NEC Display Solutions NP-M300XS 1024 x 768 3000 Lumens LCD Short Throw Projector 2000:1

I've purchased 2 of these units. One for work and one for my church. This is a really nice projector! The short throw lens has finally allowed me to mount a projector in a location that was impossible before. The specs on this projector state the largest screen diameter is 100" diagonal can't be mounted farther than approx. 3 feet from the screen. For my church I'm using this to display a 130" diagonal image about 5 feet back. I can't get the sides of the image completely straight but it's very close and hardly noticeable by anything less than a trained eye. The unit I've placed in the board room at work is mounted 3 feet away from the screen and mounted very close to the ceiling. Presenters never get blinded by the light or get in the way of the image because it's mounted a couple inches from the top of the ceiling.

With short throw projectors like this the lumens needed can be quite a bit less because it's mounted so close to the screen. For my church we almost bought a 8000 lumens projector for $8500 mounted 13 feet from the screen. With this NEC projector we could have bought 8 of them for the same price and the brightness is acceptable in a room with a lot of light pollution. If your situation allows for any sort of way to reduce the light on a bright sunny day this projector mounted a few feet from the screen will project very nice bright image.

NOTE: Our church has floor to ceiling windows on both sides with no curtains to stop the light as well as bright stage lights so finding a projector bright enough was quite a challenge. This unit did the trick for us. Ideally we'd like more lumens as some pictures that are a bit dark and/or with dark skinned people do not display that well but for the price this can't be beat.

The best LCD I have ever bought. Looks great on my 14' screen.I highly recommend it. Buy one. You'll like it.

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Own 4 of these units.

Use them for my entertainment company.

Great short throw and nice quality for a nice price.

I do own some SHARP models, but this one is the shortest throw and bright colors.

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Canon PowerShot SD3500IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch Touch Panel LCD and 5x Ultra Wide Ang

Alright, so the basic features of this camera (minus the tilt shift and fish eye, and the resolution) are pretty much the same as a previous model i owned.

I knew what to expect from this camera but with only a few slight improvements. It was the exact same cost as the model I had before (which thoroughly impressed me), so I had no problem switching it out for this one.

The full touch screen made two-handed menu navigation much easier to get through versus having to use buttons with the right and thumb on the left. basically you can safely hold the camera and use both thumbs (or even fingers depending on how you hold it) to use the screen. I dig the fluff features like tapping the side to navigate the photos and clicking (think iphone/ipod touch).

One piece that I will touch on here is the quality of the presets. While there are certain scene settings you would use for certain situations (snow fireworks, etc) they do not do a thorough or specific enough job explaining when you'd want to use this versus the "P" (program). The low light scene setting is the most disappointing. You can't simply flip it on and expect fantastic pictures as if you had a good natural light source. The flash is a default with this, so if you're trying to get something close-up in a darker setting, beware. Otherwise, the setting is OK with a flash, so long as you are not right up on the subject or trying to capture something reflective. I simply have personal presets that I picked out to avoid using the flash at all. Generally for low light settings, I opted to program my own so I can choose the ISO that fits it the best. Just know that the higher you set the ISO, the grainer you pictures will become. This is something that is a universal thing, not just specific to this camera. The same goes with digital zoom. This is a point/shoot camera so it DOES have limitations; I'm well aware of that, so if I need something i know it can't do, I just use my highzoom Fuji or DSLR NikonD3000.

You can't have a single camera that is going to be able to do everything perfectly. But I will say that unlike some other reviewers I found the quality that comes from this model in generalized scene settings or even auto is actually quite good compared to other cameras i've used over the years.

As for the HD video. I have to agree on that point. There was more that could have been done with it. But you know what? People forget this is a still-shot camera FIRST, and a VIDEO camera SECOND. Video recording is an feature, not a function. You will have less options and control with it. same goes for video cameras that take still shots. Often the MPs are lower, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. The only exceptions are some of the DSLRs with video features, but smooth zooming is often a problem for most people with those. Solution? If you want great HD video recording, get a video camera. There's nothing easier than that.

Battery life is acceptable and about average compared to other model cameras, but if you plan on taking out for an entire day, I suggest picking up a second battery as a back-up. Being forced to use the LCD screen for everything drains the battery fast, but it does have an auto shut-off to conserve energy. While some people don't use it, i will would have liked to have had a view finder, however the lack of one in now way kept me from buying this camera.

Be weary of putting a screen protector on the back. Unless you get one from Canon meant for this model camera, or from an authorized Canon dealer, you can damage the screen. Having a screen protector can interfere with the touch-screen interface.

This isn't the Magic Hat of cameras. Everyone is going to have their own personal view on it and find things they love or hate. My suggestion is if you can find a retail store with a working display, go look at it in person first. That's the best way to judge if its going to suit your needs or not. Or if you know someone who happens to have one, even better. I've already gotten some beautiful 16x20 prints, and 18x24 is pretty good too (however at this size, you need to make sure your picture quality is top notch).

If you're using a high ISO setting, or a longer shutter speed, use a tripodthe slightest shake in your shake WILL blur/ghost the image; again, that is something that happens to all cameras. They sell a variety of smaller tripod (the grypton ones are fun and versatile).

Perhaps in the future these limitations will be eliminated, but that remains to be seen.

All in all, I knew what I was getting from this camera. The price is exceptionally reasonable considering all you get.

I'm not disappointed by any means, because I figured out very quickly how to manipulate the settings to get better picture than the scene settings could produce. It definitely suits my needs for this category of camera; I really just needed this guy to take around the town and on nights out, because who really wants to tote a DSLR with telephoto lenses or a clunky highzoom to a bar ;)

This camera is great! The new DIGIC 4 processor for the camera provides many features not found on older generations of Canon Cameras. Before buying this camera my two choices were the Canon SD3500 IS and the Nikon s8000. Both looked intriguing in different ways. The SD3500is had the 3.5 inch touch screen while the Nikon had the 10x zoom. I settled on the Canon because of past experience with their previous cameras and with their great customer service. I may be biased, but I feel Canon makes a better camera and Nikon makes a better binocular, but I digress. The simplicity and intuitive controls are a major plus. I was a bit worried about the screen but it is made of reinforced glass and has quite a solid feel throughout. You can even use the camera with gloves on which is a major plus if you are outside and it is cold (my first real test of the camera was in Barrow, AK at -20F). The only real downside I have for the camera is the battery/sd card door is a bit flimsy feeling when not closed, but it hasn't given me any issues to date. The only other downside, which isn't really a downside, is that many of the features of the camera may seem novelty to some such as the ability to change all the bright lights in a room into heart or star shapes. I certainly don't have much of a reason to use it unless I want to get cheesy with my girlfriend. I bought a Sandisk Ultra II 16 gig class 4 card for the camera and everything works real smooth with it. I am able to hold over 4,000 photos at 14.1 mp or 1.5 hours of HD video. The class 6 cards may be a little overboard for this camera and a class 2 may or may not be enough for the HD video to run smoothly, but I haven't been able to test those ideas. If you really want a nice camera with all kinds of fun and useful features and new age touch screen coolness then I highly recommend this camera.

-Update 5/4/2011

So far this camera has been phenomenal for all my picture taking. It even went through some hard times and came out shining. It was left on top of my car and slid down my front window onto my hood as I was driving down the highway. Needless to say it has a dent in it, but the camera works just as well as before and the glass is not scratched at all (I don't use those protective glass covers either) I had intended on using it for low activity days but I have quickly found out that it was actually very rugged. I take it out hiking, snowshoeing or whatever. It slides easily down into my pocket and even when it is raining I don't worry about it. Also, on the picture quality. It is very good. It all depends on how you use the camera. The Foliage setting on the camera really brings out great colors for plants and the point and touch focus is HUGE for focusing in on what you want. There might be better cameras (haven't really researched since purchasing the SD3500is) out there now but if the price is right on this camera I would buy it again.

-Update 8/12/2012

Camera has been working wonderfully since I purchased it two years ago. I take it outside for hikes mostly and it never fails. I did manage to crack the screen on it 6 months ago, but I was able to replace the touch screen. Works just like new. The battery on the camera is awesome. Honestly I almost never have to think about charting the battery. I can think of only 3 times that I have ever seen the low battery warning.

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I purchased this new at Amazon.

I wanted a pocketable p/s camera to carry for photos of opportunity not requiring a carrying case.

I am comparing this camera to the following p/s I tried before settling on this one.

Sony W200 12 megapixel not wide angle and automatic white balance is way off...always a problem with artificial lighting.

Nikon S570 12 megapixel too automated and too many out of focus pictures.

Sony TX1 10 megapixel -good pictures but not wide angle and I fear the lens cover lid will be flopping around in a few months.

Sony WX1 -10 megapixel-good pictures, nice wide angle, almost a keeper.

Canon SD 980 IS -12 megapixel-good pictures, older model but same price as the newer SD3500 14 megapixel.

Canon A650 12 megapixel, very good pictures, larger sensor, folding screen, but uses AA batteries and is like carrying around half a brick. Not for the shirt pocket.

First if you shoot with a p/s camera invest in Photoshop Elements and Noise Ninja if you want to make 8x10 inch prints or possibly squeeze out an 11x14 inch print. The sensor is tiny and noise is a factor which must be dealt with during editing. You will not get image quality equal to a half frame sensor. If you only want 4x6 inch prints it will not be so noticeable.

Comparing the Canon SD3500 IS to the above I get acceptable prints considering the sensor size, AWB is pretty good but still needs tweaking. Nice wide angle, 24mm equivalent, fits in shirt pocket, touch screen which takes a bit of time to get used to. One factor to consider is the video mode which makes MOV files. Windows 7 will automatically convert these to WMV for watching on your computer but if you want to email WMV files you will have to find a conversion software and quality will suffer immediately.

As to image quality I can only give a 4 as no 1 / 2.3" sensor will give you a 5 quality for the forseeable future. Construction appears to be good as you can get for this price range and things to watch out for is the delicate battery/memory compartment lid.

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My last camera was pretty ancient a Canon SD630. I bought it some years ago, and it was top of the line. It still takes really good pics for a camera its size. But, I felt it was time to upgrade. When I took my first SD3500 picture, the first thing I noticed was that it did a great job with the colors, even with the flash at close quarters. My second impression was that the photo looked a tad soft compared to my SD630, so I fired up an image editor to look at the quality.

The SD3500 *seems* to favor color quality and accuracy over sharpness. My SD630 seems to prefer sharpness at the expense of color quality. I did a fair test by setting both cameras' flashes off and doing a timed tripod shot of the same subject. The SD3500 produced noticeably sharper images, so my fears that the optics weren't there were allayed. I think if there is softness, it comes from image processing and not from the actual optics.

Auto mode is really, really good. I truly feel confident in leaving it in that mode as it seems to find its footing every time. And when the flash goes off, though I expect to see a whitewashed foreground and a darkened background, I get a very color-rich and white-balanced image. Again, auto mode really works.

Video quality was good, not great. I can get pretty clear 720p video, but it's nothing that will astound anyone. Zoom during shooting is definitely digital, so pre-optical zoom before shooting.

All of my testing tonight has been in low light, so that could also explain some lack of sharpness. Can't wait to try this in the sun.

The touch screen is responsive enough, though I find the photo swiping and pan scrolling gestures to be a bit slow and laggy. Other gestures and button presses work pretty well. Not iPhone quality UI, but not bad at all. Photos and videos look really great as the screen res is very high and colors are very saturated.

Build quality well, Canon always does a great job. The SD3500 feels to me just a hair lighter than it looks, which is a good thing I think. I like the less gawdy design than some of Canon's other designs.

Is this camera better than the SD980? I honestly don't know as my upgrade isn't from that camera. I do know that I really like this camera.

Pros:

Seems to focus on color quality over sharpness

Auto mode always produces good to great results

Touch interface works great, overall, and the side tapping is useful

Touch to focus, smile detector, blink detection, and all that stuff actually does work well.

Image Stabilizer is not overdone, and still gives you responsiveness.

The various shooting modes are fun to play with

Great build quality

Cons:

Some aspects of the touch interface could be more responsive

No optical zoom during video shooting

No high frame rate video modes

HDMI and USB doors are a little hard to get open

Mini HDMI cable is not included. Cmon Canon, it's like $2 from Amazon.

Well, er, seems to focus on color quality over sharpness.

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This is the third Canon PowerShot digital camera, which I have owned. Each has worked perfectly and the only reason I keep buying new models is that new features are introduced, which compel me to purchase the next generation.... good marketing, Canon!

What I love about this model: the tap-screen back, which enables one to quickly identify what part of the scene is to be tightly focused. And the 24 mm wide-angle lens (speaking in terms reserved for 35 mm cameras) is SENSATIONAL. It enables me to get much richer, more interesting shots than my previous PowerShot SD950 IS digital camera.

While the digital sensor in this point-and-shoot camera is no where near as large as the sensor in my CanonDigital Rebel T1i SLR, and cannot match the impeccable imaging of the larger camera, the PowerShot provides a stunning back-up camera -I am never without it. In Washington DC, last month, I was walking by the US Capital at 10 pm and had only my PowerShot SD3500 IS with me. I caught the gorgeous, lit dome and its mirror image in the reflecting pool in a shot that deserves to grace postcards or calendars. Love my PowerShot!

Tera Grand - Premium Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt to HDMI Adapter Cable with Audio Support - for

This item works perfectly as described.. The only thing you have to do is make sure to switch your audio out to the HDMI setting or else you will only get picture and no sound.. From the main home page hit option and the sound icon on the top right of the screen and your HDMI out setting will pop up and select that and you will have sound and video.. Enjoy this is the best one I've seen the works for video and sound and the price is reasonable. This was tested on 2012 mac air 13in

I've been waiting a long time to find the right adapter that would allow me to hook up my Macbook Pro to my Large screen HD LCD and finally found it in this product. This Mini DisplayPort does exactly what it's been advertised it will do. Audio is superb and the quality is top notch! No complaints!

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I had another Mini DP -> HDMI adapter that started to short, so I was looking for the cheapest solution that would actual work (video AND sound).

This adapter does exactly as described, has a narrow form factor, and is a fraction of the cost of others.

Tip: If you're having trouble with the display not working, try Detect Displays in display preferences (also Command + F2). Sound you must adjust in preferences to go to the HDMI device.

Hardware: 2011 11" Macbook Air (Thunderbolt), OSX Lion

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I bought this item for $5.99, so I really had nothing to lose. Hooked up to my Mid-2012 MacBook Pro and my five year-old Philips LCD TV, all I had to do was to go to System Preferences > Sound > Output and select my TV's HDMI input, which miraculously appeared in the menu. Perfect picture and perfect sound from one cable. Highly recommended!

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I tried it on 2 different Macbook Pro's (2011 and 2012). It did not work on either one. I also called Apple, and they said the problem was with the adapter. Will be returning.

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VariZoom VZ-AR5K Articulated Arm/ClamPing System with Monitor Mount

This thing is TOUGH but it is fairly heavy. I use it to support a monitor from my tripod for shooting game tape. The clamp works very well and the joints lock quickly.

This is advertised and pictured as an arm to mount a monitor, for instance to a desk. What I liked about it was having 4 joints instead of the usual 3. It says it includes a "monitor mount". What it has is a screw so you can screw in a camera. I cannot find any adapter for instance a VESA100 adapter with a screw-in. So how can you actually put a monitor on this???? In the picture it has 2 black rectangles beneath the monitor. I don't know what those are but they were not included. The one page 'instructions' that come with it point to the last joint with the screw as the monitor mount. Sell it for what it is a camera mount.

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Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 24x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom a

As with all new electronic toys, I had to take this particular model for a test drive before wrapping it up as a gift for a family member who is absolutely sold on nothing else but point and shoot cameras. Myself owning several Nikon & Canon film/DSLR systems over the years, I have to admit that I've never been a huge fan of point and shoot cameras. Surprisingly I did find that the Nikon P90 was definitely worthy of a second look. By far, this camera is a step up over the much maligned Nikon P80.

Packed with a 24x optical zoom (26-624mm) lens, the 4 way Vibration Reduction system incorporates Optical Image Stabilization to an ISO capability of 6400. In Sport Continuous Scene Mode, the P90 is capable of 15fps high-speed shooting at up to 45 frames per burst. When shooting outdoors in various transitions I was pleasantly surprised that the P90 operated smoothly without the usual demons associated with the older P80 system. It delivered an array of great outdoor photographs in both auto, sports and manual modes that required absolutely no editing.

Shooting indoors can be another story. Like all point and shoots the P90 does have its limitations in low light conditions. For me the long shutter lag in between shots is annoying. If users want to shoot in auto mode alone and don't have the time or patience to work the settings for indoor shots, this camera is probably not for you. However, the P90 can be tweaked to deliver indoor photographs.

The bottom line is taking the time to know the camera and making the proper settings. A basic fix is the VR (Vibration Reduction) feature. This should be activated, especially indoors. For those that insist on shooting in auto mode and in low light situations, the noise gremlins are indeed going to be noticeable due to a higher preset ISO. This will undoubtedly lead to dark and low quality photographs. To alleviate that scenario I suggest that if auto is the preference, try shooting in a stationary, programmed auto mode.

Another unique add on is the 3" tilting LCD screen. The LCD screen has a protective anti-glare coating. The tilted screen is a nice tool especially for shooting in the prone position. I only question the durability of the extension arm over time. Add in the Best Shot Selector (BSS),Red-Eye, Smile and Blink Proof features and you have the whole package.

In video mode, average quality is produced at 24 frames per second at 16:9 aspect ratio. HD would have been a sweet addition. As with all new digital cameras it comes down to memory card speed and top shelf batteries. Use of no name batteries can easily short out the system or leak. I recommend that buyers spend the extra bucks on SDHC cards and a durable tripod. The Nikon Coolpix P90 comes packed with (1) EN/EL5 Li-ion rechargeable battery, battery charger, USB cable, audio/video cable, strap, lens cap, one year warranty and software cd.

Even with its limitations indoors, seasoned point and shoot owners will undoubtedly enjoy all the bells and whistles that are packed on to this camera. As with all point and shoots the bottom line is convenience. Overall, for the price tag the Nikon P90 brings a lot to the table.

This camera has sparked my interest as a photography hobbyist. The zoom issues described in previous reviews are easily solved by tweaking the iso, aperture or shutter speed. The camera also has several settings such as aperture or Shutter priority modes to assist with evenly regulating exposure making it easy to use for 1st timers. After reading the manual every picture i took came out in amazing quality. The tilt screen makes taking pictures at impossible angles easy. The 24 inch zoom lets you take close ups from impossible lengths.

it also comes with Vibration reduction to stabilize said zoom shots

Noise reduction to help when high iso is necessary.

Auto and manual whitebalance settings

In camera digital lighting and editing.

This camera may not be a DSLR but in my opinion it takes pictures just as well with half the effort.

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The Nikon Coolpix P90 is what it is, a Point & Shoot Camera. It is not a DSLR and was never designed to replace a DSLR. Duh!

I do a lot of back country travel both in 4X4 vehicles and on foot and the P90 is a dream come true. It's light and packs easily on my belt, it's versatile and the super zoom lets me frame shots without climbing all over a mountain. It has easy to use controls and I can shift in seconds from a macro shot of a cactus blossom to an action shot of a javalina running along the river bottom. I would love to take the DSLR guy on some of my hikes and let him pack a camera, tripod and three or four lenses around for the day. I wonder who will get all the shots and who will still be several miles back trying to shift lenses!

Honestly, I've been the whole SLR/Darkroom route and I have eight film cameras and a dozen lenses sitting in a box in the closet. I started using digital cameras back when you paid a lot of money for a 2 megapixal camera. I bought a Coolpix 4500 and took almost 3000 pictures with it. I banged it around, dropped it in the dirt and it never stopped taking really good pictures.

Nikon knows how to make great cameras and the Coolpix P90 is a great camera. Don't let the "flamers" fool you with their horrific reviews. They buy a Point & Shoot camera and complain bitterly that it doesn't do the same thing a DSLR does. Wow, I suppose the same person buys a Saturn and complains because it doesn't handle like a BMW M6.

I've been playing with my new P90 and have over a hundred pictures in 5 days. It's going to be a great camera and a fantastic travel companion.

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I have owned several Nikon Digital Cameras and was considering an SLR when I read the reviews on this camera. It is everything and more than promised. I just returned from a trip to Italy and the pictures are the best I have ever taken. The wide angle is not quite as wide as my old Nikon 5000 with a wide angle lense and adaptor, but more than sufficient. In Paris I was able to photograph the entire facade of Sacre Cour standing in front of it. The sports feature is incredible. I used it to take pictures of my grand daughters little league game. I got every step of her bat swing and each picture was clear and in focus. It took 15 pictures in less than a minute. This is a great camera.

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I had decided to upgrade from the Canon S5 IS, because I really like a point and shoot camera with LOTS of zoom! I have always been a Canon person. My first choice the Canon SX1, but it was going to be expensive, and no one seemed to know the actual release date, so I decided against it. Then, there was the Canon SX10, but it didn't seem like much of a jump from the S5. I not only wanted lots of zoom, I also wanted to be able to take continuous shots rapidly. The S5 IS is really slow in this respect. This was to be my Mother's Day present, and I wanted to make sure I got just what I wanted!

After doing a LOT of research, I began to think the Nikon P90 might be a good choice for me. I had looked at the many pics taken with it on Steve's Digicam web site, but I always struggle to know if they have been photoshopped, or manipulated in some way. I went to a local camera shop, to try out the Canon SX10 against the Nikon P90, and they made my job easy, because they didn't have the Canon model in stock. Oh yes, and I also tried the Panasonic Lumix, but it was just too light for me, and the zoom on it is only 18X. I tried the Nikon P90 around the store, and it seemed like a good fit.

My first shots had a lot of blur to them. It really frustrated me, and I was concerned I had made the right decision. It seemed that no matter what I took a picture of, it was blurry. Also, we have a clear view of Pike's Peak, and I love to get those early morning shots of the mountain, and they just didn't seem to "pop". Our 16 year old son, who really knows his way around a camera, gave me some tips, and now, I really think this is an awesome camera! My early morning shots of Pike's Peak still aren't the best, but just about anything else I take a picture of, comes out awesome! The colors are true, and it is a LOT of fun to use! I just got a tri-pod today, and not having really used one before, I am learning how much it helps steady shots!

There are maybe two downsides to this camera, and to me, they are small ones. First, is the back LCD screen. It doesn't swing out like the Canon cameras do. One real plus to the swing out idea, is that when they swing back in, they can be flipped over, against the camera, so as to protect the LCD screen. I am just used to that is all. I need to get a protective screen cover for it, and I think it will be fine. The other 'downside', is that if I really use the camera most of the day, I pretty much use up my battery. This camera uses the Li-ion batteries, so for me, it was imperative I get an extra. I found a seller on Ebay that sold two of them at a really good price, and they came fully charged, and in small plastic cases too! Now I have 3 camera batteries!

So, if you are looking for a really fun, point and shoot camera, with lots of zoom, I highly recommend this camera. I almost didn't buy it, because I saw some reviews of it that weren't stellar. For once, I am glad I didn't listen to the crowd!

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

October 2006 Update:

I thought I owed this Lens review an update after shooting with it for almost a couple of years and having the pleasure of shooting with a variety of L Lenses: 70-200L, 16-35L, Fisheye, 50mm and the Kit lens. This is what I've found:

1) Bar none, the best "portrait" lens I own. There's just something about this 85mm focal length + f/1.8 that brings out detail....faces have so much dimension with this lens, they look 3 dimensional. When I want to get shots of my daughter that amaze, I use this lens. When I look at my picture archive on my computer, I can easily spot the ones taken with this 85mm. My friends, some of which who don't know much about photography, pick pictures taken with this lens as their favorites they ask wow how did you get that picture? I have a few blown up pictures to 16x20 and 11x14 of my daughter for my parents from this lens which are magnificent.

2) I thought that when I bought my 70-200L I would never use my 85mm again, I was wrong. I routinely find myself putting on the 85mm and shooting pictures with it. Also, Its much lighter and less imposing than my 70-200L so when I just want amazing portraits, don't need the higher 200mm and don't want the weight, and want a real shallow depth of feel and out of focus backgrounds, I go for the 85mm.

3) I also have a 16-35mm L which I use quite a bit for inside shots and panoramas which stays on my camera most of the time but there's just a special look to the longer mm rating that you get which makes portraits just work better with the 85mm so when I take off the 16-35, I usually mount this 85mm.

4) I really thought that between the 16-35mm L and the 70-200L, I'd never ever use the 85mm, I was wrong. There are wonderful advantages to this lens which make it a keeper for me....the construction on this lens has held up very well, after years it looks brand new. I do have a UV/Haze filter that I use as a protector I got from Amazon (about $25) great value.

There's allot to be said for a non "L" lens which consistently winds up on my camera when I own several "L"s which cover the mm of this lens. To me, its an L: built like an L, color and saturation comparable to an L It's my "L" lens that doesn't have a red stripe.

Original Review:

I bought a 20D recently with the 18-55mm kit lens and to start out I bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens which really got me interested in the faster f/stops to blur backgrounds and take pictures in lower light. My kit lens was not fast enough (hard to blur background and hard to take pictures in low light) and both the kit lens and 50mm lens did not have Ultrasonic which made me miss focus more often with moving targets.

I looked quite a bit and found the 85mm f/1.8 lens. Although Amazon only had a few reviews, the photography forums I found were buzzing about how this lens should've been labeled an L lens. Pros might know why but 90% of the reviews I read said it was comparable to an L lens in quality and that it was very affordable.

I bought this lens and I have to tell you, I was very impressed with it right from the start. On construction, its heavier than the kit lens and the plastic 50mm II lens. It has a metal mount and very solid construction. If you look through it you can see allot of glass which tells you it has a wide aperture and consequently its much heavier than the kit lens or 50mm lens. But...its heavy in a good way. It balances the camera and makes it look like a real camera.

So what's good about this lens? For one, you can take great pictures in low light with the f/1.8. I photographed a stage play handheld with this lens and no flash (non allowed) and I got tremendous results. Ultrasonic helped with every picture in focus and all very sharp with vibrant colors, very nice saturation, and I used ISO 400 and I could even freeze the action on stage.

As a portrait lens, it really can blow the backgrounds into a very nice buttery blokeh and with the Ultrasonic I haven't missed focus once. Its also wonderful for inside pictures with no flash. The F/1.8 is really versatile.

A few notes. If you're going to get a 70-200 L zoom lens, you might wind up not using this lens as much but for parties, its allot less intimidating than a big white lens. I hear this lens was designed a long time ago and not really designed for digital and that some strange effects can be seen with it on digitals. I have not gone looking nor experienced any of these. Its just a tremendous value at $350. I was not able to use this lens as a macro as it was not designed as such but I have thought of putting an extension tube on it to see what I get but haven't done so yet.

Constructed Solid. Solid feel, smooth focusing ring, distance window, autofocus with a real Ring USM. Five Stars! Amazon shipped fast on this for me Great store.

The answer is most likely yes; since its price make it the best value for a fast canon prime lens. But before you make the $350 plunge here are few useful things to know about how it can be used. Keep in mind that I use this lens on the Rebel XT (1.6 factor), which means it provides me with an angel of view similar to 135mm on film cameras.

SHARPNESS: Yes that's one feature you can count on when buying this lens. This lens produces very sharp pictures. So much so that it will blow away your 18-55 kit lens (if you have one) and all other zoom lenses. Exception to that are the L-series zooms. The sharpness difference will be obvious even in the smallest of prints (4 by 6). If you can't envision such difference then consider this. Sharpness can be viewed as contrast between the edges of different color objects. Hence, the sharper an image the greater the contrast in the edges between such groups of color. This lens captures the contrast in such setting better than most other lenses.

SPEED: This lens is blazingly fast. As such you will have the opportunity to shoot at higher shutter speeds wide open (remember the inverse relation between aperture and shutter speed). More importantly you gain the ability to shoot in low light situations (concert for example) and still maintain a decent shutter speed for handholding. Here's the best part, if you're like most new people to photography, you probably plan to take self portraits. This lens will give you that ability, as you will be able to buy few clamp on lights coupled with 100-150W bulbs and start shooting at medium ISO speeds wide open.

ANGEL OF VIEW: Assuming you will be using this lens on a 1.6 digital format consider that you will be having a tight crop, more like that of a 135mm lens on a film camera (1.6*85=136). What does that translate to in practical terms? You will have to stand 6-8 feet away from your subject to be able to cover their head and shoulders at landscape orientation.

SPECIAL EFFECTS: Here are two special effects you will find useful in this lens depth of field and compression. To some degree or another every lens offers depth of field, which can be summarize as having only the subject of interest in focus and the rest of the picture blurred. This lens is unique in that it creates a very shallow depth of field in which the subject is truly isolated from the whole scene. Set the aperture to 1.8 and focus correctly and you can achieve such results. More importantly the lens quality of such blur (known as bokeh) is outstanding as there are eight diaphragm blades that control the aperture opening vs. 5 or 6 in many other lenses.

As for compression, since the camera is a telephoto it will compress everything in its sight closer together to fit in its sight. For example, if you are photographing a person, their face will look wider and their nose will look smaller or flatter. Keep in mind that unlike some of the longer telephoto lenses (300mm for example) the effect with this lens is subtle and pleasant

SIZE AND BUILD: Its size and weight are perfect! It balances my XT very nicely. So much so, that I can take pictures at very low shutter speeds with this combination (though I don't find my self doing that that often with this fast lens). All this translates to comfort and confidence when I am shooting with this lens. The build quality is excellent, I find no inherit weakness in the design.

If you plan to photograph friends and family then this is the lens. You will take sharp pictures with the right kind of effects for portraits like compression and beautiful bokeh. The lens is fast and designed excellently for maximum control and comfort. You won't miss a shot because of shake with slow shutter speeds and even if you do (that's a big if) you can put its speed to use by dialing a higher aperture. It's only draw back is that it has a pretty tight angel of view on 1.6 factor SLRs. I can't think of any other prime in the non-L canon line up that matches this lens (other than possibly the 50mm 1.4). Truly an incredible value, buy it with confidence!

Ps. By no means does this review cover all the merits of this lens. To name a couple, the lens offers precise auto focus and low chromatic aberration. Rather, I covered the features that were most useful for its intended purpose; taking pictures of people.

Buy Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Now

I hang out with friends a lot and up to this point, most of our photos together have been under flash conditions. Mostly because we hang out in the evenings, in someone's home. I bought this for my Rebel XT mainly for the great reviews and the impressive entry price! Although the reviews were already mostly positive, I took some time playing with the lens to get used to its characteristics. Since this forum is replete with technical reviews, I would like to share my impressions instead. I primarily rely on reviews, myself, to help me make purchasing decisions, so here are my thoughts on the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens.

PROS:

1)I'm a fan of Steven Soderbergh and love how he made it look like he shot Ocean's Eleven with natural light. I wanted the same effects for my get-together photographs and boy did I get them! I shoot mainly in RAW now and apply the Tungsten filter when I import them into CS2 and they look phenomenal!

2)After correction, skin tones look very natural and the lighting makes the captured moment look like a captured moment. Not a forced moment like when a blazingly bright flash is involved. (Sorry I don't know how else to illustrate it...)

3)The bokeh on this lens is dramatic, not distracting. My friends love the photos I take with this lens but the just can't put their finger on why...

4)The 85mm is solid. Compared to my XT kit lens, the 85mm feels like a 'real' lens with solid movement and loads of glass inside (which you can see when you peer into its very large front lens).

5)The shooting distance is very comfortable for your subjects, as they do not feel like you're crowding them with your camera. (More on this below in Con).

CON(just one!):

1)Sorry, this is not really a con, but more of a warning mostly to other amateurs out there who may be looking at this for the price. It may be pretty obvious to most, but this lens does not feature a zoom range. Meaning if you want your subject's head to look bigger in your viewfinder, you must walk towards them or have them come closer to you. Conversely, if you want them smaller in the VF, you must walk away from them etc...since this was my first fixed lens, I had to get used to it a bit. This is not the lens for you if you want to take group photos in low light situations in small room.

ALL-IN-ALL:

I love this lens. I love how dramatic my pictures come out in their natural settings. The bokeh adds so much more emotion to each photo. And since you can shoot with such a wide open aperture, you'll catch the moments when they happen without it blurring away from a too-slow shutter speed or a bright flash of blinding light! (Please buy an inexpensive UV filter for this since the front lens is so big, it will easily get scratched and damaged.)

Read Best Reviews of Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Here

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 II USM lens is a moderate weight (15 oz), very well built lens. It does not come with the appropriate hood, the Canon ET-65 III. You get both a lens cap and a mount cap, all packed inside tight conformal foam to protect the lens during shipping. There's also a very brief manual and the usual warranty paperwork.

The lens offers AF and manual focus, and allows manual focus even when AF is set to on, a very useful feature for low-light and other challenging focus situations. This is a USM lens, and as a direct consequence focus is fast and precise, just as you'd expect.

The AF/Manual switch is in a reasonable location, close to the camera body. There is a range indication on the barrel of the lens behind a transparent window which serves to keep dust and debris out of the workings of the lens. Manual focus is controlled with a broad, easy to manage textured ring about mid-body on the lens. During focus, nothing external on the lens body moves or rotates, so there are no complications for using polarizing filters, and no concerns about the lens "pumping" air and so causing dust contamination in either the lens or camera with use.

The lens lacks any form of image stabilization. IS is showing up in more and more lenses, though for the price... perhaps this is one of the justifications for building IS into the camera body. I'm sure that this design wouldn't be anywhere near its current price point with IS added to the build. One last point is that since the lens is a fairly fast design, perhaps there is less overall need for IS (though that argument falls completely apart the first time you *do* need it!)

It takes a 58mm filter, though I highly recommend the use of the ET-65 III hood rather than a filter; filter use should be limited to polarizers, neutral density filters and so on, rather than keeping a filter on the lens with the idea of protecting it. Here's why: filters create a flat surface over the end of the lens that can (and often does) create low-level reflections. These are most apparent in low-light shots, but they are almost always there. In the case of a UV filter, no other benefit is gained (UV can't get through the lens system anyway) other than physical protection. The hood, however, keeps the lens out of harms way quite effectively, and it increases contrast and reduces flare at the same time by preventing light from entering the lens at high angles of attack. I have shot with both hoods and filters, and after decades of experience, I have to come down firmly on the side of hood technique. It only takes one shot ruined by a filter reflection to wake up to this reality; and hoods never, ever compromise an image. They're simply the best way to go. Finally, the hood for this lens is inexpensive, well worth the extra few dollars it costs.

Aperture is controlled by an 8-blade system. The available f-stops range from f/1.8 wide open to f/22.0 fully stopped down. MTF (sharpness) peaks at f/5.6, and vignetting is almost gone by that setting.

On my camera, an EOS 50D, resolution loss from diffraction effects begin at f/7.6, so in many ways, the "sweet spot" for this lens for me lands naturally at f/5.6. On a camera with a lesser sensel density such as the 40D, diffraction doesn't set in until higher f-stops, but you're beginning to lose sharpness from other effects, so I'd still call the sweet spot as f/5.6 (which also provides a fairly extensive depth of field) for shots where detail is the primary consideration.

For portraits, you'll want to go right for f/1.8 if lighting conditions allow in order to take advantage of the shallow and pleasing DOF isolation this lens is famous for; background blur is very soft yet very strong, while the in focus region remains deep enough to keep the important features of the face in focus from ear to nose. The loss of MTF at f/1.8 is noticeable, especially once you get a feel for how the lens performs at f/5.6, but in my opinion, the compromise is perfectly acceptable in a portrait context. There's another benefit as well; at 85mm, and especially on a crop body like the 40D or 50D, this lens allows you to get some distance from your subject which tends to make them more comfortable, while giving you the modest compression that is the hallmark of any telephoto lens. Portraits "pop" and backgrounds blur away with commendable speed. Head-and-shoulders work will put you at about eight feet, and as the lens can focus down to just under three feet, this gives you considerable control over framing without ever running into a limit imposed by the lens design.

This is also a truly excellent lens for not-very-wide field astrophotography, although at critical focus and maximum aperture, chromatic aberration will make itself felt on the brightest stars, which you will then have to compensate for. I have successfully used this lens to capture the the Orion nebula, Andromeda galaxy, Triangulum galaxy, and a number of other astro objects that range from the easy to the difficult, all using no more than a standard (non-tracking) tripod, this lens, and the EOS 50D. On a crop body, 85mm (136mm effective FOV) is definitely the place to be to compromise between star trailing and magnification, and the f/1.8 aperture allows fast enough exposures to eliminate trailing at ISO 1600 and above.

I carry this lens nested in a large camera bag (a Tamrac 5612 Pro 12, *highly* recommended); I rarely put the lens on the camera until I am ready to use it, and when I am done, I take it right back off, cap it, and bag it without wasting any time or motion. I do both the assembly and disassembly "blind" in the bag, using the bag top to shield the camera and lens from the wind and environment as best I can manage. The lens has a raised alignment dot that makes blind assembly practical. It's the size of the overall investment that drives this behavior, of course; both the camera and a lens like this deserves -demands -good care and that is just what I try to provide.

Physically speaking, this lens isn't as large as you might think. Canon did a great job of packing a lot of glass (nine elements in seven groups) into a decent form factor of 3" diameter by 2.8" long; even with the hood mounted, this lens provides a fraction of the intimidation factor of, for instance, the 70-200mm f/2.8L. But at 85mm, it can still "get in there" and catch a lot of action without forcing you to crop to extremes. It's light enough that you can shoot for quite a while before fatigue sets in, an issue that will rear its head in any situation that goes on a while, like a wedding or a play (and that low-light capability is great for stage work, where a flash annoys literally everyone.) Plus it is black, and so looks more like it is designed as part of the same camera system, unlike the L's with the white bodies. That's also less distracting in a dark theater.

I can honestly say that this is definitely one of my favorite lenses. I have a fair collection of primes to compare it to, some of which are L glass, and I've got some great L zooms as well; yet for portraits, I inevitably turn to this specific lens as it outperforms everything else I own in the successful shooting methodologies I find myself returning to over and over. Frankly, at the price, I think it is perfectly fair to characterize this lens as a "must-have"; if you're ever going to shoot a portrait, trust me, this is the lens you want (even over the 85mm f/1.2L, which has far too narrow a depth of field for most reasonable portraiture, though you can't beat it for light-gathering.) Like Canon's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, the 85mm f/1.8 is one of those where you're left scratching your head as to why it doesn't have an "L" designation. It is an outstanding performer.

If Canon were to re-do this lens, I'd like to see them add image stabilization, and perhaps some modern anti-CA elements, as this is the one area where this lens occasionally bites the photographer in high-contrast situations. Until that day, though, this lens is unmatched by anything else in Canon's line for price/performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever regretting its purchase.

Want Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Discount?

This was my second prime lens, the first being the "I-am-prime-too-50/1.8" lens and I specifically bought this to shoot a badminton tournament (and more for the future). FYI, badminton tournaments are definitely 1.8 situations at ISO 1600 and no flash permitted. And what a lens!

The focus is absolutely sharp, crisp with gorgeous bokeh to make the subjects stand out. I took photos of professional badminton players (USA rank 1-5) and emailed it to them. Even though I am a serious amateur, they replied back saying the photos were gorgeous and amazing, and loved it. I shot the complete tournament at 1.8 ISO 800/1600 and have absolutely pleasing results.

On just one or two occasions, the focus was hunting, but I would put that down as a one off occasion as there was aboslutely very challenging situations moving subjects in low light. The focus is quick and absolutely smooth, no noise at all.

The lens is compact, not at all heavy and is perfect portrait lens. My only disappointment is that it comes without a hood, and even if I buy a Canon hood, it does not have the same look as other (say, Tamron 28-75 2.8 hood is a really good looking hood) hoods.

The relationship between the background and the foreground is something that impressed me with this lens, especially for an 85mm focal length. The lens makes the subjects stand out and you dont need to stop down for sharpness. I know I am going to keep this baby at 1.8 at all times in future.

This in concert with my 50 1.8 for wider angle situations like awards and group snaps, the photos are absolutely stunning. The reviews I received for my photos are pretty good, thanks to this lens with my 20D.

I am sold on primes now and will probably end up buying more primes than zoom lenses. Go on Canon, put a red ring around it!

Definitely 5 stars.

Other lenses considered before this purchase 85/1.8, 100/2, 135/2L and to a small extent, 200/2.8L. Finally chose the 85/1.8 due to the 1.8 and the effective focal length on 20D with 85mm. No buyer's regret, I am very pleased with my purchase now.

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11 Mar 2009

This is a comparison of 85/1.8 and 135mm/2L.

Ive had this lens for 3 yrs now and have taken so many portraits with this, simply put, amazing results every single time. Never been able to find fault with this lens or the images. Image quality has been consistently awesome, consistently 5 stars. The only lens that bests the images from this lens is my 135/2L, but that is of an entirely different league and shouldn't even be compared to this lens. Merely stating that for academic interest. Even then, the three places that the 135mm beats the 85 mm are

1. Sharpness 85mm is very sharp, 135mm/2L is simply a notch above.

2. Saturation 85mm is good, 135mm/2L is much better, image has a pop. But then again, 85mm has half a pop too!

3. Bokeh Again, 85mm has a lovely bokeh, esp @1.8 and 2. However, the 135mm is in an entirely different league, one simply cannot, should not compare.

Now, the $350mm lens compared to the much more expensive, much higher quality lens worth $925 is completely unfair. However, I would give the 85/1.8 4 stars assuming the 135mm is the gold standard with 5 stars.

If this review second rates the 85mm, that is certainly not my intention. I have consistently enjoyed shooting with this lens and will continue to have a lot of fun.

Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

And that includes all the offerings from Nikon, Olympus, and Minolta/Konica. I LOVE this camera. The 10D was felt by many to have focusing issues and though I did not have any significant problem with my 10D in that regard the 20D represents a substantial improvement in this area. Canon still is not offering (in this price range) a camera with eye control or 45 focusing points, BUT the nine focusing points that ARE offered are well placed and the camera focuses quickly and surely resulting in tack sharp photos.

The pictures this camera takes are simply beyond belief. Beautifully saturated, tack sharp, NO, and I mean NO noise at 400 or below and barely discernible noise all the way up to 1600 ISO. For all practical purposes 1600 ISO is an entirely usable speed resulting in fantastic pictures. What Canon has accomplished in reducing noise and increasing pixel density proves that they are, for now, the technology leader.

Another big advantage over the 10D is the instant on feature which does not leave you sitting there helplessly until the camera turns on. That happens instantly! A new flash system, ETTL II is a vast improvement over the 10D. And, to my eye, there is an improved dynamic range with slightly less blown highlights.

The in camera processing results in far more pleasing pictures than the previous 10D or Digital Rebel. This camera has a greater burst (more pictures quicker) that the previous 10D.

Now there is currently an issue with mirror lockups reported by probably 10% 20% of all owners. If you encounter this problem before you update the firmware then simply take the battery out of the camera, reinsert it, and you're good to go. Canon has issued a fix and it is available on their web site. It completely remedies the problem so, not to worry!

One of the greatest things about digital photography is the ability to build a digital dark room for next to nothing. With the included Photoshop Elements you are well on your way to producing pictures that you could only have imagined in the pre-digital days. I am able to recoup pictures that I never would have considered salvageable before this camera.

The other thing I like about Canon is the lens system which IMO is second to none. Also, Canon continues to innovate at a furious pace driving the price of these digital cameras relentlessly downward.

I sold my 10D to purchase this camera and for me it represented a significant improvement more than justifying the cost of the upgrade.

So, I LOVE the camera. LOVE Canon. And LOVE digital. All in all I'd say I'm a pretty happy camper!

This is my second digital camera. Previously I had used the Fuji Finepix s5000, but wanted to move up to an SLR system so that I could eventually use a variety of lenses.

I was very concerned at the beginning of my DSLR buying processit seems to me that once a person buys a body and a few lenses, they are committed to that camera maker's "system" pretty much for life, so I wanted to be very certain that this was the right choice. If you purchase a 20d, you are not just buying a 20d, you are making (often) a pretty serious financial commitment to Canon technology.

I chose a canon 20d for a few reasons; I had decided early on in the process to stick to Nikon or Canon, as they are the clear leaders not only of Digital SLRs, but of Camera technology in general. Thus, though certain other SLRs like the Olympus E-Volt or the Pentax *istD are attractive, they simply do not have the range of accessories or the support community of either Canon or Nikon.

I ended up seriously considering three cameras; the Canon 350d (Digital Rebel), The Canon 20d, and the Nikon D70. From talking to other folks who were in the same situation as me, This seems to be a common range of choices people face

I ended up choosing Canon because it seems to me that they have a slightly better line of lenses than Nikon, particularly those available on the used market. This is important, because the more you use your DSLR, the more you will want that lens that is just a slightly wider angle, or just a slightly faster aperture, etc.

Once I decided to go for Canon, I chose the 20d over the 350d primarily due to size and toughness. The 350d is a great Camera, and its sensor is very similar to the 20d. However, the 20d's magnesium alloy chassis is much heavier than the 350d. It can certainly take a lot more abuse than the plastic 350d bodyand I tend to take my camera on a lot of long trips. The 350d is a lot lighter, which is nicebut I frankly found its body too small to grip easily. As I have very large hands, this was a serious disadvantage to me. For someone with smaller hands the 350d probably feels fine. You will have to pick one up and judge this for yourself.

The layout of the camera itself is a lot easier to use than the 350d as well. The camera requires far less attention when shifting settings than the 350d, and thus frees up your "focus" for the subject you are shooting. I cannot stress how ergonomic and intuitive I find this camera to be.

Since I have purchased the 20d, I have not regretted it for a minute. This camera is a real joy to work with. The viewfinder is nice and bright (looking through glass again instead of an EVF is a pleasure, believe me). The range of ISO settings from 100-1600 is wonderful, particularly nice are long twilight/night shots at ISO 100 that give you some lovely colors. Shooting night and low light with the 20d will blow your mind. The CMOS sensor of the 20d produces almost noiseless images at high ISO settings.

The best feature of the camera is the quick start up time. It can go from dormant to actively autofocusing in 0.2 seconds. My previous camera took 2 seconds to "turn on." That may not sound like a great deal, but I lost countless shots due to that fact, and it is what pushed me most to upgrade my camera.

I tend to shoot on aperture priority or A-DEP (like auto, but with no flash), but there are a variety of "pre-set" modes for portraiture, sports, night shooting, and so on that are easy to use.

The megapixel count is nice, but not really that important. Comparing images made from the 6 megapixel Nikon D70 and 8 megapixel Canon 20d, one can't really notice any difference until you blow them up to ridiculous sizes. At this level of the MP game, the quality of the lens you use is far more important to final resolution than the sensors pixel count. If you compare the kit lens (18-55mm f3.5-5.6) at its wide focal lengths and lower apertures with the canon 50mm f1.8 prime lens at f8, It looks like you are shooting with 2 different cameras. The same holds for Nikon as well, so don't decide for the 20d simply because it has more megapixels than the D70. Of course, even the worst canon lens beats the hell out of my old digicam on its best day.

I have had a few problems with some older third party manufacturer lenses made for the Canon mount, Like Sigma and Tamron, not working with the new 20d body; but I have been told that if you ship off the lens to the manufacturer they will rechip it for free. All currently manufactured 3rd party lenses ought to work with this body. Keep in mind that the Canon digital sensor is smaller than 35mm film, so there is a "focal length multiplier" that makes your lenses "longer" than they would be on a regular film SLR. The focal length multiplier for the 20d is 1.6 . That means a 100mm lens on a film camera acts like a 160mm lens on a 20d. For those who like to focus close up with telephoto, that's great, because you can buy a relatively inexpensive 300mm lens, and it will shoot almost like a 500mm telephoto. I, however, usually shoot wide (more "peripheral vision") and prefer shorter lenses, so this is a pain. Of course, I would love to have a "full frame" camera like the Canon 5d, but the price is simply to much.

It has a number of strengths and weaknesses, which I will detail below:

Strengths:

The variety of lenses is excellent.

Lenses on second hand market are reasonably priced

Introductory high speed lens (less than f2) is inexpensive (canon 50mm f1.8)

Autofocus aquires targets quickly

Continuous shooting mode is quickautofocus recalibrates for each shot.

Extremely high ISO capability (1600) for low light situations

Body is physically tough.

Very fast top shutter speed (1/8000) allows open apertures in well lit situations.

Manual focus easy to use

Pop up flash is very high above camera, and thus avoids casting shadows

Flash recycles quickly

CF card memory system is versatile and inexpensive

User interface is the best I have ever seen

Can be used as a blunt weapon if you are mugged

Weaknesses:

It ain't cheap

Very heavy, particularly with long lenses

You may end up spending money on glass that rivals a serious crack addiction

Longer focal length multiplier (1.6) than film, or than Nikon (1.5).

Doesn't work well with older 3rd party lenses without rechipping.

Mirror is very loud, particularly if you are used to a point and shoot.

Comparison with Nikon:

20d is better at telephoto (lenses have internal motors)

D70 is better at wide angle shots (focal length multiplier is lower)

20d is better at low light (lower noise, lower ISO setting).

Nikon fans believe that all Canon users are heretics, and vice versa, so why compare them you dirty heathen.

Buy Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Now

Update:

I just spent three weeks in Africa in a very desolate and harsh environment with this camera. I have to add Don't overlook the construction on your dSLR. I had heavy long telephoto lenses on it and the performance of the magnesium case, metal mounts, weather proofing, battery grip all is just amazing. I hate to imagine how a lesser plastic frame might have performed. After traveling by rattling/vibration ridden truck for days, dugout canoes in the middle of swamps, airplanes, hiking -I came to appreciate Canon's commitment to construction. This camera and and the entire EOS system held up superbly under extremely abusive circumstances and can understand why professional photographers prefer this brand. And the pictures? Oh My, the pictures are just simply the best pictures I have ever taken in my life. Not just because of the locations but because of this terriffic equipment. My friend who had another major brand of camera complained about a muddy ant inside his lens, imagine a muddy ant inside his other major brand lens while he was shooting -not with my Canon equipment (the sealing held up great). Albeit he's a better photographer so he probably got amazing shots I didn't -I didn't worry about the equipment. A+++ to Canon for the camera, the lenses, the battery grip everything.

On other news, I just read that canon is releasing the 5D so I guess my info from the original review was correct. Its definitely a bigger higher end camera and at $3,200 definitely in a different class. I think I'll keep my 20D for telephoto work and but with its full frame sensor, I might get a 5D for wide angle photography. Again, amazing equipment from Canon.

Original Review:

I'm a first time dSLR buyer (bought the 20D from Amazon -great service). This was a big jump for me and I read and I read before I decided on this purchase and whether I should jump into the dSLR world. I'd outgrown point and shoot a while back.

On the 20D. I agonized over the 10D and the 6megapix Digital Rebel until the 20D came out and I quickly decided on the 20D. I picked the 20D because of solid magnesium case, 9point autofocus, 8.2megapix sensor and DIGIC II, and Instant On. So even after the Rebel XT came out -the 20D is in a different class altogether. The 20D is a professional chassis and you can use it as a pro camera -the Rebel is for world travelers (In my opinion).

My agony now is over what type of photography I want to do. I only have the kit lens and a $79 dollar 50mm f/1.8 II ... lenses are expensive especially the good ones as I'm learning:

Here is what I've learned (intended for the new people who are wondering if they want dSLR or not). dSLR is really about the lenses and the options that you can use on the camera. You need great lenses for great pictures. This is my gradeschool version on dSLRs and lenses and I hope it helps:

The setup -Lets suppose you are standing next to your car and on your car's hood sits your girlfriend and on the hood unbeknownst to her sits a litle grasshopper. Behind your car is a lake and in the distance there's a huge snow capped mountain. This is the difference lenses make:

Prime Lenses: Would let you take wonderful facial shot of your girlfriend (boyfriend). If the lens has a good aperture, you might be able to blur the background so you only get her beautiful face and get rid of the annoying mountain and they tend to be light and small. (Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 is a prime lens -$350)

Super Wide Angle Lenses: Expands the foreground and compresses the background. So you'd get a picture of your girlfriend on the car which would both be huge and a lake that would stretch to the horizon and the mountain would look tiny in the far off distance. (Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L is a super wide angle lens -$1,800)

Telephoto Lenses: Compress the foreground and magnify the distant objects. You would wind up taking a picture that would magnify the mountain in the background but your girlfriend, car, and lake would either be very small and compressed in the foreground or they wouldn't even come out in extreme telephoto lenses as you'd only get the mountaintop and cut out the rest. Your girlfriend would also wonder about your relationship at the sight of the humongous lens: good telephotos can be HUGE and heavy! (Canon 400mm EF f/2.8L is a super telephoto lens $6,000)

Macro Lenses: Let you take pictures of very small things and they tend to allow you to focus quite close in on the subject. You'd walk up to your girlfriend and she'd wonder what you were doing so close to the hood. You'd give her a peck on the cheek and then you'd close in on the little grasshopper next to her. With a macro lens, you'd could take a great picture of the little grasshopper and it would fill my frame. If your girlfriend is like mine, she'd be off the car as soon as she caught glimpse of the bug. Old stereotype here no disrespect ladies I know a few that would put me to shame. (Canon EFS 60mm f/2.8 is a macro lens -$450)

Zoom Lenses: Are any lenses that allow you to shift the focal length. That is to say I can make it more wide angle or more telephoto. The 20D comes with a 18 to 55 zoom lens which gives you marginal wide angle and up to 3x telephoto. Not a bad kit lens but its not USM (Ultrasonic) so autofocus is not as fast and not as accurate and can fail to focus sometimes and its not IS (Image stabilized) which lets you take clearer pictures without a tripod. (Canon EFS 17-85mm IS USM is a zoom lens that covers some wide angle at 17mm and some telephoto at 85mm -$600). You can turn the barrel and you can change focal length!! What a wonderful invention but they're more complex with more parts than primes and the extra parts add weight and they generally affect the amount of light they let in (aperture stuff) but you don't have to change lenses and they offer more flexibility.

Now bear in mind that if you're out there in the middle of a blooming field in Georgia and start changing lenses, you can get dirt or pollen in the sensor. I only change my lenses indoors in a non windy environment.

Exposure and Shutter Speed: Exposure is controlled by the ISO sensitivity of the sensor (ISO rating is another arcane film invention basically lower the ISO number the more sensitivity to light). One of the problems with smaller sensors was noise (graininess) on the pictures at high ISO numbers. Well not on the 20D the noise is imperceptible to me. Shutter speed is also controlled by your 20D...and the 20D has a great shutter 5frames per second, up to 1/8000 of a second. Wow! So you have two out of three big components taken care of here and the 20D is first rate on a ton of other things like custom White balance etc.

A note on Aperture. Its just how much light can come into the lens (the size of the hole). The lower the aperture number f/# on the lense the more light it allows. Aperture determines depth of field (how much of the foreground + background is in focus) and it constrains shutter speeds. Now aperture is a function of lens construction -a 400mm f/2.8 lens is humongous and costs $6,000 while a 70-300mm telephoto f/4.5 to 5.6 is $1,200 but with the 400mm lens (get this)...you can use faster shutters and freeze the action of a quarterback spinning in midair across the field on a night game (or freeze your son as he's swinging a bat in little league: ball bat and son frozen in midair!). With the 70 to 300mm, you'd have to use a slower shutter and you'd get blurr and blurry does not make the cover of the USA Today nor brings a smile to grandpa. On another example, if you've been hiking for a month to take a picture of a sloth that moves at 1cm a year in some god forsaken South American jungle, the 70-300mm lens will weigh allot less and allow you to run faster than the 400mm white monster lens. If I'm a nature photographer, I'd rather come out with the picture than fall victim to some relocated pigmy tribe because I couldn't run fast enough and have someone years later find my bones still clutching my white 40lb $6,000 lens in the middle of Brazil still attached to my 20D with a flashcard full of razor sharp gorgeously blokehed* pigmy and sloth pictures, ala blair witch project. So get a lens for what you need -I guess is what I recommend. (*Blokeh are those out of focus circles of light in the backgrounds of pictures taken with expensive good lenses)

A word on Nikon. There are two camps of photographers these days Canon and Nikon (well there are others like Leica but if you own a Leica you're probably a pro, don't care about feature battles and are laughing at my gradeschool analysis). The 20D is more expensive and better chassis feature for feature than the D100 go compare 8.2megapix vs 6.1 and the list goes from there. Nikon owners will tell you that their lenses have backwards compatibility 50 years...yes but you'll have to manually focus those lenses and on some of them you have to pay some guy to saw off some metal flaps to make them fit the D100. Canon EF has been around since 1986 and there are a ton of autofocus lenses out there. EF is the standard lens mount that fits the 20D and there is a newer mount called the EF-S Mount that also fits. Canon is very conservative in their advertisement as they aim for educated consumers: D100 claims a burst mode of 144 pictures -yes but on the low quality setting, 20D can do the same if you cut the quality down...you'll hear spot metering, megapixels, focus speed --you need to read to understand all of this and make a sound decision. Nikon makes great cameras and I don't want to get into a war. If you already own a bunch of recent Nikor lenses -your mind is already made up. A good friend of mine owns the D70 and another the Digital Rebel and me with the 20D -we're all happy. After much review and a ton of reading, I liked the 20D better for my purpose as a personal preference I bought it and am very happy.

On crop factors. Lenses are still stuck in the 35mm film focal length format world and 35mm film is bigger than the sensors on the 20D and this means simply that the EF and EFS lenses turn out more telephoto on the 20D. So a lens marked 10mm is actually a 16mm (multiply mm times 1.6 to get actual focal length) on a 20D and other small sensor cameras (Rebel and Rebel XT). The crop 1.6 crop is not extra zoom -it only appears that way, its actual lost information. So, to telephoto photographers, this means you carry more weight than you need in physical glass and to wide angle photographers, it means its harder to find lenses that do true wide angle bc the sensor is too small to capture all the information. EFS was designed so they could make smaller lenses at least so don't lose information but they're still labeled "old school" and you still have to multiply. EFS was designed to take advantage of the smaller sensors on the 10D 20D Digital Rebel and Rebel XT. The higher end Canon cameras use a 35mm size sensor. People wonder if Canon will adopt bigger sensors for all lines and if they do, then EFS will probably go the way of the dodo. On the other hand, bigger sensors are expensive to make so who knows where it will go and the 20D has very low noise at higher ISOs (used to be one of the reasons they thought bigger sensors would prevail -that and the 35mm mindset and large number of lenses out there for 35mm). I can't predict the future -Canon seems to be still investing in both EF and EFS though and I think that for the next 3-6 years you're fine with either EF or EFS.

I heard a rumour that Canon is planning to release a new camera between the 20D and their higher end 1Ds around December? If you must have latest and greatest and have $4,000 to spend you might want to wait. If true, I'm sure the chassis will cost $2,500 $3,000 -just rumours here. I'm keeping my 20D until I can make money to justify more expensive than this extremely good camera. In my opinion, this new camera would not supplant the 20D as much as it would provide Canon a more complete EOS Digital line from Digital Rebel all the way up to the 16.7megapix 1Ds -they'd provide an true entry level Pro Camera in the $2,000 to $3,000 range. Most interesting to me will be if it has 45pt autofocus and the size of the sensor. Also interesting, Canon is releasing a new 60mm EFS f/2.8 Macro lens. Good quality and interesting choice in focal length. Amazon carries it. I think Canon is telling us something with the type of EFS lenses they're releasing and the market they are targetting. Keep watching Canon.

Back to my 20D, I've only bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens for $79 and the kit lens and a tripod. I can't wait to get a USM (ultrasonic silent 0.5 second focusing lens) with IS (Image stabilization) -if I can only decide what type of photography. But with what I have, I've taken pictures that have floored my friends and everyone who has seen them. Someone actually said, "I'll pay you for that picture." And that is a great complement to me and to the 20D and the complement goes to the 20D because my lenses are cheap! I am a huge Canon fan now and long and short of it, the 20D is an amazing camera and the best prosumer chassis out there (period!).

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Here

I purchased the Canon 20D package with the stock 18-55mm zoom lens about three weeks ago. Since then, I have taken several hundred pictures and am very happy with the camera highly recommended if you can justify the price. I've broken this review up into sections due to its length.

1. Lens

a. 18-55 mm stock lens

The lens isn't great, but on the other hand, it's not bad. On the pro side, it's lightweight, cheap, small, and seems to focus fairly quickly. The only bad thing about the lens is that it produces slightly soft pictures, but if you won't be blowing the pictures up too large, you probably won't notice.

b. 17-85 mm USM IS lens

Being obsessed with quality, after having the camera for about a week, I purchased (also on Amazon) the Canon 17-85 mm USM IS (Image Stabilized) zoom lens. I've been very happy with this lens and would recommend it if you can afford it. The IS is quite impressive it really works. This lens isn't perfect either, but it seems noticeably better than the 18-55 (and only six times as expensive!!).

2. Compact Flash

I'd recommend that you purchase a SanDisk Ultra II 1 GB compact flash card with it these are sold here on Amazon. This card provides about 5 MB per second write speed which is significantly better than many of the cheaper cards there are some websites on the net which review cards (and even one which has tested them all in a Canon 20D) it's worth looking into.

3. Battery

The battery life has been very good for me so far the specs say that you can take about 1000 pictures with flash on half of them, and I don't doubt that (although I haven't pushed it that far yet). The charger is also nice and compact (easy to travel with) and charges the batteries in about an hour and a half (fast!).

4. Design

This camera is fun to take pictures with! Through the lens composing allows precise control of depth of field, focus, and cropping it's also much easier to use in full sunlight as compared to a point and shoot digicam. It operates much like a film SLR in that you set most of the settings on the top LCD panel, compose through the viewfinder, etc., but it also adds the color LCD screen to view the pictures you've just taken. The other thing I really like about this over a film SLR is the ability to set the ISO and white balance on the fly. With film, you'd have to load a different roll of film for different lighting conditions or ISO now it's the simple twist of a dial. While these features are available on most consumer point and shoot digital cameras, they're generally much harder to get to through the menu system. One great advantage of this camera is that it has so *many* buttons and dials it's very easy to get to most frequently used functions without wading through extensive menus. They're also very ergonomically placed so I can switch most settings I care about while looking through the viewfinder just by feel.

Another nice pro is the backlit top LCD panel which makes night shooting easy.

5. Bad Points

Hmm.. Not much I can think of that I don't like about it. My camera came with a 'starter quantity of dust' (quoted from some other website) on the imaging chip but I was able to blast it off with a rubber bulb. Be aware that digital SLR's tend to gather dust on the chip especially if you change lenses a lot but this is nothing against Canon it happens on them all.

It's a shame that it doesn't show you the current ISO setting in the viewfinder (or on the top panel unless you hit a button). Several times I've left it at ISO 1600 by accident when I didn't really need that speed.

It's a little heavy, but I find that I actually like the weight makes it feel more solid.

I wish it had an IR receiver so you could use an infra-red remote with it but alas it doesn't (even though the Digital Rebel does!). I had to buy the Canon RS-80N3 wired remote (which works well).

7. Conclusion

An awesome camera overall definitely go for it if you can afford it! I still kept my old compact digicam as a backup for cases when I don't want to carry an SLR, but in general, I'll use it 95% of the time. Much more enjoyable to take pictures with than a standard digicam try it you'll like it.

Want Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Discount?

A year ago I sold my Digital Rebel on eBay and purchased the 20D. I have since not looked back. This camera has brought nothing but joy to myself and others. The sharpness and colors from the famed Canon sensor are true to their reputation. Friends and family all love the pictures that come out of this camera. I take it with me almost everywhere I go.

After selling my Rebel, I debated upgrading to the new Rebel XT or the 20D, which I'm sure many of you might be having right now before pulling the trigger. I held both in my hand and played with them at the PMA tradeshow where the XT was introduced. It was very light and felt very small in my hands. I don't have exceptionally large hands, but the XT felt like it was designed for smaller hands. That being said, it is a great travel partner to have being so compact and light-weight.

The other drawback, however, is that the user interface is quite different from the 20D. Although it may seem like a trivial feature, the dial navigation on the 20D has been immensely more convenient and practical when shooting compared to pressing the buttons on the Rebel or the XT. I didn't like having to navigate through the ISO or other changes to white balance via the LCD screen. I definitely think there's a reason why the 20D is more expensive beyond the fact that it has the solid magnesium alloy body. The user interface for me was worth the extra money as well. The more you take photos, the more you will realize the freedom that comes with controlling your aperture, shutter speed, white balance and more with the 20D interface versus the XT. That being said, it is still several hundred dollars more expensive and the XT has pretty much the same sensor (just 0.2 fewer megapixels) with the same results in a different body. So don't be concerned about getting inferior photos with the XT, because the differences are mostly all external.

I highly recommend getting the kit lens with either camera. For an additional $70-100 it is well worth it just for the range and it has pretty decent quality results. Bang for your buck it can't be beat. Make sure you pick up a EF 50mm f/1.8 II USM lens for another $70-80. This is a powerful little lens at a great price.

(...)

ECG WSS-1 Wireless Digital Pan & Tilt Surveillance System

I purchased this item to keep tabs on a couple of Golden Retriever puppies that have to be kept in their luxury apartment downstairs at night.

I mounted it in one corner of the room with the optional ceiling mount, perfect. It gives a full view of the entire area, with the pan and tilt features, perfect. Requires no wiring other than plugging in the ac adapter! Perfect!

Really quiet during pan and tilt operations, doesn't disturb the dogs. It operates in zero light (the dog's eyes, when open, look like headlights on a car.. really cute!).

I've always have had perfect reception from the camera, picture and sound, from my bedroom to the dog's room downstairs, approx 200 feet. The color is good with adequate light, has black and white pic with the infrared LEDs for illumination during no light conditions, but that's okay. Hooked it to my Sony HDTV with the included 1/8" to RCA video/audio cable and had decent pic and sound.

Features: I love the pan, tilt, zoom, sound without pic option (using the included earphone, good for not disturbing others while monitoring, invert picture option when hanging upside down, and especially the ability to take the receiver anywhere in the house (wireless when using batteries).

The only improvement I could suggest... built in rechargeable batteries that would charge with the supplied ac adapter. I don't know why they didn't do that? Would have been a perfect solution for me if they had, but, I'll just get 4 AAA rechargeables and recharge them with an external charger.

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Casio NP-40 Battery for EXILIM Cameras

If you can spring for it, the brand name battery is the one to get, because then there won't be any question as to whether you can depend on it or not. Buy a generic, and who knows where it came from, or what it's really made of. This Casio NP40 is the one to get. As far as performance, this battery has endurance..........400+ shots with a full charge.

This tiny battery (weighing about 1 oz.) can power an Exilim Z-series camera for a long time. Casio has done an excellent job. This is the official Casio battery (made in China) and it's always a good idea to get a second battery as backup.

Buy Casio NP-40 Battery for EXILIM Cameras Now

This battery was the exact match for my Exilim EX-Z750 camera and works perfect. Don't mess with generic brands that may or may not work when you can have this original equipment battery at such a great price.

Read Best Reviews of Casio NP-40 Battery for EXILIM Cameras Here

I had tried "generic" batteries for our Casio cameras and the life on them was horrible. They lasted maybe three months and didn't seem to hold a full charge. So far we haven't had a problem with the Casio brand name batteries. So if you have a choice don't buy the off brand batteries for your digital cameras.

Want Casio NP-40 Battery for EXILIM Cameras Discount?

I am using this in my casio Exilim 6 MP camera.

SO far there is no problems with the battery.

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VG Red Laurel DSLR Camera Carrying Bag with Removable Shoulder Strap for Leica V-Lux 4 Digital SLR

The case is well made and appears to be durable. My Leica V-lux 4 fits snugly in the pouch provided for it. The pouch acts as a sling to nestle the camera. The rear section can accommodate the charger, cables, a spare battery and spare memory card but not much more. The turnbuckles that attach the shoulder strap are large and strong. This case easily fulfills my need for a light weight easy to access case.

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