Nikon COOLPIX S9100 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 18x NIKKOR ED Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and

Folks, this purchase came after 3 solid days of research using everything from Amazon, CNet, Infosyncworld, to YouTube. You are here, reading reviews, as I was at the beginning of my search for a great quality digital camera that was neither high-end nor cheap. Let me begin by saying that I just purchased this camera and have not gone over extensive testing myself, but rest assured that you should NOT take Amazon.com reviews for digital cameras (and a lot of other things for that matter) as the gospel. Why? Because too many people come on here, bashing good equipment when the vast majority of the time it is user error. Please, do yourself a favor and do research using professional analysis by people that test these things out and that take pictures and video that you can see for YOURSELF.

I ignored all of the reviews that didn't specifically point towards any sort of systematic malfunction and that solely complained about image quality or other things that are easily altered and messed up using settings. And also reviews that complained about their camera breaking -yeah I don't care HOW far you think you dropped it from...dropping electronics and it breaking then giving it a negative review is absurd. After narrowing my search down to the Canon S95, the Canon SX230, the Nikon s8100 and the Nikon s9100, I chose the Nikon S9100.

WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR:

1. a compact camera...not too small, not too big

2. advanced enough to get my feet wet in the world of digital photography

3. offers 1080 HD video

4. optical zoom of at LEAST 10X

5. Under $450 as I'm not ready to purchase a dSLR

6. utmost picture quality offered by a point & shoot (to include low-light performance)

WHAT MY RESEARCH TOLD ME:

1. professional review websites, not amazon reviewers, know what they are talking about when it comes to digital camera picture/video quality and they back it up with samples

2. not to rely on a handful of negative reviews to sway my decision

3. Nikon and Canon were the 2 most reliable brands offering products that met my requirements

4. cameras are going to offer stuff I don't need, won't use

5. pretty much all of the cameras are battery hogs

6. the memory card can influence camera performance/speed (wonder how many negative reviewers trashed the Nikon for their lack of putting a quality card in it eh)

MY FINAL 2 CHOICES:

1. Nikon s9100

Why over the s8100?

-well, the image quality is virtually identical DESPITE what some of the Amazon reviewers are saying because they pretty much use the same imaging system.

-s9100 has slight upgrades to scene modes, video, etc...

-s9100 is the newer model and has just dropped to a reasonable price as compared to the s8100

2. Canon sx230

Why over the S95?

-the s95 didn't shoot 1080 video (it is a 2010 model)

-the s95 had a lot of manual controls I am not ready for at this point and that I'd probably not use (this is a PRO for a lot of people)

-the s95 would likely be upgraded in the near future with a 2011 model

-the s95 cost roughly $50 more and didn't really give me anything the sx230 wouldn't at my usage level

So, How'd I decide on the Nikon S9100 over the Canon SX230:

Menu System: Canon I really liked the canon menu system and it was really fast to navigate. However, the Nikon menu was just as fast, just not as fancy or "pretty" as the Canon.

Image Quality: Tie; I found pictures taken at the store to be the same, and reviews online touted both cameras as being excellent in both low-light and bright light.

Video Quality: Tie

Picture/Video Stabilization: Picture: Tie; Video: Canon

Zoom: Nikon

Effects: Tie however the Nikon approaches some of the effects a little bit different. Canon does offer a few effects the Nikon didn't like a miniature video effect.

Audio: Tie however you will hear the zoom in your videos if you use it while recording.

Form Factor: Canon the Canon was more sleek and curvy

Comfortability: Nikon the Nikon just fit my hand better

Price: Nikon the Nikon was roughly $40 less.

In the end I REALLY liked both cameras. I'm no pro photographer, but I didn't want a battery operated purse toy either. So I don't think I would have gone wrong either way, however I just couldn't justify spending $40 more for the Canon when it really didn't offer me anything more features (that I'd use) over the Nikon. I wouldn't use the GPS function on the Canon...it is a battery hog anyway, EVEN when the camera is off unless you turn the feature off. I wouldn't really use a few of the extra effects the Canon had, and the Nikon had the better zoom. Despite Nikon's menus not being as pretty, nor the back of the camera being as pretty. I liked it's LCD screen better and was able to understand the menus just fine. In the end it was the price point and the fact the Canon had features I didn't want that led me to purchasing the Nikon.

So there it is folks (if you made it this far). Please do research and compare yourself before making a purchase based on consumer reviews. I would take a lot of these reviews with a grain of salt unless you see systematic issues EVERYONE is having with mechanical failures or hardware issues. Check out the resources I listed at the top of this article and you can't go wrong. But if you do, just be aware of the return policy and take comfort in knowing you can return.

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UPDATE 5/26/11

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Now that I've owned the camera for a little bit longer I thought I'd post another update to answer a few more questions folks might have or like to know about. I initially gave this 5 starts without owning it very long based on my initial experience with the camera and the feature set it had based on what I needed/wanted and the price point. My review is still excellent, but now I'd give it 4.5 stars due to the way it chargers and the necessity to purchase additional equip for the type of functionality I'm used to. I've been an exclusive Canon owner in the past, but this Nikon is a gem.

1. Picture Quality: Crystal clear. I have no issues with blur. Make sure you take good care of the camera and keep the lens clean.

2. Zoom: Incredible. Such a high zoom for the price point. Probably the best zoom you will find on a point & shoot.

3. Battery: Battery life is as expected. You will need to purchase at least 1 more EN12 battery as backup.

4. Charging: This camera charges with the battery inside. You charge the camera via USB into your computer or into a wall outlet. If you want to charge the battery separately you will need to purchase a separate wall mount battery charger (~$25-35 bucks). This is one reason I am lowering my review to 4.5 stars is because I feel the battery charger should have come with the camera. Charging is a big deal and we all like to be able to charge a battery AND still use the camera. You can't do that with this camera unless you buy a separate battery and the wall mount charger. That being said, it IS nice to be able to charge this camera via USB into your computer.

5. Compatibility: I have a MAC and I have zero issues. You can use iPhoto, or Picasa (from Google) or whatever else and it works fine. Also, it uses the same batteries as the S8100 and a few other models so if you are upgrading you can use your same batteries.

6. Flash: The flash works great. It has plenty of power and turns any photos in a completely dark area into a crisp colorful bright photo.

7. Size: The size is just about right. For a point & shoot, this is just about as big as you get before entering the DSLR realm. It is not pocket friendly, but is purse/bag friendly. The reason this camera is a bit bigger is to accommodate the awesome zoom as well as the larger LCD screen and flash.

8. LCD Screen: Perfect size LCD screen to view. Consider investing ~7-8 bucks into a plastic screen protector so it won't get scratched.

9. Controls: As I previously reviewed, the back of the Nikon is not as sleek or ergonomic as the Canon model(s), but nevertheless the design works fine for my hands (medium sized male hands). I am able to cleanly press all buttons and functions with no problem and I don't feel them to be cheap or to be faulty in any way.

10. Video: Great video, but stabilization will be an issue, especially at high zooms. But I knew this going in. Consider getting a tripod for serious video shooting, or prepare to film at a low zoom.

11. Effects/Modes: I love the effects and modes in this camera. You can create a lot of artistic effects without needing to use Photoshop or other expensive programs. IE. black and white photos that specifically highlight/target a single color palette illuminating a single color in your shot resulting in dramatic and beautiful shots. (by far my fav effect).

All-in-all, I'm very happy with my purchase. I just noticed the price dropped again making this camera even more of a great value. If you are looking for a small ultra portable purse camera for dinner and whatnot, look elsewhere. This one is inbetween the small point & shoots and the DSLRs. If you are looking for a high quality, yet compact enough to carry around and produce amazing shots, this is your camera. I'd say for the best review check out Infosyncworld's video review on their website or on YouTube for a closer look at it's size and capabilities.

Now I'm no professional photographer, but I am picky about how my pictures look. I have a good eye, and can be very anal about details in my photos. I've seen this camera get some bad reviews lately, and I am really perplexed by this. I looked at lots of other cameras. some costing more and some less. This was by far the best point and shoot pocket-able mega zoom out there, I thought. I read some negative reviews about sluggish focus and blurred images from here and from Best Buy's web site. I don't know if a bad batch of cameras went out? I did have some focus issues right out of the box when I started using the camera; but after inspecting the camera I noticed a nice big greasy finger print right on the lens. I'm pretty sure it wasn't from me, but I wouldn't bet my life on it though. After cleaning the lens, I have had no focus issues. The only thing I can say about the focus is that when indoors, sometimes you need to take a step back and use more zoom to get focus lock, and sometimes you might need to take a step forward and use less zoom to achieve focus lock. This happens rarely though. Most of the time my S9100 focuses fast and true. Low light shots are great indoors and out. Auto mode works pretty good for about 90% of my shots, and the rest I use the various setting or scene modes to capture the shot I want. Now I'm not saying every shot I take is perfect and clear. As with any camera digital or film. You have to expect a few bad shots. That's why I always try to take more that one shot when possible. the lcd is gorgeous. I find that if the pictures look good on the camera, they will look good on my computer. Of course different computers will yield different results. On my laptop the pictures look a bit drab or dull, but on my desk top with a high res monitor the pictures are real vivid and pleasing to the eye. I've had the camera now for almost two weeks and I love it. The long zoom is great, but even with image stabilizing enabled you will need a steady hand for clear shots at higher zoom levels. The video from the camera plays nice and smooth on my computer when I use windows media player; but when I tried quick time the video was choppy. In video mode you can take pics while recording, which is nice. There is no shutter sound when you take the picture, therefore no shutter sound in the video. You will however hear the zoom lens in your videos under quiet situations. It's not very loud, but it is noticeable. The camera starts up quick with little delay from shot to shot. I do recommend a class 6 or higher memory card. It made a big difference for me in burst mode. The camera can fire off 5 shots at a rate of 9.5 fps, but write times with a class 4 were painfully slow. I had to wait a good 9 to 10 seconds before my next shot. I am now using a class 10 and that time has been cut down to about 3 to 4 seconds. A bit of advice on memory cards. Make sure you look at the minimum and maximum write times. Not all class tens or sixes are equal. I saw a lot of class 10 cards with the same write speeds as higher end class 6 cards. I did upload a bunch of pictures so everyone can judge for themselves on quality. I guess the best advice I can give is try some test shots using various scene modes for other than there intended purpose. That's what I try to do when possible. I'll take a few pictures of the same shot using different settings. Then I view them on the computer later to see what looks best. Some other things I would like to touch on. A complaint I heard a lot about on the S8100 is the battery level wasn't displayed until the camera needed charging. It is now displayed always on the S9100. Another complaint was about flash placement on the S8100. It's in the same place for this one, but for me there is still enough room behind the flash for my finger. The flash no longer pops up automatically. It now pops up by activating a little switch on the side of the camera. This I actually like. I never cared for auto pop up flashes. Some people have complained about placement of the shutter button. That of course is an individual preference and shouldn't effect a rating. I like where it is on this camera, no problems at all. The other buttons and dials all seem to be good places and easy to activate or use. The camera itself is pretty easy to use. The interface is simple and clean. Settings are easy to get to and not buried under five or six sub menus. All in all, this is a great little camera.

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The specs for the S9100 looked promising but it produced fuzzy and often out of focus still pictures making it unacceptable. In the end, I found the Nikon S8100 to have superior picture quality.

I started by taking 50 or so pictures in a variety of setting using the S9100's default settings. The results looked ok on the camera's 3" screen but once loaded to my PC, poor focusing & fuzzy/soft edges were evident in almost every photo. I wasn't ready to give up on the S9100 so I spent the next couple of days reading the manual and even buying my second choice (Nikon's S8100) for a direct comparison. I am upgrading from a Sony DSC-P200 (3x zoom, 7.2 MP) which produces good pictures but has a small field of view, only a 3X zoom and only does so so in low light. So my final comparison was between all 3 cameras.

After reading the S9100's manual I adjusted some of the default settings in the hope it would improve the photo quality:

* Auto Focus (AF) mode: I selected Center mode instead of the default. This tells the camera to focus on the center of the screen instead of the default. The default attempts to guess at what you want to focus on which in my experience was the closest object.

* ISO Setting: I changed the default to limit the ISO range to 400 max (Suggested in some other/similar Nikon camera reviews).

* Auto vs. Scene modes: For indoor photos I selected the indoor scene mode.

Of the 3 changes to the default setting above, only the AF Center change seemed to impact my test photos. I was able to tell the camera what object I wanted to focus on but even then focus was hit or miss.

With the S9100 settings tweaked I again took the same 50 or so photos I took earlier using the factory default setting and compared them to the same shots taken with the Nikon S8100 and Sony DSC-P200. The results:

Even when the S9100 appeared to focus on the proper object the photos were still fuzzy/soft when views on my pc. The more I zoomed in on the photos on my PC the more I could see the flaws. When I viewed the same photos taken on the Nikon S8100 and Sony DSC-P200 for the most part they were superior/crisper than the S9100 though the Sony could not zoom in nearly as close as the S9100 or S8100. The test photos were not particularly challenging... Indoors with lights on and Outdoors in midday daylight With/without flash, wide/ zoomed, Auto/ indoor scene modes and focusing on various objects only some of which should challenge the AF. If the S9100 can't handle these basic shots there's no point testing more challenging tasks like low light, fast action or HD video.

Conclusion: The S8100 has superior (But by no means prefect) picture quality in these basic everyday situations and has the zoom upgrade I was looking for, it's a keeper. The S9100's poor picture quality is a show stopper, it's going back.

Considering the specs how could this be? I'm no expert but one possible cause is the image stabilization process... The S8100 uses Lens shift and S9100 uses Senor shift. Of course perhaps I happened to get a defective camera.

For those of you who are wonder what I mean by Fuzzy/Soft. A picture of a couch with patterns in the pillows... the edge of the pillow with a wall in behind it looked fuzzy and the pattern on the pillow looking as if the lines in the patterns were blended/feathered with the S9100 but sharper/crisper with the S8100. Pictures that involved text, whether it be a birthday card on a hutch or the lighting instructions on my grill, were clear and easily read in the s8100 photos but blurred/fuzzy to the point where I could only guess what the words were with the S9100.

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I usually use a cumbersome system consisting of a Nikon D300 and

numerous accessories. Naturally I don't carry this gear with me all

the time, and I wanted a small camera as a constant companion and as a

backup. I ordered the Nikon S9100 before it was reviewed. While I was

waiting to receive it the first reviews came out, and I admit I

was worried by the negative comments describing the S9100's purported

poor focusing ability. Perhaps, as one reviewer remarked, there is a

bad batch out there, but I am pleased to say that my copy of the 9100

has no trouble focusing. In fact it does everything I wanted it to,

and I'm very pleased with it. You don't have the control you have with a

full blown DSLR but this marvel of technology fits amazing abilities into a

very small package. In fact it has some abilities that my D300

doesn't have, specifically the easy panorama facility, and the option to

take videos (of up to half an hour in length). The one feature that

sold me on this particular point and shoot is its incredible zoom

range. I would recommend the S9100 to anybody who wants to combine

maximum portability with extreme ability.

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When I went to Best Buy, it was only to play with the SLR camera's. I couldn't decide between the Nikon D3100, or the Canon Rebel. After getting a new job as a food photographer, I wanted to upgrade from my current camera, the Kodak Z981, to something with a few more options. I've ALWAYS used only Kodak cameras because of their user friendly operation and editing software. Unfortunately, after only 10 minutes with the SLR's, I realized it was WAAAAAY more camera than I was ever going to use...and I couldn't operate it if my life depended on it. I was getting ready to leave when I figured I'd check out what was new in the world of regular digital cameras. That's when I ran into this little guy.

I talked with a very knowledgeable Best Buy associate who, after explaining exactly what I want and need in a camera, pointed me to this camera, and the Nikon Coolpix P500. After playing with both of them and finding them very similar (the only major difference being the P500 has a 35X zoom, which I don't need), I really liked the size of this camera. I never thought in a million years I would go this small when purchasing a new camera, but I absolutely love it.

I've taken numerous photos with this camera (mainly of food, since that's what I do), and they are stunning (I've shared some above)! There's actually a 'Food' setting under scene mode, but I prefer the 'Close-up' setting...makes the colors seem a bit more vivid IMO. I've taken pictures of my son playing outside using both Auto Mode and Sports Mode, and they came out crisp and clear...no blurry hands and legs!

This camera is super easy to use and you can jump right into taking pictures with ease. I only needed to consult the user manual about a couple things, like how to delete multiple photos at once. If you're a Nikon veteran though, you probably already know how to do this on one of their cameras. I didn't download the software that came with this, the ViewNX 2 program. When I plugged the camera into my computer I was able to send my photos to my Kodak EasyShare Program. I'm just not ready to part with my photo editing software yet, so I'll keep Kodak around for that purpose.

Overall, I ABSOLUTELY recommend this camera. If I could change anything about it, it would two things. I would love to switch the Mode Dial and the Shutter Release Button around. I think the shutter button is just a bit too far in towards the middle of the camera. The ideal place for it would be on the far right edge of the top of the camera, where the mode dial currently is. Also, the little door on the bottom of the camera that opens to reveal the USB port is a little flimsy and annoying. It's a rubbery flap you have to pop open then spin around out of the way so you can plug the cord in. It's a cumbersome design since this port gets so much use...it's not only how you get pics onto your computer (unless you take your memory card out and do it that way), but it's also how you charge the battery. OH...and THAT is awesome! To charge your battery, just plug the camera into the wall or your computer...no buying new batteries or having to remove them from the camera to put them in a charger (my Kodak was like that...4 AA batteries that have to be removed and placed in a wall charger...VERY aggravating to have to remember to bring the charger with us on vacations. Even more aggravating when I forget).

Well, I think that about covers it. This is a great little camera, but don't be fooled by it's small size. It has TONS of features, settings, editing options right on the camera itself (my favorite is Miniature Mode), and an 18X zoom! I'm a little sad to be ending my lifelong relationship with Kodak cameras but, judging by how great this Nikon has been in the few short weeks I've had it, I think I'll get over it.

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Sharp VL-AH60U Hi8 Camcorder

i upgraded from 8 to hi-8. this camcorder is really easy to use and transfer to vhs tape. editing is a snap and alot of fun to do. i'm paralized from the waist down and i created a couple of movies from my perspective ( i fastened my vl-ha60u camcorder on my shoulder ) and just filmed my goings on. all my family / friends thought it was pretty cool! everyone i've played a recording for were suprised at the quality of the film. i use the vhs tapes that you get 5 for 4.99, so you don't have to pour out alot of monies just to operate it. i have only 2 gripes about this camcorder...#1needs a better lens cap...mine pops off every time, always before i'm ready to shoot! #2the gadget bag that comes with it is a piece of junk! they shouldn't even bother to send it. by sending along such a cheap/chintzy/crummy gadget bag, it's like Sharp condones shoddy, cheap, even "ugly" craftsmanship. neither of my gripes reflect on the main issue...the high quality and performence of this camcorder. i give it 4 1/2 stars with-out hesitation!.....ENJOY!

The best thing about the VLAH 60U is that you don't have to worry: the lighting doesn't matter, the acoustics don't matter, the person shooting the scene doesn't matter. It always seems to come out great.

We had a christening, and my mother in law came from Lithuania to be part of it. She speaks virtually no English, and my Lithuanian could be called pathetic. I gave her the camera, and with a few gestures and a minimum of words, she was able to get some great shots, despite the fact that the church was dark and the PA system sucked....That is good in a family camera.

The only problem is that ..., and it has no remote or in camera charger. Those two things are very desirable and would make it even better. I'm hoping to find both someday.

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I bought this about 3 weeks ago and will not use anything else. The ease of this Camcorder is great. The Menus are good and the Book that came with it is pretty good. I did have to call Tech Support on some Thing that I was not sure on but she was very helpful and did not make me feel small for calling on this. I will keep that a secret for the reason that I called. Keep up the Good Work Sharp.

Thanks Scott

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It is ok to have it. It is easy to use. But it is BAD if something is wrong with your camcorder and you have to contact Sharp's customer support. You don't get any help as you should get.

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I have been doing lots of amateur photography and occasionally have a need for all kinds of angles. The design of this camera allows you to set it on the floor and have a stable picture. That one quailty has endeared me to this model. Earlier models had the flaws of only being able to sense the remote control from front or back, and the battery did not recharge internally. This model allows remote control whether you are in front of or behind the camera for start/stop and adjusting wide/narrow focus. The only knocks I have on this camera are the lack of a light, for poor lighting, and durability (repair) issues. I have gone through two of these models, but will always try to own at least one, as long as I can find them...even though I also have other more advanced cameras with independent light sources and low maintenace/repair issues.

For an artist, it is all about getting the right shot.

Nikon D800 HDMI Cable - HD Video Cable for Nikon D800

Cable works great. Hooked up D800 to Samsung 55in 1080p....WOW...

Simply cannot beat the price.

Exceptional value!

Would recommend to others.

I have used this on my D800E and it does work. If I lost this one, I would order another to replace it.

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I have purchased other cables to connect my D800E to my monitor, but this is the first one that worked. Picture quality is excellent.

Also, dCables is great do do business with. The first cable was lost in the mail despite having a USPS tracking number. dCables promptly sent me a replacement without hassle.

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It connects from our D800 camera to the TV just as expected. There isn't more to say about a cable that works!

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Schlage WCW100 LiNK Wireless Network Camera

This is my 3rd attempt at Internet monitoring of my home. I started with Panasonics, then moved to Logitech's WiLife system and now I've had the Schlagelink up & running for 2 months.

I abandoned the Panasonic because it was way too finicky to keep the weblink going. Constant tinkering & calls to tech support were required (tho their tech support people are tops). Their cams were pretty good with better resolution than the Schlagelink; they also feature pan & tilt, absent on the Schlage.

The WiLife looked promising, was simple to set-up & had very good resolution with both indoor & outdoor cams; these added a minimal degree of zoom to the mix. Unfortunately, they are electrically really skittish and any kind of interference knocked them out, sometimes fatally. I had bought 8 cams before I gave up.

Now the wireless Schlagelink is a bit coarser image and is essentially fixed, but it has never gone off line and looks stupendous on the iPhone app. Interestingly, while all my other Schlagelink modules (3 door locks, 3 thermostats, 3 light controllers) rely on the wireless bridge included in the starter kit, the camera runs independently of the bridge. Even better, if your wireless goes down for a bit, it will reconnect when the wireless is up again & in a pinch it can even "borrow" a neighbor's wireless if available.

I'd like to give it 4.5 stars because of the limited resolution & lack of features, but as it fully delivers what it promises, I'm going to go all the way.

This will be a quick review. A lot of people had complaints with the resolution of this camera. What happened was Schlage was limiting the resolution and really compressing the data link through the bridge in 2009-2010 for whatever reason.

In 2011 they announced at CES they will allow high resolution down-link (its now an option) @ full 640 x 480 resolution at 30 frames. The feature is now enabled and works great. The camera's resolution has greatly improved and looks much better.

Now they need to add IR, motorized, and outdoor cameras to their line up!

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I have 3 of these but there is no practical use for them. easy setup. At times they become "disconnected" and must be powered down and brought back up (great when I'm not home I'll have to get the pets trained to do that).

When I log on I usually see an empty room or a door. Two minutes is the max you can view at a time.

If you are engaged with something unless you can run to a pc / phone and login, you will miss whatever it was that occurred (such as an attempt to guess the codes of their locks). Currently there is no way to record what it sees it cannot even take a picture and email it. The company's response when asked if they will add this "we are researching it (for over a year now)". The locks are great, cameras may be ok for observing people family members (creepy I'd suggest a web cam where they KNOW you are watching) or pets in a room (that is fully lit and a very narrow view), but do not depend on any form of recording or pictures for any event with other devices.

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This camera is a great addition to the Schlage Z-Wave system. The camera is an on-demand camera that can ge engaged from your smartphone. When I view it on my smartphone it looks fine. It is meant as a surveillance camera and not an HD camera. I agree that with technology today, the quality should be better. However, the downside of that is you will pay for that in speed and data charges on your phone. I primarly use the camera from my smartphone as I bought the Schlage system to keep an eye on my dogs and the comings and goings of the dog nanny while I am away on business trips and vacations.

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Unfortunately this is the only camera that works with the Schlage Link system. That's about the only good part of this camera. This is a low quality camera that does not allow you to record, notify on motion events, or email you an image of motion detection. These are very basic functions of other IP cameras. To make matters worse, they don't allow you to login into the camera any other way than to pay Schlage $12 / month and use their website.

The Schlage Link system works on iPhone but they haven't updated the app in over a year, and it doesn't work natively on iPads, or utilize iOS 4's backgrounding or display.

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Sony Handycam GP-AVT1 Shooting Grip with Mini Tripod with Wide & Telephoto Lens + NP-FV70 Batte

My wife and I are very satisfied with our purchase, the Sony shooting grip, baterry and lenses are of good quality. This purchase was delivered promptly and we received it well before the indicated date. We highly recommend this retailer and would certainly purchase from this store again in the future.

This was an excellent combination of items for our video handycam and amounted to a value that far exceeded the items if purchased separately. I recommended it to a friend who immedialtely bought one also.

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SANOXY HDMI Cable 24k Gol (30 feet)

Good, flexible, hdmi cable. GREAT picture, even at 30'. The PROBLEM is that the cable comes with ferrite blocks on each end of the cable and the item description doesn't mention it, plus the picture shown for the item doesn't show the ferrite blocks. The blocks caused some real headaches while installing the cable through the wall and floor because the blocks are 1/8" wider than the plug. I also ruined one drill while enlarging the hole for ferrite blocks. I purchased this cable because I thought it didn't have blocks. 5 star rating if it didn't have the ferrite blocks, or at the minimum, it should have been stated in the item description.

I was looking for a good HDMI cable for a while. Seeing this and checking out the reviews, I bought one. Got it very fast. I ran it from my computers HDMI out, through the basement and up inside my wall, terminating in a coupler faceplate. From there I plugged in my big LCDTV. With Windows 7, it worked like a charm and crystal clear.

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I bought this to show someone how length and "cable quality" doesn't effect DIGITAL picture,

and how "MONSTER" cables are a scam.

He now understands that only analogue signals can be effected by outside interference.

Although I guess a quick Google for "Monster Cable Scam" would suffice.

I wanted to show him myself. haha

Anyways, I now use this to go from my computer to TV, it works great.

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The cable is nice made, but it does NOT work.

the movies look with red dots, red snow, or dots of different changing colors. its the cable because i made a test with another cable that i know works, and it works ok!

The seller (ACC Stop) denied to receive the item or refund the cheap $10 that the cord cost. total waste of money. Cheap stuff becomes expensive stuff! now i have to buy a better cable (what i should have done in the begining) this cable is going right to the trash.

Save your money and buy a better quality cable, and you will NOT be upset!

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Unlike many generic HDMI cables > 25', this one passes 768X1366@60Hz with audio from my laptop to an LCD TV perfectly, and also passes 1920X1080@60Hz & 30Hz video only from my AV receiver to an LCD monitor cleanly and consistently (from HDMI out #2; HDMI #1 is connected to a plasma TV). The latter configuration requires multiple HDMI handshakes; a process that takes a few seconds but always concludes successfully with this cable. No ferrite blocks on my cable, so apparently this item is multiple-sourced. Chances are probably about 50-50 that you will be as lucky as I...

DXG USA DXG-535VB HD Riviera 720p High-Definition Camcorder Luxe Collection, Blue

Do not invest in this camera. I bought it, and the first few times it was great. Then, I was filming and it just stopped. I checked the battery, and saw there was only 1 row. But, I remembered that only 3 mins ago, it was full. From then on, my camera only turned on for 1 min before saying low battery, when it was fully charged. Do not buy this.

I had seen this camera on Amazon and i had been looking for a good quality cheap camcorder. When i came across one i just adored it and begged my mom to get it. When i opened it on Christmas day i just loved it! It was white with little gray rhinestones on it and had the cute little screen so you could see what your filming. Since i was too lazy to read the instructions i had been struggling for the first five minutes but, after that it was a piece of cake. The video quality was amazing and the design of it was really cute. The controls are so simple a infant could do it. The guy/gal who wrote that paragraph on how "The controls are so hard!" was obviously lying or is just plain stupid because I'm not the brightest blub in the tanning bed but, i figured it out in ten minutes and now can do it blind folded. The video quality of it is like i said is amazing and i am happy with my camera. The only flaws is that it needs a memory card because it didn't come with it so you could only film for about a minute and twenty two seconds. I bought a memory card at Best Buy that hold almost four hours of footage for a low price so i was very satisfied with my purchase. Also The batteries only last for about 30 minutes but, you could buy a chargeable batteries from Amazon that will give you more than 30 minutes. I am so happy with my camera and i don't know why it has been getting bad reviews. Overall it's a 5 because of the low price of 60.00 dollars i had bought it for, the video quality,simple controls, and of course the pretty pattern on it! I hope you buy this camera.

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Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens

I am a long-time amateur photographer. I gave up on digital SLRs for the simple reason that I always ended up only carrying them and their accessories on big occasions or holidays. Result was, I had a camera, but few pictures.

Next I bought a good pocket cameras, e.g. Panasonic etc and most recently the Ricoh GX200 which the E-P2 is replacing. These were nice. Picture-taking resumed but slow response compared to DSLRs and overall quality of the finished product always left a slight feeling of disappointment. With imaging chips of the size they use, this is only to be expected (just as compact cassettes by definition could not deliver decent audio).

Enter the E-P2 with its much larger sensor. I have had my E-P2 with 17mm pancake lens for a week now and simply love it. Responsive as an SLR, chunky but hardly larger than the Ricoh, it works like a dream in auto and more manual modes. (And who needs a zoom with this kind of resolution? Just crop the bit you want from the immense pictures it takes).

In brief, and avoiding tech talk, this is a quality piece of kit. Looks like quality. Feels like quality. Works like quality. It's an SLR in a pocket camera body. (And with apologies to the reviewer above I love the quiet chunky sound and feel of the shutter.)

I think I've found 'my' camera at last at the end of long, dollar-strewn trail!.

Olympus `PEN' E-P2 is Olympus second micro four third system camera which is an improved version of Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Viewfinder (Silver). Both cameras has very similar body design and features. The main different is E-P2 has optional electronic viewfinder and external microphone while E-P1 does not. Because they are very similar, Many part of this review is applicable to E-P1 as well.

Olympus E-P2 main specs (shared with E-P1)

* 12MP Live Mos sensor 4/3 sensor

* HD 720p video at 30 fps with stereo sound recording

* Built In Image Stabilization

* Dust removal mechanism (SSWF)

* Eight Art filters for creative processing and fun (E-P1 has six)

* 3 frames per second continuous shooting.

* No built-in flash nor AF assist light

Below are new features that added to Olympus E-P2

* Manual focus and aperture control in video mode

* AF tracking (focus lock for moving objects)

* Magnified Focus Assist

* Tiltable hi-res electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage and 1.15X magnification

* Optional microphone adapter for better sound

BODY & CONTROL

Olympus E-P2 weights 385 g with memory card and battery. The dimension is 4.74in (W) x 2.75in. (H) x 1.37 in (D) / 120.5 mm (W) x 70mm (H) x 35mm (D) (excluding protrusions). It is significantly smaller than regular DSLR camera. Camera body is around 120g lighter than beginner DSLR camera. It feels solid and dense. If you are coming from compact camera, you will feel this camera a bit heavy. It is around 2-3 times heavier than advanced compact camera. If you are coming from DSLR camera especially from Olympus DSLR camera, you will love the reduction in size. However, this camera is not light. For comparison, E-420 weights 370g and E-620 weights 475g body only.

That being said, E-P1/2 is not a pocket-able camera (it will fits only in large jacket/coat pocket). You might find yourself carrying it around more than you carry a DSLR camera, but this camera can't compete with compact camera in portability.

Olympus E-P2 construction quality and design are worthy of praise. The outer shell are 85% metal. Plastic are still there for buttons and round dial. Design wise, it is very classy, retro style. I especially like the leather texture grip. However, some people might prefer more industrial design like Leica X1 or Panasonic GF1. It depends on each individual taste.

Olympus E-P2 has one thumb dial, one round dial, and four-way controller and two customizable function buttons. To change major setting such as ISO, AF mode, WB are very easy because there are dedicated buttons embedded in four-way controller. You can also access quick menu by pressing OK button. Unfortunately, the quick menu is unlike super control panel that I find in Olympus DSLR cameras. It is more similar to compact camera function menu.

Like E-P1, Olympus E-P2 does not have built-in flash. This is quite a blunder by Olympus because built-in flash is very useful for various scene, where you want to use flash to fill-in shadow or use it to light up an extremely dark room.

Ergonomically, it is very pleasing. The curves are in the right place. The protruding leather grip is really nice. Buttons and dials are placed within reach of your right hand thumb.

LCD SCREEN & ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER

Olympus E-P2 has 3' LCD screen with 230k dots. It is basic compared to many other DSLR and compact camera which has 460k or 910k. However, it is good enough for basic review and composition. It is also quite clear for manual focusing.

The electronic viewfinder is very bright and big. It has more than 1 million dots. Manual focusing is very clear and easy, thanks to 10x full screen magnification. In low light condition, the viewfinder become grainy and it is harder to focus. Compared to viewing optical viewfinder, my eyes get tired faster when viewing EVF for a long time. In practice, you need to choose whether you want to use the rear LCD panel or viewfinder to compose a picture. You can't activate both.

Another criticism of the EVF is the built quality, it is has plastic shell which does not complement E-P2 metal body. It is also big and not very attractive. However, the EVF is stick to the hot shoe steadily. So you don't have to worry about the EVF slipping away from camera body.The EVF as compositional tool is not ideal, but it is good and practical enough to use regularly.

IMAGE QUALITY

Image quality I get from the camera and 17mm f/2.8 pancake is not very stellar. It is hard to get tack sharp image in pixel size although I have use small aperture like f/8 or f/16. For web sharing, it is perfectly fine. Many says that the 14-42mm (I don't have this lens for this review) is better than the 17mm f/2.8 which is disappointing because prime lenses are usually sharper.

Image in high ISO quality is quality is similar to Olympus DSLR in general. It is generally very good up to ISO 800. However noise is also noticeable in low ISO setting such as 400 especially in shadow area. Noise reduction will help to smooth out the noise at the expense of detail and sharpness. I don't recommend to use in camera noise reduction at all. ISO 6400 is available, but it there are too much noise and the image loss its fidelity.

OTHER FEATURES

One great feature Olympus E-P2 has is built-in stabilization. This is money saver and very practical to use. Unlike Canon, Nikon and Panasonic DSLR cameras, You can use image stabilization for any lens you mount with it. This is awesome for prime lenses. Although it has limitation such as you can't freeze subject with IS, but it is awesome for low light still photography.

When you record movie, there is also digital / electronic IS that help to keep the movie steady. You also can control aperture in movie recording mode. These are great in practice. The implementation of movie recording is better than some DSLR cameras with movie mode in the market.

In addition, there are a few minor things that I don't like about E-P2:

* Menu interface is a bit confusing because many abbreviation and some even only use a symbol to represent a menu item.

* Shutter sound is quieter than typical DSLR, but it is noticeable louder compare to compact cameras.

AUTO FOCUS & GENERAL PERFORMANCE

When Olympus E-P1 was launched, many people expect its auto focus speed will be as good as Panasonic m43 cameras. But it fell short. Unfortunately, E-P2's AF is the same as E-P1. In practice, AF performance is about the same as compact camera. It takes around 1 second to focus in good light. In low light situation such as inside restaurant, it takes 2-3 seconds. On the other hand, AF speed in Panasonic m43 cameras are very close to DSLR camera, around .33 sec.

In addition, changing auto focus point is a hassle. You need to go to quick menu and then change the points. There are auto AF and 11 AF areas that you can select. Fortunately, manual focus is easy to use and very practical because of automatic magnification when you try to focus with MF mode.

Other than AF performance, E-P2 general performance is very good. Start up and shut down is approx. 1 second. Shutter lag is almost none. Continuous shooting is similar to many beginner DSLR camera in the market, 3 frames per second.

ART FILTERS

Art filters create different effect or mood in the picture or video. It could really enhanced the picture / video if you choose it appropriately. For example, soft focus is great for beauty shot, diorama is good for landscape etc. Art filters are not photo processing after you take picture. The effect is immediate. You don't get access to original file and control on how it is being processed. I think Art filters are quite fun, but it is not a deal breaker because you can always achieve those effects by processing the image in your image editing software.

COMPETITORS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 12.1MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 Aspherical Lens is definitely the main competitor of Olympus E-P2. GF1's AF performance is better than E-P1/2 but it does not have built-in image stabilization. Panasonic has better prime lens in their bundle, while Olympus E-P2 has better optional electronic viewfinder. GF1 also has built-in flash which E-P2 lacks. It is tough to choose, but I am leaning towards E-P2 but with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens.

Panasonic DMC-GH1 12.1MP Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Camera with 1080p HD Video is also a four thirds system camera, but it is a lot bigger because it has protruding grip and built-in viewfinder which make this camera similar to beginner DSLR camera. Like GF1, it has better auto focus performance. The cool thing is this camera is bundled with versatile and quiet 14-140mm zoom lens.

Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens is not a micro four thirds camera, so it is not as compact as E-P2. But it has a similar price range. D90 is better in low light because it has bigger sensor, and faster auto focus especially when tracking moving subject. However, Nikon D90's video feature is very basic and hard to use.

Leica X1 12.2MP APS-C CMOS Digital Camera is a compact camera that has DSLR quality sensor and fixed 35mm lens. Leica X1 is significantly more expensive than Olympus E-P2. The main advantage of X1 lies in the construction quality, lens, image sensor and prestige.

CONCLUSION

Olympus E-P2 is a handsome camera with many things to like and dislike at the same time. I like the design, built-in image stabilization, but I hate the fact that the AF speed is not improved from E-P1 and low quality 17mm prime lens. Currently E-P2 is $300 more expensive than E-P1. If you are used to compose picture with LCD screen rather than electronic viewfinder, you can save money by getting E-P1. Compared to Panasonic GF1, I am leaning towards E-P2 because of the built-in stabilization and overall design. However, I am surprised that Olympus 17 mm pancake lens does not deliver quality image. Therefore, I recommend you to get Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens instead. With that combination, it will be a great tool even in the most difficult light condition.

Subjective Rating Relative to beginner DSLR cameras released in 2009

Image Quality : 3/5 (with 17mm) 4/5 in general

Features : 5/5

Performance : 4/5

Body and Handling : 4/5

Value for Money : 3/5

Please visit my blog (you can find the address in my profile) for iso comparison, art filters and samples images.

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It is a very nice camera, but i would only talk about what i do not like it about since there are already many good comments on E-P1.

1. the back dial wheel is very hard to use unless you disable the up/down/left/right function.

2. is part of the camera body made of plastic?

3. shutter is a little bit noisy.

4. focusing is kind of slow.

5. last thing, i do not know how to carry the camera. I hope i can find a Zing pouch which can hold it.

I did not buy E-P1 since i want a black camera body, and i had thought the EVF would be a must for my Leica M lenses. But when i got E-P2 i realized that EVF does not make it faster to use a manual lens compared to back LCD. And the plastic EVF is so big (and brittle maybe), this made the camera body not good looking and not good handling because your nose touches LCD all the time when using EVF.

So if your budget is kind of tight, i would recommend E-P1 given the $340.00 ($450.00 price difference for the zoom lens kit!!!) price difference.

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This camera is awesome. The quality of the photos is just amazing from something so small and so stylish. I really like the whole idea behind micro four thirds. The video is also quite amazing. Overall the camera is fairly straight forward to use, it's fast and responsive (in the normal modes) and it's just really cool looking and a joy to bring around.

The things that made me return it however are hard to ignore. Firstly, the Electronic View Finder doesn't look great, and if you're at all serious about the experience of taking photos, this will ruin it for you. I would rather they didn't force this accessory on you and dock the price $150. However, the reason they force you to buy it leads me to complaint number two, the screen on the back also isn't that great. It's pretty hard to use outside if it's bright, and since there is no real viewfinder, this is the focal point of the picture taking experience.

My only other gripe is that the sound of the autofocus will be heard in your videos. It was so loud I had to switch to manual focus, but since the screen isn't that great, it's hard to tell when something is truly in focus, or kinda in focus which and make or break some videos.

Anyway, the camera otherwise is top notch. It's light, cool looking, there are lots of lenses to choose from now, it makes incredible images to compete with any DSLR and the video is good (provided you don't use auto focus and don't rely on the image stabilization either). That aside this would be the perfect travel companion on any trip, especially if you care about image quality, even though it's not the best in terms of the photo taking experience. I'd be tempted to get the newer model they released that's a little smaller and less expensive which I'd assume offers similar quality.

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The Oly E-P2 is overall a very nice camera. Compared to the Panasonic G1 (my other m4/3) it is a bit heavier. Image quality using RAW is fine at low to medium ISOs; marginally acceptable at 800 and above. The separately purchased eye-level viewfinder is of excellent image quality, comparable to the Panasonic. One great advantage of this viewfinder over the G1 is that you can tilt it up which comes in very handy when doing low-level shots.

The biggest weakness of the system is the focusing. Again, compared to the G1 the focusing is sluggish and at times a bit erratic. Since most of my photography is landscape photography, this is not a major drawback for me, but might be significant for somebody shooting action stuff.

Both the Oly and the G1 have a four-way switch on the back at the lower right. I often happen to accidentally press one of the buttons which brings up an in-viewfinder menu when I don't want it. Again, a minor inconvenience.

Leica M9 18MP Digital Range Finder Camera (Black, Body Only)

I assume that anyone spending $10-20K for an M9 system (camera and a few lenses) will do their own homework, so I won't insult anyone with comments about the quality of this camera or the pictures it takes. All I'll say is that in the right hands it is capable of producing stunning images. But at the same time, it isn't for everyone.

I have pretty much the full Nikon pro suite, but it's not about one brand being better than the other both take fine photographs. There are many things my D3 can do that the M9 can't, and vice-versa. The M9 is a different tool, useful for different situations. Whether it's the camera for you depends on whether you encounter those M9 "sweet spot" situations often enough to make it worthwhile.

The M9 is best when you're working in a slow and methodical way, carefully composing, adjusting every setting, leaving nothing to chance. If you're the type of photographer who keeps his auto-focus lenses on "manual" most of the time, rarely letting the camera make important exposure decisions, then Leica might appeal to you. You probably also use your favorite prime lens more than any zoom.

For me, the form factor is a big part of it. The M9 isn't all that much bigger than (say) one of the bigger point-and-shoots but this is no point and shoot in terms of picture quality. Carrying something around my neck that's well under half the weight and bulk of a Nikon D3 with 24-70 lens, while not sacrificing an ounce of image quality, is important to me.

If you're on the fence, I'd encourage you to rent one for several days to experience the Leica mystique firsthand. You'll either fall in love, or you'll be unimpressed and save yourself several thousand dollars.

Before you get a Leica, you have to ask yourself why. You'll be giving up automatic focus. You'll be giving up seeing the picture before you take it. You'll be spending a lot of money. Look at the price here, and note that it comes with no lens. Likely, you will want a lens. It's eye-blinkingly daft to get a camera like this and put cheap lenses on it. And heck, even the cheap lenses are going to cost more than most other cameras do. Heck, the flash gun I bought cost more than my wife's Canon. Suck it up now, you're going to be spending $10K and more like $15K by the time you're done. You're either rich, a pro, or crazy and possibly all three. I know lots of pros who sneer at the price on this.

You're going to have to learn how to use the camera. You won't just take it out of the box and start shooting. It took me a couple thousand shots to decide that hey, maybe I know how to use it -and that was with a single lens. I also know I'm getting better with each few hundred pictures I take. But let's also remind ourselves that Cartier-Bresson only ever used a 50mm lens, too. You're going to learn what they mean by "f8 and be there."

So why the heck would you want this camera?

It's small. If you compare size and weight against any camera that would come close for sheer quality, you have it beat hands down. Your kit is smaller, your bags are lighter. Your back will thank you.

You can get into places you can't get into before. I've been to places where they have said "No DSLRs" and this isn't an SLR. I've been to places where they say "no removable lens cameras" and they let me through anyway. It isn't off-putting like a mondo DSLR with bazooka-sized lens and a boom mic that looks like it belongs under a stallion. You're someone with an old-timey camera; it is a relic and therefore harmless.

You can use, with very few exceptions, any lens that Leica made back to 1952. With an adapter, you can use any lens back to the 1930s, too. To be fair, you can also use these lenses on a Four Thirds camera, too, but it's still true.

It's a Leica. There's a mystique to a Leica, and yeah, after you take five thousand pictures, after you learn brightlines and framing and when to go manual, and practice, practice, practice, your shots will look like Leica shots. There's nothing in the world that looks like a Leica shot except a Leica shot and yours will start looking like that. One of those five thousand will be good enough that your spouse will say, "You ought to enter that into a contest." Many, many of the iconic shots of the last hundred years were shot with a Leica and that Leica look will rub off a little.

But it isn't the camera, it's you. It's the devotion. It's because you made the commitment (which is the polite way to say cash) to having a real camera and learning not to be a poseur with it. The biggest reason *not* to get this camera is that it's a better camera than you are photographer and that will be painfully obvious when you get it. You're going to have to get better at being a photographer because this camera doesn't cover for you, it laughs at you in front of you. You will get better because you have to to maintain face. You'll become a better photographer because the alternative is for everyone to know that the best digital camera in the world is being wasted on the likes of you.

That is what it is. It happens to be the best digital camera in the world. The only rivals to it that are non-digital are film Leicas, or really esoteric things like Hasselblads or view cameras. And let's face it, film is dead. It's sad that film is dead, but film is dead. One-horse shays are also dead. There is also a joy to putting a 32MB card in this thing and shooting a thousand-plus shots. No changing film every thirty-six. Wow. That's worth kissing film goodbye right there.

So anyway, think long and hard before buying it. If you make the plunge, like I did, and go to the trouble of learning to take pictures again, it's a joy. It's amazing. It's the best thing that ever happened to me on the back side of the viewfinder. There are things that were better on the front side of the viewfinder, but no camera can do that.

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This camera is the ultimate cure for camera-envy. You know, the disease that always makes you wonder "what if?" and "is that better than mine?" It's not about prestige or name-recognition (the first modification I made to my M9 was to stick silver duct tape over the famous red dot and the "M9" engraving). For me, camera envy equates to wanting the best tool available to capture moments that will never be repeated. And it's not just about image quality or I'd be lugging around an 8x10 view camera every day (which I have done). It's also about convenience, portability, simplicity, and the picture-taking experience.

Enter the Leica M9.

The pictures are good. So good. Just go ahead and check out people's images on flickr. And then remind yourself that what you are seeing has been processed, possibly re-sized, and only you know how good your computer monitor is at color management. Let me just tell you that the images are amazing. I have owned many dSLRs over the years and you never get sharpness like this. Maybe it's the lack of an AA filter on the sensor, maybe it's the lenses. But it's definitely something. Something good.

If you're coming from a Leica film camera, you'll never believe how liberating it is to be able to shoot continuously for hundreds of frames before having to change out your roll (aka memory card). It's a whole new world. I take more risks now because I don't have to worry that I'll run out of film. It feels just like getting my first digital camera. "Wait, you mean if I totally mess up a shot I can just delete and then shoot again?" Yes. Yes, you can. Or don't even bother deleting because you can still take 400 more. You want to see what a shot will look like at every possible aperature setting? Just try it. It won't cost you a penny. Anything goes. And unlike film, the MORE you shoot, the cheaper you can tell yourself photography is. Take 1000 frames and your new camera cost you $7 a shot. Take 70,000 frames and now it only cost $0.10 a shot. That's $3.60 for 36 "exposures" let's see ... how much does film cost again?

If you're coming from a dSLR you'll love how low-profile the M9 is. When I had a Canon 5D Mark II, I had the thing not around my neck most of the time but in a bag (because it's heavy). But then you know what it's like, you pull out your elephant gun and while you might see a giant, red ring and think, "Oh, it's an L lens," other people nervously scoop up their children and duck for cover. The mirror sounds remind me of playing the arcade game Buckhunter. And also I feel ridiculous the whole day, especially as I walk by other people with their dSLRs. There's just NO slick way to pull it off. None. With your Leica M9, you can get a beatup neck strap, stick it in an old case (or get a new case and beat it up yourself), and you look like you're shooting with your dad's old camera. No one runs. More often than not, people look right into my shot because they're trying to figure out what's wrong with me. Can't I afford a new camera?

One caveat. You have to know how to shoot. You can't hide behind autofocus, programmed settings, nor even a zoom lens (I'm not counting the Tri-Elmar as a zoom ok?). You'll have to actually stand where you need to stand to take the picture you want, you'll have to decide what f/stop to use, and you'll have to focus. Why can't Leica develop autofocus? Why would you want it? Then you'd have to tell the camera which AF mode to use, scroll thru menu after menu, then check to make sure the camera did what you asked by zooming in using the LCD screen. I'd much rather just focus and go on to my next shot. I know it's sharp because I focused it myself. And if you suck at it, you'll be surprised at how fast you get better, especially since you can see the results right away if you want. By now I can pretty much guess the focus and have the camera ready to go by the time I bring it up to my eye. Some will say that it's more work to shoot with a rangefinder. But you could also say that it's easier to be in control and get the exact shot you want the first time around.

It's been said before but I'll say it here too. This camera becomes an extension of you, of your eye. It's so simple that you can really get to know exactly what it'll do, you can trust it. The quality you get for the size and weight you'll be carrying around is unmatched.

In conclusion, at first glance I may look like I have the crappiest, oldest camera on the block but rest assured, camera envy is GONE. For what I want the M9 is the best, hands down, in every category. How often does that happen?

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I am not an easy grader, and am a perfectionist. A perfectionist forced to compromise.

I give Leica M9 a solid 8 out of 10; maybe 8.5 out of 10. Certainly not higher.

Some dumb compromises in Leica M9: e.g. cheap screen. Why not sapphire screen like M8.2? Leica claims they wanted to meet a specific price target. Come on, the person who pays $7,000 for the body alone, will pay a couple of hundred dollars more for a better screen. Since I have no respect for such short comings, I prefer to rate Leica lower rather than higher. Now, bear in mind i heart Leica tremendously.

So far I have had a few leica M6 cameras, M7, R something, M8.2 and now M9. Multiple lenses. Oh, also the lovely D-Lux 4.

M9 is by far the best leica camera I have had. In fact, the best digital camera I have owned. It has its quirks. But leica owners tend to be a quirky bunch too (and I mean that with utmost respect).

First, i have to tell you that it took me roughly seven months to receive my leica. While I was waiting, and getting impatient, bought a Nikon D700, multiple lenses, and then a D3S. It is a bit embarrasing and difficult to travel with the Nikons. Too loud and draw too much attention to themselves, everyone thinking I am a professional photographer. I hate that as I am just a humble street photographer. It is the speed of D700 and D3S that I miss in my Leica M9.

Leica M9 body feels great. Like a beautiful mechanical watch. I bought the grey one. Frankly the faux leather on it, feels a bit too ice-y cold, and a bit cheap. Maybe if i were to do it over, i would have gotten the black body. Maybe not....everyone has those!

The battery life is short. You need an extra battery with you for a long day trip with lots of shooting.

So easy to use the camera. Menu items down to bare essentials. The camera is light, easy to carry, does not draw any attention to itself or to you, unless people in the know see that and envy you.

My biggest problem with Leica cameras and the M9 is that I like to take lots of candid street shots. Like on a recent trip to San Francisco I witnessed an arrest in the tenderloin area (what on earth was I doing in one of the worst streets in the country? well...they have amazing Thai restaurants there).... I could have taken 20 nice pictures with my D3S. With Leica I did 20 shots, and one or two came fine but not great. Even my D-Lux 4 is better in that sense. Mainly because of the lack of auto-focus. Some swear by leica hyperfocal focusing. Well, they are ahead of me for sure.

So if you have the time, and only care about taking pictures of not moving subjects, then Leica is great. So grandma shots should be fine. If you want to take pictures of your child or grand kid running at the speed of light or even an old tire-less VW, then pull out your iphone.

Exaggeration aside, you will not regret buying Leica M9, unless they come with 9.2 immediately after your purchase. You will forget the high price tag. The colors are lively, the black and whites are gorgeous and you do not break your back by carrying a heavy camera.

Leica is a great camera but is not enough as your only camera. You need a D-Lux 5 or a nikon/canon type as well....I am happy for you that you do not have to wait as long as I did to receive yours. Many camera shops seem to have them in stock now. A friend of mine bought his on Amazon and received it within one day from his order. Not bad.

Best wishes to you whatever camera you go with.

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I made the move. I got a Leica. The M9 to be exact. And frankly, this is not something I expected to ever do. I resisted the Leica digital cameras for many reasons. I thought the early incarnations were too expensive and that they underperformed compared to the Japanese digital cameras.

But the M9 changed all that for me. Let me explain.

Starting with the sensor, this is a spectacular camera. It's a proprietary 18.5 megapixel CCD full frame device. It doesn't use an anti-aliasing filter. That translates to higher resolving power. In short, in regards to resolution, images from the M9 will meet or beat the 21-25MP images from the most expensive Canon and Nikon cameras.

It uses a new cover glass to eliminate infrared light contamination, and the sensor provides stellar performance with Leica M lenses. The use of external UV/IR filters is not required.

This technology is not something you can just gloss over. It's a marvel. In fact, I can't believe Leica came up with an 18.5 MP full frame sensor in a camera that is about as small as some point and shoots. Leica engineers themselves thought this impossible just a few years ago. Everything changes.

The camera is solid as a rock, but much lighter than any of my DSLR bodies. It's small enough to be stealthy but big enough to do the job. It handles like a dream and I am loving the fact that I can throw this camera around my neck and work all day without getting tired.

The viewfinder is bright and that's a good thing because the focus is manual rangefinder type. I admit that this was where I thought I'd have the most trouble. My old eyes don't see as well as they used to. But the combination of being able to use lenses with aperture marks on them for hyper-focal distance focusing and the bright viewfinder have left me getting 97% of my shots in focus.

The shooting experience with this camera is joyful. The ability to use an aperture ring warms my heart. The buttons are all easy to use. Set it and forget it. This is the way cameras used to work. I hate nested menus and in the case of the M9 don't need to deal with many to get my shots.

The shutter is quiet but the shutter button takes some getting used to. No half-press to autofocus. And two frames per second is about as fast as this camera advances. I won't be shooting birds in flight with the M9.

The M9 brilliantly uses Adobe's DNG as its RAW format. This will save a ton of time, pain and agony for anyone who's used to waiting for the various RAW converters to upgrade to meet their camera. In theory, just about any program can open a DNG. There is no proprietary software required.

While it's no Canon 5D MK II, low-light performance on this camera is excellent at ISO 800 and acceptable at ISO 1250. CCD cameras trade more detail for more noise. In most cases, the super fast glass from Leica helps you overcome the lack of high ISOs. What it lacks in low-light performance, it makes up for in sharpness and detail.

The battery and memory card fit underneath a plate you have to open on the bottom of the camera. There is a good old-fashioned cable release slot on the camera which means just about any old cloth/or metal generic cable release will work in the M9. You don't need anything electronic, proprietary or fancy.

I absolutely love the auto-bracketing feature on the M9. This is an HDR shooter's dream. You can control the brackets in three, five or seven stop intervals. You can select 1/3, 1/2 or 1-stop brackets. You can also change the order of the shots. Once that's all set press the button once and you get all the exposures in the bracket. It's flawless and foolproof.

Working with the Leica lenses is amazing. Back in the day, lenses had aperture rings. Now most cameras force you to set the aperture electronically. Thank goodness that's not the case here. The Leica lenses have real aperture rings. This makes setting the aperture for hyper-focal distance focusing a snap. This is how street photographers tend to work. They preset a hyper-focal range and then as long as their subject is between point A and B they shoot. Everything is in focus. I love it.

One more thing about the lenses they are drop dead gorgeous even wide open. There is no sweet spot on a Leica lens. The entire lens is the sweet spot. They are sharp, contrasty and lovely. Oh and they are expensive and hard to find.

I've rented or borrowed several Leica lenses; some from my pals at Borrowlenses.com (yes they have this camera and some lenses in stock) and some from Leica fans who were gracious enough to let me try them out. I ended up buying a Leica 35mm F/2 Summicron ASPH. It's beautiful and that's all I can say about it. That's all I need to say about it. It's as nice as any lens I've ever owned. Period. Now I am looking for the very hard to find no make that nearly impossible to find Leica 90mm F/2. Since Leica isn't currently selling any of these lenses, I have to look for old stock or used. Nobody who has this lens seems to want to sell it. Accordingly, I will probably settle for the F/2.5 version since those are more available. I expect to be able to shoot about everything I need to using just those two lenses. What a relief it is not to have to carry 10 lenses everywhere I go!

The initial images I made with this camera were mind-blowing. You can't see it as well on the web or on a computer but when you print the pictures from an M9/Leica lens combo, your subjects appear to literally jump off the page. It's almost a 3D effect. When I first saw it I wasn't sure what I was looking at. That was what really pulled me into the Leica fold. The image quality is out of this world. Nothing in the 35mm realm touches it. Nothing. It's more like working with medium formats.

Now let's talk about the downsides. The camera is expensive. The body alone is just under $7000. The lenses start at $1700 and go up. This is not a camera for those on a budget. Is it worth the money? To me yes. Not everyone will agree. But these cameras are hand-made and very precise. If any camera body is worth $7000 the M9 is it.

The other downside is that the Leica cameras are popular and since their factory is small, they can't keep up with demand. It's almost impossible to find lenses for the M9 unless they are used. Even then it's not easy to get the highly-desirable fast glass. Most Leica owners love their cameras and lenses and few offer them for resale. It's a real problem and Leica needs to address it.

One last issue to cover is the battery life. It pretty much sucks. I mean really, you HAVE to have at least two batteries. This camera drinks battery juice like I used to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken by the bucket. If you're used to the modern Canon and Nikon battery life you'll be disappointed at the Leica battery performance. Two or even three batteries may be needed to do an entire day of shooting. And like everything else Leica, the batteries are not cheap but they aren't outrageous either.

CONCLUSION

The Leica M9 is the world's smallest, lightest, full frame digital camera. It's also for me personally, the perfect digital camera for everything but sports and wildlife. It's light, ergonomically efficient, well-built, powerful, beautiful, elegant and most of all simple. The move to simplicity in photography reminds me of my early days shooting. With a Leica I can just concentrate on seeing. I don't need to worry about the camera. It's just an extension of my eye. But that's me. For you, it might be a different story.

Back to me :) If it sounds like I am in love with the M9 well I am. It's almost a religious experience. It's not for everyone. Really it isn't. It takes time to understand. It is something you work with and eventually, it becomes a part of you.

Highly recommended.

Review Copyright Scott Bourne Photofocus.com

Gold Plated 3.5 FT 1M Micro HDMI Type D High Speed Male Cable to HDMI Male Cable for HTC EVO 4G

Worked just fine with HTC Evo 4G. Hard to beat the price I made ($6)The EVO is the only thing that limits the use of this hdmi. Pretty much all you can do is view photos from gallery :(

I have the HTC evo, an I purchased the mini hdmi cable, an I'm only getting audio, no vid. When plugged in to hdmi tv

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JVC Everio GZ-MG630 60GB Standard Def Camcorder (Blue)

I had read nothing but positive user reviews on another website and then read the negative ones on Amazon regarding the bundled software only working on systems with Vista. The camera itself had had such great reviews, and it was a great price, so I decided to buy it last week so I could film my son's school performance. The camera did an awesome job in a darkened auditorium -the video was nice and clear, there was minimal distortion when zooming in, and the audio was clear and at a good level as well. Afterwards, I installed the software on my Windows XP computer, hooked up the camera via USB, and was able to easily transfer the video to my computer. Playback was extremely clear! While I did have trouble with upload fails trying to get it to YouTube using the MediaBrowser software, I was able to upload from YouTube without a problem. I just fell compelled to write and let other readers know that the camera and software DO work with XP -no problem at all. I'm very happy with this camera!

Unless you want a High Definition camcorder, I highly recommend this camcorder to anybody who wants a camcorder that is small, light, and easy to operate, has a hard disk drive, gives high quality videos, and is still reasonably priced.

I got this camcorder about a month ago, learned how to use it in a few minutes, and shot quite a few videos with it including four test videos which you can see at Shoban Sen's YouTube channel.

I especially like the cameras zooming capabilities, strong built-in microphone, and the image stabilization feature (it automatically and effectively neutralizes camera shake to a great extent though the manufacturer does not advertise this feature much). The microphone is so strong that it picks up the noise made by blowing wind during outdoor shootings you have to turn on the "Windcut" feature from the camera's menu to stop this noise. The low-light shooting capability is also reasonably good, although the camera's built-in light is nothing but a gimmick (and the camera does not have a shoe to attach external video light). The laser touch scroll bar of the camera eliminates the need to touch the LCD monitor to select desired functions, and I love it. No more finger prints on the LCD monitor. The little remote control that comes with the camcorder is very handy almost addictive! I have not tried the Core Filter yet. I did notice some annoying background noise (sounds like rumble of thunder) in some of the scenes that I downloaded in my computer. The manufacturer says, "The core filter reduces interference caused when connected to other devices." I think when downloading videos to my computer, if I use the provided Core Filter on the USB cable, this noise will go away or will be reduced to a great extent.

THE SOFTWARE THAT COMES WITH THE CAMCORDER WORKS FINE WITH WINDOWS XP (BOTH HOME AND PROFESSIONAL EDITION WITH SP2/SP3). BUT DO CHECK THE CPU AND RAM REQUIREMENTS. THE MANUFACTURER CLEARLY TALKS ABOUT THE OPERATING SYSTEMS ON PAGE 29 OF THE ENGLISH MANUAL THAT COMES WITH THE CAMCORDER. THE SOFTWARE WORKS WITH WINDOWS VISTA AND WINDOWS XP. Only the Direct Upload to YouTube failed when I tried it once. But I won't say, it is the fault of the software I may have made some mistakes myself. I tried it only once. I do not use that feature anyway.

I have one negative point to talk about. The first Everio camcorder I received had a faulty rubber cap or cover on the USB port on the front side of the camcorder. It didn't close after I opened it for the first time. But thanks to Amazon.com's excellent Return Policy. They immediately shipped a replacement camcorder to me, even before they received my return!

A word of caution: do not swing or jerk the camcorder while carrying it. Its Drop Detection mechanism is very sensitive. The camcorder shuts itself off if you unknowingly swing the camera a bit while carrying it.

In conclusion, TWO THUMBS UP to this product. You cannot buy a better camcorder at this price.

Buy JVC Everio GZ-MG630 60GB Standard Def Camcorder (Blue) Now

I'm very happy with this device. It does everything I wanted it to do. I don't do broadcast, but I do post video to iTunes for use on my college campus. The good video quality and the included software make file conversion and uploading to iTunes very painless. I really like the hard drive; I doubt that I could ever go back to tape storage. It seems to have good picture stability when zooming. If I could change anything about it, I would consider two things. First, I would make the documentation a bit more understandable. I have a PhD and it still took me quite a while to understand the conversion and uploading process. There are two sets of documentation, one print and one on the CD, and both continually refer you to the other. I eventually got where I needed to get by trial and error. The other thing I would change is that I think it would be nice to have an input for an external microphone. In general, I am pleased with this product.

Read Best Reviews of JVC Everio GZ-MG630 60GB Standard Def Camcorder (Blue) Here

I purchased this camera a week ago, used it for the first time yesterday, filming a concert, and it worked flawlessly....I was very pleased with it, especially since the light was very dark in the club where the band was playing...I downloaded the video to my computer using their software, and after I figure it all out, I think it will work fine, seems to be simple to use...the picture quality is very good, the sound could be improved, but, all in all, not bad for a built in mic..I was concered by the negative review I saw here, but since having the camera, Im pleased with my purchase....the only thing it needs, is a longer life battery, I will have to buy the bigger battery for filming a concert or a trip, the one provided is only 90 minutes or so..bottom line is, Im happy with it, and would recommend it to anyone

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This is an outstanding camera. Out of the box it was easy to use and performed flawlessly. Took it to NHRA drag races and captured all the action without a hitch. Sound quality is outstanding, picture quality is almost as good as HD. Software included makes backing up the video a snap. Great lowlight enhancement also.

HDMI Cable - 2 Male Connectors - 2 Meters

• Cable has 2 male HDMI Type A (19-pin) connectors; 2 meters in length
• High quality w/ gold plated contacts, cable meets HDMI 1.3 specification
• Get best picture quality with HDMI; Supports full resolution with Blu-ray
• Can be used with DVI-I (24+5) or DVI-D (24+1) adapters
• Use for Audio/Video (HDMI carries both in one cable!) in TV setups, and video in computer setups

I am very pleased at the improvement in both video and audio quality switching from component to HDMI using my Xbox 360 and the length is just plain perfect. Add the price of near nothing compared to the other retailers and this becomes a deal you can't pass up.

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This cable works great! Had to laugh though, the cable was $ and shipping & handling was $. It arrived quickly, I hooked it up immediately and it works perfectly. I am a happy camper.

Read Best Reviews of HDMI Cable - 2 Male Connectors - 2 Meters Here

Does what it is supposed to, length is just right for just about any use, no complaints!

No quality loss at all, definitely looks better than component video!

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I suppose this is a good cable, however it didn't work for me. Since it was cheap, did not return. This cable had two small black round things at each end, not sure what they are. However, had to order another one, and cheaper one and guess what it worked fine. Was trying to connect up my blu-ray dvd to HDTV. This cable producted a picture but had lines running through it also was no sound. Received the cheaper one with no small black things on it and it worked fine. Sorry but this cable not for me.

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The product is as per mentioned in the specs. Very good and working good so far. Also the delivery was on time.

JVC GR-D850 MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

The sound and video quality is amazing! I am very impressed by the quality of the image and sound even at night. There is no blurring when panning around either, but at night its performance slightly suffers. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to focus correctly at night from switching from close to distant objects, but it is crystal clear. The sound is GREAT. Its easy to use, easy to hold.

In order to place taped videos to the PC, you need a Fire Wire port on your computer, a 6pin to 4pin fire wire cable, and a lot of hard drive space. One hour is about 14 gigs when transfered 100% uncompressed. After editing and compression though the file size is very manageable.

**For every minute you record it takes one minute to transfer to the PC**

If I had payed 350 dollars for this, I would still be amazed. Its the steal of the year, so cheap yet so good...! I bought the camera, firewire cable, three Fuji Film MiniDV's with tax didnt break 300 dollars!

This is the first camera I've ever owned.

I bought this one for my mom and dad. It seems just as easy to use as the one I purchased a few years back. It's lightweight and mom seems to understand how to use it after about ten minutes of showing her how to do things.

The only thing I would not like is that it lacks a viewfinder (like on a film camera) -all it has is the large LCD display. If you prefer a viewfinder, you may want to look at other camcorders.

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The JVC GR-D850 MiniDV Camcorder is our 3rd JVC camcorder. It was purchased primarily for quick capture of family events and we didn't expect the final video to be as high a quality as our previous JVC GR-DV800U which cost almost 3 times as much. So, when we powered up the camcorder and took our first video we weren't too disappointed. That being said, this camcorder is small enough to tote around just about anywhere and comes in handy when hiking in the woods or around family gatherings. The final video produced isn't too bad although the color balance is just OK.

For the price this is a good buy.

Read Best Reviews of JVC GR-D850 MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom Here

I recently had a bad experience purchasing another (quality name brand, begins with p) Mini-DV camcorder. It was around the same price as this one. I was really disappointed at the extremely poor quality, and distorted image. I didn't expect a lot, but having owned other camcorders, I expected something a little better.

This one caught my eye for several reasons: Konica lens, no viewfinder, firewire link, extended battery time (1.5 hours versus most at 1 hour) and the price was right. At this price range, I didn't expect much, but what I got was AMAZING, and exceeded my expectations. I record in mostly low light, and some times those video can come out very grainy, or the lighting is green or yellow and goes in and out of focus. The picture from this camcorder in low light was very clear, not grainy at all that I could tell on a 32" Vizio, after using the auto light feature to record. Colors were very nice, no yellow or greenish tint at all, could see details very well. The zoom was very smooth and it kept in focus very well zooming. The sound is very nice as well.

Another amazing feature was the image stabilization. I had the camcorder on a tripod, on a table. People kept bumping the table, at times for an extended time. It's virtually undetectable in the video. At the very worst bumps, you may see a very slight jump, but only if you are really looking for it.

The camcorder is very easy to use. Menu is easy to navigate, and understand. Some nice features like black and white and sepia. My only complaint is turning the camcorder on and off is a little difficult, the button seems stiff. My video uploaded seamlessly into my 06 iMac, using iMovie HD, ideal for Mac users.

I truly love this camcorder! This is the third MiniDV camcorder I've owned in the past 3 years, the most affordable, and by far the best. I highly recommend this product.

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Well I haven't had lot of camcorders per say but I'm in to movie making and the fire wire part of it is a little a annoying but man It's not even an hd camera and it has amazing quality. I would definitely recommend this camera to anybody.