Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR's

Then you might consider getting a copy of the Canon EF 17-85 IS. If you have a Digital Rebel, XT, or 20D and have been shooting with a kit lens, this is one of the lenses that a lot of people buy as their first upgrade. Some people just buy it in place of the kit lens when they purchase the camera body. It's an extremely popular lens because the range and size are just right for taking anywhere. I personally debated getting this lens because I wasn't sure about the quality of the glass and my main concern was that it wasn't fast enough for all occasions. One of the more frustrating things for me about the kit lens, as great as it was for such minimal cost, was that the aperture wasn't fixed. I found myself having to bump up the ISO to make up for the lack of an f-stop or two. For those who are new to photography, that basically means you have to compensate for the fact that the lens can't let enough light into the sensor so you have to make the sensor more sensitive (but also at the cost of lower quality and more grainy results) with the higher ISO setting.

I decided I didn't want to take that risk and went all out since it was supposed to be my walk-around lens that I'd carry all the time. I picked up the expensive EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens that so many pros use because I thought it had a decent enough focal length range and at 2.8 it was fast enough for all my lightning needs. It cost $1100 and after actually hanging it around my neck, I decided it wasn't going to work for my current needs. The lens itself is relatively huge and weighs a ton on a 20D. I returned the lens after talking to a friend who is a professional photographer who basically recommended picking up the 17-85 IS. He owned both (among others) and said that it was perfect for walking around because it had both the wide end and a decent telephoto length. That and it cost half as much! He allayed all my fears that the picture quality wouldn't be very good. I was also going to be taking a trip for a few weeks to Europe and really wanted a lens that could do it all. So I bought it and have been pretty happy with my results.

Is it a pro lens? Not by any means. I know that if I kept the 24-70 the results would probably be better. But that being said, I am getting good results for half the price. When I was in Europe having the 17-85 range was about as perfect as I could have wanted. It was light and small enough that I could fit it into my compact Tamron Velocity 6 bag and the additional weight was negligible. The IS is a nice feature but don't think that it makes up for the lack of aperture width. I tried to fool myself into thinking that when I bought the lens, but I see now that having a fixed 2.8 is something you just can't make up with IS. But other than that, I'm very satisfied with this purchase. Another lens you might want to look into if you're checking this one out is the Canon EF 17-40 f/4. It's comparable in price, has a fixed f/4 but just doesn't have the additional zoom length to it. Pictures are great though and it's also relatively compact. To learn more about this and other lenses, check out a site I made for Canon Digital SLR users at Hopefully you'll find it helpful in deciding which walkaround lens is right for you.

From a pure image quality standpoint, this lens will not please the pixel peepers. On the wide end of the zoom, which I personally use more often than the telephoto end, this lens is not very sharp, and it suffers from fairly bad distortion. Worse than that, for me, are the chromatic abberations; this lens is quite prone to significant CA when shot at the wide end, which can look a lot worse than a little bit of distortion or softness. Given the price of this lens, one should expect a higher level of optical performance.

The maximum aperture of this lens is not very large, being f/4 on the wide end, and f/5.6 on the telephoto end. The image stabilization makes up for this some, as you can comfortably shoot at much slower shutter speeds than otherwise, but, let's be honest here; this lens is a poor performer if you want to shoot in low light with no tripod. The small aperture makes for a dark viewfinder, which can be a very big problem if you are trying to compose a picture in the dark (using a tripod).

Yet, I still gave this very imperfect lens four stars, and this is not without reason.

First of all, the focal length range is quite handy. It isn't a mega-zoom that does everything, however, it covers the most often used focal length ranges, and is an appropriate lens to use for the vast majority of situations. The little bit of extra zoom on the telephoto end is handy on occasion, and it's also worth noting that the lens sharpens up quite a bit when you zoom in some it might be soft on the wide end, but zoomed in, it's quite good.

I have printed as large as 20x30" using this lens on a Digital Rebel, and have no qualms with the results. Yes, there are sharper lenses out there, but you are a lot more likely to see the difference in sharpness on your computer monitor than in a print.

This lens has ring USM, which enables it to focus very quietly, and very quickly, whereas the slightly cheaper (and F2.8) options from the 3rd parties have normal focusing motors that are slow and noisy by comparison.

If you want to use this lens indoors, you are best off getting a flash to go with it, such as a 430EX. The lens is usable in fantastic indoor lighting, or during the day, but won't give you good results in low light with no flash.

If you will be shooting in lower light situations (people in particular), Tamron and Sigma have some good options in the 17-50mm range with F2.8 apertures, and I would recommend those lenses over this one. If you'd prefer the extra telephoto range, the image stabilization so you can shoot with smaller aperture in poorer lighting situations for greater depth of field (instead of needing to shoot a landscape at f/4, for instance, without image stabilization, you could use f/11 on this lens, and get a sharp picture with better depth of field. This is even more useful in the close focus range while this isn't a true macro lens, if you take closeup photos without a tripod, you will want to stop the lens down for greater depth of field, and the IS helps with that quite a bit.

Overall, I've been fairly pleased with the performance of this lens. If you like to worry about splitting hairs, and zooming all the way in on pictures on your computer, this lens is likely to dissapoint you. If, however, you are willing to sacrifice optical perfection to get a very well rounded, useful lens, then I'd recommend it, however, would also recommend that you consider the 3rd party options, as they are also great lenses, and do offer a somewhat better value.

Buy Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR's Now

I have been using this lens for a week and getting absolutely flawless pictures no flares, fringing etc. I also did some semi-controlled tests with Image Stablizer and it works as advertised, resulting in much sharper pics indoors. USM focusing works great too, and the lens is/feels well built.

One gripe at $600, I would have liked it to come with a hood ("sold" separately but not available yet) and a case (also "sold" separately).

The real question IMO is not whether it's a great lens or not, but whether it's worth $600 as opposed to the kit lens (EF-S 18-55) + EF 28-135 IS. This combo is $100 cheaper and gives greater coverage on the telephoto end. On the other hand, EF-S 17-85 lens claims to have better optics, circular aperture, convenience of a single workhorse lens and IS on the wide end too.

Ultimately it's your call. My take is that if you spend $800 to $1500 on a digital SLR, you owe it to yourself to spend $600 on good lenses (and another $200 on 420ex flash ;-).

Read Best Reviews of Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 Image Stabilized USM SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR's Here

After my initial disappointment with the kit lens that came on my Rebel Xt I first bought and fell in love with the 70-300 DO lens, which I have also reviewed. That gave me a taste of what a decent Canon Lens can do. It was not long before I bought the 17-85 IS lens and gave away the kit lens to make sure I would never see it again.

Not only is this a quality lens -much sharper than the 18-55mm -but the IS feature will improve your low light pictures regardless of your ability (unless of course you always use a tripod). You will find yourself taking shots (indoors especially) that were simply not possible with the kit lens.

Because this lens will zoom to 85mm (equivalent to 136 mm on standard 35mm cameras) it makes a great carry anytime lens for many situations. Of course, it is significantly heavier than the kit lens but the quality is well worth it.

You should note that the picture that shows up on Amazon is a bit misleading. The item pictured is certainly the correct lens but the picture is a bit squashed making it look much shorter than it really is. The lens measures 4 inches when not extended.

Finally, if buying this lens, do yourself a favor and, at the very least also buy a UV-filter. Note that the filter size if 67mm which is bigger than the one on the kit lens.

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I've had a Rebel (original) for more than a year, got my 20D about 6 months ago. Been using the kit lens 17-55 mostly to shoot karate with flash, this works fine unless the subject is on the other side of the gym where there isn't enough high end magnification with the kit lens. This lens has been getting mixed reviews since it came out, some hate it, others love it. I suppose that I have yet to see anything I "hate" about it but I do agree that the price is really high. The thing about these lenses is that Canon (as they've done in other areas with their digital camera line) doesn't sell communication protocals so others can make lenses that work correctly with their bodies, they do their best to maintain a monopoly which means if you need this lens range it's about the only game in town. Third party lenses are all reverse engineered and may not work on future bodies and generally focus more slowly (with the exception of sigma XT which are just about as expensive as real Canon glass).

I've only had a little chance to shoot with this guy but so far I've got no complaints, unlike my kit lens I find this guy focuses better in one of the AI focus modes than in single shot mode (only the 20D has multiple focus modes). I don't agree with the folks that say color saturation and contrast are bad...I just don't see that.

If you're wealthy enough to be able to replace this lens with several bodies and fixed lenses then of course those will be sharper. I've also got the 28-135IS which is a fantastic lens but doesn't have enough low end when I'm shooting action occuring right in front of me. So far I like this lens, as I shoot more with it I might find things I don't like but if you need this range it's really the only game in town. Most reviews recommend a hood, which should come with it at this price, because of the wide angle you need a "flower petal" hood and you can get them on ebay for around 8 bucks generic instead of $30.00 for canon brand (what a rip for a hunk of plastic). You also want to get yourself a UV filter for it first thing, that guy protects your lens and also improves color in my experience.

I do find this is a slightly "darker" lens than the kit lens so you either have to adjust in software or kick your exposure up a little if you're like me and like heavy saturation. I like the range this lens offers, it's perfect for your typical basketball sized gymnasium so you don't have to use the "sneaker-zoom" any more than necessary.

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Sony DCRTRV340 Digital8 Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD USB Streaming, & Memory Stick capability

After looking at what Sony had to offer on their digital camcorder line, I decided to buy a TRV340. I was impressed with all the features it had to offer. After playing with the shelf model for a while I purchased the TRV340. Once I opened the product at home and inserted the tape there was a hum or buzzing noise while recording or playing back a recording. In a quiet environment, this buzz is also picked up in the recording. The location of the buzzing sound came from the tapes drive mechanism. I returned the product two times and all subsequent camcorders aired this buzz. If you are looking to buy this product play with a shelf model WITH THE TAPE IN. This way you can judge if this will be a problem for you.

I Bought this camcorder after moving to Florida. My biggest use for the camera is capturing video to use as backdrops and watermarks on documents. A lot of beach shots and some low light and night shots.

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The Camera: Super. Very simple and straight forward to use. Use of the "digit" zoom (700x) is a bit precarious without a tripod but the "optical" zoom (25x) provides excellent video. Its size makes it easy to manipulate and the features are conveniently located. Quality of the video on playback is near DVD quality.

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The Software: When you buy the camera grab yourself a copy of "Video Explosion Deluxe" (approx. [$$]) and throw away the software that comes with the camera. The supplied software is cumbersome, not well documented and provides little (I'm being generous) meaningful help via dropdown menus.... The "Video Explosion Deluxe" (VED) installs in just a very few minutes and is well documented, expecially with the online tutorial (extremely well down) and the dropdowns. VED allows for complete control of the camcorder via the PC during video capture by use of the Firewire. The granularity of the editing feature pretty much removes the need of a memory stick and the video can be edited (and images captured) on a "by frame" bases. A really terrific piece of software.... My hat is off to the developers....

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After trying and hating the JVC camcorder my Dad lent us, we decided to go with this Sony Digital8 camcorder. Easy to use, and loaded with lots extra goodies, this camcorder is fabulous. It has the following features:

*MPEG movie maker (w/ Memory Stickallows you to email

your videos to friends and family

*ILINK interface (to edit your movies on your PC)

*Super Steady shot (for even the shakiest hand)

*Super "Night Shot" (for low lighting and night taping)

*Digital Still Memory Mode (to load and send still pics via

email

We have been very pleased with this camcorderno complaints here. Once you learn how to use the editing and emailing features, you'll be sending your videos to everyone you know! A good investment, especially if you have young children.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DCRTRV340 Digital8 Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD USB Streaming, & Memory Stick capability Here

The first thing that I think you should consider is the weight and size of the camera. If you like a smaller camera, go with a MiniDV, but if size is not a big deal, go with the Digital 8, mainly because it is more versatile epspecially if you have older tapes. If you plan to use this for trips, i recommend MiniDV, however I bought this to make Short films with, so size was not a big factor. One great thing about this camera is that you pay ...for features worth over 1400 dollars on a MiniDV with the same quality. However this model of the Sony left me with mixed feelings. I have used both its older brother the 740 and its younger brother the 140. THey are both excellent cameras. The 140 is great, it skimps a bit in features, but for 500 dollars its a great deal. Also the 740 is great with its megapixel ccd, but you will pay an extra 100 for it. This is a nice balance between the two, however the picture feature was subpar. I decided not to return it because I got an excellent deal on it. Great features of the camera include:

The super night shot (people complain becuase it is green, but it will record in 0 lux, and seriously, who needs to record color in 0 lux?)

The night shot is great (Color in 4 lux!!!)

The super steady shot (GREAT!!! NO TRIPOD REALLY NEEDED IF YOU HAVE A DECENTLY STEADY HAND)

Memory Stick (decent pictures if you need to send on the internet?)

... The quality on still pictures cannot be compared.

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i've owned the Sony TRV-340 for a few months now and so far have no complaints whatsoever. i've taken quite a few videos with it in various circumstances and light situations and have been very pleased with it's over all performance.

the menus and controls are very user friendly and easy to handle.

it shoots with amazing brilliance and picture clarity.

it's unfortunate that others find that the built in microphone picks up some motor noise because i have not experienced any of it. infact, the sound quality was one of the first things that i found remarkable about this camera. the mic is very sensitive and yet free from any unwanted hum you normally get from a camcorder recording. and believe me, having worked as a proffessional in the advertising industry, i am not easily pleased.

perhaps my only regret is that they didn't include a built in backlight or pop-up flash with it. but, you can always buy one put it on the provided intelligent shoe. oh and the software that comes with it is useless. it's horribly primitive!! if you want to maximize use of this great camera, i suggest you buy software that will give it justice!

if you are thinking on getting the TRV-340, don't hesitate. it's a wonerful camera that's priced just right!

NEW Dual Lens Hd 720p Car Cam Ir LED G Sensor Video Camera Recorder Camcorder DVR

After guessing when it will get to you with the US mail from China (which was impressively quick) you get a really good product

Iv'e had it installed two weeks now.So far so good. Oh one real important thing, Option 8 in the menu...It's defaulted to the Chinese language.

So that being said, I wonder why when it turns on it says HELLO shuts off say's GOOD BYe ?

Anyway, press the main menu option. Then press 8 times to get to the language option and your good.

It's works as described, leave the thing where it discreetly installed and don't bother with it again until you want see that it's still works.

Mounts like I said "Discreetly". I leave mine right there and pay no mind to it. Oh the seller did a great job trying to communicate. You see, the rear camera has a glitch, one that doesn't bother me to much, but it pixelates (is that a word) Anyway, I thought I should be sending it back over this.

But like I said, It didn't bother me that much. After all, I maybe the culprit, I may have pinched the wire when I was hiding it.

Either way the 20 feet of wire you get for it; your gonna have to be careful not making sharp bends hiding it. ( digital signals can get compressed like a garden hose) Like I said, the seller tried to communicate, I give them an A+

Also they refunded me $10 for my trouble

This system showed up perfect and was in my car and running in less then 20 minutes,I could not believe the clarity of the pictures from both cameras plus the color was perfect the only problem was I received the Chinese version of the owners manual instead of the English version I contacted the seller and my manual was on its way.

Great product for the money Great seller and fantastic customer service.

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I bought this exact model from a different vendor. Default menu and settings in chinese. It took me a couple of minutes to play with menu settings until I found the english part, and set it so.

I was really impressed with the video quality, plus features and tried all of them. This is when I found out that this camera will not do a loop recording (automatically overwrite function) as stated in the product descriptions.

I used an 8GB and 2GB micro sd card for testing. Used the 720 and 640 resolutions. Started with empty memory (no files) on micro sd card. Set loop record in settings, selected the 5 minute limit recording. There are 1/3/5 minute selections. Set auto power on when plugged in.

So, plugged power, the device started recording, and left it for a while. When I came back, noticed the camera was off and not recording (no flashing indicator). I took out the mem.card and checked the recording on pc. It was all there. DCIM-A, DCIM-B, for the front and back cameras. Several 5 minute recorded videos for each camera, all time stamped. Now I checked the mem.card. It says full. Erased card. Did the test again, both the 8 and 2 GB cards, a few times. The device will stop recording once the mem.card is full, therefore not loop recording. That was the deal breaker for me. Would have been 5 stars.

I really want the loop recording in these type dash cameras, as I want to leave it always ON where ever I park. I returned the product. Now, I do not know if what I got was a defective product. I did not ask for a replacement, or try again and be disappointed. One note, I also noticed the rear camera infrared LEDs are always ON, in bright or total dark surroundings, even when set to auto. If anyone can post a review that states the loop recording feature really works, I will try another one. Thanks.

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Ordered this camera for what it was, a cheap dash can with OK quality for evidence should I ever need it. After about a week or two it arrived but had no rear camera with it as I ordered. Contacted the seller and he shipped a replacement the same day. Two weeks later I have the full product with both cameras. Wired it up with all wires hidden in my car and it has been holding up great. It seems to be a good camera and hasn't died in the hot sun baking car yet!

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I love it, I can't wait to smash into someone so I can post the video on youtube!

Can someone please tell me how to make the instructions come up in English? The manual is amusinigly useless.

Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

My wife and I purchased this item to film our family events over the coming years. After a lot of research I narrowed it down to this and the Sony DCR-HC96 (in fact several online reviews compared these two as well). It came down to price, which was better at Circuit City. Unfortunatly I will be paying a 15% restocking fee now as we have decided to return it and go with the Sony. The Panasonic, I feel, is a really good camera. The colors are bright and crisp...during the day. However we felt that most of the use would be during the evening hours indoors. With all three lamps turned on in our living room, "Auto" mode showed faint images and shadows when not pointed close to a light source. After several adjustments in "manual" mode we managed to get a decently lit picture on the viewfinder (...the picture will not show up as bright on your tv). Poor lighting is a big problem with Digital Camcorders, so I was actually somewhat content with this picture quality. Where this camcorder falls short IMO is the lack of an onboard lightsource. It has a "cold shoe" on the top where you can add your own light. However it will have to run on it's own batteries since it's not powered by the camera (also the only lights I have found so far are on ebay). Knowing that this is a problem with every brand of camcorder, I simply don't understand why companies insist on not putting better, if any, light sources on their equipment. Oh well...at least the Sony has a "hot shoe" to add a light source if needed.

Overall I think that this is a VERY nice camcorder...if you plan on staying in well lit areas. Just my two pennies worth :)

I purchased this nifty little camcorder primarily for making

low-budget movies. I read the reviews and compared prices on

numerous models and decided the GS320 was the most affordable

and suitable model (GS500 was unavailable at the time). The

box arrived in the mail and I began some film testing and was

quickly impressed with the video quality, especially outdoors,

creating some clear, vivid images. It's true, the low lighting

isn't the greatest and the colors typically fade with the lack of

proper lighting. If you plan on filming a lot at night or

creating some dark creepy scenarios then this model probably

isn't what you want (The GS250 however has some great low

lighting capabilities, although, it too was unavailable at the

time).

The GS320 is very lightweight taking much stress off of the

arm and wrist, and the handstrap is also adjustable to fit practically

any size hand. You can purchase high-quality mini-tapes which

bring about an even more impressive looking picture (I've found

these to cost about $10-$12 per tape).The zoom is nice, although

you do lose some picture quality as already mentioned in several

reviews. This camcorder also has some neat special features, one

of which cuts down on that typically uncontrollable background noise

by concentrating its built-in mic on the speaker. The built-in OIS

works well in keeping the image steady for those distant, closely

zoomed in shots. Since I use Adobe Premeire Elements 3.0 for movie

editing, I only dabbled briefly with the 320's effects, most of which aren't very useful to my purpose. APE 3.0 is a great editing tool to

use with the 320; it's fast and simple and allows for much creative

freedom. I bought the APE 3.0/Photoshop Elements 4.0 bundle which

ran about $100 and is indispensable to a striving movie-maker.

For the price and quality, the GS320 seems to be unparalleled.

An unregrettable choice so far.

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I just picked up this camera locally to use as a backup/crash cam for a AG-DVX200 prosumer camcorder. It works fine and by all means is a good camera for the money but there a few features that are annoying enough that some folks might want to avoid it (none of these points are a deal breaker for my purposes).

1) There is no audio input so you're stuck with the microphone that is in the camera.

2) The USB, DV and power ports are located behind the battery. This wouldn't be so bad except for the next point.

3) The charger will not power the camera and charge the battery at the same time. This is a good way to force us to purchase a second battery. We need a second battery anyway..

4) The hand strap position makes NO sense. It is far too low slung making the camera fit loose in your hand. Once you loosen your grip on the camera, it flops around in your hand uncontrollably. Not a problem if once you grip it again. Bah!

5) The hot shoe is actually a cold shoe so there is no way to trigger an external flash when using the still camera mode.

While those points are enough to sway away most users, this camera is about low cost high quality video, not the normal features consumers have come to expect. The camera is solid and produces a fine picture. The controls are usable with one hand so you can make adjustments on the fly fairly easily. Pressing the camera button during video recording or playback will cause a still image to be recorded to the SD memory card kinda neat. Finally, it works with Linux so dvgrab just pulls down video on demand.

I'd give this camera a 7 overall and a 9 on picture quality. For the price, it's probably the best picture wise. You have to decide if the negatives are a show stopper or not.

I think for someone who is interested in a low cost high quality SD (standard definition) camcorder with picture quality being the number one requirement, this little camcorder is the ticket.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Here

This camera works fantastic with our iMac & Macbook. It is a breeze to get video from the camera into iMovie. I accomplished it on my first attempt & no documentation was required.

You make the connection via Firewire, turn the camcorder to "play" mode and iMovie will detect the connection. You just click the "import" button and watch your video be copied over. The video quality is fantastic. My wife was really impressed.

We made the mistake of originally buying a JVC Everio (hard drive based camcorder). While it was possible to get the video onto our Mac, it was by no means easy. After going through about 300 different procedures, you would finally be done. But then it was complicated to manage the files. It was a giant waste of money & time.

This camera worked easily right out of the box. I am highly impressed. And of course, because we own Mac's, we didn't have to waste time by installing stupid software onto our computers (the unit does come with a CD-ROM for PC's).

We paid $365 for this unit. All in all fantastic camcorder!

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I've had a Canon Z45 for over 5 years and it has provided me with reliable performance and decent quality for home and vacation video. When we purchased our 42" widescreen TV and began taping in 16:9 aspect ratio, we found during playback that the image quality was definitely hurting. I thought I should replace my Canon with a HD Camcorder, however, my research failed to convince me that the time is right high cost, various recording media, difficulties editing and unknown capability to transfer to a standard DVD. I currently like the ease of making DVDs to share with family and friends with our HDD recorder.

Researched standard definition camcorders and I was sold on the PV-GS320. 3 CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, image stabilization, size/weight and great price. I am amazed at the quality of the video and sound it is absolutely phenomenal to quote others `crisp image, true-to-life colors'. To my eyes it's close enough to HD for my videos. My wife was skeptical of the need for a new camcorder but when she saw the first video, she was astonished at the difference. My wife and daughters enjoy the playback with the remote for slow motion and freeze frame. It is a great tool for critiquing my daughters' swim strokes.

Great price, received in 3 days. Easy to set up and use. My 10 & 12 year old daughters have no problem taping, playing back or using the joystick. Others have criticized the lack of a microphone input and the quality of the digital camera. I believe the internal microphone is excellent and I have a good digital camera for taking still shots. Battery life is short ordered a CGA DU-21.

HDMI Splitter 1x4 Ports 4 Port 1080P v1.3 HDTV 3D HD Audio

Upon recommendation from a friend that works for the local cable company, I bought a HDMI hub to expand my Dish Network receiver to allow it to run multiple HD tvs from one receiver. No matter if you have Directv,Dish or HD from the cable company, the. Receivers only have 1 HDMI output and you are locked in to using only 1 flat screen HD tv. I happen to have 3. HDMI cables are available in various lengths and my friend ran the cables from this hub to each of my flat screens. Now i have a great picture on all 3. Of course, the output channel for all is the same but thats no biggie with a UHF remote control. He said to get a good one and I have always relied and depended on Amazon.com for quality products.

This is a nice HDMI hub and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to do what I did.

NO, an I mean NO signal loss! STUNNING!!! Easy to use, just plug and play!

Just one down-side, the power LED indicator is like a lighthouse, but hey, you can always use it as a nightlight too. :-)

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READ THE INSTRUCTIONS 1ST PEOPLE!!!

IT TAKES 3 MINUTES

IF YOU START JACKING DISPLAYS IN WITH THE POWER ON. YOU WILL KILL THE SPLITTER AND POSSIBLY A DISPLAY OR YOUR AV RECEIVER!!!

Looks like it was packed in the same box as a high-end wine opener. Very Nice! The 1st unit ordered had to be returned because 1 output port was dead. (China Product) The 2nd unit works flawlessly. Overseas quality control is not as consistent as the good ole' US of A... Still, if ordered through Amazon's fulfillment, it's a no hassle return/refund.

Another thing, if you have (3) 1080p displays tied-in and (1) 720p tied-in the splitter defaults to 720p output as the maximum resolution. Not an issue for me because all the displays I have tied-in to this unit are 720p. It's a simple and uncomplicated way to shoot 1 cable AV to your patio, kitchen, office, etc... I am using a single DTV Sat receiver and 1 older SONY STR-DA3200 AV receiver (Bi-Amp and A+B speaker setting) gets me 3-speaker pair, stereo, "back of the house" distribution. Plus it has Pre-Amp outs that do output any digital audio sigs for more speaker distribution.

Makes the cable work EZPZ.

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The title pretty much says it all. I have tried two different brands of these splitters and neither of them is capable of transferring 5.1 input sound sources to any of the outputs--there is only stereo sound at the outputs. My receiver/amp displays the input sound data format and I when I plugged it directly to a 5.1 input source it shows up as a 5.1 sound input. Then when I insert the splitter/amp and use any of the outputs as inputs to my rec/amp the sound signal into the rec/amp is a 2.0 stereo signal. This means the center channel and rear channel sound information is lost and all you hear is stereo. The sound level is also attenuated to about 65% of a direct input from a 5.1 source. If you do not care about being able to hear anything but the front right and front left sound, then this product will provide a good picture with stereo sound. But if you have a home theater system nothing you have hooked up to it will play any sounds other than stereo.

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First off the item I received does not look like the item pictured, but it is a hdmi 1 in 4 out splitter (maybe an older or newer version?) , and that job it does perfectly. All tv's hooked up to it have perfect pictures, 1 uses a 75 foot hdmi cable, 1 uses a 7 foot hdmi and 2 use a HDMI Extender over Cat5e cable adapter with 25 and 50 foot runs of cat5e cable.

Astak DVR Security Surveillance System with 250 GB Hard Drive and 4 Weatherproof Cameras with Night

I purchased this from Costco for a little less than $500 to replace a Q-See DVR unit (Q-See QSD2304L 4 Channel H.264 Pentaplex Network DVR with (CIF) Realtime Recording per Channel) that produced blurry, pixelated images.

I was a little apprehensive purchasing this unit due to its cheap purchase price and little-known brand name however after a couple hours tinkering around with the DVR, I was impressed with its easy-to-use interface and good image quality throughput. Network setup is easy and the remote interface is very simple although much of the core menu options available on the DVR are not accessible through remote operation (one downside). Remote playback is slow (even on our broadband line) and not the ideal way to playback video, especially if you need to review more than a day's worth of recordings. The included USB mouse feels cheap although I'm glad it's at least an optical mouse and not the cheap mouseball-type that Dell gives you with their PCs unless you pay to upgrade. On occasion, the mouse cursor will jump around the screen like it has a mind of its own but I find that it's easier to just use the keypad instead of the mouse anyway.

Videos are searchable by event or time/date stamp. The DVR includes a built-in speaker for buzzer/alarm events such as video loss or motion detection although both alarms can be disabled within the DVR menu options if you'd rather not deal with the high-pitch alarm. Motion detection works well and I haven't come across any issues with it in the three weeks I've had this DVR.

The included cameras are CMOS and are suitable for mid-level security applications. For night-vision, I would definitely consider upgrading these cameras to more expensive CCD cameras. The bundle came with cables and the necessary power adapters so for most applications, you won't need to go out and purchase additional parts.

The buttons on the front panel could be positioned a little better (it would have been helpful to have the Enter key placed next to the Menu/Back key rather than having to jump back and forth across the keypad during initial setup). Our DVR came with a 250GB hard drive preinstalled so it's definitely an added bonus.

I would purchase this item again given the price although I would have liked to see more menu options during remote operation and better mouse control.

I would recommend that you purchase a different product. The first day I recieved and installed, the recorder stopped working so we called the number in the manual as it tells you to do. We had to pay to return it costing us $19.51 thru the P.O. The company told me they reinverse us the money but we havent seen that yet. It took them 14 days to ship it back to us and after having it two weeks it has stopped working again. Do yourself a favor and look into something else.

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The cameras are fine but I'm having trouble with the DVR locking up. Unfortunately, there's no where to download drivers, installation software or manuals. The link says "download center coming soon". Since the cameras are useless to me without the DVR I have to give this 1 star. It's unfortunate, but I can't imagine why any company especially a technology company couldn't have its drivers, software, and documentation available online. I'm guessing the only option is to buy another DVR. It won't be this brand I need something I can get support for.

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It's been a long time since I've bought a technology product with support as bad as ASTAK has. There are no drivers on line and no way to search a useful list of FAQs. Don't buy one of these.

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Wisecomm OC950 Mini Indoor Night Vision Color Security Camera with Audio and Adjustable Lens - Mini

Works as advertised and easy to hook up. Good value; small sized camera not intrusive. Liked the ability to use my own monitor; bought a TV from thrift store for ten bucks (NOTE: if you use a tv as monitor, make sure it has the the white/yellow video cable input otherwise will not work). Had the unit up and working within 5 minutes--hardest thing was opening the box. Camera clear, sound good (sound so good--can hear bed bound, frail sleeping mother's breathing) works well at night with infrared camera. Running 24/7. Bought a well-known brand of digital baby-monitor with its own monitor, infrared camera and sound but returned it after it quit working within 7 days. Only reason I gave this product 4 stars versus 5 stars was the camera warms up; I find this unusual. Wonder how it would work if the camera were installed in a heat sensitive area other than my mother's bedside table. As a result, I turn the system off when mom and I are away from home. Wish I had gotten 100 feet of cable over the 60 feet of cable that came with the unit; some sellers were selling 100 feet with the camera. As such, I have enough cable to run the cable from a distant bedroom to the living room but not enough to run it though the ceiling. Have the cable running around baseboard and along hallway; works for now but in long term will get longer cable. Chose the hardwired camera/sound system up over digital and non-hardwired setup because I wanted privacy for my mother; did not want neighbors seeing the feed. Otherwise, we recommend the camera and its cable. Especially good for new parents. When comparing the cost of the video system with a regular voice only monitor, this system is light years better (cost, video and sound wise).

Nikon D5200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Red) with 55-300mm VR Lens + 6

I purchased this camera for my husband and he loves it. The color of the pictures are crisp and bright, the camera is much lighter than his older Canon, and it is very easy to use. I would recommend this camera to anyone. I have purchased 4 cameras through Cameta and my family has enjoyed them all. We get a great camera, with accessories for a very reasonable price. I have not had any problems with the cameras or Cameta.

Love the camera and takes wonderful pictures. Also the 55-300 lens is so incredible. You wouldnt believe the closeness of the zoom.

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My wife and I were really into 35mm cameras about 13 years ago, but it got expensive and was a pain to deal with developing and scanning on to a pc. She had her eye on a digital SLR for a long time but the $$ was never there. So we settled on several different digi cams. Finally things were right for us and I decided to surprise her with this camera. I did a lot of research, I compared Nikon against Canon and even Nikon against Nikon. I actually almost bought the lesser D3200 until I read more and more. I compared till I was almost confused again. www.snapsort.com really helped out with my final decision to buy this camera.

The D5200 is soooooo much more than a digi cam. The picture quality is superb, it is fairly easy to use once you spend some time getting to know it. It does some pretty amazing things as well, such as selective color. The viewing screen flips out and rotates so you can hold the camera above your head and still see what your focusing on, that was a key factor for me. And it was a great value when you purchase it in a kit like this. On that note as well, the zoom lens is a Nikon lens where some of the kits offer other name lenses. Not a big deal as the other lenses will work and come from other mfg's that I have heard of and have used back in the day with 35mm, but if I'm getting it all in one package I figured I should go with all Nikon. I have not used the tripod yet, but compared to some I have used, it is a pretty nice one with dual bubble levels built into it and seems to be sturdy. Having two batteries is always nice, the bag is on the small side for all that comes in this kit but it works if your creative. 64 gig of storage should keep you happy for a long time!!

If I had to do it again, I would!

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX200V Digital Camera, Violet - Bundle - with 16GB microSDHC Memory Card, Camer

Discrete, practical, fast, here is a small jewell camera with some gadget appearances, which offers a quite good picture quality and an uncomplicated range of options.

Advantages:

uncluttered, classy, almost totally flat

very small, quite light

well-kept building

with its weatherproof enclosure (still closed), it's splash-proof, dust-tight, sandtight, and coldtight until 14°F (but avoid the dive, cause it remains fragile it's just a wise little adventurer)

large OLED screen, tactile, quite pleasant (with a ressemblance with a smart-phone, yet not equivalent to an iPod), true black, with a reliable rendering

still images absolutely correct, details are here, realistic outside colors

good X5 optical zoom

until 18 Mpx, the 10Mpx level being often sufficient

excellent reactivity after having switched on (1 second, and 1/2 maxi second for the focus with a quite good lighting)

optical stabilization and fast autofocus allow to avoid fuzzyness and to contain the noise (as in the auto-intelligent mode); these points can stand a certain value for money

nearly no distorsion at all

semi-manual mode (P) includes 8 options of white balance and a selection of ISO levels

manual exposure balance

varied scene options (for shooting) giving effective processings

under high luminosity (sunlight, daylight), the video rendering (in AVCHD, 1080p, with a high-speed mode, dedicated to post-editing only) is clean, smooth and nice, except when it moves too quickly (to avoid) or if it points at different distances too quickly (then it becomes out of focus). With a right level of artificial light, one can obtain a fair result.

microphones produce a well-marked sound; as for mecanism, it is practically totally silent while filming, even the noise of the zoom is not much perceptible

good macro (not ultra-close)

high sensibility in night-modes for still images (despite a fog of pixels)

simple and fast tactile system for displaying or deleting photos

a fuzzy mode on depth with options

a special effects mode offers a palette of 9 original depictions (among them black and white, but not the sepia effect), and a few more options with the creativity mode

the panoramic mode turns out to be effective (the under water maybe less)

diaporamas

GPS function

Inconveniences:

although weatherproof, it requires to be handled with care (the tactile screen must be desactivated if used under water)

the image depiction tends to decrease the intensity of the yellow and to stress the intensity of blues, brighter (what is corrigible with a software); yet the color drifting remains acceptable

good in low light, but displays some visible noise if one zoomes in too much; poor video rendering in low light, thus to avoid inside video shootings, except if luminosity is satisfactory

smoothing effect in the detail, in a watercolor way (with an important zoom), what limits the precision but remains useful for the small-format photos (not adapted to big enlargements)

the indication of the ISO level appears very quickly on the screen in the auto modes, then disappears, except in the P mode in which that is clearly notified

lack of adjustment functions, such as a real enhanced manual mode (no possibility for instance to select a maximum of ISO value in the P mode)

no possibility of photo editing (like cropping, adjusting the format, rectifying the orientation or diverse other corrections). On the other hand, it invites to direct one's attention to the shooting and to save time for later on a photo editing software.

the continuous shooting speed downgrades the quality of photos

no joystick; the familiarization with the touch-sensitive screen menu is not obvious, but a customization for each mode facilitates the access to the most useful functions or options.

effects of aesthetic renderings can be seen as toy applications (however some can be useful sometimes)

finger marks on the surface is to clean (a microfiber cloth is supplied)

require mini memory cards (microSD or microstick); a basic one is supplied

one battery of replacement can be useful: certain processings, as well as the use of video, flash, high display or GPS -desactivableare greedier. Though we can make at least up to 300 photos without flash.

USB cable, no included charger: a charger pluggable into the mains can turn out to be useful too.

SecurityMan D.I.Y Mini 2.4GHz Wireless Color Camera Kit with Audio (MINIAIRWATCH)

I bought two of these units based on the first comment.

They are easy to install and are easily hidden. But I ended up

having to return both units, because the video on both cameras

kept getting a lot of video noise after they were in use for a while.

I could not set the sensitivity on my DVR low enough to counter act

the noise to prevent false triggering, which would result in continuous recording. I just couldn't use these cameras. It's too bad, because

they look like nicely built units, and would be ideal for hidden

security purposes.

Doesn't work as described,every channel has interference. Its going in the garbage. Don,t waste you time and money.

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Worked great and the Picture on my screen was great !!! Looking for help you need to get one of these.....

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Worked for what I needed, but must be used in a bright area to get a good pic. I used it in my garage to watch and see if my dog went potty as she gets tied in garage if it is raining out. Product worked ok for my needs.

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No matter what channel it was on there was alot of interference. Also Loud crackling noises, distorted picture and very annoying. Sent it back.

Samsung HMX-W200 Waterproof HD Recording with 2.4-inch LCD Screen (Red)

I purchased the Samsung HMX-W200 camera to take better video than my cell phone of my 2yr old son. I needed something small, rugged, and quick to turn on so as not to miss anything, and light enough to carry in a pocket with me most of the time.

So far this is a great little video camera. I took several video's with it, and they turned out great. A few things to note though. It uses a Micro SD, or Micro SDHC size card for storage, which you have to purchase separately. It will record 4 hours at 720 or 2 hours at 1080 on a 16GB card. One of the reviews I read on a marketing site said that you could adjust the frame rate, if you can, I have not found out how. The menu gives only 2 options 1080 and 720, both at 30fps. It only takes 1.5 seconds from when you press the power button, to being able to shoot video. When you plug the camera into your computer, it sets itself up as 2 drives, one with the data, and the other with the intelli-studio Light software. I found this to be very easy to use to do basic editing, cutting out little parts of the video that I did not want, etc... I also love the feature that allows me to pause the recording and then start it again without creating a separate file.

VIDEO:

The 1080p looks great. It also looked great on my 50in. HDTV. For the price this camcorder is well worth it. Everything Samsung claims about this camcorder is true. I have been using it for a month now. So far so good. However I have not even thought about putting it in water. But I have used it in the rain and it still worked great.

PHOTOS:

I only give the 4 stars because there is no timer for taking pictures. It's not a big deal when I'm shooting video. But I do like they way photos look on this thing. It requires the most steady hand in the world. I have used a tripod and it helps a little. I just wish I could set a timer to guarantee a still shot. The camera impressively utilizes all natural light. I understand the selling point for this camera is the 1080p video, but I don't always want to carry both my Canon EOS and my Samsung HMX when attending a public event.

OVERALL:

If you're in the market for a pocket camcorder go with this one and not the Flip. It is rugged, waterproof, and ready to record 2 seconds after you turn it on.

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Okay, so first off, it's almost impossible to find a perfect pocket cam, price-wise and quality-wise. I did rigorous amounts of research to find that all of them have their share of problems.

All scenes were shot in 1080p/30fps handheld, with Anti-Shake On. The other two options that the camera has, Face Detection and Back Light were off. The underwater shot could've been better but it's winter here and a bucket of water is the best I could do for the time being. I imagine with greater lighting and the camcorder being further away from the subject, the results will be better.

Overall I would rate the camera 3/5. Video is pretty good and it takes decent pictures as well with it's 5mp camera. The underwater mode is really cool, it allows me to really play around with some shots. It is also shockproof which extends my experimentation. I had a problems with some of it's hardware/software, for example, you press record and sometimes it takes a while for it to start/stop recording. Or when you think you press the record button and you don't. It records on an mp4 format but for some reason it has issues in Final Cut Pro. I am still an amateur at FCP but here are some the problems I have with it:

Can't Log and Transfer (SD adapter maybe?)

Sequence Playback (stops numerous times in between clips, hadn't had this problem until now)

Never Before Seen Error Messages (causes FCP to crash! Doesn't go away until I cut the clips)

Some stuff I didn't discuss in the video: The LCD screen is amazing, but some stuff that I capture, which is clearly visible on the screen, isn't when I watch it on my computer screen. Does that mean that my computer screen isn't as nice as the camera screen? Perhaps. Also, I've had a couple moments where the screen flickers and gets dim, and doesn't go back to its normal brightness until I hit a button. Also, the microphone on the camera is surprisingly good. However, it gives you little wiggle room to move your hands while holding the camera, as any movement (rubbing fingers, bumping) will cause high audio surges.

So in closing, overall video quality of the camera is good. Good not great, but come one, for what it is, what are you expecting? Like any video camera, better lighting equals better results. Microphone is really good. Pictures are fairly good, but not good at taking pictures while moving, easily blurs. So far, it seems like it's well-built, no problems aside from the flickering of the screen, which has only happened twice. The main problem, like I've said, is of the footage in post. I have tried using a 7200 rpm drive, and still I'm having issues.

Search thekingkhan13 on youtube to find my full uncompressed review with more shots. Hope this was helpful. -Thanks

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I purchased this Samsung HMX-W200 to use on our Caribbean cruise. I really like the waterproof feature and used it a lot. It takes pretty good pictures, but my Cannon PowerShot takes MUCH better pictures. As for the "Full HD" capabilities... this is where I was the most disappointed. In bright light with very little action, it does do a pretty good job at HD. However, if there is a lot of movement in the shot (like splashing water or when using in a moving vehicle or boat), the resolution is pretty poor. I wouldn't even call it HD, let alone 1080p as advertised. If it weren't for the waterproof feature, I would be looking to return it. But I will probably still get a good amount of use out of it since my family is involved in lots of activities in or near water. So in summary, I would have to say I'm pretty disappointed in this camera, but still find that it will serve a purpose.

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I bought this after a very bad experience with a JVC Picsio (otherwise known as garbage). It comes on quickly, records very good quality (grainy in low light conditions, but that's expected) video and stores very easily for quick access for those little moments you want to capture. It's easy to unload the video, easy to edit and easy to own. Got this for my wife who HATES overly complicated devices, which this is not. I think that if your looking for something that is really waterproof, rugged and still takes high quality video, then buy this and you wont be disappointed.

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Digital Concepts 5.1 MP Digital Camera (Silver)

I just bought this nice little camara that is easy to use. 5 modes of pictures. Uses 3 AAA batteries for power and its a miser on the energy so the rechargeable batteries last longer. Takes great pictures as long as you have ample light. Small and slim fits easily into the pockets. If you buy this camera I suggest a piece of packing tape across the display screen to prevent scratches on the glass. One drawback is the flash sensor, it seems to be inadequate in the dark, works well if there is some light, however the picture looks dark. With practice that can be overcome.

This is literally the worst camera I've ever encountered. My friend bought a super-cheap keychain camera for her young daughter, and THAT took better pictures. The color is horrible -no depth whatsoever. The flash is extremely eager -I took pictures of a green blanket on a black background under a light ( a situation that worked wonderfully with my FujiFilm), and it looked as if the camera just cut out the object entirely and left a pure white shape where the blanket was. Pictures without the flash are completely dark. But the kicker is that when you push the button to take the picture, a screen comes up to say "Photo taking. Hold camera still" and then it's a good 6-8 seconds before it actually TAKES the picture. And the buttons are plastic painted to look like metal.

Frankly, I can't believe any company could produce something so bad.

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Very poor interface, very limited control over images. When you take a picture, you have to hold the camera still for over 2 seconds as the screen goes black and tells you to wait but you don't know when the photo gets taken or what exactly you're photographing. Very hard to capture a moment, very likely to result in blurring and low quality.

Worst of all is the flash. The camera overexposes terribly when flash is used. I don't think the flash is too bright, but the camera seems to not adjust its exposure time to compensate for the presence of flash. I called tech support a couple times to address this issue. First they said they were too busy and would call me back within 24 hours. Almost 36 hours later, no one had called back. Then I tried again and finally reached someone. They told me that the camera just needed to be reset to the factory default. To do this, just take the batteries out and wait 30 minutes (i.e., go away and try calling us again later). He assured me that "everything will be alright" if I do that. I didn't believe it because we had that problem right out of the box with factory settings and there are so few settings that it's hard to imagine what could be incorrectly set. So I asked to speak to a supervisor. When I reached the supervisor, he asked what kind of memory card I had in the camera. When I said it was a 1 GB card, he said that was the problem. The camera can only take SD cards up to 512 MB. Again, I was incredulous. First, how could that cause the problem? He said the bigger card put too much stress on the camera and made it unable to process the image properly. That sounds crazy. And second, I pointed out that their own printed materials state that it can take a 1 GB card, and pointed specifically to page 3 in the user manual, for example. Oh yes, they are aware of that typo and are working to fix it. Really?? So he said that all I needed to was run off to the store and buy another card with 512 mB or less and all would be rosy. I also asked why the first tech support guy gave me a different story. "Oh, he didn't know you had a 1 GB card." Right. Well, I borrowed a 256 MB SD card and found out, as I expected, that it made no difference. The camera grotesquely overexposes with flash regardless with 256 mB cards as well as 1 GB cards. And now that it has been over 30 minutes with the batteries out, I've also tested the initial "cure" and found, naturally, that resetting the camera doesn't solve its overexposure problem.

Even without flash, image quality is poor. Stick with your cheap cell phone camera or buy a real camera. This one doesn't even provide the basic functionality that you expect in a cheapy like this. And their tech support, if you can reach them, won't be of any help. Stay away.

Cheap doesn't have to mean ridiculously poor.

On the plus side, it is small enough to fit into a pocket. For best results, keep it there.

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This camera takes very nice photos outside in natural light. The pictures are horrible inside with the flash. The flash is too bright. There is a long lag time after you press the shutter button, you have to wait about 2 to 5 seconds to take the picture. So basically you get what you paid for. It's a good camera for my kids to fool around with.

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I got this camera as a Christmas gift and I was very grateful. I have a toddler and want to take tons of pictures of her constantly! Well, I have about 2 "clear" pictures out of about 2 million I've taken. This camera turns black and says to hold the camera still while it takes the picture... for like 30 seconds! My daughter always moves WAY before the picture is taken. Even when I do get some sort of picture of her when she is standing completely still (however, not in the pose I wanted by then, or even smiling, etc) it is extremely blurry!

The flash is pointless and this camera doesn't work in low light, so you have to be in complete sun light or an extremely bright room to get any kind of a picture at all. If you try to use the flash, in pitch black, low light or ANY light room, the picture is completely white. No images. No glimpse of what you wanted to take a picture of. Just completely white.

Battery life isn't THAT bad, but there's no point in using this camera at all. Unless maybe you give it to a child who's just taking pictures of random things for fun but even then the camera isn't durable enough for rough play.

My camera won't even work anymore now. I turn it on and the screen is all blurry static lines and it says "sensor error." I am going to buy a better camera now. A "REAL" one, like samsung or canon or something. It may cost twice as much as this one, but I don't care!!! The frustration with this camera, let alone the awful pictures, just isn't worth it!!!!

HP PS720 3.3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

This is simply the easiest digital camera to use. The results are fantastic! With 3.3 megapixels this camera produces some amazing images. The software is easy to load and images transmit instantly to your PC via the USB cable provided. I highly recommend this great product!

So far, I have no complaints! It is a very good camera. Great for someone who is not too terribly interested in a huge load of bells & whistles. This camera is basic ... does what 99% of most cameras do, and takes great photos. It is very easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone in need of a decent camera under 300 dollars. It takes movies with sound. The only thing I heard about it that was considered negative was the weight of the camera. I really do not see how that was a factor at all. It feels like a camera SHOULD feel like. It is not as heavy as a brick, and it looks as if it is made very well. Not like some toy, like some digital cameras look and feel.

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I found that the camera was very easy to learn. The quality of the pics, movies, sound was very good. A couple of things that bring my rating down are:

1. Camera has no light, zoom features when taking movies

2. The access to the batteries is a little awkward(sp?) to figure out.

3. The access to the extended memory/usb/tv jack is a little flimsy leaving you with the worry that the cover will come off.

4. And now after 7 years of use, I now have to manually open the lens cover when I turn on the camera.

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I purchased this camera ~10months ago, based upon reviews I had read. The concensus opinion is that this camera is a good balance between price and photo quality. Overall, I agree with this assessment. But hindsight being 20/20, I don't know if I would buy this camera again because of the lack of manual control or override for the exposure/whitebalance.

In use, it is a little bulky but easy to use with one hand. I find that the heft actually helps me keep the camera steady in use. Mixture of brushed aluminum and rubber for the case is aestheticlly pleasing and reassuring to the hand.

Autofocus is good and quick in normal to bright light, but slow and easily fooled in dim/low light conditions. The flash is not usefull beyond 15ft.

The automatic whitebalance and exposure settings are another matter. In situations where the light level of the centered subject is lower than the light level of the backround, the camera defaults to the backround. You can not totally override the automatic settings so you are left with an underexposed subject. The menu allows for only slight adjustment of the auto settings, but the adjustment range is not great enough. A good example of this problem would be an outdoor picture, where the subject is in the shade but the backround is not. The subject is underexposed, while the backround looks great and no amount of digital processing can reverse the result.

I have also used this camera to photograph items for Ebay auctions. For this purpose, the camera is perfect. With some attention paid to lighting, the photos are well exposed with excellent fine detail.

The included HP Photosmart software is basic, but usefull. Like the camera itself, there are not alot of custom editing options. The USB link from the camera to the software is quick and automatic. Data transfer of a full 64mb card takes ~3min. Slow to some, but OK by me.

The included 16mb of onboard memory holds ~11 full resolution pictures. I purchased a 64mb plug in card, which can hold ~52 full resolution shots. What is interesting is that the onboard memory and the plug in memory are segregated. You can fill up the onboard memory and then plug in the card and fill it up. Used this way, I can take a total of 63 high resolution photos.

Battery life is fine. I did invest in recharchable batteries and I get ~160-180 photos per charge. I would estimate that I use the LCD screen ~1/2 the time.

Like most camera LCD screens, it is usefull in all but daytime outdoor conditions.

For pictures from a distance of less than 15ft, there is a bit of parallax(sp) error between the viewfinder and what the camera records. But once you see the difference a few times, it is easy to compensate for by framing your subject to be just a bit offcenter in the viewfinder. This is not a problem to me, but may be to others.

In summary, this is a good point and shoot camera for most situations. Manual features are limited. Used withing it's limitations it is fine. If you need manual control over exposure/whitebalance, look elsewhere. If you want a simple, rugged camera for casual use, the 720 should be a candidate, expecially at current prices.

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Wansview NCB-541W Wireless IP Camera Network Night vision Free DDNS Pan/Tilt Montion Detect

Great camera. Was somewhat easy to setup (I work in the computer field). May be a little harder for a novice to setup, but if they get detailed instructions from website it should be easier. The video is very impressive (with an AMD Radeon with 256MB), just make sure you have a good video card (my laptop has an Intel video with 64MB and the video isn't that great).

Before installing, go to the manufacturers website and download the updated software (setup/searcher, viewer and manual). Beware, there are 2 websites (a .net and a .com). Make sure you go to the .com. The .net is either fake or some other company. You will not find this camera on the .net site.

One more thing. If you buy another model make sure it is a model from the .com manufacturer (the .net site has similar cameras with similar model numbers).

For outdoor use search YouTube for making your own acrylic dome, not hard.

I will be buying another 3 cameras soon.

Aiptek 3D-HD High Definition 3D Camcorder (Black/White)

Being a big 3-D fan, I was very excited when this product was announced and, because the price was so low, I pre-ordered it right away without having seen any reviews (because no reviews yet existed). I wasn't entirely sure if I was buying a novelty gadget or a truly useful device. To save myself from being disappointed, I expected the former and hoped for the latter. It turns out that the camera is much better than a novelty gadget, but don't expect to throw away your "normal", digital, point-and-shoot camera or your "normal" camcorder. You'll still need those when you want a perfect, printable photo and a lot of extended video. However, when what you want is a 3-D picture or short 3-D video, the Aiptek 3-D camera is a great, practical, and inexpensive option.

The first question I had was: "does it really work?" I'm happy to say that the answer is a big yes! The resolution of the parallax-barrier display is pretty low, but the 3-D effect is really great and the display serves the purpose very well. I expect the Aiptek 3-D photo frame, with its higher resolution, will be much better (it's still backordered as of this writing, so I don't have one yet). Please understand that when I say "low resolution", I'm speaking about the resolution of the built-in display, not the resolution of the actual images/video, which is much higher. 5 megapixels for images (2592 x 1944) and 720p for video (1280 x 720) doesn't sound like much nowadays, but you'll almost certainly NOT want to print the images you take with this camera anyway. Doing so would require you to convert to the Red/Blue (anaglyph) format. This works, but it's far less than ideal. Rather than that, I believe you should expect to only view these images/videos on the camera itself, the corresponding 3-D photo frame, or a new, 3-D TV. When you decide those are your primary viewing vehicles for the content you create with this device, the resolution becomes far more palatable. Indeed, the resolution of the images exceeds the resolution of the camera's display and even the resolution of the 3-D photo frame (800 x 600). For this reason, I think Aiptek was smart to use a relatively low resolution in order to keep the price so low.

The image and video quality is acceptable, but as I said earlier, if won't replace your existing camera for those times when you want very high quality. The image quality is about as good as the very best cameras being put into cell phones (which also don't compete with a dedicated, "regular" camera). I'll reiterate though: the quality is completely acceptable considering you're getting images in full 3-D. Other than the 3-D feature, there aren't a lot of frills: no image stabilization, no optical zoom, no flash, etc. It makes sense though because that's the only way you're going to get 3-D at this amazingly-low price-point. The camera has a tripod mount so, if you really need supplemental light, you can pick up one of those little LED lights that screw into tripod mounts for not very much money. As for video, it does record in 30 FPS, but if the action is moving quickly, it doesn't look like it. It looks like 10 or 15 FPS (it may still be recording 30 frames per second, but I'd guess 2 or 3 of those frames happen to be identical). I've noticed the reduced frame rate is a bit less pronounced if there is more ambient lighting. FYI: I'm using a Transcend, 16 GB, class 10 SD card. That's probably not as fast as a SanDisk class 10 card, but it should be enough to accommodate everything the camera can throw at it. It may sound like I'm speaking only negatively about this camera, but it's definitely not my intention to discourage the purchase of it. I just want you to be clear on what it *doesn't* do so that you have appropriate expectations. In reality, I'm thrilled with the quality of the camera and it exceeded my expectations.

I've quickly learned a trick to taking 3-D video and photos. It has to do with framing the images; I'll try to explain it here, but it's a little difficult to articulate. If what I'm about to say doesn't make sense, just ignore my ramblingsha. First, realize that everything in the image has a position along the Z-axis (the direction toward you and away from you [as opposed to left/right and up/down]). Next, realize that the frame around the screen itself has a position along the Z-axis. What this means is, some parts of the photo appear to come "out" of the screen and more distant objects appear recessed "into" the screen. The frame surrounding the display is somewhere in the middle. If the part of the image that extends out of the screen is cut off by the frame surrounding the display, it can hurt your eyes a little and look a bit confusing. This makes sense; how could an object (the frame) block the view of a subject if that object (the frame) is more distant than the subject? That's a logical paradox that my brain translates into confusion and/or eyes that have a hard time focusing. The trick is to not allow anything "in front" of the frame to be cut off by the frame. If you adhere to this, the 3-D effect looks much more natural. I'm sure I'll continue to learn effective ways to frame 3-D images as I become more experienced. In fact, that's part of the fun!

I'll sum everything up here: The camera is really good and the 3-D effect is outstanding. I believe it to be much more than a gimmick/novelty. To keep the price low, the camera sacrifices some other "standard" features you might be used to, such as optical zoom and a flash. For me, the tradeoff is well worth it: I get to take my own, good-quality, 3-D video/images for under 200 bucks. I'm not sure what I'm more impressed with: the technology or the price. I suppose it's the combination of the two that make this a strongly-recommended "buy" in my book.

[UPDATE: October 20, 2010]

As Reynato U. Barrera kindly pointed out in his review, there is indeed a (buried) firmware update and it does indeed fix the slow frame rate! This is great news. I don't believe Amazon will allow external URLs or I would provide a direct link, but if you go to the Aiptek EU site (use ".eu" instead of ".com") you can find the firmware update within the product page. I purchased the camera in the U.S., but because the camera will let you define the refresh rate (60Hz vs. 50Hz), I wasn't worried about using the firmware I downloaded from the EU site.

[/UPDATE]

After getting over the excitement of a 3D camcorder to support my 3DTV, the disappointment began. There were few, if any, instances where the camera was shooting in the promised 30 Frames Per Seconds. Normally the camera would dip down to 15fps and at that point, I stopped taking the camera with me everywhere I went.

So why the high rating?

I stumbled upon a video on youtube shot with my camera and the title to the video was "Aiptek 3D video with new Firmware" The video looked great and was running at a steady 30fps. After asking a few questions, I discovered that Aiptek's European website had a downloadable firmware that fixed the framerate. Nothing was available in the US site, so after asking a few people who had the firmware if it was safe, I installed it into my camera, and sure enough, my usability has taken a huge turn for the better. For 200 bucks, and with this firmware, the camera is an awesome introduction to the 3D world.

Buy Aiptek 3D-HD High Definition 3D Camcorder (Black/White) Now

I've had the Aiptek HD 3D video camera for about a week and the bottom line is ... its a 3D video camera for $199.

It takes real 3D video at 720p (1280 x 720). When played on my Panasonic VT-25 3D TV, the 3D quality is excellent. The image depth I get is comparable to that of 3D Blu-Ray movies like "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and ... well, there aren't a lot of 3D Blu-Ray movies out yet. That being said, there are several things that could be improved'

Image Quality The videos look great when things don't move around too fast. The pictures of my infant grandson are fantastic. The video I took while riding a wooden roller coaster are very jumpy. The frame update rate doesn't look like more than 10 frames per second for the coaster video. I suspect that the JPEG encoder can't keep up with that much change from frame to frame. The built-in 2.4" 3D TFT LCD display has a very limited left/right viewing angle to see the 3D effect. The glasses-less 3D viewing screen is a nice touch, but I probably would have been just as happy with a 2D display.

Ergonomics It's pretty well designed. The lenses are at the top of the unit and you naturally hold the unit from the bottom, so I've never had the problem of putting my fingers over a lens like I do on some cameras. The buttons are easy to reach and control with one hand, except for the thumb-joystick in the middle. It's one of those up/down/left/right to select and push for OK multifunction buttons. Its too easy to push or too hard to move up/down/left/right, so I often push the button when I wanted to move it left. The unit's size is small enough to easily fit in a pocket, and it feels pretty good in my hand ... although I have pretty big hands.

Documentation The Users manual is 12 4" x 6" pages per language (5 languages). The software manual is 3 4" x 6" pages per language (13 languages). The quick start guide is 2-3/4" x 13-1/2" per language (8 languages). It's a little light on the details, but I'm not sure I would have read more instructions if they were available. I would really have appreciated a book of tips on 3D videography. Things like having a foreground, avoiding a foreground that is only partially in frame and how close is too close, would have gotten me up and running with better videos faster.

Reliability The camera hasn't broken yet (I've only had it a week) and it doesn't feed flimsy, but it has locked up three times on the three days I used it for more than a few minutes. Each time I was doing something different (fast forward through a playback, turning on the camera, stopping a recording) and the unit just froze. None of the controls did anything so I had to remove the battery. One time I lost several minutes of video (which I'm sure were my best ever). I certainly hope they make firmware updates available when they work out these last few bugs.

Value for the price It's a 3D video camera for $199! (I think I mentioned that.) What more can I say? Well, you need a SD/SDHC memory card and they don't include one. I used a 2 GB card I had laying around, but that wasn't big enough for a day of home movies. I'd recommend at least 16 GB. You also probably need a spare battery (3.7v 1200 mAh NP-60 Lithium Ion Battery Pack) although I ran out of memory (with the 2 GB card) before the battery was drained so I'm not sure how long it lasts on a charge. The "case" they provide is a velvet sack which protects against dirt and scratches, but not much else. It comes with a pretty nice set of Red/Cyan glasses (plastic frames, not paper) for those without a 3D computer or TV (why would you buy this if you had neither?).

Software I haven't used the software too much, but it seems pretty intuitive. There's no CD to lose, the software is loaded on the camera. When you connect the standard mini-USB port to your computer (through the provided cable or any standard mini-USB cable) for the first time it installs the software. The software lets you organize your clips, merge clips together, convert from the side-by-side format to red/cyan format, upload to Facebook and upload to YouTube. It doesn't seem to have an editor and none of my video editors handled MP4s, so I couldn't shorten the videos to 100 MB for Facebook upload.

Bottom Line: It's a 3D video camera for $199!

Read Best Reviews of Aiptek 3D-HD High Definition 3D Camcorder (Black/White) Here

I posted a video at you-tube entitled 'AIPTEK 3D CAMERA TEST Firmware vs. No Firmware' for anyone interested in seeing the difference in this camera's performance after the CORRECT firmware is used to update the camera. Keep in mind that this footage actually looks better, but I compressed it into mpeg format for upload, so some quality was lost, but you can clearly see the improvement between the two test (no firmware vs. firmware).

I found that, out of the box, the camera's video quality is pretty worthless. I looked closely at the video footage I took before the update and found that although it was indeed 29.97 fps, every frame was simply duplicated 3 or 4 times! Furthermore, there was a lot of OBVIOUS OBNOXIOUS jagged/aliased edges to everything. With the firmware update, I did get a true 29.97 fps (it still seems a little jaggy sometimes, though).

I don't understand how this company is still in business! The firmware update is nowhere to be found on the US site and I can't imagine most people didn't send this thing back after looking at the resulting images prior to the firmware update. Why the heck aren't they updating these things before shipping them out? Mine appears to have been manufactured in October, 2010 (FW version 3607).

If you update the firmware to bring the framerate up to 29.97 fps (and you will probably want to!), MAKE SURE YOU USE THE CORRECT UPDATE FOR YOUR CAMERA'S CURRENT Firmware Version from the Aiptek European site (the camera's current firmware version is found within the menu system of the camera). The download page has several firmware versions along with several instruction manual updates, so don't get confused about which firmware update is appropriate...My first stab at it failed because I had used the wrong update. LUCKILY, my camera didn't recognize it (apparently you can damage the camera permanently if you install the wrong firmware update!). When I used the correct update and installed it according to the accompanying README instructions, everything clicked into place.

I have installed the software (it installs automatically the first time you connect the camera to your PC), but I don't expect to use it much. My Sony Vegas Pro software has a 3D function that works well with this unit's output video (mp4 format). However, the camera's included software is intended to easily convert the compressed side-by-side stereo images/video into red-cyan anaglyph for those viewing on a non-3D TV or monitor (a pair of plastic anaglyph glasses is also included).

I noticed, however, that the video output can not simply be opened using Stereo Movie Maker ('your video has no FourCC code' error), so I have to convert it in Sony first if I want to open it with SMM, but I really have no reason to.

There isn't much onboard memory, so you will need to purchase a SD memory card (I actually use a miniSD card from my cellphone with an SD adapter). It can handle cards up to 32 MB. However, it DOES come with a HDMI cable so you can plug this thing right into your HDTV for viewing in 3D if your TV is 3D-Ready. There is also a nice carrying case, and a strap for carrying, although my pet peeve for that is that the strap attaches to the bottom of the camera, so if you were to try filming with it hanging around your neck, the video would be upside-down (fixable with editing software, I know, but it would have been nice to have it hang right-side up).

I like it for the ease of use (point and shoot), the nifty 3D preview screen (which takes a getting a little used to!), the portability of it, and the quality of the video ONCE THE FIRMWARE HAS BEEN UPDATED. Again, the video quality is NOT fantastic, but it's not bad either. In 3D mode, each eye receives 640 x 720 resolution (the 640 being stretched to double its width to 16:9 aspect ratio--the camera records in half-wide side-by-side format).

As for the 3D preview screen, my particular unit requires that you rotate the camera slightly to the right to get the 3D to work...its awkward having to do that and I think it may be a manufacturing misalignment. Not a biggie--if anyone else has noticed this, please leave a comment.

The 2D mode offers a 1280 x 720 video record/output which is not compressed horizontally. It also looks pretty good, but this is my first camcorder that records at anything higher than standard definition 4:3, so i'm easily impressed at the moment.

Want Aiptek 3D-HD High Definition 3D Camcorder (Black/White) Discount?

Those who have been enthusiasts of amateur and home movie making have probably very often thought about making their private productions in 3D. Honestly, up until I started playing with this Aiptek 3D 720p 30fps camcorder, I thought 3D was a far far away possibility. But it isn't: I believe a standard for amateur/home 3D movie making is already a reality and all you have to do is experiment with this super decently priced useful not-so-toy 3D movie making. I did download the firmware from the European site, thanks to a fellow who commented about it here and a slight improvement was achieved. I have read some comments here stating the "imperfections" of the little tool/toy, and I seriously believe they are unfair. The product DOES exactly what it says it does. If you know the imperfections of the tool, you will be able to make really nice 3D movies. My recommendation, though, is to get a video editing program capable of RENDERING a final product with good quality. The video clips produced by the Aiptek are MP4's with anamorphic left and right side views. The 1280-pixel screen is divided in two halves 640-pixel wide each: you still get 720p in height. Your regular 2D editor can do the job. You will need to accept the vision of two very anamorphic pictures. The most important part of it all is, like always, at the rendering point. It seems that this way of handling 3D movies has become a "standard". It does decrease the resolution, but makes 3D possible. You will be able to upload your videos to YouTube without any special processing: simply add the tags "yt3d:enalbe=true yt3d:aspect=16:9" and they will be shown in any form chosen by the viewer: anaglyph, side by side, switch sides, etc. This little tool/toy is a very enjoyable experience. Get yourself the side-by-side viewing glasses: they represent the highest quality method of viewing 3D side-by-side, without any color alteration.

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