Marshall Electronics M-LCD7-HDMI-B-CE6 7-Inches HDMI Camera-Top Monitor Kit with Canon LPE6 Equival

Why do we keep buying cheap Chinese-made products when our friends and neighbors are out of work and losing their homes?

This is strictly consumer-level quality. If you are using it professionally, spend the money on a professional-level monitor that won't let you down in the middle of an important shoot.

When it first arrived, I started charging the battery and was puzzled when the charger went to green within minutes. No problem; it must be shipped with the battery fully charged. No such luck. The battery lasted about two minutes. I measured the voltage and it read in millivolts, so I put it back on the charger. Within 5 minutes, the charger had gone to green and it shut down again. I tried leaving it on charge for two days and it never went to red from green and the end voltage ended up lower than when I started. Either the Chinese-made charger or the Chinese-made imitation Canon battery was defective.

Sadly, I had a shoot right away and needed a source of power that WORKED, and I needed it right away. (I make my living in the film industry.) I didn't have time to return it to the seller and wait for another one, nor did I relish buying a new Canon battery ($100) or Canon charger ($50) just to find out which was the defective piece.

I ended up swapping the battery plate from my Nebtek monitor onto the Marshall and yanking the cheap Chinese-made battery and battery plate right off. I had to drill new holes to mount the plate because I needed a working monitor right away and didn't have time to ship it back and wait for a replacement.

The Chinese-made Canon imitation battery never did work, and this thing became a huge sinkhole of money that I was forced to pour another $100 into just to get a working battery plate that takes Sony batteries and another Sony battery. (Sony camcorder batteries have a MUCH greater capacity than the imitation Canon 5D battery that this monitor ships with.)

I delayed writing any reviews until I talked to Marshall, but I have now waited three weeks and they have NOT even replied to my email. THIS CUSTOMER SERVICE IS UNACCEPTABLE in this age of instant customer feedback on the internet ... and, Marshall, if you ever read this review what goes around, comes around. You should have taken the 2 minutes to reply to my email. I will never buy another Marshall product again.

Very soft, simple and efficient, this monitor allows you to make a better focus with a HD DSLR. And it comes with a lot of useful stuffs, as monitor support, VGA multicable, rechargers, mini-HDMI-HDMI cable, and even... an battery model LP-E6. The main problem is that the battery deck doesn't tie it though enough. Then if you turn the monitor upside down the battery will fall or loose the contact. And a suggestion for Marshall: peaking would be very useful.

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The strength of this monitor lies not in its picture quality or construction, but mainly in its value. I purchased this monitor as an accessory to my DSLR for filming video. The main purpose was to provide a larger screen to help with framing, and to use on a small camera jib. In this regards the monitor excels. I had also wanted to use it for help in focusing, and while it is helpful simply to have the larger monitor when focusing, the fact is that this monitor will not display the true HD image pixel for pixel. To be fair, I was not expecting it to, as a monitor with that resolution is much more expensive. So if critical focusing is your main goal, and you want a true pixel to pixel image, this probably isn't the monitor for you. One note in regards to the focus issue: on my GH2, when an external monitor is connected via the HDMI port, the image magnification/focus assist function on the camera is disabled. So while it is easier to focus with the larger image than the small LCD screen of the camera, the trade off is that the camera's built in focus assist is disabled. Which goes back to my main point that this monitor is better suited for framing and having a larger image to look at. When I purchased my Marshall, they were having a special that included a free sun hood, and I have found this to be extremely valuable for outdoor shooting. I am able to attach the monitor to the back of the jib, away from the camera, and shoot in the sun without glare. This has made my jib work a lot easier, and this alone is worth the price. In addition, it comes in a very nice kit with a huge host of accessories: remotes, mounts, cables, chargers, you name it. This also helps solidify its position as a great value. Overall, if you're looking for a great starter monitor, or don't require a true HD resolution monitor, this would be a great choice.

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This is a good "entry level" low cost monitor. Works fine via HDMI with my EOS 7D. There is a reason other Marshall monitors cost a lot more. But if you just need a low cost monitor for use with your video enabled DSLR this is a good pick. Yes the battery and charger are "knock-off" grade and probably wont last very long, but you can always use an OEM battery as well. The kit comes with everything you'll need.

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I recently bought a lot of gear to go with my Canon 7D. I wanted a monitor that was decent and low priced. Also took the LPE6 battery. I would only use this monitor on shots that i absolutely needed a monitor. The quality from the screen on my camera to this is way different. Before every shot I would have to make sure what it looks like on my camera monitor before switching to the Marshall monitor. I would recommend getting a smaller screen Marshall Monitor that has better quality. But for the price, this will work just fine.

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Digital Life High Performance VGA Monitor Cable - 16 ft. High Performance VGA cable

I purchased this cable to display video from my laptop to my TV. Initially went to a major electronic store to purchase the same item for a little over 50% than Amazon's cost. Other than the great deal, the cable was easy to plug into the laptop and TV. The settings on the laptop and TV was somewhat a puzzle for me but I just pulled out the manuals for each. The quality of the cable works for me on the most part. The display image is sharp but I am not liking the size displayed on the TV. I am not sure if I can adjust the size but this has nothing to do with the performance of the cable.

I was extremely hesitant to purchase any VGA cable that was priced as low as this. All the reviews for similarly priced cables talk about how the picture is bad because of color, flicker, etc. I decided to search for a Monster VGA cable, because the name suggests high quality. I never expected to find a Monster, name brand, cable for under $20. I bought it with the hopes that it would work fine. This cable is excellent! I have an HD Laptop. This cable delivers the same HD picture to my HDTV and the cord is 16 ft long. I feel like I got a great deal.

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Bought this in May to connect my laptop to my hdtv. Around 5 months have passed and it is starting to malfunction. The tv started turning purple and flickering and I checked the connection. Wiggling the cable at the connection was confirmed to cause the problem. It is not the connector on the tv... it is where the cable goes into the connector on the cable itself.

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This cable works fine but I cant screw it into my Mac adapter. I need longer screws. The connection's not super tight so occasionally it disconnects and I have to plug it back in. I think I'm going to tape the two together since I never use it any other way. All of my other vga cable always screwed in fine. Don't know why this one doesn't.

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This cable was ordered for my office. It was exactly what we needed and exactly as described. We would order it again if necessary.

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Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/18-55mm Lens (Red)- 14.2 Mpix

I've never owned an SLR camera, just basic point-and-shoot digital cameras, so my review is coming from that perspective, rather than someone used to the features available on most SLRs.

First off, the "intelligent auto" is by far superior to any automatic mode I've ever experienced before. I've had a tendency to use "programmable auto" or even "manual" mode on my previous cameras any time I really wanted the color balance, shutter speed, and ISO settings to end up the way I'd want. I probably never have to do that with this camera, other than for low-light, slow-shutter photos (the default for the camera is to up the ISO instead of slowing the shutter beyond a certain point). That's not to say that I don't like playing around with the manual settings anyhow -I do -but I really don't have to in order to get good photos. Many of the other automatic-type features are also great, such as the facial recognition (which works great about 80% of the time -has trouble with faces turned at an angle, though) and the smile-detecting auto-shutter.

The video quality is phenomenal, and I like that there isn't some unnatural limit on the length (I want to say the limit is about half an hour or so for HD quality, but I've never come close to reaching that). This will basically serve as my camcorder, and unless I'm planning to record a play or something, I think it'll be more than sufficient for that purpose.

The only downside I've encountered so far is tied to the lens more than to the camera -I didn't realize how much I'd miss the ability to zoom in and out. There's only so much you can do with cropping, and sometimes getting closer to the target just isn't feasible. So, I'd probably suggest buying the camera with one of the other lenses if you're torn between this one (for compact/portability) and another, more flexible lens. This lens is the smallest, but it's still not really going to be pocket-sized (unless you have massive cargo pockets or something). I'm almost certainly going to get another lens sometime soon, and once I do that I expect I'll be using the other lens a lot more than this one.

Other than that... the battery life improved greatly when I downloaded the firmware update from Sony. Make sure you do that -it's not clearly explained in the product manual, but it's pretty straightforward if you look it up on the Sony product support website.

In sum, I got this because my wife was going to be giving birth to our first child, and I wanted to be able to take good-quality family photos for the next few years. So far, I think I made the right choice.

im not professional, but i know how DSLRs work and how to take some decent photos, i will say for the price you might as well get a DSLR, but i wanted something more portable. This definately works.

it is very small and has the same sized sensor as a regular sony SLR (let alone nikon or canon) not full frame but its large meaning photos turn out great. i got the mount adapter and a portrait lens and wow, the bokeh is wonderful. the pictures are very crisp and clear. Battery life was not too great because you always have to use the LCD screen to take photos, but i wasnt too into view finders anyway. when i want to i might sell this one in a year or 2 to get a sony SLT camera but those have some issues too. for now this is the best small form factor camera around. hands down.

new lenses are coming out in 2011 as well with the emount system.

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This is a great little DSLR. With the 16mm F2.8 wide angle lens, it fits in our pocket and acts like the best point and shoot camera ever--it also shoots hi-def video.

This camera really shines when you change the lenses and do some serious shooting. It has all the functionality you want in a DSLR in a small package. Best of all, if you already have a DSLR and are looking for a good back up, or you shoot 35mm and want to use the lenses from your non-digital SLR, you can buy an after market adapter for your lenses that will mount them to the NEX-3 and its big brother the NEX-5. The drawback to this camera is that the Sony lenses can be more expensive than the camera and they don't offer the same performance as other lenses.

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I am LOVING the camera for its picture taking skills. Low light pictures turn out great and the colors really pop, the depth of field offered by the large sensor make the picture really come alive.

As a trade off, obviously, zoom lenses are expensive to come by. Lucky with a 14 megapixel sensor cropping has decent results.

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I am a handicapped man whose balance is almost nonexistent, and whose hands have a pretty bad tremor, but even I can take wonderful shots with this, and when I loaned the camera to my able-bodied friend the results were truly painterly. The automatic focus features are really easy to use, and the results are very, very nice. The only reason I wouldn't say "stop looking and buy this,"is the flimsy and badly designed flash attachment. This camera's sensor does take great shots even in the twilight, but it's not magic and needs the flash when it's dark. The flash attachment hooks tenuously via pins into some holes on the top of the camera concealed by a lid that feels as if it may break if used much.(As does the lid over the USB port.) The flash attachment falls off at the slightest tap, and often if the camera is merely hanging from my waist. It is just a matter of time before it falls into the sea or somewhere else where it's irrecoverable. I have complained to Sony about this, but stunningly I received no reply. Sadly, I cannot recommend this otherwise nice little camera until Sony fixes the flash. (If one spends the best part of $500 on a camera, one should expect a decent flash.)

(ipdate, Dec. 21, 2011) I have been told the flash has a thumb-screw, and so it does. Small and hard to reach, but it's there. I was prepared to completely re-write this reveiw, without any negative comments, but the thumb-screw had no discernible tightening effects whatsoever. (Maybe mine is just defective.)

FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom

I've been burned by big brands with poor reliability before, so I chose Fuji after seeing Consumer's Union rate Fuji very reliable. It's big and clunky, but we wanted that shape to find it quickly in a cluttered diaper bag.

Right out of the box, if you've ever had a digital camera before, you barely need the instruction book. It's very intuitive. The LCD and viefwinder are bright, sharp, and are things of beauty. The on screen menus are great. The controls and grip are all manageable with one hand, once you learn where they are. The pictures are 3.2 megapixel great. The 6x optical zoom makes it easy to take quality face shots from a distance. Beware ANYBODY'S digital zoom it's nonsense only optical counts.

The software for your PC is so bad that Fuji should have never shipped it. First of all, my Windows XP PC will not see the Finepix as a camera. It sees it as a mass storage device. So, if you are good with geek stuff, you know how to get your pictures to go where you want them, but if you just want it to be easy, you are out of luck. This software precludes this camera from being a gift for your mother. If you manually install the USB driver, Win XP still doesn't see it as a camera. The Finepix Viewer software is just a Fuji branded Internet Explorer. There is also one item of software installed called WINASPI. There is no explanation for what it does, it is installed in your root directory ( a major software no no), it looks like a throwback to Win 3.1 when it's being installed, and it gives you messages suffering from translationitis (For to make setup effective, it necessarily will be for to resart your computing system now.)

In calculating the true cost, at a minimum, you will have to get a 64mb xD card, and you will have to get 8 NiMH AA batteries and a charger. The use of AA batteries is a huge plus, so when you are walking around Wallyworld and the batteries go dead, you can just buy 4 AAs, as opposed to cameras with proprietary rechargeables. You will also want some good photo organizing software, and because of the miserable software included, I've discovered a GREAT program online called Picasa -it is a must have GREAT photo organizer.

So, I like it, I'm happy I bought it, the price was good, but it's not perfect.

This was our first digital camera and we are very pleased with it. The documentation includes a "quick start" page to get you going right away. After reading it and installing the batteries, we were taking very nice pictures in less than an hour. The camera is lightweight and can easily used with one hand. The controls and menus are easy to use and simple to learn and remember. One small complaint regarding the LCD monitor that can be used in place of the viewfinder. The image in the monitor apprears washed out if you are not looking directly into it. This does not affect the photo image and is a very minor annoyance.

We have taken indoor pictures in a variety of lighting conditions using the built-in flash and every picture has been great. We also went outside on a sunny day and took pictures of a snowman in a blindingly, white, snow covered, yard and the pictures again turned out great. The zoom options are very nice and easy to use. The autofocus feature works great.

Downloading the pictures into the computer is also very easy. The included software installed flawlessly. Then, using the included USB cable, connect the camera to your PCs USB port and turn on the camera. The rest is automatic. The software downloads the pictures from the camera to your computer's hard drive. The program also gives you various option for cropping or other tweaks you may wish to make to improve your pictures.

This is a great digital camera package for the price. Certainly, you can spend a lot more for a lot more camera, for professional applications. But if you are just getting started in digital photography or are looking for a second, better digital camera, to take family or vacation photos or photos around the house, take a look at the the Fuji S3000.

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I really am enjoying this camera! Initially I bought a Sony because I already have a Sony camcorder and it seemed reasonable to share the memory card I upgraded between them. I returned the Sony immediately (to Circuit City who does NOT charge a restocking fee if you return with 14 days!) and researched Consumer Reports.

This is the camera I am keeping!

My photography experience consisits of using those disposable 35mm cameras and taking grainy, dark pictures with my camcorder.

I love this camera because it is so much easier to use that the Sony was! Very, very user-friendly menus and functions. Excellent picture quality and excellent 6 x optical zoom. Pictures print beautifully also--even on my crappy Lexmark printer! No problem with any light source--this camera adjusts automatically so I don't feel like an idiot that needs to go to "camera school"!

I'm buying a battery recharger and storage case today.

The only useless feature I can find is the movie maker.

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First of all, I am in my mid-fifties and I am not an expert on taking photographs. Most of the pictures I take are of my family and friends.

I purchased the S3000 in July 2004, right before our vacation to

Florida. I was having trouble deciding between purchasing a new 35mm or my first digital camera. After reading reviews on various digitals and talking with a friend who had just purchased the Fugi S3000, I chose the S3000 and I have had 'no regrets.'

The pictures are better than I imagined. They are so clear and detailed that I take photographs of everything from buildings, animals, close-up of flowers, and more. The Fugi S3000 is so easy to use. It is, more or less, a point and shoot camera and the zoom is fantastic.

I only had two minor problems. The first one was the action shots: I rectified my action shots (jet skis, running, swimming) by snapping the picture as soon as I saw the person/object in the LCD monitor. By the time the shutter reacted, I pretty much had a nice centered picture.

Since I am a novice with this camera, the second problem I assumed was my fault. From our hotel room on Cocoa Beach, we could see a night launch. I could not find the launch site nor the satillite after it was launched in my LCD monitor or viewfinder.

I give the Fugi S3000 5 stars for the ease of use, detail of the photographs and the 6x optical zoom.

I am so impressed with this camera that I am buying two more for Christmas presents.

Also look at:

Fugifilm Digital Camera Accessory Kit for A & S Series Cameras

(includes battery charger and batteries YOU NEED THIS!)

Fugifilm 64MB XD Card

(need a second card)

Fugifilm USB XD Picture Card Reader

(I found this cheaper at Wal-Mart)

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I've had this camera about a year now, and I really like it for the most part. Good pics, good features, and I love the 6X optical (not digital!) zoom. Having had it, I'd never buy a camera with a lower power zoom. It's also really hard to beat this camera for the money. Usually when my friends show off their new cameras I see they've paid more and gotten less, especially in the zoom department.

I use rechargable 2200 MA NIMH batteries and have not experienced any problem with battery life whatsoever, unlike other reviewers. I've taken a couple hundred shots at a time (mostly non flash, admittedly) without changing batteries. The camera is also well made and sturdy. It took a nasty fall with me near Mount Rainier a while back and sustained very little damage, unlike my knees and elbows.

While the camera is good, it isn't perfect. I have three complaints, as follows. Once you hit the button, this camera takes a really long time to actuate the shutter. If you're looking for a camera to capture fast motion, pass this one by. Often when I was zoomed in on an object moving even at a pretty slow pace, the object would be out of the field of view by the time the picture clicked.

My second (and most serious) complaint is the auto-shutoff feature. The camera loves to shut itself off and retract the lens when you've been idle. And in Fuji's book, TWO minutes is idle. This is something I've not experienced with previous Fujis. When it does turn off, you have turn the dial around two places to the OFF position, wait a second, then click it back two places to ON. The lens will slowly reappear, and you can resume what you were doing. The auto shutoff would be fine if the length of time were adjustable, but it isn't. Two minutes idle and you'll be "rebooting". I'd much rather change batteries after a couple hours than have to toggle that damn switch all day to keep the camera on. Very annoying.

Finally, I'm not thrilled that this camera uses the XD format. While the XD cards are very compact, they are also the most expensive format out there as best I can tell. If you thought Memory Stick was expensive, prepare yourself for XD. It is more expensive than Memory Stick, SD, Smartmedia, and Compact Flash. More expensive by a wide margin, too. Compare prices between a 256 MB XD card and a 256 compact flash, and you'll find the xd to be almost exactly twice as expensive. That's a lot to pay for a smaller form factor card that does exactly the same thing.

In conclusion: Good quality camera with good pics and great zoom, well worth the money if you don't mind the couple of annoyances I mentioned. Hey, Fuji! Kill the Auto Shutoff and you'll go to five stars in my book.

Canon DC210 DVD Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom

July 18, 2007: Read my response in the comments section to a question from Jason G regarding VRO.

****************************

If you want a DVD camcorder to shoot videos, make VERY minor edits from the camcorder itself, and then drop in your DVD player -the DC210 is okay. It's easy to use, despite the poorly written user guide. As to its features -it doesn't really stand out in the crowd of similar (less expensive) models.

The audio recording isn't great. From a distance of about 5-6 feet, you'll have difficulty hearing someone who is not projecting their voice.

Regardless, after a weekend of significant frustration, this camcorder is going back.

After talking with Canon, I found out that they chose not to inform their users, or even their retailers, that the output video format in VR mode is "VRO" -a new, largely unsupported format.

Users CANNOT edit their videos without conversion software -which, according to Canon reps, WILL NOT be provided on the Canon site. And, this format is so new, I had difficulty finding conversion software and I was unable to find freeware to convert the VRO video files (get ready to pay between $15-$25 for conversion shareware -in addition to DC210'S $340-$400 pricetag).

Canon does not provide ANY software for this camcorder -their reason: the camcorder is ONLY intended for point-shoot-play. Note: Canon didn't even bother addressing the new "VRO" format in the user manual that came in the box or the PDF file on their site (the term itself isn't in their documentation).

Finally, if you need decent audio via use of an external mic, forget it -Canon also didn't put an external mic jack on the DC210 (Canon's ZR800 does have an external jack).

During my last conversation with a Canon rep, my message was basically "shame on you." Canon has obviously chosen to ignore rapidly increasing consumer interest in video editing, the credit for this going to Microsoft, Pinnacle, and others, who have given us some good, simple tools to do creative editing on home and/or amature videos.

Canon totally missed the boat on this one. They could have been packaged a decent camcorder with, at minimum, some conversion software and a better user-guide, thus encouraging their customers to get out there and shoot lots and lots of video for sharing, presentations, and so on, which I intend to do -with a Sony, JVC, or other camcorder.

I'm giving 2 stars to Canon only because the DC210 does do what they wanted it to do.

Canon gets an "F-" for not shelling out a few extra cents for each camcorder sold to ensure customers have conversion software, and subsequently the capability to easily edit their creations with inexpensive, easy-to-use movie/video editing software.

The very worst available. I spent half of our summer vacation trying to find discs that my pretentious Canon would accept. Only Sony, and only sometimes. Ugh. I used to trust Canon. Now, I will read and write reviews more often.

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I am very satisfied with this camcorder. Picture quality is very good for a standard definition camera and operating it is about as easy as it can get. On-camera editing capabilities are not extensive so if you need those you may want to look at the cameras higher in the lineup.

The only complaint may be with finalizing disks. You have to read the manual carefully as the charger must be plugged in and you have to be in play mode before it will even give you the option to finalize a disk. Fortunately you can change disks then go back and finalize them later.

I have had absolutely zero problems playing back finalized disks. Just put the disk in a DVD player and press play.

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Well, there goes my daughter's first birthday footage. It's on a mini disc, but the only thing that will play it back is the camcorder itself. Won't work on any computer, playstation 2, or even a regular phillips dvd player. The user manual lists functions that aren't even selectable in the various menus. You can initialize the disc but not finalize it... though that's supposed to be an option in the menu. I'm taking it back tonight. What a piece of junk.

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I am a beginner when it comes to camcording and taking pictures. I wanted an easy to use 2-in-1 camera/camcorder. I spent Christmas Eve reading the users guide. I wanted documentation listing steps for a quick setup and use. There is no such thing. What's given is confusing at best. After about 2 hours, I did manage to get things rolling, basically on my own. I thought I did a good job figuring things out, such as initializing the discs, switching between the four basic modes (taking and viewing videos and pictures), making videos, and taking pictures. I was disappointed with the quality I saw on the camcorder, but thought things would look better on my computer or DVD. So I took tons of pictures and videos on Christmas Day. I spent about an hour and a half today (the day after Christmas) learning to convert my pictures for computer/DVD use and finalize the disc. I was tickled to see my pictures on the computer, but all pictures and videos were very grainy, not good quality at all. And I couldn't even get the disc to play in the two DVD players I have. I've spent more time than I wanted to on learning this machine, and I am very disappointed with the results. I could read a little more in the unfriendly users guide about picture qualitiy, but I'm not; I'm going to return it right now!

1080p HD Camcorder

This camera is very easy to use! I love the fact that it has a SD Card, so it is easy to plug into your computer. It captures the light very well. I was suprized of how small it is for a HD camera, quality of the picture is fantastic. The reason why I give it 4 stars, is that you have to be pretty far back, to capture a video up close. I'm a skateboarder, and when I film my friends doing their tricks, I have to be about 15 to 20 feet back, to capture their whole body in the picture. Other than that, it is a pretty good camcorder.

My dad wanted a full HD camcorder for around $150, I looked all over and compared several models of compact camcorders before finally settling on this one.

Pros:

Good quality video, although a tad bit grainy. Really though, it's very much above acceptable.

Supports up to 16GB SDHC, which is basically a requirement for HD camcorders.

No lag when paired with a good quality class 10 SDHC card.

Easy to understand controls.

Mini-HDMI out, includes a mini-HDMI to full-HDMI cable. Also has a standard-def output (composite, cable included).

The camera automatically turns on and off when the viewing screen is opened or closed. Also, the viewing screen can turn 270 degrees.

Standard tripod attachment on the bottom of the camera.

Cons:

Manual shutter, the shutter doesn't close or open when the camera turns on or off, you have to flip open and close the shutter yourself.

You HAVE to take out the battery to charge it, there isn't a DC-in anywhere on the camera, and the battery only lasts for about 1h30m on a full charge. This means if you want to record something longer than 1h30m, buy an extra battery and have it handy.

Overall, this camera is an excellent example of "you get what you pay for". You want something better? Spend more money.

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Got this Camera used from Amazon. Was about 114$. Came in the original packaging with no signs of any sort of use. It's very light weight. The video quality is actually better than expected, with maybe a slightly more than modest expectation. It's got a nice charging mechanism with a very thin battery (probably why it has almost no weight to it). The LDC display turns and can close facing outward. If you close the LCD panel it shuts off which is nice but I'm pretty sure you can change that setting. The package also comes with an HDTV cable. NO external mic jacks which is a minus. But that's my own fault for looking at it the wrong way when I bought it. Over all you get great quality out of this handy little camera with pretty good sound pick up.

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not bad to work with..battery has lost sustain power....charge long then short performance camera is confusing i wouldnt buy twice

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Do not Underestimate this Manufactured cameras this thing is amazing and SIMPLE 2 modes CAMERA and VIDEO simple its clean video is so clear and picks up sound great IM HAPPY AS HELL!

Minolta Dimage Xi 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

This camera is amazing. It's so light and compact, it's hard to believe you've got a 3.2 megapixel camera with 12x combined zoom in your hands!

The camera uploaded/connected to Windows 2000 via USB with absolutely NO problems, and I had no trouble AT ALL at removing either the memory card OR the battery. Wish it could take standard AA or AAA batteries, but that's the tradeoff you make for a tiny package.

Also, I'm astounded with the extra features this camera offers: record short movies WITH sound, record voice messages/memos to yourself, tiny moving lens cover, internal zoom parts, FAST startup and shutdown, just to name a few. Wow.

Even the manual is easy to follow and written in plain english. I didn't try any of the enclosed photo software because Paint Shop Pro 7 is the best and easiest photo and paint software I've ever found. .

The camera also has several levels of quality. With my 128mb memory card, it can store 13 pictures on highest quality and picture size, and 1958 pictures on the lowest quality and smallest picture size. On medium settings, you'd get at least 391 pictures at a time. Not too shabby!

I'd recommend buying an extra battery pack so you won't worry about running out of power, although the batteries do last a long time if you aren't using the LCD display much.

All in all, this camera is worth the money you pay for it.

The DiMAGE Xi is the upgrade of the popular Dimage X and is identical in physical appearance. It employs the same f/2.8 "folded" 3X optical 37-111mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens. The main upgrade is the CCD imager which went from 1.96 to 3.2 megapixel and now yields up to 2048 x 1536 pixel images. Other enhancements include user-selectable ISO settings, optional date imprinting, spot autofocus, an improved anti-reflective LCD and automatic e-mail file copy creation.

The contrast and color issues of the DiMAGE X have been remedied and I was quite impressed with the image quality. Even heavily backlit subjects were metered and rendered well which is quite a feat for a micro-size 3x zoom digicam.

The 1.5 inch LCD is somewhat improved for outdoor use with the new less-reflective covering. I still found myself cupping a hand around the LCD to make it easier to see in bright light. When not using the LCD as a live viewfinder, the eye-level optical viewfinder makes it easy to compose the picture in daylight and by not using the power consuming LCD, battery life is extended.

The DiMAGE X required 6 button presses to delete an image during playback as it had to be done from the menu. The DiMAGE Xi now lets you delete an image by simply pressing the flash mode/delete button on the back.

It's a bit pricy as was the dimage x, but by far this camera is one the smallerst out there, fastest, and picture quality is much improved. They pretty much fixed all the flaws of the x an made this camera 10 folds better. Pick one up, you won't regret it.

Buy Minolta Dimage Xi 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Now

I've been using this camera for a while and it's just wonder.

Pros:

Small I can put it in my Minolta leather camera holder and wear it on a belt. Very portable, good for traveling.

Movie 35 seconds movie in QuickTime format. Pretty good quality WITH SOUND!! Can zoom while shooting movie.

Functionalities You can choose TIFF or JPEG format. 35 sec. audio memos for each picture and 30 mins audio recording. Different ISO settings, night time photo exposure compensation, can zoom-in when viewing pictures on the LCD, e-mail format, EXIF photo printer format

Zoom 3x optical zoom using built-in prism. No protruding lens during zoom. Awesome!

Memories comes with 16MB but not enough. So, I got the 128Mb which is more than enough for my use. About 130 high quality 4x6" type of photo (not the largest size and highest quality yet).

Battery small and last for a whole day at least. I used the Olympus before and its AAA battery runs out so quickly. This Lithium battery in the Minolta is so much better.

Cons:

Software Slow to load up pics and kinda useless. But I used Photoshop for editing and ACDSee for viewing anyway.

Moive on 35sec Max even if you have a 128M memory card.

Conclusions:

Cons is minimal. It's definitely worth it. Very eye-catching, easy to use, easy to upload pics. Definitely need a 128Mb memory card, an extra battery.

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I have had this camera for about 3 months and it really is amazing. I bought it to take on a trip to Scotland so I would always have a camera handy and it fit my needs perfectly. Not only is this camera tiny but the shape is superior as well and it really truly does fit in even small pockets and is comfortable enough that you have to make sure you don't forget about it and sit on it. On the trip we also brought along a full sized 35mm SLR and between me and my wife we took nearly 500 pictures, mostly on the Minolta (with 2 128 meg SD cards) and when we got back we selected the pictures we wanted printed, burned them on a CD and had them processed just like regular film. After we put all of the pictures together in a photo album documenting the trip it was nearly impossible to tell which pictures were taken with the SLR and which were taken with the digital Minolta. For the most part this tiny camer held it's own against a much larger 35mm SLR and the 2.11 megapixel resolution is even enough to print great looking pictures up to 8x10. The camera has few shortcoming and they appear to be a result of the cameras small size. The only concerns I have are as follows:

The flash element is tiny and really only works up close. Low light situations can give this camera some trouble.

The LCD can be pretty dark in low light situations but the camera does have an optical viewfinder that I find I use quite a bit.

Even thought the proprietary battery for this camera is very small batter life is good but I would definitely recommend buying a second battery if you want to go on any serious photo excursions.

The provided 8 meg SD card is a joke, buy at least a 128 meg card, you wont regret it.

Bottom line: this camera rocks and I don't understand why it's not getting more attention than it is. It's design is really unique and extremely functional and the picture quality is awesome and all this at a very competitive price.

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I'm 64 and have been taking photos all my adult life. Starting with a Kodak Brownie, Argus C3, 4 x 5 press camera, Mamayiaflex, Nikons and Nikonmats. The Dimage Xi is my fourth digital camera and it is simply maverlous. I don't see how a camera can get any better. In one lifetime it's come to this.

It's a jewelbox, small as a compact. The first thing I did was test its capabilities, taking a flash photo in the back yard at night, a closeup of a credit card, a movie, a sound file attachment and a solo sound file.

The inclulded 16 meg memory card hold 45 standard photos, the 128 meg card holds 360. The optical viewfinder tracks with the optical zoom.

I connected the camera to the iPhoto program on my Mac and -zip the photos were ready to look at. Excellent quality. This is a marvelous camera. I keep it in my pocket all the time, something I could not easily do with my very good Sony Mavica 83. A really fine little camera.