Camera shopping.

3 November 2014

In case you are wondering about the bad photos in my Montserrat post, it's because my dearest Sony DSC RX100M2 died on Halloween night. As such, the photos are taken using my iPhone. It's a complicated story as to how it met its death but because of that, I need to look for a camera repair shop in Barcelona to see if I can revive it.

Vanessa decided to accompany me as she wanted to get a set of camera prime lens. So we headed down to Universitat station to look for the lens, only to find out that the electronic shops are closed for siesta. (Yes, we have been here in Spain for two months. We know about the siesta, but wanted to try our luck). 

With one hour to kill, we went over to the Asian super mart to stock up more food for our Asian bellies. This is the stupidest choice we made though... You have no idea.

I bought a parka from Lefties on the way back to the row of electronic shops beside Universitat. It has leather sleeves, giving the outfit a rebel look coupled with a feminine feel due to its brown colour. I really like it, even though it costs quite a bit.

We went into a few electronic shops to compare the prices of the prime lens. In the end, Vanessa chose to forgo the lens since they are really pricey, costing roughly around 250euros. 

Now, here is why I wrote that going to the Asian super mart before doing anything else, is the stupidest choice we made! Carrying god-knows-how-many-kilograms worth of groceries, we walked down six streets to a Sony repair store near Rocafort station. I'm not kidding about the weight of the food stock. I can literally feel my muscles building up...

I showed the lady the problem with my camera. And guess what? She quoted a repair fee of 203euros to repair my camera! I almost faint when I saw the quotation! Both Vanessa and I have our shock faces; eyes wide, two mouths open. Never did I expect the repair cost to be so expensive!

To calm myself down, I sat down on a chair beside the counter and called my dad to inform him about the expenses. After discussing, we concluded that I should get a new camera and he will check the repair fee in Singapore for comparison purposes. 

So, getting a new camera means I have to go back to the row of electronic shops. As such, we carried the bags of groceries back the six streets to Universitat. This time, however, it feels easier to walk even with the heavy bags. Perhaps my mind was too preoccupied with the repair cost to care about the pain. Or maybe it's just the deep conversation I had with Vanessa, my sweetie pie.

Regardless, we managed to survive the long walk back and I bought a new camera, Sony A5100. It is the second version of A5000, which Vanessa is currently using and since I'm somewhat used to it, why not?

Truthfully speaking, I still prefer my RX100 to the A5000. Simply because I'm in love with the vivid colours and higher resolution of the RX100. However, I'm now able to take lots of selfies with the A5000! *smirk smirk*

Since we have time to spare, we tried out DelaCrem cafe which is rated highly in Tripadvisor.

It is a cozy cafe, with light decoration and friendly staffs. Based on their recommendations, we ordered a large-sized cafe latte, half caramel half hazelnut ice-cream along with one lemon meringue and one raspberry cake.

Among all the pastries, both of us agreed that the ice-cream and the lemon meringue stands out the most! The ice-cream is soft and creamy while the lemon meringue has a nice balance between the sour lemon taste and the sweet tart. I would definitely recommend these!

I really enjoyed myself in the cafe. Maybe its because of the warm atmosphere? The delicious pastries? The fact that I just got a new camera? Or just maybe, with a slight possibility... It's because I have a good company, Miss Vanessa Fwah. Hahas!