Fujifilm Finepix J38 12MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

I was looking for a camera to replace my Canon G9. I love Canon products, and my G9 has served me well. However, I mainly shoot with a big DSLR, and use the G9 only occasionally for quick snapshots. I haven't really taken advantage of its many features in a long time, so I'd rather pass it along to someone who can get better use out of it. I wanted something inexpensive for myself, that would fit in my pocket, start up quickly, focus accurately and produce sharp images with fairly correct white balance, with little (if any) input from me. Also wanted something that would shoot a quick, basic video on occasion. This may not sound like a lot, but it's hard to find cameras in this price range that will do all of that.

The J38 fits the bill perfectly. It is a beautiful little device, seems to be built rather well and starts up in just a second. Focus is faster in low light than my G9, and while the images might be a little noisier in low light, they're still clear enough to work with happily up to 8x10. Indoor shots turn out beautifully, with good white balance and no magenta or cyan color casts. It does seem to have a mind of its' own while taking macro shots in low light, but I have yet to see a $100 point-and-shoot that does this flawlessly anyway. In daylight, macro shots are much easier! Also, it doesn't ALWAYS get the white balance right, but this is a common issue with digital cameras across the board. Simply metering off a lighter object (when possible) seems to solve this.

Video quality isn't on par with say, the new Sony CyberShot cameras, but they also cost $50-$100 more. For the price, I wasn't expecting much as far as video is concerned. The size is small, at 640x480, but it's smooth and sharp, with clear (mono) sound. I don't need more than this though, so I am happy.

The menus took some getting used to, especially after using Canons for years. Canon is known for their easy menu navigation. The J38's menu system could use some tweaking, but it works! The buttons on the outside of the camera are tiny, so this might not be a great camera for bigger hands. (Even my long nails get in the way). However, everything feels sturdy and nicely finished.

If you are looking for a sleek, simple digital camera that gives great results, this may just be the camera for you. Yes, it has some drawbacks, but overall it's an excellent camera for the money.

After owning this camera for a month, this is my second and final review of this camera. Of course, this camera has a lot of options. Not to mention, the 2.7 inch screen is pretty big for this size camera. Some bigger cameras do not have as big of a screen. It has a great picture when focusing. The picture is not as vivid as other cameras, but it is still takes sharp photos.

Features One feature I noticed is taken photos can be zoomed in on. After taking a picture, press the zoom button and it will zoom in on the picture. The photo can also be looked at in 360 degree angle. Also, the software can allow users to improve images of uploaded photos. This feature is called "Auto Adjust". For example, I took a few pictures, which were kind of dark. Well, clicking on "Auto Adjust" will show the taken image and an improved image. The improve image will be a little lighter and clearer than the original.

Shooting Options The shooting options are practically idiot proof. The SR Auto does everything for the user. The camera adjusts by which type of scene the user is in. Now, I did notice the SR Auto is not as effective in darker settings. Therefore, I decided to put the camera on Auto in a pitch black setting. I pressed the shutter and had a clear and bright picture, as if I took the pictures with lights on. This is no lie. This is due to the superb flash of the camera.

The face detection is good. I tested it. If the camera sees a face, it will put a green square around the face. Heck, it will even put one around a face on a TV screen.

Another cool shooting option is the automatic shooting mode. Just press down on the clock icon on the bottom of the menu button. Choose the duration of when you want the picture taken. It will be either 10 seconds or 2 seconds. Then, press the shutter lightly and the camera will countdown and take and automatic picture of a subject. This can only be done once. Therefore, if you want to take another automatic picture, just repeat the steps.

Battery Life The battery life is great for this camera, as well. The battery life indicator shows three bars as fully charged. At a football game, I was continuously taking pictures and turning the camera on and off. I left the football game with two bars left. That was pretty good. I cannot say that about the Kodak camera, which I previously had.

Movie Mode The videos on the Movie Mode show very clear. Not to mention, the audio is very good on playback, as well. Some reviewers on this website and others have said the camera cannot zoom, while recording videos. Well, it can zoom, but not optical. If you zoom in from afar on the optical zoom, the picture will be pixeled up. Therefore, it is only good for zooming in on items or people that are closer.

Downloading videos For those who are planning to download videos onto YouTube, be warned! It is not easy. I am only speaking for someone who owns a PC. With this camera, I found by using Internet Explorer, YouTube would only accept a small amount of shooting time from this camera, which is usually two minutes and under. If the user makes a video, which was longer, an unloading error would come on. This was weird. I tried to find solutions to this problem. I actually saw on YouTube, an internet program called Mozilla Firefox was supposed to be the solution, so I downloaded it.

Now, YouTube downloads my videos with extended time. It is weird, but I guess FireFox is more compatible with the FujiFilm format. Despite this, the videos do take a lot of time to download, though. For this camera, it takes YouTube 30 minutes to download a 10 minute video. That is craaaazy! I got to find out how to get a faster way of downloading. Disregard if you are not a YouTube user. The videos will still show on the software, which it came with. That takes virtually no time. The other two previously purchased cameras I had did not have this problem. Everything uploaded rather quickly.

The verdict After having this camera for over a month, I can honestly say this is a good buy. Not to mention, the price is continuoulsy going down on this camera. With all the features this camera has, a buyer will feel as if they have a steal of a camera.

Buy Fujifilm Finepix J38 12MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD Now

I unpacked this awesome little camera a few hours ago, and have been putting it through some paces. Overall, I'm impressed.

I'll start with the good. The portability is top-notch. To give perspective, its about a 1/3" shorter and twice as thick as my classic iPod, and roughly the same, dainty weight. The screen, while beautiful, will absorb fingerprints, so a cleansing cloth is a must if you're nitpicky. There are a grand total of eleven buttons on the camera, all of them about as ergonomically pleasing as you can get with a rectangle.

Now on still shots, it's been my experience that Fuji products tend to jack up the ISO on Auto mode. The J38 is no different. This will result in some noise, in any camera, but unless you go looking for it, there's no real glaring problem here. The pictures will look fine if you feel like having them printed out, and don't go over them with a magnifying lens. The Scene Recognition Auto a setting that decides what the shot should be taken as is good in theory but so far has been iffy indoors. I've gotten a few unwanted flashes with my pictures that I considered well lit.

Luckily, for all those snobs who want the finest Finepix, the manual mode is pretty deep, considering the point-and-shoot type of camera this is. You can change the ISO (100 will produce excellent photos in decent light), the exp. compensation, and the White Balance, along with turning the face recognition on or off. The results of tinkering will usually be obvious from the screen, so this will help ease newbies into exploring the camera's true capabilities. (A note: the macro mode is adequate but not mindblowing, and there is no super-macro mode)

Oh yeah, the screen. You're stuck with it, because there's no viewfinder to be found on this model, but for me that's a moot point. This type of camera is the kind you hold out in front of you and snap a picture. But the screen's only real drawback is the speed as which it "draws" your picture to be. There's just a hint of lag, nothing bad at all, but it will go blurry with fast movement, and at the moment I'm not sure if this affects the focus. I doubt it would.

Video is more than I was expecting. The quality is a smidge above your average professional Youtube video, and stays in pretty good focus as you move. I have a feeling really fast movement might become a blur, but so far it's been on the ball with recording. Oh, while the zoom doesn't work while recording (bummer), the built-in microphone seemed to pick up things rather well. I fussed with the buttons while recording, and the clicks and taps on the camera body were picked up a little too good: keep a firm, unmoving grip and you should be good to go.

Internal memory is severely lacking. Like, three 12MP pictures and it's full. Be sure to pick up a decent SD card, and you won't have any problems. My 2-gig card can hold over six hundred pictures, or over thirty minutes of footage, and the higher memory SDs are pretty cheap.

I'm totally happy with my purchase. For 100 dollars, I got a camera that needs considerably less of a babying through than my others. That said, it will take a degree of time for a newbie to get the best pictures out of the camera, so an optimistic outlook is needed. For those who are in a hurry to snap something good, or the semi-veteran who doesn't feel like lugging around his bigger camera, this is a great point-and-shoot with some (eventually) foolproof features.

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I decided to purchase this camera at the last minute because I was going on a trip. I am totally pleased with my purchase! The camera is small and very portable! It takes great pictures in any light and is easy to operate! I didn't look at the directions once to set up or use the camera. I charged the battery once I got it, and so far so good! I recommend this camera for the budget consumer looking for a good camera for the price.

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I don't want to take my Nikon D-40 out all the time. I tried the Nikon S-230 (same price and size) and took it back next day. All I ask out of a $100 or so camera is that it at least be as good as my cell phone. Got this one a good old Wal Mart. Compared the same pictures I took quickly around the house with the little Nikon and this was noticeably better and I did not have the anti-shake option on.

The menu system on this is the most user friendly of anything I tried. I have not tried the video option nor care as I have a small HD camera.

Konica Minolta Dimage G600 6MP Digital Camera with 3X Optical Zoom

Opinion

Fredrik in Sweden.

I had a 3 Mpix Olympus D-550 (C-300) for 12 months and it has been very difficult to find a better camera when it broke.

I first bought a Casio QV 5700, a semi-big and very sophisticated camera. It had all the features I wished for, bright optics, manual settings etc. but the size and ancient slow action bothered me. I swiftly returned it.

I realized I wanted something pocketable with great performance. Since no reviews on the web met my demands I finally went for the G600, the heir of a test winner, unreviewed until now.

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The G600 with a spare battery and 512 Mb is a good setup. After the first charge of 14 hours the battery was good for 250 images (no flash, always display and 3 unloads) The very first charge also charges the onboard memory battery so it will perform better after that. It also takes 10 cycles before the battery is ripe. I expect 300-350 images.

Charging takes 2 hours with the bundled charger, neat.

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A normal image in fine mode takes up about 1500-2800 kb of space. => 240 images on my SD card.

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The shutter lag is ok, but not as awesome as I got the impression of. (with focus lock it is pretty instant)

I flung a stick into the evening air and shot it while it fell and the result was really neat and sharp. (See sample)

Startup time is really quick.

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The size is dreamy. You can hardly feel it is in your front pocket on a pair of tight jeans. The metal gives it a sturdy feel.

The blue LED's on the front are a nuissance. They provide extra light for focusing etc. I don't know when they are activated, or if I can turn it off.

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I have some sample images for you here.

All handheld on a grey spring evening in Sweden.

this page.

Problems

I dislike using flash, as a result indoor images turn up dark.

Some are VERY dark with the automatic setting in spite of normal illumination.

I somewhat enhanced this by increasing ISO to 200.

Still not as good as my Olympus D-550 (C-300) in low light. I feel it necessery to switch between ISO modes for indoor and outdoor shots. Requires clicking in the menu.

The G600 wants to use flash at all times indoors. Flash make the pictures flat and boring. I want to capture atmosphere, not cold hard vectors.

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The Automatic "focus depth" was very tight.

If I focus on my face, the eyes look great but the nose gets blurry. (My nose isn't huge). I am not sure how to compensate for this. (still learning)

In macro mode this is apparent when shooting a fat larva where half the larva is out of focus. Unless you only photograph coins... this is a problem.

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In the evening, the automatic light control make the images a tad less bright and less in contrast than real life. Increasing brightness and contrast +25 and +25 in Pshop helps evening pictures.

I suspect this can be adjusted in the white balance settings.

Much of this can be compensated for, with internal tweaking, once and for all. The colors overall are very natural and life like.

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The multi spot autofocus tend to pick the items in the background and not the thing I want to shoot.

I saw no reason to use spot metering until I got the G600.

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The amount of "flawed images" are less than with the Casio, and I think that when I get used to this one it will perform as well as the point and shoot Olympus. I am well on my way.

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I would love it if it had a "speed dial" to chose

between different scene modes.

The sound and avi format works very well.

16 seconds amount only to 2800 kb.

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I'd rather they had two compartments for batteries than two for memory cards. Running out of juice is a bummer when you are to shoot the sunset from the top of a hill.

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Some would say that the zoom is too fast.

It is, like the Borg would say, ...efficient.

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It could be easier to record sound and movies. The menu system requires clicking... clicking...

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I need to test the lense and ccd more, with some colorful sunsets, but so far the quality is really nice. I can count individual strains of hair on my head on my images. I'll keep this one, because it is portable and creates great images under the right conditions and decent images under strain.

A third battery may be an investment.

Manual settings will work out some of my problems.

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/Fredrik

My free for all, no copyright 1000+ image archive.

(Most shot with the Olympus, but that will change.)

I love this camera. I wanted a small camera. I looked at the Cannon Elph. After reading negative comments on the internet about the E-18 error problem and knowing a friend who had problems with the E-18 error right out of the box I decided to pass.

I have a bigger camera with many features, the Sony F717, and I love the pictures it takes. I guess it spoiled me because after seing another friends small Sony camera the picture quality was not as nice even with the higher megapixels. I had to purchase Sony Memory cards and after purchasing several(expensive) I wanted a small camera that could use them.

My old small point and shoot which finaly died used SDcards. I was resigned to switching but still wanted to be able to use my SDcards because I hate to waste money.

This camera seemed to be the answer to my dilemma. It uses the two media cards I alreay own. It has a sturdy metal body. The layout/design of buttons is easy and simple. I love the fact that opening the lens turns the camera on and off. I purchased an extra battery and keep it in the charger. The charger comes with the camera and charges fast.

It is a great point and shoot and has many features if you want to do more. It is small and fits in my evening bag but is not so small/delicate that I worry about damage.

It has an optical viewer as well as an lcd screen. I thought this was critical. If you need to take a picture in bright sun or want to conserve battery life use the viewer. One of the things I did not like about my old point and shoot was it only had an lcd screen. I was very careful with it and damaged the screen while on vacation and could not use the camera. I had to buy some disposeables and send it for repairs when I got home.

Konica makes a great product. It may not be as sexy looking as some but it is great and I have yet to take a bad photo. Two media cards is terrific. I was at a good friends wedding and went to visit family and with both cards in the camera I had enough space to take pictures for the week. I took 800 pictures a couple of movies and still had plenty of space. I put in two 512MB cards and did not have to worry about carrying extra cards.

I love this camera! Hope this helps you in your search, happy hunting!

Buy Konica Minolta Dimage G600 6MP Digital Camera with 3X Optical Zoom Now

sturdy metal body good lens

top notch quality pix

menu navigation simple

manual control access a breeze

indoor manual tweaks may be fine tuned

read many web reviews

very happy with this choose

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Good points:

1. The price is magnificent...you can get it for about $244.00 for 6Megapixels!(as of Jul-11-2005);

2. The quality of the pictures is excellent;

3. Battery Life is fairly good (about 280 flash pictures);

4. Takes BOTH SD and MemoryStick memory types;

5. Optical Zoom at 3X is about normal and works fine;

6. On-Off system is nice and simple;

7. FAST shutter speed (time from moment you press button to picture actually being taken); Canon is awful at this.

8. Very FAST Flash recovery time (picture-to-picture): about 1.5 seconds.

The problems are few, but very real:

1. Video is really limited to 30seconds no matter how much memory you have or what resolution you choose;

2. Doing anything other than taking pictures is a MESS...you have to go through the menus and the complicated button sequences...forget about my MOM using it for anything other than taking pictures;

3. Even VIEWING the pictures you took is a mess...having to go through the menus. If you're a gadget freak or a techie, you'll be just fine...but if it's for your mom or dad and they can't program their VCR, then look for a user-friendly camera (not this one, sorry!); they WILL end up erasing pictures they're trying to see...

4. The USB transfer cable is NOT standard...good luck if you travel and leave it at home (better have lots of memory and not lose the camera while traveling or you'll lose your memories before you get to transfer them!!);

5. Zoom controls could be better located.

Summary:

If you are a techie and don't need videos longer than 30seconds, this camera is great.

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I just got the Minolta G600 and love how easy it is to use. I take pix mostly on vacation and wanted something sturdy yet small enough to carry with me. Menu options are very easy to use start up is quick, and the pix have turned out great. Not alot of confusing buttons/wheels to learn very easy. You will love it.

Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 400

• PROJECTOR, POWERLITE HOME CINEMA 400

This review is probably more a complementary one to my already published HD Universe list-mainia piece. OK lets walk down the path again of what i wanted to do:

1. i made my decision on the DVD Wars format

2. I bought a high end Pioneer 24fps Bluray player

3. I am not planning on a big surround system except for a yamaha single closure system (which i wil connect directly to pioneer optical output)

4. The final piece was the actual eye candy!

I was doing allot of digging around with LCD vs Plasma vs SXRD vs LCOS from JVC and honestly when my brother in law pointed me in this direction, it was like a big slap on the face!!! when i saw this Powerlite in action i was instantly blown away.

I was made aware that in fact for me the cinematic true experience was in the size of the screen in addition to the actual Pixels being projected! i very much dumped the idea of a traditional windscreen box to watch my movies and opted for this gorgeous projector.

It was especially sweet because the store that carried this had no idea of what HD means! it was in a stock pile marked down in price too. i had no choice but to run home and grab my apple tv (loaded with some HD material) and test this puppy with HDMI hookup.

The contents were amazing and since apple TV shoots maximum at 720p, it was a match made in heaven. I didn't really cared for 1080p vs 720p anymore. All that mattered now was 103' diagonal view of actual 1 megapixel movie being projected on my white wall! Best part is all that eye candy from a Bluray 24fps player with digital optical for audio.

guys all i can say this piece is the ultimate in any HD mega setup.

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The projector was represented as a Epson Home Cinema 400. What arrived was a Epson EMP TW 550 which was a slightly inferior model. The projector is still a really good projector with a great picture but I am disappointed that is was misrepresented.

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Great Product. It's hi-def picture is incredible. It's a little bulky, but its projected picture is wll worth it. It's so bright, no screen is needed. Just a painted wall works fine. And it was delivered a week AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

Camax H056 5.6'' (1280*800) HD LCD Field Monitor with HDMI, Analog CVBS inputs, Peaking Focus Assis

Well I chose to buy this monitor because it has 1280x800 resolution which seems to be a hard thing to come by unless you spend upwards of a $1000. The other choice I was considering was the 7" Liliput with 1024x600 resolution. I decided against it because I wanted something smaller and lightweight. The monitor receives video through an HDMI input. I have so far used it with a Canon 5D mk2, 600D and 7D, the 7D comes on top due to its constant 1080i signal whilst recording. The same is result is achieved with Panasonic's AF-100 video camera. I shot in a dark studio environment with high contrast and the monitor failed to produce the blacks consistently with blocky noise patterns; a glance at the studio monitor did not show this. However in day time, the colours are crisp and accurate once saturation, contrast and hue are tweaked.

The colour temperature settings on the monitor do not have any effect when changed so you should stick to changes in camera. I find it mainly useful for judging focus and framing a composition but doesn't compare with a high quality studio monitor. I would like this product improved by having a 'filled frame' mode as it currently displays the video with pillar boxes at the sides. I don't know if this really is 1280x800 monitor, I might have to compare it with a Small HD monitor because I have never heard of such a rez at this price; A sony battery plate was included in my purchase, you can buy cheap aftermarket Sony batteries for $25-30 USD. A HDMI-HDMI mini cable, sunhood and case was included to keep it protected. The monitor is cheap and it works :)

I use mine for viewing video while recording with a Shuttle II.

More than twice the size of my D800 LCD screen and higher resolution.

I mounted it on the leg of my TriPod.

This enables me to view while sweveling the camera up to 360 degrees.

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Sony DCR-PC55 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom (White)

If you're looking for a camcorder that can produce vivid colors and crystal clear picture, stop reading this review now. This camcorder is not for you.

If you can live with a medicore picture quality, but have the ability to virtually pocket a camcorder anywhere you go, read on.

The Styling:

No doubt, this camcorder exudes sex. Glossy finish with chrome accents. Bling! The styling is very appealing and will demand attention. The physical size is so small, it can be pocketed in a pair of jeans. However, the dimunitive size is also its disadvantage. Stabilizing the camcorder with one hand was a challenge due to it being so light and small. The physcial shape of the camcorder was very awkward to hold. Many times, the index finger would partially cover the lens during taping. It was just natural for the index finger to overlay on top of the lens. The zoom button is positioned for a thumb activation. However, when the thumb is re-positioned to employ the zoom button, the grip on the camcorder is compromised. The user will feel like the camera will drop from their hands when using the zoom button.

The Picture:

Outside daylight recording is acceptable. Color re-production is decent. There were still some slight noise in the image. However, there was an un-acceptable amount of purple fringing. This can be seen when recording a dark subject against a bright background. For example, point up at tree branches against a cloudy grey sky. The edges of the branch glows purple.

Indoor recording with common household lamps was littered with noise and poor contrast. The overall picture was very grainy. There were no details in black objects. For example, a black leather chair just shows up as a black object with no other details such as wrinkles or texture.

The Audio:

Audio recorded in 16 bit sounded very good. Voices were clear and with faithful reproduction. However, at times, the microphone was able to pick up the actual tape winding mechanism of the camcorder. It was a constant high pitch whine that can be heard during playback. This is most likely due to the fact that the camcorder is so small that the distance between the microphone and the tape motors are minimized. The same condition was exhibited during the usage of the zoom button. Loud clicks can be heard during playback as the zoom button snaps back.

Conclusion:

This is definitley a case study of Quantity vs. Quality. There is a price to pay for ultra portability. In my opinion, the size of this camcorder has reached the point of diminishing returns. In other words, the camera is too small to be ergonimically correct. The size also compromised the audio and video performance. Buy it to impress your friends......just don't let them watch the final result.

The Sony DCR-PC55 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom is aboslute one of the best MiniDV Camcorders on the market. Even at its original retail price, Sony has packed so much technology into that sleek design that it's truly an amazing gadget. Another feature that I totally loved about this Handycam was that the instructions for use were made clear and operating the camcorder is almost as simple as taking photographs. And you don't at all have to worry about being a professional-the Sony DCR-PC55 MiniDV Camcorders computer will help you out. I tend to have a small shake in my hand when I am holding an object for an extended period of time. After I took my first videos, I assumed that when I played it back I would notice the small movment. To my total surprise, this amazing Handycam with 10x Optical Zoom knew that my hand was shaking and immediately compensated for it. To me, that was a feature that was worth a great deal of money in itself.

There are plenty of great features, more than you'll ever need-but everything you need just in case you want it. My neigbor borrowed it on a trip to Hawaii and apologized over and over as they had left it on a patio and it was exposed to about 30 minutes of light rain. They were ready to buy me a new one and I told them the only change in the camera was that it looked at little cleaner! It's not intended to be placed in water, however I discovered (after researching it on the Sony website) that the body of this small but mighty camcorder is sealed in a manner that keeps it somewhat resistant to the elements.

I did a great deal of research and many comparisons. I spent time online and then went to 2 different electronics stores where I could hold and visualize the camera. I fell in love with the compact design and how comfortable it felt in my hand. Since I did plenty of research, all I had to do was wait for a sale and immediately I made the purchase. When I opened the box I had everything I needed to start shooting photograhs, just after I ready the easy instructions for use. They even provide additional support online that answers questions that might not be addressed in the booklet that is included. Sony stands behind this product and has a toll free customer service number if you have any questions or need support that you couldn't find online. They offer a great warranty and my research on returns is basically that there are not that many.

I hope that this review was somewhat helpful. As I mentioned, there is a ton of great information that you can review. When I'm buying something I always appreciate the opinions of others who have actually purchased the products. Typically, I do my own research and THEN I like to read a review that reminds me that I am making a great purchased. Again, I hope this was helpful at least in part!

Peter Cannice

Scottsdale, Arizona

Buy Sony DCR-PC55 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom (White) Now

Pros: Compact, lightweight, portability, easy to use, big screen, good reproduction

Cons: Microphone sensitive to wind, getting used to not having a viewfinder, bad low light performance.

Summary: I picked this camera as an upgrade for my old Canon ZR10. The first reason I chose it was the small size and portability. With a good light conditions, this little beast do its best shots, but in low light conditions this camera disapointed me (specially compared with mi old ZR10). Please don't buy it if you have plans to use it for stills shots because it has a low resolution.

The included handycam station have all the ports (Firewire, USB, power, video) you need to conect it.

The big touch screen is a must, because the screen is the only way to access the camera controls (besides some of them in the edge of the screen).

You can have a camera with more characteristics and better image quality for the same price, but if your concern is the size and portability this will be your best choice in the world of the mini DV format.

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When you buy a product that is designed and meant to fulfill certain needs, just expect the best performance out of those features.

The PC55 is a camera for the everyday home shooter, easy to use and made with the best SONY quality for one of the smallest MINI DV camera ever created.

If you are thinking about buying this camera don't hesitate one minute, this camcorder is one of the kind, it gives you pretty much the flexibility and video quality of a regular camcorder but with the amazing bring-it-in-the-pocket size and all the coolness and attention that it brings along (let it be your best Ice breaker, believe me it works like heaven!). I work for a camera store and let me tell you: we haven't received one return of this model during the time I've worked there (8 months), which proves the high quality SONY has built into this model. I have been using mine for a few months now and all I can say is that "the product is great... period!".

Let's get real, the 500 bucks you are paying for it is not for the film quality kind of movie you get in the picture (for that you need to spend at least a couple of thousand dollars) but the portability and worriless of no need of the big luggage a camcorder used to be in the past" (some times people don't realize a motorcycle couldn't be compared with a truck or vise versa).

About the picture shooting option, well let's see! A camcorder is for videos and a digital camera is for photos, if you want to have them both in one package, that brings excellent quality, you'd have to spend a lot of more money than if you bought them separately, let me explain you in a few words, the average photo quality for a MINI DV camcorder is 1.3mp or lower (the same quality you get out of your cell phone camera) to be honest with you, the manufacturers add this option just to give it an extra feature and at the same time take more money out of your pocket, with tape less digital cameras it happens the same way, the video and sound quality are very poor; so why bother paying more for a camera with both functions being excellent (there are quite a few out in the market now, starting around $1200 for models of similar size) instead buy two little cameras, one for each use, for half of the price.

If you are looking for a cool, high quality & durability MINI DV camcorder with the smallest size available in its kind, The SONY DCR-PC55 is your BEST option.

To finish, I just want to wish you all enjoy, more than the product, the unmemorable moments you will live with your loved ones because of this little fellow.

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I've had this camcorder for a week now and I think it works great .. except for the touch screen feature. That takes a little getting used to .. especially when accessing the special features (such as fader effects) while filming.

The digital still quality is poor when recording directly to the memory stick .. but the same images taken as a still from prerecorded tape is much clearer.

All in all it is a good product .. just takes some getting used to.

Optoma PRO150S 2800 Lumen SVGA DLP Multimedia Projector

I owned a projector about 7-8 years ago. It was very expensive back then (Infocus brand) and I always thought it had a great picture in our dark basement setting... but the output was not bright enough to work in a semi-lit room during the day. When the bulb finally burnt out and I realized how expensive they were to replace, I got rid of it and bought a 42" Sony rear-projection TV. I have been happy with the Sony for the last 7 years or so but just moved from a large house into a smaller apartment and was looking for a way to free up all the space that this rather large TV took up (not to mention it is almost impossible to move because it is so big and heavy). I was looking into the newest technology of LCD, Plasma, and even LED TVs and the prices are pretty crazy for the size you get. I remembered how cool it was to have a projector and I thought to myself that would be great to save space and get a HUGE screen. I looked into them and I knew from my prior ownership that anything over 2000 lumens was typically considered to be bright enough to use in a semi-dark room. Most of the projectors advertised and sold as "Home Theater Projectors" are just as expensive as the TVs and I understand that they have native resolutions of 1280x800 or higher and some I have seen as high as 5500 lumens.... but I think a lot of it is hype. How black can the blacks in the video get? Why do you need a 60,000 to 1 contrast ratio? If you are not going to project the image 100 feet or more, why do you need that many lumens? I took a chance on this projector because I found it brand new on ebay for less than four hundred dollars and thought what the heck. At 2800 lumens it is plenty bright (even in daylight) to be seen clearly. The picture looks razor sharp and all my friends that spent thousands on big screen TVs are all jealous and say it looks better than their TVs. For 1/8 or less the cost, I have a 75" screen that is 1080i and 720p compatible. It is awesome for movies or ball games. Everyone always wants to have the superbowl party at my place.

Compared to my old Infocus projector, I can see technology has come a long way. This Optoma projector is very compact, lightweight, and quiet. It does put out a fair amount of heat (exhaust fan) but other than that I have absolutely no complaints, nor do I see a reason to spend thousands more on a big screen TV or "Home Theater" projector. In fact, this projector is actually TOO bright for the 10' that I am projecting the picture so I turned it down to "eco-mode" which dims it a bit and saves another 1,000 hours on the bulb. For the money, I think you would be very pressed to find a better quality projector with higher lumens and resolution for anywhere close to the same cost. The replacement cost of the bulbs are under $200 each so I can rest assured that this projector will last me the rest of my happy life, and even if it wasn't affordable to replace the bulb. At 350 dollars, I think 240,000 minutes of watching this screen is well worth the money I paid for it. That is 8 cents per hour.

Bottom line: Incredible Hi-Def picture, compact space-saving design, bright enough for daytime viewing, and very cost affordable. If you are considering this projector compared to some similar models, you have my recommendation to go with this one. I checked out Dell, NEC, Hitachi, Epson, and Infocus and nothing in this price range compared. 2800 lumens and 3000:1 contrast ratio is pretty impressive. Deep, rich dark colors... True blacks... and bright whites. I think you will be as happy as I am.

I will post some pictures as soon as I get my screen installed. Right now I am just projecting on a (brown) wall. I can't even imagine how good the picture is going to be on a real screen!

This projector is awesome. Simply put. no BS. It has great color quality, sleek style and is light weight, GET IT!

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Worked for nearly a year without issues. One fine day the power will not turn on. Helpdesk explained that board might have got burnt with a voltage spike, that none of my other devices had issues. I see endemic problems with other Optoma projector as well, after I invested my money in this. To return to Optoma Service across the continent will take as much as what a new one is worth and the one time cost. I am looking for other alternatives. 300 plus dollars vaporized.

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I paid $800 on a projector that worked about 5 or 6 times. After that, it had vertical lines and no picture. The packaging is still on the projector, but we were in Asia and did not return until after the warranty. I called Optoma and spoke to the manager. My frustration is paying so much money for a defective projector. I would think they company would care about their reputation and customer enough to do something. His response was that they have no idea how many times we have used it. It is obvious by looking at it that it has not been used. The kinks are still in the power cord and the plastic is still on top of the projector. He said that it was probably a defective "main board" which is $279 and $100 labor. He would give me 50% off, but I pay for mailing, etc. Now I have to decide if it is worth it to pay another $300 on a cheap product that might last only a few months again. My observation: Optoma is poorly made and the company does not care about their reputation.

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We have had this product and needed to replace it. This was a great value for us, and a dependable product

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

The camera is beautiful. Not too pleased with the flash and its operations. Did apppreciate the 32gb SD card.

It arrived as promised. Sorry there was no extended service warranty offered with it.

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D-Link DCS-2000 10/100TX Internet Camera, Built-in Microphone

Well, I chose to ignore the blatant Axis commercial someone put here as a review. I own the D-link 2000 and the Axis. The Axis is more expensive, has poorer software and is a royal pain to set up and configure.

The D-Link, while suffering some low light issues, is a snap to configure and update, simple to set up as a live web-cam or security cam. It's included security software is great! I actually now have 6 D-link cameras set up as door monitors, security, and to watch the dog (seems to be a popular use what do we expect them to do, dance?)

Bottom line not a better bang for the buck!

I have both the wired and the wireless versions of the 2000 series in my house and I've been pretty pleased with them. It's very easy to setup and get the basics working I had a little trouble figuring out how to get my Linksys router to forward requests from outside the firewall to the correct camera but that has more to do with me being a bonehead than anything else.

I like the video survalence software quite a bit, the motion detection stuff is slick, easy to use and works well. Similiar feature sets on other cameras (i.e. Apex) will cost you quite a bit more.

Couple knocks that kept me from giving it 5 stars the email notification stuff (Which works with just the logic built into the camera itself) doesn't fire off reliably. About 1 in 4 events did not result in email however those same events always recorded with the video survalence software. Their on line knowledge base/support pages are kinda weak (no searching capability!). The picture could be better for outdoors I'm looking into alternative CS lenses to see if I can improve it.

Over all those are minor knocks on what is really a great product over all.

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I tested a DCS-2000 out as a security camera for my small retail store. I upgraded the firmware to 1.07 and IP surveillance to 2.12. At 320x240 i can't really make out a face more than 15 ft away, but a person moving at 10 ft alway causes the video to become choppy. I guess this system is good for areas where there are not much movement and where there is no need to have a clear image to ID a unknown person. The software and idea of this system is good, but that is about all that is good about this system.

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If you focus this just right you can do a whole lot of good for the image quality. We have it setup to send an image to an FTP server everytime someone comes to the front door of our office. We don't get a whole lot of traffic, so it works out ok. I can vouch for the motion detection since not just the front door is in view of the camera. we select the area of what the camera can see for motion detection. and have it upload an image when it sees movement within that area of what we designate.

This is all very simple to figure out and worth the short time it takes to set up. Our company is glad we purchased it and will likely invest in another if we ever need another camera or a new one.

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This was setup to view my backyard a couple months ago by looking out a window from inside. I was able to watch my dogs from work or when I was on vacation. Now I have it setup inside to watch the front door. I also have it streaming on my home network and when anyone comes to the door I check who it is before I open it.

The audio works fine, but I don't use it anymore. The setup is very painless and you just need to follow instructions. Getting it up on a webpage is a little tricky but I did it eventually.

I like this camera and would recommend this to others.

Pentax Optio P80 12.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Zoom with Shake Reduction and 2.7

Pentax's P80 is a joy to own and use.

I've tested it thoroughly for 2 weeks. Its photos are technically pleasing 95% of the time. I never knew a camera could be this nice.

I love how the self timer works. It stays in effect until turned off, so I can do a long session of tripod mounted macros without having to use buttons and menus. There's even an option to have it remember the self timer setting when the camera is turned off and on. This will save huge amounts of time for night photography.

The interface was very easy to figure out. I was operating it with ease right away.

Video quality is excellent. 30 fps 1280x720 clips look incredible on an HDTV. The camera allows white balance and EV adjustments in video mode. The live histogram is accurate and useful to help capture the ideal image. Audio sounds clean and great too. The self timer function is available in video mode, so camera shake at the beginning of clips can be eliminated. Unlike QuickTime, the camera's AVI file format easily imports into Windows Movie Maker and Virtual Dub.

I use D-Range to control shadows and highlights. It works! I took a picture of new, bright white sneakers with black accents in noon sunlight and it turned out perfectly, even with contrast set to high. That kind of subject has far too much dynamic range for other cameras I've used.

I wish it had a black and white mode so I could simply get BW photos directly. There's an in-camera conversion option, but in the opinion of this reviewer it's a waste of battery life and storage space. Picasa does very good BW conversions of P80 photos. Other cameras have problems with challenging BW subjects like white and chrome cars on sunny days, but Pentax has it figured out. I'm always amazed to see wide, perfectly contained histograms in test photos I was sure would be failures. It's hard to make it clip shadows and highlights.

I didn't expect such useful results from a small, high resolution sensor. To my delight, the sensor delivers 12 good megapixels. Detail is excellent. The camera doesn't aggressively reduce noise and smear colors together.

It does lens correction. 28mm shots with strong barrel distortion are beautifully converted to scenes with straight lines and edges. It happens fast too.

I'm a very negative, fault finding person. It says a lot that this product exceeds my modest expectations.

After experimenting with its huge amounts of adjustment settings, I will use it in Auto ISO, high contrast, high sharpness, medium saturation, daylight white balance, D-Range shadows and highlights, and 7 megapixels. EV adjustments are rarely necessary thanks to D-Range processing. Leaving it at -0.3 appears to work well most of the time.

If I'm in a photographically ideal situation, I'll turn off D-Range and go to ISO 64 at 12 megapixels. (The lower limit with D-Range on is ISO 125.)

The tripod mount is centered, so the camera won't easily tip over with mini-tripods. I use a mini-tripod as a camera grip for more stability. It compensates for the P80's small size and light weight.

The camera has some purple fringing issues, so I can't give it 5 stars. They're easy to take care of in editing. I bought the thing mainly for black and white, so purple fringing doesn't matter much to me.

I tried its highest saturation setting and would not recommend it for normal, colorful scenery. None of the color channels blew out, but maximized blue skies and sunlit green plants looked too weird for my taste. High saturation would work better with drab subjects to bring out more color than the eye sees.

I have used this camera for a couple of weeks and have found it to be a great buy. I wanted a very compact camera to carry basically anywhere and this fit the bill. It has a wide range of options that I am still trying to master. One negative I have found so far, and it may be user error, is the pictures blur very easily as the magnification is increased.

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I am a novice, and I use it for family pictures and videos. It does the job perfectly! The Pentax brand stands up well to the beating delivered by a family with several toddlers and young children. I like all of the settings, helping me to be a better photographer than I actually am. My only difficulty with the camera is that one of the settings delivers two flashes, so my family would forget and moves as soon as the first flash occured. With several reminders, though, my family has gotten used to it, so now our pictures turn out beautifully! Plus, if I just use a different setting, it's not a problem! One thing I really like: my old Pentax wouldn't take pictures of my son playing b-ball in a gym very well. This model does a great job of taking indoor photos of moving objects with the proper amount of flash!

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I have owned this camera for a year, and I have never been disappointed. The picture quality is amazing; I get comments all the time on how clear and high quality my photos are. I have taken pictures with this camera in Utah, Washington, Nevada, DC, Virginia, New York, Alabama, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic... waterfalls, deserts, people, animals, snow, sun, beach, forest, ocean, overcast, indoor... you name it, I've tried it. And almost always I am pleased with the outcome. I have owned 8 compact digital cameras as well as 2 digital SLRs, and this is by far my favorite. It's so sleek and small, I take it everywhere and use it daily. I've dropped it a few times and it doesn't have a scratch. The color is classic and even a bit glamorous. The picture modes are maybe a little overkill, but they're also fun to use in different situations. My father (photographer) and sister (not a photographer) now own this as well, and are just as pleased with the ease and quality. I HIGHLY suggest buying this camera!!!

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Easy to use, high quality photos, easy to upload to computer (I have a Mac). Slim model, easy to carry in purse. Love this camera!