Sony Professional HVR-A1U CMOS High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom

I bought this camera to start my production business with and it was the best move I could have made. This camera is great for a beginner like me. It is user friendly while still allowing for ajustments. The HD is also amazing, my customers that have there videos in HD are absolutely floored we they get their finished product. A few things that I can recommend are getting a tripod as well as an extended battery. The stock battery only provides about 45 min with LCD and if you add anything other then the shotgun mic it lowers it even more. Make sure you use only high quality tapes. (I found out the hard way) Good tapes for this camera are going to cost about $10 to $15 but they are worth it when you reduce the time for re-tape due to drop-out on the film. All together this for me is a great camera for the price. Anything better is going to run you about $8000 or more.

Correction: High-definition video camera records in 1080i, or 480 NTSC (known as standard DV or DV) specification with analog down-converting. -->It does NOT record in 720p, or 720i. However, this is not an issue, just a correction. Also, all the output (for editing) is firewire; a digital format. You can watch the output on a TV using composite, svhs or component. Audio is RCA L/R.

As the other gentleman observed, this is more a serious amateur (dare I say pro?) camcorder that begs to be used. This is far more than the average user would want or need. It's bigger and heavier than the basic camcorder. But it shoots HDV 1080i and has gained a reputation as a documentary camera in situations where the camera may get damaged.

Key features over the sibling HC1 and HC3

It's same size as the HC1, except the added on audio "stalk".

No built in flash, but you are shooting video, not stills.

Audio is far more flexible than the other ones. HC3 is in-camera only. HC1 L&R channels are tied together, no independent controls. HC1 also will only accept unbalanced input (or spend $269 on BeachAudio converter and another $200 on shotgun to get equivalent). A1u is balanced input (XLR) and separate audio.

A1u also has black stretch switch for better definition of darker shaded scenes. Also if you output to 4:3 SDV, you can choose letterbox, stretch or cropped output. Other camcorders don't offer this (not sure about HC3).

Overall a1u has over 50 added features vs HC1.

Also, if you intend to edit HDV, it's an expensive proposition. Be sure to thoroughly research this before committing. It requires a fairly beefy PC. Expect to consume about 13 gig per hour of video.

You can output SDV today and edit that with any $50 video editing program and later on re-output in HDV and burn to Hi-def once that becomes mainstreamed... futureproofing yourself.

7/08 -While AVCHD (flash memory) cameras are now becoming popular, they require even more powerful PC's to edit and as of this writing, software to edit the files is only now becoming available. So make sure you look at the entire workflow before jumping in. One nice thing is most all HD camcorders have either HDMI or component video out and can be used to play back to a HDTV in at full resolution. It's pretty awesome and will make you glad you bought one, even if you have to possibly wait to buy the rest of the components needed to edit.

PS Look for the Sony HVR-A1U in "Ice Road Truckers" and "Deadliest Catch" and other similar HD programs.

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This camcorder is from the Sony Professional division with pro level warranty support. Sound is 70% of the experience and this camcorder delivers pro level XLR connectors with 48V power. For best sound results manually set the volume as high as possble keeping the peaks below 0db. The CMOS sensor produces amazing HD quality. A head shot of a person wearing a ball cap facing into strong direct sun with a deep shadow across their face does not blow out the highlights and shows full details in the shadow. I'm using Sony Vegas 7 to edit the results and I'm very happy with both the camcorder and Vegas.

This is bigger than the small consumer camcords but is about the same size as my old Sony Digital 8 camcorder and it's smaller than any other pro camcorder. Pro shooters are always amazed and comment on how small it is. Nothing produces this level of pro results without spending a lot more money.

While as good or better than the current crop of small HD consumer camcorders for shooing in low light there are better pro models such as the Sony Z1 and V1 for low light. The manual settings are via the touch screen and a not included PDA stylus is a must have to keep finger prints of the screen. 24fps can be done but you need Cineform Connect HD to do the pulldown from the Sony CF24 as the native CF24 is choppy until you use Cineform. If 24fps is a must the Sony V1 is a better choice.

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I have been shooting consumer video since 1981. I started with a reel to reel system, worked with a camera and VHS portapack, did 8mm, Hi-8 and replaced my Digital 8 camcorder with this HDV camcorder earlier this year. Primarily, I use it for family functions, but I do shoot things that require me to gather better sound than what comes out of the built-in mics. The primary reason I bought this camcorder was at the time it was the lowest price HDV camcorder that had a way to connect to external audio sources. I wanted a Canon A1, but didn't want to wait the extra year or two it would take to save up for that!

I also liked the idea that it used tape. I have a DVR that I fill up all the time and then have to dump onto tape or DVD to store what I want to keep. Also, in my informal in-store tests, the picture with the AVCHD codec just didn't look as good... at this time. I use standard DV tape mostly, but I clean my heads regularly and only record on the tapes once. I can think of two lost half-seconds of video where the key frame was corrupted in about forty hours of collection.

Primarily, I found three things to be important going from SD to HD. One, picture stability. Use a tripod as much as you can and don't make sudden movements. Two, you need a lot of light to shoot good HDV. Three, focus is absolutely critical in HD.

The touch screen menu system took me awhile to get used to. However, you can adjust the menus to have a personal set of menus; putting the menu selections you use mostly at the beginning of the list. Even so, Murphy's Law seems to dictate that you need to hit at least two menus to get to what you want. On a tripod, I find I can navigate quickly to the fader button without too much shake; this is much harder to do when I am doing a handheld shot. Also, I strongly suggest you get an LCD protector for the screen.

In bright light, the camera is fantastic. I've shot landscapes that just blew me away watching on a 46" plasma HDTV. My son played flag football and I covered that a la NFL films all in close up and with lots of action in the frame. It looked great and very clear, even in slow motion.

Inside, it's a little different. Family functions tend to take place in low light: table lights, kitchen overhead light, that sort of thing. The camera is not designed to shoot in those light levels (to be fair, no HDV camera seems to be at this time). The video can get very grainy (especially with a lot of dark areas in the frame) and the colors tend to go reddish. I'd say it compares to my Hi-8 camcorder from the early 90's in terms of sensitivity. On the small LCD screen, it's pretty much impossible to determine how grainy it will look. You won't be able to tell until you play it back on something normal sized and then the artifacts can be distracting. I would say anything below a bright kitchen needs some additional light. I've tried a couple of LCD lights that fit on the camcorder, but I haven't found one that I like yet, so I won't recommend one at this time.

However, so far, the stuff I have shot at school seems to look fine under lots of fluorescents. And HDV seems to have a wider range than standard video. You can have a lot of light and dark in a frame before you completely blow it out and have white glowing blobs instead of kids in a spotlight against a dark background (parents have had camcorders for an entire generation; you'd think they would have noticed this by now!). And the camera does have a "Zebra" function that will alert you to areas of your frame that need to be toned down.

The final thing is focus. Again, in bright light, this isn't too big of a problem. Even in flag football, the auto focus worked remarkably well, adjusting to the focus point within a second in almost all cases. Indoors, it does okay with one big exception that I just found out: Christmas tree lights totally screw it up. I don't know what it is, but our tree lights, my friend's tree lights and my aunt's tree lights all had the auto focus totally confused. However, the focus can be manually controlled by a switch on the side and through the dial at the front of the camera. I quickly zoomed in all the way, focused and then began to shoot. In any case, I recommend you zoom in all the way before you shoot as it is very difficult to tell on a three inch LCD screen if the scene is properly focused, but it is very easy to tell when you are watching it on a 46" HDTV!

There is a single button on the side called "ASSIGN" that you can have set up to do a number of things. However, you cannot assign ANY function to the button, just SOME functions. For example, you can't set it to black fader.

A "nice to have" would have been an HDMI out. You have two proprietary outputs for standard video and component HD video that I have hooked to my HDTV permanently. I need both of them because the component only outputs the video, so I have to use the RCA outs of the standard audio as well.

The 10X zoom is okay. I think I would have liked about 15 20X though, especially since I primarily use the camera with a tripod. Another issue with a tripod is when you eject a tape. It exits from the bottom, so at least on my tripod you have to take it off the tripod, take the connection plate off and then reconnect it after you put in a new tape. This is an annoyance for me about twice a month as I generally shoot 60 minutes of tape every couple of weeks; not critical, but more of why did they change it from the top loading mechanism on my Digital 8 camcorder?

The battery life with the original stock battery that would get sucked dry in less than an hour. However, I picked up a six hour battery and got rid of that issue. Actually, that helps to balance the camcorder in my hand when I use the audio breakout box which fits on the top of the camera towards the front. I use that a lot because the built-in microphones seem to pick up more sound from the sides rather than straight on and they really seem to pick up a lot of wind noise. The external microphone that comes with the camera isn't bad. I shot a football game with thirty mile an hour gusts and only the worst ones came through the wind screen.

The camera will shot still pictures to a Sony MemoryStick. I have a 1GB stick and can fit something like 800 pictures on it. The pictures are okay (no flash) and they are in the 16:9 format of the camcorder. One nice thing is to be able to take a still while recording video. Again, in flag football, I could be shooting the action and then taking a still or two while the kids were running and the 10X zoom was much better than my 3X on my snapshot digital camera.

The camcorder comes with a hood for the lens with a built in lens cover. Unfortunately, if you want to put on any filters, the lens shade can't be used. I have a clear filter on my lens to prevent scratches, use the 37mm lens cover from my Digital 8 camcorder and generally live without the hood.

All in all, I'm pleased with the camera and generally astounded with the quality of the video. It took me a couple of months of use before I was totally comfortable with the camera layout and didn't accidentally turn it off when I wanted to start shooting. It's taken me longer to figure out how to best shoot in HD versus SD, but I'm getting there! I'd recommend the camera though there are now consumer level camcorders with external audio options that you might want to research before buying this one.

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I recently had the Canon GL1 and thought it was time to upgrade to Hi-Def. After reading about 30 customer and 20 pro reviews it was the only camera that was offered pro features and great image quality worth way more then the price. It is all because of the CMOS sensor the camera uses. It consumes less power, less money to produce, better image quality then CCD and does not smear light. Some people say it's a consumer camera because it only has a one chip sensor instead of three like a CCD sensor but a CMOS sensor is a lot different then a CCD. A single chip CMOS sensor is three mega-pixels just like three CCD chips. It should be considered a pro camera instead of a consumer camera.

OK; now what the camera can do..... It has a touch screen which is handy but you have to keep wiping it off because it smudges easily. The personalized menu is a great idea; you can have all your most used items at a touch away. The cineframe and cinematone features are a good idea if you want your movies to have a more professional Hollywood look to them. The picture quality in good light is almost identical the image quality of the Sony Z1U which cost $4,000 and that's really amazing!! The low light performance is not that good, this is a downside of the CMOS sensor. I really like the exposure lever, one strange thing is that the camera does not give exposure increments like F1.6 ..... F2.6 it just gives you a bar. Three quarters of the bar is for exposure and the last quarter of the bar is gain which digitally brightens the picture and makes the picture real grainy. Just make sure you adjust the exposure manually in dark places and turn the gain off by not going to the last quarter of the bar. It has some other great features and that I am not going to go in to but you can read about them on this page. One other thing is that this camera is quite compact and I am really amazed at the picture quality that it takes.

Over all it is great camera and a good choice for any one who needs a good Hi-Def camera for a low price.

I hope this review helps and I will be adding more to this review.

06/29/08

I don't know what the problem was with the guy below me. I think he had problems in low light with the camera, this camera is not the best in low light. The auto focus is a little slow indoors but it's a lot better in good light. He also had problems with the mic, there are a lot of settings for the mic and you have to set them right to get good sound. When rewinding tapes I did not think it made a horrendous noise but it does make different pitches as you rewind it. The camera is small, they made it compact so pros could get great images in tight places. If you need a good low light camera go with the Sony V1U.

07/18/08

Price went up $300 from when I bought it, I guess I made a good investment.

BoxWave Apple Macbook Pro 15" Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable

Precisely what I wanted. It's nice to be able to get reliable/quality products for reasonable prices for Apple products but not at Apple prices. This company does that very well.

I bought this item in hopes that it would connect to my Macbook Pro to my TV, and display everything. My hopes were fulfilled by this useful cable that now lets me play some of my Computer games using a TV to display them. I used a wireless keyboard and mouse, sat on a chair, and pulled up a small table. Let me tell you: It's epic. When I play games such as Slender or TF2 and get to play it off the TV, I have a lot of fun. It's also useful for playing movies off your computer, so I don't have to buy a physical DVD. I don't think I'll ever use a normal computer screen again!

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Great product! I have a 2012 13'' Macbook Pro & this cable fits & works perfectly! Though, it's not super long, so be aware of that. Fast shipping, too!

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Video and Audio work just perfectly on my Mid 2010 Macbook Pro 15".

I am using this cable on a Samsung Smart TV

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very practical accessory, I use it to connect to my TV, I can work very well and all day I think about going to work in my room

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Stealth Cam Infrared Digital Video Scouting Camera (Black)

I mainly purchased this product for surveillance of the two legged kind vs. the four legged. This unit is in a small package 4x6" and about 2" thick. It is built very solid with the working parts in the door. It is a 8 mega pixel camera which give me very nice picture that I'm able to zoom in on without the picture pixilizing. On one occasion I was even able to zoom in on a uniform and ID the person from their badge name and number. The IR flash is very powerful and in fact in some instances may even be too powerful. When used in a area with not much depth I needed to place the IR selector switch on B, which is less powerful and even tape over some of the IR's to keep from getting and over exposed picture.

The video portion of this camera works as advertised. Very clear pirture day and night but again need to watch the IR's in small places for over exposure. The sound quality and sensitivity is outstanding. Able to hear conversation well outside the video area.

I gave this product a 5 star rating because it was built for watching game, outdoors and it does exactly what it is suppose to do. I'm using it for something it wasn't intended to be used for and with a little practice was able to adjust it to meet my needs perfectly.

If the manufacture were reading this I would suggest to simply give the user more IR adjustment choices, and the trigger time from 15 seconds up to 1 hour vs starting the trigger time at 1 minute.

On a side note the box only came with instructions written in French and to date I have not been able to make contact with the manufacture to send me one in English. Also they do not have this model available for download.

I bought this more for monitoring my home than for game, been a lot of break-ins lately. I've been very impressed with it so far. Pics come out very clear with great colors, and the night shots look good too. So far I've only caught neighbors looking around, but did get some great pics of them. lol! It's easy to program and after a month the batteries are still going strong. Being a techie, I like that I do have a firmware update option should Stealthcam ever need to release one.

Why only 4 stars? 2 reasons. First, the reset should be less than one minute. I'd like to see 30, or even 15 seconds to start. The other reason is the time it takes to actually take the first pic. A lot of times the subject can be out of the pic once its triggered and the camera fires off a shot. Placement can help if you can aim it up the path still, like to see the lag time go away.

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This Unit is really cool. It records Pictures in burst and video & SOUND. I really like that attribute. Really easy to use and has zoom options. I like to use mine for hunting and security reasons. With the zoom you can post these up high and zoom down to catch license plates when people trespass on land.I have that issue a lot. Seems to hold charge well AND USES 8 AA BATTERIES... Problem with big batteries is that they don't sell well at stores and by the time you buy them they are half drained. "AA" is way better. I need to buy a 12v battery and test it out on this. My last one finally died.

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I bought this to get candid pics of the wildlife that lives in and around my yard, and it has done a great job. It's easy to use/program, and takes both still pics and video with sound. It comes with a tree-strap. (8) AA batteries have been in it for about a month, with no sign of weakening yet. It also has very effective night/IR capabilities. I'm going to try to post a pic that it took of a grey fox standing on a boulder if you see it, it's mine. It uses standard SD camera cards, and takes pics in JPEG format, so it's easy to get the pics onto my Mac. Very pleased.

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I have now had two of these cameras fail in less than a week. Both were purchased locally. I would not rate it with even a single star but Amazon apparently doesn't allow 'zeros.'

After studying reviews on-line for a few days I chose the StealthCam Unit as my first trail camera.

The first StealthCam Unit was found to be broken right out of the box. I had opened the box, read the instructions and began installing the batteries. When I had five of the eight batteries installed the interior LCD display came on and the camera buzzed/whirred like a motor was running for a few seconds. The the buzzing stopped and the display went blank, so I installed the remaining batteries and SD card. After that the Unit powered up fine and everything seemed to function fine. I set the time and date and was ready to set it out for a test run when I noticed that there was something rattling around loose between the camera lens and the clear lens window of the exterior case. There is a small round filter that moves into place over the lens, but this one was loose and rattling around freely inside. Took the batteries and SD out and took it back for a replacement.

So the second Unit seemed to work fine at first. No loose parts and no whirring/buzzing noises while installing the battery. But the first try at getting photos showed some problems. The card had 18 pics after the first test, and only 14 would open while the others were corrupt and could not be viewed. I should note here that the SD card was bought new for this camera and had never been in any other equipment aside from the first StealthCam Unit. I formatted the card and that seemed to help, but there were still some images with incomplete data, and after a couple more runs the camera began to lock up and not shoot any images at all. The first set of (brand new) batteries got sucked dry well before I reached 100 images over a couple of days. With a second set of new batteries and even attempts to use different SD cards (both from the "aproved" list in the manual) and the camera still locked up and took no photos. I even downloaded and installed the firmware update as instructed by StealthCam support, but the problems continued.

This one is going back as well and I'll avoid anything form StealthCam from here on out.

On top of the above problems, I was less than impressed with the image quality. Daylight color photos were grainy and had bad digital artifacts between light and dark areas. For an 8 megapixel camera I expected much better quality. The B/W night shots were decent.

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Mini USB Endoscope Borescope Snake Inspection Video Camera Zoom 5M Cable TE16

Works ok, focuses at about 1 foot and 1 of 4 LEDs are already burning out. and the variable resistor for the LEDs is not very variable. Either all on or all off, nothing in between.

Over all, It works for what I will need it for.

This product for the price works great and will do the job I bought it for automotive repair or inspection.

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JVC GR-SXM930U Super VHS Palm Sized Camcorder with LCD Monitor

I've tried others but none can hold up to the scrutiny that this product has experienced. Okay, so it cost me a marriage and a career, but I'd buy a back up, if I wasn't locked up. When I get out they'll have the third series available with higher restitution but softer focus.

If I were to mention a complaint, it would be that sometimes it seems as though it is half empty, but the owner's manual says that when in doubt, do nothing. Yes, nothing, at least until you can be reasonably sure that it is half-full. The owner's manual also suggest that calibration may be more easily achieved by soliciting the aid of a good friend, but not if you have the auto-dialer model, and your friend uses bi-focals.

I'll spend my last dollar and go into debt to buy something, anything. I need to feel like I deserve to buy this, but I've no more room in the closet and dialing for dollars is on the speakerphone. So, try one or two before everyone does. I hate being the last one to catch on to a trend that's why I don't by things on sale. I usually go to overpriced.com. I need more status, but my Visa needs to be paid. Don't tell me that I don't need no stinking Visa, our president said the good Americans spend money on luxury junk that's sold by corporations and made in sweatshops. Naftarific, Naftaexpeolidocious, Nafta-Roni, and when my job goes overseas, then I'm going with it, because I need to go in debt, then sit at my computer and write about all the neat stuff I bought for the closets and garage.

Sony LCS-U20 Carrying Case (Black) with 16GB Card + NP-FV70 Battery + Tripod + Accessory Kit for Ha

I loved this product. I didn't have to seperately purchase all the little extras that I would need everything was included and supplied as advertised.

Nikon Training and Tutorial Videos: Introduction to the Nikon D90, Volume 2

Wasn't impressed with the DVD. I would strongly recommend "David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photography (Paperback)".... for he doesn't just show you where the buttons are....he explains them and explains how and why you would use certain features. He delves into some photographay basics in explaining the features, but the book isn't intended to replace a photography book. But it enhances it very well!! If you want to understand how your camera works and why there are certain features the camera has...this is the book for you!!

This is second in the series. It's OK but a bit too over acted which can become a little unappealing. Never the Less it has all the info you need to operate the camera in an advanced mode.

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great much better than any manual, covers everthing you need to know about the d90

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VueZone System with 1 Indoor Camera and 1 Indoor Motion Detection Camera (SX2500)

The good:

-Extremely easy to setup, was up and running in well under 15 minutes including unboxing time.

-Gateway grabs a DHCP address from your broadband router and connects to the my.vuezone site.

-Smartphone clients for Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices. (Update: Blackberry is no longer supported)

-Cameras are completely wireless, allowing for extremely easy installation

-Cameras seem to have a very decent range from the gateway.

-No line of sight needed for the cameras, no problems for me going through walls and floors of brick, wood and drywall. Metal building supplies may pose issues though, but this will be the case with any wireless camera.

-1 year of Premium service comes with the system, currently only $49.95 per year after that.

-Snapshots/videos are recorded out to the website immediately, and can be played back from almost any internet connected computer.

The bad:

-Motion sensing does not work through glass.

-Cannot set ignore times for motion sensing/alerting, it is either on or off for each camera.

-Low-light performance leaves much to be desired. Despite several streetlights, no picture was visible in an area easily visible to the human eye.

-Operating temperatures limited to 32º to 122º F, so mounting options will be limited to temperature controlled locations for most locations. (Update: per Avaak Tech Support, this is a limitation of the batteries, not the camera.)

-Cameras have no wired power option, so you'll be using up batteries even in areas where you could easily connect wired power.

-Fixed 60 degree field of view on the cameras is a bit limiting.

Overall, the system is good with a few caveats. With more camera options, it would be great. Unfortunately, it appears Avaak has gone the other way, as the Outdoor rated camera has disappeared from their site.

I would love to see cameras with an AC power option, an outdoor rated dome camera (Pan/tilt/zoom would be outstanding) and perhaps others integrated into the great gateway and website that Avaak has going for them.

Update:

Outdoor (waterproof) camera mounts are now available! This doesn't address the temperature restrictions of the batteries, but gives you a lot more flexibility in the mounting location. Avaak has changed their service plans several times from when this review was written, so check the latest account details on their site. They also run sales on the service renewal from time to time, so renew when the sales are going to save yourself a few bucks.

My concerns with eating through the batteries seems to have been unfounded, as I'm still on the original batteries in all the cameras. Also, the sticky-back on the mounts should be looked at as a BACKUP to the screw slot on all but perfectly smooth surfaces. I had a camera take a nasty 8 foot fall onto concrete which left a crack in the housing, but it still works perfectly.

I have had my VUE SM2700 motion detection camera system up and running for about a week now, and so far so good! Installation really is a breeze, and the wireless cameras (and their mounts) are so convenient to use. I have the receiver upstairs along with one of the cameras, and the other camera is downstairs. Both cameras have perfect reception and the viewing resolution is better than I expected. Also, there are three adjustable settings for the available lighting the room provides, which is accessed through the software so you can easily change the settings even when you are away.

I tested the motion detection once, and it worked fine. An email was immediately sent showing a video clip of the movement. This can be adjusted from a 10 second or 40 second clip. I will do more extensive testing at a later date, but so far it seems to work well. The 2x zoom function also works well. You get to decide what to zoom in on, and the resolution is excellent. The movements on screen are a little laggy, but that is to be expected and really its not that bad at all. If someone was removing something from your home, I think you would be able to get a clear shot at the persons face along some point of a 40 second motion video. A lot also depends on how far you setup your cameras from the objects they may be viewing. The brighter the available lighting and the closer the better.

I have had zero issues using the software on a PC, IPAD, and on my Android phone. They all three work perfect so far. This is great news, something that actually works!

So far I am very happy with this setup. I will say that this is NOT a high end surveillance system so dont buy it with unrealistic expectations. However, for basic home use I think you will be hard pressed to find anything better anywhere near this price range. I only wish a future firmware upgrade will add a schedule setting that allows the motion detection to turn off/on at a certain time. That way when you come home at 5pm everyday, you dont have to disable it manually.

Otherwise, no real complaints! Two thumbs up!

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It is very easy to set up the cameras and "gateway". No technical knowledge is necessary. The gateway has one USB port but the manual and web site do not mention any use of it. I wish the recorded video could be stored in a USB flash attached to the gateway. Lens are not wide-angle. To capture a view of entire room, the camera has to be placed high on the ceiling.

I am not happy with the frame rate. Eight frame per second at 320 x 160? Come on, this is not in the 80s.

A nice feature will be providing advanced functions by connecting to the gateway directly, just like you connect to the web site inside a Linksys router and change the settings. This feature may be present but hidden.

Don't bother to view the camera at night. The FAQ web site says at least 40-watts light bulb is required. I tried it. The image was very grainy and painful to see.

Overall, the product offers basic functions of live video camera. Make sure you have adequate lighting, or preferably in bright daylight. Online registration is quick and easy. I can view the camera immediately after registration. However, if your network is down such as no Internet due to ISP (Internet Service Provider) issue, you're doomed. You can't view the camera.

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I have been using these cameras for several years and generally been pleased... until recently. This company is trying to now get me to pay for a yearly subscription to view my cameras on-line. I think this is a serious problem and it was not disclosed that I would need to purchase an additional service when I made my original camera purchase. I have three cameras in one location and to be frank, am not sure why I need to pay an additional $20 a year for something that was originally free and has minimal benefits. I have written to this company questioning this policy twice so far and have received unapologetic generic responses. I am very angry and am looking for another product to replace my VueZone.

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Hidden fee warning: to use any mobile phone requires $5 / month fee. To share viewing with more than 1 person requires fees as well. Many negative reviews seem to have been updated because the company threw a bone at these customers and extended free service by 1 year, and raised fees for all others who are buying now.

If you read company rep's response to those negative reviews, it's a lie saying premium fee is required for maintaining quality of service. This camera should not be using any of the company's resources once installed at home, the fee is only good for keeping their profit and bonuses growing. I am a software engineer myself and I appreciate the need to make money, but requiring users to pay additional fee for some basic function that's highly touted in their product description is highly deceptive.

I almost bought this camera since the design looks very nice and the gold box offer is tempting.

Thanks to those who wrote 1 or 2 star reviews, I was able to see the proper warning. Since company now is engaging in trying to change those negative reviews to better by selectively offering additional benefits, I feel compelled to warn everyone else.

Hope this will save some people's trouble having to pay the return shipping when realized that it does not work with phones out of box.

Lorex Wireless Video Monitoring System with 4 Cameras (LW2714B)

Not being a tech girl, I opted to find a wireless security system to allow viewing of outside my home. I didn't want to pay monthly charges for someone to do what I could do. This fits the bill. Plug it in to a power adapter and your set. Mount the camera where you want it, inside or out. I have had mine a little over 2 weeks, and you have the option to record motion only,certain times of day only or opt to record constantly. It does a great job, particularly during the day time. Night time, maybe if I had it installed outdoors it would pick up further, but for now, it is on my patio and picks up about 25-30 ft at night, I think it is due to the infrared reflecting off the screened patio. Daytime is pretty awesome. Can you tell what color someones eyes are, no. But you get the general description of the person or car, and the closer they get the better. I have had no issues like others complaining about the monitor having to be right next to the camera or missed recording. I have moved mine throughout the house and it works fine. Stucco walls. Read some reviews at Best Buy and they have mostly good things to say about it, like picking up from a barn. I picked mine up from HD just in case there was an issue I can look someone in the face or return it if need be. I did opt for a 16gb which I purchased and it records for about 3 days continuous and you can mark it to overwrite day after day as it fills up. I generally go in and view the files on my lap top, erase what I don't need and have 3-4 days of files. I got mine due to recent burglaries in the area, and without some kind of description around here, your case goes to the trash bin. You get a cd/cable to use with SKYPE to monitor from you phone or office computer. I am very pleased with it and will be purchasing a additional camera soon. You do have to place this near a receptacle, hence why mine is indoors on the patio. About 6 ft comes with it, or you can special order a 15ft. No interference from my cordless phone about a foot away. No interference from by cable modem or internet. I constantly get 5 bars for signal strength. With the 2 gb that comes with it, you can record about 4 hrs straight and then it is full or you can set to overwrite and it will keep going. I use the 2gb as a temp while reviewing the files on my 16 gb. You can speak to people via the camera without opening your door to strangers. Just press a button on back of monitor and ask what they want, release for them to speak and then push to talk back. I turned the beeps off that alert for motion detected, but you can leave it to attract your attention. Monitor comes with wall mount or as a picture stand. It has built in photos, 5 of them, that you can set to make it look like a picture frame instead of viewing whats recorded. For the price, you get quite a bang for your buck. At least I think so. Also the price listed on Amazon is one of the best I have seen so far for this unit.

I purchased this Security Camera system 07/21/12. I received the package 07/24/12. I had no problem setting it up as instructions indicated. I liked the Monitor because I could keep an eye on everything out my front door all the way to the street, including my car and front steps and still watch TV. On 07/25/12 I pulled the SD card and watched all the videos that I set up under Motion Detection, but realized it had recorded me putting cat food out at 6:44 am, and an automobile driving by at 7:07 am; however, it did not record me walking down my steps, getting into my car and backing out of my driveway around 7:00 am. As someone had broken the locking gas cap off my car recently I need this camera to pick up anyone walking up to it or approaching my front steps. I called customer service that day (25th) and was 14th in line @ 1:14 pm. 9th in line @ 1:18 pm, 6th in line at 1:22 pm and 3rd in line @ 1:25 pm then a man came on and wanted my phone number and they would call me back. I told the man I wanted to hold because I did not believe they would call me back; he said he had no way of putting me back in the Que so I gave him my name and phone number. At 9:14 pm CST (I was going to bed) I received a return call. After explaining what was wrong the man said he would replace the camera but he would need to send me an email telling me all the information they would need and I would have to send them a copy of my sales receipt. I told him that was no problem. I did not receive an email from him. I called them back the morning of the 26th, left my number for a return call and was called back in approximately 2 hours. I once again explained what was happening with the camera not recording properly and that I had not gotten the email. I received the email while this new man was on the phone. As of today I still have not heard back from the email I sent them on the 26th which means I will have to call them again and wait again for them to call me back and explain everything all over again. I guess I'm expecting too much to be able to call a company and get service or for a product to work as advertised. I do not recommend this company to purchase from.

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Piece of junk, it wont record anything unless its within 10ft of the camera, did extensive testing over a couple hours. Within 10ft it records fine, beyond 10ft and any movement, including my wife frantically waving her arms and jumping up an down, never triggered the recording feature, picture quality is poor, but for the price the picture quality wasn't the primary reason why I sent it back. Really need the motion recording, but if it only records within 10ft of the camera its worthless to our family for any type of protection.

Take Care.

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This product is great. The day and night view and very accurate. My camera records when motion is detected from approximately 20 feet, but does not include minor things (such as a bird flying or mosquitoes). Installation was about thirty minutes because I had to drill through concrete to get the camera's cord through my wall to plug in, but other than that it was very easy. The wireless feature is superb because I did not have to run wires through my attic or drill more holes in my house (something big to consider). Overall, I would highly recommend this and have already added a second camera. By the way, the power cord for the camera is about 7 feet, which is something I was hoping someone else would mention to take into consideration for the camera mounting location.

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I wish I could give them a negative star rating. I ordered the wireless monitoring system that records onto an SD card. Set up was fairly easy and it worked fine for 5 months then the monitor quit recording, I can still see the cameras on it but it won't record which was the main reason for the purchase. After 3 calls to support, with an average of 20 minutes wait each time resulting in 3 promises of a call back from a higher ranked tech person, I'm ready to give up. I've wasted too much of my time trying to get this sorted. My unit is still on warranty and they have never called me back, they didn't even try. I am now stuck with the defective monitor. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY OF THEIR PRODUCTS AND WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN. I wish I had gone with another brand. So if you want a monitoring system that works short term, Lorex is for you, just pray that nothing goes wrong because they will do nothing for you.

DO NOT BUY FROM LOREX!!!

GE 45261 Portable 2.5-Inch LCD Monitor Wireless Analog Camera

This item conveys all movements as they occur, not in segments as other wireless camera-monitors by other companies. There appears to be a problem with overheating inside the monitor in previous GE monitor/camera packages I purchased which will eventually affect video performance,color, or will simply shut down for good. The latest purchase from Amazon has the best color and clarity of all previous cam/monitors purchased and well worth the money if you are securiity conscious in these days no matter where you live. Just make sure the product has plenty ventilation, dont drop it, and keep it away from moisture.

was shipped really fast,set up easy,just plug in and watch.all i have to do is gat a recorder next.might get wireless battery so it can't be unplugged

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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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