Prolite 2.8X DSLR LCD Screen Viewfinder for Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 5D Mark II, 7D & T1i, Nikon D90,

I bought this LCD Viewfinder for making videos on my Caon 7D and Panasonic GF1. It works very well for what it was intended: an LCD sun shade.

You can find other LCD viewfinders that look very simialr to this but priced between $100 and $180. There are a few reviews on different websites that claim that cheaper LCD viewfinders are exactly the same as the more expensive ones, I cant say for sure if they are, but this one is very well constructed and works perfectly.

This LCD viewfinder comes with and adhesive backed thin metal mount that attaches to your camera. The viewfinder has magnets that securely connect to the thin metal mount. The only problem with the metal mount is that it isn't exactly the same size as the LCD on my GF1 so you have to be careful when sticking it on. It does not block any information on the display if you position it properly.

The inside of the LCD viewfinder is lined with felt to minimize reflections.

I was worried that this did not have an adjustable diopter. I think I read somewhere where the diopter was a -1 to +4 fixed diopter. I'm not sure what that means, but I normally wear +1.25 reading glasses but I do not need them with this LCD viewfinder. I also read that you can pop out the diopter and replace it with a lens from some inexpensive reading glasses with a little work.

An added benefit of using a viewfinder like this is that it stabilizes the camera a lot when you are shooting video.

I'm very happy with this purchase!

I bought this for my T2i thinking that there was no reason to pay upwards of $375 for a "modified loupe" but maybe I was wrong. My only expectation was that the viewfinder would focus on the LCD screen (and stay attached to the camera) but for whatever reason, the focus is off. I do not wear glasses (though occasionally I do wear 1.25 reading glasses for small print books). It is as if the length of the loupe is about a quarter inch too short. I can overcome the problem by wearing a pair of 1.25 reading glasses but that becomes cumbersome. Just for the heck of it, I held a photo loupe on the LCD and it was sharp. Well, maybe it is me old age setting in poor eyesight encroaching but I really don't think so. An adjustable diopter might have resolved the problem but a quarter inch is a lot to make up!

The magnetic frame system works well enough and holds the viewfinder okay.

The eyepiece has some trouble staying on you will probably need to secure it with some rubber cement or something as it will occasionally fall off.

Unfortunately, there are not many solutions for the LCD viewfinder at a reasonable price. Unless Prolite comes out with something that can focus on the screen I would stay away from this one.

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I have a Canon T2i, and a Canon 7D. The frame that sticks to the DSLR's it's the reason why I gave this viewfinder only 3 stars. the frame sticks well with the Canon 7D but it's a different story for Canon T2i, because LCD screen for that DSLR is smaller and has a small sensor right on top of the screen and when I stick the frame on the T2i, it covers the sensor.

But other than that, it works great on my Canon 7D and protects the screen out in the sun from direct sun light.

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Same experience as James Cooper this is out of focus (by a wide margin) when mounted on the viewfinder. It would need to be about 1/2" taller to be able to focus properly. And since the lens is not adjustable, it's useless. I returned it.

Note if you look at the photo you might think it is adjustable, because of the way it appears to have a knurled focusing area below the eye-cup. But that is merely decorative; it doesn't focus.

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It works and for the price, its OK. I bought it to see how a viewfinder works attached to the back of a DSLR, before I invested much money in a higher quality one. Now I know what I want. What I have learned is that its a deal because its not made to pro standards. There isn't any diopter adjustment OK I expected that for the price, but one of the little magnets on the back (there are 6 of them) kept pulling off of the viewfinder and sticking to the metal plate that you attach to the camera. Finally it disappeared and now I'll have to either do without, or contact the company for a replacement. Then I'll have to figure out how to glue it back in.

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Olympus D540 3.2 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I love this little camera. I had a chance to try out this camera and compare it to three other digital cameras. The Olympus 540 won hands down. This is the camera I take with me every day. I own a better camera, but like the size and ease of use of this camera.

I took identical photos with this camera and a 4 mg pixal camera and you couldn't tell the difference in a 8x10 print done on a color laser printer. I also enlarged and printed a 48"x36" image on a large format printer and was extremely please by the results.

The camera is easy to use. In seconds you can choose anyone of the eight shooting modes. Also, adjusting the flash to be auto, always on, off or a fill flash is a quick click on the back control button. By pushing the shutter button half way down you can set your exposure. This is very helpful in some lighting situations.

If you purchase the camera, I would recommend buying rechargeable batteries and a larger storage card.

Compact, simple to use camera. For the price it comes packed with features easy transfer of pics to PC using USB cable. Excellent picture quality when used at best Pixel setting 20 pics with original 16MB XD memory card. Not used the movie mode own a camcorder. I invested in a rechargeable Li-Ion CR-V3 battery pack (yes! now available as rechargeables), much better life/performance than even the higest rated rechargeable NiMH not very expensive given its performance, available on Amazon for $31 (I bought my Li-Ion battery pack from Buy.com at $29.50).

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I received this camera as a gift and subsequently took it on a long trip to Russia (instead of my bulky SLR film camera). This camera was outstanding: easy to use, produces good quality pictures, lightweight. It makes toting "regular" camera gear around too cumbersome to contemplate: this camera slips into a pants pocket easily enough. As my first digital camera, it's everything I had hoped it would be and more.

The software (Olympus's Camedia) is pretty good and relatively easy to use, although managing your pictures can be more work than it needs to be. Maybe I'll upgrade that to the Pro version. Nonetheless, I was downloading pictures quickly and everything worked cleanly. The main reason to use the software (rotating pictures) is convenient.

The camera itself is lightweight and pretty durable (my son dropped it a few times and it survived just fine). The 16 MB card that comes with it is too small for realistic use, but a 128 MB card is easy to purchase: budget for it, as you'll want the storage. There are only a few minor annoyances that you'll want to compare to other cameras before choosing this one (I don't think anyone else does it any better).

First, this camera (like many digital cameras) devours batteries. The "low battery" warning comes on very quickly--way too quickly, since battery life far exceeds the warning. However: as the battery runs down, the camera itself processes more and more slowly. So I've found that you'll often miss shots because you need to know about a second in advance to push the button. The lag between "go" and the camera firing is annoying.

Second, the zoom control is a bit difficult to use. It's located on top of the camera and twists, an action that I find difficult to perform while aiming the camera. I've taken to holding the camera at about chest level to shoot pictures so that I have better control.

Overall, the picture quality settings are easy to manage and the pictures themselves are bright, clear, and sharp. The autofocus is almost always perfect and you'll rarely dig into the menus to adjust the camera performance. The panorama capability doesn't seem to work, but it's an extraneous feature.

In any case, this is a great little camera. It does everything a digital camera should, is well made, and makes me a happy camper.

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This is my 3rd midrange digital camera in as many years. I picked this one for my latest based on it's features (macro, self portrait, etc) and the awesome huge LCD screen. The screen is much bigger than it's competitors. The self portrait mode worth noting... some one was finally genius enough to note that many a snapshot is taken where two subjects squeeze together and hold the camera at arms length and snap the pic. This setting adjusts the flash and lense to accomodate that! Genius!

The downsides... even with rechargable batteries this sucker goes "battery low" way before other digi's I've had. It's worth noting. I think it runs out about 30% to 50% quicker than other camera's I've had. That's pretty notable.

Also... the bootup time is Loooonnng. When turning on the camera, the time between turning it on and actually taking a pic is way too long. Also the lag between shutter press and actuall photo/flash is incredibly long. MUCH longer than other cams I've had.

You sacrifice a few things here and gain a few there with digi's but, the lag time and battery life are deal breakers for me and the type of pix I take so this puppy is going back. :(

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I have taken more than 1000 pictures with this great camera. Here are my opinions on it..

Positive Stuff:

1. Excellent picture quality. No doubt, I liked the picture quality more than a Sony Cybershot 3.2 MP camera.

2. The most powerful flash I've ever seen. The camera can take a good picture in complete darkness.

3. Decent battery life. Even though the camera might indicate a Low battery indicator soon, it actually lasts for a long time. I used Panasonic 2100 mah rechargeable Ni-MH battery. I got about 32-34 pictures (all with flash). If you actually turn off the LCD display while not using it, it saves a lot more battery power.

4. Transferring images to a PC is pretty straight forward.

5. The camera is compact and light as well. It was able to fit in to my jean pocket!

6. The camera makes good judgement when to use flash and when not to use. At the end of the day, we are totally satisfied with the image quality.

Negative stuff:

1. The camera is just too slow to respond, particularly, if the battery is low.

2. There were occasions where I had to take some moving objects, but just couldnt time my camera to take it. The response time between pressing the trigger and the camera firing is about 1.5 to 2 seconds (which might be too late sometimes).

Conclusion:

1. If you use a rechargeable battery with a good MAH, the camera is pretty neat.

2. What matters at the end of the day, is people should get good remarks about the photos they take and I get that all the time when I use this camera.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Sensor DIGIC 4 Image Processor Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18

Coming from an ameture's POV rather than an expert, I really LOVE this camera. I had previously done a lot of research because I was looking for something a little better than the point-and-shoot digital camera's. Here are some things I noted:

Being a DSLR, this camera is a bit heavy, especially if you're using a telephoto lens. This doesn't terribly bother me because it does not feel "cheap" in any way. To note, the T3 actually feels lighter than the T3i.

-I am REALLY a fan of the swivel screen which is newly introduced in this model. As others have said, I do fear accidentally bumping it and snapping it off but I really do like it. Plus, you can rotate it around so the screen is against the camera to protect it from scratches when not in use.

-Picture quality blew me away. Even before I knew the right settings, just using the auto, this camera handles color really wonderfully. I have taken several outdoor photos with my dogs in the grassy backyard and the grass is a beautiful bright and vibrant hue. No photoshop edits necessary! :)

-The camera itself actually has a few image filters you can apply to your photos after you take them. They're fairly simplistic but a neat addition.

-The battery life when taking photos (and not using live view) is really fantastic compared to typical point and shoot digital cameras. Since the camera does not take photos with live view (unless you turn on the setting) I've gotten many photos before having to recharge.

-The exception to the above: If recording video, especially in HD, that REALLY eats the battery life up. I probably only get a few hours out of the battery if recording straight video.

-I found that it was really easy to learn the functions of this camera, and although I don't know them all, it has great functions and modes both for professionals and beginners. Even just using the auto modes and letting the camera decide the settings, it works fantastic.

-I am not a huge fan of the built in flash. Though I've read that most built in flashes on cameras aren't great, I usually do not use it unless it's really needed. In good light, the camera really performs great without it. Images with the flash tend to be blown out or too dim (if you adjust the brightness)

-The display screen is really gorgeous (and large). Really the best way I can put that. It's a lot more crisp and clear than my other point and shoot digital cameras.

-This model, as opposed to the T3 which does not, has a built in sensor to use wireless remotes (which I also purchased) Just wanted to point that out.

-One thing I can't seem to figure out (and I'm not sure if it's a computer issue or not), when uploading pictures (by plugging in the camera into the computer with the cord provided), it takes FOREVER for my computer to recognize the camera. At first I thought it was because I hadn't installed the software that came with it, so I did that. It still takes at least a minute or two before the software will open up and allow me to download the images. That's truly my only beef which may NOT have anything to do with the camera itself.

Overall I would definitely recommend this to any beginners looking to get their first DSLR. It's a higher end beginners DSLR for a fairly affordable price and if you keep an eye out for those Amazon deals, you can snag a nice bundle. I've had mine for about 5 months now and I absolutely love it!

Received this as a gift (it was bought @best buy but it's cheaper here!) and felt compelled to share my initial reaction to the T3i. I've been wanting an SLR camera for a while but could never decide on one. Well when I received this as an anniversary gift, the decision had been made for me. I was considering a Nikon so I was a little worried at first but I immediately took it out of the box and started messing around with it. First thing I noticed was that the controls were easy to navigate for someone like myself who never used an SLR and the pictures taken just fooling around looked really nice. I read parts of the little booklet to see how to get the image screen to come on as I was not used to taking photos through just a viewfinder. After a while though, I actually had fun using the viewfinder, it has 9 points of focus. However I would probably turn on the view screen if I were to ask someone to take a photo for me, because it's more like a point and shoot and easier for most folks. I did this at a family gathering and the in-laws appreciated using the view screen. Either way the photos come out extremely well. My husband usually takes terrible pics no matter what, on all of our cameras, which he readily admits. They're usually out of focus, dark or just bad, we don't know how they turn out that bad but they do. But he's been able to take plenty of good ones with this, which in my book is pretty amazing! Switching between MF and AF is very easy as well, there is a switch on the side of the lens near the button that disengages the lens. Using this camera is much easier than I imagined. It came with the EF-S 18-55 and my hubby got the EFS 55-250 for me as well. So far I have been using the 18-55 but the 55-250 worked well for some photos I took in the expansive lobby at the Grand Calfornian. I'm still learning about the camera and plan on buying the guide for this specific camera that is sold here on amazon. I will try to update my review after I get a macro lens and have it for a little while longer. I added some photos of a mother hummingbird and her 2 babies that I have shot for the past week in my yard using the 18-55. I know this review might not be helpful for the experienced but for the amateur I hope it helps. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with this camera especially if you are new to SLR photography.

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I initially bought a Nikon D5100 with these TWO "kit" lenses: 18-55 and 55-200mm. As background, I have 45 years "serious amateur" experience in photography, but little in digital photography. My first "serious" digital SLR was a SONY A100 that I bought so I could use my Minolta AF lenses. At this time, I wanted to update my camera because technology had advanced so much! It was a major decision to change camera brands because of my investment over the years in Minolta AF mount lenses. BUT, I wanted something lighter than the SONY "professional" cameras, and something with a better imaging reputation.

I shot approximately 90 test images with each of the Nikkor lenses. After carefully reviewing them at 100% magnification in Photoshop, I can honestly say that only 1 of the 180 photos was genuinely sharp.

The 55-200 had trouble focusing under certain circumstances even in mid-day on a mostly cloudy but well lighted day. In addition to the lack of sharpness either the lenses, the sensor or the in camera software did a poor job with contrast and color rendition. Neither zoom ring moved "smoothly." Both felt "rough." I understand that they are relatively cheap "kit" lenses, but I expect much better from a lens with the Nikkor name!

The mirror in the Nikon DSLR body did something indicative of poor design, poor quality and/or poor manufacturing. It shifted at the last moment as it seated itself. It was not aligned properly for its travel and seating.

There is something about the design of the D5100 body front where it is supposed to fit your right hand that was VERY uncomfortable for me. This could be a personal issue since hand sizes vary.

Fortunately, I was able to return the camera for a full refund! Overall, I was EXTREMELY disappointed! I expected MUCH better from Nikon.

I then bought a Canon T3i with 18-55 and 55-250mm "kit" lenses, which is roughly equivalent to the Nikon D5100 package but $100 more. I had read MANY reviews, both professional and user. They almost unanimously favored the Nikon which is why I first tried the Nikon. I have now had the Canon for about two weeks and shot perhaps 200 "test" images. Out of these, most are extremely sharp even magnified to 200% in Photoshop. While both lenses appear to focus quickly and properly in all lighting conditions, I had trouble at the 250mm end. In defense of the lens, I do NOT yet know how to change the focusing parameters (spot versus wide area)and I was trying to capture either a distant deer or bird both partly hidden in a mess of branches or trees. The camera did not know what I wanted to focus on. Exposure, color and contrast rendition are excellent!

Oddly, in the full automatic setting, the camera wants to use the flash in situations that I do NOT believe call for flash. Interestingly, and useful for idiot-proof photography, in full automatic the camera's brain alters the ISO setting to afford "optimum" settings for a decent photo. They may not be the settings a knowledgeable photographer would choose, but they work!

The camera body appears to be solid, properly designed, engineered and manufactured. Unfortunately, it is slightly heavier than the Nikon, which is a major factor for me. However, it fits my right hand very comfortably. To help with the weight, I bought an Op/Tech USA Bino/Cam webbing harness (I did NOT buy the "elastic" version because these things tend to stretch out of shape after not too long). It is available through Amazon with the ASIN #B000GTRBQQ.

If you are looking for a DSLR in this price range, I highly recommend the Canon T3i (aka EOS 600D ).

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I purchased this camera with both the kit lens (18-55mm) and 55-250mm lens from Canon. I am very pleased with the picture quality. Mostly, I have used this camera for taking pictures at youth soccer games. Using the 55-250mm lens, I was impressed by how close I could get to the action and have gotten many amazing action photos. The cameras abilities were good enough to freeze the action for nice crisp pictures. The 3.7fps speed is very helpful for making sure I don't miss an important moment. I know it does not take sports photos as well as professional cameras, but I feel it certainly does a great job for the money! I have not yet tried it in indoor lighting. I also took some pictures of a social event I attended (using the 18-55mm lens)and the 18 megapixels really helps the people in the photos to stand out and look sharp. The camera was also quite easy to figure out how to use. I spent maybe 30 minutes browsing through the manual and another 30 minutes or so watching some tutorials and I felt comfortable with pretty much every setting on the camera. An excellent purchase!

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Years ago, I had a Canon AE-1 35mm. I've been using my wife's Sure-Shot for years but decided to buy a digital. After shooting 1360 pictures at Disney World last week, I am thrilled with this purchase! I got some great pictures with the standard 55mm lens and the 55-250 zoom, especially in low light. Amazon did a great job of shipping also, I couldn't be happier!

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Nikon D7000 16.2 MP Digital SLR Camera & 18-105mm VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 16GB Card + Filter

I've wanted to upgrade my photographic experience from a point and click for a while now but I was just a little frazzled by all of the options and brands on the market these days. After some serious research (about 5 wks worth) I decided to take a major leap and went with the D7000. Honestly I expected to be a deer in the head lights with a camera of this level but my experience thus far has been great! I love this camera! Out of the package this camera is ready for a novice to take command. It has more features than I know what to do with right now but I feel great about the fact that I'll be able to grow into it and I wont be needing to upgrade for a long long time... if ever. Kudos to Nikon for producing this heavy hitter at an affordable price! And thanks to Cameta Camera for the quick shipping and top notch packing!

This is the best investment for any young family. The quality of the photos are phenomenal! It's a great camera for any level photographer. Thanks to the auto mode, you get professional photos even if you have absolutely no photography background. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. My husband and I reviewed many different products and researched for 6 months before making our decision to purchase our NIKON. We are both 100% satisfied and would recommend this camera to anyone!

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In three months this D7000 has been purchased by me for the third time.

Facts/Reasons: Dad = A 50+ year pro studio photographer wished it (and got it) after countless hours of research. (i asked him why not CANON? and he simply replied: what was my first camera when you were 7 years old? (besides that HASSELBLAD 500c)

Brother = Also with dad in the same business, so as a gift, purchase number 2 went to him.

Final purchase went to me after researching and comparing especially with CANON, though good not great as this D7000 beast!

I am not so intense into still photography but rather video and having said that, video results with this NIKON is truly impressive! I shoot about NAVY ships, the action is intense during operations so trust me when i say that if you are looking for a rugged, dependable piece that can give you perfection then i say look no more..here is what it will come down to when that final choice will take you back to this NIKON D7000 beast..Just read the manual and adapt.

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