Apple iPhone and multi-language support

Apple iPhone

Now that the Apple iPhone is announced for June release, three questions still need to be answered before I am ready to plunk down $499 or more:

• First, how well does iPhone support the various character encodings? This being an Apple product, my guess is that it will at least support Unicode (UTF-8), with several basic typefaces such as Lucinda Grande that offer glyphs for many different languages. A little murkier is whether the limited memory footprint of iPhone would support the display of non-Unicode encodings which are quite popular in many languages: just take a look at your PC browser’s character encoding menu to see what I mean. (For example, Japanese characters in many websites and email clients are usually encoded in the following but Unicode: SJIS, EUC or ISO-2022-JP.) It would seem unlikely that Apple can fit most of the encodings used by most languages into iPhone. The best solution would be for Apple to let iPhone users download and install the character encodings they need.
• Second is the usability of the software keyboard; the demo on Apple’s website shows it to be thumb-based like a Blackberry. With no tactile feedback I still have reservations about the keyboard’s actual usability and efficiency, and wonder how stressful it would be to type fairly long emails and notes on the device.
• Third, how would the software keyboard to be modified to support text-input for Asian and other languages that cannot be easily input using latin alphabet such as Traditional Chinese or Thai? Would it be some sort of finger-recognition software, or something else? I am eager to see how Apple would solve these problems for such users.

The language support is the biggest gripe I have with these so-called smart phones at the moment. For example my Nokia E70, bought in HK, only supports the display and text-input of Chinese and English. But it does not allow me to install other language fonts such as Japanese for proper display of non-Unicode email and web pages, not to mention text-input as well. If the Apple iPhone can provide better multi-language support for users, I will be the first one to bite!

Fagor CR-1000 Espresso Machine

Fagor CR-1000

The Fagor CR-1000 is a very simple pump-driven espresso machine.

Features

• up to four cups filter holder and glass carafe
• steam nozzle for frothing of milk
• a modal knob selecting whether you want espresso or steam or off
• inexpensive; I paid about $50 USD for it

Verdict
If you love espresso and your home enjoys visits from an occasional espresso-loving guest or two this is just the machine. The unit does not have any high tech programmable features, just a simple modal knob on the right. Turn it one way to have the unit brew espresso (about 5 minutes for 4 cups); turn it the other to froth some milk with the steam nozzle. It will probably outlast those fancy $500+ espresso machines with LCD interfaces and computers.

So far I have run some high-grade Brazilian beans and New Mexico beans through the unit and tasted fine, either as is or in latte form. But I don’t have any other unit to compare it to so I can’t offer any comparison reviews just yet. My upstairs neighbor has an Italian stovetop espresso that I can probably borrow to compare tastes. Eventually I would like to try out a La Pavoni or a Presso though!

The only problem with this unit is its small capacity (4 small cups of espresso at a time). Also, the steam nozzle of CR-1000 is of a bent design so that one cannot use a measuring cup that is too deep, hence limiting the amount of milk that can be frothed each time. If you often make espresso/lattes for more than four people then a bigger unit with the ability to store and grind beans would be a godsend.

Nikon Prime Lenses, Manual Focus

So the Nikon F3 is on my list of tools for a wandering photographer. But a SLR camera body is useless without lenses.

Many people prefer travelling with zoom lenses, because one zoom lens nowadays can double (or even triple) as three prime lenses, thus saving weight and space in their travel bags. The downside for zooms are that they are not great in low light situations because their designs call for a smaller max. aperture. So if one uses films in the ISO 100 to 400 range, handheld speeds of 1/30 sec or less at max. aperture are the norm at around dawn and dusk (the period of the day with most dramatic light), but photos taken at such speeds, handheld, are subject to the dreadful vibrations. One can also use a tripod, except it is a bore to carry.

If you like to take pictures around dusk and dawn but don’t like lugging a tripod, then prime lenses with maximum F2.0 apertures are your best friend. Since I use a F3, which is a manual focus body, I like to pair it up with the following manual (AI-S) Nikkors: 35mm F2.0, and 50mm F1.8. They all have wonderful optics, and are inexpensive and plentiful in the used market, and they all share 52mm filters. Best of all, they are all compact and I won’t get shoulder pain after a day of shooting.

And to round out the wide and medium telephoto ends of my arsenal, I usually take the 24mm F2.8 and 105 F2.5 with me as well. These are less suitable for low light situations due to the smaller max aperture, but they are also lightweight and share 52mm filters.

So here they are:

24mm f2.8

35mm f2.0

50mm f1.4

105mm f2.5

Here is where it gets fun. If I just want to take 3 lenses for street photography, I would choose the 24mm, 50mm and 105mm. If I want to shoot portraits, then I would go for the 50mm, and 105mm. If I only want a lens for a day out but don’t have any subject in mind, I would pick the 35mm. But my ultimate kit for travel photography would be 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 105mm.

Nikon F3

Nikon F3

I own quite a few cameras, but one that deserves honorable mention here goes to the Nikon F3 as the ultimate camera for wanderlust.

To begin, the F3 - Nikon’s flagship for most of the 80s - is built tough, its controls simple and easy to manipulate (with the exception of the ISO setting when the flash is mounted), and its feature set more than adequate for the travel photographer. It also looks quite good.

You will find a fair share of war stories regarding the durability of the F3 on the internet. Mine is no different; I have dropped it by accident a couple times; as a result, it has a few dents on the body, but that has never stopped it from working. Looking inside, you will find a horizontal-travel cloth-shutter curtain that can be found in Leicas as well. These shutter curtains are known for their reliability, and Nikon F3’s shutter reportedly has a MTBF (mean time between failure) of 150,000 shots. To put things into perspective, if I shoot a roll of film a day it would take about 11 years to reach the MTBF.

The camera - perhaps because it was released in the early 80s - does not get loaded with unnecessary bells and whistles. You get to control the shutter speed, aperture, and focus. Should you need help with exposure you can always shift to the A (aperture-priority) mode in which the camera decides the best shutter speed for the selected aperture. I also use the depth of field preview quite often, which is well-placed and can be activated almost instantly with my middle finger. You will have to advance the film after each shot (using the silky smooth winder shaft). When you finish a roll there is no motor to help you rewind (unless you use the motor drive - which I don’t.) But I consider that a plus because you don’t need to waste battery power and for travel photography it is not important for me to have automatic film rewind.

But what I find best about the F3 is the finder. It’s bright, and offers great eye relief (i.e. my eyes do not need to be touching the eyepiece in order to see the entire screen) and has 100% coverage. Hence the finder makes it quite easy to focus, even with wide angle lenses. Enough cannot be said about the importance of having a good finder; it really makes a difference in my photography. Face it; if a finder stresses your eyes after ten minutes of photo-taking then what are the chances of getting a good picture after that?

All of this in a very manageable size and weight is perhaps what makes the F3 one of the best cameras for traveling. Sure there can be improvements but none that would hinder my photography: the flash socket, should you need to add a flash, is awkwardly placed. My style calls for a spot meter, but thanks to the F3’s 80/20 evaluative algorithm when placed in A mode, it can be used as a rough spot meter with some thinking. Finally, F3’s dependence on batteries may be inconvenient but that’s why I always keep spares. As it is the camera hardly consumes the battery; a pair of LR44 (about $2 to $3 USD) will last me a few months of regular shooting. Keep another pair of backup LR44 and that would cover at least half of year of shooting, if not more.

If I ever had the money I would not mind trying the Leica M viewfinder cameras, known for their quietness and unobtrusiveness but as it is the Nikon is a much cheaper alternative (a nice used F3 body can be found around $500) and Nikon lenses cheaper still than its counterpart (yet not in terms of quality.) Within the Nikon product line itself I find the FM3A - which employs a hybrid electronic mechanical shutter - very attractive for wanderlust but its finder is inferior to the F3 in terms of coverage and eye relief.

If my F3 does give up - however unlikely - you can count on me to buy another F3 to replace it.