Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter for Macbook iMac PRO with Cable Organizer

I got this kind of half expecting this would be he case, but the cable unfortunate does not do sound. I still have to use a male to male pin headphone cable but other than that, the picture looks great no complaints!

I bought it for the color and it's absolutely great. it's eye catching and adds distinction to a laptop that everyone has. the plastic color definitely helps prevent against little knicks and scratches

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Works as designed , good value for the money. Not sure of anymore to say about this computer device other than that.

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Varavon AMUNI ARMOR MINI Rig Universal (Black)

Nice light weight and well built this will work well with DSLR that does not have the battery grip.

Im returning this because it deos not fit the Nikon D800 with battery grip.

Nikon 1 V2 14.2 MP HD Digital Camera Body Only (White)

To start with I do own the V1 and all the Nikon 1 lenses except for the 10-100 PD zoom. I just borrowed my friends V2 for the weekend and did some comparisons between the two to see if it would be worth upgrading to the new V2. These are only my initial impressions and only for still photography. I do not shoot video so I have no opinion on the video capabilities of this camera. I consider myself an advanced amateur when it comes to photography and have sold some of my work at local art shows and craft fairs. I use mainly a D3X and the D800 for my work but have come to enjoy the 1 series (it took awhile) for its light weight, compatibility with F mount lenses, and more than adequate image quality for those times when I do not want to carry a DSLR.

It seems that Nikon has not learned its lesson with the V1 and is still overpricing its top of the line 1 series cameras. Even with the $50 instant rebate the camera is seriously overpriced for what you are actually getting. At today's price of the V1; (Nikon is giving them away) of $299 there is no real reason to buy the V2. That difference in price is not getting you much more for the extra money that has to be spent; in fact you are giving up some features.

So what are you paying a premium price for compared to the V1:

Well you get:

An improved 14.2 MP sensor vs. a 10MP, not a big change in IQ but it is welcome. Base ISO has been increased to 160 vs. 100 from the V1. Just be aware the mechanical shutter has a maximum speed of 1/4000 of a second. If you shoot at large apertures this may present a problem in bright light. You may have to switch to the electronic shutter which has a maximum speed of 1/16,000 of a second. You get a better more direct way to access functions like white balance, ISO, metering, and exposure mode without going back into the menus. Image review can now be turned off if you desire. These items are much welcomed and are a big improvement over the V1.

Nikon adds yet another "silly mode" to the "smart photo selector" & "motion snapshot" called the "best moment capture" which allows you to pick the best frame of a 40 frame sequence. These are totally useless IMHO and should be ignored as should the auto exposure mode.

A redesigned body with a built in grip and flash. Also a rear command dial has been added which allows easier control of camera functions. The exposure mode dial has been relocated so that is less likely to be inadvertently changed. I have put gaffers tape on my V1 exposure mode dial to keep it where I want it. These are welcomed features and are big improvements to the handling of the camera.

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) seems different from the V1. During use objects seem to jump around almost like the refresh rate is not high enough and the color seems to be off sometimes. In low light it seems grainier and not as sharp as the V1. I wonder why Nikon changed anything from the V1 since the V1 has an excellent EVF.

HDR has been added to the shooting menu. IMHO Nikon should have added auto exposure bracketing rather than in camera HDR to allow the user to process their own images using an external program such as Photomatix or Photoshop instead of the camera processing the image on its own.

The camera will now provide 15fps vs. 5fps in AFC. There are some minor differences in the AF-C focus mode. There are now brackets in the "detailed" display of the LCD and EVF that shows you where your subject should be to acquire focus. Also the manual does not discuss any limitations of the AF system at the higher frame rates as the V1 manual does. Need to do more testing on that. Other than that the AF seems to be just as fast and accurate as the V1.

So far so good you say, but hold on; you are losing some things that you might have wanted:

No IR sensor in the back of the camera, if you want to use the IR remote you have to point it at the front of the camera now. The V1 had sensors in the front and back. This can be a real pain if you use a tripod since you now have to stand in front of the camera to use the remote.

You also lose the interval timer which is a nice feature to shoot time lapse photography, the feature was on the V1 but it looks like it has been dropped from the V2.

The V2 will only use the electronic shutter when you either put it in the silent photography mode or change your frame rate to greater than 5 FPS. So if you need a fast shutter speed say to take a picture in bright light with a large aperture to get that shutter speed greater than 1/4000 you have to go into the menus and either turn on silent photography or change your frame rate. The V1 allowed you shift from mechanical to electronic shutter by using the function button.

For all of you that own other Nikon equipment you will now have to buy yet another type of battery if you want spares. The V1 uses a battery that is used in the D600, D800, and the D7000. I guess that Nikon felt they were losing money because owners were not buying enough spare batteries and chargers so we have yet another battery to add to our collection.

The option for sound settings in the setup menu has disappeared. Now instead of being able to control the sound of the electronic shutter and autofocus/self-timer separately you now have a silent photography selection in the shooting menu which turns off both. In addition when you turn on silent photograph it automatically selects the electronic shutter. So if I want to turn off the beeps for autofocus but still have the shutter sound or keep the mechanical shutter active I am out of luck. If shooting flash with silent photography turned on I am now stuck with a 1/60 sync speed. In certain cases I like to hear the shutter to confirm the picture was taken but want to turn off the autofocus beeps because the beeps seem to disturb people more than the shutter sound. There should be way to control sound level for each function not just a master switch for all sound which also selects the electronic shutter. Nikon takes a step in the wrong direction.

So Nikon is giving some but it also taking back some with the feature set. I always thought that newer models take steps in the forward direction and not backwards.

But the real reason that the V2 is still not worth the extra money are the items that were wrong with the V1 and are still not incorporated into the V2. What are these you may ask?

The camera still does not have a standard hotshoe. This means that you will have to buy the 1 series flashes if want to use an external flash. Another thing that has yet to be incorporated is ability to use the built in flash as a remote commander. Since Nikon has not produced an adapter to use a standard flash on 1 series cameras you cannot use one of Nikons wonderful external flashes as a remote commander either.

Speaking of flashes, Sync speed is still 1/250 of a second for the mechanical shutter and only 1/60 of a second with the electronic shutter. My D40 had a sync speed of 1/500 of a second. There is no reason not to add either FP high speed sync to the mechanical shutter or a faster sync speed on the electronic shutter. The higher sync speed becomes very useful to stop motion in certain situations when using flash.

The Auto ISO feature still does not have the ability to for the user to input a minimum shutter speed that tells the camera when to increase or decrease the ISO. The thing that makes this annoying is that Nikons preset value shutter speed (seems to be around 1/30 of second) of when to increase ISO are still to low IMO for use on lenses without VR such as the new 18.5 mm 1.8. Not all of us are human tripods. The newer Nikons also take lens focal length into account when determining the correct ISO; the V2 does not seem to take this into consideration. So if you want to use auto ISO the camera now forces you to go into shutter priority so that you can maintain your shutter speed fast enough to prevent blur in your photographs.

The camera still does not display RGB histograms. This is totally unacceptable on camera in which costs this much and exposure is so critical to control noise due its small sensor size. The luminous histogram will not always show when a channel is blown out. My Canon S90 has this ability and it costs a lot less.

No programmable function button or user setting. There should be at least one function button that is user programmable for our shooting needs instead of only having only what Nikon thinks we need available. Also there should be at least two custom setting banks that allow the user to change from one bank to the other at will so that each setting does not have to be changed individually when conditions dictate a change in settings (i.e. switching from landscape to sports photography).

Also if you own the V1 you have probably have had to buy spare accessory port covers since they are small and easy to lose, well the V2 accessory port covers are also small and easy to lose and they are not the same.

Last but not least is that auto exposure bracketing has still not been added. Since this camera has a limited dynamic range, when you take a picture in a high contrast situation, HDR photography becomes important. Without this feature I am severely limited when I choose to use HDR because I must adjust the exposure manually which takes time and forces me to use a tripod. Nikons in camera HDR has limitations and is not as good as using a program such as Photoshop or Photomatix.

The worst part of all this is a lot of these things can be fixed with firmware updates, but Nikon has chosen not update the V1 and I do not see them doing it with the V2 either. So if you value these things in your photography do not expect Nikon to add features to the camera with firmware updates.

After weighing the good with the bad I feel that the V2 while a big improvement over the V1 still does not command the premium price tag Nikon has put on it. (Even with the $50 instant rebate) The V1 with its discount is a steal at this time and is a great camera once you adapt to it. Things like not being able to turn picture preview off or having to go into the menu to change ISO, WB, or exposure mode will probably annoy you at first but over time you tend to adapt to the camera. The V2 is also a great camera, better than the V1 in some respects, worse in others, but not worth the extra money you will need to spend to own it, remember most are going to have to buy spare batteries which are only used in the V2.

So in a nut shell if you are looking at a V2 should you buy it? The V1 price cannot be beat right now and the image quality of the V2 is not that much different than the V1. If I did not own the V1 already I would buy it in a heartbeat vs. the V2. Am I going to upgrade? No, not at this time, I am going to wait until Nikon discounts the camera to a price that is more reasonable as they have done with the V1 or wait for the V3.

I have multiple digital cameras, from point and shoots to travel zooms to super zooms to Nikon D7000. I also travel a lot, for business and some for pleasure. I've found I can get by these days with a travel zoom when I'm traveling by myself on business, but on vacations with my wife I want more...but I hate lugging around the D7000 and the big, bulky lenses. I've followed the mirrorless category of cameras for a while, but the micro 4/3rds class just didn't cut it for me because while the camera bodies were smaller than a D7000 or even D3200, the lenses are about the same size due to the sensors being similar in size. Sorry Sony NEX user, but this is the problem with that camera and other 4/3rds in my opinion. That meant going with a smaller sensor to get smaller lenses, but travel zooms are too small and that creates problems especially with excessive megapixels (the smaller the sensor and the more megapixels, the greater the noise even at low ISOs). So I was very interested in the Nikon 1 series. The sensor is between Nikon's DX and much smaller travel zoom/point and shoots, so it uses smaller lenses but I still can switch lens like a DSLR (and number of Nikon 1 lenses is growing). The V2 limits itself to 14 megapixels, so with the larger sensor noise is much better than a travel zoom/point and shoot, though not quite that of DSLR (but I'm ok with trade-off for travel). The V2 is MUCH more user friendly than V1 or J1. I like the various shooting modes, and while it isn't perfect, it is a darn good camera and fun to shoot with. The charger is compact (plugs fold in), and the flash is decent. I like having option of a EVF for certain situations, like sunny days. And, best of all, the V2 with lens attached is about the same size as a super zoom, so smaller than a DSLR and thus easier to take on trips including international travel. I have the 10-30 mm lens and the 30-110 mm lens, which are good for starters. Looking forward to getting the 18.5mm fast lens and 10-100 mm zoom, which will make this camera even more useful when traveling. Have seen a few reviews start to come out. While people complain about the price, the fact is there isn't much else that fills the gap in sensor size, and Nikon has clearly put a lot of research into this camera. So while I'd be happier if it was cheaper (aren't we all happier if we can get anything we want cheaper?), I am finding I love this camera and the Nikon 1 system overall. For vacations where we have to fly, it will replace my D7000 most of the time.

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I am writing this review for those with kids that want something better than a point and shoot and don't want to lug around a heavy DSLR. This is a great camera. I was going to give it 4 stars for the price. But then decided against it. To some price might not be a factor. Besides who knows what the price might be discounted to at the time of this reading. At it's current price, it's really expensive. I can buy a D5200 for the price. But then.. it's almost like comparing a light weight laptop vs. a heavier one with more power. You pay a premium for lightweight.

I have the Nikon J1 and 2 small kids. My goal was to find a camera that is light weight, small in size and fast enough to capture moments with decent quality. I've been disappointed with the J1 as the number of good images that I get are a lot less than I anticipated and would have returned it if I didn't accidentally scratch the body.

I have a vacation coming up where I don't want to bring my D90 along and clearly the J1 wasn't cutting it. So I decided to give the V2 a shot. I did consider the V1, but it's out of stock in white (I want to be able to reuse my J1 white lenses). The following are my opinions of the camera (from someone who relies more on auto modes than making manual adjustments):

Looks and Feel:

The pictures on the web of the V2 look horrible. But it looks much better in person. It's much lighter and smaller than my D90 and although heavier than the J1, the weight is hardly noticeable in comparison. I especially like the layout of the V2. It's very similar to my D90 and much easier to use. Turning on/off is fast (though the switch is the only part on the camera that feels cheap. I can deal with it as its much easier to use than having to find an push a button). Less clutter around where your thumb would rest (minimizing the times I accidentally switch modes on the J1). Can't emphasis the benefit of the grip as it's easy to lose grip and drop the J1 (luckily only on carpet so far). It really feels and looks like a mini DLSR where as the J1 feels like an upgraded compact point and shoot.

Performance:

Image quality isn't DLSR, but it's not meant to be. It is darn good though. Better than my Sony point and shoot. Key thing for me is that it's much faster than my point and shoot and it actually captures a lot of sharp images (more than J1) with good colors. This is the key deciding factor in keeping the camera. It will work great in my situation, need a light, small camera that will perform well so that I can carry all the kids stuff and keep up with them. Note that I am not a professional or would even consider myself an enthusiast. But I can tell a good picture from a bad.

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I needed a small ligtweight but decent camera for travel. This is it! Hats off to Nikon, now if I was only a little more talented at taking photos.

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Lol...I really need to buy cameras after they have been out for a while. I bought this V2 when it first came out....ouch.

I own the Nikon J1, almost all the Nikon 1 lenses, and have owned several Nikon DSLR's. I also have the adapter FT-1 to goof around with my other DX/FX lenses.

You can read more detailed reviews of the V2 elsewhere, but overall the V2 is a great little camera with DSLR focusing speed when the light is good. The V2 is better than my J1 with respect to focusing in dim lighting. My J1 sometimes can't even lock in focus in poor lighting. I don't see any difference in image quality between the J1 and V2. The grip and better controls make the V2 easier to use than the J1. The V2 still has that greenish cast like all the recent N1 and DSLR cameras from Nikon; most people won't notice this. Both the J1 and V2 are so light that I rarely use my Nikon DSLR. I usually have the 10-30 on the J1 and the 18.5 f1.8 or the 30-110 on the V2. Since they are so light, I usually have both cameras around my neck so that I don't have to change lenses with the V2. I would have bought the V1 instead of the J1 if the V1 had a build in flash. The V2 has a built in flash.

Like the J1, the V2 video is very good. That is probably the best reason I like the Nikon 1 cameras because they do both photo and video pretty well. When the kids are running around the Nikon 1 camera's video keep the kids in focus in good light. DSLR's will focus in and out trying to keep up with moving objects.

If price is a problem, then wait for the V2 to drop in price or get the V1 if you don't mind that the V1 has no built in flash.

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Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

My wife and I purchased this item to film our family events over the coming years. After a lot of research I narrowed it down to this and the Sony DCR-HC96 (in fact several online reviews compared these two as well). It came down to price, which was better at Circuit City. Unfortunatly I will be paying a 15% restocking fee now as we have decided to return it and go with the Sony. The Panasonic, I feel, is a really good camera. The colors are bright and crisp...during the day. However we felt that most of the use would be during the evening hours indoors. With all three lamps turned on in our living room, "Auto" mode showed faint images and shadows when not pointed close to a light source. After several adjustments in "manual" mode we managed to get a decently lit picture on the viewfinder (...the picture will not show up as bright on your tv). Poor lighting is a big problem with Digital Camcorders, so I was actually somewhat content with this picture quality. Where this camcorder falls short IMO is the lack of an onboard lightsource. It has a "cold shoe" on the top where you can add your own light. However it will have to run on it's own batteries since it's not powered by the camera (also the only lights I have found so far are on ebay). Knowing that this is a problem with every brand of camcorder, I simply don't understand why companies insist on not putting better, if any, light sources on their equipment. Oh well...at least the Sony has a "hot shoe" to add a light source if needed.

Overall I think that this is a VERY nice camcorder...if you plan on staying in well lit areas. Just my two pennies worth :)

I purchased this nifty little camcorder primarily for making

low-budget movies. I read the reviews and compared prices on

numerous models and decided the GS320 was the most affordable

and suitable model (GS500 was unavailable at the time). The

box arrived in the mail and I began some film testing and was

quickly impressed with the video quality, especially outdoors,

creating some clear, vivid images. It's true, the low lighting

isn't the greatest and the colors typically fade with the lack of

proper lighting. If you plan on filming a lot at night or

creating some dark creepy scenarios then this model probably

isn't what you want (The GS250 however has some great low

lighting capabilities, although, it too was unavailable at the

time).

The GS320 is very lightweight taking much stress off of the

arm and wrist, and the handstrap is also adjustable to fit practically

any size hand. You can purchase high-quality mini-tapes which

bring about an even more impressive looking picture (I've found

these to cost about $10-$12 per tape).The zoom is nice, although

you do lose some picture quality as already mentioned in several

reviews. This camcorder also has some neat special features, one

of which cuts down on that typically uncontrollable background noise

by concentrating its built-in mic on the speaker. The built-in OIS

works well in keeping the image steady for those distant, closely

zoomed in shots. Since I use Adobe Premeire Elements 3.0 for movie

editing, I only dabbled briefly with the 320's effects, most of which aren't very useful to my purpose. APE 3.0 is a great editing tool to

use with the 320; it's fast and simple and allows for much creative

freedom. I bought the APE 3.0/Photoshop Elements 4.0 bundle which

ran about $100 and is indispensable to a striving movie-maker.

For the price and quality, the GS320 seems to be unparalleled.

An unregrettable choice so far.

Buy Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Now

I just picked up this camera locally to use as a backup/crash cam for a AG-DVX200 prosumer camcorder. It works fine and by all means is a good camera for the money but there a few features that are annoying enough that some folks might want to avoid it (none of these points are a deal breaker for my purposes).

1) There is no audio input so you're stuck with the microphone that is in the camera.

2) The USB, DV and power ports are located behind the battery. This wouldn't be so bad except for the next point.

3) The charger will not power the camera and charge the battery at the same time. This is a good way to force us to purchase a second battery. We need a second battery anyway..

4) The hand strap position makes NO sense. It is far too low slung making the camera fit loose in your hand. Once you loosen your grip on the camera, it flops around in your hand uncontrollably. Not a problem if once you grip it again. Bah!

5) The hot shoe is actually a cold shoe so there is no way to trigger an external flash when using the still camera mode.

While those points are enough to sway away most users, this camera is about low cost high quality video, not the normal features consumers have come to expect. The camera is solid and produces a fine picture. The controls are usable with one hand so you can make adjustments on the fly fairly easily. Pressing the camera button during video recording or playback will cause a still image to be recorded to the SD memory card kinda neat. Finally, it works with Linux so dvgrab just pulls down video on demand.

I'd give this camera a 7 overall and a 9 on picture quality. For the price, it's probably the best picture wise. You have to decide if the negatives are a show stopper or not.

I think for someone who is interested in a low cost high quality SD (standard definition) camcorder with picture quality being the number one requirement, this little camcorder is the ticket.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Here

This camera works fantastic with our iMac & Macbook. It is a breeze to get video from the camera into iMovie. I accomplished it on my first attempt & no documentation was required.

You make the connection via Firewire, turn the camcorder to "play" mode and iMovie will detect the connection. You just click the "import" button and watch your video be copied over. The video quality is fantastic. My wife was really impressed.

We made the mistake of originally buying a JVC Everio (hard drive based camcorder). While it was possible to get the video onto our Mac, it was by no means easy. After going through about 300 different procedures, you would finally be done. But then it was complicated to manage the files. It was a giant waste of money & time.

This camera worked easily right out of the box. I am highly impressed. And of course, because we own Mac's, we didn't have to waste time by installing stupid software onto our computers (the unit does come with a CD-ROM for PC's).

We paid $365 for this unit. All in all fantastic camcorder!

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I've had a Canon Z45 for over 5 years and it has provided me with reliable performance and decent quality for home and vacation video. When we purchased our 42" widescreen TV and began taping in 16:9 aspect ratio, we found during playback that the image quality was definitely hurting. I thought I should replace my Canon with a HD Camcorder, however, my research failed to convince me that the time is right high cost, various recording media, difficulties editing and unknown capability to transfer to a standard DVD. I currently like the ease of making DVDs to share with family and friends with our HDD recorder.

Researched standard definition camcorders and I was sold on the PV-GS320. 3 CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, image stabilization, size/weight and great price. I am amazed at the quality of the video and sound it is absolutely phenomenal to quote others `crisp image, true-to-life colors'. To my eyes it's close enough to HD for my videos. My wife was skeptical of the need for a new camcorder but when she saw the first video, she was astonished at the difference. My wife and daughters enjoy the playback with the remote for slow motion and freeze frame. It is a great tool for critiquing my daughters' swim strokes.

Great price, received in 3 days. Easy to set up and use. My 10 & 12 year old daughters have no problem taping, playing back or using the joystick. Others have criticized the lack of a microphone input and the quality of the digital camera. I believe the internal microphone is excellent and I have a good digital camera for taking still shots. Battery life is short ordered a CGA DU-21.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3K 16.05 MP Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera with 3-Inch OLED - Body Onl

Professional image quality testing has been done, and the verdict is in. This camera beats the Olympus OM-D EM-5... just barely. Image quality off both camera sensors is fantastic and nearly identical, but the GH3 edges out the EM-5 by just a little bit of dynamic range. The EM-5 is a little cheaper, though. Right now, the GH3 is fairly expensive, but what you pay for is the best camera in this format money can buy, and I'm not just talking about image quality.

Other reviews cover a lot of things about image quality and technical specifications, far more in depth than I'll go here. What I want to talk about is handling, video, and the general advantages of the Micro Four Thirds format.

Chances are, if you are considering the GH3 at all, you fall under one of three categories. You are either a serious enthusiast, a professional photographer, or you want to make movies. This is probably not going to be your very first system camera, and it's definitely not a point-and-shoot camera for amateurs. That's not to say the GH3 is overly complicated or unapproachable if you're new to photography, but I should think a cheaper camera would fit your needs fine.

The GH3 is a very special camera, with lots to love for those who love cameras. If you're a serious enthusiast, you should consider the EM-5 as well as the GH3. There are pros and cons for both cameras. I'll let you go read up on the EM-5 on your own, but for the GH3, it has a lot in its favor. Top of the list is handling. The GH3 is the largest camera in the format, this is true, but what you gain in bulk and weight, you also gain in ergonomics. There are lots and lots of physical buttons, five of them customizable, and nearly all of them usable one-handed without any awkwardness. The software is fantastic, too, giving you additional programable buttons on the touch screen, as well as Panasonic's fully configurable Quick Menu. There are tons and tons of options to set to get your camera working just the way you want it to. Everything is very well laid out and fairly intuitive. The dials and control wheels feel solid and work great. Even the largest of lenses balance very well on the GH3, thanks to its weight and best-in-format grip. Don't let its size fool you though, it's only a little heavier than the EM-5. Along with that size comes a very large battery. Technical specs I think are conservative on the lifespan of a charge, too. This is the best camera battery I've ever encountered, letting me shoot far longer than I am used to. All-in-all, the GH3 fits wonderfully in the hand, is very easy to shoot with, and gives you a huge amount of control. If you're an enthusiast photographer or serious prosumer, the GH3 will not disappoint. As an enthusiast, though, you've got plenty of options in the format and you should look carefully at many other models that may be cheaper but still quite satisfying.

If you are a professional, I think you'll appreciate much of the same things enthusiasts do, like what I mentioned above. But there's more in this camera that seems intended just for you. The Wi-Fi "Lumix Link" will let you upload images directly from the camera as you shoot, letting your customers see immediately what you're doing. You can also use it to trigger the shutter remotely or change settings. If wireless isn't your thing, there's an HDMI port and AV port. I have to believe the fully articulated touch screen will let you make difficult shots easy, such as doing macro on a product at a weird angle. The DSLR-type body will be very familiar to you, as well, though this is a mirrorless camera which means it's a much lighter camera than you're probably used to (more on this later). If you work with video at all for hybrid products, the live electronic viewfinder during movie recording will be a welcome change from optical viewfinders. As I mentioned before, the battery is quite large, but if you need more juice and don't want to switch batteries, there's a (sold-seperately) battery grip that will improve handling with portrait shots and give you even more endurance on a shoot. You will probably get some use out of the flash synchro socket and/or hot shoe. The buffer seems to be quite huge, and with a fast card shooting RAW in burst mode, it's very difficult to slow the camera down. There aren't more than a handful of weatherproof lenses for Micro Four Thirds so far, but if you have any the GH3 is weatherproof and will give you a seal to protect your system while you're shooting in wet environments. The camera is built with high quality, solid materials. All-in-all, the GH3 is perhaps the first Micro Four Thirds camera aimed squarely at the professional market, whether or not you've been tempted by the format before. It gives you enormous control, but gets out of your way when you're working. If you are a professional photographer, you are sure to appreciate the design considerations Panasonic made to make this a camera you can get serious work done with.

If you are a videographer, why are you even reading this review? There is simply no better camera for the movie-maker in this price range, and the video quality you'll get off of this camera will surpass hybrid or video-only cameras that cost considerably more. That said, video was one of my primary reasons for getting this camera, so I'll give you the most important details. Of all the codecs you're most likely to use, the six big ones are 1080p 24fps 50Mbps, 1080p 30fps 50Mbps, 1080p 60fps 50Mbps, 1080p 24fps 72Mbps (ALL-INTRA), 1080p 30fps 72Mbps (ALL-INTRA), or 720p 60fps 72Mbps (ALL-INTRA). You have a full-sized 3.5mm (1/8") microphone port, no need for an adapter like with the GH2, and a 3.5mm (1/8") headphone port for sound out while shooting. Of course, the GH3 has a stereo mic build-in. You can set mic levels right on the camera. There's all kinds of options for time code. As a videographer, you may still want to consider the GH2. Video quality is better on the GH3 in testing, even compared to the hacked GH2, but the GH2 is considerably cheaper and the difference in quality may not be enough. If you're a small budget indie filmmaker, choose carefully. All-in-all, if you can afford one, the GH3 out of the box is truly a fantastic video camera and competes at a much higher level for the price. It really puts other cameras to shame, even dedicated video cameras. If you are a videographer, or even a professional filmmaker, this camera has pretty much everything you want.

Which brings me to an important point. This is a hybrid camera, not merely an excellent still camera. For the price of one professional-quality camera, you're really getting two. If you happen to like taking still pictures AND video, the GH3 offers tremendous value. If you're creating hybrid products as a professional, there's really no other single camera that can do as well as this. If you're a hobbyist with interest in both pictures and video, this can save you a lot of money. The GH2 was good, this is better. Micro Four Thirds has finally arrived at the next level, not for stills-only, but for stills and video. If the EM-5 made Micro Four Thirds a serious format for still photography, the GH3 ups the ante and makes the format a viable platform for a whole new market.

Micro Four Thirds is the only truly mature mirrorless camera system. There are other mirrorless systems, to be sure, but Micro Four Thirds has a huge selection of first-party and third-party lenses, low end and high end, covering a huge range of focal lengths and apertures. The diversity of bodies from Panasonic and Olympus means there's probably a good camera for you no matter who you are. When you buy a system camera, it's reassuring to know that you're making a good investment. Micro Four Thirds is not going away any time soon. There's lots of great lenses available, and many more coming out. There's also adapters for many other lens formats, so there is almost limitless legacy glass available for any need, provided you don't mind manual focus. Mirrorless means thinner and lighter camera bodies, and Micro Four Thirds lenses need only half the focal length to achieve the same field of view as full frame cameras which means smaller and cheaper lenses for the same zoom factor. With two companies competing in the same format, there is a lot of innovation and a lot of options for users.

We'll see what happens over the next year from Panasonic and Olympus. New models are due out from both companies, as is the endless march of progress. For the time being, at least, the GH3 is a fantastic camera, and depending on your needs, it may be the best camera in this format for you until the GH4 comes out. Certainly for the moment, it has the best image quality available, and is a great camera to actually use. If you don't need the best that Micro Four Thirds has to offer, there are a lot of other great cameras to choose from in the format.

Happy shooting!

I have been waiting for this camera for about 4 years. In 2008 I was looking for the best camera that excelled in both stills and video. I settled for a JVC camcorder which recorded in SD and took 5mp stills. I moved to a Sony SR-11 for HD and interlaced 10mp stills. I was unsatisfied with the stills of the Sony so I bought an Oly E-420 touted as the smallest DSLR to accompany my camcorder. For over a year I dealt with the cumbersome set up of camcorder, DSLR body, 2 lenses and a tripod with mixed results to boot.

Enter the GH2 and 2 issues were somewhat solved at once. The 1st problem was bulk and the other being image quality. The stills of the GH2 was a major step up to my Oly E-620 and the video quality was also significantly upgraded as a result.

Now finally to the GH3 {while comparing to the GH2... I say that the GH2 feels and looks like a toy, yet is quite a serious tool under the hood so to speak. The advantage of looking like a toy was the incognito factor. In contrast, the GH3 has an excellent form, feel and look to it. It fits like a glove for me when operating. As a photographer our camera is like an appendage after all. The GH3 with a 12-35mm attached is light and remains relatively compact.

The location of levers and buttons are logically placed. I initially thought the lever to change from AF to MF was in a bad place and hard to turn. I was trying to make the adjustment with my forefinger (because I almost always have it mounted on a tripod) but it was clearly designed to be turned with the thumb which is stronger. I appreciate the ability to open the battery compartment and not have to remove my quick release tripod plate. I used to always accidently press the WB button of the GH2 and even change settings. The WB and ISO buttons are now on top. No more accidents.

Another major improvement is the speed. The burst shots are very responsive with no lag writing to the card until after 30 shots or so. I use a San Disk 95 mbs write speed which shines now. I was amazed of the processor speed of the GH3 when I would finish doing a burst of 5 shots or so (always RAW) and then press the video button and start recording right away. I have missed many key moments in video on the GH2 because I was waiting for it to finish writing to the memory card.It absolutely destroys the GH2 on this.

The electronic shutter is not virtually silent on a AF lens. You will hear the lens (not the body) make a small adjustment sound. This is still perfectly acceptable even in places demanding silence. One of the serious problems with Electronic Shutter is the bands / electronic stripes (like video of a CRT screen) that ruin images in certain artificial lighting.

As a so called hybrid shooter I welcome the advantages of the GH3 over the GH2 in speed and ease of transition between the mediums. The 1st thing I noticed was the manual Movie Mode which is not placed after all the C (Custom Settings) but right after M (Manual). I often shoot in A (Aperture) Mode and switch to manual Movie mode so I have 3 less turns to do now. The other thing is when recording video on PASM in the GH2 it would default to the lowest Bit Rate 17 mbps. Now it records in whatever mode you have set up like the MOV 1080 60p @ 50mbps without having to switch to manual.

I have a couple of gripes I am having a difficult time accepting though. The 1st is the EVF compared to the GH2. It now has a more "digitized" look to it. The noise (grain) is excessive in many cases. The EVF eye piece is much smaller also for some reason. A missing feature (that I miss anyways) is the "My Menu" found on the GH2 which lets you quickly access the last 5 menu features you used. I would use this to access things like formatting the memory card (instead of digging in the menu).

I just finished a weekend of shooting multiple events related to Art Basel Miami and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the shooting experience even though I just received the camera a day prior. The excellent Lumix 12-35mm has a lot to do with my positive experience. A fellow video shooter with a Canon 1D was impressed with the Continual AF speed and accuracy of the GH3 via the rear view monitor. I like the extras like Level Gauge, Intravalometer and WiFi to name a few useful features added to the GH3. The battery life is greatly improved too. I took 100's of stills and video clips the other night and it still showed 2 bars left. The GH2 has aweful banding on video especially with clear blue skies. I shot a beach scene w/ the GH3 (with bright blue skies) at 7mm on a Lumix 7-14mm and saw less banding. Many of the strong points of the GH2 made it to the GH3 like EX TELE Convert feature though it has it's quirks.

This hybrid is the best we have yet available, but it is not perfect. With present technology we could have had an even better solution by now IMO. Yet at $1300 I think this is a good value and worthy tool to produce excellent images. BTW we may have some significant updates via next firmware for the GH3 relatively soon.

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3K 16.05 MP Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera with 3-Inch OLED - Body Onl Now

Having now spent a few weeks with this camera I feel I can provide an honest review of the GH3 and how it compares to it's well-regarded predecessor, the GH2. What seems clear from the onset of testing is that Panasonic has listened to the feedback it sought from photographers and videographers alike prior to designing a GH2 replacement. The body is much more solid and refined in it's ergonomics and controls. This camera now feels as professional as it's larger/heavier full frame and APS-C competitors (especially with the battery grip), but retains a nimbleness those cameras will never be able to match. The user interface is much more straight forward now and no longer requires a decryptor ring in order to select video shooting modes. In fact each menu option that is highlighted can now describe in detail what it's purpose is before it is activated, deactivated or changed.

The new OLED screen is simply stunning and accurately displays color and exposure, even in bright outdoor shooting. I find myself leaving an external monitor at home for my outdoor shoots because it just adds weight to my kit without really improving functionality. The viewfinder is nice as well, but I've noticed it can suffer from some image smearing around the outer edges if your eye is not perfectly aligned to it's center. WiFi remote control works great on the Samsung Galaxy and Asus Transformer, but I have not yet tested it on iPads or iPhones. The 50mbps IPB codec is excellent and can be pushed further in grading and recovery than previous hacked GH2 codecs I've used. Dynamic range, noise/grain, low light performance and ISO color shift (no more green tinting at higher ISOs) all seem improved over the GH2.

Raw still images have much better highlight recovery now as well. Where the GH2 has maybe 1/2 a stop of highlight recovery, the GH3 seems more like 1 to 1.5 stops of recovery which makes exposing for shadows much easier and is great when working in timelapse. Speaking of timelapse, the new electronic shutter feature and built-in intervalometer are brilliant. With the battery grip added you can take literally thousands of pictures in electronic shutter mode without killing the batteries. The only downside is that exposures greater than 1 sec in this mode are not (yet) available, so you will need to change over to the mechanical shutter for longer exposures. The camera can also be set to go into sleep mode when timelapsing in long intervals, further saving it's already outstanding battery life. To date I have yet to run into any video moire problems, which appears to be a much more inflated issue online then is justified in the real world. My preferred video settings are Contrast -5, Sharpness 0, Saturation 0, NR -5.

In conclusion, this is the camera I have been waiting for as a professional videographer and photographer. It does everything I need it to do in a light weight kit and does it exceedingly well given it's price point.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3K 16.05 MP Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera with 3-Inch OLED - Body Onl Here

I have been an avid user of the GH series since the GH1. I use these cameras mostly for video, because I shoot Canon DSLRs for most of my stills. The GH series cameras are optimized for video and produce crisper video than the Canon DSLRs, whereas the Canon DSLRs have more dynamic range and color depth and less noise at all ISOs. I have been following the GH13 firmware patches by Russian hacker Vitaly on Personal View since the beginning and have applied the hacks to the GH1 and GH2 with mixed results.

The GH3 now has a more solid weatherproofed build and the buttons are laid out like a true DSLR. It's like the GH2 has grown up to compete head to head in the DSLR market. But can it really compete with the big boys? You can read about the improved build and other new features in many reviews, but I'm going to focus here mostly on image quality.

While the GH2 was an improvement over the GH1, the advertized gains in low light (noise) and dynamic range performance were a disappointment*. Still photography images were virtually the same, but the quality of motion video was improved considerably, particularly if the hack was applied.

My first test of the GH3 was taking still photographs in controlled studio lighting. First impression of the JPEGs out of the camera is very good. Although at low ISO the difference from the GH2 is hard to see at first, upon examination there is significantly more detail in the shadow areas, the reds are richer, and the overall tint is more accurate. The GH2 images appear to have a green cast by comparison.

Moving up into the higher ISOs, around ISO 3200 the differences are stark. Here the GH2 has blotchy noise, a muddy green cast in the shadows and the colors are muted. The GH3 retains finer grain all the way up to ISO 6400, the colors are bright and the images are actually usable. At 100% the GH3 has some mosquito JPEG artifacts evident as random pinpoints of noise vs. the GH2 which has dark blotches and smeared details.

After upgrading ACR to handle the new RAW files, I took another look at the same set of photos in RAW. The RAW files reveal the fact that the JPEG engine in the GH3 is doing a heavy amount of noise reduction. Even at the base ISO of 200, quite a bit of noise is present in the RAW images, more than I would like to see. With an aggressive amount of noise reduction applied, the RAW files can be made to look as good and then a bit better than the JPEGs out of the camera. But the conclusion is that the JPEG engine has already been optimized to make the images look as good as possible, and RAW processing is not gaining a whole lot, except for the ability to fine tune and fix any white balance errors.

The still photos are pretty significantly improved over the GH2, and those already heavily invested in Micro 4/3 lenses will be glad to know that the investment will be put to good use on this body. But what many are dying to know is how much improvement there is in the video. What videographers are looking for is more dynamic range and a reduction or elimination of macroblocking and pixelation in heavy motion scenes.

There is good news here too: The GH3 pulls moderately more detail out of the shadow areas than the GH2. It's subtle but it's there: there is a bit more detail and less pixelated busyness in the grain. Again at high ISOs the difference is more drastic. The new All-I MOV codec is much more solid and easier to grade and edit without the image falling apart, without resorting to hacking the firmware. The other significant change is that the new menu allows for setting sharpness, contrast, and noise reduction in five steps up or down rather than three. Even with the sharpness turned to -3 on the GH2, the video looked unnaturally sharp with halos and aliasing. Now, with the sharpness turned all the way down to -5, the video looks more natural and the halos and aliasing are gone. Sharpening can now be adjusted in post more tastefully. Unfortunately, Panasonic removed two of my favorite photo styles for shooting video: Smooth and Cinema. In fact, they renamed all of them except for Standard and now there are only five instead of seven. The new styles Natural and Portrait are good choices for video. There are also many scene and creative control styles that have major effects on the overall look.

I have one main issue with this camera and that is the fact that the base ISO is 200. I didn't like it when they changed the base ISO from 100 to 160 on the GH2, and a base ISO of 200 is even worse. A base ISO of 200 on a micro 4/3 camera has about the same signal to noise ratio as ISO 800 on a full-frame DSLR**. That is hardly a very clean ''best'' setting. Smaller sensor cameras should be allowing us to begin at a LOWER base ISO, not a higher one, in order to have the finest grain and least amount of noise possible. And especially for video you really need to be able to shoot at lower ISOs in bright light, otherwise you are forced to have to use neutral density filters. The camera has an extended ISO that allows you to shoot at 125, but in manual movie mode it forces you back to ISO 200. Ideally I would like to be able to shoot at ISO 50 but at least all other digital cameras allow you to shoot at ISO 100. This is very frustrating and I don't understand why Panasonic doesn't allow this.

My second problem with this camera is the cost. This Micro 4/3 camera now costs TWICE as much as a good consumer grade DSLR such as the Canon T41. Even after adding on a few standard lenses, the DSLR becomes a less expensive solution while producing superior still images.

The loss of the multi-format sensor is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the 3x2 and 16x9 photos have lower resolution, and for video all your lenses are going to be slightly cropped compared to the GH2. On the other hand, this could be a positive if you are using legacy lenses such as B4 mount 2/3" lenses which have soft corners; some of the offending corners are cropped off. In the end, the improved image quality of this sensor wins out over the loss of the multi-format oversized sensor.

The new WiFi feature is the most sophisticated of any camera. It allows you to remotely control the camera's functions from your smartphone, immediately play back pictures on your phone or TV, immediately send pictures to your PC as you take them, and send stored pictures to your smartphone/pc/cloud service/web service/printer. I have not yet tested the WiFi features.

Here are the pros and cons of the GH3:

Pros:

Excellent JPEG Engine

Increased dynamic range

Improved low light/high ISO performance

More accurate colors

Wider control over contrast, sharpness, saturation, & noise reduction

Video quality exceeds most DSLRs

Sturdy build

Better button layout

Better, larger LCD

Longer lasting battery

Robust video codec that does not require a hack for pro editing

Fast and very accurate auto-focus

In-camera HDR works well

Silent electronic shutter option

Sophisticated WiFi features

Cons:

Base ISO of 200 is restrictive & frustrating

RAW files reveal that true levels of noise are high even at base ISO

Very little gains to be had shooting in RAW

No Smooth or Cinema picture styles

Considerably more expensive than many DSLRs

Still photography still inferior to most DSLRs

Loss of multi-format sensor could be a complaint for some.

My overall impression of the camera is very good, and I will probably be getting rid of the GH2 and finally giving up on the frustrating exercise of trying to get the 'perfect' hack settings out of it. The GH3 doesn't need the hack, with the robust 72 mbps MOV codec it's reliable and ready out of the box for professional cinematographers and hobbyists. The only thing that bothers me about it is not being able to shoot below ISO 200 in manual movie mode, but I will have to learn to live with that. The cost remains a big issue; for the same amount you could buy two GH2s and have some money left over to put towards the 12-35mm f/2.8 lens. GH2 hackers who already like what they have will probably want to wait until the cost comes down, and most photographers who don't shoot video will get more quality for their dollars with a DSLR.

*DxOMark actually gave the GH2 sensor a lower rating than the GH1 in all three categories: Color Depth, Dynamic Range, and Low Light ISO.

**I compared the RAW files. At ISO 200, the grain or noise from the GH3 is actually slightly WORSE than the Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 800.

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THis is my 2nd GH3. The first one was defective. The leveler was off and 20% of the shots were out of focus. This one is perfect perfect perfect. I'll begin with the things I like about it 1) AWB is the closest AWB achieved. I have a Canon Mark III and Nikon D800. None come close to how accurate Panny's AWB works. 2) size and weight. Perfect for me since I do a lot of architectural shooting and going up and down stairs is much easier at 70 years old. 3) the swing out touch screen LCD!! Keeps me from having to stoop over for hours looking at the viewfinder. 4) Touch focus on the LCD!!! OMG!! Perfect! 5) Photo quality.....up to 800 ISO. After 800 I do notice some noise. 6) Customizable buttons!! A LOT!! 7) The feel in my hands. Perfect. Now what I don't like 1) I wish the timer would auto bracket the shots when set. The Nikon and Canon both do that. I had to buy at remote shutter release cable. An inconvenience to carrying around for those twilight shots. Finally what everyone else has said about the camera is true. After another motnh or so, I may end up selling my Nikon D800 and Canon Mark III. Oh I'm using the Panny with a Oly 9-18 lens. I tried the Panny 7-14 but horrible flare problems.

Update: After having the 2nd camera for less than a month I've discovered a few issues. I was using my Canon external flash and it worked fine for about a week then the hot shoe became slightly loose and the flash wouldn't fire. It worked perfectly on my Canon Mark III and still does. I tried another flash on the Panny and still no luck. Defective hot shoe. I had to return the 2nd GH3 but got another one....I liked it that much!! The new one seems to be working fine with the external flash. Another issue has been occasional out of focus shots. The camera would beep "in focus" but after downloading the photos, several were out of focus. I had this problem as well with the previous GH3. I was using single point focusing. Then I tried a different focus setting...pinpoint. It zooms in quickly and you can see whether or not it's truly in focus. Some registered "in focus" but weren't so I had to move the focus point to a good contrast area to achieve true focus. Ever since then, all my photos have been in focus. Every camera has it's quirks. Getting to know them is the key to getting good shots. One thing I'm concerned about is the longevity of the camera. I'm a working photographer and put about 8,000 to 10,000 shutter clicks on my cameras per month. I had a Nikon D700 for years and ran it up to 300,000 shutter clicks with no problems. I also had a Sony SLT A77 that started to fail after 8 months. It was in for service twice. I love the GH3. It's light and gives me results in the easiest way possible. I don't invest in cameras unless it makes my job easier. The GH3 feels solid for what it is but only time will tell.

Update: After 2 months, I found that this is the ONLY camera I have ever used that has a truly amazing AWB. It is very close to being perfect. If not, at least it makes it much easier to correct in PS or other photo programs. However, in difficult situations such as colored walls, etc... I still manual white balance and it brings it to almost 95% perfect.

Lorex LH108321C8B 8-Camera Network Video Surveillance System with 320GB H.264 DVR (Black)

My intended use for the eight camera system is home monitoring. The capability of watching my home from other locations is an important feature I plan to utilize. This is my first video monitored security system, so my comments will reflect only my observations of this equipment. I have three PCs in my home on a local area network connected to the Internet with a wireless router. I will be attaching the system to a 22 inch monitor.

After unpacking the box I plugged the DVR into the wall and then connected it to my router with the supplied Ethernet cable. Then I plugged the power supply for the eight cameras into the wall and plugged it into the back of the DVR and attached a camera to it. Then I inserted the DVD into my computer thinking it might have some essential software on it I found four buttons, one for the" user manual " (a hard copy of the manual is included in the box,) "acrobat reader" (if not already loaded on your computer so you can read the manual,) "warranty information" and "buy accessories."

When I plugged the DVR into the router it automatically got a network address and then I put the address in Internet Explorer and a log in screen appeared on my monitor. Passwords are disabled as a default, but I'm sure I will change that setting so it requires a password. When completely installed, the screen shows frames for each of the eight cameras.

The first camera I set up was in a pitch black room (it was evening. I wanted to test the night vision. As soon as someone approached the doorway they appeared on the monitor with the entire room illuminated on the screen. In night vision's usual black and white, at a distance of 12-14 feet, a face was clearly visible and identifiable. Frankly, I was wowed -this was one of those "isn't technology amazing" moments. Next, after temporarily mounting all the cameras, I checked the playback (recording) feature on each camera (automatic default)to ensure that feature was working. So, far, no problems.

Next I needed to get a personal web address to view the cameras remotely from the Internet. On page 44 of the instruction manual the Lorex DDNS website is noted. Once there, I was prompted for my MAC (media access control) address found by going to the "main menu," selecting "advance" and then "info." At that time, a customer server name will also be selected. Perhaps this is obvious, but for security purposes, it would be wise to use something other than the address of the property. The equipment will also be registered at this time, along with a password, user name, etc. After that process is complete, an email will arrive from Lorex with some additional information that is needed to be entered into the DVR to maintain the DDNS connection.

Note, port 80 is used to view the cameras from the Internet outside of your home/business network. The problem is some people may already be using port 80 to host their own website. If you want to change it to a different port, there is information on Lorex's website on how to configure your router to forward to a different port. Then to configure the DVR to use the forwarded port, the instructions are in the user manual Appendix C. Go to the main menu displayed on the monitor and select "advance", "network" and then use the mouse to change the web port from 0080 to something else. Select a number larger than 1024, in order to avoid using a port that may be in use by one of your other devices. Then to monitor your security cameras from the internet, enter your personal web address and follow it with a colon and the new port number. I checked the set-up from a remote address and it worked perfectly it looked the same as viewing it on a web browser on the local area network.

Turning the DVR off is a two step process, and it isn't described well in the manual. And, the process isn't intuitive. First hold the button on either the DVR or remote control down until the DVR goes into standby mode which is reflected on the monitor. In standby mode the screen is blank but the lights are still illuminated on the DVR, so to complete the off process hold the power key in until the DVR lights go out and the fan goes off. If you just push the power button on the DVR in and then let go, nothing happens.

If the DVR needs to be disconnected or in the event of a power loss, all of the changes in settings will be lost, including the time and address. Purchasing a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) and plugging the DVR into it is an essential step to protect against power surges and power loss to ensure continuous recording and avoid repeated re-configuration. And, obviously, the user should not frivilously disconnect the system once it is set up.

Batteries are included with the remote control. Note: there are no buttons on the remote control that light-up so when the batteries are dead it will be a matter of trial and error to determine they need to be replaced. I found the remote had to be aimed straight at the DVR. It didn't respond well if the remote was pointed slightly above, below or to the side.

There is no way to mount the camera in a fixed position where it won't move. No matter what I tried there was always a little play. So, if installed outside, a camera will be vulnerable to a strong wind, an object being hurled at it or even a stick being poked at it, so if possible mount the cameras in a sheltered location.

There is approximately 30 inches of cable attached to the camera that is then plugged into the 60 foot cable. For exterior installations, that section of cable needs to be installed inside a wall because the connections aren't weatherproof. Some security cameras run the cable through the mounting bracket so it isn't exposed at the installation site, and thus it is protected from both the elements and an intruder who can simply cut the cable to steal or disarm the camera. That is not the case with this camera, so there is ample reason to install as much as the cable into the wall as possible, leaving little exposed at the installation site.

The stated temperature range for operation is 4 below zero to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. For my purposes this is an issue because in Colorado, it occasionally gets colder than 4 below. So, my cameras will be installed inside the property aimed through windows. One of the photos I attached shows the monitor with four of the cameras installed. The poorest quality of the group is the one on the upper right corner (camera 2) which is currently pointed through a window screen. That camera will ultimately be installed through clear glass, but I included it because even through the window screen, the picture on my monitor is clear and impressive. That street is 135 feet from the camera. For reference, the distances for each of the remaining three shots on the monitor measured from where the camera is mounted to the picture on the screen are 12 feet, 14 feet and the 25 feet. The 25 foot shot is the one pictured in the single monitor screen photograph, and it is quite clear.

Other than plugging in the DVR, no electricity is required in connecting the cameras, so if you have access either through an attic or basement, and a tool to thread the cables through your walls and a drill, it is a viable do-it-yourself project. Dropping the cables through the wall and fishing them down into an unfinished basement and then to the DVR will, in some locations, require more than the included 60 foot cables. On the website, additional 60 foot cables can be purchased for $24.99 each plus $4.50 for the connector needed to attach the two cables together.

Ultimately I am impressed with this system. Granted, it isn't a commercial grade set-up, but for a homeowner, the price is very reasonable and the cameras have a strikingly clear picture, even in pitch black applications. The downside for me is the temperature range, which although broad, isn't quite broad enough for me to safely install the cameras outside. Exterior installation in Colorado might always be an issue considering the number of snowstorms experienced each winter. The cameras might be frequently covered in snow and not provide helpful pictures even if the temperature range permitted installation.

The cameras work beautifully, and the computer set up was smooth. I haven't attempted to contact customer support so I can't speak to their responsiveness. For me, the wiring issue was minor, but that may or may not be an issue depending upon the installation site. So, far I am very pleased with the system. The ability to check on my dogs and my house remotely, and when home, being able to see who is approaching my driveway and front door, is to me invaluable. I don't know how the system will hold up over time, but I will update the review if I run into any problems.

I purchased this unit about 2 weeks ago. I will say that installation and use ability of the system was good, also live video is very good. The main issue that I have is in watching the video that has been recorded. The whole point of home security system is to have recorded video that I can review later if something happens. So far that has been an almost complete failure. While the unit is recording and it does show me in the web interface of the unit that the files are there, I have been unable to view them. I have tried several PC's and several different versions of IE. (By the way the unit only works with IE it does not work at all with Chrome, Safari, Firefox Etc...) I have tried several times to contact tech support on the matter and have not had a response.

Update: I was finally contacted by tech support 10 days after emailing them; we have corresponded serveral times since then with no luck in fixing my problems.

Update: 1-10-11 This unit is junk, it started dying quickly after I started using it (Fan Died, VGA output Died), and the Support from LOREX is absolute and completely useless. My recommendation is to NEVER, NEVER buy anything from this company!!!!

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I'm no techno whiz, just your above average home DIYer. I felt comfortable with the installation and setup of this system but it is not without it's difficulties. The remote viewing setup was not what I would call simple which involves assiging port numbers on your LAN and port forwarding your router and such, but with a couple of calls to the Lorex technical assistance team all was setup properly. They were very helpful and are able to log onto your computer network and make changes to allow the system to work. However, I'm still not able to use remote viewing because my ISP service is too slow (which is no fault of Lorex). I have sattelite internet and to upgrade from my home plan to the pro plan would cost more than I want to spend. Beside that, the system is easy to operate with either the mouse, remote control, or front panel keys. The video quality is just okay, not great. The DVR's hardrive is noisy (a constant low hum). It will do the job I want it to do which is to allow me to monitor the outside of my home and record activity while I'm gone. It might assist with identifying an intruder by what clothes they wear or what type of vehicle they drive, but I don't think the camera is capable of a tag # or facial recognition unless the subject is very close to the camera. As far as I know, this system is as good of one as you will get for this price. That being said, I am satisfied with my purchase.

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I purchased the Lorex LH108 8 Camera DVR from Amazon and the system arrived within the expected time. The packaging was quite good. The DVR is in one box and the cameras and cables in another box. Both boxes were then inserted into a larger box.

I was particularly impressed with the "Do it yourself" nature of the items. There were small zip lock bags with Rawle plugs and screws for each camera mount (2 per camera). Each camera had a 60' Siamese cable which included the power and BNC connectors, wrapped along a plastic cable holder which when removed allowed the cable to unravel without tangling. This simple feature can only be appreciated when you begin installing with 8 cables being strung together and they begin to tangle while you are on a ladder. The 60' of cable was sufficient for my installation, but I can easily see where there might be the need to extend the cable.

The cameras offered good resolution for distances less than 15'. Beyond that things become increasingly fuzzy. The installation went well. In configuring the DVR, some areas of the user manual could have had more clarity. For example in explaining the network access password, which in this case can be different from the typical user and admin password.

I was able to login on my LAN and view the images remotely. The images were very much compressed and were 80% black and white. I assume this is to allow the images to pass through the outgoing bandwidth I have. This is not a big issue. I also realised that you cannot access the images remotely using any smartphone. You cannot use a Blackberry for example, only a windows based phone, which I did not have. I would have expected this important fact to be stated clearly in the advertising documentation for the product. I configured the DDNS feature using dyndns.com and while I was able to get the login screen, I was unable to login. The login failed on every occassion. I removed the passwords and still the logins failed. However on the LAN I would get the same login screen and be able to login without any problems. It did not make technical sense but I thought maybe "Lorex does not like dyddns.com" so I setup the Lorexddns feature. I had the same problem. I could not login remotely via the Internet, even when the password was removed, yet on the LAN, I had no problem logging in. I have spent several hours on this without success.

I e-mailed tech support about my problem, but have not gotten a response as yet, and don't expect to. It is obvious that the Lorex web site has a strong "sales" focus and very little "support" focus. I called Tech Support and after listening to several minutes of what appeared to be an essay recital, I was able to speak with someone. Tech Support was friendly and very helpful. I gave Tech Support my password and removed the password from the system, but they too could not login. They suggested I update the firmware. I downloaded the firmware and udated the DVR. Of course all the settings would default and you would have to reprogram IP address, passwords, names etc. The DVR still displayed the same login challenges. I will call Tech Support again and update this review. As of this stage I am giving the system a 3 star rating, but if I get to login remotely, then I would rate the system with 4 star. For the money spent, the system is good value....without the challenges hopefully. At this stage, I am dissapointed, but hopeful. If anyone can offer any suggestions to me on fixing my login problems, I would be appreciative.

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Let me start off by saying we have a small business that consists of a used car lot and repair shop. Every once in a while we have items stolen from cars on the lot or find that someone had dumped their garbage in our dumpsters. The Lorex LH108321C8B 8-Camera Network Video Surveillance System hopefully is going to put a stop to the invaders.

After opening and inspecting the items in the box, we decided where we would set up the cameras to have the best visibility on the premises. We began installing the cameras at 10am and we finished by 3pm. Installation was simple and did not involve any really hard work except drilling holes into the aluminum siding and feeding the camera cables to an upstairs office. Only two screws mount the cameras. The only negative comment I can say about the installation is that the knob to secure the cameras does not "finger" tightened every well. When a strong breeze flew by, the camera would move. We used a wrench to tighten the position of the camera but made sure not to strip it. We connected the DVR to a 20" computer monitor by using an HDMI connector cable. We were impressed with the quality of the images. Colors are vivid and no really noticeable fuzziness. The only thing we noticed with the images is that scenes directly in front of the camera are crystal clear but as you look further past it starts to become less clear. We could not wait to see how the night vision worked. The next morning we reviewed the previous night's recording. It only used 47GB of the hard drive after 18 hours of continuous use. You do have the options of setting up specific times you want the video to record so you use less space on the hard drive. The night vision worked well except in areas where there was floodlights or streetlights. The images from those cameras were fuzzy. Just make sure to mount the cameras in areas that the camera view is not directly facing some type of night lighting. When reviewing the video you are able to pause it and zoom in on images. The DVR interface is extremely easy to navigate. You can select your options manually by using the buttons on the DVR or use the included mouse.

I cannot really comment on the remote access options since we do not intend to use those features. However I will mention that I found it amusing how the instructions had a little picture and stated if you had to be highly skilled for certain connections. Included a one long ground cable which we had no clue where to put it since the directions did not mention it.

The unit only comes with one "warning premises under 24 hour video surveillance" sticker. I wanted to have one warning sticker on all four sides of the building. You are able to purchase additional stickers, cable extensions and accessories directly from the manufacturers website. I ended up buying generic stickers and you can get them really cheap from Amazon, here is the link Security System Warning Stickers, 4-Pack.

Overall, great camera system for a home or small business. Easy to install and operate.

Panasonic HC-V520 HD Digital Camcorder with 80x Zoom and Wi-fi (Black)

I work with baseball players and bought this unit for its 60P capability and long zoom. The zoom is more like 58X or 62X, but that's still VERY powerful. The image quality is good, even at max zoom and the image stabilizer seems to work well. This video-camera also seems to work very well in lower light conditions (it's at least one stop better than my other cameras, I assume due to a bigger sensor). It has a full range of manual controls that seem to be available in all modes. It's also VERY small and light. Battery life on the included battery seems better than average (compared to my Canon HV-30).

The only downsides -and the reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 -are that I literally can't buy another (or really two or three) battery for it, which is an issue for me because I am a semi-professional photographer and film entire baseball games and like to have 2 or 3 batteries in my bag just in case. Panasonic also charges a ridiculous amount for accessories like batteries and an external battery charger. They are pricing the camera low and then getting you with the accessories, so understand that the effective price of this camera is more like $500 or $600 if you need more than just what comes in the box.

P.S. The BIOS is buggy. I am getting increasing numbers of card write/read errors, despite using premium, high bit rate Sandisk cards.

I like it very much. very simple to use. good quality video & pictures.the zoom is very good. The main reason I bought it is for live streaming. I like the shape and features. Battery life is only one hour when using HD.

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Magnific Zoom, great queality.

I like this product. It is very good and small, but excelent quality. Buy it now

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CowboyStudio Triple Mount Hot Shoe V Mount Bracket for Video Lights, Microphones or Monitors, Vbrac

This I like because it works great and also there is place on the metal sides to attach things (I have my Microphone mixer there)

It's been a long time since I ordered trash but as soon as I tried to tighten this crap on my camera the screw stripped without hesitation, so on that note I put this device straight where it belongs ..... the garbage I didn't even want an exchange or my money back I just wanted to be done with it, sorry guys PLEASE TAKE THIS CRAP OFF THE MARKET!!!

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Sony SNC-M1 Fixed IP Network Camera w/Audio

I've recently upgrade my usb webcam to a Sony M1 because of the features and performance I've read on a few websites. I've learned that the technology Sony put into this camera comes from their professional line of camera products. So, I decided to purchase one to test out. The picture quality is far more superior than a $99 webcam I used to have. I love that it has a recording software w/ audio. I purchased the M1 model, but they also have a wireless version M1W and a pan and tilt model M3 and M3W. I'm currently looking into purchasing 3 more cameras to complete my system. I give this camera a 5 star for it performance.

This is a very easy to install network camera. It was up and running in 20 minutes in my small home office.

I am using the camera in a 300 sqf room. The picture will be overexposed when the camera is facing to a window which is a common problem with most of cameras. It has some nice features like the motion detection and alert by email. Be aware of the fact that you need to run the cat5 and the power cable to the camera. Definitely recommended.

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The highlights are it has good quality, good capture and all of that. The problem is getting the video+audio on another media, ie, DVD or whatever. They have one export feature and that is to AVI, and all it does is export the video. Why have a microphone to record sound and no method to export the audio+video. Anyways, called Sony, and they told me that this camera was not designed to do that. Quote, "it was designed to playback on the computer only." What kind of junk is that? 1 star!

So if you only want to see the audio and video together on the computer, then this is for you. If you ever want to export your video recording to DVD or anything else, forget about it.

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Maybe it's a great camera, but unable to get it working at all. Installation software is really horrible, manual is even worse. Can't Sony hire someone who speaks/writes English? Install software is very strange, they don't understand the conventions/basics of writing a Windows application...really disappointed and frustrated.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30K 8MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black)

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 is the replacement for Panasonic's well-liked DMC-FZ20 which came out in late 2004. The FZ30 improves on that camera in almost every way, especially in build quality and ergonomics.

I'll mention the downside first. Despite an increase in resolution from 5 to 8 megapixels, the image quality has not improved all that much. Panasonic's new 8 megapixel chip is quite noisy (which equates to "grainy" in film cameras) and overall the images won't look much better at a given print size than the old, 5 megapixel camera. This is not to say the pictures are unacceptable they are good, in fact, except for pictures taken in low light but rather that if you have a 5 megapixel camera, you shouldn't rush to buy an 8 megapixel and expect great improvements. The detail in the shots, however, is very good.

With that out of the way, almost everything else about the camera has improved to a quite incredible degree. It really does feel like Panasonic listened to their customer response and fixed most everything they didn't like.

The camera is a little larger than the FZ20, making it quite hefty bigger than some SLR cameras, in fact, although a SLR with a comparable lens would be much larger. It's also not light, at about one and a half pounds. This does mean that it's easy to steady and hold, but it's far from a pocket camera.

The lens is totally new, and unlike that in the FZ20, does not retract or move during focussing or zooming all the movement is internal. This means that the unit is a lot more sealed and solid-feeling, and contributes to making start-up times commendably fast. Unlike the previous model, zooming is done with a ring around the lens like a traditional camera, rather than by a motor and rocker switch. This takes a little getting used to if you've been using most other digital cameras, but soon becomes second nature and much quicker than the motor. In manual focus mode, the lens can be focussed with another lens-mounted ring. The display shows a zoomed-in area to aid manual focussing, and I found this feature quite usable.

The zoom range is 35-420mm (35mm camera equivalent), which is pretty much identical to the previous camera and gives a 12x range. This gives as much telephoto reach as is practicable to hand-hold and get a sharp picture, even with image stabilization. Should you desire more, Panasonic sells an add-on lens giving even more reach, but I'd advise a tripod. You're more likely to desire more wide-angle, in my opinion, and another conversion lens is available for that.

Unlike the previous camera, the lens does not have a constant F2.8 aperture, but rather gives F2.8 at the wide end and F3.7 at the long end. This is still very good; clearly, some compromise had to be made.

Overall, the construction feels much more solid and high-quality than the FZ20. The hand-grip is also improved, being much deeper and easier to hold, and the location of the shutter button is improved. The FZ20 always felt a little fragile, and this camera does not.

The LCD screen is much improved, and now is a flip-down and twist model, meaning it can be folded inward to protect it, or folded down to view from above or (with a twist) below. This is a very useful feature, making it easy to shoot over crowds or get a more natural view of small children, pets etc. I think the sideways-flipping style is slightly easier to use than this downward one, but this is still very good, and a solid upgrade.

Menus and operation seem little changed from the FZ20, and are good. The flash seems better than most, and doesn't wash things out with close subjects either.

While I don't use movie modes hardly at all, I believe from reading the manual that the movie mode on this one is much improved from the FZ20, and can produce full-speed VGA quality movies of shortish duration. For more than short clips of your kids, I'd recommend a movie camera instead.

In conclusion, this is a high quality camera that right now is the king of the mega-zoom, fixed lens camera market. The pictures are as good or better than the others in the market, and in ergonomics, usability and 'real camera' solidness, the FZ30 is right now unbeatable. It works and feels like a very high-quality piece of equipment, and I don't think you can get a better "all-in-one" camera for any money at this moment.

One must understand, though, that compromises are made to get that huge 12x zoom range in a camera. If you don't need all that telephoto, you could buy an entry-level dSLR for very little more money; although the kit lens it comes with will be much the inferior of the FZ30's Leica mega-zoom, the dSLR's imaging chip will produce higher-quality images, especially in low light.

If you have the FZ20, is it worth the upgrade? Not if you want to upgrade for image quality; yes, if you want a much more solidly built, ergonomically satisfying camera. Is that worth the money? In the end, it's up to you, but I'd advise going to a store and handling one; you may fall in love with it, it's that good.

I'm a pro, working for a large city daily newspaper for 22 years, and shooting professionaly for 25 years (and counting, with enthusiasm for the job). My previous cameras: Sears 500MX (my first SLR), Nikon EM, F2A, FM2, F3, F4, F5 ( all film)... And then the Kodak DCS, Nikon D1, D1H, D2H, Lumix FZ20 (all digital). I've shot events such as Superbowl XXXV (D1H), 2004 Olympics, 2005 Indonesian tsunami (D2H), and Hurricane Katrina (D2H, Lumix FZ20).

But I was issued an FZ30 by request, after using an FZ20 so I could finally zoom while shooting video (for web content). You know why I also like the FZ30? You can shoot Tiger Woods' back swing without him throwing a club at you, which he'd be right to do if you sat on a motor as he started his swing.

The FZ30 is much heavier than many of the average cameras on sale. It looks pro and feels heavy enough. The shutter speed range is even greater than the FZ20, capturing pictures at 1/2000th sec to a full 60 seconds (the D2H has only 30 seconds exposure maximum. Other pro shooters have noticed my camera, and ask plenty of questions. It does just about everything, including an option to create animated films with this camera. But it's not the ultimate dream camera because it isn't perfect.

I totally shame the digital noise on this unit; enough decent cameras in the same price range don't experience the higher levels of noise, even for ISO 100. But I work for a newspaper.... and there is some decent noise-reduction software to control it that doesn't compromise flirting with over-manipulation ethics questions. I can now shoot some concerts and can shoot golf differently b/c I turned off the shutter and beep noises the camera makes.

I wish the camera had a wider wide angle. The zoom and focus controls seem too close. And the rear thumb dial seemed a tiny bit out of position at times. It's quiet as a mouse. People don't even know you're shooting video, which makes people unaware of you, an important thing to have for candid news-gathering. I love the FZ30 as a 3rd camera in my arsenal. I just completed a stint, shooting the crew of Pride of Baltimore II, a tall ship. It worked wonders, save for some errant focusing every now and then.

I pack my Lumix and my Powerbook along with my passport when I go on vacation; in a pinch, I can travel worldwide and shoot virtually any assignment, including spot news, with the zoom range that the FZ30 has. That was the selling point for me. Any camera that has a decent image quality with a 12:1 zoom ratio and a lens that gathers more light is worth considering. And I love the true colors it can yield for white balance, one thing that my D2H bodies can sometimes find difficult to achieve.

This camera is better suited for daylight (sorry for anyone Alaska in the winter!), but you can get amazing shots if you respect a camera's limits. The better the light, the better the image. That goes for any photography. I can shoot 99 percent of my assignments with this camera.

Watch out when you have the LCD screen flipped out; once it breaks off from a hit, I would think you might have to consider replacement. Purchase a really big memory card, which are cheaper. A faster one (SD rated card) for those who want to shoot video, which you can opt between low definition and VGA, which is a good size image (it only shoots in standard TV size. You don't have any option to capture video in any other format, as you can with film.

You can also crop your images or even downsize them for web emails in the camera. The FZ30 feels solid enough. And I did drop my lens shade from 50 feet (it was mounted, but the mount is not very secure) and it bounced but didn't crack.

Make certain to also purchase at least one extra battery, because if your power drains, you either pop in a fresh one, or stop shooting and wait over an hour for your battery to recharge. The batteries from my FZ20 can fit and run the FZ30, but the reverse can't be done.

Please, read the manual. This camera was well-designed, and Panasonic seems to really work on their cameras based on feedback. You have menus in several different camera modes, besides the basic setup menu options. One thing very interesting is that you can set the camera to extend its optical zoom to 19.1, much greater than 12X (the camera actually begins to crop into the frame when you zoom past the full frame 12X maximum zoom, which is good if you want to save a step in image processing.

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Greetings from Sinister Minister friends! Today I want to talk to you about yet another amazing digital device that comes to us from Panasonic of all people!!I mean after all when you think of digital cameras you think Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony ect. ect. But Panasonic!? C'mon now they make everything from blenders to stereo systems! But, If your a photographer thats just not cool. Well guys we had better get a whole new set of standards because Panasonic has beat the crap out of two of the Largest camera companies out there in the 12X mega zoom catagory! And not just by a little either, by a very wide margin.

Now to be fair Panasonic "Lumix" cameras have always been well respected cameras for thier performance, pictures, lenses etc. but then again if a guy shows up to shoot your daughters wedding with a Panasonic camera up until now you would have kicked him out! The FZ-30K at first glance looks like many of its counterparts, with few exceptions. Its size is very close to that of the Nikon 8800, and I'm not sure but I think they weigh about the same. I have my camera here in front of me so lets take a walk around. On the back you have a normal selection of controls, a EVF with a diopter, EVF/LCD control, AE Lock, Display, Menu, And delete buttons, as well as a circular Navagation switch for other controls like exposure adjustment, flash control, etc. The odd thing here is the LCD screen which gives you a fantastic image (as does the EVF) has movement that seems somewhat awkward and a bit restricted, but the EVF on the camera rivals the one on my E-300 SLR so hey who cares!? Around the side we have the SD memory card door that is solid and has a slide lock, Downside here is that the FZ-30 will work with cards up to the max available, (now in SD 2GB), but when they go to 3 or 4 GB (and you know they will) FZ-30 users will be shut out! That's why as a rule for high performance cameras like the FZ-30 I rather see CF Type 1 CF or Type 2 Micro-drives, But hey just making a note. Jumping to the other side we find one of the features I love about this camera, that is a 3 position switch that lets you shift between focus modes on the fly! Outstanding!! For those of you who take your shots on the go you know how infuriating it is to have to navagate thru a menu to chnge the focus options. The FZ-30 gives you three optionsAF, AF Macro, and manual, it also has a neat little gimmick of when you are using the manual focus mode the camera enlarges the center portion of your shot, and using the fine focus ring on the lens you can fine tune your shot with zero guess work! WOW! That alone blew me away, I hate it when you take a shot thinking its in focus but... The FZ-30 has all but eliminated this problem! Another thing I love about this camera is the flash does not engage until YOU open it YESSS! I hate auto pop up flashes!

Getting to the lens we come to possibly the coolest feature on the whole camera wich is the lens itself. Besides being a Leica lens, its the fact that it zooms, pulls back, etc. etc. all within the lens housing itself! Translation? No matter how much you zoom with the FZ-30 the camera never changes size! No whirring motors or gears, nothing but zoom! The operation of the lens is simple you have 2 focus rings the larger for general zooming and focus, a smaller one for fine focus in manual mode, and a fine focus option buy pressing lightly on the shutter button. The lens is super quiet and smooth in operation, has very minor barrel distortion a wide angle, and produces images with sharp and focused corners. The other main feature here however is the zoom capability of the FZ-30, yes it has a 12X optical zoom but it does not stop there. This camera will let you adjust the aspect ratio of your images and thereby increasing zoom capability! I can't explain exactly how this works (I failed trig in school) but I can give you examples.

At 8MP the ratio is 4:3 a standard photo, in the menu you can change that to 16:9 (widescreen) and your resolution lowers to 5.5MP Hello!! thats called true panoramic photography right within the camera with out needeing software to "Stitch" your shots together! I think I just heard Olympus and Nikon Squeal!! Keep the same 4:3 Ratio but turn down the image resolution to an even 5MP and your zoom capability jumps to 15.3X turn it down to 3MP and it jumps to 19.1X !!! That is still good enough for 8X10s!! Thats before you even get into add on lenses!! The pop up flash is housed right over the lens and can be adjusted within the camera as far as brightness etc., also here you will find a hot shoe the standard mode wheel as well as buttons to select your drive mode and stabilizer mode. Since I work part time at BestBuy selling cameras I have had the chance to compare the stabilization on the Sony H1, Canon S2IS, and the Kodak 850 I have found the one on the FZ-30 to be the best and most consistant, The FZ-30 also offers you 2 options with the stabilizer, Constant and shutter release the latter operates when you press the shutter button only and is the setting I have found to be the best! The FZ-30 has 14 scene modes, and has two places on the mode dial where you can preset your 2 favorites.The "Baby" setting on the camera has been taking a beating by critics as being silly, but since I just had a son recently I found it rather cool! All you do is enter your childs birthday when in the mode, and everytime you take a picture of him/her in the mode the camera shows thier exact age! In addition to some minor image enhancements.

Now the main reason we all buy cameras as I have said before is for pictures. Does the FZ-30 take good pictures? No. It takes amazing pictures (See the examples I have posted) Even with the zoom maxed out I can get clear sharp pictures, partly because that stabilizer is so effective. In all of the tests I have had time to put it thru the camera has performed amazingly well. at higher ISO settings noise on this camera can get to be a problem but only if you crop your pictures out at 200 to 300% and besides there are tons of good noise removal programs out now to solve this. Noise at higher ISO settings is a side effect of digital photography in general not generally one specific camera. Some are worse than others but none are great so either fix it or forget it. If you have a good enough printer you won't notice that much anyway.

Well this is getting kind of long winded so let me wrap this up. There are tons of features the FZ-30 has that I can't possibly go thru here so let me give you the BestBuy straight & narrow! I own the Sony DSC-H1 and while it is a great camera it is no comparison to the FZ-30. Why? the FZ-30 is faster, has higher resolution, more image configurations and zoom capabilities, A Hot Shoe, Better lens quality, Possibly one of the finest cameras in reproduction of color that I have ever seen! Sharp focused images (even at extended zoom settings). The Canon s2Is?? It is not even in the same league so I won't even mention it. (In fact I found it to be the worst of all I tested.) Bottom line is the FZ-30 is possibly the finest high end, fixed lens (Prosumer) camera to come out in the last 3 years (Since the F-828) NormallyI tell people to shop around but in this case DON'T! This is definitely the best of the new mega-zoom cameras and is probably one of the top three prosumer cameras available today. I sold my Nikon 8700 to buy this camera and I have more or less decided to give the ax to a few more! This beast made alot of cameras in my stable obsolete! So to Panasonic I say Welcome to the Big Time, and to you I say STOP!! look no further and buy this camera, this is a work of art in photographic technology! This my friends is one hell of a damn camera!

Oh yes the downside...it is very hard to find accessories for this camera!! next to impossible!! so Panasonic shold get on the ball!! After all your a for real camera company now! Maybe they always were, Hmmmmm.

Thanks for reading and happy shooting!

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I've had my FZ-30 for about 2 months now and thought it was time to enter my comments.

The one negative thing you will no doubt read about the FZ-30, if you are searching out professional reviews, are comments about the "noise" or graininess. Yes this camera can exhibit noise under certain circumstances, as do most if not all bridge cameras. I would compare the noise with 400 ASA film or even 1000 ASA film. If you are very picky about your photos and are looking for the highest quality you may not be happy with this camera when you have it set to 400 ASA and take photos in low light. You may be able to find another bridge camera with a bit less noise but if you are that fussy you may have to purchase a DSLR and deal with extra expense and changing lenses. If you are like me, and can stand a little grain in a small number of your photos you will be quite happy with this camera. If you do want to reduce the noise there are a couple of software utilities (noiseninja) that can help.

In my case I was upgrading from a 5 year old 3.3 megapixel digital camera that had served me well but did have some shortcomings. The Panasonic FZ-30 has to be one of the best values in photography today. The quality of the Leica lens, along with the rest of the great features, for the current Amazon price of $544 is an outstanding value. The most amazing thing to me is the range of possibilities this camera offers.

My wife can pick this camera up, set it to Auto mode, and snap some photos of the kids easily. Two minutes later I can take it out in the back yard and capture the awsome blue bird sitting on the branch at 12X zoom, and the next shot can be of a ladybug on a flower in macro mode. All of this is done with the same lens and the simple spin of the zoom ring. The range of possibilities available with this camera are beyond my current expierence level. And the resulting photos are awsome.

I had some particular features in mind when I did an extensive search for a new digital camera; most based on the shortcomings of my older camera. I wanted a longer zoom range, hot shoe for an external flash, and the ability to focus in dark or low light situations. As I did my search I came across other features that were now available in the range of modern digital cameras and added them to my list. A swivel LCD is a handy feature, as is the manual focus ring, 640x480 30fps video mode with sound, high resolution LCD and EVF, very fast shutter response time, fast focus, and higher resolution. The FZ-30 has it all.

One of the great things about a higher resolution camera is the ability to crop the photos on the computer and still have enough resolution so the final image doesn't lose its quality. Eight megapixels, along with the 12X zoom, gives me the ability to catch the grandchildren in action, then zoom in for a quality printout later.

Don't be tempted to purchase the Sony DSC-H1 or Canon S2 IS just to save $50-$150, the Panasonic is a LOT more camera. If size is a big concern the FZ-30 is certainly larger than the Sony or Canon, but it is quite comfortable in the hand and not as heavy as I thought it was going to be.

Pros

o 12X analog zoom with macro

o manual pop up flash with long range, hot shoe for external

o manual zoom ring and focus ring

o high resolution swivel 2" LCD

o Leica lens

o 640x480 video

o great user interface

o fast focus and very fast shutter release

o much, much, more...

Cons

o noise under certain conditions

o propriatery battery which works quite well but I prefer AA standard batteries

Want Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30K 8MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom (Black) Discount?

My Panasonic FZ30 arrived this past Saturday (12/17/05) and I have a 2 week grace period in which I'm allowed to return the camera if dissatisfied to the store where it was purchased. I have read many reviews. The underlining theme of the reviews is that the FZ30 is a great camera for the money but it has too much NOISE. I got together which a friend of mine who owns a Nikon D50 to take several photos and compare them. All photos were taken in auto mode at the same subject, at the same distance and position, and in the same lighting. The D50 sizing was set to 6.1 mp and the FZ30 at 7mp and we used the highest quality setting other than TIFF and RAW that the camera allowed. And except for one photo, all pictures were taken without the flash. My intent was to take pictures under conditions that were not ideal and most likely to bring out noise. Most pictures were printed on 4 x 6 glossy photo paper and some on standard computer paper at the 8 x10 size. From my perspective, I think the FZ30 performed well in comparison. The sharpness in the pictures was about the same, the detail was slightly better in the D50, and the FZ30 had a clear edge in the color. I took the photos to work and showed them to another friend of mine who is a photo enthusiast. I showed them without my friend knowing what picture was taken by what camera. He only knew that the cameras involved were the D50 and the FZ30. He chose some D50 pictures over the FZ30 and likewise with the FZ30 over the D50. It was about even in number. Essentially, he agreed with my summary and perspective. I'll elaborate more on 4 of the photos.

Photo 1: The picture was taken inside in a sun-room (of sorts) with many windows utilizing natural lighting. The picture was taken at around 2:30 in the afternoon. The sky was totally covered with snow clouds no blue and no sun anywhere. At 5pm, it is pitch black outside. The setting was borderline flash needed. In fact, when taking the picture from the D50, the flash did pop up and become engaged. My friend then turned off the flash and re-took the picture again. Our photos taken in auto mode were printed on computer paper at the 8 x 10 size. Note: the readout on the FZ30 photo said the ISO was 200. My friend thought the D50's photo was better and I agreed just to be nice. In reality, I thought might was just a hair better. We both agreed that they were very comparable. By the way, my friend at work thought the FZ30 produced the better photo. All three of us detected no noise in the FZ30 photo.

Photo 2: The picture was taken (auto mode) inside utilizing artificial light. The photos were printed on glossy 4 x 6 photo paper. Note: the readout on the FZ30 photo reflected an ISO setting of 200. The D50 photo was a clear winner here. The FZ30 definitely had noise. We ran the FZ30 through a noise reduction software tool and reprinted the photo. The D50 still won but not my much. The noise reducer did a great job with no noticeable loss in detail.

Photo 3: Again (as always) in auto mode and no flash and same setting as #2, we took a picture of a very colorful tapestry my friend purchased during a trip to Mexico. Again the readout on the FZ30 photo was ISO 200. The picture was printed on 4 x 6 glossy photo paper. The D50 won in one aspect but lost in another. In the D50, you could clearly see the "minute" horizontal and vertical weave lines. In the FZ30, the horizontal weave line was fairly strong but the vertical line was faded and almost not present. However, the FZ30 was a clear winner with the color. It was much more true to form than the D50 and my friend agreed.

Photo 4: This was the only flash picture taken. The readout on the FZ30 reflected an ISO setting of 100. The picture was printed on 4 x 6 glossy photo paper. Except for color, it was dead even for sharpness and detail but again the FZ30 had better color.

In conclusion, I plan on keeping this camera. Other reviewers have pointed out the many features this camera has so I won't comment other than to say I "strongly" agree. Plus, it is extremely user friendly. Most (probably in the 95+ %) of my pictures will "not" be taken in low light non-flash situations. And those taken in low light will probably wind up on 4 x 6's after going through a noise reducer. If you take a lot of low light pictures for bigger than 4 x 6's than you might want to consider a different camera.