New Camera
After last week's unpleasant surprise that my point-and-shoot camera was no longer operational I decided to spend some of Christmas Day in Seoul for a bit of camera shopping at the Yongsan I'Park Mall. I had spent most of the week looking up information and reviews on recent camera models - actually, any camera models, since my point-and-shoot was six years old and I hadn't really done much research since buying it - and brought a list of prospective candidates with me to the mall. Sadly, only one or two of the models on my list were for sale at the stores I checked. If that weren't enough of a let-down, the sales clerks were very keen to point out that those models were "too expensive" for me (despite having made no mention of my budget) and instead recommended I buy a Samsung. I know Brian gets good shots with his Samsung i8 VLUU, but I would rather not purchase a camera without doing a little research on it first.
While taking a break from the camera displays I noticed fellow bloggers Jason (Kimchi Icecream) and Julianne on one of the escalators, and eventually managed to catch up to them to say hello and introduce myself. Not only were they happy to chat with a stranger who recognized them from the internet, they also offered to show me a great place in the area to pick up a DSLR camera. Once there, they even helped in the decision-making process; Jason has a Canon while Julianne uses a Nikon, so it was great to have both of them present to weigh the pros and cons of each.
At the end of the day I picked up a Nikon D80 with a Sigma 18-200mm lens for a very decent price. The Sigma lens looks like it will be a great tool to have for architectural and landscape shots, while also allowing me to get some good images from cultural events as well. On my way home I stopped off at Gwanghwamun Square to get some pictures of the "40th Anniversary Monument of Gojong's Enthronement" that I visited at the end of October.
Here's a picture of the monument using my old point-and-shoot. This is a composite image that was created by stitching together seven or eight shots:
Here's a picture of the same monument using my new Nikon. The image comes from the opposite corner, and is a single shot taken from approximately the same distance:
One thing that I need to get used to with the Nikon is how much heavier it weighs. Without a tripod it's really hard to avoid blurry night images due to the camera bobbing up and down in my hands. Of course, it was also snowing - so obviously below freezing - on Christmas night. It also snowed on Boxing Day, and we got a decent bit of snow in Uijeongbu today as well.