Astak Pan/Tilt Night Vision IP Network Camera (Black)

I've always been curious about what goes on at home when I'm not there. What do my dogs do all day? Can I watch my new little baby play and maybe take its first steps while I'm at work? This product is one of the simplest electronic products I've ever set-up. All I had to do was plug-in the camera, attach it to my home router and log in to the Astak site. My cameras were up and running.

This product can be used for so many different purposes: to be a video security/surveillance system, check on things at a business or home, or whatever else you can think of doing. Check out the stuff posted on You Tube. People actually caught people robbing their business.

This is what I like about this product:

1. Setup was a breeze

2. Only one wire to plug it into an outlet for power.

3. I can move the cameras around as needed. For example, some days I put it in my garage to watch the dogs while I'm gone. On other days, I have the camera sitting on the dresser in the babies room.

4. They are linked to your internet wirelessly

5. The website and camera functions are very easy to use

6. The image quality is great and the night vision works awesome.

7. I can share my camera with my family anywhere so that they can see whats going on. (Even my Brother-In-Law in the Army)

8. The range of my camera seemed just as good or better than my wireless home phone.

9. Works great with my iPhone to check in via the web.

10. The Yoics software program is very easy to use and easy to see other family members camera on a secure network. ( Many additional features also for remote desktop applications)

11. Directly posts videos to You Tube

12. Email alerts, motion detection, scheduled recording times, etc.

13. 270 degree turning radius with full tilt

14. Audioso you can remotely hear what's going on

15. Remote viewing,sharing, and controlling

This is what I wish the product would do better:

1. Provide me with an iPhone app soon so that I can quickly check-in with one push of a button

2. Have a way for me to zoom into an area to get more clarity.

3. Have a battery back-up

Overall, I think the product is excellent for people that want to see what's going on in places when they are not there and they are not tech savy enough to hook up more difficult systems. I would recommend this for anyone and plan on buying more cameras in the future.

Pros:

Initial setup very easy.

Able to view easily from the web on computer or iPhone.

Email alerts for motion detection works great.

Video capture works well and will automatically upload to You Tube.

Works well on wireless.

Came with a 2GB SD Card (maybe only for Costco purchases).

Night time pictures are decent, better than expected.

Cons:

Initialy could not view from the Mac or PC. See FAQ:

Software on the CD is worthless. Mac version did not work, didn't bother with the PC version. Recommend ignoring the CD.

Software downloaded from for the Mac worked once, then after would never load. Ended up removing it. Recommend ignoring this software as well.

No ability to delete images or videos stored on the SD Card from the camera. You need to remove the SD Card and delete the files from a computer.

When trying to watch a video stored on the SD card, it may crash the browser. You need to save it to your computer first then play the file.

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For those interested here's my setup guide:

Mole Camera Setup:

Get started:

-Plug in LAN cable.

-Plug in power.

Register Your Camera:

-Go to:

-Create a new account, it will detect your camera and bring up your camera's home page.

-Note: If Yoics' site is down (unlikely), you can go directy to your camera's home page by typing in the IP address, e.g. 192.168.0.111

Update browser:

-At this point your camera is running, but you may not see a picture.

-Reason is that you need to install an ActiveX Plug-in and/or QuickTime.

-Instructions:

Setup Wireless:

-Attach WiFi antenna.

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Network] tabs.

-Click the [Search] button and select your router.

-Enter in the security settings for your router.

-Unplug the power to your camera, unplug your LAN cable, plug the power back in. This will reset the camera so that it will now start using WiFi.

Setup Alerts and Remote Storage:

Setup email notification:

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [e-mail] tabs.

-For this you need to have an email account with SMTP. This is so that the camera can send the alert using this email account.

-Enter the your email account settings.

-Typical email settings:

Setup Alarm:

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Alarm] tabs.

-Check "E-mail Alarm".

-Check "Send with Picture".

-Check "Save Picture on the SD card".

-Check `Save Video on the SD card". Must have this checked to upload to a remote storage.

Setup Remote Storage for Video (optional):

-Create a YouTube or Twitter account. This is if you want to upload your videos on the web so you can view them easier.

-You can make these uploads private so that no one else can view them.

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Remote Storage] tabs.

-Enter your YouTube and/or Twitter account settings. Select "Private Youtube Upload" if you want to.

-Note: You need to have selected "Save Video on the SD card".

Setup Motion Detection and Schedule:

Setup Motion Detection:

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Motion detection] tabs.

-Select the areas where you want the camera to detect motion. I just used one window and expanded it to the full screen.

-Select the sensitivity for each window. I set mine to 26. At 45 I was getting too many alerts.

Setup Schedule:

-This is when you want the camera's motion detection to be running. Generally you want to schedule it when you're not home.

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Schedule] tabs.

-Set the days and times.

Setup Auto Capture (optional):

-This is if you want to pictures to be taken at regular intervals.

-I didn't bother with this.

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [Remote Storage] tabs.

Setup Camera as Virtual Web Server (Optional):

Normally you should be able to access the camera from

However, if you want to remove any dependency on Yoics' server, then you can setup your router to operate the camera as a virtual web server. I did it mainly for fun.

Setup User Access:

-Out of the box, camera authentication is not active, which is ok if you're going to access via Yoics' site. But if you want to access your camera directly then you'll want to enable authentication.

-From your camera's web site, click the [Advanced] --> [User] tabs.

-Check "Enable".

-Enter passwords for Admin, User and Guest.

Find out your camera's IP Address:

-From your camera's web site, click the [System] --> [Device Information] tabs.

-Note the IP Address.

-The default port is 80. Unless you changed it at [Advanced] --> [Network].

Log in to your router's home page:

-Typically:

-Find out what your router's public WAN IP Address is. Finding this information depends on the router, e.g. 111.222.333.444

-Go to the virtual server settings.

-Select the public port you want to use. e.g. 6000.

-Enter the camera's IP Address and port. e.g. 192.168.0.111 port: 80

-Save the settings and you can now access your camera using your IP Address and port. In this example it would be:

Buy Astak Pan/Tilt Night Vision IP Network Camera (Black) Now

I recently purchased this from Costco. I was looking for a wireless IP Camera to use as a baby monitor that could pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) and that I could view it from my computer or Android phone . This camera seemed to fit the bill. Setup was pretty easy and I can barely use Excel; I was able to connect it to my router via wifi fairly easily and could view it on my computer and my phone over the network by typing in the camera's assigned router IP address. While it says it supports all browsers, it works best with Internet Explorer. Unless I'm missing something, I could only get sound when using H.264 streaming using Chrome and Firefox. JPEG streaming would only produce a picture and no sound. I prefer using IE anyway, so it's no biggie to me, but might be to others. Also, there is virtually no delay with PTZ when using IE, but a slight delay with other browsers. PTZ was more delayed and the video choppy when using my Android phone. And since Android does not have a Quicktime plugin for their browser, I didn't have sound. They also have instructions on how to view the camera through dyndns.org if you were away from home without going through their Yoics website. This was the hardest part for me because I didn't know how to open a port on my router. Once I figured that out, it was easy. They say it's less safe, but someone would have to know your IP address and know which one of the 65,000 ports the camera was on. If you are paranoid about someone accessing your camera, you can always set up a security password in order to view the camera. I actually prefer going through dyndns as it's less choppy and it's free. I would recommend not going through their Yoics setup as it's not necessary and is only there so they can get you to sign up for their premium service. The night vision is good, although the edges of the video are a little dark. Motion detection is great; you can set up 4 zones and choose how big each zone is and how sensitive the detection is. Email notification setup was easy and pictures were sent quickly and came in pretty clear. I haven't tried the built-in DVR yet.

Now for the things I don't like about this camera. As I mentioned earlier, I can't get sound when I use my phone's browser, but that's not a big deal. What I really wish you could do with this camera is turn off all the LEDs. Unless you cover up the LEDs, the camera isn't incognito at night. Sometimes our baby wakes up in the middle of the night and stares directly at the camera. Also, the IR lights around the camera used for night vision have a red glow and click when turning on and off; it would have been nice if they did not light up like our Summer Infant baby monitor camera and was quiet. It also gets a little warm to the touch. I would give this camera a 3.5 star if I could, but since I can't, I rounded up. I'm on the fence about returning this camera, but I have not found another one that is wireless and has all these features for about the same price. Turning off the LED lights and having a no-glow infrared would make this 5 stars.

Read Best Reviews of Astak Pan/Tilt Night Vision IP Network Camera (Black) Here

I just read a news about a guy called police after he got the self phone email alarm from his camera. I think this is exactly what I need for my second house. I started to search on the web for suitable products and the astak camera came out. I bought it, spent about 15 minutes to setup and now it is working like a charm. I got a whole bunch of emails in the first day because I set the sensitivity too high. Now it is working perfectly along with the youtube upload. Great product!"

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This camera delivered as promised with sheer ease of setup. There are cheaper wireless IP cameras out there but guaranteed they can be very frustrating in the setup process. I tried couple of other brands but they all require that you have technical knowledge about network protocol, port forwarding, dynamic DNS, etc. By comparison, the Mole's instruction was easy, non-technical and I was viewing the camera within a few minutes. Works well with the iPhone so that I can view the camera from anywhere.

Prompt tech suport is another plus. Many reviews of products neglect to examine and report on a company's tech support. What takes companies like Apple from good to great is their outstanding tech support.

There are a lot of extra bells and whistles with this camera (video recording, motion activated capture, email alerts when motion is detected, etc.). Since I use this camera as a "granny cam" I haven't had the need for the extras but it's good to know they're there should I need it in the future.

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Cable Matters 6 ft High Speed HDMI Cable in White for 3D 4Kx2K HD Displays

GREAT SERVICE,RECEIVED CABLES IN LESS TIME THAN ESTIMATED. EACH CABLE WAS WRAPPED INDIVIDUALLY AND WERE IN NEW CONDITION. THEY ARE NICE HEAVY CABLES THAT ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER THEN ANYTHING AVAILABLE IN RETAIL STORES AT A MUCH LOWER COST.

I received this cable in standard packaging and connected my receiver and TV. So far, it has been working well, without any hassle.

It's a great price for a white cable that will mesh with your environment.

Missing one star, simply because I do not see warranty information listed on the product page.

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Before I purchased this to run through my wall I tried using a thick cable and it was a disaster. This flat cable worked well running through the wall and connecting behind my plasma with a limited amount of depth. it is also ARC compatible so it works with my sound bar.

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Product works and the price was great. HDMI cables are typically way over priced and not worth the money, this was reasonably priced.

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Cable is sturdy but not so much that it does not bend. I use the cable on my computer monitor so I can use the 1 available HDMI port on my graphics card for my TV.

Display and audio quality is great with absolutely no issues. I would definitely recommend this product!

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Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm AF-S DX f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Nikkor Zoom Lens

The move to the Nikon D300 was made to take advantages of the newer features that were not present (especially the greater pixel capacity) in the D100 which I had for several years. It was time to move up.

The screen is larger with the ability to display additional information regarding exposure etc. The controls are neatly arranged and handle better than the D100 and it is more comfortable your hands. Auto focus and exposure metering are much more advanced over the D100.

While I am still very much in the "learn mode" with this camera I am satisfied the move was worth it. Having not moved to the D200 when it came out I cannot comment on the value of moving from that model to the D300.

I had shopped around on the web only to find multiple cases of much lower prices but they did not include the typical box items of the charger, battery etc. In this regard be careful of the lo-ball prices.

This is the best cost/benefit camera in the market today.

I bought this kit with 18-135 lens but if I was to buy now, I'd rather go for the more expensive kit with 18-200 as its a better quality lens and more versatile zoom length.

If you can afford it, BUY IT, you will not regret the investment.

Bought mine at amazon.com and have no complaints about it. Delivered on time just before Christmas.

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The D300 is fabulous. Nikon has given the serious amateur/professional a great camera at a very reasonable price. I can't imagine what the D3 does for $3000 more but I don't want to find out. This will be the last camera you ever need (at least until the D400 comes out).

Quality and features are what you expect from Nikon. I particularly like the burst modes although you need a fast card to keep up.

I recommend this camera to any photographer without any reservations.

BTW, I bought mine off Amazon. No kickback from them or Nikon, unfortunately.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm AF-S DX f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Nikkor Zoom Lens Here

The camera has lived up to the professional reviews that I read during my research. The high ISO performance has been outstanding. My main use so far has been fast action sports (volleyball) inside low light gyms where flashes are not permitted and I have gotten very nice action shots. For those who never venture off the automatic setting of their current camera, I would not recommend this camera since it does not even have one. There is a learning curve, but it is well worth the effort.

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I have used this camera professionally since 2008 and it paid itself off several times with all the lenses, two flashes sb800 and the 900! If I upgrade I will not sell this camera it is tough and reliable the Matrix metering is great. Great color, fast focus and awesome for time lapse HDR Photography. There are more expensive cameras with more features and bling but this camera will make 20x30 color prints look fantastic!

Bell & Howell DNV16HDZ 1080p HD Video Camera Camcorder with Infrared Night Vision (Maroon) with

This was purchased as Christmas gift for our son in the military. He previously had a Sony that was stolen. He is very happy with the this video camera. He mentioned he liked out better than the Sony. Plus with all of the extras, it was such a great value. We got more bang for out back.

Panasonic PV-GS32 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 28x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom

I needed a camcorder and waited until the last minute to buy one. But this camcorder came highly recommended (at least by the Costco salesman) so I bought it over the JVC. It worked wonderfully on my trip to the Disney parks as well as the Disney cruise that followed.

I am very pleased with my choice of camcorders. Also the feature that allows you to switch to still photos saved me a lot of time switching to a separate camera. I was able to film, take photos and then immediately after I was able to view both.

And the distance this camera can zoom is incredible. We seemed to be miles from docking at the Bahamas and I was able to zoom in and see people walking along the beachfront.

The title says it all: Light, Small, Incredible Zoom, Easy Menus describes this camera.

I don't know why there is only one review so far in 2008 when I am writing this to make two reviews on it.

I bought this camera and was able to set it up and take pictures without even reading the manual. It takes good videos. The still mode requires adequate light. The digital zoom requires a tripod.

I might give it 5 stars if it came with a firewire cable or if the still shots were better or if I had experience with other camcorders so as to have a basis for comparison. I haven't found any negatives yet at this price level.

I also like the easy to use mode dial on the back of the camera. I can use the neck strap, put my right hand in the hand strap and rest it that way, control the on/off switch with my index finger, the mode dial and the start/stop button with my thumb all without even looking at the camera; it's very intuitiveand comfortable.

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Cirago USB HDMI Display Adapter (UDA2000)

I can't find one review (besides generic reviews attempting to sell this product to it's consumers) about this product online, which is odd, so I will be the first. Adapter working fine for my Dell Inspirion 1545, however, today it took some fiddling around to get my desktop to show on the TV screen. I don't exactly know why. Only had this thing for a month. Tried rebooting, and still nothing. It took me detaching and reattaching the HDMI cable from the actual adapter itself (earlier I detached it from the TV, didn't work O_o) to get it to work. Works fine now. Don't know why. The picture quality isn't that great. Trails a little when watching movies, but you get used to it. Audio and video is in sync

Does not work for our Acer Netbook, even though it's supposed to. Desktop shows up on TV screen and everything. You can pretty much do everything except for watch Netflix or VLC. Even Youtube works. We don't quite understand it. The video will show up, but freeze, the audio will still play fine though. We have tried everything to make it work, but nothing has helped. It's really weird. Also the desktop won't fit completely on the screen. Tried fidgeting with resolution and such, still nothing. If anyone knows what it could be, we are open to suggestions. Again, we can't find anything similar in google search. No one else seems to have this problem. Just don't understand why everything else works, but VLC and Netflix doesn't.

Maybe one day we'll figure out why the adapter doesn't work to it's fullest potential, till then, I give it 3 stars.

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Casio Exilim EX-Z75 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti Shake Optical Zoom (Black)

This camera was second choice to the Canon powershot. I did my research online and found a lot of pleased consumers, so I decided to buy it. I have yet to regret my decision. The pictures come out very clear, crisp colors. Very easy to use, menus are straight forward, battery life is AWESOME!! I bought the camera a month ago, have used it several times and have yet the need to charge the battery. This camera is definitely worth the money.

This is a fantastic camera. The menu bar on the right side of the screen makes it really simple to use and adjust settings on the fly. The "best shot" mode is very useful as well, as it tailors the camera's settings for the type of picture you're shooting. It's nice and compact and fits in my pocket comfortably. The pictures look great too

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I got this for my 16 year old daughter just before her team trip to DisneyWorld. She has since taken 43,000 pics....or something close to that. She loves it...it comes in different colors....fits in her purse....she has ZERO complaints. This is her first camera just for her....but the fourth if you count family cameras that she took over.....she constantly had issues with every other camera for one reason or another. We shopped together and she picked this one....Price has continued to drop since I bought this last spring....and I say it is still worth the price.

Read Best Reviews of Casio Exilim EX-Z75 7.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti Shake Optical Zoom (Black) Here

Ok, I had been looking for a high quality 7.2MP pocket sized camera. I researched all over the web and read reviews and consumer reports and found that this camera had great ratings. I always have to see for myself, so I bought this camera as a high ranked, highly reviewed, top of the mountain product. When I got the camera home I noticed that Casio packaged this camera very nicely. The camera is very sturdy and well made, feels like quality in your hands. I charged the NP20 battery, placed it and a 1GB SD card in the camera and have had a hard time putting it down. This camera takes beautiful pictures and very nice video. Small and light weight this camera is like putting a credit card in your pocket. (Just make sure you don't sit on it) I take this camera with me on vacation and anywhere I don't want to take my DSLR. Buy it and you will be pleased.

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UPDATE

There are some newer cameras out there that use bigger lenses, unbelievable processing techniques, and lenslet arrays in front of the sensor to get more light on those pixels. The upshot is, that if you want a camera that just takes the best picture possible indoors in a pocket point and shoot, you will be very happy for example with a Sony Cybershot DSC-WX1, but you'll have to shell out $329. Nevertheless, in 2010, it makes this Casio look like about the least expensive camera around.

OVERVIEW

Up until the past year, if you wanted a better picture in low-light conditions, you needed a bigger sensor and a bigger lens. That typically meant a digital SLR. This past year, Nikon, Sony and Canon have shown that several short duration pictures can be taken, and stitched together to effectively increase the exposure time without the blur from handheld jitter. If you have $350 to spend, consider the Sony Cybershot DSC-WX1 or TX1.

But this Casio is an average to low-end compact camera, and has some nice features and takes good pictures. But like any compact camera designed in 2007, more than 2-3 megapixels clearly resolved is not really possible except in the brightest sunlit conditions. If you look closely, they are going to be grainy and blurry. Some compact cameras are better than others at disguising the grain and blur with aggressive processing to punch up the colors and contrast and sharpness. But if you look really close, you'll see that it is really not much better than 3 megapixels. However, in 2010, the new DSC-TX7 challenges that assumption. See test photos compared to the Exilim Z75 here:Beyond that, this camera does nice snapshots, especially if the light is good. Videos are very nice and high quality, but not HD. Once you figure out the menus and modes, this camera is great if you are looking for a small camera and that's more important than professional quality photos.

The LCD viewscreen does not show sharp images, and it's annoying, but it does not affect picture quality.

If you want to take a lot of pictures under low light conditions (indoors), get used to the idea of a bigger camera than this, or the above mentioned Cybershot. Or settle on fewer pixels.

You should know that the "anti shake" mode of this is simply a mode that pushes the effective ISO up. That means that it takes an underexposed picture and processes it to be brighter. Of course, it's going to be grainy and noisy. Most other compact cameras in this price range do this same trick. (But the somewhat larger Canon A570IS has true optical anti-shake.)

A lot of people have had problems with getting a camera with a dead battery. If these lithium batteries sit around too long, they discharge too far to recover. Call Casio service immediately and tell them you got a new camera with a dead battery. There is a good chance they will replace it. My battery failed after about one year or so.

DETAILED REVIEW

I got the Exilim Z75 from Amazon, and it arrived in about a week.

The battery charged right up (about 90 minutes) and the camera worked as soon as I loaded the battery and a memory card. I guess I was lucky to get a good battery.

After using the camera for a several months and uploading pictures and movies, I think it is a great little camera. In bright light it rivals the pictures from my Fujifilm 7000, a much larger point and shoot. But with backlit scenes, the lens has more flare, and the images are more grainy.

If you think you need to take indoor pictures in full 7 megapixel resolution and they should come out crystal clear and sharp when blown up to 100% (zoomed way in on your computer,) you need to read the next 4 numbered paragraphs. Otherwise, skip all the technical explanation and go to "WHAT CASIO COULD HAVE DONE BETTER."

Please note that I am an electro-optical physicist and I know the limitations that some buyers may not be prepared for. Let me state some of those:

1. To put 7.2 million pixels into such a tiny space means the pixels will be very small and the smaller they are, the less light they will receive especially indoors. Since the sensor is pretty much limited by photon statistics, (meaning the noise of the photon arrival itself is the limit, not the camera) the graininess in the picture is not something that is really the camera's fault. If you want 7.2 million pixels in a tiny camera, please be aware that it is not going to perform better than a 3 million pixel tiny camera except in very bright sunlight. You might also want to be aware that the tiny pixels tend to scatter some light to adjacent pixels, further reducing the sharpness of the picture. Also note that for this tiny lens, 5 megapixels is very close the the diffraction limit the laws of physics say you need a bigger lens to do any better. Or, you need to put lenslets in front of each pixel to gather more light.

2. With such a small sensor, the lens needs to be very short focal length. This means that it is not really very practical to make a lens that is going to be much larger diameter. In most cases the lens is limited to a diameter about half the focal length or less.

3. If you really want 7.2 million meaningful pixels, you are going to need a sensor at least 4 times as large, with a lens about four times the area and twice the length. However, there are new techniques introduced in 2009 that partially address this problem. If this is important to you, consider a newer camera.

4. 7.2 million pixels is more than you could get from any 35mm film SLR without noticeable fuzziness and graininess. Even low speed, fine grain film. I know, I have tens of thousands of negatives in 35 mm format, taken with a very decent f/1.4 lens.

WHAT CASIO COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

1. The LCD viewer does not display a sharpened image. This gives the impression of a blurry picture, but it is actually not. If you blow it up, it is reasonably detailed and sharp.

2. The movie and sound recording modes are accessed through "Best Shot." This is counter-intuitive, but once you learn where it is, it is no problem.

3. The flash is weak (but similar to other small cameras), forcing the camera to take a noisier (grainier) photo in flash mode than would otherwise be necessary. The trade off to get a brighter flash would have been greatly reduced battery life, and most people do not like that. However, newer cameras make up for this with better sensors and processing.

4. The battery is a little harder to handle than it needs to be and there is no mechanical interlock to make sure it can't be inserted the wrong way. So you have to watch carefully what you are doing every time you handle the battery. (But be aware that to have a slim camera, you need a slim battery.)

6. It is not as thin as other ("S" series) Exilim cameras.

7. There is no light for aiding the focus function as in the Canon Elph.

8. There is no Panorama stitching function.

9. Like most cameras, it does not come with a case.

10. The included 8 MB of memory is slow.

11. The battery charger has a long cable. The Canon charger has no cable at all and is easy to carry.

12. That big LCD on the back has a glass window over it. But there is no way to replace the glass if you scratch it up.

13. The USB connector doubles as an audio-visual connector. I have never used the audio-visual output on ANY camera myself. But the drawback is that the USB connector is not standard, so you will need to make sure you do not lose the cable.

14. The lens is so-so. There is not bad barrel or pincushion distortion, but there is some purple fringing near the edges of the frame if you blow the image up enough, you'll see it. This is seen on high contrast objects like small back-lit tree branches against a bright sky. The most common failure mode of these cameras is that the lens fails to open or retract properly. It is operated by a tiny little motor with tiny plastic gears and cams, but should it ever accidentally get turned on so the lens can not open all the way, kiss the camera goodbye.

WHAT I LIKE

1. I can easily turn the flash off or set it to soft. This saves battery life and lets me be less noticeable when taking pictures.

2. I can turn the camera on in play mode without having the lens cycle. Simply press the play button to turn it on.

3. It can record sound for each picture.

4. The movie quality is great, and playback on the LCD is very good.

5. After some initial reluctance, I was brought over to the "Best Shot" approach.

6. The lens has a nice little built-in cap so the lens is protected when not in use.

7. The case is all solid metal and feels rock solid.

8. The pictures are easily uploaded to a Windows OS without any proprietary software. The camera looks like a memory-drive to the computer.

9. There is a tripod threaded mount hole.

10. The flash charges pretty quickly (that's because it doesn't have much power, of course.)

11. You can usually get a decent picture even if you skip the "Best Shot"

12. In bright sunlight, the pictures are gorgeous. If you manually set it to ISO 50 for this, the shots can not be beat in a compact camera.

SUMMARY

It's a great inexpensive camera to have handy. It's not going to replace my FinePix S7000, and if I had a Cybershot, I would get rid of the Exilim, but it's well worth having around. It takes good pictures as long as you don't try to take them in too much darkness. Maybe for some people it would have been better to for Casio to program the camera to just blink "NOT ENOUGH LIGHT" when the conditions are too dark. That way it would be harder to take a bad picture. But I don't like the camera to tell me I can't take a picture, so I am willing to live with some pictures that are too fuzzy. It's better than no picture at all sometimes. So it's a good camera for the money, but it isn't going to be giving a digital SLR any competition.

Alternatives: If you really like the thin cameras, go for the Exilim "S" series. If you would like a sharper LCD screen, seriously consider the Canon Elph series. If you can accept a slightly larger camera, consider the Canon Powershot A570IS. It is in the same price range and even has optical anti-shake, and the pixels are somewhat less grainy and a little more sharp. And it uses AA batteries. If you have $300 go for the Sony DSC-WX1, or DSC-TX1

Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Red) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 32GB

For over twenty years I have wanted an SLR. This package, after pricing nearly everything, was a find. I though too good to be true. And it is... AMAZING...everything in one box, ready to go and easy to use. I cannot believe my luck. I am so much of a novis I bought the Nikon for Dummies book. This deal is fantasic and it arrive right on schedule.

The Camera is very nice, only reason why I did not give it 5 stars is that you need to have about 1 month to read and watch videos about this, there is so much you can do with it witch is a plus but they need to make it easier for an average joe and work with it...

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Used the camera on vacation, took some breathtaking pictures without any instruction. This camera is absolutely the best. I cannot wait to use camera for my son's sporting events

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It came way earlier than I thought it was going to and it is way more beautiful than I expected! Everything that came with it including the tripod are such great quality

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Carl DC-100 Personal Rotary Trimmer with Swing Out Ruler Arm.

I have purchased Carl brand trimmers for years. I do a lot of scrapbooking and this is the only trimmer that has stood the test of time. I had to get a new one only because I carelessly left it on the floor when it fell and it ended up under the chair leg when I sat down. Bummer!

So, when I was searching for another one, I came across this listing that stated that this one had a "swing out ruler arm." My only complaint with my last one is that it didn't have one of these. Well, much to my dismay, the write-up given on this listing is for a different model of Carl trimmer. THE DC-100 DOES NOT HAVE A SWING-OUT RULER ARM. I still gave the item 4 stars because I do love this trimmer, and I did keep it. I'm just bummed that Carl hasn't made this trimmer with a swing-out ruler.

I hope others read this before buying, since you will not get what the item title and description states. (BTW...this company has the same write-up on their website for this trimmer.)

Had this for awhile, but the design has one fatal flaw that I can't understand: The blue thing that holds the cutting blade has this plastic lever that constantly bangs into the paper you are trying to cut, bending/ruining your paper and stubbing your finger painfully as the cutting action comes to a complete stop because this blade lever thing keeps hitting the edge of your paper. Why this obnoxious design flaw wasn't caught up front is inexcuseable.

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I just ordered a new cutter to replace one that broke (it was dropped onto a hard floor). I've had it for a few years and it has worked very well for school projects and trimming photos. I think the confusion over the "swing arm" title stems from the design of other cutters where the arm is only hinged on one end and is able to swing up and out of the way completely. I have an older cutter (different brand) that does this. It allows a larger piece of paper to be placed on the base and partially cut. I have been satisfied with the Carl DC 100 for almost all my projects.

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I'm confused about another reviewer's comment about no "swing out arm." I still use the DC-100 model that I received in 2004, and ordered another for a co-worker in 2008. The length of my ruler does lift up for me to place my paper, then sets back down. A different co-worker just used mine and has asked me to order one for him becuase he liked it so much. If this listing is in fact for the DC-100, I would expect to receive the very same cutter.

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The quality and cut of the blades is excellent. The convenience of this trimmer's small size is greatly appreciated. The only thing I would recommend is a little sturdier design. I cracked mine when it fell off my desk; however, a little packaging tape fixed the issue and I was back in business. Overall great trimmer!

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Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)

I have been using the KR now for almost a week so these are my initial impressions. The best way to describe this camera is a KR with several new improvements, though more evolutionary than revolutionary.

My favorite new features are the improved LCD (higher resolution), visible AF point, faster live view focusing, faster shooting at 6 FPS and faster focusing in all environments, especially in low light though with the new AF assist lamp. I cannot emphasize the AF capability in low light. The KR focuses fast, even in almost total darkness.

Another new feature is the capability to use AA batteries as well as Lithium ion. It comes with a Lithium ion battery and charger to start.

The image stabilization is still in body as Pentax has been doing for years. This allows the use of many Pentax lens and still have stabilization.

The high ISO capability with the KR is great as it is with the KX. I had a T2i and find the high ISO capability better with the KR. Plus the white balance requires less adjustment with the Pentax. It seems like I was always modifying the white balance settings with the T2i. This came as a shock to me knowing some of the white balance issues I have seen with Pentax cameras in the past.

One of the coolest new features that I really like is the capability to convert the last JPG picture taken to RAW. So let's say you take a picture and you cannot take it again (one time opportunity!) and the JPG was not up to par...You can save it as RAW and then convert in camera or in software later. This is only possible for the last JPG taken however.

The video will work in a pinch but is not the strength of this camera. It is 720P and 25 FPS with no auto focus. The T2i is better in this arena but I honestly never used it much. Despite DSLR improvements in this area (especially with the T2i), I still prefer using a camcorder.

However, the KR is a photographic tool and has lots of options once you start wanting to experiment a little more. Get it with the 55-300 lens (great lens!) if you can swing it. It is a great deal with the 2 lens kit and truly a savings versus buying it later.

Pentax is often overlooked in the DSLR arena. The KX has been a great seller for Pentax. If you have one, I would not necessarily upgrade to the KR, though some of the new features are nice. If you are looking for your first DSLR or possibly switching from another brand, I highly recommend the KR.

This is my 5th Pentax Digital Camera. I currently own and use the Pentax K-r, K-x and K200. They are all exceptional cameras that produce stunning results with nominal effort. By far, the K-r has shown it superiority in rapid focus in low light conditions. The cameras are small, sturdy and perform as expected. The price for these entry level and serious amateur cameras is a bargain considering the superior results. Add a quality 2.8 prime lens and turn out photos to rival Cannon and Nikon at one-third the price.

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I chose Pentax because I already have 2 Pentax SLR bodies and wanted to be able to use my lenses. I chose the K-R over the K-X based on a lot of reading and what I thought was a good fit for me (and cost, too).

I love my new camera! I got it less than a week before a trip to Europe and am extremely satisfied with the photos I took without a chance to really learn the camera. I am a total amateur and new to digital cameras, so when I say it is easy to use it really is.

My favorite features so far:

exceptional low-light results I can only say WOW!

capability to use AA batteries as well as Lithium ion I bought the AA adapter and had to use it in an emergency so glad I had this as a back up to the lithium battery

Couple of reasons I picked this camera:

said capability to use AA batteries

stabilization in the body not in the lenses

I've taken a couple of thousand photos with it and am really pleased with the results. I'm looking forward to really learning what it can do.

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Please see update at end. My initial enthusiasm has been replaced with frustration.

First some comments on other reviews on some other sites. One reviewer claims there is a lack of visible AF points. That is simply wrong. Not only are the AF points visible in the viewfinder but you can set the AF point as well. Next, a reviewer claims the AA battery adapter is expensive. That may be true as the ability to use Lithium or AA (a great plus)is relative but you can buy a cheap one for less than $10. This reviewer also claims that the exposure bracketing is limited to 1/3 stops. Not correct. You can set the feature for up to a 3 stop range! Finally a reviewer states that high end cameras use a CCD sensor rather than a CMOS sensor. I just checked the Nikon $7,000 job and it uses CMOS (albeit full frame size)and their mid-level camera does too but their low end job uses CCD.

You should also know that this camera is just a bit of a power hog. It will get the shots claimed but with all the electronica on the camera your experience may vary. I would suggest a back up battery. They can be had cheap for less than $10.

Now my experience for the last month. This is my first DSLR. I have been happily using Pentax cameras since the early seventies. This summer I went to Europe and I shot over 20 rolls of film with my beloved and unbreakable SF1. After spending hundreds of dollars on processing it was obvious a change to digital was necessary. After months of research I decided on the K-R. You just trust this company. Also, and this is what snagged me, ALL of the old lenses work with this camera and the shake reduction is in-body rather than in the lens. My glass on my SF is superb and I wanted to use these lenses. The K-R "reads" these lenses almost like the new lenses. I think the only thing the DA lenses bring to the table is automatic aberration correction. You can correct the older lenses manually however if you can even notice any aberration

This is a really terrific digital still camera, although I still think I like film better (Luddite!). Fit and finish are superb. The burst exposure mode rate is as advertised. I just bought a 32 gig class 10 card (over 3000 shots in full rez RAW!) and was able to blow off over 30+ shots at full rez before it slowed down at all. My photos so far are pretty darn good.

My gripe with this camera though is it is too darn flexible (read complicated). You can reset almost everything and the defaults are not necessarily the most desirable. While the menus are pretty easy to navigate, it has taken a while to finally have all the menus and options where I want. There are so many options that it is imposable to remember how to access them or that they even exist. Constant reference to the user manual is a necessity. I tried to buy a second one from Pentax to use in the field but they tell you to download the PDF version. Of course you can just set the camera to auto picture mode right out of the box and fire away but then why buy a camera that can do so much? On the other hand this is a camera that you can grow with and not worry that next year's model will be significantly better.

My next gripe is about the video capabilities. The K-R is only 720p not 1080p as is common now and has no auto focusing in movie mode. It also does not have an HDMI output to directly connect to a HDTV. You have to load the movie onto a thumb drive before you can play on TV for example. It records mono rather than stereo as is standard elsewhere. It is obvious that Pentax did not catch the wave of DSLR video capability. My two year old $100 Flip type video camera has more flexible video capability if not video quality. They lose a star over this issue.

My final gripe is that the "Live View" on the LCD screen has a bit of a lag when moving the camera around. I rarely use anything but the viewfinder though.

All in all though if you take your still photography semi-seriously, want great lenses that are backwards compatible (front compatible too as my SF uses the new DA lens with no problem) and want a camera that is really a mid-user DSLR camera that is a really good value at an affordable entry level user price, this is for you.

UPDATE: Pentax discontinued the camera and I've grown displeased with it on a general level. I find that the sharpness has to be adjusted in editing software for most shots. Additionally the accuracy of the metering system can be hit and miss. Two identical shots taken in sequence will come out where one is OK and the other underexposed. The shadows and highlights do not balance out properly. The movie mode just sucks and is surpassed by even $200 point and shoots. Not to have proper video capability (no HDMI output? Come on!) in this day and age is absurd. After so long with one great Pentax camera (SF1) it seems stupid to have a camera that now seems obsolete so quickly. I have lots of Pentax lenses however so I'll probably get sucked into buying another Pentax once they get video right.

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I used a Pentax K1000 for many years, and loved it! So thought I'd try a "newer" version, and wanted to be able to use all my lenses. My only complaints are that I didn't get the 55-300 tele-photo lens with it, to take advantage of the auto-focus feature, which provides excellent photos with minimal fuss. The "digital age" brings SO many options to "learn" that it can be overwhelming at times... Translating little pictographs into the proper capture mode takes some getting used to, like anything else new... However, the more I use this camera, the better I like it. Still reading the book and trying things... Lots to learn... But with the "auto" features and basic settings (and my very basic understanding of the thing), it starts well ahead of the typical "point-n-shoot" cameras.

Panasonic PVDV201 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Built-in Digital Still Mode

Like most purchasers of camcorders, I am having my first child in August. Thus, I decided to buy a camcorder to take hours of video that I will never watch again. On the other hand, if I didn't buy a camcorder, I would be a horrible parent, right?

Anyways, I did a fair amount of research online and in print (Consumers Reports). I finally decided to purchase the Panasonic based on the recommendations of several electronics salespeople.

First, the PV-DV201 is a MiniDV format digital camcorder. The Digital8 camcorders (generally sold by Sony) are a little cheaper for the tapes. On the other hand, the camcorders are a bit larger and a fair bit heavier. If you have old 8mm tapes you want to replay on a camcorder, Digital8 is probably the format for you. This was my first camcorder, so I went with the MiniDV format because of the weight difference, and also because the picture quality seemed a bit better.

One caveat about the PV-DV201: The digital zoom requires you to press a separate button, which is a bit awkward. That being said, it is rare (in my experience) that you will need zoom power in excess of 20X, which the 201 provides. The digital zoom is a bit of a marketing ploy.

If you have previously fallen for the Sony marketing blitz, and think that only Sony can make good consumer electronics, just shop the prices, and you will see Sony is $100-150 more for comparable features.

I found this camcorder to be a high quality starter camcorder in the digital format, for a very reasonable price.

My title pretty much says it all. I was looking for an inexpensive DV solution ever since my son was born, and it took me a month to come up with this one.

While this camcorder is considered low end, I have to say it is definitely much better than low end. The resolution is fine for home movies (much better than VHS or 8mm, and much better than other DV camcorders in it's price range) and I like the fact I can edit and do whatever I need to do with the footage I shoot, with little to no generation loss.

Pros:

Good solid digital video recording and PC transfer. I'm using Windows XP, and while Adobe Premier will not transfer the video to the PC, I'm able to transfer from Windows Movie Maker....

2.5" Color LCD.

MultiMediaCard support for still images.

Hot Shoe for a lamp only.

VERY light!

FireWire!!!!

PCM Stereo....

Cons:

Software is not Windows 2000 or XP compatible (all video transfers are done through Microsoft's software, not Panasonic's).

Stills cannot be transferred at all through USB on Windows XP (ME and 98 work fine).

Still images are poor (no amount of Photoshop work will help...get a real camera).

Words of caution...more than likely you will need more Hard Drive space than you have. 18 minutes of higher resolution DV will take upwards to 9 GB of Hard Disk space. And while you're at it, you could probably use more memory as well.

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I've used the camera for about three months. It is everything I expected. I wanted a lightweight, small, easy to use camera with the ability to take still photos. The video picture quality is very good. The stills are pretty good considering this is a low end model.

I use Windows ME and the software provided is very, very good and easy to use. It would have been nice to be able to plug in a better mike but you can't. Also I'm left-handed and like most cameras for us, the buttons are a little hard to use.

Overall I don't think you will go wrong buying this camera. If you have Windows XP I would contact Panansonic to see if there are upgrades for the software.

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My husband bought this camera for me for christmas and i got it the other day as an early christmas gift so we could use it this holiday season filming our 15 month old son and family occasions, This camcorder is great. The software that comes with it is easy to use. the only thing it lacks is editing ability for the movies that you can upload to your pc. all in all its a great camcorder in my opinion.

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Update to previous reviews. The driver for win2000 or winXP is available NOW on panasonic website. With Firewire, WinXP actually detected it and it's plug and play.

I have used this camera for more than 2 years. I LOVE it.

1. There's no gap between clips. Canon ZR shows blue screen on playback every time you hit the pause button when recording REALLY annoying. This one just stitch the clips together nicely.

2. Transfer to computer with firewire or USB really simple, easy to use. TIPS: you can get firewire card with cable for less than $20 now.

3. Handling is excellent nice grip, light weight.

4. Long battery life. I was planning to buy a spare and found out no need for it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.