Showing posts with label best computer monitors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best computer monitors. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

PhotoBert Photo CheatSheet for Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera

PhotoBert Photo CheatSheet for Nikon D5100 Digital SLR CameraThis was a great buy for the price.. it even came before christmas. the packaging was great so that it didnt get damaged in shipping. i will be ordering from them time and time again..... this really helped my wife out in learning new things about her Nikon.

This laminated tri-fold card is a great quick reference for the D5100. It's not intended to answer every question you have about camera settings, but it sure addresses the most common questions. Obviously, the more you use your camera, the less often you may need to refer to the guide, but I've had my D5100 for about six months and I still find useful information on the CheatSheet. A couple of very helpful items are the Information Display and the Viewfinder Display which describes all the numbers and symbols you see when looking at or through the camera. Each section shows the features of a particular menu and which buttons to press to get to additional options as well as providing a short description of each. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into the CheatSheet because I'd be hard pressed to think of any issue you might have that isn't addressed on the card unless you're a very advanced user. This is great for those just starting out and those photographers at the intermediate level looking for a quick answer. Excellent resource.

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I recently purchased a NIKON 5100 w/manual on how to use it. Of course, trying to take the nearly 500 pg. book out into the field when shooting would be impossible, so I ordered "the cheat sheet". It is absolutely awesome, so much in fact that I made 2 more copies to carry in smaller backpacks that I take w/me on occasions that I might not need the entire camera bag. I just can't say enough how incredibly everything is covered in so much detail in so little room.

Read Best Reviews of PhotoBert Photo CheatSheet for Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera Here

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Sony Alpha ECM-SST1 Stereo Microphone with NP-FW50 Battery + Tripod + Case + 3 Filter Set + Accesso

Sony Alpha ECM-SST1 Stereo Microphone with NP-FW50 Battery + Tripod + Case + 3 Filter Set + Accessory Kit for 3, 5, NEX-F3, NEX-C3, NEX-5N & NEX-5R CamerasGreat product, beyond my expectations. Have filters, the tripod, every think is fully funtional , its great, I love it and I will buy something else from the seller in the future...

Monday, May 26, 2014

Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized ZoomThe first video I took with my SDR-H40 camcorder was of a small conference inside a moderately illuminated, windowless hangar. Since I was new to the camcorder, it was set to auto-white balance. The video came out fine, and better than I expected. When it was accidentally unplugged I was glad to see that it automatically fixed the video file in just a few seconds. Outdoor video is excellent, as is it's optical stabilization. Panasonic uses a larger image chip than many manufacturers do in this price range.

My only disappointment was that it doesn't have a very wide angle lens. Personally, I'd be willing to trade the long 42x telephoto for a decent wide angle shot. Unfortunately, this problem is widespread among most camcorder manufacturers.

What I like is the simplicity of operation, it's excellent video, it's large hard drive capacity which gives many hours of use, it's ability to also record on SD & high capacity SD cards, it's small size (you could fit three of them inside my old 8mm camcorder,) optical stabilization, and value. The software gets the job done, though it isn't feature-rich. That's fine with me, and preferable to software with a steep learning curve and lots of features that I'll probably never use.

I searched long and hard for reviews on the new SDR-H40 camcorder from Panasonic with very few results. I decided to go ahead and buy it from Amazon and just try it out. Amazon was the least expensive price by the way. This camera is exactly what I was looking for and fits my needs to film my two little boys perfectly. I was buying it to replace a 10 year old panasonic vhs-c camcorder that was well worn out. Right out of the box I could not believe how small this camera was. It literally fits in the palm of my hand. The 40 gig hard drive holds over 9 hours of video on the highest quality setting. More than enough for me I think. The sound was very crisp and clear. The video was average I thought but for the price I paid I have no complaints. I was actually between buying this camera and the Sony DCR-SR45. I opted for this Panasonic because of the price and my satisfaction in the old Panasonic vhs-c camera we owned previously. If you are looking for an entry level, low priced hard drive based camcorder, I strongly recommend the Panasonic SDR-H40. The only complaint I have so far is the included software which is no big deal.

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Purchased the Panasonic SDR-H40 about a month ago and have been pretty pleased with it so far. Filming indoors is pretty grainy as I would suspect most cameras in this price range will be. Turning all lights on and up when filming indoors helps though. Sound is OK, but good for basic use.

I'm running it on a MSFT XP system and the software that comes with it to pull the video files off the camera in a viewable format is clunky at best. I'd recommend upgrading to a more sophisticated or 3rd party video editing software vs. using the standard tool that comes with it. I'm running Adobe Premiere Elements now and it is a much better user experience -from transferring files to editing the video.

On the positive side, the Zoom with optical image stabilizer is fantastic. The menu, interface, design, features/functionality are great -easy to use yet flexible enough to meet most average users filming needs.

If you are looking for a basic HDD camera, I'd give this one serious consideration.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Here

I'd been contemplating a camcorder for several months, and when the funds became available, after careful thought, I bought this one. Why:

1) The built-in 40 Gig hard drive is a huge blessing. More than adequate for my needs

2) Small size and ease of use and learning for a first timer like me

3) A lot of good features for the price

4) Better optical zoom than many in this price range (42X optical, 2000X digital)

5) More than acceptable sound quality

I was also aware of some of the limitations of such a unit. For lighting, I did purchase a small LCD movie light that definitely helps in dim situations, (I may een get an infra-red light for night shots). Other thing to keep in mind is that there is NO external audio input, just the built-in condenser mic which is actually pretty decent.

Ah, the infamous enclosed software question. Simple, I DON'T USE IT!

Instead, I just simply copy the video files onto my 500 Gig external HD when the unit is hooked up to my PC. Then, I edit them in different software altogether (in my case, uLead/Corel Video Studio 11, which works way better than the enclosed Panasonic software by far and offers much more functionality and features, not to mention ease of use).

No, it's not going to produce a cinematic epic (you'd need at least a $40,000 broadcast quality unit to do that with) but it'll not only capture your life's moments but it can be utilized to produce a pretty cool low-budget film if you're so inclined, heck I've produced some comedy videos with footage from this thing in part and was very pleased.

My only real MAJOR gripe is the battery, I just wish it could last more than one hour! Are there batteries compatible with this unit that will go 2, maybe 3 hours? At least they were kind enough to include a charger/power supply.

Looking for a good place to start camcordering, this is a good one!

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so a month after buying this camcorder i had a chance to record my grandson's football( soccer) game in barrington il. seeing that it was my first time using it, it took me a few minutes to get used to steadying the camera. after that it was easy. the mic worked good with the audience noise( chanting) and the finger and thumb controls are comfortable enough for my big hand.

after i got home i had to install the software and transfer the movie to my computer. easy enough. the problem was that i shot in 16:9 and my movie came out on 4:3. now i had to resort to another programme to transfer it to 16:9. not good. you should be able to transfer from the camera to the pc in the same mode and screen type.

thats my only problem with this camcorder, the transfer.

the pictures(movie) were very good quality in my opinion.

one more thing. as of today, april 22, 2008. the batteries are very expensive and hard to get.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Defender SN500-4CH-002 Feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and

Defender SN500-4CH-002 Feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and 4 Indoor/Outdoor Hi-Res CCD Night Vision CamerasI setup the 4 cams and used my tv as the monitor, had it up and running in about 30 min. Mounting the cams and getting the view I wanted and installing the cords to where they were hidden took me 2-3 hrs. Daylight images are pretty good quality. The cams are not waterproof and as other said over 20 ft details get fuzzy. I have cam 1 overlooking the driveway set under the eaves above garage, cam 2 in mudroom overlooking main entrance and garage (cam1), cam 3 inside looking at back sliding glass door, cam 4 inside living room looking at main entrance. I installed the outdoor wire through a 25 ft long 3/4" diameter plastic conduit to prevent someone cutting it (use a lubed up electician's fish wire tool helps).

-1/2 star for during the night mode the LEDs cause too much reflection to have the cam setup to record vid through a window even with an antiglare shield. I recommend when you get the cam angle you like, use a bit of lock tight on the clamp screw (the temporary kind, not the permanent) I can see the clamp getting loose during natural cold and heat cycles.

The settings I use are best quality recording and only on Alarm mode (movement). The motion detector is fine during the day, a bit buggy during the night mode (-1/2 star). car lights shining will activate the recording, moths and bugs also are attracted to the IR light during night mode even with the sensitivity turned down. During the night mode also there is about a 1-2 second delay from detection to start of recording... the suggested setting is 24/7 record on low quality unless Alarm or movement mode activates a higher quality record setting, but this will eat up a lot of HD space and you end up with a lot of nothing video.

I use about 1% of HD space a day on Alarm only record mode on Best quality so it will possibly record up to 100 days before rewriting, which is pretty darn good.

-1 star is converting the vid (H.264 format) you want to web friendly or any computer viewable (AVI format) requires a few steps and you end up with a pretty large file (the option to convert to MP4 or other format can be done with a secondary converter, will give you a smaller file with decent quality). You can use USB thumb drive or an alternative you can have another external HD and dump your vid there, then use a PC and the provided AVI converter. You can only convert the one cam vid at a time, so if you have 20 some events on different cam views it will take a while to convert. Practice this step a few times just in case you need to do it for an incident where you have to submit video as evidence to police.

The remote control is very cheaply made and if you have a fat thumb like me it was a bit cumbersome to use... I only use the remote because it has the easiest to find PB button (playback) compared to going through the menus manually. I mainly use the provided mouse to navigate otherwise.

If you want better night vid, there are other better quality waterproof outdoor cams available (any brand with a Sony CCD is good or Panasonic).



***Updated in the comments section 1 year into owning the system*** (K.H.)

This is a video review of SN500-4CH-002 which is Defender's feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and 4 Indoor/Outdoor Hi-Res CCD Night Vision Surveillance Cameras.

This all-in-one system contains everything you need to setup and record a 4 camera surveillance system in your home or business.

For my installation, I did not need to buy anything extra or subscribe to any monthly service to use the system. I can now access the system through any computer in the world as long as it has internet access. I can also access footage by using my smart-phone when I am on the go.

I really do recommend the Defender SN500-4CH-002 system for anyone looking for an affordable 4ch DVR security system with web and smartphone access.

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This is a great system as a beginner system goes. It is limited to 4 cameras which is the only drawback, really making it applicable for home or small business use.

I installed this on the outside of my home.

The system came well packed, directions were detailed and a snap. It took just over 2 hours to get it all set up. I would say that I am expert at handy man type jobs, so if you aren't comfortable on a ladder, with a makita drill and spade bit, better leave installation to an expert.

Picking the location of the cameras was the toughest part, as I wanted them to have the best views and yet somewhat un-obtrusive. We have had 3 friends come over since I installed the system and none of them had any clue there were cameras around.

I have not tried the web set up yet, but will soon.

The software allows you to fast fwd at an 8x speed so you can search easily. The night vision is awesome as well. The cameras work well in ambient lighting, so no issues there either.

I have a friend who is a police officer take a look at the video quality and he said if anything ever happened, the quality is good enough for law enforcement as well.

Bottom line: If you can drill and route wires, you can install this. Maybe the best $500 I have ever spent.

Read Best Reviews of Defender SN500-4CH-002 Feature-rich 4 Channel H.264 DVR Security System with Smart Phone Access and Here

After 3 years of researching for a system to place in my home and with my needs of Web/Smartphone ability this company is highly recommended. My line of work allows me to see alot of professional DVR security systems in Corp. and private retail industry. I truely believe in camera security over just an audile alarm for homes. More crimes are solved with a picture over an audible alarm which is monitored. I bought the system due to the cost and features. Once received it was out of the box and running in 10 minutes (No camera's mounted or internet connection at this time). Internet connection took me about 45 minutes (Now I could do it in 5 minutes if I did it over). When it comes to setting up the router read carefully I have Linksey G wireless and everything works using DHCP IP address mode. I also use a first generation iPhone which does allow me to see the cameras in real time. This unit has capabilities to record on different days, hours and or an area of motion can be set within the cameras view to activate. The system does have a notification setup for emails which sends a still photograph if the camera is activated (Would be nice if updated software was to add notifications to phone numbers). Added features in the back of the DVR allow setup of an audile alarm. For around $500 one time fee with no monthly service to monitor or cost to maintain, who can beat this product. Four cameras with IR are very well made with metal bodies and 60ft of cable. Video quality is great, clean and crisp.

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We ordered an SN-500 to use in an outdoor application, to monitor a calving barn. This unit was a great value for the money and is working extremely well for this application. It was easy and quick to install, but took me some time to understand how to make the unit accessible via the internet. Once it was up an running, we have had no problems. It works o.k. with a dynamic DNS service, but does not update the DNS address when it changes, only on a set schedule. This makes the unit go off-line for a few hours before the update occurs if your service provider changes your DNS address on occassion. This is my only complaint and I can live with it. The cameras have worked well in sub-zero temperatures with clear pictures during daytime hours. Night vision also works well and by adding a little light, the picture quality improves greatly. I would highly recommend this unit for the price.

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Friday, February 14, 2014

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF-

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens + 10pc Bundle 16GB Deluxe Accessory KitIf I had to do it over again I would buy the camera and the longer lens separate and not buy the package. Cost wise I spent an extra $100 for the tripod, case and other accessories were cheap junk for the most part. I received a Zeikos tripod and Zeikos case with my package. The tripod is flimsy and cheap and the case was OK, not great. The Canon case is much better quality. The 16G SD card was OK for starters (get an extra one just in case) and the extra battery was OK. Stick with the true Canon batteries if you can. The cheap imitations go dead quick and don't have the lifetime of the Canon battery in terms of longevity. There was a card reader that didn't work and some dodgey SD card case that I chucked in the rubbish. Not very happy with the kit, seemed like a waste of money to me.

The camera is everything I expected and the 55-250mm lens definitely works well. Went out shooting pics yesterday to get a feel for the camera and lenses and got good results. It's a big step up from my old Fuji S7000 so the learning curve is pretty big. Still it shoots far better pics than I expected and with digital fotos it's easy to delete the ones you screw up.

This was my first time at amazon and I had a great experience, the shipping was free and the pack came to my cousin's house in like 4 days. Everything was alright and I got all the stuff from the kit. The lenses are excelent, the cleaning kit, the memory card, all the kit! The tripod is kinda cheap but it also works. Anyway Im happy with the purchase because it was cheap with all the stuff I've got, If I would have done it in my country I would have expended like 1500$

I have a guarantee from Canon, and all the manuals. I am into the photography 2 years ago and Im convinced that the photographer must be great in the composition of a picture but this camera is really helpful and I strongly recommend it.

Otherwise the video quality is excelent, but the audio is not that good.. nothing you can't fix with a good external mic.

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A lot of research went into this purchase. I used two T3i's that belonged to friends and made sure they would work in low-light conditions. I also reviewed consumer reports, and this was the overall highest rated DSLR under $1,000. I also used my sister-in-laws 40D. It is much more rugged, but the photo's aren't really any better.

About 1000 photos in, I haven't found anything not to love about this camera. It has functioned flawlessly. It has quick point-and-shoot modes or allows you to go as low-level as you wish. I shoot telephoto in some unusual lighting situations, and I have found that the custom white balance settings work perfectly. I've been able to take great action photos of night high-school football games using the expanded ISO option.

The T3i contains no weatherproofing, so keep that in mind. Increased toughness would be the advantage to going to the pricier professional-level cameras. The 1/4000 second shutter speed was fine to stop a hummingbird's wings in action so I can't imagine the typical user needing a faster speed. The ISO expansion allows you to go all the way to 12500, which is about as far as is practical currently. It allows decent photos under very weak light conditions.

The built in flash isn't that great, but you wouldn't expect it to be. It's mainly for have-to situations and anyone taking regular flash photos would want a better flash for the hotshoe. The viewscreen can be tilted to almost any angle, which allows some great shots over obstacles or from waist level. It's great for photos of the kids when they're playing. Can easily shoot from waist level and avoid the impish look you can get from photographing down on kids.

The only quirk I have found is that the wireless remote (optional) only works from in front of the camera. It's designed to use when you're helping a person pose or you're in the photo yourself. Being able to activate it from the rear would be nice for wildlife shots.

I didn't buy it for videos, but I was amazed at the quality of them. Sound is mono unless you buy additional microphones, but that's not why I bought the camera anyway.

Yes, I would like to have the 60D, but you just aren't going to beat the T3i for under $1,000. With a little shopping, you can get the additional 55-250 lens which is wonderful. The image stabilization works perfectly. Until I can afford the 60D, I'm very satisfied.

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF- Here

Excellent package, good camera, specially the steadyness (I am getting old and my pulse is not so good!), with two great lenses that allows you to work as you like. Good price for a goof camera

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I received a lot of coin for Christmas and decided it was time I upgraded from a decent point and shoot to a DSLR. My niece has the original T1i and I've seen the pictures she takes over the years with it and have always been impressed with their quality and clarity. After doing a lot of research I decided on the T3i over the newer T4i. It was 200+ dollars cheaper and from what I read it wasn't going to shoot better pics. The video is better, but I don't plan on using it for that anyway. I added a Canon 50mm f/1.8 II cheapo lens to complete the package, so I have 2 good IS zoom lenses and a great portrait lens that can handle very low light and has great depth of field for portraits.

You have to understand that the last SLR I had was my trusty old Olympus OM-1, which was totally manual. A great camera but this thing just smokes it in every way. It's fast and I cannot believe the quality of the pictures for such a cheap body and lens set. While it would be great to own a better body and some L lenses I just cannot justify spending all that money on something I do as a very intermittent hobby. I just wanted to be able to take high quality pics when the opportunity presented itself.

Overall this kit is a great starter for someone like me. Sure the card is only 16GB and it's not a fast one, the extra battery seems to have less capacity as the original Canon, the tripod is slightly flimsy, the bag is a bit on the cheap side (though plenty roomy for a camera, 3 lenses, cleaning kit, and charger and extra battery), and the other items are not going to be used (card reader have one on my laptop, screen protectors cut to size? Nah that won't look good and is probably unnecessary), I still give it 5 stars since it's got everything you'll need from the get go for around the same price as buying just the body and the 2 IS lenses. Once I get more into it I'll look to replace the basically freebies with better stuff where I see the need.

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

6-Foot Gold-Plated HDMI Cable Male to Male 28AWG with Ferrite Core

6-Foot Gold-Plated HDMI Cable Male to Male 28AWG with Ferrite CoreI will state categorically without doubt that there is no difference between this "gold plated" HDMI cable and the ones you get at Best Buy etc. for $60. How they get away with such a transparent scam I don't know but you can buy the same cable to do the same job for under $10 and this one is excellent.

Evertthing was as advertised and shopped quickly. No reason to expect this product to give less than great performance. I would purchase it again.

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A cheap quality HDMI cable. Nothing more, but if that is what you are looking for, it is definitely a buy.

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Works like it should, no complaints. Bought it on sale, never any need to spend a lot on an HDMI cable.

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This 6-Foot Gold-Plated HDMI Cable Male to Male 28AWG with Ferrite Core cable was as described and has worked without any problems what so ever. It's worth the short wait to receive it in the mail instead of paying the high prices at the local store.

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Toshiba PDR-3300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 2.8x Optical Zoom

Toshiba PDR-3300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 2.8x Optical ZoomI'll start with some of the negative aspects of this camera. It has no AF illuminator lamp which is a little light that is used to help focusing in dark situations. Now its focusing performance is reasonable but will not be as dependable as say the Sony or Canon cameras that have this feature standard. The bundle it comes with is very average . . this includes a dinky 8MB SD card and is only saved by the inclusion of a carrying pouch and remote control. You also have to purchase a rechargeable battery kit as only 4AA alkalines are included. This camera is made in China so the plastic feels a little coarse and the words are painted on. It does feel solid though. The LCD is bright and very useable outdoors but the pixel count is a little low, meaning you will not be able to determine if things are in focus and some detail is lost, but you should be able to roughly figure out if the exposure is right.

Now for the good. This camera takes very nice, very sharp outdoor pictures. To get great shots I had to change two of the default settings out of the box. I changed the color to VIVID and the ISO to 100 (default is 200). When the color is set to NORMAL things look slightly under saturated. The good thing is that these settings will be saved even if you turn off the camera. This is great cause I have some settings saved in automatic mode (for general point & shoot) and I have other settings saved in manual mode for indoor shots or shadowy situations which are typically under exposed by most cameras automatic mode. I believe outdoor shots on this look sharper and overall slightly more pleasing than on the Sony DSCP72 or the Canon A70. However in darker situations the Toshiba reveals a bit more noise. The Canon and Sony give smoother shadows with less noise in the dark (probably because of their noise reduction system and/or processing). The pictures on the Sony and Canon appear little softer however. A major part of the reason this Toshiba takes such nice pictures is bacause it uses a Canon made lens. Now if you like to play with settings or would like to learn more about photography then you have the option of a wide range of manual controls (full aperature and shutter speed control) along with settings for sharpness, color and contrast. Manual focus is however only limited to a few presets. Ease of use is where things get exceptional. Very easy to use and you can very quickly change settings with the mode dial and 'hat switch'. No need to press menu buttons during photography as the hat switch controls all major functions. This means your thumb is the only thing you need to quickly cycle through settings like focusing, shutter speed, aperature etc. I was very pleased with the Canon A70 and it was my primary target but I managed to get this camera at a much lower price. Of course everything is relative to the price you pay and for the price I paid this is a very good value. Happy hunting.

*** Exciting update: There are hidden manual focus and manual white balance functions. For manual focus just press and hold the 'down' button in the menu with focus options until 'MF' appears and then select it. To manually focus press and hold the 'disp' button and use the zoom controls to focus. For manual white balance do the same in the WB menu until 'Pre Set' appears and then select it. Point the camera at your reference white color (paper etc.) press the shutter button and then select 'ok'. You can also disable the power off timer by holding down 'Disp' while turning on the camera.

This digital camera is a GREAT little device!

Pros:

Its [low] price! I bought mine for about 300 where most 3.2 pixel cameras are around 350-400

Awesome quality! This camera takes great quality pictures, and if it's teamed up with the right photo printer it can print some amazing photos. It takes great shots in pretty much any light because the camera automatically adjusts the settings in different light.

It's good for an beginners because it has an easy interface, and it's good for the advanced because you can change it to manual mode where you edit the settings.

It comes with a remote that is a pretty useful device for taking group photos when you want to be in them.

Cons:

I have nothing really to complain about. The only thing i noticed was that the batteries seemed to run out a bit fast although i have never owned another digital camera, so I'm not sure how long a digital camera is supposed to last on batteries. Though i don't have much of a problem because i went out and got some rechargable batteries.

Review:

*****

This digital camera is great and I'd recommend it to anyone. It competes up there with any digital camera on the market when it comes to the picture quality, and you can get this camera at an unbeatable price!

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This camera is an excellent value. We bought ours at Thanksgiving and have been very pleased. The pictures have been excellent in quality! Make sure you go out and get rechargeable batteries for it or this thing will eat alkalines like nobody's business (it does say in the manual to use rechargeables). Also, make sure you get a bigger memory card, 8MB is not very much space. Even with a 32MB card that we have, you're only lookin' at about 27 pictures before you have to erase or download them. I only have a few complaints, one is you must be very careful not to touch the lens when grabbing the camera with the lens cover open-maybe its just me...The accompanying software (ACDSee) is not exactly intuitive for editing pictures, there is much better software out there. It would also be nice to have some kind of pouch on the camera case to carry extra SD memory cards. Even though Toshiba is not the first name you think of when looking at cameras, I would still (and have) recommend checking this one out!

Read Best Reviews of Toshiba PDR-3300 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 2.8x Optical Zoom Here

I've had this camera for a couple of months now. The quality of pictures is perfect for me. Use a photo printer to get great looking pictures. Navigating to different menues is real easy. The best part of this camera is the Remote Control. You hook the camera to your TV. Have the camera set to take pictures. What you have the camera aimed at will appear on the TV. You push the self-timer button on the camera. Now you can get in front of the camera by yourself or with others and use the Remote control to snap pictures. You can snap one right after the other without touching the camera again. Just use the remote control. When you push the remote control....a number count down appears on your TV. 5-4-3-2-1 SNAP! Your Picture is taken! Hit the remote again....5-4-3-2-1SNAP! Also, when you connect the camera to the PC..your pictures pop up fast.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that the memory card is located with the batteries at the bottom of the camera. Having the memory card accessible from the side of the camera would be more convenient. But I'm very happy. I haven't messed with the 'movie-clip' much yet. But turning it on and off is very easy too.........as is the playback. Very easy!

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Despite my list of complaints, I'm not disappointed with this camera.

Things I liked.

1. Zoom. It's good. Opticial zoom is great. Digital zoom starts pixelating but far less than other cameras I've played with. You can't see the pixelation if you don't zoom in further on your computer.

2. Manual controls. I appreciate the aperature priority, shutter priority, full manual, burst, etc. options.

3. Batteries: I'm glad it takes normal batteries, I can buy more if I out of power.

4. Has both viewfinder and LCD (which you can turn off if you want)

There are a few complaints/things I don't like about this camera:

1. Lack of AF (Autofocus) helper light. I've played with lots of friends' camera and they all have this little built in light (little flashlight) that helps the camera autofocus in dim or dark conditions. This camera doesn't. I've experimented and, sure enough, if I point a little flashlight at the center of the image, even in the dark the camera can focus. But the by itself the camera has a hard time focusing even if it's not that dark.

2. Manually focusing is only limited to the follwing options: macro, 1m, 3m, infinity.

3. It seems to cause redeye easily. It has a redeye reduction flash option and it does reduce the redeye but it's still there.

4. You have to buy a larger memory card. You have to buy rechargeable battery kit (it uses 4 AA). It says in the manual the included batteries are for testing only.

5. I didn't really like the pc software. Windows xp will automatically recognize the camera and you can use any software you want with for playing with pictures. No stiching/panorama software.

6. Movie mode is not really special. No microphone.

7. A little bigger than I thought it would be (Room probably needed for the 4 AA batteries).

8. LCD: If you're out of focus or over/underexposed, the LCD will not show this to you.

One day in the future I'll probably get a fancier camera but this is great for everyday stuff.

Monday, October 7, 2013

View Sonic PJD6223 XGA Front Projector, 300 Inches - Black

View Sonic PJD6223 XGA Front Projector, 300 Inches - BlackOrdered this product from J&M, fast delivery from NY to UT. I am a hardcore movie enthuiast, and I love and admire good high definition picture and sound. I bought this product for the affordability and somewhat mixed-okay-good-fair reviews that I read about online. The Viewsonic PJD6223 is very stylish, very sleek looking, I loved how it was designed asthetically, BUT IF YOU ARE A HARDCORE MOVIE FAN, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE PICTURE QUALITY WHEN VIEWING BLU RAYS FROM A BLU RAY SOURCE OR DEVICE. This was my first HD projector that I bought for the purpose of power point and other presentations that I do for church, but it is also for High Def movies at church when we have youth group nights, so I have to say that it is perfect for presentations but not up to par for Blu Ray Movies. Shortly after it arrived I ended up returning this product the day after. I am currently looking at the $4000 SONY projectors and I may be purchasing one soon. For those of you out there who are Viewsonic fans, I just want to say I'm a huge viewsonic fan hence me buying this product in the first place, but this projector is more suited for business than entertainment.

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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ePhoto Small Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors H629-2

ePhoto Small Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors H629-2I wanted a small V mount for a relatively compact setup with a small camcorder and handle and this fits the bill quite nicely.

The bracket is stout. The metal is much thicker than I expected it would be. There's virtually no give or flex here and it's certainly not going to be the weak point in any mounting setup. The hot shoe screw is threaded into the bottom of the mount and it arrived a little loose but it was nothing a few turns of a wrench didn't fix up. It's plenty tight now and I have no worries about it going anywhere on me now, the extra paranoid could add a dab of thread lock if they really wanted to. It's also threaded all the way through the mounting plate so you can attach a tripod plate to it for off camera mounting options.

The spacing and offset between the shoes is just perfect to fit an LED light panel and small boom mic. Third shoe mount in the middle is a nice touch but I don't plan on really using it for anything. Shoes themselves are very sturdy and firmly attached with 3 screws each.

The whole thing has a very nice powder coat finish and looks quite nice and has a nice sized thumb wheel for locking it down in place.

All in all, an excellent value.

The perfect size to enable one to utilize a camera light, shotgun mic, external recorder, etc conveniently on a run-and-gun shoot.

Well balanced for low strain on the camera shoe, tightens down very securely, and lower profile for convenience in operating and adjusting the mounted accessories. A valuable, reasonably priced addition that goes everywhere my camera does.

Buy ePhoto Small Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors H629-2 Now

When you are on a mobile shoot on your own, and don't have a crew to handle lighting and sound, it's nice to be able to mount your light and mic onto your camera and have them move with you, without the lengthy rearranging process

Read Best Reviews of ePhoto Small Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors H629-2 Here

When you first receive this mount the weight and feel of it might throw you off into thinking it is a well made product. Think again.

Upon installing this into the shoe of the camera, we attached a lightweight NEWEER light to it. The mount immediately rotated downward.

After removing the mount, we found that the base was not attached or tightened properly. The threads had been cross threaded, so no manual tightening was going to work well.

Also, there were burrs where the "foot" was removed from the mold.

I won't say all of these will be delivered like this, but I am requesting a refund and will shy away from this product.

Want ePhoto Small Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors H629-2 Discount?

Good quality and sturdy. Bought it to do multi led mounts for my Sony NX5U. It's a little tight for my front shoe, and a little close to do lets say a monitor and led. This is definitely still camera specific, but if you need multi mounts for your pro/semi vcam definitely works well.

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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Lorex Wireless Video Monitoring System with 4 Cameras (LW2714B)

Lorex Wireless Video Monitoring System with 4 CamerasNot 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.

Read Best Reviews of Lorex Wireless Video Monitoring System with 4 Cameras (LW2714B) Here

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!!!