Canada: Montreal, Quebec - September 2009
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation of an article originally written in French. I apologise for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have resulted. If you read French, click on the French flag below to access the original, correct text:
Français
A little piece of Asia in Montreal: here's a glimpse of Chinatown, in two short videos.
These are two very similar montages, because I wanted to test the video function of my iPod Nano and compare with that of my small digital camera.
Chinatown # 1
Here is the first sequence, shot with the new iPod Nano.
Chinatown # 2
Here is the second sequence, shot with my antique Canon Powershot A95.
Filming with an iPod Nano: bof
Frankly, the image quality is better with my little APN, I think. The weather was a little gray, and the Nano's tiny sensor seems to have trouble handling the lack of light, even more so than my Canon Powershot A95, which is nothing extraordinary. I find the Nano's rendering a little greenish.
The Nano is also so small, it's hard not to move. Still shots always shake a little.
Another thing I noticed: the Nano, despite its tiny size, is less discreet. Oddly enough, people didn't pay too much attention to my banal little APN (it's a trick, they think I'm taking photos, when in fact I'm filming, hey! hey!). With the iPod Nano, they felt they were being filmed, and more often tried to avoid the lens.
Chinese district
Other than that, Chinatown made little impression on me. In fact, Montreal's Chinatown is limited to two or three streets, the busiest of which is the pedestrianised rue de the Gauchetière where I shot these two short films.
In fact, there are plenty of other street corners and neighborhoods in downtown Montreal that deserve to be called "Chinatown", such is the presence of the Asian community. I've seen plenty of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants, sushi and noodle vendors, mini-markets and other Asian fast-food outlets.
But in Chinatown, there's one guy you can't miss, if you like Asian sweets: the seller of candy with dragon beard (Dragon's beard candy), featured in my videos.
These are sweets made from sugar, peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut and chocolate... And the famous dragon's beard, those funny stringy strips with which he coats everything. Four dollars for a box of six.
Apparently, it's something of an institution in the neighborhood. The little counter, where you can watch the candy being made, is a big hit with tourists.
😉
