Swann SW248-LM8 8-Inch LCD Security Monitor

Purchased this unit in October 2010. Last week (Dec 2011) the screen has turned a reddish hue and randomly powers off. This is the second SWANN Product to fail in less than 14 months (just outside of the warranty period). Unit works great when it worked, but too expensive to be replacing every 14 months. Don't recommend SWANN Products. Cheap made in China junk.

The screen itself is ok, but the video inputs require a special 3.5mm mini jack plug that is very unusual and only swann uses it. The stand it sets on is awful.

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For the price it is probably the best option, and it has several nice features. This is the second one I have purchased, first one died after about 2 1/2 years of service and 24/7 operation time. So it was not unexpected that it failed. Hard to find something that does what this does for the price.

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It displays all the cameras in excellent color, you can do one camera or switch to all four(quad) that show clear screen(s), it work just right to capture uninvivted guest.

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Purchased this a little more than a year ago and it is now dead. I am going to stream my DVR down to my computer and not use a monitor upstairs. Don't buy this thing! Very cheap and the stand is a joke!

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Nikon D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Red) with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR and 55-200mm f

Todo fantástico. La cámara indudablemente es maravillosa, los accesorios son increibles, facilitan el uso del equipo comprado, indudablemnete recomendados sin lugar a dudas.

As described. Love the red Nikon. Takes breath taking photos. Have all ways gone with Nikon. Such a great camera.

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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.

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

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.

Read Best Reviews of FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom Here

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.

Videosecu 16 Channel Surveillance Video Audio DVR PC PCI Capture Card 1B4

The Mini DVR is a very safisticated system and I am very pleased with the four purchased for my home security system. Features that make it very desirable include: Small and easy to hide, low power, runs cool, no mechanical disc drive to fail, does not loose it's memory when the power is disconnected, records on motion detection, takes up to a 16 GB SD card, does not need a PC to function, overwrite feature, and can run on battery power. This DVR has a neat pre record feature that when engaged starts recording the video signal 5 seconds before the motion activation is detected. This way it catches everything from the start. Sound feature not used. Came with a slick little device that will hold the SD memory card and plugs into a USB2 port allowing files to be viewed on a PC.

One minor issue not covered in the instructions is when the unit is powered up for the first time and the video output is plugged into a NTSC compatible monitor the picture has a rapid vertical roll to it. When the unit was tested it was set for PAL compatibility and must be reset for NTSC which can be tricky since the screen is rolling making it hard to read. Going through the following sequence by pressing the keys indicated when you first turn it on it will set it to NTSC. 1. Menu 2. OK 3. Right Arrow 4. Right Arrow 5. OK 6. Right Arrow 7. OK. When the DVR set to PAL is plugged into the color quad processor Real Time Color Digital Quad Processor Security-surveillance or area-monitoring systems with Remote controler DIY QD435 1EYthe picture does not roll but is very low quality until the DVR is changed to NTSC.

The settings that work best for me are to record at 5 FPS and not 30 FPS. Set the motion sensitivity to 7 and the record time to 30 seconds. Used this way a 16GB card will record about 8 to 10 days worth of movement of street traffic in our neighborhood.

Sanyo VPC-CG20 High Definition Camcorder & 10 MP Camera (Black)

I purchased the VPC-CG20 two months ago at Radio Shack. I was looking for an alternative to the "Flip" camera at about the same price.

PROS

Good digital image stabilization at normal focus. This was the main selling point: Flip cameras provide no image stabilization, so slight shaking of the hand, especially when panning, is a problem. The Sanyo camera will give you better quality video at a similar price.

CONS

Image stabilization, while good at normal focus, is ineffective when you use the digial zoom (up to 5x), so videos will appear very shaky even with slight movement. The camera will have to be stabilized on a tripod if you're using the zoom feature.

If you're a novice (as I am), Sanyo xacti cameras will require a bit of a learning curve. This is why the Flip line of camcorders is so appealing: they come with their own editing software and are basically plug-and-play.

Note that video on Sanyo cameras is saved in mpeg4 format which means (since there is no included editing software) you'll need to convert the files to WMV or another format if you want to use Windows Movie Maker to edit the file. (Any version of Movie Maker for XP or Vista will not work with the mpeg4 format.) If this is your situation, AVS sells an inexpensive video format conversion program which is easy to use.

LCD screen doesn't display well in bright light.

Quality of still photos is poor, but that's not unusual for a camcorder. This won't replace your digital SLR camera if you've got one.

I've decided to swap this camera for the Panasonic HDC-TM55 which at a higher price tag (about $450) provides an optical (rather than digital) image stabilization feature that will keep the video stable even when you're using the optical zoom. I'll give the Sanyo to a relative. It really is a good camera for the price, and its digital image stabilization does work reasonably well at normal focus.

I bought this dual camera because i am going on a cruise, and I did not want to be burdened by a lot of equipment.

So far I have used it to take both Hi Definition movies and still pictures.

The results are good even when viewed on a 40 in 1080i TV.

I have 16 GB card so i can record up to 2 hours of video or over 4000 still images.

Please note that the resolution can be reduced by the user.

CONS

Still pictures taken at short distances( Under six feet) show fish eye distortions. This can be corrected by software such as Photoshop Elements.

Battery life could be better. It appears to be limited close to 1 hour with the supplied 700 MAH battery.

Does not work as a PC Camera with the Mac.

No supplied software.

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I originally bought the Sanyo VPC CG10 after reading a number of sterling reviews on Amazon, notably by Rolla Gravett and Juan. The camera is fantastic. I already owned a Flip MinoHD, but I was disappointed by its limitations--there are no settings to speak of you can play with, and of course, it is not a still camera. My goal was to find a compact camera which would take both high definition video and take high quality still photos with a built in flash. The CG10 did all of that. When Sanyo released the CG20, the main improvement was going from 30 fps 720p video to 60 fps 1080p video. Now that I have both cameras I am a little disappointed with the 1080 video. As recommended by others, I am using a class 6 SDHC card. The videos I have taken in the highest HD (1080) are obviously much larger files, but they don't seem to play quite right with Quicktime. I am working on a very new iMac. When I play the 1080 videos in Quicktime there seems to be some jitter and unsteadiness. The exact clip recorded in 720p seems better, very stable, and just as clear to my eye. I also found that when I played the 1080 clip with VLC media player, it played better than with Quicktime without any distortion. Also the viewing screen in the CG20 is a little bit smaller than the CG10. For email purposes, I use MPEG Streamclip to resize my videos. Typically if I take a 20-30 second clip in 720p it is about 15-20 megabytes. I can resize that clip with Streamclip down to about 2-3 megabytes without losing virtually any clarity, thus I can email it easily. The same clip in 1080p is 40-50 megabytes and perhaps too large to resize for email. Again, to my eye I can't see much difference between 720 and 1080. This parallels my experience with HD televisions, where with the exception of BluRay DVDs, the picture on my Panasonic 50 inch plasma TV (720) is as crisp as any picture I have seen with a 1080 TV. Overall, I think the Sanyo CG10 or CG20 are absolutely the best buy for the money, a fantastic camera that you can and will take anywhere you go. You can get the CG10 for around $120 now, unbelievable value.

Read Best Reviews of Sanyo VPC-CG20 High Definition Camcorder & 10 MP Camera (Black) Here

This is a nice little camcorder at a reasonable price. I was looking for basic camcorder capable of decent 1080p recording but with more flexibility than a Flip or Zi8. This fills the bill nicely. It is the modest successor to the CG 10 and does all the things it did plus 1080p in a slightly smaller package. Don't expect image quality equaling the HD cameras used by your local TV station or the PGA but it's not bad considering the entire camera costs less than a good DSLR lens.

The 5X zoom is great. You can't handle much more than that if you are going hand-held. Don't bother with the You-Tube demos of this cameras. They are jerkey and not of the highest quality; More a limitation with You-Tube than with the camera video, which is smooth. Any complaints about jerkiness are likely due to playback limitations of your computer or software. I have a relatively new laptop and have no problem. The files also play smoothly on my Western Digital HD Media Player (also a cool item).

While on the subject of lenses check out the Sanyo VCP-L07WAU Wide Angle Adapter Lens at B&H photo (in Japan it's the VCP-L07WA). This is a 0.7x adapter that will bring true wide-angle to this model or the CG-102. The view is nearly 40% wider making it perfect for panoramas or close indoor shots. The lens slips over the entire front of the CG-20 and holds securely using the indents on the sides of the camera body. You can't use zoom with it but this is a minor point. Check it out.

True, the CG20 cannot film in low light (meaning dim light) but has NO PROBLEM whatsoever in a normally lit room. Get an LED light bar for $25-30 or go to a more expensive model if filming in the dark is a priority for you it isn't for me.

Last, I attached a wrist strap to the bottom of the camera using a d-ring adapter that screws into the tripod thread. I adapted it from something that I already had from an old movie camera but it's perfect, and I wish someone would sell such a device. You could do something similar by purchasing a 1/4"x20 tripod screw with D-ring and adding a wrist strap. You can find these in camera supply stores.

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I have waited for months to get this camera. To my satisfaction it is by far the best video cam under $200. With 1080I, 1080P, and 720P it is super. The best software to use with a modest computer is Roxio Creator 2010. You can make awesome up to 40 min. AVCHD DVDs that will play on newer BluRay players. I would recommend installing a $45 NVIDIA video card that will speed up rendering by a factor of at least 5X. The anti shake works well out to the end of the 5X optical range. It will take some practice to hold the camera still for full zoom pictures. The stereo sound is great and wind noise suppression is good but not perfect. I have about 50 movies on Youtube that are super clear(badchuckie)! I usually cut the quality to 720P either with the camera or Roxio Creator to minimize upload time and at this point in time 720P is all that will play on YouTube without jerking. Still photos compare favorabily with my 12mp camera. Batteries, extra charger and SD cards are cheap. The operating buttons are great for fat fingers and very intuitive. It also has a HDMI output for fast viewing of movies on your large screen TV. I play mine on a 50 inch and they are sharp with either 1080 or 720 modes. The SD card is a little difficult getting in and out so I use the supplied USB cable to transfer files to the computer. I would reccommend at least a 6 or faster SD card and purchase a couple of 1000mah batteries and charger. The unit comes with a 700mah battery that will run the camera for at least an hour. I bought a red unit from RS for $179. For some reason the black and silver ones are more expensive so this is a good price.

Meade 0610-03-10 ETX -LS Telescope with ACF Lightswitch Technology

With scopes a buyer has to approach with patience and the right expectations. There are plenty of articles out there describing what you can expect and what types of scope you can use for different types of viewing and it's well worth reading up on this before buying any scope.

I bought this scope because of the LightSwitch feature. This means the onboard computer uses a combination of GPS, digital compass and pattern recognition to figure out where the scope is and to align it so it can find objects stored in it's Go-To database and so it can track objects as they move across the sky. Go-To scopes without LightSwitch require some knowledge of the location of different stars and manual alignment steps before you can use them to locate and track objects.

The advantage of LightSwitch is that instead of slewing the scope to the vicinity of the object you choose to view, leaving you to do final adjustments, it will put the object in the eyepiece every time.

The other attractive features of this scope are it's portability, the always excellent Meade optics, ACF which reduces distortion in the image and the price which is a grand lower than the less portable 8" LX200 without LightSwitch.

Being an early adopter of this scope I have battled through a few bugs and shortfalls in the design, but bottom line when this scope does what Meade intended it to and provided you have the right expectations it's very rewarding and very easy to use.

If you're thinking of buying this scope or you have one and it's giving you problems you might find some points from my own experience useful:

*The scope's primary interface is fairly rudimentary a single-line LCD on the hand controller and can be extremely frustrating, especially when the scope does not seem to be functioning properly. However this scope has an RCA video output which can be used to display additional information: multi-line menus; status info (such as GPS signal stength); error messages; on-board Astronomer Inside media collection. I found the video display makes this scope *much* easier to use. You'll need to provide your own monitor. You can buy dedicated field monitors, I use a cheap portable NTSC DVD player with an AV-in.

*The scope can be powered by 8 C-type batteries in the internal battery compartment. IMHO Meade should have omitted this entirely. Battery life is short and if it goes in the middle of observing you'll have to replace them (in the dark) and go through the alignment process all over. Apparently though two batts in the compartment nearest the eye-piece will ensure that internal state, like time and location, will remain after the scope has been switched off. I use a portable 12v DC power supply purchased for less than $100. When updating the firmware you should use a constant power supply since this takes a while.

*The scope has an SD card slot but the manual is not entirely clear about what type of card you need. It's actually a mini-SD card, I use a Toshiba 2Gb MiniSD card that comes with an adaptor. It must be formatted as FAT32. The slot for the card is a little awkward and you should use care when inserting/removing. When upgrading the firmware of the scope put the card in *before* switching on, When using the SD card to store pictures insert it *after* switching the scope on otherwise you'll just get a blank display.

*Take the lens cap off the CCD finder carefully. Meade did tell me that the CCD can be twisted when removing the cap which could cause it to fail later. The computer uses the CCD finder to snap pictures of the sky so it can locate stars for alignment, if the CCD doesn't work LightSwitch won't work.

*Before taking the scope out it's worth testing the CCD camera to make sure it's functioning properly. Just use the Snap and Store function from the menu with the lenses cap off and the formatted SD card in I simply took snaps of the inside of my apartment then load the SD on your computer to view the pics.

*Heavy light pollution and clouds or other objects blocking the view of the sky can also cause the CCD finder to fail to do it's job, make sure you're going to use this scope in a darkish open area.

*The mount for the red-dot finder on the early models was somewhat flimsy and the finder was prone to movement during shipping. Make sure the red-dot finder is secured tightly with screws as in the newer iterations. Before taking the scope out you'll want to align the finder by centering an object a few tens of feet away, then adjust the finder so it points at the same object. Don't forget to switch the finder off, if the finder battery dies it's replaceable by sliding it sideways out of the center of the finder where it says in tiny letters "Battery".

*Some of these scopes have a problem obtaining the correct location using GPS. These scopes shipped with firmware version 1.07 and this problem was fixed in version 1.2g. You can download this from Meade and save it on the SD card, insert the card and switch the scope on to upgrade.

*The accompanying AutoStar software suite can be used to control your scope from a laptop, *but* the driver is *not compatible* with Windows Vista or Mac OSX. I use Windows XP 64bit installed on a virtual machine (VMWare Fusion) on my Mac laptop. After the driver has been installed, go to the hardware manager and look at the Meade USB device properties to find the COM port it is simulating. Then in AutoStar make sure the set the same COM port under the "Telescope" menu and away you go.

*This scope does not have an option to use an equatorial mount at this time, so it's not practical for astrophotography with exposures longer than maybe a minute or two. Most astrophotography requires very long exposures *or* many shorter exposures in the same orientation which requires an equatorial mount. Since it is a single-fork design it's possible there never will be an equatorial mount option or if there is it might not be very stable.

*If your scope has the correct GPS coordinates and the CCD finder is able to take pictures but the scope consistently fails to align this could be due to drive inaccuracies or misalignment of the CCD finder. There are menu options under the "Setup" menu to align the CCD finder (Center Finder) and to train the drive.

*If you've read all the above and your scope still doesn't function properly send it back and get a replacement. Make sure the supplier gives you free shipment because this scope weighs 30lbs without the tripod.

In summary employing a video monitor and 12v DC power supply and going over as much verification of the scope before heading out can mean the difference between an extremely disappointing/frustrating night out in the cold and a fantastic rewarding journey through the Universe.

I had three LS6s fail on me and it was a terrible experience.

My first LS (when it was still known as the ETX-LS) had a faulty GPS that was replaced by Meade. The second

one is not the best either, and suffers from at least 5 problems, which

I list below.

1. GPS sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, all from about the same

location (by this I mean front yard compared to say, pavement in front

of front yard). GPS on my phone works great and picks up something like

7 satellites. ETX LS, half the time, picks up zero and asks for my

manual input. That is unacceptable. Why would I buy a GPS scope

otherwise?!

2. Scope has slewing problems in manual alignment mode. This happens

especially when it slews to a target star in manual alignment mode and

asks me to centre the star. I cannot do so because the slewing has

mysteriously been disabled.

3. Scope has slewing problems in normal GOTO mode. Sometimes I ask the

scope to goto an object and it does that, albeit unsuccessfully. So I

have to do a manual adjustment using the slew keys. Nothing happens. I

adjust the speed of the slewing to the maximum speed and still the scope

sits still on its base.

4. The scope has displayed albeit only once levelling problems.

Once, the scope thought that "level" was 30 degrees below the horizon

and promptly stayed there. I promptly aborted the operation and directed

the scope to shut down. Well, it carried the mistake in levelling over

and came to a rest 30 degrees past its normal vertical resting position.

5. The audio sometimes shuts down mysteriously. Not that I care much

about a talking telescope, but sometimes after I ask it to go to an

object (again the alignment doesn't work, as mentioned above), it does

so and starts talking about the object. Or, should I say, attempts to do

so. The screen shows "Press A/V to cancel MEDIA", but there is no sound.

I had done nothing with the volume and the scope was speaking on

start-up.

6. Auto-alignment and manual alignment are both hopeless. One caveat is

that I am in quite a light-polluted area (Cambridge, MA) but can still

see some stars in the sky on a good clear day. When the scope slews to

its first alignment star, say Vega, it is way off when I can the star in

the sky. And because I cannot correct the slew sometimes, the bad

attempt fixes. Once, after "alignment", the scope happily informed me

that Jupiter was below the horizon when it was high up in the sky!!

Basically I've spent hours

outside trying to get the scope aligned and seen objects rise and set

behind trees. I think 80% of the time I am with this scope is spent

figuring out what is wrong with it.

This second scope was sent back to Meade. The third scope surprise, surprise had a faulty GPS too. Now, Meade said that the latest firmware would solve the problem. I waited for that, and that didn't work. So I sent the third one back for a full refund.

Since then I have reverted to scopes which do not claim to auto-align for you. I find that one great thing about these older scopes is that you can manually slew the scope if necessary. With the LS6, you cannot. You are reliant on the controller and if that fails, the scope is not movable. Sure, you can try to force the scope to move, but it feels quite tight and I am not sure it's meant to do that.

Bottom line is this: the LS6 promises much, delivers little.

Buy Meade 0610-03-10 ETX -LS Telescope with ACF Lightswitch Technology Now

I bought a Meade LS-6 and it was delivered before Christmas 2009. Right out of the box the unit had a firmware read error and would not start up. Meade had me return the unit and promised to ship a new one immediately. I just received my new scope today, Jan 11, 2010. This new scope will not find GPS satellites. I am out in the middle of my back yard under clear skies. My Meade LX200-GPS is sitting 10 feet away and it finds GPS immediately. My hand held GPS finds 6 satellites with strong signals in under 30 seconds. But my brand new LS-6 with the latest ver 1.3 software will not find GPS. How sad.

This leads me to the following conclusions:

1. Meade is manufacturing a lot of junk. What are the odds that I would get 2 defective scopes unless the factory is simply manufacturing a lot of garbage?

2. Meade has no testing or quality control. It is one thing to make junk but how can you possibly ship these units to a customer? They did not even bother to turn the units on. This is inexcusable.

3. Meade customer service is terrible. They do not accept Email so I wrote them 2 paper letters regarding the first scope. I did not even get the courtesy of a response. Of course you have to wait 5-6 days before you realize that you've been ignored.

I have been a Meade customer for 20 years and I will never buy another one of their products. This is a company that has a manufacturing facility that is simply out of control and they simply don't care.

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Great product idea but very poor implementation. Customer support is a nightmare. The telescope came with a defective firmware. I spent many hours and even days researching online for a solution with no success. The customer support refused to send a replacement before "troubleshooting" is done. They promised to send a replacement firmware maybe a dosen times, and never did. I bought the scope in December 2009 and there still no solution and no help from Meade, more than half a year later. Over $1500 spent on a non-working product. Shame on them and buyers beware!

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I have been stargazing since 1996, and I own 2 other telescopes from 2 different manufactures, so I've been around and I know what good telescope is capable of. The 6" optics on this ETS-LS will provide you with plenty of objects to view, its a perfect size for easy transport too. I had the fortune of owning the ETX-LS 6 ACF and I enjoyed the scope so much, I eventually upgraded to its bigger brother; the LS 8 ACF. I have no doubt that the newer LS 6 ACF has matured into a wonderful unit capable of a lifetime of stargazing. The ETX-LS 6 ACF had wonderful optics, and as a primary visual stargazer, that was extremely important. Go for the ACF optics, I have visually compared side by side with standard scopes, and I really like the ACF, it has tighter star images to me. The GOTO worked wonderfully for me, I even interfaced it with a number of freeware programs such as Stellarium, to permit me to select objects on my computer and have the scope slew to them, a super feature. I routinely placed objects within the field of view of a 14mm eyepiece once I did a sync to a deepsky object, and type of accuracy is very good. The intermittant GPS issues have been resolved by Meade with the latest firmware. And even though I did experience some of the GPS issues with early firmware, to me it wasn't even a big deal when it had no GPS fix. Once you entered in your date, time, city, it would slew to the first star, you center it, press Enter, and go to the next. Thats all that is involved even in the manual alignment. The bottom line is that there will be times that you will want to do a manual alignment, such as when your views are blocked or in my case, when your doing some sidewalk astronomy and there are just too many lights or buildings around. That was one bit of misinformation out there at the initial release of these scopes, that if you didn't get a auto-alignment, your done. Well, that is simply not true. I have done almost all my alignments with auto, but a few with manual just to test and like I previously said, sometimes it will be the preferred method.

The Astronomer Inside was a very fun, and downright educational tool. I must admit, I wasn't expecting that to be of much use for me, with some years of stargazing underneath my belt. But it proved downright fun and informative, and a great "wow" from first time stargazers during the times I took the scope out to public events. There is one recommendation that I will make to you considering this scope, get a external power supply like a PowerTank. Running off of batteries just doesn't cut it much, you will drain them very quickly. Also, if your going to use your scope at home, get a AC adapter too.

I have always recommended a 6" scope to those looking to get into astronomy, or those looking for a 2nd scope. The ETX-LS, and now the LS 6 ACF, has matured to a wonderful scope capable of a lifetime of happy stargazing.

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Samsung HMX-U20 Ultra-Compact Full-HD Camcorder (Red)

Got the Samsung HMX-U20 to document spaces in my line of work. I thought the item itself was compact and just what I needed. I was right in that it was compact and it works great to documents spaces and more, but the con I had with this item was that when a space was dark, it did not adjust to compensate. I know typical camcorders have that LUX ability and, not sure if it is just this compact item or all hand held flip items like this, but when a space is not bright, you might as well turn this thing off. That would have to be my only con on this item.

Since then, I have used it for several more documentations and it has been fine. the HD is great and visually it is crisp. Images (photos) also come out nicely.

I'm really torn on this one. On the one hand, this camera shoots really nice video outside. At noon. With clear skies. The time lapse feature is also really cool (if a bit gimmicky) and I wish more brands would implement this feature into theirs, and the optical zoom is a great feature.

On the other hand, when you try to use it inside, or outside in less than absolutely perfect conditions, the video produced is completely unacceptable. There is so much noise that anything you shoot is just unwatchable. It's a shame because like I said, when you have PLENTY of light the video is so clear and sharp it's nearly stunning. Now, there IS a twilight mode on the camera you can turn on, but it doesn't seem to have any noticeable effect.

Luckily, I don't have any of the audio noise that other reviewers have complained about, but I should've listened to them anyway. This one, whether brought down by audio noise or by video noise, needs a lot more work before it's ready for primetime.

Certainly plenty of potential with this one, but I didn't pay $130 to beta test Samsung's camera. It's going back today.

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I read the Amazon reviews of this camera before buying & so knew the problems people have had. I bought the SDHC memory card for the camera & have experienced NO PROBLEMS AT ALL WITH THE CAMERA. I took the camera on a trip to Italy & used a non-HD setting for my videos with great results. The still pictures aren't as good as those from my Canon EOS, but that's to be expected.

I didn't use the time-lapse function so can't comment on that function of the camera.

I uploaded both stills & videos to my Mac & had no trouble editing them using iPhoto & iMovie.

This is a great mini-HD camera for the money!!

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I've had my unit for several weeks and its a lot of fun. It's not my primary camera nor is it my primary camcorder but I wanted something to play with that gives HD and could take pictures and this fits the bill. I live in Hawaii and love to film different locations. The HD does justice to the beauty of the islands. The pictures are fine and the unit is very lightweight, easy to carry. I use a Gorilla tripod with it and do most of my filming using the tripod. Handheld is not good, the picture is too shaky. I don't use it indoors much so low light is not a big requirement for me. The other feature I really like is the time lapse photography. Never having had a camera that did this (too expensive), this feature is an added bonus and lots of fun. I use 1 sec intervals most of the time. I use a Class 4 16GB SDHC and that gives me over 2 hours of video recording time (154 mins at 720/60p).

Pros: Lightweight, beautiful HD videos, Time Lapse, uncomplicated controls, several resolutions (720/30p, 720/60p, 1080/30p), expandable memory, 3x zoom for still photography (digital zoom for video)

Cons: No flash, no image stabilization

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It only works with windows not mac that makes it useless for me. Why didn't you say that in your advertisement.

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HDMI Cable M-F Extension Gold Plated Connectors 1.5ft

This has thin wires and introduces noice or speckles in the picture, tried with and without this cable, there is some loss of qulaity. The product worsk fine and is good for extension purposes but for home theater setup I would not recommend, wanted to return but was not worth the shipping charges.

Opteka CXS-400 Video Shoulder/Chest Stabilizer Support System for DSLR Cameras and Camcorders

I bought this product last week for a school project. It is the best thing I have yet to buy as an upgrade for my DSLR, it keeps the shots looking great. So stable and it feels awesome, fits perfect and has ways to adjust everything. Just be sure to take your camera off when adjusting, if not unscrewing the adjustment could make the camera fall off. Otherwise awesome product, you should definitely buy it.

this is a great product, i bought for spare parts, it is very modular and you can build many setups with this kit. very high quality as expected from opteka, also great as a stabilizer

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I had been researching various shoulder mounts for 2 weeks when I stumbled across the one for 40 dollars. I had to jump on ship when I saw the price tag. It's sturdy and customizable. Perfect for my freelance video production company. I would recommend this item to any amateur videographer starting out. Thanks Opteka!

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Item as advertised, great lightweight portable product. It is also really durable I took it to Africa to shoot a doc. I've purchased several Opteka products and they've all worked well.

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I just received my Opteka CS-400 stabilizer. The shipping was fast from 47th Street Photo, +1. Well, for $39 shipped it is a great deal. The quality of the components is very high. The functionality is also very good. I hooked up my 7D with my view finder and the shoots were very stable. I actually bought this to use as a stand alone rig, but also to use the parts to complete my larger rig. The parts by them selves are well worth the cost.