Olympus SP-720UZ 14MP 26x Opt Zoom 3-Inch LCD Digital Camera - Black

I purchased this camera from a source other than Amazon. The purchase was made because my wife and I were going on a vacation, and our older Canon is no longer working. Overall, we are very pleased with the features and picture quality of this camera. Our trip was to Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. We took several hundred pictures and found the pictures had wonderful color and clarity whether shooting the red and white "hoodoos" and cliffs of Bryce Canyon or a closeup of cactus in bloom. A few pictures had less than perfect focus, but at least in some cases, that probably had more to do with the photographer than the camera. We have also used it with good results at an indoor family event, where we got some nice pictures with or without flash.

The only negatives I experienced are relatively minor. At the longest zoom length the camera will struggle to focus on a moving object. No surprise there, I think that's probably one of the toughest things to ask a camera to do. I was also a little disappointed at the shutter lag considering it has a CMOS image sensor which is supposedly quicker than a CCD sensor. You may miss the best pictures of your young grandkids when they aren't able to sit still and hold a pose.

Takes great detailed shots. That's exactly why this item was purchased. Great response in delivery as well! Nice packaging. Would like to know what camera case would be good for this. Would like to have an option to include additional memory as well.

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I purchased this camera for $179 from QVC, wanting a little more zoom than a standard point and shoot. Took camera to Mexico on vacation and used for Xmas also. Any photo taken with the flash appears washed and has white spots that look like overexposure no matter how far or close I stood from the subject. Also flash would not fire in Auto mode ??? Had to set it to other modes to get it to work.

I contacted Olympus since the manual was no help. I sent over 20 emails back and forth to Olympus trying to attach sample photos to show them. Their email server continually rejected all the emails with photos attached even within the file size range they suggested. I finally gave up. I spent $40 at Best Buy for an extra battery also.

I had to send the camera back after making every effort on my end to correct issues. What a disappointment!

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Optoma PK201, VGA, 20 LED Lumens, Pico Pocket Projector

I'm in the tech field and I've been waiting for the pico projectors to come down in price. I just never expected one of this quality and feature set to sell for under $300.00. I've looked at the 3M ones and some of the others but none come close to this 20 lumens switch blade of a Pico projector. I got mine about 3 weeks ago and I've been using it constantly. Everyone who see's it is like "I'm so getting one of these". I like the fact that it came bundled with the cables required to connect your laptop. With other units this was extra as well as a case. I purchased the IPOD connector kit so I could hook up my Iphone. It looks awesome with video coming from my Iphone. Please note that the extra battery in the Ipod/Iphone connector kit is for the PK101/102 projectors and will not fit in the PK201. So bascially I'll ebay that battery. The Arcsoft media software I'm not so happy about. I tried converting a video to the PK201 profile settings in Arcsoft only to have it not work on the unit. If I convert the same file utilizing Arcsoft's PK101 profile (lower video bit rate) then the file will play on the PK201. I have a support case open with them about but its really an Arcsoft issue. I've worked around that anyway by utilzing other software to do the job. Long story short is that I've done a lot of research regarding the Pico Projectors, this is by far the best due to its brightness, input capabilities, resolution, and ability to play content on its own (built in media player). Those are some of the most important things to me when I was looking for a Pico Projector. Did I also mention it utilizes Micro SD so I you can have up to 16gb of storage. It's great just taking this unit out without having to hookup any wires and play a movie or project a powerpoint. I've never written a review before and I hope this helps you in selecting a Pico Proejctor.

Cheers

This little projector is a joy in the dark.

The ability to throw in a SD card and let it play is genius. It will even pick a piece of music off the card to play with your picture slide show.

Unfortunately, it is not bright enough to use in any but the darkest rooms. If you intend to use this on the road where you might not get a completely dark room, or you need to use it along with written materials, then this projector is not for you.

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Had the PK201 for about 3 weeks now. 4 1/2 stars. The brightness has much improved. I love that I can now connect just about anything to the PK201. Hopefully the rest of the cables/adapter will be available soon. Battery life is poor, at about an hour. But I mostly keep this plugged in all the time. I wish the screen was just a little bit bigger. 70" easy with good clarity. The focus wheel is much better, not loose like previous models. Great for travel and hotel rooms. Even with some light ambient lighting you can see the picture fine. Best with complete darkness.

**** Update **** After a lot of use I've noticed a few things when compared to other PK models. First the projection screen on the 201 has a smaller footprint on the wall. I'm unable to get the entire screen to focus. Areas remain blurry no matter what. 101 had better focus. Get the PK301, really impressed with that model. Bought one myself.

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1. VGA output from connection to portable laptop: Adequate due to focusing problems, i.e. unfocused image across the breadth of the projection which comes from a distance of approximately 12' in this case. Furthermore, focusing the image adequately with the focusing wheel is somewhat difficult. However, if the operator fiddles long enough with the focus, one can generally see a clear image over MOST of the projection if the projection is nearly perpendicular to the wall with minimal skew. Although 12' is outside the range suggested by the manufacturer, the Optoma PK201 has focusing problems even at shorter distances, e.g. 9'. The HDMI capability begs a user to connect the PK201 to a computer and project the desktop onto a wall as a replacement for a large screen TV. Currently, the latter process doesn't work well because not all quadrants of the projected image are in focus at the same time. Personally, I'd love to use this capability with my speech recognition system while browsing the InterNet, but a projected desktop consisting of text is very difficult to read. In order to read the fuzzier text, heavy use of the web browser's zoom capability is required which causes other problems. Optoma, you blew it here and I fully expect your next generation of micro projectors to precisely focus all quadrants of the projected image simultaneously. I won't be as forgiving if this problem reoccurs in succeeding generations. No excuses.

2. Thermal: A purchaser wouldn't want a micro projector producing greater heat. Personally, excessive heat might be playing a role in the focusing problems. With the current design, 20 lumens is about maximum for micro projectors using LED DLP (currently) and passive cooling. Employing laser diodes instead of LEDs is an option for micro projectors, but I'm unsure which option has the greatest luminosity per unit of thermal output.

3. Luminosity: The projector is barely acceptable at 20 lumens. Unless one restricts the usage of their micro projector to nighttime hours, don't buy a micro projector with a rated output less than 20 lumens. The projection from the PK201 can be seen in a room with some INDIRECT exterior light so the brightness is acceptable.

4. Battery life: Marginal at best. Buy another battery as a spare. You'll need it.

5. The power switch is too small.

6. One can replace the included conversion software with Handbrake if the user is willing to fiddle with the settings. Personally, I use AVIDemux 2 to convert video for the PK201, but Handbrake will work as well. Thanks to legondaree on the Handbrake forums for these selections for use with Handbrake:

a. Select the "iPhone & iPod Touch" preset.

b. Set output format to "MP4 file"

c. Set Video\Video codec to "H.264(x264)"

d. Set Video\Quality to "Average bitrate(kbps): 1500"

e. Set Advanced\B-Frames to "0"

f. Disable Advanced\CABAC Entropy Coding

g. Set Advanced\Motion Estimation Method to "Uneven Multi_Hexagon"

h. In "Picture Settings", select a maximum width of 720 and height of 480 and set Anamorphic to "None"

Although, I initially thought about returning the PK201 due to the difficulty in focusing and the minimal life of the battery, I've decided to keep it as one can get a readable image across MOST of the screen if the aforementioned precautions are followed and one can always purchase an additional battery. The PK201 is a good micro projector and worth $300, but the difficulty in focusing and the minimal life of the battery detract from its usefulness. Remember, technology will continually advance these micro projectors so one has to weigh various factors before deciding to purchase. Personally, I don't think either the PK201 or PK301 are mature enough yet although they are close. The next generation of these micro projectors will probably see much wider adoption of these devices. I suspect 30+ tested lumens will probably be the minimum output and at least 90 minutes of battery life before these devices see wide acceptance.

In conclusion, the PK201 will work nicely for displaying pictures and video as a slightly out of focus condition won't generally be noticeable in parts of the image. Furthermore, if the PK201 is used primarily in a room with INDIRECT light, e.g. ALL shades pulled during daylight hours, or at night, the brightness of the projected image is adequate. The PK201 can also be used to display text, but slightly out of focus text can be maddening after awhile. Personally, I'm able to use the PK201 to project my desktop while browsing the InterNet with my speech recognition system IF I heavily zoom my web browser to enlarge the text and precisely fiddle with the focus wheel. The latter can be done with some difficulty and the text is largely readable so all isn't lost. I've decided to bump my overall rating from 3 to 4. The PK201 is so close to meeting the requirements for many applications and it's a very good buy if the intended use is primarily for viewing pictures or watching video.

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I was so excited when finally my PK201 arrived. I read the manuals before actually used it, charged it, connected to my laptop and watched one 20-min tv series. At the end of the series, I realized that white spots started to appear at the bottom of my screen.

Now these white spots have multiplied and black spots are also appearing and multiplying themselves. All in a span of 1 hour since my first usage!!!

I wouldve loved this projector because it's what I thought it would be, it was bright enough for my room. But a huge turnoff on the white spots. :(

If anyone knows how to remove these, please let me know. I am from Singapore and would be a big hassle to return it and ask for replacement.

Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

I am an amateur photographer who's always used point-and-shoot cameras. Finally, I got up the nerve (and cash) to get myself a DSLR.

I started doing lots of reading and reviewing the various reviews/features of different cameras, eventually settling on the Pentax K200D.

I have never owned anything made by Pentax/Canon/Nikon/Olympus/Sony before, so I didn't have any sort of brand loyalty ties. I took long, hard looks at the features and performance and went from there.

There are several reasons why I chose the Pentax K200D over similar models from other manufacturers:

1) Weather sealing -Pentax claims their camera is the only environmentally sealed camera in its class ("starting DSLR"). Nice to know it's there, even if I don't plan on intentionally testing it out!

2) Saving High quality JPEG and RAW at the same time (RAW+). Some of the other models I was considering didn't allow RAW + High JPEG, only medium JPEG.

3) Very high build quality. This thing feels like it's built like a tank. After reading literally hundreds of user reviews from Canon owners, Nikon, etc. the general consensus was their bodies (and cheap lenses) felt a little flimsy. I must admit, I went to the stores and tried out their cameras (the entry DSLR) and I felt the same way.

Popular Photography's preview of the K200D said it best: "Mate a tank with a SLR body..." or something to that effect.

4) AA batteries. I know some people consider this a downside, but decent 2500mha AAs are extremely cheap and work great. If I ever run out of juice, I know I can hit up practically any store for a recharge.

5) You can mount any lens Pentax has ever made on this camera. Of course, you may not get all the features, but the consistency of the lens mounting was a plus for me.

6) In-body stabilization A real biggy for me, as this translates to any lens you buy for the system! It has already saved several of my shots.

7) It's an APS-C sensor -this discounted the Olympus line immediately.

----------------------------------

So how do I like the camera? So far it's great!

I've only owned it a few days, but I've been doing lots of testing with the kit lens (which, according to "the net", isn't as horrible in quality as some other kit lenses).

Autofocus is fairly quick, though low light seems to be throwing it off sometimes (duh!)

Light metering seems to be very consistent -I'm not getting surprise too dark or too light shots unless I intentionally screw the shot up (like forgetting to reset EV , doh).

Burst rate is a bit low at 4 JPEG or RAWs but I don't plan on doing too many sports shots so hopefully this won't be a limiting factor. I'm awaiting some Sandisk Ultra II SD cards to come in before I see how much this low rate limits me -hopefully the fast card will allow a quick buffer flush.

The grip is confortable for me, a 6-foot tall male with large/medium hands. So far I haven't accidentally hit a button while operating the camera, etc. I haven't done prolonged shooting yet.

The menu options are pretty self-explanatory, and I like the manual they give you (though it's huge) -They do a pretty good job explaining what various functions do, etc.

-------------------------------------------

So, the verdict? If you're moving from a point and shoot digital camera (I had a Kodak Easyshare Z612 6MP), this thing is going to blow it away!

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. The kit lens isn't total garbage, the menu functions are easy to access and the camera performs admirably.

The only thing I miss moving from my PNS camera is the zoom.

My next purchase will probably be the fast 50mm prime lens for portraits.

I've been shooting in low-light situations (my house tonight) and so far it's doing great.

I've also taken it outdoors on a sunny day for some pretty good looking shots. I can't wait to upgrade to a good zoom to catch more wildlife.

I previously owned a Pentax K100D. I decided to step up to a DA* lens and wanted a body to match its weather sealing and SDM motor. The K200D is the perfect prosumer DSLR. It has all of the great features of the K100D Super (the K100D with dust removal), plus many more. The 10.2MP sensor takes great photos. The construction is solid and the dust/water sealing clearly visible on all doors. As with the K100D, this model uses AA batteries, a feature I love. Paired with a couple of sets of NiMH rechargeable batteries (I have 2500 ma Sonys), you are set for over 1500 photos. Also included, built in support for wireless flash operation with the internal flash as master (the K100D required an external flash as the master).

Overall an excellent upgrade from the K100D, and a bargain compared to the K10D from which it gets its CCD. I highly recommend it for prosumers and entry-level professional photographers.

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I am not sure why my first review didn't end up getting posted . So I am writing it again.

I have had this camera for about a month, purchased from Amazon, which got it to me less than 48 hours after I clicked "order" with the free shipping amazing.

This is my first DSLR. I owned two digicams before, a 2000 Olympus C3030Z 3 MP, and a 2006 Nikon Coolpix L1 6 MP.

Price wise, the K200D is a steal, especially with the rebate deals going on this summer about $550 after rebate with the DA 18-55 AL II kit lens. Compared to other DSLRs, the only other comparable model feature-wise in this price range is the Olympus E-510.

I can't believe what I have been missing ! The colors with the K200D are just vibrant and nothing like the digicams. Right out of the box, with kit lens (DA 18-55 AL II), the pictures are sharp. The extra megapixels don't hurt either. I wish I had this camera years ago on my previous trip. Most of my old digicam pictures looked washed out to me now, especially with the older Olympus :(

The ability to attach filters to the lens, such as a polarizer for outdoor use, greatly helps in the ability to enhance the picture and get incredible blue skies. That alone is worth getting a DSLR over a digicam.

The shake reduction is great. It is basically impossible to get a blurry picture with this camera in daylight, except if you move it on purpose like crazy. At night time, it can still occur occasionally. And what's even better, since the SR is in the body, it works with all lenses that you attach to it, even 40 year old Pentax lenses made for 35mm film cameras ! The only other manufacturer to have in-body SR is Olympus, in some models.

The camera is very fast. I verified that I can indeed take 2.8 pictures per second as advertised in continuous mode. There is never any noticeable waiting to save a 10 MP shot in JPEG mode, that is to say less than 1/3 of a sec. My Nikon could take several seconds to save a 6 MP JPEG onto SD, and my Olympus 30s for a 3 MP TIFF onto SmartMedia !

One of my favorite cost-saving features is the AA battery support. This is what made my decision to buy the K200D over the Olympus E-510. With the K200D, there is no need to buy expensive proprietary batteries, that can only be used in one device, and will be obsolete for the next camera, or to carry another charger when traveling. Olympus also makes you purchase a quick charger. They only bundle a slow charger with the camera. Once you factor the extra charger and at least one spare battery, the 2 cameras are no longer in the same price range. AA batteries are available everywhere, and cheap NiMH rechargeables work great. I can use the same AA battery type for my flash and my DSLR and only have one charger. I was able to take 1600 pictures on a single set of 4 AA NiMH 2500 mAh batteries in continuous mode, including 100 with the built-in flash. That's way more than Pentax says I could (they claim only 700 with NiMH). This may be because I wasn't using the LCD due to the continuous mode. Even after that, I kept shooting with the same batteries for another week. They were not depleted. But the 1600 pics filled up all my cards so I thought it was time to stop the test.

This camera is not perfect.

It is heavier and larger than most of the competition. It will not fit in your pocket like a digicam, but then no DSLR with a lens attached will, either. The size and weight are somewhat mitigated by the fact this unit seems better built than others, and is weather-sealed, which means it will probably last longer.

It doesn't have Live view. At this price, only Olympus has it, with the E-510. I won't miss this feature much. Actually, I missed the viewfinder in my Nikon Coolpix L1 digicam far more than I miss Live view on the K200D. It was difficult to compose shots on the L1 LCD in daylight without a viewfinder. So, I am very glad to have a viewfinder back now in the K200D. Live view would help a bit when using the tripod upwards, such as for moonshots with a big zoom lens. However, I have found the camera does very well handheld with the SR for those. And for tripod use, if the camera is in an awkward position, you can use a right angle finder admittedly an extra expense and accessory to carry.

Compared to other brands, it is also difficult to find new accessories, such as lenses and flashes, for this Pentax camera locally at stores, because many of them (I tried Ritz camera and Fry's electronics) do not carry anything Pentax. If you want new, then you have to order online. On the other hand, you don't have to buy new when there are plenty of used old lenses to go around on craigslist and ebay, that work perfectly fine, many of them manual mode, and some autofocus. I say the compatibility with old lenses means it's an environmentally friendly camera. :)

If I had to choose again, I would make the same choice in a heartbeat.

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For over five years I used 3.2MP Olympus D-540 camera.

It still works fine. But I decided to step up for some more megapixels.

I purchased Panasonic Lumix LZ7... It was ok, but I didn't get "wow effect" as I expected...

Then I purchased Olympus FE-340, same absence of "wow".

Then I got Fujifilm Finepix S700... I still felt that my old Olympus was getting better shots.

Then I decided to get a real camera... After a lot of research I decided to go with Pentax K200D. After I saw the first shot with it, I got that "wow effect" I expected. Really sharp photo and real colors.

And this camera still makes me wow each time I make a shot. Like another reviewer said: "you really can not make a bad shot".

It's my first DSRL camera, so I can not compare it to any else. But some things that convinced me to get it were:

-Weather resistant build. It even has seals in memory slot, USB port and battery port.

-Hardware shake reduction function. Still didn't get any blurred image, and I believe my hands are not "shake-free".

-Accessible AA batteries (you can get it in every shop)

-Really fast Autofocus (according to one review 1.2 seconds compared to Rebels 3 seconds)

The only bad thing I found (or may better to say: I didn't expect) is that you are obliged to see thru viewfinder to make a shot... Something I didn't expect from a digital camera. But I'm used to it, because I still remember how to use my father's old Zenith 35mm camera.

Other than that it's a great camera that takes sharp photos with life-bright colors.

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I have had the K200 for 2 days now...

I got the K200 instead of the K10 for several reasons. (1) I wanted a DSLR(tired of my "point-n-shoot" and out grew it), (2) My wife needed to be able to use it for her business. Probably more me than her. I had been admiring the K10 for a while and played with it at the store, really wanting it. When the K200 and K20 came out the K10 only remained for sale on line, at least in my area. I drove my wife crazy for weeks reading reviews and even downloading the manuals from the Pentax website as well as other brands. I didn't want to spend this kind of money without actually holding the camera(it's not in the stores yet). Almost all the stores never even heard of the K2oo because the K20 takes top billing..14 mega pixels. Long story short...the advertisement on the K200 is as far as I can see very accurate. Its for those graduating to DSLR and still need some AUTO features. I am not going to try to fool you with a lot of professional sounding lingo. Lets just say I would have preferred the K10 but love this camera. You cannot shoot a bad picture...REALLY! If you can skip through the technical talk in the manual, it tells you everything you need to know. The camera still has plenty of room to play for those of us learning more about how to manipulate shots how we want them plus the auto features for those who aren't. I really like the way Pentax feels like a REAL camera, not cheap plastic like others. My brother owns a popular Cannon. See for yourself, go to a store and hold any of the Pentax late models(K10,K200,K20). I am still fixated on the more advanced K20 but that's for the near future. Then my wife can have this one back.

By the way, Thanks Amazon!!! You sent me a message saying my shipment might be delayed but you upgraded the shipping so I still received it on time...You ROCK. I will continue to use you.

JVC GR-DVL520U MiniDV Digital Camcorder with 2.5 LCD

Looking for my first ever video camera, I stumbled upon this 520A JVC, looks sleek, light weight, fair functionability, 800 000 pixels for digital stills (which is not bad for it's price).

Compared to the sony at a similar price range, it lacked a few added extras which some may find useful :

1. Mpeg (not particularly that useful I suppose if you have firewire)

2. Night scope (the JVC does NOT COmpare to sony's night vision! it just decreases shutter speed)

3. Battery life I think that the sony stamina battery lasts a lot longer than the jvc pack.

4. Quality of video this is debatable I couldn't tell the diffirence though I was told that sony has a better colour.

5. USB streaming

6. B&W viewer it's quite annoying if you're used to a colour viewer. The LCD screen however is very clear. The sony has a TFT active matrix which may be slightly better. I was told that the LCD screen has a shorter life-span.

Compared to the Canon ZX5series some also have an SD Card, the JVC is cheaper, looks sleeker (I think) but similar otherwise.

The SD card is very useful I wouldn't buy one without a card. The battery life could be better. I think it's closer to 1 hour recording time. Even the so called "stamina" battery (which was not original) only lasted

Cmple 15 feet Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Version 1.3 Category 2 1080p

One good reason for buying this cable is to match a white colored laptop. One good reason to never buy a cable from Cmple is because they stole from me. I was bait and switched. I ordered 10 decent cables at a fair price and they substituted no name crap. There is a difference between cheaply made and well made cables, especially when you approach the 5 meter limit for this signal on this gauge of wire. It is important to choose a trustworthy merchant when buying HDMI cables.

Would you do business with a bait and switch artist? I won't. There are many merchants who would love your business who are honest and don't bait and switch their customers. Do yourself a favor and leave this page and find one.

Thanks for reading this.

I got 3 of these for a home entertainment product, ran the wires through the wall, tied down the cables, etc. 2 of the 3 worked. I had to order more cable and take the TV back off the wall, etc the next weekend. Painful. I ordered my next cable from Monoprice. It was about the same cost but appeared to be much higher quality construction.

If you get these, I would test them first before running them through the wall to make sure you don't have a dud.

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This product was reasonably priced, however when I hooked it from my cable box to my TV, I could not get a picture. I got a "no signal" message on my TV. I replaced this cord with a spare one I already had and the signal from the cable box to the TV was perfect. I have no idea if this was a rare occurrence with this product or not. I do not understand if "version 1.3 Category 2, 1080p Mac" is a type of cable that cannot be used to connect a TV signal from the source to a TV...and if it is..this should be explained in the product ad..as I am assuming all video HDMI cables are the same

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I'm using this HDMI cable to connect my wife's HP laptop to our 1080p Samsung HDTV. I choose this one because the cable is white, like her laptop and some of the other cables running around the baseboard. Works great -the image quality is perfect and the connectors seem well made.

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I ordered this in Dec. 2009, and have used it to connect a laptop to a HDTV, primarily for watching Netflix movies. It died this week.(March 2013) I verified that it wasn't working by substituting a shorter cable, which worked fine. As far as I know, there are no moving parts in a HDMI cable, so this product should have lasted forever.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Well if you are looking at this fine piece of Photographic equipment odds are you have been to the Canon website and read the specs. I will touch on a few of the items I have noticed since I purchased mine and have been using it.

1st. The feel, just like the 1D M3, this beast is solid. Not too heavy, but solid in the hand. And here in Alaska, I do put the weather sealing to a test, and just like my trusty 1D M3, the 1Ds passes with flying colors.

2nd. Yes its 21.1 MP, but that should not be your main consideration to buy it. Yah 18x12 @ 300Dpi out of the Camera is nice, but nost people dont print over 16x20, and I have sold a lot of prints from my old 20D at that size or even upto 20x30, as long as you shoot it right in the first place. But this is also a drawback as well. Because of the large file size, esp in Raw, and most, if not all, buyers of this body will/should be shooting in raw, be aware that you will need larger CF cards for it. At least 8gig, I use 12Gig for mine, extreme 3's and they work great! Also be aware if you use the internal high iso noise processing, it slows down the buffering a lot!!!

3rd. Full Frame, just like the earlier 1Ds models its a ful frame sensor. That means 2 things, not only does a 17mm or 14mm lens again be a true wide angle lens, but also with the larger sensor the pixels are more refined and this gives better color and less grain.

4th. The colors of the images in the files. WOW Again the 14bit processors are great!!! Esp for raw, where you can import it in as 16bit for the finer details. One draw back is if you use Photoshop, you will need CS3 to do the raw Conversions, unless you use the Canon program.

5th. You are approaching the image quality of a Dig MF camera, with the portability of a Dslr! Not to mention you can use all the Canon EF lenses, and this camera really should only be used with L series lenses when possible, except for the fisheye as its not made in an L series but the quality is very good anyways. As the Quality of the optics is what affects the quality of the image the most, other than settings in the camera, ie shutterspeed and AV, ISO, etc...

6th. Wonderful Accesories for the camera. I love my wft-e2a. I use it on my 1D M3 a lot and it works great on the 1ds as well. Its a great way to control your camera remotely or to send your files to a remote computer for processing and such while you are still shooting.

This Camera is great. I have used the new nikon d3, and its a much improved camera over the past models, but it does not compare to the top of the line Canon!!!! This camera will not let you down. The noise if shot right is not even noticed until iso 1600 and then you still got to look. ISO 3200 is still great (about the same noise/grain my buddy had on his d200 at iso 400!!!!!)! If you are a Pro and need a camera that can perform the best and give wonderful results, this is it. It kicks butt compared to anything else in the DSLR market!!!

I owned this camera since spring of 2008,

So at the point of writing this review, I used it for nearly a year.

Now, if you are earlier owner, you might have experienced a problem or two.

I was unfortunately one of the owner experienced problem, and had to ship it back to Canon for the warranty repair. So, I was not exactly happy about paying expensive FEDEX freight.

But, rest assured, no other nasty problem occurred after warranty repair, and this camera has been workhorse of my photography.

Now, let get on the review.

This is really wonderful 21.1MP camera, and it is well worth the money.

But, you have to determine if you need to use one.

At the time of release, there were no other full size sensor camera with this resolutions.

Of course, it has been since passed by other manufacture... but I will not going to that comparison.

For Professional User.

Important thing about this camera is economics.

I own EOS 5D as well, and when non-commissioned or low paid project, I tend to bring 5D instead of 1DS MK3.

It is due to the fact, overall operational cost tend to be higher on the 1DS MK3 so if does not paid well, there will be no point to bring it out.

But, if it does paid well. there are enough justification to own this system, and you should used it as much as you can.

And this system is really reliable, once you get past some getting used to.

One more note,

Now I do own several different system including Hasselblad Medium format.

Medium Format Digital System is superior system when you are working in the control lighting environment. However, it is rather difficult to work with in the outside activity.

If you are studio photographer with magazine or commercial client, and do occasional out side shoot, you should own both medium format and this camera.

If you are professional just wondering about medium format and full size sensor camera,but without pressing need, then do not bother with medium format.

People who uses medium format digital normally has pressing reason such as satisfying client's specifications to own such system.

And it is not really versatile system no matter how medium format camera maker and digital back manufacture portray.

Canon 1DS MK3 is really versatile system, and it will satisfy most of design agency, publisher or stock photo agency's requirement, and L lens system are reasonably priced for the performance when looking at the economics.

For Semi Pro or High Amateurs User

For semi professional. 1DS MK3 is not going to make best economic argument, if you do not shoot studio.

If you are part time photographer who shoots mainly events or doing photo journalism.

I will recommend 1DMK3 over 1DSMK3.

Also, for photo journalist purpose, nowadays 5D MK2 actually makes a lot more sense than getting 1DS MK3 due to the their HD capability.

And for the photo journalist, it is not that good idea to carry bulky system.

But, for an amateur user with a lot of spending money,

It is one of the best system to get taste of what real pro are using.

And it does not cost like price of new BMW, and for the financially resourceful amateur, 7 to 8 grand may not be much of money.

When I got 1DS MK3 there were several amateur photographer I taught how to use this camera...

Surprising thing is, there are quiet many of amateur owner, and with very limited instruction to them,

They were able to create very good quality images.

So, kudos to the Canon for new 1DS MK3 interface.

It is actually easier for 1DS first timer than older 1DS MK2 for instance.

Of course, people who were used to with 1DS MK2 or older tend to disagree on this.

Now here are list of main advantage.

1. It is 21.1MP, more than most of commercial assignment requires.

2. Color depth of 14bit per channel is really useful for RAW work flow process.

3. Economical compared to the expensive medium format system, and still get comparable or sometimes superior result if conditions are right.

4. Build like tank, and it can take a quiet bit of abuse.

5. For user who are used to with 20D~50D, 5D MK1~MK2, it is really easy to learn interface.

6. Dust cleaning is really useful.

7. AF + Canon L Lens combinations is superior to the other known system in the market as of 2008-9

8. Liveview is useful to shoot architecture, land scape, and products.

9. RAW file format is supported well by the major commercial software.

10.CF slot and SDHC slot actually helps. It did not occurred to me until I run out of memory card on the locations, and had to run to the nearby local drug store. At least they carry cheap SD/SDHC at any large drug store chains, and it is a lot easier to find those store than locating nearby large electronic store...

11. Battery Life is excellent, it will easily cover half day events with nearly a thousand of picture even with taxing RAW + JPEG shoot.

12. Due to its weight and form factor, it is a lot easier to balance with long heavy lens.

13. When used with L lens, it is somewhat comparable with expensive medium format digital back.

14. Silent shutter mode is somewhat useful.

Now here are list of disadvantage.

1. It is slightly new form factor for Canon, and there are chance you had to send it to the warranty repair if you got the earlier production model.

2.There are something wrong with design of wireless port cap. It is relatively easy to lose one since it sometimes fell off with limited torque applied. I lost several of them already... though I stocked half dozen cap after I lost my first cap.

3. It is heavy and bulky. Thus some times not a ideal for certain situations.

4. Compared to Nikon D3X, it has slightly poor SNR on the third party software RAW processing software, so certain journalistic style shoot might suffer. If you shoot in the studio controlled lighting environment, that should not be a much of issue.

5. Many of RAW development software is actually more well tuned for Nikon, This might to be due to the amount of info Canon release to the third party software developer.

6. It is hard to justify its price for the many of users.

7. However everyone else claimed, it still can not replace medium format digital camera. Lens resolution and clarity of images is not there yet. Of course, that is when looking at 1:1 images side by side.

8. Silent shutter mode is not that quiet compared to some of the most quiet camera in the market. So, application such as close quarter Jazz or Classical music shot are still off the table.

Overall, I will recommend this camera to who,

If you are photographer that shoot tons of weddings at high fee structure, you should get one. Otherwise, EOS 5D nowadays makes very attractive choice.

If you are commercial photographer with clients and sufficient invest in Canon system, why are you waiting?

If you are amateur with deep pockets, this is a camera to get, and impress your photography teacher!

I will not recommend to someone,

Trek photographer who need lighter weight gear or those wild life photographer needs of faster fps should consider other offering from Canon.

Any journalistic style should consider 1D MK3 first unless you shoot tons of interview photo.

Shooting for hobby or fine arts purpose should really consider 5D mk2 before taking financial plunge of 1DS MK3

If you think it is heavy for you, do not get it. It will be too heavy for you after few hours of holding camera.

Buy Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Now

In every way Canon has done it again. This camera is lighter, faster, and produces bigger, better files than the mk2. If you make a living shooting pictures, buy it, you may never have to upgrade again. If Photography is your hobby or passion and you can afford it this should be your last camera.

My five favorite improvements in no particular order.

Faster and more accurate autofocus

Less noise at high ISO making 3200 a viable choice.

File quality that beats many 22MP medium format digital backs.

Live preview, it's cool, fun, and useful.

Improved handling due to lighter more balanced feel

Yes I know number three will get me in trouble but the price, faster handling, and much broader lens selection make it great choice in the 22 to 30MP range. The 39MP backs are clearly more detailed and smoother but this Canon will push many a P25 and H3D-22 onto ebay in the next year.

Canon has set the standard again the mk3 is truly brilliant. The only better deal may be the well cared for used mk2's easily found on ebay.

I just wanted to add a comment regarding cost. Now that my second mk2 has found a new home I can evaluate the true cost of an $8000.00 dslr. I paid $7300.00 each for my mk2s. Sold them for an average of $3620.00 making the cost if you add in an extra battery and firewire cables for three years around $4000.00 each. I anticipate this kind of return for the mk3s and considering they will work in a high demand professional environment for three years or so I'd say the mk3 is a ridiculous bargain.

By the way both of my mk3s have performed flawlessly and were spot on with regards to viewfinder alignment.

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Here

I've had the 1Ds Mark III for over a month now and have shot in churches, outdoors and in the studio. It excels in every environment. The first thing you'll notice is the immensely big, bright viewfinder. It barely feels like looking through something! The LCD display is very good as well. Build is very solid. I've used it with the Canon 85mm 1.2 II L and the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS L. Both deliver outstanding results and are hand-holdable. The new automatic dust-removal system is very good, leaving only a couple of spots against the blue sky when shot at small apertures, when there used to be countless on the 5D. Image quality is fantastic, and the images are huge, making cropping while retaining a big image easy. The menu system is very easy to operate, custom functions offer a plethora of options. Shutter sound is wonderful, and at 5fps very fast for 21MP. It's expensive for sure, but definitely worth it.

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Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 21.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

I am an advanced amateur and was using the 5D Mark I for the past 2.5 years. I loved the images but hated the focusing. In any kind of shot that involved focusing on a subject moving at walking speed, (or less) the 5D would fail to snap into focus. The second shot would never be in focus. In lower light situations (typical interior lighting, not candles), the 5D was even worse. Sometimes the focusing would force the lens to go to maximum close/distance as the 5D hunted for focus even when the lens was basically in focus to start this was guaranteed to miss the shot.

The 1Ds, on the other hand, is great at focusing. Super fast, subjects snap into focus quickly, and focusing continues onto 2nd shots and more. And it will focus on lenses that are 5.6 and above something the 5D did not do (try a telephoto with a filter or extender). From what I can read, the new 5D Mark II has basically the same focusing system so it is not improved in this area.

What kind of shots am I talking about? Shots of people,kids, basketball, soccer, bands, parades, candids on the street, street life, travel, animals in the wild or at home I would include most everything except still life/landscape photos. Generally any shot you would not be making with a tripod is a situation where the 1Ds' focusing is vastly superior to the 5D.

High resolution is great. But out of focus shots are not keepers.

Finally, the 1Ds Mark III is much more solid than the 5D everything from the controls to the shutter sound. I love this camera. My only wish is that it were the same size as the 5D since most shoulde camera bags don't account for its height. I don't mind the weight since the the weight of the lenses I am carrying is much heavier than the camera.

D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps

I just bought this product and it's all what I expected. I just followed the quick installation guide, plugged in ethernet cable and the power, set the ip as recommended 192.168.0.20 on the camera and my wireless Netgear router and it works. I can view the camera immediately. But when I unplug the ethernet and into wireless mode, it didn't work. I ended up calling tech support and got a live support person in less than 5 minutes, he suggested I reboot(power down and up) my camera and router. The wireless mode now working.

I tried to set the camera up behind the router according to the instruction on the manual from the CD provided, it didn't work. After playing around for 3 hours, I finally figured out that the default port 80 and 8481 don't work, you have to open up the second port 81 and 8482. I IPView software provided in the CD does not have motion sensor, you can download the latest version of IPView with motion sensor for the DLINK website, and it works very well. It can detect a slightest movement.

PROS: price, good picture(can adjust brightness), motion sensor software(download latest IPView).

CONS: no audio, can not pan view(must manually pan camera), no email picture option.

These are a new generation of "webcams". These cameras have a built in web server. They connect to your home net via ethernet. Management programs can display the images from the cameras on your computer screen.

I recently examined a Hawking camera. Superficially, it seemed to have security, but there were only two official ways to get an image from the camera. One was by using a facility where the camera e-mailed you an image. This image was tagged as spam by my provider because it used the big5 character set, even though it contained no text. But the other way was to use a java applet which was automatically downloaded from the camera, the same way any applet would be loaded.

This was the only image data displayed on the camera's web interface.

I wanted to get a still image, so I traced the applet's data stream. The applet simply connected to a port on the camera and then presented four characters and a newline. The camera responded with a four byte header and a jpeg. I was able to use echo, sleep and netcat to pull jpegs out of the camera but I did not have to present the password to pull jpegs out of the camera.

The instructions that come with the camera tell you to open this port to the Internet via port forwarding from your firewall. You also open the camera's web port.

If you do this, then a hacker can see that you have this camera and then they can look for other open ports, and if they find the camera port, they can easily pull jpegs out of it with no password.

This is OK, though, since the camera is so incredibly bad that all that anyone will see is sort of a flesh shaped amorphous mass. I took this camera back to the store.

There are two other products on the market. One is the D-Link DCS-900W, and the other is the Linksys Wireless G. Both are comparable to the Hawking and way better.

The Linksys presents both sound and video as an MPEG4 stream. I know of no way to get still images from this camera (other than by having the camera e-mail you one). There is an active X control that allows you to view the video on a windows system, or, with the right codecs, you can use Media Player or Mplayer to view the stream. However, only a Windows user using Internet Explorer can access the camera through the web interfacr and see full motion video. Everyone else can go through multiple layers of frames to determe what the url is for the mpeg4 stream then, that URL can be fed to a regular media player that can play (or record) an mpeg4 stream.

The Linksys can be connected to a 10 or 100 wired ethernet, or to an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless net. It supports WEP. By default it is configured to run at a fixed address but it can run on WEP. A unique feature is that it has a small LCD panel and the LCD panel displays the IP address that it uses. It can look for motion within the camera and send out alerts by e-mail if motion is detected (that is, no external program is required to deal with automated motion detection from this camera). All data is presented on the web interface, and basic authentication (userid and password) is demanded if the camera is set up to require it before the video stream, or any data other than the base screen is presented. There are two levels of users those who can display the video stream and one user who can administer the box.

I have not installed the Linksys management software it seems to be unneeded. If I could find an open source solution that would allow me to convert mpeg4 to a still jpeg, then this would be the winning solution. But the conversion stacks I have found garble the images horribly. I believe that there is conversion available in the support software.

The D-Link has a URL where a jpeg can be accessed. All interaction is via web and all interaction requires basic security. There are two levels of users One user who can configure the camera and those who can just display pics.

The D-Link has a Java applet and an active-X control take your pick that allows you to view motion pictures and it also has full motion video so you can view full motion video from any browser that supports Java applets, or, if you are an IE user who has not installed Java, you can use the Active-X control to look at the video. Thus, the full motion video should work for almost everyone I know it works in Linux and Windows. The D-Link has the best low light capability. It also has the clearest picture, by far. It does not have 802.11g and it does not have sound. It does support WEP. Internally, (to the applet) the motion data is presented as a series of jpegs, using a standard http stream format. All video or jpeg data is presented only after successful basic authentication.

The management software for the D-Link camera works reasonably well, but there is no reason to use it other than, perhaps, for upgrading the flash although the "lite" software can present a very high quality full screen full motion video. All motion detection recording on the D-Link is done in an application on a connected windows PC.

These cameras cost a few dollars more than the Hawking, but they actually have a modicum of security.

The Linksys is a winner if you need sound, or if you want to get the extra performance of an 802.11g device if you do not have any 802.11b devices, you might well not want to introduce the first one.

If you need motion detection in the camera, the Linksys devices also win. Linksys cameras and a wireless router would obivate the need for a computer onsite, and, with a DSL connection, say, would allow for the accumulation, at a central site, of images where motion was detected.

If you do not need sound say, for a manned security setup, the D-Link cameras would allow you to put 16 cameras on a single screen no wiring cost, and you could have motion detection and recording. That would be expensive, but probably much cheaper than any other solution. Considering that you could avoid wiring, it would be a winner.

Buy D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps Now

for the price, this is a great tool. if u need night time viewing, add a motion detector.

i found a 4x4x6 waterproof plastic box at Home Depot, begged them for a 3x3 glass scrap, and mounted this outside w/motion detector light (see above). we'll see how it handles Florida sun next summer.

bingo! i now have 5 of these running very nicely.

please note that i use free linux software instead of PC monitoring app (IP-View) that comes with it, but friends seem to have good luck w/that app. the linux app ('motion') allows me to mix USB, video, and network cams in one survelliance app.

newest firmware for cam (2.28) hasn't crashed since i booted it over a week ago fyi.

Read Best Reviews of D-Link Wireless Internet Camera, Home Security, 802.11b, 11Mbps Here

I purchased several of these cameras and I am very pleased with their performance. They are easy to setup and sturdy. Shhh! Don't tell D-link, but I did test their durability on ceramic tile.

For the price you can't beat them. I am amazed by their update times over the web. These cameras will act as independent web servers, if you set up your router correctly. Each camera needs to have its IP and port associated correctly, after that it's cake.

As I mentioned, these cameras do update quite fast. A fact I did not appreciate until I experienced the Toshiba IK-WB01. I only use the highest resolution setting (640x400). At this resolution, you will be able to capture moving cars fairly clearly. Meaning, you can recognize make, model, color and driver hair color.

If you want to capture images a night, the DCS-900w is not for you. You should consider purchasing the DCS-950g. The DCS-900w is good to 2 Lux, making it useless at night. The DCS-950g is good to 0.5 Lux to give you an idea of the difference.

Bottom-line:

1-Relatively low cost

2-Easy to setup

3-Good updates at high resolution

4-Very stable occasional power blips confuse it like all my other wireless gear. If power blips are a problem for you, use a UPS or a timer like the guy above.

5-Software IPView light is useful

6-NOT for low light

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I wanted to use this cam for monitoring an office, house or the street, however was unable to use it at any of these locations, except during the day. This camera seems to require minimum 5-10 lux. For example in the evening, even on a well lit street it is already very difficult to distinguish the shape of my car less than 10 feet away. Also indoors there is a lot of noise under any amount of artificial light, unless you put your face in front of the camera or the area is lit by natural sun light. Basically after 5 PM the quality gets pretty bad and after 6 PM the cam becomes unusable.

It might be OK for video conferencing if you sit next to your computer with a lamp pointed at your face, however this doesn't require a wireless network camera since many USB models under $50 can perform better.

The camera frame rate on my wireless network is less than 5 fps, though not sure if this is a performance problem with my wireless router (Microsoft), so I am not putting the full blame on the camera.

Generally the concept of wireless network camera is great, but it would need to be coupled with a decent camera. As a standard Webcam this camera wouldn't be worth more than $20.

I've had to do some research to discover that CCD cameras are much better than CMOS, especially in low-light, so I will be looking specifically for those now, even if they are USB-only. Learned my lesson.

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2.4 Ghz Wireless Surveillance System

This video was taken with a Kodak EasyShare DX4530 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom aimed at my Insignia HD LCD TV that is projecting the images from the Instapark 1.2GHZ Hidden Mini Pinhole Nanny / Spy Wireless Color Video Camera with Microphone.. The "Beeping" sound is from a Driveway Patrol Sensor and Receiver Kit that I have mounted inside a feeder........... Yes I live a boring life :)

BTW, The video did lose about 10% clarity from being taken with the Kodak from the TV.

Overall a nice wireless video spy camera, but a 500' range? More like 50'-75' range.

UPDATE: 04/25/12

I had to take down the camera and feeder (along with all the Peanuts) :( because the Squirrel's UGLY "Cousins" aka the Rats started visiting!

I wish I took videos of the "Mexican Standoffs" and seldom skirmishes between them.

BTW: The Squirrels always came out the "Victor"

Camera is small and discrete. It works great and the picture and sound is acceptable. The downside is that the camera eats up 9V batteries when you use wirelessly and the camera and receiver cannot be too far apart or you will lose the signal. Also on the signal, there is intermittent static and distortion at certain times and if the camera and receiver are placed too far apart.

Buy 2.4 Ghz Wireless Surveillance System Now

We use this as a supplement to a standard baby monitor. It allows us to see *what* the little guy is doing, without peeking in the door, which will guarantee that if he's awake he *will* see us, and that's it, even if he'd otherwise go back to sleep on his own.

Now for function. This is extremely easy to set up, and doesn't seem to have any interference from our wifi N home network. We use the wall-wart power supply, so I cannot comment on battery life. We're only transmitting about 10 feet, through the front and back walls of a closet.

The picture quality is pretty good -not excellent, but pretty good -*IF* the light levels are high enough, that is.

As the light level drops off, the quality of the image drops with it. We have it in a room that at night is lit only with a 40 Watt bulb, and the picture is grainy, but more than sufficient to tell what our baby is doing. We can't see if his eyes are open, for instance, but we can see if he's still, looking around, moving around, etc.

If you application is not dependent on high image quality, then you're likely to be happy. If it is, then you probably won't be.

Read Best Reviews of 2.4 Ghz Wireless Surveillance System Here

I just received my camera today and was impresses with the color quality.... not so much the sound and low lit environments. Great deal for the price though. Just make sure you have a good supply of 9volt batteries on hand because the camera powers through them pretty quick, but for the overall performance that is alright with me. Good buy!

Want 2.4 Ghz Wireless Surveillance System Discount?

I purchased four of these units, a couple DVRs, a couple receivers, and the adapters to interface to my computer. While these may work OK when plugged directly into power (I have not tested this), the 9v functionality is very very limited. At a range of 2-3 feet, I had unreliable signal quality, and would frequently lose signal completely.

This product could be useful if you can keep everything plugged in constantly, and particularly if you can plug things in directly at the camera... but then, why did you go with wireless?

Sony HVR-HD1000U Professional Digital HDV Camcorder + .45x Wide Angle Lens + 2X Telephoto Zoom Lens

I just received my kit last week. Everything I've ordered from Amazon has arrived early or on time, and this was at my home a day early.

I bought the kit mainly because of the 3 year warranty, it was cheaper on Amazon as a kit with the warranty than it was at B&H and other websites I visited. I used the camera to do some filming of a singer performing outside at the beach. The footage was really good. It was also nice to see that the venue we were perfoming at had 4 of these cameras as well. They were shooting a live beach sport (footvolly soccer and vollyball combined) that was airing in Brazil.

The camera is really nice. But there are a few things to consider. You have to buy an XLR adapter because there isn't a connector. But less than $5 on Amazon. The second is that when you buy Sony you should make sure you have an iLink or Firewire connection to the computer you are going to edit on. You cannot get the HD footage on anything but iLink/Firewire...my laptop doesn't have this so I have to download to my home CPU then save to my external hard drive. Kind of a pain in the butt.

I have only used it for one event so far, but I'm impressed with how easy it is to use and how good the footage looks. It only has one manual control (you can set it to do what you want, but only one thing at a time), so it would be nice to have more, but I don't need more. I just use it to zoom or focus mannually.

It would be hard to find a better camera for under $2000-$2500.

I haven't used the extra lenses or filters yet, but they are the cheap ones you see on Amazon. Also the tri-pod is useless. This is a $10 tripod, they say it's titanium, but 95% cheap plastic. The extra battery is a must! The battery that comes with the camera will not last long especially if you use the LCD monitor (you can turn it off to save power). The longer lasting battery worked for me very well. I am going to have to buy one or two more batteries.

I also suggest you purchase a separate battery charger. You can only charge the battery that is in the camera. A secondary charger is a must.

Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5

I got mine on Saturday from a camera store here in Austin. The camera is nice and small but feels very solid. I was interested in the EP1 but could never get my mind around the practice of viewing and focusing on the back LCD screen. I was interested in this product segment because I have a collection of the Pen F half frame film cameras that this one is based on. I was very happy to learn that several people are making adapters that will allow me to use those old Pen F lenses on the EP2. I am looking forward to using two of my old favorites, the 60mm f1.5 and the 70mm f2.

I took the EP2 and the kit zoom lens out for a three hour spin yesterday morning. It was 30 degrees outside and the first thing I discovered is that this is not a camera with an interface you can use with gloves on. The buttons are too small and require too much pressure with gloves.

In daylight I didn't notice any real problem with focusing. It was not as slow as I was led to believe. BUT, it does do this little "focus on either side of sharp" and then lock and shoot that takes a few tenths of a second each time you autofocus. The cure is to switch the focus on control to the fn button or the ael button and then you can focus once and shoot until the subject/camera distance changes. It's definitely not bad. I also tried a bunch of low light focusing later in the evening and, with 60 watt household lights in various fixtures the focus locked pretty well.

You would be unwise to buy this camera without the EVF (electronic viewfinder). In my opinion this is what makes this camera and cameras like the Panasonic GF1 special. It's a great finder. Almost as clear and clean as a great optical finder. Better than the optical finders on the Olympus e300 and e520 cameras that I also own.

Here's why I really love the camera. I spent years and years shooting with a Hasselblad and I love composing images as squares. Several DSLR's with "LIve View" are available that can be configured to shoot different aspect ratios in Jpeg. Including the square. But when shooting portraits those cameras go through too much time consuming labor to use it effectively and the effect can only be seen on the rear LCD screen. On the EP2 this is not the case. The exposure is relatively instantaneous. And the camera can be used in a square format which you can view through the EVF.. You basically wind up with a 6x6 camera that shoots 9 megapixel files (the crop of the 12 megapixel sensor to square) at three frames per second.

The color and sharpness, even with the kit lens, is superb. Out of camera jpegs are something Olympus is famous for and this camera is even better than it's predecessors. I've also processed a few raw files with Capture One 5.01 and they are great but not that much better than a well exposed Jpeg.

I wrote a little review of the shooting experience on my blog.

At the end of the first paragraph is a link to a gallery of images. The image at the top of the blog is full size. Click on it to see just how sharp the files are.

The only unhappy note I have about the camera is that the BLS battery was "only" good for around 300 images. I always buy a spare battery when I buy a new camera so I had one in my pocket when the first battery became depleted. Keep in mind that it never got about 35degrees (f) while I was shooting and cold really messes with batteries. I presume you might be able to hit the 500 shot mark with warmer weather.

Finally, I am excited to shoot HD video with this camera. With adapters I'll be able to use some of the great lenses I've bought for my regular Olympus cameras.

Here is my con list:

1. The batteries could last longer....

2. The EVF plugs into a port under the hot shoe. It also takes over the hotshoe. This means that you can't use the hot shoe or even trigger a flash if the EVF is plugged in. This is a big deal. I wish the camera had a little pc terminal somewhere. Then I could use the EVF and still be able to trigger studio flashes.

3. Same thing for microphones. If you want to use an outboard mic for recording sound you'll need to use the same connection port. So you get to choose between EVF and microphone.

4. I wish there were more dedicated Olympus lenses for this format. I'd love a 20 or 25mm prime lens with a fast aperture. I think that would be sooooo cool. Maybe that's down the road.

All in all this is the camera I've wanted for a while. I am happy with it. It gets only four stars because of the multi-function port. On image quality it's five star. If they drop in price after the launch I will try to buy a second body. Have fun deciding between this and the Panasonic GF-1.

Bottom line: this camera represents a fantastic compromise between price, portability and picture quality. For those who can't take their big DSLRs everywhere they want to take pictures, this is the best camera I've found. Folks who are moving up from point and shoots should get a "real" DSLR as their move-up camera; this thing is really for those who already have DSLRs and looking for a great 2nd camera.

Likes:

Image quality, feel, size, weight. Really, you get great pictures up to ISO 400 (and I'm picky), and ISO 800 is completely usable. This is my replacement for a Canon G9, and this camera is just a little bit bigger and TONS better.

This is a system with multiple manufacturers. I'll be able to upgrade bodies and lenses from different companies without worrying about compatibility. Panasonic may make a better body a year or two from now -no worries, I'll just buy it and know my lenses will just work.

The 14-42 lens is really sharp. I've ordered the 45-200 and pre-ordered the super-wide 7-14 zoom. They all weigh about a pound. I also have a Gitzo Traveler. My travel photo kit will be quite nice, small and light. Ahhhhh!

I synch external 3rd-party strobes at 1/320th of a second. Very, very nice.

The electronic viewfinder is bright and clear. I really like the diopter correction.

Just OK:

The autofocus isn't as good as my prime DSLR (a Canon 1ds iii, so you know from whence I speak!), but is a heck of a lot better than normal point & shoots. The autozoom function while manual focusing is a nice touch, but in moderated-to-low light is too noisy to get tack-sharp focus. A "preview" button would be a nice workaround, but only if it was just used to temporarily freeze the zoomed view and show a quick focus check.

Dislikes:

As *everyone* says, you have your choice of one option at a time: strobe, electronic viewfinder, or external microphone connection. Arghhh!

The USB connector is some darned combo AV / USB thing. It is NOT compatible with standard USB cables. My suggestion: don't take the cable with you on the road, but instead use a separate card reader to download pictures.

The battery it came with is lame. Get a higher capacity battery for $9. In fact, get two! Maximal Power DB OLY BLS-1 Replacement Battery for Olympus Digital Camera/Camcorder (Black)

I really wish they made a very little strobe for this other than the Olympus FL-14 Flash for Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. The FL-14 is lame (no tilt or swivel, low power), but the FL-36R is too big. The ideal setup would be to just use a wireless trigger and move the strobe off-axis.

The user interface is a little weird. I actually had to read the manual. I suspect this is just because I'm a Canon-head, but be warned. I'm getting used to it, which mostly means going into the secret setup menu (you have to turn on the detailed setup menu) and customizing things. One strong suggestion: set Auto-ISO to 100-400. No real penalty in picture quality at ISO 400, and you won't mind if the camera swings between 100 and 400 as it pleases.

The user interface requires you to use the wheel often, e.g. to change the f-stop/shutter tradeoff in "P" mode. It's way too easy to push on the ring and accidentally change a setting (e.g. ISO 100 --> 6400!). This has happened to me a few times.

The bracketing feature is useless for HDRs. You only get to change by 1 EV; you need two or three.

(In response to an excellent comment, here's a follow-up...)

I agree that ISO 1600 is "really good," but in my opinion 400 is the highest ISO that maintains the best quality. In fact, there's really no noise to clean up -even in solid red areas of the picture. 800 and above, you're trading off quality for sensitivity. I suspect we're really agreeing with each other, but I could have been more explicit. So, here goes: this thing has near-DSLR image quality in a very small, nice package. If you make huge prints, stick to 400 or lower (advice that's also relevant for all but the highest-end DSLRs); judicious use of Noise Ninja, et al, may allow you to push a bit past 400, but you're literally pushing your luck. ISO 1600 is fine for smaller prints, and more than fine for web pages, etc.

For the numerically inclined, here's the noise index from Noise Ninja:

ISO 100 11

ISO 200 14

ISO 400 20

ISO 800 28

ISO 1600 46

ISO 3200 99

ISO 6400 148

My rule of thumb: 20 and under is near-perfect, 20-30 is quite usable, and 40+ has issues.

And since I've written my original review, I've come to appreciate the auto-tracking continuous focus mode. I have my Fn key mapped to MF (manual focus), so I can bounce back and forth easily. I sure wish the camera had a few more mappable buttons, though. I'd really like to also get access to the white balance set command as well as the depth of field preview. Oh, well.

Also, I built a dual-illuminant DNG Color Profile for my E-P2. Amazing improvement! I was able to take a picture of the target on my LCD, bring the pic into Lightroom (where the profile is automatically applied), and then see that the colors of my displayed image exactly match the original. Nice stuff. Just google "dng color dual illuminant" to see how to do it.

As you can tell from the above, I also built some Noise Ninja profiles. Feel free to get them at

Finally, the nice guy who runs epaperpress made ptlens work with the E-P2 about an hour after I asked him to. I highly suggest using ptlens from Photoshop to correct barrel distortion, etc.

Buy Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5 Now

I've been shooting with SLR's for years now. The quality for me has always overridden the fact that the systems were bulky and cumbersome to shoot with. But I had felt that the "fun" had sort of been sucked out of my photography. It's hard to be spontaneous with a large SLR and large lenses. Luckily for me, those days are over. The fun is back.

The Olympus E-P2 is simply fantastic. You've got SLR quality in a near pocketable package, and the result has opened up avenues of photography that haven't been available to me in years.

I've missed countless opportunities to take pictures because of the sheer mass of my SLR system and not wanting to lug it around. This little camera will stay with me more frequently and just begs to be used. You get the convenience of the point and shoot, but the quality you crave in your pictures.

Pros of this camera:

High ISO is really good. Pretty clean all the way up to 3200, and certainly printable.

Movie mode is of very high quality. Somebody with good lenses and a creative mind can make some magic here.

Ability to use old lenses with an adapter. Very nice feature, and the manual focus mode is especially nice because it magifies what you are trying to focus on automatically.

Picture quality has amazing detail and color. Olympus color is in full force here.

Portability. (I recommend getting the nice Panasonic 20mm 1.7 lens. It takes the quality and portability up a notch, and gives you a top notch low light system)

Viewfinder is really top notch and large and bright. This allows for viewing of pictures and movies out in the sun(something you couldn't really do with any camera before now).

Built in image stabilization, which will work on even old lenses up to 4 stops.

Negatives:

Slightly slower focus than an SLR(and even the panny GF1). Not bad though and for a live view system it's pretty peppy.

No built in flash. Not a negative for me. Built in flash results are atrocious. I got the little FL-14 for flash in a pinch.

Cost. A little pricey for everyone, but it's actually worth the money for everything you get.

This is really a nice camera. If you have legacy 4/3 lenses you can attach and autofocus them. If you have other system lenses you can use them with an adapter and they work well. The obvious competitor, the Panny GF1 is also a nice camera. Both have strengths and weaknesses but in the end I'm really happy I got the Olympus E-P2. It's stylish, uber powerful, portable, and just downright cool. I still can't believe how small it is. Quite an amazing achievement to fit this technology in this small of a body.

Read Best Reviews of Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5 Here

I bought this camera for its light weight and high ISO performance. No disapointment in either area. My main camera is a Sony a700 with 18-250 zoom as my walkaround lens. I have a nine month old dgthr and the two together can be a bit much to carry. I am very happy with the portability of this camera the color and image quality is great. The autofocus is tricky and too slow in dim light. The manual focus has a 7x magnifier that activates when you turn the focus ring. I do a lot of night shooting and got great results with manual focus. The spot meter is REALLY touchy. I am getting pretty good at spot metering and then using exposure lock so I don't have to reset in manual. The camera is so good looking I can't put it down. The Olympus raw converter is adequate. I do not own photoshop. Occasionally I have to adjust white balance. That's it.

The video in this camera is terrific. I have a sony mini DVD camcorder which I will proobably never use again now that I have this camera.

This camera has a steep learning curve but if you love photography, you will love the ride. I started shooting my own 35 mm with a Honeywell Pentax in 1974. A teacher loaned my his Oly Pen in 1973. This camera brings back a lot of precious memories in incredible color and image quality.

It is NOT a point shoot. It is a real camera. I recommend it highly

Want Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5 Discount?

We're lucky when we shop for something and our choice is limited to two options. Such is the case with micro fourth-thirds cameras. The format has been around for at least 40 years, but digital micro four-thirds is new. The format appeals to photobugs because it represents a good compromise between the image quality of consumer SLRs and the size of compact cameras. The image sensor is only a third smaller than that of an SLR, but nine times the size of a typical compact camera. Since sensor size is intimately correlated with goodies like background blur ("bokeh") and lower color noise, along with the fact that pictures taken with bigger sensors are deeper and more accurate, micro four-thirds is a boon. With a compact prime ("pancake") lens attached, it's not too big for a coat pocket. Add to this that the lenses are interchangeable and the format is friendly (via adapter) to every imaginable lens mount --including legacy manual-focus classics often available inexpensively on eBay or molding away on your old film SLR body. This all adds up to an irresistible proposition for the early adopter whose neck hurts from hauling around a big hunk of metal and glass.

But as mentioned, there are two: The Olympus Pen (in this case we'll look at the E-P2) and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. Which is better? Like so many things in a competitive economy, it's a set of trade-offs--the two cameras excel at different things. The best choice likely depends on your picture-taking. Let's compare the two, feature for feature.

1) Looks. When I first saw the Olympus E-P1 in silver, I fell in love with it. It's a beautiful camera. Soon the E-P2 came along and, though it's a far better camera, until recently it came only in black. Okay, it's not exactly black but more of a metallic dark grey in the body and black in the extremities. Personally, I don't like grey and black together. You might. Notheless, I thought the black Pen looked better than the Lumix so I bought it. Later, I got a closer look at the Lumix. Now I believe the Lumix is every bit as retro and handsome as the Olympus, but in a more Leica-ish, rangefinder-y way. This only makes sense since Lumix is a sister company to Leica. For looks, I'd say if you like silver the Olympus wins, if you like black the Lumix wins.

2) Fit and finish. The Lumix is built like a brick shithouse. You can squeeze it hard and there's no "give." Not that the Olympus is chintzy, it's just not as solid. Lumix wins.

3) Autofocus. This is critical. If you shoot action or have any other reason to use faster AF, the Panny wins hands down. If you use old manual lenses it couldn't matter less, but if your primary goal is to shoot kid soccer games using modern kit lenses, the faster AF is a decisive advantage for the Lumix.

4) High ISO. The Olympus measures at significantly lower noise in lowlit, high ISO situations (which is a good thing because the camera has no built-in flash). If you're allergic to flash photography and like indoor portraiture, this could be a significant factor in favor of the Olympus Pen.

5) Flash. The Panasonic has a built-in flash and, as mentioned, the Olympus doesn't. The outboard flash designed for the Pen system (FL-14) will set you back an extra hundy, and though it looks very cool and retro, it tends to blare a bit. It also can't be tilted to "bounce," off ceilings, and only has limited exposure compensation. If you need flash for parties and bad Facebook shots, Lumix wins.

6) Electronic viewfinder (EVF). The Pen balances out the flash disadvantage here. The base kit ships with an outboard viewfinder. The Lumix requires you to to buy one for more than a hundred bucks. More importantly (since this is photography so money ain't a thing) the Olympus viewfinder is better, brighter, and more adjustable than the Lumix. You may not even think you need a viewfinder until you try an EVF on a micro four-thirds camera. If you want to use manual lenses it's absolutely crucial. Both the Lumix and the Pen have manual focus assist so if, like me, your eyesight sucks, a press of a button will temporarily zoom you in so you can manually adjust focus on, say, the subject's eyelashes. It then pops back to normal so you can compose the shot. The keystrokes to accomplish this are more involved when you use old manual lenses. In the case of the Olympus, you have to put the camera in a specific mode to make MF assist engage with one keystroke. It then stays zoomed until you repeat the same keystroke, which can be awkward. The Lumix zooms itself back out automatically, even with legacy glass, but it requires two keystrokes to zoom in, so there's the same amount of button pushing. To me it seems more intuitive to have the MF assist self-cancel (unless I'm still struggling with finding focus when it does). In spite of this slight advantage, and that the Lumix has a higher-resolution LCD, the viewfinder on the Oly is included, and it spanks the finder on the Lumix. And no, they don't work mounted on each other's bodies. Olympus wins

7) Menu system. The Pen takes a lot of heat for having convoluted menus. To my mind these complaints rendered invalid by a simple setting whereby virtually every menu item is available in a single screen-view that you can navigate to with the touch of a convenient scroll wheel whereupon you can change any setting pretty much instantly. You almost never need to navigate the formal menus. I'm not sure if a similar feature exists on the Lumix, but it seems likely that if you have a Leica D-Lux 3 or 4 (Panasonic LX-2 or 3) you'll like the Panasonic better for its familiar menu system. In truth, this is likely a tie.

8) Kit lens. I prefer prime lenses and to date the finest prime created for the digital micro four-thirds format is the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/2. It's a jewel, and works on both cameras. Even if you have the Pen you'll want to buy it. Yet it ships in the Panny prime-lens kit. On the other hand, if you like or need zoom lenses, the Oly zoom lens that ships with their zoom kit is better than the zoom that comes in the optional Panasonic kit, if only because it's retractable, making the camera pretty compact for having a fairly long focal range. Keep in mind that the micro four-thirds "crop factor" means that the effective length of a lens in this format is twice the actual (1:1) length of a lens. So the Lumix kit's prime 20mm is actually equivalent to an old-school "normal" lens. As a side note, not only is lens shopping cheaper in micro four-thirds thanks to old manual lenses (just don't develop a jones for Leica M-glass) but the 200% comparable focal length means you can get by with fewer specialty lenses. That 400mm white-ass golf lens that sets you back $8 grand and gets you punched by Sean Penn, in four-thirds format is accomplished by a little 200mm brand-x lens. But if you like prime lenses: Advantage Lumix. If you like zoom lenses: Advantage Pen.

9) Image stabilizer. Now this was the overwhelmingly decisive factor for me. I take natural light photos in some pretty dark places. Great legacy lenses and even the better optics in the modern world tend not to have their own internal image stabilizers. The Olympus has great in-body image stabilization. The Lumix doesn't. This means that any lens, no matter how old, is image stabilized on the Pen body. You not only don't have to buy stabilized lenses (which in many cases can be a $1K upgrade), but you can buy slower lenses. Combined with the strong high ISO performance, instead of a maximum aperture of f/1.4, you might be able to get away with a max aperture f/2 or even f/4. Look up Leica 50mm lenses and compare the price of the f/4 with the f/2.8 and the f/1.8 and finally the f/.90. Opening the aperture a few steps can add thousands faster than Nancy Pelosi's bar tab. And in the case of most manufacturers, at its most open aperture settings, the lens with the smaller maximum aperture outperforms the more expensive lens (that is, at f/5.6, the Canon 50mm f/1.4 beats the Canon 50mm f/1.2 in term of sharpness and distortion, and for less than a tenth of the cost). What this means in practice is that you should always buy a fast lens for the way it renders at its widest setting. If an in-body stabilizer effectively widens that widest setting by allowing you to increase your shutter speed in low light, it may very well negate the need for extravagant glass (or better yet, allow you to buy slower glass from an extravagant manufacturer). Big win: Olympus.

Which brings us to the skinny: The Olympus E-P2 and the Panasonic Lumix GF1 test as indistinguishable in image quality. They both take great pictures, share the same lenses, and are fun as hell.

If your thing is portraits, flowers (ugh), still-lifes, pets (ugh) and landscapes, and you don't shoot a lot of action, the Olympus wins for its in-body stabilization and high iso performance.

If your thing is action, hyper kids, sports, and other chaos, and you're hard on your cameras, the Lumix is better. It's also better if you need a flash--for instance if you bring cameras to dark parties or tend to shoot in Auto Mode.

You really can't go wrong either way.

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