Professional Rain Cover for CANON EOS Digital SLR & NIKON D Series Camera small

First, this is exactly the same rain cover that Canon sells (I have the medium from Canon) but at a fraction of the cost. Second, it does the job of protecting the camera/lens in the rain/snow/whatever. However, it it not easy to use/figure out. The directions (whether for this or the Canon version) are not clear and it takes quite a bit of fiddling to figure it out thus I HIGHLY recommend practicing with it before going out. Sizing is a challenge, i.e. if you have any Canon lens at or below the 18-200mm zoom, get the small. I use the medium for my 150-500mm Sigma thus you should have an idea of how big these covers are. Unlike many covers, this cover easily works with a tripod.

I really like the rear window that enables me to see the back and top of the camera. The small version also has slits for putting your camera strap through and they work well. As you can see from the pictures of this cover, your hands go up from the bottom, thus, if you're hands are wet, the water flows downwards away from the camera/lens. The cover recommends using your lens shade and I heartily agree. The lens shade places the glass further away from the rain and makes for a better fit of the cover.

I spent a lot of money on Canon's brand of rain cover (the large for my 300mm f/2.8) I then purchased the JJC RI-8 Rain Cover for my smaller Canon 70-200mm f/2.8. I use both lenses on Canon 7Ds and 5Ds. I can tell no difference between Canon's rain cover and JJCs rain cover, except Canon has its logo plastered on the side of the rain cover at the lens barrel. Now some people like to show off their expensive cameras and lenses, but I really, really don't! I shoot in some pretty dodgy locations sometimes and I don't want to advertise what kind of gear I'm carrying. So logos are kind of useless to me. I did not give JJC five stars for only one reason: It comes with three replaceable eye pieces and there is no indication which eyepiece fits which camera. I eventually figured it out by trial and error, then marked the appropriate ones. One fits the 7D, one fits the 5D, and the third one fits nothing I own. But before I spend any more money on canon's rain covers, I'll try JJC's in the future.

Buy Professional Rain Cover for CANON EOS Digital SLR & NIKON D Series Camera small Now

First off.

Let me say that I was a bit concerned after reading the other reviews. While they almost all said that it was hard to figure out, the ONLY trouble I had was fitting the rubber eye piece inside the eye piece frame. (it's a bit like putting a bike tire on a rim..you have to work your way around while holding it in place)

The white material is soft, flexible, and LOOKS like it will repel water (I have not tried it out yet). After the above assembly, the eye piece is an open hole, allowing you to see your subject clearly. (no looking through vinyl material like some others) The only vinyl material is around the eye piece, which allows you to see the various buttons, top of camera, and LCD view finder on your body.

There is PLENTY of space for just about any type of tripod head (I use a ballhead). In fact, the only problem I can see is if you use your camera "off tripod", where the extra material might get in your way. Still. There is enough Velcro pieces on this where I'm sure you can tuck it all in and secure it just fine, while still leaving room for your hands. I would not use this off tripod because I would worry about rain running down the camera straps. But that's me.

There are instructions included, but I didn't even see them (still in the handy carry bag) until I was re-packing the rain cover (shows you how easy it was to figure out). I might not have had the set up exactly like they said, but I can see there are several ways you can make this work depending on your set up (again, plenty of Velcro).

They supply a total of three rubber eye pieces (in case you drop one). Not just the small rubber piece that you insert, but these are actual eye pieces that slide down over your body's viewer (you have to remove your makers eye piece to use it, so put it in your pocket or some place safe while you use the other)

While I bought the SMALL size, It measured 17 inches from the back of the camera to the end of the tube your lens goes in. I also tried it with a couple other lenses, a shorter prime lens (35mm), and an 11-16mm zoom. The fit is fine so long as you tuck in the extra material before you Velcro everything down. Just use a bit of fore thought when tucking extra material in so you dont channel water back INTO your camera.

I've posted some photos that I took of the set up, to show the various parts of this cover. (I had to use my point & shoot, so please excuse the quality)

One piece of advice....put everything together at home a time or two before trying it in the field. When in the field, put it together in the car BEFORE going out in the rain. Just makes sence to me.

There is no doubt that I would advise a friend to buy this, as I will do just that (every shooter I know lives in Oregon and Oregon is WET!)

One reviewer said this is the same rain cover that has the 'Canon" logo on it. If this is the case, I can see no reason to pay the extra money for the logo only.

Read Best Reviews of Professional Rain Cover for CANON EOS Digital SLR & NIKON D Series Camera small Here

Perhaps it is my lack of experience with rain covers, but this thing is a pain in the rear! Solid material, would trust it to keep water off the equipment. Eye part is hard to put on and figure out. JJC sells a cheap cover for a buck or two that works fine if you are in light rain, with the bonus of being able to use a flash.

Want Professional Rain Cover for CANON EOS Digital SLR & NIKON D Series Camera small Discount?

Love the quality and material.

Definitely good accessory for bad shooting conditions.

Love the way your hands are covered too.

Do i use it ? No, not really. In fact i try not to shoot in bad weather condition just to avoid having to deploy protective gear.

Marshall Electronics M-LCD7-HDMI-B-CE6 7-Inches HDMI Camera-Top Monitor Kit with Canon LPE6 Equival

Why do we keep buying cheap Chinese-made products when our friends and neighbors are out of work and losing their homes?

This is strictly consumer-level quality. If you are using it professionally, spend the money on a professional-level monitor that won't let you down in the middle of an important shoot.

When it first arrived, I started charging the battery and was puzzled when the charger went to green within minutes. No problem; it must be shipped with the battery fully charged. No such luck. The battery lasted about two minutes. I measured the voltage and it read in millivolts, so I put it back on the charger. Within 5 minutes, the charger had gone to green and it shut down again. I tried leaving it on charge for two days and it never went to red from green and the end voltage ended up lower than when I started. Either the Chinese-made charger or the Chinese-made imitation Canon battery was defective.

Sadly, I had a shoot right away and needed a source of power that WORKED, and I needed it right away. (I make my living in the film industry.) I didn't have time to return it to the seller and wait for another one, nor did I relish buying a new Canon battery ($100) or Canon charger ($50) just to find out which was the defective piece.

I ended up swapping the battery plate from my Nebtek monitor onto the Marshall and yanking the cheap Chinese-made battery and battery plate right off. I had to drill new holes to mount the plate because I needed a working monitor right away and didn't have time to ship it back and wait for a replacement.

The Chinese-made Canon imitation battery never did work, and this thing became a huge sinkhole of money that I was forced to pour another $100 into just to get a working battery plate that takes Sony batteries and another Sony battery. (Sony camcorder batteries have a MUCH greater capacity than the imitation Canon 5D battery that this monitor ships with.)

I delayed writing any reviews until I talked to Marshall, but I have now waited three weeks and they have NOT even replied to my email. THIS CUSTOMER SERVICE IS UNACCEPTABLE in this age of instant customer feedback on the internet ... and, Marshall, if you ever read this review what goes around, comes around. You should have taken the 2 minutes to reply to my email. I will never buy another Marshall product again.

Very soft, simple and efficient, this monitor allows you to make a better focus with a HD DSLR. And it comes with a lot of useful stuffs, as monitor support, VGA multicable, rechargers, mini-HDMI-HDMI cable, and even... an battery model LP-E6. The main problem is that the battery deck doesn't tie it though enough. Then if you turn the monitor upside down the battery will fall or loose the contact. And a suggestion for Marshall: peaking would be very useful.

Buy Marshall Electronics M-LCD7-HDMI-B-CE6 7-Inches HDMI Camera-Top Monitor Kit with Canon LPE6 Equival Now

The strength of this monitor lies not in its picture quality or construction, but mainly in its value. I purchased this monitor as an accessory to my DSLR for filming video. The main purpose was to provide a larger screen to help with framing, and to use on a small camera jib. In this regards the monitor excels. I had also wanted to use it for help in focusing, and while it is helpful simply to have the larger monitor when focusing, the fact is that this monitor will not display the true HD image pixel for pixel. To be fair, I was not expecting it to, as a monitor with that resolution is much more expensive. So if critical focusing is your main goal, and you want a true pixel to pixel image, this probably isn't the monitor for you. One note in regards to the focus issue: on my GH2, when an external monitor is connected via the HDMI port, the image magnification/focus assist function on the camera is disabled. So while it is easier to focus with the larger image than the small LCD screen of the camera, the trade off is that the camera's built in focus assist is disabled. Which goes back to my main point that this monitor is better suited for framing and having a larger image to look at. When I purchased my Marshall, they were having a special that included a free sun hood, and I have found this to be extremely valuable for outdoor shooting. I am able to attach the monitor to the back of the jib, away from the camera, and shoot in the sun without glare. This has made my jib work a lot easier, and this alone is worth the price. In addition, it comes in a very nice kit with a huge host of accessories: remotes, mounts, cables, chargers, you name it. This also helps solidify its position as a great value. Overall, if you're looking for a great starter monitor, or don't require a true HD resolution monitor, this would be a great choice.

Read Best Reviews of Marshall Electronics M-LCD7-HDMI-B-CE6 7-Inches HDMI Camera-Top Monitor Kit with Canon LPE6 Equival Here

This is a good "entry level" low cost monitor. Works fine via HDMI with my EOS 7D. There is a reason other Marshall monitors cost a lot more. But if you just need a low cost monitor for use with your video enabled DSLR this is a good pick. Yes the battery and charger are "knock-off" grade and probably wont last very long, but you can always use an OEM battery as well. The kit comes with everything you'll need.

Want Marshall Electronics M-LCD7-HDMI-B-CE6 7-Inches HDMI Camera-Top Monitor Kit with Canon LPE6 Equival Discount?

I recently bought a lot of gear to go with my Canon 7D. I wanted a monitor that was decent and low priced. Also took the LPE6 battery. I would only use this monitor on shots that i absolutely needed a monitor. The quality from the screen on my camera to this is way different. Before every shot I would have to make sure what it looks like on my camera monitor before switching to the Marshall monitor. I would recommend getting a smaller screen Marshall Monitor that has better quality. But for the price, this will work just fine.

Save 26% Off

StarTech.com HDMIACMM6 6-Feet High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet- HDMI to HDMI Mini- M/M

Bought this to use for my gaming computer's graphic card. There is no better cable then this HDMI for the sound and graphics that it sends to my monitor. My card has a mini HDMI conector port and I was glad I found this cable to replace the regular VGA cable I was using. With this HDMI I don't need RCA cables for my sound either, this cable carries both video and sound making less wires from the back of my computer. Performance is really great plus a great price also.

Save 49% Off

Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope

The Qx5 microscope is the natural follow-on from the Qx3. Used as a toy with the "child friendly" supplied software, it will load onto the latest machines; difficulties with the old Qx3 software on Windows XP Pro were not encountered with the Qx5. I have found this software to be intensely irritating for my use, but letting my two young nephews loose on my computer I was delighted to find that the whizzes, zips and boings the program generates during its natural operation freed me to be elsewhere in the house without fear that my young guests had given up on the microscope and were trying to sabotage my machine in ways available only to the very young. Not that I need have feared: a simple walk around the local park produced more than enough samples to keep them delighted until dinner. An excellent Christmas game can also be knocked out with the Qx5 and a laptop by wandering around the house, taking magnified snaps of the decorations and furniture, then challenging guests to identify the objects. (Print thumbnails and you can have a dozen people wandering around different parts of the house peering at ornaments.)

However, I have not bought two new Qx5s to supplement the Qx3s I already have just to play games. These `toys' are truly excellent scientific instruments. They allow for rapid inspection of small components, provide good images for presentations, and an image of a graticule can be used to calibrate distance per pixel, providing simple distance and area measurement. These images can be fed to image-processing packages for colour-dependent area measurements and other techniques. Contact angles of droplets on surfaces can also be measured from these images, with the 60x magnification matching the best droplet size. The improved pixel count of the Qx5 gives markedly better resolution of crystal morphology and the more intense LED illumination at last makes 200x magnification generally workable. The rectangular grid of pixels on the old Qx3 has been corrected to a square grid meaning circles are now the same number of pixels across as they are high (rather than 10% fatter). They can be used to monitor and record movement because they collect movies as well as stills: with 15 frames per second (up from the Qx3's five) much faster events can be captured.

So what are the downsides? This is a souped-up Qx3, with a better webcam at one end and brighter light at the other, so in common with the Qx3 the optics are not perfectly matched. The focal plane for each magnification is therefore in a different position requiring re-focusing after every change, as well as producing occasional microscopes with one of their focal planes squeezed quite close to the microscope body. This can mean the plastic stand is at the limit of its movement and bouncing on the last tooth of the cog, or if you've built your own holder you may start bumping into the plastic shield around the light. The TWAIN driver is new, and has no light control, and there is no utility offered to control light separately from your Start Menu. It captures images on command, but then you have to select the image to pass it on to your graphics package an unnecessary extra step for most applications. The automatic colour balance bleaches images of predominantly one colour, and with the bluish LED illumination, yellow seems to come off particularly badly. This is not true with the interface that opens for capturing movies, where all sorts of settings can come under the operator's control, but the driver (at least in XP Pro) is a Windows Driver Model (WDM) rather than Video For Windows (VFW), limiting your options to only more recent software, and the light is still not accessible.

Generally, however, I'm delighted with the improvements in image resolution and frames per second that the new camera and light offer, and for a price that seems lower than the Qx3 commanded until the very end of its commercial life, these `toys' are extremely good value for anyone who wants to peer at small things through the eye of the twenty-first century.

My son got this for his birthday and absolutely loved it. Immediately he was making movies and magnifying everything. He loves that it comes off the base to magnify just about anything that he can get close to the computer. He asked me if he could take it to school and share it with his class. His teacher loved that they could all gather around the computer and look at the images. It is even better in the classroom becasue she can verify that they are looking at the right things, and when students ask questions they can point to it on the computer screen instead of trying to explain what they are seeing through the regular lens. This is a great item for beginning to use a microscope and helping a child learn the ropes.

Buy Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope Now

I bought this microscope to help introduce 'natural science' to my almost 3 year old. He had been playing a bit with toddler software but would lose interest. Since buying this (and we have to leave setup at all times!) my son is not only fascinated with looking at things (the stuff he wants to look at! dead earthworms, onion skin, leg from a dead spider, every feather) but his computer skills are really developing. He loves the software that comes with it (graphics type for 'art' and making your own movies) and handles it like a pro. The only fault with this is it did not include slides (for $90 you'd think they would include a few) I am currently purchasing some cool water experiments here we come (I think I have as much fun with this as my son!!)

Read Best Reviews of Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope Here

This is a rather fun toy microscope that has a built in CMOS detector so that images can only be viewed via a Windows PC. The all plastic construction (including lenses) limits the accuracy of focussing and the on-screen image resolution is adequate rather than good. This microscope was originally marketed by Intel and built by toy manufacturer Mattel as the QX-3. Now Digital Blue have taken it on after Intel discontinued production. The QX-5 is an upgrade having 640 x 480 pixel resolution rather than just 352 x 288 in the original QX-3. Have a look at micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/intelplay for very detailed scientific description of the original QX-3 and advice on what to use it for. Every school in the UK was given one of these in 2002. Scientifically inclined youth (and school teachers) should also be very interested in the book `700 science experiments for everyone', published by UNESCO and available from Amazon for about a tenner.

I installed the QX-5 software under Windows XP Pro on a 1.2MHz Athlon PC and the software worked fine. The only downside is that the software changes the CRT screen refresh rate to 60Hz and doesn't switch it back to the flicker free 85Hz. So a trip to `Start, Control Panel, Display, Settings, Advanced, Monitor' is required to set the graphics back to their correct setting (check these before you run the software). Otherwise the software and USB microscope run very well. It comes with a small prepared `slide' (a cardboard and plastic array of things like insect parts) plus a reasonable archive of digital images which you can add to.

Once on the PC the 640x480 images can be manipulated and pasted etc, and it does time-lapse for things like crystal growth, and there's a fair bit of control of the time-lapse intervals from 0.1 second to 1 hour intervals. I have a QX-5 at home for the kids, but like most kids with microscopes they can get bored with it after running out of things to view so web and book searches for ideas is useful. Note that you can also get pretty good hi-res images of things like nuts and leaves from a cheap flatbed film scanner (not the Lide type), and there's also the digital camera in macro mode, but this microscope is far more kid friendly and being very light it bounces well. The main microscope body can be detached from the stand to view things.

The QX-5 has not got the resolution of even a standard 'school' compound microscope though, largely because you see it all 'enlarged' on a large computer screen, it uses plastic lenses and has a low resolution detector (but you can share the view with friends). So you may find the QX-5 a real disappointment if you expect too much of it in terms of image quality. However it is rather fun to use and has transmission + reflection white LED light sources built in to view specimens. The software is also very kid friendly and the increased resolution over the QX-3 is very welcome. So overall, recommended for pre-teen budding scientists.

Want Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope Discount?

I just received this item last night and after just one evening of use I can already tell both the kids and I will have a blast with it. The optics, lighting, and overall performance of the microscope are SURPRISINGLY good. The supporting software is also very straighforward, functional, and kid-friendly. As others have pointed out there is a strange lack of instructions that leaves you feeling initially clueless (there is a "Help" feature accessible through the software) but the overall usage is intuitive enough that it wasn't really missed. Also, some of the webpages that I've seen indicate that you need 4 AA batteries but this is not true. (Maybe the earlier model needed it?) I very much recommend this product for your budding scientist (and yourself!)

Master Lock 4843DATSEN Vehicle Back Up and Hitch Alignment Camera with 3.5 Inch Color Monitor

Check out the video

When I got this product it looked so good. It worked straight out of the box as promised. But when it came to everyday life, it was disappointing.

The first problem was that I have a pick up with a crew cab and a long box; the distance from the back of the truck to the cab seemed to be right on the limits of what this camera would do. So when I placed it within the tow-hitch receiver effectively a heavy metal tube the signal from the camera was too weak and when I got a picture on the monitor it was very a jumpy and grainy, and not really of any use.

I got an extension lead for the power cable and moved the camera to the tailgate with the aerial poking over the top of the box. This worked great, even if it ended up leaving scratches on my paintwork a price worth paying to avoid a dent in the bumper! But then I was frightened the camera would be very visible so could easily be stolen. Eventually I found a spot for it under the bumper where it worked acceptably well and was not too obvious.

Then one day I left my phone at home and discovered that as my truck's Bluetooth hands free system searched for the missing phone, so the camera stopped working. Reversing meant waiting for the ten seconds the camera was blank, and then quickly reversing into a space for the ten seconds it worked! Not practical in the average Wal-Mart.

All this would have left it at three stars, but this week the camera has given up the ghost. The wires coming out of the power cord connector had started to perish and caused a short circuit blowing a fuse in the truck. This was quickly repaired, but as I was trying to mend the broken wires I discovered the wires were broken in two more places. Again, I tried to repair it, but discovered that all this power going to the wrong place had blown the circuit board, and the unit no longer works. I got it in March and it died in June not good value. It has not been exposed to extreme conditions of heat or cold, so all I can conclude is that the quality of the materials is sub-standard. But of course, because I have taken it to pieces and tried to re-build it, I can't now send it back.

Such a shame because otherwise I loved it! Why can't they make if of better wires and plastic, then it would get five stars (or perhaps four).

Buy Master Lock 4843DATSEN Vehicle Back Up and Hitch Alignment Camera with 3.5 Inch Color Monitor Now

Purchased master lock back up camera, worked great first time even with vehicle equipped with voice command and blue tooth which I was told would be a problem. The tip to turn on the lights when using was just all that needed to be done. Backed up and hitched my trailer first try. Would highly recommend.

Read Best Reviews of Master Lock 4843DATSEN Vehicle Back Up and Hitch Alignment Camera with 3.5 Inch Color Monitor Here

I purchased this camera due to the ease of installation as well as the positioning of the camera inside the tow receiver. Note to anybody looking to do this... Make sure your tow receiver is open in the back or that it is deep enough to accommodate the camera and the antenna sticking out the back... The camera was slightly too long to fit my aftermarket Reese class III/IV tow receiver... The antenna had to be bent slightly so that I could fit the camera inside the receiver to allow my hitch lock to be used.

As to the use of the camera, in my driveway during the install, the camera worked great... However, as soon as I drove off, the camera lost signal and I either got a very fuzzy picture or complete static... This is caused by the camera antenna being housed inside the hitch receiver (completely metal enclosure). If you use the camera on the tail gate, the picture is fine.

I think that if you have to pay $170 for this camera, there should be a clear picture all the time or at the very least a majority of the time and a way to adjust and troubleshoot it to improve performance.

I contacted Master Lock, and their customer support did not have any suggestions or solutions to my problem. I talked to my father, who is an electrical engineer, and he made a suggestion that has worked in my case and may help anyone else who has reception issues:

What you will need: 50 ohm coaxial cable(connector should fit the antenna connector on the monitor) long enough to route the antenna to the back of the truck (mine was approximately 25'), female/female coaxial adapter (will be used to attach the coaxial cable and "monitor" antenna)

Note: This took me approximately 3 hours to completely finish, although I was figuring it out as I went in terms of where to route cable... also, I did this at night in the dark using a flashlight to see what I was doing :)

1. Attach antenna to end of coaxial cable using the female/female coaxial adapter

2. Attach coaxial cable to the monitor

3. Route cable outside the truck (outside window, along ground for testing purposes) to a spot where your antenna gets clear reception and make note of final location for your antenna (Mine ended up right behind the hitch receiver with the antenna inside one of the holes in the back of the receiver... essentially placing both the camera and antenna right next to each other.)

4 Figure out how you wish to route the coaxial cable from your cab to the back of the truck. My monitor was mounted in the center of my dashboard using the suction cup mount. I routed the cable along the bottom of the windshield and along the drivers side door jamb (I cut a small slit in the weather stripping in the crease and routed the cable through to keep the weather seal integrity) into the engine compartment, where I dropped it down and under the truck. I stayed away from the exhaust pipe and used existing electrical routing to loosely route the cable to the final location. NOTE: Keep the coaxial cable away from any

5. Starting from the monitor, I began to secure the cable, leaving a little slack at the end to allow for monitor reposition in the future. I tucked the cable into the edge of the dashboard to hide the cable. I used electrical tape at the door jamb to secure the cable to the vehicle body to ensure the cable doesn't get pinched by the door or the truck hood, as well as keeping it from moving around. In the engine compartment and under the truck, I zip tied the cable to other electrical wiring, making sure it was pulled tight enough to prevent dragging or unwanted movement.

6. Coil the extra cable (I had about 3-5' extra), leaving enough to reach the final antenna location. I secured the extra cable up inside the bumper where there was an opening with a screw hole using a zip tie.

7. I secured the antenna at the final spot behind the hitch receiver by using a zip tie anchor(stick back)and electrical tape to protect the connection between the antenna and the coaxial cable to help weather proof the connector.

This final setup has yielded a completely clear picture that has no static.

I realize that some people will probably say: "If you plan to route the cable all the way back to the back of the truck, then why not just buy a wired camera? I still have flexibility with the location of the camera if I need to by simply removing the camera and placing it somewhere else, and the camera is still secured best using the hitch lock to prevent theft.

Since Master Lock recommends that you take your camera off when washing your vehicle, I have also weatherproofed the camera setup so that I would not have to remove the camera all the time... NOTE: If you plan to use your hitch receiver often, this method is not for you :). I do not tow anything, so I plan to keep the camera in the hitch receiver for a long time.

What you'll need:

1. A 4 inch by 4 inch piece of clear plastic (I used a clear box that my Ed Hardy Cologne came in)

2. Electrical tape

3. Scissors

Instructions:

1. Using a pen, mark off a 2x2inch square in the center of the piece of plastic (size of your hitch receiver opening)

2. Using scissors, cut out a slightly larger than 1" square from each of the four corners. Your piece of plastic should look like a plus sign at this point. You may want to snip a little extra off the bottom left corner of the square center to allow for your power cable to come out, no more than a millimeter or two.

3. Fold plastic tabs down so that you are looking at a square.

4. Insert the tabs into the hitch receiver so that your camera is now behind a solid piece of clear plastic.

5. Seal the edges of your receiver and plastic lens by using black electrical tape.

VOILA!

**********Update:**********

I have since replaced my weatherproofing rig with a new, removable system:

What you will need:

1. Rubber removable hitch cover (bought mine here on amazon)

2. A roughly 2 inch by 2 inch piece of clear plastic

3. Tape

Instructions: You will be cutting a window in the rubber tail hitch cover for your camera to look through

1. Using a knife (I used a folding knife, but for more precision, maybe an exacto knife would be better), cut along the inside of the hitch cover, first along the bottom edge of the rubber where the flat surface of the hitch cover meets the walls.

2. Cut along the right and left sides of the hitch cover vertically from the inside where the flat surface of the hitch cover meets the walls approximately 1 1.5" in length.

3. Cut from the top of the vertical cut across the hitch cover. This should form a perfect rectangle which should be removed to form the opening for the camera.

4. Take the plastic, and using the same technique listed in the previous instructions for weatherproofing, create a clear window for your hitch cover opening.

5. Either tape or glue the plastic to the hitch cover from the inside of the hitch cover, sealing the rig from the elements.

Want Master Lock 4843DATSEN Vehicle Back Up and Hitch Alignment Camera with 3.5 Inch Color Monitor Discount?

While the idea behind this system is excellent and the easy of installation is more than I expected the system just doesn't work. I cannot get a clear picture no matter how I adjust it. I contacted the company and they attempted to help but nothing they suggested worked. They did admitt that this was a problem with the unit. I have installed other units on previous vehicles that have worked. I had hoped this unit would work as well as they did because it is not hard to install and can easily be transferred. But it just does not provide a clear picture. I would not recommend anyone purchasing the unit.

Save 26% Off

Spectrasensor Pro Color

I've been very pleased with this colorimeter. I use this device with Spectraview II software to calibrate my NEC Spectraview monitors. I've tested several different colorimeters with the Spectraview software and this device seems to have the most linear response judging by the RGB curves produced by the Spectraview software. I purchased mine through Amazon for $115 which was a total bargain. FYI this device is actually made by xRite but who cares.

Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory

Right out of the box, it seemed very solid and high quality which one should expect for the price. The new lens hood not only works better, but also looks a lot cooler. The touch tracking focus works great and is extremely useful. In low light this camera really is just amazing. It's much better for that than any dslr I've used. The image stabilizer is very helpful. I have compared it to my dslr footage and it is MUCH more stable meaning you probably don't need a shoulder rig. I just wish that the focus ring was not so hard to turn because some times i mess up the video when trying to turn it really far. The only advantage for me when shooting with a dslr is that you get manual zoom. But it's still fine with this camera. Also, the battery that it comes with is very small, so I would recommend buying some extras. The off brand batteries will work great and it's super cheap. But other than those two things, this camera is just perfect. If you aren't super picky about audio than this is fine. But if your in a production business and need really good sound quality, you should look at the xa10.

I was a little hesitant to buy this because I thought it was going to have a deeper depth of field according to what I have read about camcorders in general. Someone also told me that camcorders don't have a shallow depth of field. When I first took it for the test, i was quite surprised. The performance was really pretty good, so don't be too worried about that if you like a shallow depth of field. Using manual focus is great and I can get a lot out of focus.

I don't think that it's weather proofed, but i have never had a problem and am never afraid to take it out in some snow which I do quite often. Like I said at the top, it is quite solid meaning it's pretty heavy compared to the other camcorders i was looking at below $1500. So if you want to go skiing with it and put it in your pocket, it will weigh down your jacket. So bringing a backpack if your going skiing or for a hike is a good idea.

I love using dslr's and were used to them. But now I can never come back to dslr's. Using this camera is just so easy and simple. You can start shooting so quick. The start up time is pretty good, especially compared to dslr's I've used. I know that some nikon's have auto focus for video, but there is no comparison. The auto focus on this camcorder is lightning, and i never worry about it in low light. Also, most dslr's that do auto focus during video is loud enough to ruin audio. And obviously, This is completely silent. And this makes the camera just that more simple and easy.

I am very happy with the camera so far. I have tried to upload some test video but it said that it wouldn't except the format. So if you already have a g10, than it probably isn't worth upgrading. But highly recommended and you will most likely be satisfied.

I thought I would never get a camcorder with all the high tech HD video modes of capture out there these days. I found using video on my Canon 5d mark II superb in quality but lacked real layman control. I missed being able to focus instantaneous in a shot and the form factor of a DSLR as a video camera definitely is not there for run and gun situations I am finding my self into chasing a 2 year old around. Sure you can spend money on an elaborate setup that can turn the DSLR into something like a camcorder but I like the compactness the likes of the G20 offered.

So enter the Canon Vixia HF G20. I was interested in a sub $1200 HD camcorder and I am always a first to want a new thing so in return, and you, get an early review having 2 weeks with it so far. From what I know the camcorder is exactly the same as the G10 predecessor except for the new HD Pro sensor that allows more light capture. So I preordered and at the same time ordered this great book (I know its for the G10 and XA10, but all the G20 has is the better sensor) Professional Results with Canon Vixia Camcorders: A Field Guide to Canon G10 and XA10 Now with the camcorder, I am happy I have read the book and use little of the huge manual that came with the G20.

So far it has shocked me how well the camcorder takes video and although the controls do take a little time to master, the touch screen works well. Maybe they did improve on it from the complaints I read on the G10.

I did drop one star for two reasons. The battery that comes with it is terrible so you best splurge on the max capacity one Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG, HF S & HF M Camcorders (Retail Packaging). Also I wish they included a shoulder strap to carry the camcorder around easily.

So I will promise to update in 6 months, but so far so good!

Buy Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory Now

I recently bought the Canon VIXIA HF G20.

I am a musician and I needed a camera that could record in excellent HD quality and also allow me to record for a long period of time.

Everyone was telling me to go with a DSLR camera,yea they are awesome but they still are primarily for taking pictures and for my long hours of

High definition recording purposes in the video format those cameras would be a waste of money and not a smart move. So I was looking for a solution,

A camera that could give me extremely great results like a DSLR and record for hours. In short this camera certainly does that,I have only scratched the surface with the camera

but it has given some excellent results. Once I make some new videos I'll certainly be posting them. The first day I got the camera I recorded my brother covering a Johnny Cash track

and I used the 70's film effect to give the video an old school feel. I sent the video in to my final cut and my old settings were that the video should give me an output of 720 P,anyhow

for my new videos I'll change the out put to 1080P on my final cut to deliver the full quality. So I uploaded that video and the results were excellent,the built in camera even caught the sounds

extremely well.

The build quality is excellent,and its very comfortable on the hands while it is being held. The touch screen has a great response,although at times your fingers can have a hard time in clicking on something you

specifically want but that's a very minor thing and it rarely happens. I would highly recommend that you get extra batteries for this camera,personally I bought the Wasabi Power Kit. This Wasabi Power kit includes 2 batteries and 1 charger for the Canon BP-827,

the batteries are excellent and the charger is excellent too. These batteries are built well,they work properly and each battery gives you about 4-5 hours or more recording time in the highest video quality on the camera. The Wasabi power kit is also very easy on your pockets,my suggestion is do not waste cash on those Cannon Batteries,you'll thank me later for recommending these to you. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049VMMZ2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this is the link for the Wasabi power pack.

The built in memory is excellent and you get two extra slots to place in your desired SD cards in each slot for more memory if required. The camera is also very user friendly the manual is presented and explained properly. You even have an option to connect an external mic in to the camera,Canon has some of its own mics that you can buy separately but you can also connect your own desired mics in to the camera. There is even a mini advanced shoe for the placement of the mic on top of the camera. In conclusion I highly recommend this video camera,this is a consumer based product that gives out an extremely professional video output. Canon have done an amazing job on this camera and I absolutely love it.

Read Best Reviews of Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory Here

This is a great home video camera for family recordings. The image stabilization is the most amazing feature on this camera, but the facial tracking focus is really cool too and our second favorite thing. You can touch the screen and the focus will track whatever the object was, very nice for crowds or varying object distances.

The color is great as is the low light performance, this camera really is fantastic for those that just want excellent quality home videos in an easy to use package. It doesn't have the 60p recording and a couple other pro-level features, but it does home videos very, very well. I would highly recommend this, just keep in mind, you'll need to accommodate for a good amount of data if you record often at high resolutions.

Want Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory Discount?

I record a LOT of live performances, where its typically very dark, with fog and flashing lights/lasers. I think this is the most extreme that anyone could ever hope to record on a budget of under 20k. The G10/G20 are the ONLY non-pro camcorders that are usable for this. I have 4 camcorders total, so I will compare/contrast them in the context of how I use them.

1) Canon g20. G20 is essentially a g10 that has been fixed. Audio is MUCH better, Digital zoom has been removed (it was useless on the g10), Telemacro has been added. Powered IS has been moved to the touch screen and replaced with a 'Pre-Record' button (but this is changeable in manual mode), the low light seems a tiny bit better, side by side the g20 looks a tiny bit brighter than the g10, but where it REALLY makes a difference is the noise in the video. Shadows are cleaner/crisper.

2) Canon G10. This was the prime camcorder before I got the G20, I would try to hand record the entire concert on just this. With the other 2 camcorders as 'emergency backups' to clip to if I absolutely could not save a section of video (like someone walking in front of me, or a band member jumping off stage without me catching it). The Audio was beyond piss poor though, despite my best efforts it would always sound tinney, and lack on vocals.

3) Canon M30. I used this as the backup, Usually very dark and nearly unwatchable. Colors usually off. However, prior to the g20, this was the best source for audio, when connected to a shotgun mic. Audio is FAR better than the G10, but close to the G20.

4) JVC Everio 440US. Not even sure why I would bring this or set it up. Unless the lights were very bright, it just picked up noisy black, and the audio was tolerable, but far from good. It really was useless unless it was less than 2' from a person. During daylight its actually a GREAT camcorder, but has basically no low light ability.

I LOVE the new hood design, its nice having a cap built into the hood. Eye piece looks nicer.

Overall the g20 truly is a g10, specs are identical. I suspect there was a firmware update and very minor hardware changes to make the new model. I was actually trying to buy a second G10 when this hit the market. I was pleasantly surprised at the minor changes, but if you are buying this as an upgrade from a G10.... Maybe hold off till you can grab the g25 (pro model) or g30 (which supports 60p), otherwise you will likely be disappointed. It IS better than the g10, but not by enough to justify spending a grand to upgrade.

Some Misc info for people to consider buying with this:

58 mm uv filter (evena cheapo will be fine... just protects your lens from scratches/dirt/etc)

3000 mah wasabi extended battery pack, (works perfectly in this, shows time remaining, etc)

2x32 gig SDHC cards. Comes with 32gig built in, but its nice to know you have 3 separate places to record to. Plus the usb interface is slow for dumping video to a computer.

Colours Design Protective Decal Skin Sticker (Matte Satin Coating) for Flip SlideHD Digital Camcord

This was so easy to apply and it made my Flip camcorder look very unique and the disign was extremely well done. It looks like it came from the factory that way. My daughter has a Flip camcorder also so this makes out phones easy to tell which one is hers and mine.

FakeTV FTV-10 Burglar Deterrent

I went to the website and knew immediately I wanted this. I bought one for myself and one for a family member. When I received it, I put it in an upstairs bedroom and partially opened the blinds. I plugged it in and set the timer to dusk + 7 hours. Other settings are dusk all nite, dusk + 4 hours, dusk +7, or always on. That evening, I was outside and was amazed. It looked like there was a tv on in the bedroom. It changed light intensity and colors like a real tv. My wife was appreciative because it gives her an added sense of deterrent which means a lot to me. What is impressive is that the lighting of the faketv can be extremely bright like any tv would be. However, the fake tv utilizes intensely bright LEDs that hardly uses any electricity but is a lot less than a regular tv or the high energy consumption that high definition tv uses. During the day, about 3 blue leds are always on to let you know that it is operating and will turn on at dusk. I am going to order another one for my mother because I know she would appreciate it. I would suggest for the best location would be in a window that is not near a street light.

I bought a Fake TV last year when we went to Florida for the winter. I also bought/installed 2 Barking Rex motion sensor alarms and installed 4 electronic light timers. The Fake TV I set up on an electronic timer.

We live on a private road with several summer cottages. While in Florida the neighor across the road (full time resident) and the one next door (summer cottage) got broke into. Our house was not bothered! When our neighbor came to check on our house he said the Barking Rex scared the crap out of him. I credit my passive security measures as keeping us from becoming a victim too.

The Fake TV and 1 Barking Rex was passed on to my son. So this year I bought 2 Fake TVs and 2 more Barking Rex alarms while we take an extended vacation. The new Fake TV now has a timer installed, new and improved. It can be on full time, come on at dark and stay on for either 4 hours or 7 hours. There is no need to hook it into a timer. Nice touch.

As a retired police officer I strongly recommend this to anyone that wants to imrove the impression someone is home. Set it up as instructions indicate to get the best benefit. Add Barking Rex and some light timers and only your neighbors will know you are not home. We are trying to keep the stranger from breaking in, we trust our neighbors. The stranger will see the lights coming on and going off, see the Fake TV lights in the window, and if they approach the doors hear a dog barking at them. Enough to make them move on to a different house.

Buy FakeTV FTV-10 Burglar Deterrent Now

When you unpack it, it is deceptively small. Aim it at a window and it does the trick! I have stood for quite a long time watching this thing in my window and my neighbor watching a real tv. The flashing behavior looks completely real. It screams "someone's home!!"

Read Best Reviews of FakeTV FTV-10 Burglar Deterrent Here

I read about this product a number of months ago, thinking this is a great idea in night time home security. If it truly worked, as claimed, it would be a great devise to deter someone looking to break in while you are away from home overnight. I just couldn't see how such a small devise could pull off the illusion quality of a television at night convincingly enough to be accepted as real.

Taking the plunge, I purchasing one locally and set it up at home. My son and wife were also present when we did the first round of testing. Baseline was our 27" color TV (what the company claims FakeTV is designed to replicate) on in two different rooms. We went outside and watched for about 5 minutes to see the patterns and brightness of the television coming through the window shades.

Next up was FakeTV. To our amazement, we couldn't tell the difference! The brightness and patterns looked just like a television being on at night. The best part -almost NO power usage, since FakeTV uses hi-intensity LED's for light power. The timer mechanism of selecting its use are:

1) Off totally

2) On at dusk (photo-eye operated) for 4 hours

3) On at dusk for 7 hours

4) On continuously (24/7).

I have mine aimed away from the windows, bouncing off a white wall, so there is no way to see the actual unit in operation. Stealth is the name of the game with this unit.

I highly recommend this unit to anyone. It works so well, I'm going to buy a second unit for a different room in the house.

*******

4/6/2011 Update

I have owned these units for just over a year. Between my neighbors and myself being out of town for extended periods of time, we have clocked up well over 200 days of use. The longest was 4(+) months straight this past winter.

In a nutshell -they worked flawlessly. In fact, my neighbor drove to their house from their extended vacation when fake TV was on and commented to his wife "Did you leave the TV on the whole time we were gone?" He forgot all about setting it up in the front bedroom. They are still that bright, even after all this use.

BTW, my neighbor just bought 2 units for themselves.

If you are concerned about durability, our long term test has shown that they will last for the duration. My FakeTV's are just as bright today as the first time we used them.

Want FakeTV FTV-10 Burglar Deterrent Discount?

Bought this to keep the house 'occupied' while away on a trip and the unit seemed surprisingly well made. What I found though was that it didn't seem as bright as I thought it might be. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I tried to use it in my living room instead of a bedroom as pictured on the packaging and that we have fairly thick curtains as well. I think this would be highly effective in an apartment in conjuction with some audio.

PS It always makes my day to know that people find these reviews helpful. So, please vote (The "Was this review helpful to you: Yes or No" buttons) and leave a comment if you'd like, even if it's just to say, Hi!") When you leave a comment, I can go to your reviews and pay you the same courtesy.

Save 14% Off

HP Photosmart M307 3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

The HP M307 digital camera looked very promising. It had a nice compact size, the controls were laid out very well and I liked the fact that it used standard AA batteries rather than a proprietary battery pack. My enthusiasm began to wane as soon as I started taking pictures with the camera.

After unboxing the camera, I chose to install some recently charged NIMH batteries that I had available. After taking only 5 or 6 photos, I got a low battery warning and the camera shut down. I was a little perplexed because I was pretty sure the batteries were fully charged. My other point and shoot digital camera, a Canon using 4 AA batteries lasts a very very long time before needing battery replacement. Nonetheless, I recharged the batteries and the next day, reinstalled the definitely fully charged batteries. After taking about 25 photos, the batteries were depleted again. I should mention that I was not using the LCD to view the photos which would have contributed to faster battery drain. The battery drain was just from using the camera to take photos.

The software that is provided with the camera is virtually worthless on a Macintosh computer. I had a lot of trouble getting any of the software to work as advertised. Finally I gave up with the HP software and used iPhoto to upload, view and manipulate the images. And the images needed a lot of manipulation because virtually every single "people" picture where the flash fired, the eyes had "red-eye". In all fairness, this is quite common to all small cameras where the flash is so close to the lens. Red-eye is caused by the flash reflecting out of the eyes of the person you are taking the picture of. The closer the flash is to the lens, the worse the red-eye will be. This is why professional cameras usually have flash units that are well above the lens.

The camera has a scant amount of built-in memory. So little that it might as well not have any at all. But in a pinch, you can take a few pictures without any other memory card. But you will certainly want to buy a larger capacity

SD card for the camera. It would have been nice if HP had included a SD card, but alas they did not.

The camera was easy to learn how to use. The buttons were logically placed and intuitive to operate. The on-off button was difficult to grasp though and I constantly had trouble trying to turn the camera on or off because the button was fairly smooth and it was not easy to get enough friction on it to operate it.

The camera was advertised as having audio annotation which really appealed to me. How cool it would be to attach a short audio file to a photo to describe the circumstances under which the photo was taken. Unfortunately this feature only works if you use the HP software which was basically useless.

Another problem I had with the camera was the extremely poor audio quality of the sound in movie mode. It is a great feature to be able to take movies with the camera, but the audio in the movie was very poor quality with an obnoxious buzz and whine throughout the entire audio portion of the movie.

Another huge oversight in the design of this camera was the failure to include a video output jack to enable you to view the camera photos on a television set.

The little flap of plastic which covers the USB port would never stay closed and was always flopping around. I'm surprised it hasn't broken off yet, but I'm sure it will eventually.

I can not recommend this camera to anyone. There are many other far superior digital cameras out there these days. I'd recommend looking at the Canon A75...an excellent camera with better features, far superior battery life and a much better overall fit and finish.

Pros: This is is a very good digital starter camera. It is relatively cheap and easy to use, in fact my 11 year old set it up right out of the box. Being a digital camera rookie, I found that if I left all the settings on AUTO my pictures turned out fantastic.

Cons: To save on battery life the camera will turn off by itself (there might be a setting to change this) and when the battery life gets low, some of the functions will not work (like zoom, and lens will not go back into camera when shut off), also the internal memeroy is extremely small, you only get about 7 great quality pics.

To allieviate the above problems invest in a large SD card (like a 256mb and you can get over 200 pics) and some quality lithium batteries (I've taken over 200 pics with the same set of batteries and no probs)!!!

(...)

Buy HP Photosmart M307 3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Now

This is great little starter camera for digital rookies like myself. It has a very user friendly menu and help screens if you're not sure what the functions are. Battery life does suck, but only if you use Nimh AA batteries, invest in some lithiums, it will make all the difference in the world. I've taken over 200 pics with Energizer AA lithium batteries and I haven't had a low battery prompt yet. Get a high memory SD card and you're all set.

I found that I got the best pics by keeping the settings on AUTO. I also have a HP computer, I just stick my SD card in the card slot on the front of my tower and I can print my pics from my computer. How simple is that??? I wanted a camera with higher megs so I upgraded to a M417, but the M307 is still a quality camera for the price.

PS. If you use Nimh batteries and the battery life gets low, the camera will start functioning strangely (it won't zoom, or shut down, or retract the lens when power is off)!!

Read Best Reviews of HP Photosmart M307 3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Here

I wish I could give this camera NEGATIVE 10 stars!!!

The screen died on me after a few months of use. I did not drop it or anything--it just froze up and went black. It acted like it was taking a picture, but there was no picture. HP said it was a 'hardware' issue, so they sent me another one. A month after my year warranty was up (keep in mind that this replacement camera was NOT a year old, but my year warranty from my original purchase date was up), it happened again. Basically, both of these cameras did not last a year.

Plus, the camera EATS batteries, and the connection to the computer via USB sometimes wouldn't work, which I've read elsewhere this is a common problem with this camera.

DON'T BUY IT! Try a Canon instead. My sister swears by Canon and has not been disappointed. I should have listened to her, but I thought HP would be more compatible with my computer. Boy, I was WRONG!!!

Want HP Photosmart M307 3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Discount?

This is my first digital camera. I dont know why everyone has been giving it such low ratings, I think it a really nice little camera for what I paid to get it.

All of the controls are pretty easy to figure out, it takes only about 30 minutes of screwing around to get it.

Im able to keep upwards of 700 photos or an hour and a half of video on the thing because Ive got a 1GB SD card though.

Batteries will work for a long time if you use better batteries.

There are defineately better cameras than this one, but they are higher priced. This is my first camera, and Ive taken alot of really nice photos sofar, and it has not given me trouble once in the months that I have been using it.