remember to let her know you saw this post.

Wish everyone a fabulous 2008!

Cuisinart BRK-100 Brick Oven

We entertain at home a lot but we only have one oven with a small cheap toaster.  When the small toaster died on us, it’s time for us to look for a replacement.  We were looking for something that can be a second oven used for baking, toasting and broiling for small size or small amounts of food. When we compared several different brands and types of toaster ovens, we fell in love with Cuisinart Brick Oven.

First, this toaster oven keeps food warm longer because it has bricks built into the side of the toaster; moreover, this toaster comes with a removable pizza baking stone.

Second, it is easy to use.  It has 3 dials to control temperature, cooking function and toast shade level with 2 buttons for start and stop.

Third, it is so beautiful to look at – clean, minimal and simple.  It looks like it fits together with my other stainless appliances.

Fourth, it is much smaller than a regular oven but a lot bigger than a regular toaster; however, it is very powerful - capacity of 0.90 cu. ft. 1700 watts of power and 500 degrees F Brick, you can fit in a 12 inch pizza.  I use this brick oven more often than the big one I have because it does most of the jobs that I need.

The only thing I dislike it that you have to turn the oven around to get the crumb tray out and I am glad I only need to do it once a while.