Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

The SD10 had problems. The battery charge system was just weird. The camera was not up to the hype when light was poor. But the images with good light were stunning. So it was with some angst, sustained by a delayed product release, that I opened my camera SD14. Very early on I knew I had a problem in that the camera hung... motion? But I got off some really spectacular images before sending it to NY repairs. They got it back quickly. I suspect something loose.

Well the images are simply wonderful. Just so you know, I have cameras at 5 & 6 times the price considered high end professional. I can get lots more pixels, but the color quality is not better.

The real test was low light. All the digital cameras fail in low light. So just a matter of how bad. OK, something is new here. This camera is far better in dim light than the SD10. When it starts to fail to low light the images become blotchy like camoflage rather than sandy as the GRGB cameras tend.

The SD14 X3F RAW images do well in Adobe's new Lightroom, and interestingly with the many controls for image modification in that program, there are none that set this camera aside (for punishment for being different).

The SD10 used a 1 GByte card but did not take larger. I tested the SD14 on 1 Gig (mechanical IBM type) and on 2 Gig, and 4 Gig, and 8 Gig CFII cards. Though, beware, some cards do badly with certain cameras across the board. So, I cannot say that ALL CFII's are OK. But I was able to find cards that worked a large range of memory capacity.

The camera saves images as RAW or JPEG. You can select two "color spaces", sRGB or AdobeRGB. I found that odd. Why not a 16 bit option? I suspect that is simply understood for RAW.

The booklet that comes with the camera may be the clearest such booklet of any camera. There were a few minor areas where referring the user to other sources seemed lazy(C1----v C2----v C3----v for camera strobes might be obvious to those who have these but ought to be explained to those who don't and maybe might want to).

Also the SD14 can shoot "tethered" a huge fact that gets barely any mention other than an arrow pointing at the port. Those who do that, know, but maybe some need to learn how?

The camera body is nicely shaped, the controls are very logical, and shooting is easy.

There is something about the color. The SD10 drove me nuts because I had to charge batteries in shifts (they didn't all fit in the charger at once... grrrr). I almost dismissed this camera from that experience alone. The low light limits of the SD10 were also hard to take. But, that color. Seems even better in the SD14. It is not like other cameras. Just isn't. Very pleasing rich deep textural color.

So, down side? Well Sigma is not a magnet for lenses made by other manufacturers. So you will probably be a Sigma all the way person. But the Sigma lenses I used were quite good and cost way way less than other brands. There is a specific flash kind for the flash shoe. So, maybe your current flash might not work? The built-in flash, does what built in flashes do.

The SD14 battery system is quite nice. There is a built-in dust protector to assist lens swaps very nice.

Want to do very high end photography with a wide array of lenses without going broke? Look at this model.

I own this camera and it is true that it isn't the most elegant body on the planet, nor is it feature rich. It struggles at high ISO settings and its LCD display is sub-par. The fps speed is slow and it takes a long time to write to the CF card from the buffer. You are stuck with Sigma lenses and I can't say that the 14.1 MP rating is s true 14.1 MP. But at the end of the day, when used for what it is intended to take pictures it produces the most beautiful and stunningly real, film like, dynamic, true color results. If you want features and functionality but lower quality pictures, go ahead and buy another camera, one without a Foveon sensor. If your after the best digital pictures available, shoot with the different cameras and review the results in a blind test. Chances are you will be a Sigma owner like me. That is what I did and I chose the Sigma.

Buy Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Now

I've owned the SD9 and now the SD14. The only two lenses I own for the SD are the Sigma 150/EX Macro and the 10-20/EX zoom. I shoot predominately Canon (1Ds/2, 1D/2, 30D and assorted lenses) but have a soft spot for the Foveon X3 technology, which produces a "look" that is difficult to replicate using a non-X3 "CFA" sensor (the type used in all other dSLRs).

First, don't be caught up in the various hyperbolic statements by Foveon/Sigma marketing and X3 zealots. The SD14 is really a 4.5 (not 14) megapixel camera. Photographs are two-dimensional (flat) representations. An 8x10 photo is still 8x10 even when you stack three red, green, and blues ones on top of each other. The SD14 has "only" 4.5MP in an X/Y space, which is all that matters. It's *how* the SD14 captures each one of those pixels that gives it an advantage over cameras with similar resolution. When it comes to resolving detail, the SD14 is roughly equivalent to the current crop of 8-10MP digital SLRs, and due to the unique nature of how its sensor captures those details gives it an edge to some believers. I like to use the SD for macro and some landscape photography, but since my acquisition of the 16MP Canon 1Ds Mk2 the SD14 has gotten little use. The SD14 easily matches both of my 8MP 1D/2 and 30D for both genres of photography, and in some ways produces images more to my personal tastes, but the 1Ds is clearly superior (as it should be for an $8,000 camera body).

If you like the unique results the SD14 is capable of, and your style of photography does not require advanced features like fast shooting, a high-performance AF system, and some other features found in most competing brands then the SD may be just the thing for you. Since landscapes don't run around and most macro subjects don't either it is perfect for these tasks -especially at its current low price around $800. However, if your photography style is mixed and you may just as frequently find yourself capturing quick, fleeting subjects, or you need a deep buffer with a fast frame rate (ie: a responsive camera) then the SD14 is definitely NOT the body for you. The autofocus (AF) system is generations behind those in even the low end of modern dSLRs such as the Nikon D80 or Canon 40D, and leagues behind the current crop of high performance offerings like the Canon 1D or Nikon D3 or D300 series.

In short, most 10MP cameras can and do offer more compelling features, etc with likewise similar image quality, but for a narrow set of parameters the Foveon-equipped SD14 brings a "uniqueness" to the image capture that no other camera can offer. If that is your primary criteria then I can recommend the SD14. Unfortunately, much of this advantage evaporates once the image is put to print.

So, thumbs up if you're a landscape or macrophile. Otherwise the average customer would be better served by most of the more capable brands' offerings.

Read Best Reviews of Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Here

I own a Canon 5D and Nikon D3 and my Sigma SD14's image quality is on par with both of these cameras.

However,...

... it does have a few shortfalls. Such as:

1. In low light conditions,... shadows will have "blotchy" noise and speckles of magenta compared to the same shot taken with a 5D/D3 at the same ISO settings. This can even happen in daylight conditions where there is a very wide dynamic range. The SD14 will expose correctly for the image, but the deep shadows will at times fail to render details in the shadows and those blotchy/magenta characteristics will appear.

2. Poorer AWB in mixed lighting than the 5D/D3.

3. Small buffer. If you need to keep up with action (sports, etc..), then you will be disappointed that after a burst of 6-8 shots the camera will lock up and take 5-20 seconds to write all that data to the card. And faster CF cards won't help. It is the buffer. The fact is that the processing is complicated and does not process quickly for fast shooting environments. Yes it will shoot 3fps, but the buffer is so small that you only get a little over a handful of shots and then the camera needs time to process that burst.

The positives?

1. ISO 50-200 in daylight conditions is spectacular. I prefer the SD14 over my 5D/D3 up to 200 ISO.

2. Image sharpness is amazingly crisp and has a 3D type feel that you can only appreciate if you have shot with this camera and a Canon/Nikon in the same shooting conditions. I have done so from the same tripod to compare shots taken with similar lenses in the same lighting conditions and can attest to the differences.

3. You can use Canon speedlites to use within wireless ETTL setups. I have two Sigma EF 500 DG flash units and three Canon 580EX II speedlights. I set the Canon's to ETTL slaves and the two sigma's to wireless and then the camera to wireless. You can set all of the flash units to either channel 1, 2 or 3, then match that with the camera's channel output to fire off all the flashes. The camera meters properly using this mix of flash units. I found all this out by accident. I was testing out the 5D and wireless flash setup VS. the SD14 and wireless flash setup. I had left the 2 Canon speedlights on while I fired off the SD14's and expected only the sigma EF 500 DG units to fire. The canons did as well and the SD14 metered for all four properly.

I'd have to go further into details to review all the pros and cons. I'll just say that as a 5D and D3 owner, the SD14 can hang in image quality. And in good daylight environments I prefer it to the IQ of either the 5D or D3. The SD14 is at a minimum, on par with both respectively and often trumps those two when lighting is strong.

Also, the dynamic range of the SD14 seems to be wider than reported. I don't know why. In lightroom I'm amazed at the amount of details I can recover in the highlights VS. 5D/D3. Maybe it is the fact that because the SD14 captures R,G,B on each pixel, those hightlights are of better quality and it is able to pull those details out of the highlights for that reason. I don't know. It just "is what it is".

Well worth the purchase. The far lower price point makes up for it's low light performance. Using flash or strong daylight environments, the SD14 can hang with ANY $2000-$5000 DSLR.

Want Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Discount?

I will start the review with a disclaimer that I had the chance to beta-test this camera before release; That also means I have had a few months experience in shooting with the camera.

I will start out with a little history. A few years ago, Sigma released the SD-9 and SD-10 digital cameras. They were widely hailed to have excellent image quality, but the trouble for some buyers was that the cameras did not have some convinced features that other cameras offered, like in-camera JPEG or on-camera flash, and so they went on to other systems.

Fast forward to today and the SD-14. Sigma has addressed all the little aspects of usability and features that people have asked for, like in-camera JPEG, on camera flash, PC-Sync socket, and many other little features. But best of all, in addition to adding more resolution, they also improved the image quality from the sensor even further the camera has even more dynamic range, and much better high ISO support than before with everything up to 800 working really well and even 1600 being usable. This is a camera with a feature set that just about anyone can make use of, and leave the choice of the body to image quality rather than body features.

When considering a camera like the SD-14, it really is important to understand the difference the Foveon sensor makes as this camera really is different than any other camera on the market today. Look at sample images (look at full-size sample images, not shrunken down web versions!). Read about the Foveon sensor. The use that information to make up your mind if this is the right camera for you. For fine art work or landscapes, I'm really not sure there is anything better.

Sigma deserves a lot of credit for daring to continue updating the camera line with this unique sensor in a market full of otherwise very similar choices (except for Fuji, props there).

You can read more here about the Foveon and Bayer sensors compared in terms of detail captured and the information about resolution charts you should know:And you can find full-size sample images either on the Sigma-sd14.com web site or here in the user galleries:

Zing Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

Its exactly as described and works just as any other microfiber cleaning cloth. Just a warning though: as seen in the picture, these do have the word "Zing" pressed into them, so there is a part of the cloth you don't want to use.

The cloth itself is nice and big, about the same size as the nook that I bought it for, it's made of good quality fabric a lighter gray than the picture shown, the one problem that I have with it is that the 'zing' logo is painted on like a t-shirt graphic would be, potentially scratching things more delicate than a nook screen if that part is accidentally used to wipe off the object

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Varizoom VZ-FPC FlowPod Kit with Case (Black)

it may take a little work to get this balanced. it will take some practice to avoid pendulum effects, but, this doesnt have counter weights sticking out to the sides making it look like a Klingon Bird of Prey ship, like the other styles. so this fits well in tight places like stairwells and narrow hallways. you just have to remember not to get it too low to the floor or youll bump the pole and ruin your shot.

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Motorola MFV700 7-inch Digital Frame with Video-In-Picture and Wireless DECT 6.0 Camera (Black)

I purchased two of these for gifts, both to be used as baby monitors. You have two components the frame and the camera, each with it's own power adapter. The frame also has a mini remote control.

The camera: Plays the typical MIDI sounding nursery rhymes and lullabies. Very narrow field of view. We had to mount it 6 feet above the crib to see the entire thing (just your typical crib.) To mount it, there are two screw mounting slots in the base. You can mount it on a wall or put it on a shelf. Low light quality is also decent.

Frame: Accepts USB key and SD card. Plays slide shows and lets you do a screen grab from the monitor. The left side shows a calendar or a slide show. The right side shows a clock in the lower 1/3rd and the video feed in the other 2/3rds. Unlike the video and photos show, this can NOT be changed. The video feed can't be moved or resized and the clock can't be moved or the style changed. Four different people tried we went through all the options. It's just not done.

Because of this there's a lot of wasted screen space on the right. The quality of the feed is decent, not great. The audio is fantastic.

Controls: There are controls on the frame back and on the included remote. The controls on the frame allow you to control many of the features, turn down the volume (but not up!) and display the video camera feed. The remote has more options and lets you turn the volume up as well.

Other observations: If you look at the sample photo with the baby closeup, the camera would have to be about 1 foot away. Not practical or safe. The Motorola website has no information on this product no manuals, no help nothing. The photo with the clock on top and the video on the bottom? No way. Outright deceitful by Motorola. Even the video feed dimensions are wrong it's obviously a fake image. It's also SLOW. The demo video shows modes changing instantly. It takes at least three seconds. It's so slow you'll be pressing the buttons again and a gain thinking you pressed wrong. Also the sample photos of the frame the video quality is not even close to those images.

The menu system is not intuitive and even hair-brained in places. What buttons do is not consistent. See the video.

For simplicity and ease of use, it's 5 stars. For not giving you what's advertised, obvious design flaws, and releasing a product that does not match the marketing, photos or promo video 1 star. Even the manual has strips of paper glued over some lines obvious last minute editing/removal of features from the manual. It's just obvious that the design specs and final product did not even come close to each other. Video quality, features, options all are sub-par.

My guess and it's obvious from the promo the video feed portion was supposed to be positionable and able to display full screen, there were supposed to be multiple clock and calendar types, and a much better video feed/quality. Then the budget was cut, the options removed, and a very basic unit produced. Again, that's my best guess but watch their promo video that's not what you get!

I bought this when it was a lightning deal--$99!--and was really excited when it arrived. We've been looking for a monitor, so that we can keep an eye on our toddler when we (eventually) get her going to bed on her own. Having the monitor included in a digital picture frame (along with a calendar, clock with alarm, temperature monitor, etc.) was a huge bonus. But there are some caveats, which might not be right for everyone.

So far, very few problems linking the camera and frame--once or twice the camera feed wouldn't display, and I had to restart the frame, which isn't a big deal. The space occupied by the camera feed is pretty small, which might not be great for everyone, and the night vision, while adequate, isn't very clear--but hey, it's vision ... at night. We can see enough to know whether the kid has fallen off the bed or is sitting up. We also haven't tested the distance yet to see whether we could use it in a bigger house someday. The sound sensitivity so far is spot on: after one cough or fuss, the speaker turns on every time, alerting us to any potential problem.

Note that there is no internal memory, so you'll need a USB drive or a memory card handy. And there is also no internal battery in the frame, so a loss of power means resetting the date and time.

For me, the only other misgiving is the lack of more detailed instructions on how to properly crop and resize pictures so they display correctly. You see, the frame seems to resize pics that were taken on your camera, so that they display properly, but if you pull them from your computer, they appear distorted, mostly stretched horizontally. As someone who prefers not to look fun-house-mirror fat in all my pictures, I spent hours attempting to get the sizing right, so that the pictures from my computer filled the entire frame, just like a real picture would. I won't get into all the details, the thousands of times I cropped, resized, deleted, groaned. But I've detailed below EXACTLY how I finally got it right, and the settings I like now that the pictures are properly sized.

The specs for this frame say that the dimensions are 480 (horizontal) x 234 (vertical), but the aspect ratio is 16:9. Now, this is confusing because according to most of the tutorials I read, dividing the vertical by the horizontal should give you the aspect ratio. Well, 234/480 is .4875 and 9/16 is .5625. I may be doing it wrong, but these two numbers should match. I finally discovered that dividing 234 into 416 is the only way to get .5625, so I set all my picture dimensions to 416x234 and, by golly, the pictures finally look true to life. It would be nice to see this in the documentation somewhere, and I wish I were smarter and understood why the 480 seems like a useless dimension when resizing pics.

I found a great program () that allowed me to resize all my pics to exactly 416x234 and batch-resize by selecting "Open Sequentially" from the "File" menu. Be sure to display the pics in full screen, and you should have beautiful pictures that fill the whole frame. It's a preference on my end, too, but I think they look great with a brightness of 9, a contrast of 8, and saturation of 6.

Overall, a great buy. It fills many needs around here, most specifically the fact that we are terrible about putting new pictures in frames, or printing pictures in general. Now we have many pictures on display, in full-frame glory, along with other great features this frame/camera offers.

Buy Motorola MFV700 7-inch Digital Frame with Video-In-Picture and Wireless DECT 6.0 Camera (Black) Now

My Husband and I have been looking for a video baby monitor for our two babies. We saw this item and fell in love with the item description. We purchased two, but after setting the first one up in our youngest babys room we didnt even bother to unpack the 2nd camera. The visual quality was awful. The night vision even worse! We had to put 3 nightlights in his room to be able to barely see him. The screen is delayed and sometimes shows colored lines. We were under the impression that the whole frame could be used to look at baby sleeping, instead its a tiny picture in picture. This item was not made for everyday use. At night you have to prop it up at the right angle so you even see the live feed of your baby in their crib. Even with only the video feed and no pictures scrolling accross the screen its bright enough to light our entire bedroom. The last straw was the camera not picking up sound on occasion. I woke up yesterday in the early morning, when I looked over at the monitor he was crying in his room and I never heard a noise. We packed up the camera and are sending it back to Amazon.

I hope nobody else waists their time and money with this product.

Read Best Reviews of Motorola MFV700 7-inch Digital Frame with Video-In-Picture and Wireless DECT 6.0 Camera (Black) Here

Motorola how could you put your name on this junk worst video quality I've ever seen . I used to think Motorola made a quality product . So disappointed

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very use fool product ,nice picture tremendous amount can be have on a card, camera works well night time is ok

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The Smallest Night Vision Spy Camera.520tvl Cctv Mini Color 0.008lux Audio SPY Camera MC493A-12 Ac.

The camera is one of the smallest board cameras and has a larger field of view than some. This may be a plus or minus depending if your useing it for overall security or idenification purposes. The low light actually is not as good as the larger styles due to the small lens size. Audio was acceptible and small on the board mount makes it stable with less waffle that some of the others. Good for what it is but if your looking for "Night Vision" this is not built for that, an infred style is what is needed. With a small amount of light in the area your wanting to target this works and can be put in a tighter location.

Hi, the product is really good but the add i read about the camera said night vision and at night you don't see nothing but I used it anyway for personal use. I how the video come out,(clear, colors, everything) nice, just don't work at night, plus the service was very good. They tall me a date and come to my door very soon, a lot of time before they said. That was good, very good.

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Moultrie Gamespy 6 Megapixel Digital Infrared Mtm S Series Game Camera

I was not impressed with this camera used it twice and the battery life was very poor...I suggest researching a new power source!!!!

I got hosed and recieved an I65 not an I65s as cleary illustrated just relizing it after looking at the photos of the two cameras !! Although the I65 works good!!I was going to buy another but not from here!!!

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Canon 62" Deluxe Photo/Video 300 Tripod with 3-Way Panhead & Case + (2) LP-E8 Batteries + Carry

Amazing kit, all items were as described exactly. I recommend people to go for this product as it was very beneficial to me and fulfilled my requirements.

What i like about this kit is the tripod!!! It is original canon tripod with canon logo embedded in the tripod even the carrying case has a canon logo. Im telling you this the best tripod. You can adjust the height from 22in to 59in. The leg can be adjusted in two level then it has a elevetor neck. So you have three level of adjustment. You can start by adjusting the first level of leg, then if it is too short adjust the leg again.If it is still not enough elevate the neck. The head can be move from left to right and up and down. It is really a good the tripod very user friendly. The other accesory with is ok not that useful but its a plus. The 2 battery are not original canon battery. if

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POMVision Plug and Play Wireless Pan Tilt Zoom Network Camera (IC502w)

My wife really wanted to be able to check in on our puppy while we were away at work. I assumed that any IP based camera would be prohibitively expensive (and/or a pain a pain to set-up) and our computer with a video camera isn't in the room where we're crating the puppy. I told her I'd look for something not really expecting much and found this on Amazon. I was a little hesitant to purchase it but the description pretty much said everything I needed and Amazon's got a great return policy so I figured I didn't have much to risk.

The box came with the following:

Installation disk

Manual

ID/Passcard

Network Cable

Power cord

Screws for wall mounting.

*Physical Description

Unit is about 5" tall, 4" wide and 4"deep

There are connections for 12V power and LAN connection and a Digital In/Out interface I'm not familiar with the port connection type though I only know that from the description on in the manual. There's a small reset button on the bottom and a slot for a microSD card.

There are mounting screw slots for wall mounting that appear to be designed to mount-it upside-down. I was confused by this at first but if you are mounting it near a ceiling line this is what you'd want to be able to have the correct field of view.

There are also threaded brass mounts in the back and bottom so you should be able to mount it with a standard camera bracket.

*Installation:

1. I pretty much followed the instructions in the manual and it worked it was way easier to set up than I'd expected.

2. I connected it into my power and then my LAN. The manual says you have to be using DHCP most home networks use DHCP so it wasn't a problem for me. A Blue and Red LED will both come on to tell you the device is working correctly.

3. Ran the Installation CD

a. Software required a reboot.

b. The instructions also point you to software available for the ipad and iphone

4. The Admin software gives you the ability to connect to your wi-fi so you can remove the LAN cable and run the camera from anywhere with a power source. It looks like it supports either WEP or WPA modes.

This was where it got kind of cool. I'd unplugged the camera from my LAN cable and moved it to the kitchen behind me. After I set-up the passkey in the software for the camera I saw the back of my head on my laptop screen (pretty cool). The UI for the software let me pan the camera around the room and it seemed like around 120 degrees horizontal and 90 degrees vertical.

Video Settings Allow for some basic modifications to quality, frame rate and resolution. There is a Video Flip option...in case you want to mount it upside down and separate settings available for Mobile Video. I sent my friend a txt message with the app name and the passkey and 10 minutes later he replied that he could see me, I didn't actually use the iPhone app but he seemed to be able to set it up really fast so I'm assuming it's easy. There are also recording options for either NAS or MicroSD scheduling options based on time and motion sensing but haven't set-up any recording yet since I'm pretty much just using it to check on the puppy from time to time.

I set up the software on my wife's laptop as well. Both of us have been able to access the camera from work and it seems to work just as well as it did when I was on my home network. I didn't look on my router to see what network protocols it's using but I didn't have to make any NAT settings it just worked, I'm using a pretty simple DD-WRT configuration for my home router. Once it was set-up though I could move it to anyplace in the house as long as I had a power source.

Casio Exilim EXP505 5MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom

I'm very happy with this purchase. I've had it for a month now and it has worked flawlessly. It takes great stills, on par with other 5mp cameras, but that's not why I got it. I wanted something that could do decent stills & videos so I wouldn't need my camcorder anymore. The vids are not quite as good as a DV camcorder, but I'll settle for 90% of dv camcorder quality for the joy of leaving the camcorder at home. Another thing tape sucks! It takes forever to get a movie on tape into my computer for editing/burning. Saving movies on a SD card rocks!

My only gripes are the included software and camera computer interface.

Each time you take a movie clip, it is saved on teh SD card as a seperate mpeg4 file. That's OK, except Casio doesn't include an easy way to link the clips together again. The included Movie Wizard software will let you link together clips, but you must save them as dv or mpeg1/2 files which are much bigger and the conversion process is very slow. I searched the net and found a program called avi joiner to quickly splice together mpeg4 clips.

As for the camera computer interface, I have had trouble moving large video files from the camera to my HDD. The process errors out and I get a message that the connection to the camera is lost. I have to cycle power on the camera and try again. I always get them off eventually, but it is a pain. I haven't tried it with a different computer, so it might not have anything to do with the camera.

But overall I am very happy with the EX-P505

Had this camera for about 2 months for a good trial, still images captured on the 5 MegaPixel sensor is acceptable not great, manual controls like aperture and shutter priority will appeal to the budding amateur looking for more options to practise true photography. The swivel LCD is a real bonus for taking photos above a hoarding crowd, but visibility is less than adequate in bright sunlight.

Some of the neat features include a built-in -2EV ND (Neutral Density) filter, a macro setting that automatically kicks in when focusing upclose, a 5 step incremental adjustment of flash intensity, which generally perform better than a normal compact, giving a decent 'throw' up to 6 meters. And not forgeting a very useful fast start-up time of less than a second, plus a good battery life for >200 shots on a single charge.

The 5X optical zoom lense perform well on photo. A point to note, the zoom isn't smooth but graduated in 5 steps, a real letdown. The lense will also accept 43mm add-on lense mount or filter, e.g. wide angle lense or a polarizer.

The best feature however has to be the 30 fps VGA MPEG-4 capture, with the HQ setting, a 1GB SD card gives you 30 minutes of excellent live action. An added feature lets you record video 5 seconds the shutter is press, nice! With a firmware update, this camera now accepts the newly introduced 2GB SD card.

In general, this camera packs a lot of features for its size, definitely worth a look if you want something that is light and compact yet has the tweaks only available on digital SLRs.

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I ordered the SanDisk Ultra II 2.0 GB and I use Windows XP and at first, I followed the directions to a "T" and it just wasn't working. I searched the internet to see if anyone else was having the same problem. I went to the CASIO website and there wasn't any information about it. Finally . . . I got this weird idea in my head, that "What if I change the "USB" in the Set-up menu to "PTP" (PictBridge), maybe it might work." I seriously tried everything and I was crossing my fingers on this one. And honestly, from what I was reading, it seemed that SD card readers weren't working either, and I didn't want to have to fork out another $30-40 for one if I wasn't sure it was going to work.

Anyways, I turned off my camera and turned it on after I had changed the settings and IT WORKED!!!!!!! You can either copy them directly using "Windows Explorer" to a different folder, or set it up to automatically copy the pics/video files to somewhere else on your computer. If you're using the "Photo Loader" Program (AWESOME that it automatically puts them in HTML form after you've put the pics in the library), you have to load the images through the program, which is really easy. (At least you can get your pics off the camera, now.)

It's small and compact, which is great during a day of sightseeing and not having to lug around a heavy camera. It sits perfectly in the palm of my hand and I have long fingers. It has grippers to stablize what you're filming/taking pics of. I love all the options for "Best Shot." The 40x zoom is great for a digital camera. The movie modes are great, too!! The microphone works great. I didn't have to buy a new camera case, because it fit perfectly in my old one. I love the way the LCD screen swivels, almost like having a little camcorder in hand.

Overall, the camera is great for someone like me, who'd like to experiment with "Aperture," "Shutter speeds" and manual focusing, as well just being able to take some pictures and be able to share them with friends and family easily.

My only real complaint is that the "Photo Loader" software only sends pics one at a time through the program. (It's just easier to open a message and attach them manually.)

I've also read that you can buy lens that attach, too. I'm not that advanced, yet. LOL! Anyways, check out for a more in-depth descriptions along with examples. (One of the main reasons I decided to get this camera was based on what I read there.)

Edited July 19, 2008: I have now had this camera for nearly 3 years and it still takes great pics and videos. And we've taken over 15,000 pics using it. Recently used it to take video of 4th of July Fireworks, and I love that I can cut scenes before I download them to my computer.

I've only bought SanDisk Ultra II 2.0 GB SD cards and every single one has worked in it. I have read online that cards bigger than 2.0 GB don't work with this camera, though. (Probably because the bigger cards were released after this camera was originally released.)

Before I got this camera, I always had to edit the pics I took, but this camera, I've only had to edit very few, and it's usually because I set the wrong settings prior to taking those pics. So, the hours that I've saved from editing pics has paid for this camera so many times over.

Read Best Reviews of Casio Exilim EXP505 5MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom Here

I love this camera. The swivel view screen works very well when you want to take pictures at an awkward angle. As a photographer, I really need that.

The camera is tiny. It can fit in the palm of my hand, and my hand is rather small. It can easily fit into my purse or perhaps a large pocket, so you can take it wherever you want to go. It is not so small that it seems easily damaged, though.

The videos are the most amazing I've ever seen on a digital camera. Good quality and pretty high resolution. I love the fact that you can also hook the camera up to a TV to review your pictures and videos.

I've never had a digital camera with optical zoom before. It was so much better than digital zoom.

I think the main reason I love this camera is because it has an AMAZING macro focus. You can get the slightest little details in fingerprints, bugs, etc, etc.

I didn't like that if I accidentally plugged my camera in before installing the driver for it, it would never work on that computer. It makes it clear not to do that in the directions, but I had forgotten a few times.

Want Casio Exilim EXP505 5MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom Discount?

Mac users...

My opinion is that for a Mac user you can't get a better camera for the cash. Plug and Play with iPhoto.

This camera is the one to get if you want to spend less than $300. The quality of the images and feature set far out weigh the shutter lag. Super easy to capture those impromptu YouTube moments with this unit. I researched many and bought the Casio. Yes, a Casio (keyboards and calculators!). The EXP505 is a slick looking, compact camera that mirrors more exotic full size SLRs (I consider this camera to be a Point-n-Shoot). I agree with the others in this review section except for the dude that slams the Exilim for not going toe to toe with the big boys and the guy that had trouble with SD cards. Maybe he got a bum card or didn't format it with the camera before using. I have had no issue. Menu navigation is well designed.

Things to note: AVI video format. I believe QuickTime Pro will handle the conversion. LCD screen doesn't fair well in low light. Battery will cause camera to "slow down" flash recharge after awhile (I've had my camera for over 1 year much use).

Canon PowerShot SD630 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I have had tons of digital cameras before and I have always sold them on eBay to get rid of them. Canon is by far the best digital camera I have ever owned. I previously had an SD10 for the last 3 years and am still happy with it. 3 yrs is a long time for me considering I am a bit of a techie that likes to change all of my electronics whenever a new one comes out. So for me the SD630 is finally a well deserved upgrade...

LOVE IT. The LCD screen is amazing and there are tons of new features that I did not have on my SD10. Everything with this camera is terrific. The only thing and only thing I can say is that there is not a battery meter, the meter only shows up when it is already running out of battery. This was the same for the SD10 and it was quite annoying. Anyways, definately buy a backup battery just in case.

Other than that, you cannot go wrong with this camera...

I just received my Canon SD-630 in the mail today and can already say I am very happy with my purchase. I had been researching cameras the entire week, looking for the right one for my needs.

When I went to the store, Best Buy, I had written down a few camera model numbers that caught my eye. Over the next few days it was interesting to see how my perceptions of these cameras had changed. I had at first liked the 7.1 Megapixel Sony I had put at the top of my list at Best Buy. I based this on merely the camera having a high megapixel count and the looks of the outer casing. But after getting on Amazon and reading product descriptions, going over reviews, and looking at shots submitted by customers all of my original perceptions changed.

While the Sony may have looked good and had a higher megapixel count than my Canon, it was the features that attracted me to the SD-630. I liked that it had some interesting options to play around with besides just the usual camera settings like outdoor, indoor, etc... Besides the basics, the Canon has options like Color Accent and Color Swap. These features really let you produce some unique prints without having to do any post manipulation with programs such as Photoshop. I myself had done similar work with photos using Photoshop, to make certain objects color while the rest of the image remained black and white. But this takes time depending on the object and its nice to be able to achieve the same results without any work! Its also very easy to use and I took some great shots in no time.

Another camera I was interested in was the Kodak V570. After reading the feature list on this camera, such as the Panorama Stitch and Wide Angle Lens I thought it was perfect. Plus the pictures I viewed looked very cool when incorporating these modes. But some of the reviews on the camera turned me away somewhat. Such as having to use the supplied dock as well as Kodak software just to upload the images to my computer or charge the battery. I like the flexibility of the Canon, allowing you to transfer images via USB cable or memory card without having to use any other software. The battery charger is also very compact, no cords or large battery trays, just a simple charger that has a folding plug for easy transport (the charger is the size of a small cell phone probably smaller).

Yet I still liked the Panorama Stitch option that the Kodak offered and was really considering this camera as my final pick. So I decided to go back to the store and look at these cameras again now that I had done the research and knew what I was looking for. It was a whole different experience than my first visit to Best Buy. When I played with the Kodak it just didn't live up to what I had hoped for. I was put off by the button layout and the overall feel of the camera when compared to the Canon. After finally figuring out how to do the Panorama Stitch, while it was a cool little feature, it just wasn't all that great on the camera. The screen is small and when your grouping so many different images together, 3, its hard to really see what you are doing and to get a shot exactly as you want. I'm sure after some use I would get use to it, but to get the full effect you would have to upload the image to a computer and look at it from there to see if it came out the way you intended. The camera just seemed simple in terms of functionality.

The Canon, which I had tested out before this camera, was a whole different story. I really liked how everything was laid out and the big screen made looking at images so much easier. Thus when you used an option such as Color Accent, you could really get a sense of how the final product turned out and decide if you were happy with the shot (or needed to do a retake) without having to view the image on a computer. It has so many different options to play with that are very useful in the simplest terms; such as Vivid Colors. I took a few pictures of the same objects using this mode and some in just Auto. You can really see a nice subtle difference and in some cases the colors just pop when compared to normal. It is very nice to use and is a great compliment to the camera. Simple features such as this are excellent and let you take great pictures without having to adjust manual settings. But if you would like to tinker with manual options, the camera leaves plenty of room to do this as well (which was another feature I was looking for, as I wanted to get more involved with the camera over time).

The video on this camera is also excellent. I remember taking videos on older digital cameras I have used and they were pretty low quality. I do a lot of video editing and such, and found the video option on this camera to be very nice. It really lets you take some quality footage, that if you showed a clip to someone off of your computer they would think it was taken with a camcorder. Another nice thing about the video is that you can use Color Accent and Color Swap, which I did not know was possible until reading the manual. It makes your video much more interesting if used in the right way and adds a touch that would require high level video editing software (AVID, After Affects) to attain. This does it without any other work.

Overall I am very pleased with this camera and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of purchasing this model. Like I said, after reading reviews and customer feedback on Amazon as well as other sites that tested these cameras, I completely changed my initial impressions of what I thought I was looking for. If I were you I would make sure to go out and test out cameras you have in your Top 3 after reading all the great information found on this site. It really helps you make a confident decision in your purchase, such as the one I made. I had read before that Canon made excellent digital cameras, some of the best available, and can definitely back that up with my experience in just one day of use. I cant wait to use this camera more often and really get to know the many features it has to offer. I made sure to upload some pictures I just took today for others to see, hope this review has helped in some way.

The only things I would seek to improve on this camera would be the addition of a wide angle lens and better construction of the tiny little door that covers the USB connection and AV cable connetion. It seems a little brittle and I would be very careful when opening and shutting it. Im sure it will be fine with proper caution, but if you were to open it fast or tug on it hardly, it could possibly rip and detach. Only gripe I see to express, but nothing too major.

Buy Canon PowerShot SD630 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Now

This Canon SD630 camera replaced my "garbage" Sony that suddenly stopped working. I love this camera!

PROS:

1. HUGE 3" LCD screen (the main reason I bought this camera).

2. Excellent picture quality.

3. Tons of pre-set settings including "fireworks" (which takes perfect photo's of fireworks).

4. Lots of manual settings if you prefer, including high ISO, white balance, etc.

5. Takes top quality videos (at up to 30 frames/sec at 640X480 similar quality as that of full-featured video cameras).

6. You can upload any WAV and JPG files to personalize all the camera's settings (the sound and picture that shows when you turn on your camera, the sound the shutter makes, the sound of the buttons when navigating settings, etc.).

7. When reviewing your pictures, the built-in "gyro" will flip the orientation of your photo when you tilt the camera going from "portrait mode" to "landscape mode" and vice-versa.

8. The "colour swap" feature will have designers and decorators drooling. You take a picture of say, a house, then aim the pin-point in the middle of the LCD screen at a colour on the house that you want to change and press the shutter button, then aim the camera on the colour you want to change it to and press the shutter button, then voila!, the original picture of the house now appears with the new colour you had just personally selected!

9. It takes only about 15 minutes to fully charge the battery (NB-4L, Li-ion) in the included external battery charger.

10. The "auto create directory" feature is great. You can set the camera to create a new directory every day (or at a certain time) so when returning from your holiday, all your pictures are filed in folders according to the date you took them.

11. The "photo stitch" feature is awesome. Select this feature then snap a picture, rotate yourself a few degrees, take another picture, rotate, etc. The PC software will take all these shots and combine them into one panoramic picture.

CONS:

1. There isn't a visual battery-life meter; it only appears when the battery is almost dead, so it's hard to tell how much battery life you have left until it's too late. I bought a second battery that I carry with my camera just in case.

2. Flimsy cover on the USB and AV/OUT terminals.

3. When you connect the camera to your PC, the camera isn't recognized as a "removable device" (which is preferred with digital cameras), so you can't just copy pictures back and forth in Windows Explorer. The camera requires it's own software to download your pictures.

4. The built-in speaker is located on the top of the camera (it isn't facing you), so it's difficult to hear videos when you're playing them back on the LCD screen.

The "PROS" far outweigh the "CONS" with this camera. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Prepare to meet new people when you're out using this camera people are amazed at the size of the LCD screen.

Read Best Reviews of Canon PowerShot SD630 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Here

I purchased this camera as a replacement for my SD-400. I loved the SD-400 except that I broke the LCD twice. I was not about to replace the LCD for a second time so I went shopping for a new camera. I take over 1,000 photos a week on this camera as I use it as a primary tool in my job. They have added a rigid protection barrier for the LCD whih pretty much eliminates my only complaint with previous SD Models. Let me give you my quick Pro / Con List:

Pros:

-Size: It is the perfect size. I can't imagine working with a camera that is any smaller.

-Weight: It is light weight and easily fits in your pocket even after you put it in a hardshell case.

-Picture Quality: Far superior picture quality as compared to other 6 MegaPixel Cameras. This is of course due to the higher quality lenses and the precision auto focusing.

-Availability of backup batteries: Duracell makes an excellent battery for this camera. NB-4L It is fairly inexpensive as Lithium Ion batteries go and it is easy to find.

-SD Memory: It takes SD card memory which make life easier and less expensive.

-3" LCD. The LCD on this camera is very larger and it is beautiful. Feels like I am using my MiniDV Camera.

-Software Interface: This camera is very easy to use and the menus are intuitive and simple to navigate.

-LCD Protection: The LCD is behind a rigid clear protecting surface which seems to be fairly resistant to damage.

Cons:

-Battery Life. This camera does not use AA Batteries so if you have a 512MB card or larger, then you will probably have to charge the battery before you get through the entire card. The large LCD uses a bit more energy so this camera doesn't have as much battery life as its predecessor. The trade off is well worth it in my opinion. I recommend purchasing a backup battery (NB-4L) for those long sessions.

-No View Finder: There is no view finder, means in the really bright sun it is somewhat difficult to take pictures. Although it is not as others I have owned.

I recommend this camera to anyone who wants fantastic quality photos and an easy to use easy to carry camera.

Good Luck!

Want Canon PowerShot SD630 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Discount?

The Canon PowerShot SD630 is a small yet fierce compact point-and-shoot camera. This little 6-megapixel camera managed to bundle performance and snappy photos into a package you can easily carry in your shirt or pants pocket. I recently upgraded from the Canon SD450, and I am so glad that I got the SD630 (rather than the SD600). THE SD630 is almost identical to its little brother, the PowerShot SD600. The SD630 incorporates the same sensor, lens, and internal components. The only advantage over the less expensive SD600 is its 3-inch LCD screen, but had to lose the viewfinder in the process (which I never used anyway).

The first thing that jumped out and caught my attention is the (relatively) HUGE 3" LCD screen. It provides plenty of room to frame your shot but not so much room to operate the camera. Granted, the pixel count on this screen is the same as the 2.5" screen on the SD600, I still like the larger view. The buttons on the back include a standard four-way rocker control pad, menu, display, and a button for printing when the camera is hooked up to a PictBridge-compatible printer. If you have large hands, you'll probably find its control layout a little uncomfortable, and it doesn't have an optical viewfinder, but the SD630 is still a great compact camera. Once you get the hang of it, the pad allows "easy" navigation around the menu system, and you can directly set options such as the self-timer, continuous shooting, macro, flash, and ISO sensitivity. The top edge of the camera holds the shutter release, the zoom rocker, the power button, and a slider for switching between photo, movie, and playback modes. The zoom rocker is a tabbed ring around the shutter release similar to the SD600, facing the front edge of the camera. Some users have mentioned that it is uncomfortable for large fingers and extremely awkward to operate with one hand, especially when zooming out. I have large/x-large hands, and I find no problems using the controllers.

The Canon PowerShot SD630 has a decent amount of features that give its tiny form a nice amount of flexibility. Canon couples a 6-megapixel CCD with up to 3x optical zoom (35mm-to-105mm equivalent) lens. The lens has a pretty narrow maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/4.9, with a shutter-speed range of 1/1,500 second to 15 seconds, average numbers for models in this space. The camera has automatic, program, and manual exposure modes with a range of plus or minus 2EV in 1/3EV steps, which is also on a par with the competition. Its sensitivity range goes as high as ISO 800; that's not quite as much as Fujifilm's and Sony's latest offerings, but it will still give you more low-light flexibility than most cameras of its size.

I won't go into the details of the measurements, but I have to mention that it is less than an inch thick with its lens tucked in (great to carry around). It is easier to carry around than the SD450, or my ancient S200 (yes, the CompactFlash version!). I liked that the right side of the body is somewhat shaped/curved, because it lets the user hold the camera comfortably in your right hand.

In addition to standard automatic and manual exposure modes, the SD630 offers a handful of scene modes. One will also find options for photographing beaches, plants, snowy days, and fireworks (not available on the SD450). It even has an underwater mode to use in conjunction with the optional underwater housing (for extra $$). Color Accent and Color Swap modes can filter and change colors in the camera, producing some neat artistic effects. And, the camera has an awesome 30fps VGA movie capture mode, which can be used in conjuction with the Color Accent modes and other features. I've shot a 45 minute movie of my 4-month old daughter (I have a 2Gb SD card) with no hiccups, and I think I could have gone longer.

The SD630 takes a little over a second from power-on to the first shot, and takes about 2 seconds between shots, which increases marginally with flash. I haven't tried the burst mode yet, but it is supposed to shoot at 2.1fps with no buffer constraint on the number of shots.

So far, the photos I have taken with the SD630 were quite pleasing, looked crisp and clear, and nice color reproduction (at least with my poor eyes) at the lower ISO range. However, images become noisy at ISO 400 and ISO 800 (as expected), but still usable. I will be doing a field test against my Digital SLR (Nikon D100), results pending. Also, I have not used the bundled software, which is supposed to be very good.

Conclusion:

I am happy with my purchase of the Canon PowerShot SD630. It is an extremely solid ultra compact, with performance and photo quality that more than make up for its very few design flaws. It's a surprisingly good shooter, and its feature set makes it quite flexible for a camera of its size. It is a more expensive version of the PowerShot SD600 ($50-100 more), with a larger screen and no optical viewfinder. Personally, I don't use the viewfinder, so I am willing to give it up for the larger LCD.