Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR + Tamron 70-300mm Di Lens + 16GB Card + Filters + C

Disclaimer: I'm not a professional photographer, but have some experience. This is my first DSLR.

Delivery was very fast, and I literally spent an hour just unwrapping and trying on all the stuff that was included in the kit.

The camera itself is wonderful: right size/weight, easy controls, and extremely energy-efficient. 95% of the time, the main display is used only for displaying information about the settings. To see the "live view" as is on compact cameras, you must flip a spring-loaded switch, which is nice. There's a GUIDE/HELP setting to teach you about the controls, what they do and how to achieve good results for the subject you're photographing (e.g, how to photograph fast action, portraits, etc). It asks you a few questions, and configures the camera accordingly. If you're overwhelmed by the number of parameters, don't be: even in AUTO this camera takes some amazing photos. I've handed it to a few newbies, and they were amazed by the results.

So far I've took about 1000 pictures with it, and have yet to fill the included 16GB card (that is in JPEG-fine/large mode). The included case is a bit small for everything included, but with a bit of work you can make it fit. The extra lens (Tamron) is a switchable tele-macro, and although it's a bit noisy, can get some pretty amazing detail. I recommend a monopod/tripod, as it does not have image stabilization.

The video recording was better than expected. Crisp 1080p, but limited to 10 min clips. The internal microphone captured clear sound in most occasions. You'll need a micro-HDMI cable (not included) to watch it on a monitor.

So far, no regrets. I just wish they included another battery (I bought another one later) and a monopod in the kit.

I've this bundle for about two weeks. All items here were included with the suprise than the SD card was a type class 10, not a type C6 as it is in the image of the publication, the rest of the items looks like are from very good quality (especially the bag I really like it). the shipped box was big 'cause the pieces but were well packed.

The four stars are because the Tamron lens is a old version without vibration controller, a big problem when you're trying to take a picture with 100mm or more without a tripod (macro mode is avaliable only between 180-300mm, think about this). I don't understand why but the oficial nikkor lens included with the D3100 have a kind of plastic base, another thing to consider if you change a lot the lens without care.

For last I'd had a problem with the card the first day, It was corrupted for some strange reason (I don't know if it was the usb-SD adapter, the pc or the camera), but after a few tries with some sd readers I was able to read it only for re-formating and use it so far without a problem. Again i don't know if it was a fault of the hardware or it was me.

Conclution: it's a good bundle for starting in this photographic world.

Buy Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR + Tamron 70-300mm Di Lens + 16GB Card + Filters + C Now

This is a very nice camera. I just have to figure out how to take the best pics ever with the different lens.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR + Tamron 70-300mm Di Lens + 16GB Card + Filters + C Here

the extra 5 bucks well worth getting it next day after shipped.

Camera is a mid grade entry level and decent quality.Everything shipped adn recieved with no blemmishes or defects. I would say I like this better than the canon T3i. The Tamron lens is great as well. I couldnt be happier with this package. Will check back here for future needs. Was nice recieving a class 10 SD card as well, since photo was a class 6. SD reader is a 150x speed reader.

Chris

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The product is good and brand new..It had all the necessary accessories that anyone would need to have to start shooting instantly...it was delivered on time....in all, a good buy!!!!

Samsung SEW-3037W Wireless Pan Tilt Video Baby Monitor Infrared Night Vision and Zoom, 3.5 inch

I have been using a Motorola MBP36 for almost 1 year (purchased on December 2011), and it died on me last month. I have to say MBP36 is quite decent unit until it is broken. Motorola's customer service is absolutely horrible, and they will replace your broken unit with another broken unit. I finally give up with all the hassle and decided to look for another baby monitor. I came up across that Samsung recently released new baby monitors, so I tried SEW-3036, but without pan and tilt, it was no use to me.

Between SEW-3036 and SEW-3037, the price different is $50 and that's the price for pan and tilt function with night light. The parent unit of SEW-3036 and SEW-3037 have very similar design, button layout, and function. In SEW-3037's product description, it advertised as 900 foot coverage when 3036 has 800 foot coverage. But to me, it was pretty much same.

Let's compare between SEW-3037 and MBP36 here:

Resolution: SEW-3037 < MBP36

With level 5 brightness setting, MBP36 looks more colorful than SEW-3037. SEW-3037 is clam and darker display. If you will constantly check the monitor, SEW-3037 will be better because MBP36 is too bright and color smudges when you stare it for long time.

Interface: SEW-3037 > MBP36

Button layout of 3037 is way much better than MBP36 because when you control the baby camera, MBP36 is giving you a hard time since navigation control is located in the left side as vertical line. I always confused with up and down (top two buttons) and right and left (bottom two buttons). On the other hand, 3037's navigation control is round shape which is pretty common for controlling pan and tilt camera and easy to control. Clearly, for controlling the camera unit, 3037 is the winner.

Night Vision: SEW-3037 > MBP36

Because of calm and invisible IR display, 3037 looks better than MBP36 in the night time.

Sound: SEW-3037 > MBP36

The accuracy of sound level is identical between 3037 and MBP36, but 3037 has VOX feature which I really like. I do not know why MBP36 does not have VOX feature when it is pretty much standard for baby monitors. Moreover, accessing volume control in the night with MBP36 gives you pain since you have to go through the main menu to change the volume. On the contrary, 3037's volume control button is located on left side of parent unit which is convenient in the night. 3037 supports mute when MBP36 doesn't.

Pan & Tilt Camera: SEW-3037 > MBP36

Rotating speed and angle is identical. 3037 camera has more slick and professional looking. MBP36 has temperature sensor when 3037 doesn't. Yet, 3037 has night light which can be turned on or off from the parent unit.

In my opinion, these two units are quite identical to each other and have crucial features of baby monitors, but yet, Samsung clearly did their homework to improve down flows of MBP36 by making SEW-3037 more user-friendly and get rid of unnecessary features such as temperature sensor. SEW-3037 is a well-built baby monitor that I highly recommend for anyone. If you are looking for updated version of MBP36, this is it.

A video giving you the truth about the start up sound...

Buy Samsung SEW-3037W Wireless Pan Tilt Video Baby Monitor Infrared Night Vision and Zoom, 3.5 inch Now

Another reviewer did a beautiful comparison with the motorola PTZ (pan tilt zoom) unit, and based on that review I decided to try this monitor, not the motorola. However, there were aspects of this monitor I was not happy with, so I also purchased the summer infant touch, and compared them side by side for a few days. Here are my thoughts following this experiment:

INTERFACE-Zoom: I use caps for this one and put it first, because that was probably the most important issue for me. The time I use a monitor most (I've had one with a smaller screen for almost 2 years) is at night. At night, one doesn't want to think much. The first thing I noticed on the samsung is that it took *6* key presses navigating through the menu to toggle the zoom. Really??? Yes... At that many presses, I found the zoom feature basically useless. In the summer infant, you touch the screen to turn the menu on, and the zoom is right there one touch. Beautiful.

Interface-other: Generally, I found the Summer infant easier, more pleasant, and faster to navigate. For instance, the sleep option on the samsung (toggle video off/on) is a small button on the middle right. You have to feel for it in the dark. In the summer infant, it's the biggest button on the top, middle. Kinda like where you'd want a snooze, trivial to hit without even looking. Volume controls are about equivalent, perhaps a touch easier on the summer infant. Both require about 5 menu clicks to switch between cameras, but it feels easier to do with the summer infant. Both have a "scan through cameras automatically" feature. Lastly, at night, the summer infant menu lights up on the screen with big icons, in a nice blue. Very very easy to navigate in the dark. With the samsung, you're kinda feeling your way around the navigation. It's easy enough (circular with the "ok" in the center), but not as nice. OH, and as you do that, you might accidentally turn the night light on or off, because the OK button is also the night light button. I often found the night light NOT where I thought I left it (on when I thought it would be off and vice versa).

Features-****Start-Up Tune****: The most annoying "feature" of the Samsung. If the Samsung is off (not "sleep", full off), when you turn it on it plays a quite loud start-up tune. I can't even begin to say how annoying I found it. It's the kind of tune that would wake up partner, and could also wake up a nearby lightly sleeping child. I dealt with it by never turning it off, and just using the sleep option. There's no such thing on the summer infant.

Image quality: quite comparable. The Summer infant is a bit "sharper" and the samsung a bit smoother, but both allow you to see the baby equally well. Screens are the exact same size.

Features-VOX: This is ONLY on the Samsung. The video will automatically come on (from sleep mode) if anything more than ambient noise is picked up. I found it not that useful once on, it doesn't turn off again when the noise is gone, so you have to manually turn it off. I am a light sleeper, so the light of the monitor suddenly coming on in the middle of the night because of a cough for instance, and then having to turn it off, did NOT appeal to me. Others seem to like it. Perhaps it's useful in a really noisy situation, when you're unlikely to hear. But in such circumstances (e.g. hosting guests?), I can't imagine you'd have your eyes glued to the screen anyhow, and it's not like it would attract a lot of attention in daylight at least.

Features-night light: Only the samsung has a night light feature you can control remotely. I don't care about that feature, but if it's important to you, do consider. By the way, it's easy to turn it on/off accidentally when navigating the menu, because it's the same button as the "ok" one.

Features-talk back: Both units have that. Again, not something I use often, I'd say it's equivalent.

Bulkiness: The summer infant is just thinner enough and smaller enough to make it feel much nicer when hand held. It's just "sleeker" to hold when carrying it around or holding it to navigate menus.

Stand: The summer infant has that magnetic base that saves you having to unplug it every time you take it around. I have to admit I LOVE it. Both units also have a pull out stand, and again, somehow the summer infant one gives a more convenient angle of viewing and feels more stable, even without the magnetic base.

So, my conclusion: I am pretty sure there is a good chance the samsung has better reliability than summer infant, although it's hard to know since this monitor just came out. However, it's clearly feels like the summer infant is designed by people who know parents and parents needs better than the samsung people. And I decided I prefer to take my chance on reliability, for a monitor that feels easier and nicer to use, and serves my needs better the summer infant. I should probably also mention that when my previous summer infant monitor broke (the one with the smaller screen that I am now upgrading), summer infant answered the phone immediately, and within 5 minutes they had arranged for a replacement to be mailed to me at no charge (unit was still in warranty), so I was happy enough with their customer service. That said, if you don't care about the zoom feature, bulkiness of hand unit or start-up tune, and having a night light option, the VOX feature or better reputation for reliability, the Samsung is probably a better choice for you.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung SEW-3037W Wireless Pan Tilt Video Baby Monitor Infrared Night Vision and Zoom, 3.5 inch Here

When my now-four-year-old was a baby, we had a smaller setup made by Graco with a flip-top monitor. It was good, and I touted its benefits to any new parents that would listen...and I still firmly believe having a video monitor was the reason he started sleeping through the night at three months. We didn't go in there to check on him constantly, thus waking him up. When he cried, we could simply look at him and know he was fine, giving him the opportunity to learn how to self-soothe. And that was the coolest part, watching him figure things out for himself. We kept it in his room until just about six months ago, because we just loved watching him be independent, reading on his own, etc. Then we moved our wireless router closer to his room and all hell broke loose. Whether the thing was dying, or it was wifi interference, I didn't have the patience to figure it out. So it's gone.

Flash forward to now, when we are expecting our second child any day. We moved the boy to a room farther away from us, and I wanted my spying capabilities back. We bought this setup and let me tell you, it is the freakin' BEST. The pan and tilt feature is priceless, because I can actually see where he is in the room (or if he's on the pot...now THAT's funny). He is acutely aware of it this time around, but the intercom feature has helped tremendously. We don't use it often, but when I do, it saves this very pregnant mama a trip down the hall.

The picture quality with daylight or lights on is excellent. The night vision is just that...night vision. Don't expect CIA-level clarity, but it works for the purpose. I can always tell when his eyes are still open because in night vision, they glow. A little creepy, but immediately noticeable. And there has been zero interference with our wifi.

We are purchasing a whole second setup (cam AND monitor) for the baby's room. Because the boy's camera is partly for security, I was uncomfortable having to choose whom to watch, and the ten-second automatic toggle was not something I thought I could deal with well. It's my hope that I can tell the baby's unit to operate as Camera 2 and not interfere with boy's setup. I'll also try it with just the second cam on the same monitor and see how I like it. I promise to update here and report how well my dual spycam idea works.

Bottom line: if you are choosing between just an audio monitor and one with video, get video. If you are deciding which video monitor to get, this is the one. You get what pay for, and this certainly is worth the price.

Update on 2/27/13: The idea with operating the whole second unit (cam + monitor) was a flop. The interference was such that having both on meant that one would say "out of range" or worse, freeze the picture (giving the impression that it was transmitting, but it was not). Can't blame Samsung, I just had to try it for myself. I did take the opportunity of having two cameras in the house to see how I liked the automatic 10-second toggle, and I'm happy to report that it'll do. If it's showing my son's room, I can pan and tilt and it won't switch back to the baby's room until 10 seconds after I'm done manipulating it. I wish I could have them both simultaneously on a split screen, but oh well. The two-cam/one monitor situation will work well, and it was super easy to pair the second camera with the monitor. Now I'm returning the second setup and buying just the second camera. Still a great deal!

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Samsung SEW-3037W Baby Monitor

First, I am not using this to monitor a baby. I am using it to monitor a dog for house training. Many issues are similar, but I may not require some of the features you will. Yes, I know it's an expensive way to train a dog, but what does it cost to get a carpet cleaned?

This system can also be used as an interior security system but would require that someone actually monitor it. It does not record, nor does it send signals to your computer so you can record it there.

The Samsung web site does not list an SEW-3037W. It does list an SEW-3037WN. I couldn't tell what the difference is. Also, the manual for the SEW-3037W (or the SEW-3037WN) is not available to download there yet. The manual included with my SEW-3037W seems to have been written by someone who does not speak English as a native language. It's pretty basic, but then again this isn't a complicated system.

There are several reviews here that address issues with this system. Here's my evaluation of the features/issues:

First, the start-up sound. Everyone is correct in that the start up sound is obnoxious and you cannot turn it off. That said, it isn't nearly as loud as I expected after reading the reviews. It's perhaps as loud as a normal, conversational voice. I realize that this can wake a sleeping baby, but you don't have to turn the monitor on in the baby's room. You can move to another room if you are concerned and turn the monitor on while holding it under a pillow or something. Contrary to an earlier comment, on my unit the sound plays only when the main switch is moved out of OFF. It's an annoyance, but not reason enough to reject this otherwise excellent monitor system.

VOX is a term used with two-way radios. It means that the system is in standby until a sound is detected. Then it will turn on automatically. The VOX mode is selected via the main switch: OFF-VOX-ON. The display will remain on all the time in the ON mode, whether it's plugged in or not. In the VOX mode, the monitor turns off one minute after you select that mode, plugged in or not. It will then turn on again if it detects a sound from the camera's microphone. You can select either high or low sensitivity for the VOX mode.

The camera's microphone is very sensitive and will send even faint audio to the monitor. There is a volume control on the monitor which can be turned down all the way to off. Even with the monitor's speaker off the sound-indicating LEDs still work.

BATTERY LIFE: As mentioned earlier, with the monitor power switch in ON the monitor will stay on until the battery dies. After charging the brand new battery fully, my monitor operated for 4 hours and 56 minutes on battery power alone. This will surely decline as the battery ages, but I consider this to be excellent battery life. The camera must be plugged into its power supply at all times to operate.

As stated in earlier reviews, there is no fast, easy way to zoom in or out. You must go through a menu selection process which is a nuisance. The camera does not have a full zoom range. You can select either normal or 2x zoom, nothing in between. The system's resolution is good enough that I find I don't have to zoom, but your setup may be different. Lenny noted in his excellent 15 January 2013 review that in the 2x zoom mode the pan and tilt is disabled. Contrary to a different earlier review, Lenny is correct. You can digitally move within the normal viewing area by using the pan and tilt controls, but the camera head will not move. If you needed to mount the camera some distance from the bed, you may prefer to leave it in the 2x zoom mode all the time. In normal mode the angle of view is acceptable, but it is not the same as a wide-angle lens.

Given the fact that the camera doesn't have a wide viewing angle, the pan and tilt feature is welcome. It's very easy to control via buttons on the front of the monitor. The buttons are laid out in an intuitive arrangement. The camera moves very smoothly and quietly at all times.

The resolution is excellent. It's easy to see what's going on, even in the night vision mode. The camera has built-in infrared LEDs that illuminate the area in the dark. The infrared light is undetectable to the human eye so it won't wake your child. In the daytime, or with plenty of other light, the display is in color. In the night vision mode the display switches to black-and-white, but the picture is still excellent.

The system even comes with a small screw and a plastic anchor for attaching the screw to a hollow wall. The camera can be mounted on the screw head and is very secure in this position. It can be removed easily if you want to move it. The camera MUST be plugged into its power supply at all times to operate. The two power supplies/chargers are identical.

Other controls and indicators on the monitor include a volume up/down rocker switch to set the volume on the monitor. The monitor has a column of lights beside the screen to indicate the volume level of the camera's microphone. More lights equals louder sound.

The monitor's controls are set up to be controlled with your right hand. If you use your left hand you will find yourself reaching across the screen to push the commonly used buttons.

There is a push-to-talk button on the monitor that will send your voice to the camera's speaker. You can control the camera's speaker volume via a selection on the monitor. The menu also allows you to mute the camera's speaker so you don't inadvertently wake a sleeping baby by accidentally pushing the TALK button.

The button is used to enter choices from the menu. If you are not in a menu, the button turns the camera-mounted night light on or off. There is an indicator on the monitor screen that appears when the night light is on. It's easy to turn the light on or off inadvertently. It's also easy to check the monitor for the status of the night light.

The menu icons are not intuitive nor descriptive enough. For example, I wanted to turn the monitor's speaker on and couldn't do it via the menu. I puzzled over the menu speaker selection for a while until I realized that it controlled the speaker on the camera. I needed to use the monitor's volume control buttons to turn that speaker up.

The monitor also has a signal strength indicator, a camera number indicator, a clock, and a battery strength indicator, none of which can be turned off.

Except for the tortuous method to change the zoom, the controls are quite good.

Range is quite adequate for our house (not as large as Al Gore's, but not as small as a log cabin either). I use the monitor at opposite ends of the house and still have a five-bar signal, even with several interior walls between the units. I found that if the signal strength drops, moving the monitor just a few inches will make a big difference. Plan on leaving the monitor's antenna in the raised position all the time.

With the camera somewhat isolated and the monitor next to my computer there was no interference with our wireless G signal, in spite of using the same 2.4GHz band.

The monitor has a small stand so you can place the monitor on a desk and view it from a sitting position. It also has a belt clip. The monitor fits perfectly in the breast pocket of most men's shirts.

An earlier reviewer mentioned that she didn't want the pan and tilt feature because she didn't want to pay for it. If that's the case with you, consider the Samsung SEW-3036WN for $50 less (as of 9 February 2013). It uses a different camera, but seems otherwise to have all the same features as the SEW-3037W.

You can buy additional cameras. The one that matches this system is here: ???

If you are considering using this system with more than one camera, be sure to read sunflower's review from 26 January 2013. She brings up several important issues for multiple camera operation.

If something goes wrong with my system, I'd buy another one just like it. It gets four stars instead of five for the two items I don't like: the start-up sound and the difficult zoom selection.

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11" Articulated Magic Arm V1 with Single Rod Clamp - 15mm (Two 1/4"thread) for Dslr Rig Support Sys

Solid construction, all metal parts, not extremely heavy. Attractive finish. I especially like the fact that wingnuts are metal as well, as opposed to other products from other manufacturers in this price range, which were plastic. Well worth the extra money.

3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed

I am using this on a Canon 60d and I wanted to provide some details as to how this LCD viewfinder/loupe functions for me. Please note: I noticed that the same reviews come up under two different products, so I want to be clear that my review is for the 3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed SOLD by Photo Smart, NOT the one sold by Cowboy Studio. The Cowboy Studio offering, according to them (in a customer service email), does not come with the neoprene cover that allows attachment to your swivel screen. The one that Photo Smart offers comes with: viewfinder, strap, microfiber cleaning cloth, two metal self-adheasive frames and neoprene cover.

First off, I have never been interested in permanently attaching any metal frame to my LCD to allow the typical magnetic attachment of a viewfinder/loupe. That is why this product is so beautifully elegant. The one from Photo Smart comes with Carry Speed Swiview Swi-View for LCD View Finder fits any 3" Swivel LCD Screen as part of the kit.

If you purchase the Cowboy Studio offering: 3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed you will need to purchase the Carry Speed Swiview Swi-View for LCD View Finder fits any 3" Swivel LCD Screen as well if you want to use it with your 60d or T3i swivel screen and not require the adhesive frame.

Attachment is a breeze with the neoprene wrap, just flip out your LCD, wrap the viewfinder with the included Swi-View neoprene cover and secure to your LCD.

**A word of caution, if you out in direct sunlight, be sure to bring something (the included microfiber cloth works great) to put over your viewfinder/loupe when you are not actively using it. The direct sun can shine in and burn your LCD very quickly much like a magnifying glass.**

This viewfinder solution provides great results and allows you to see much more clearly when adjusting focusing during video recording, especially in very bright conditions. There is no diopter adjustment on this model, but I wear glasses and have no problem getting good results with my glasses on. You can check the accuracy of the loupe by holding the camera focus button halfway and once the camera is finished focusing, be sure what you see through the viewfinder/loupe is in focus as intended.

I use this solution with my 60d and my "DSLR Follow Focus" from DSLR Solutions (google search) mounted on a modified version of the CowboyStudio Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder Camera DV / DC and it works great! I am able to put my eye up to the viewfinder attached to my flipped out swivel screen and walk around and focus with near identical functionality to a larger shoulder mounted camera.

Conclusion

This viewfinder/loupe is a fantastic value costing a fraction of the more expensive offerings and produces really nice results. It makes hitting critical focus during video recording much easier and will be a regular addition to my camera setup. Since I did not see many reviews talking about how this product works with Canon 60d, I wanted to provide some insight. I hope some people find this information helpful.

This looks like an pretty good item, but I wanted to warn Canon T3i users as the description says it works with that.

The T3i has a viewfinder than is closed. You open the viewfinder, swivel 180 degrees, and snap it back into itself. Now it is just like any other camera. To protect it and put it away, you swivel it 180 degrees and snap back in.

Here's the problems. If you mount the metal frame, it's adhesive. if you try and "put away" the viewfinder it will no longer work, you'll have to leave it in its

open" position with the viewfinder exposed.

I thought I could get around this by purchasing the metal mounting hardware that mounts to the bottom of camera. This would work very well, but if you have a battery grip on your camera liek mine, forget it. It won't work.

I am rating this high as I can see it would work well with other cameras, just not the Canon T3i (600d) series.

Buy 3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed Now

It should be obvious to anyone that this is not a true LCDVF model viewfinder. The seller should get dinged for this and be forced to correct their wording, but I'm not going to base my review off of a misleading title since I knew what I was getting into when I made the purchase.

This little gem is at the right price and the optical quality is perfect for me to finally rack proper focus with my t2i. The construction is hard plastic and seems like it will take some abuse. Inside of the tunnel it is lined with a felt like material, which picks up lint pretty easily. Comes with a handy lanyard and a neoprene carry case.

I originally mounted it directly to the camera, the paint started flaking off the first metal bracket within a few hours but the effects were only aesthetic. Magnet holds strong and takes a forceful bump to knock it off the mounting bracket.

My screen protector finally showed up, so I pulled the original metal bracket and mounted the second one that comes with directly to the protector. I like this route because there's no longer any adhesive touching the camera, but I need to find a better way to secure the bottom if it's going to go through any type of abuse.

In my opinion, someone finally priced a view finder appropriately and this one does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Read Best Reviews of 3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed Here

I love this little thing! It makes filming in daylight so much easier, makes focusing on moving shots easier, adds some stability to the shots as well, and cost a tiny fraction of what other companies make too. Only warning is to be careful not to leave the open/exposed side out because it has a sort of carpet-like fabric inside that can collect dust. I recommend using your extra magnetic strip, leaving it in the plastic bag, and putting that on top to act as a plastic screen to cover the opening.

Want 3:2 Swi-View LCDVF LCD Viewfinder for Canon 60D, T3i, any other 3:2 3" LCD Cameras by Carry Speed Discount?

In the first week I used it twice. Went to take away from camera and one magnet pulled out of viewfinder. The viewfinder works for what it is but quality not so hot.

Justin

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Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera Body with 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G VR ED AF-S Zoom Lens + (2) 32GB Cards +

I gave this camera five stars, because this camera is amazing. I wish I had bought this camera sooner. It takes incredible pictures. I love the 2 memory card slots. The price is hard to swallow, but I'm still glad we bought it!

This is correct decision because high quality camera and great lens kit. And the groovy 32GB CFmemory card also's included in addition. Very satisfied with this camera!!

Buy Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera Body with 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G VR ED AF-S Zoom Lens + (2) 32GB Cards + Now

Canon EOS Rebel T3i SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ Canon 18-55mm IS Lens + Canon 55-250mm IS Lens + Huge

I received this package last week and must say i am real happy with the overall package price. How-ever there is a few items that i must say is so low quality & really isn't suitable for the camera it came with.

The full size tripod is not close enough to be sturdy enough for this camera & would only have the worry that it would fall over at some point. Mini Tripod also, is only good enough for a small point & shoot digi cam.

The flash gun, again too under-rated (specs) & low quality for a camera of this type.

The camera bag is far to small to carry the camera & equipment that was in the package. Barely enough room to carry the camera with Lens attached & battery charger and that is all you get inside it.

As i said though, overall this is a great deal. But i had to go out & purchase a new bag, tripod & a proper flash which has cost me approx. $500 at the local shops. No heartache really, but it did cost me more time to go and get these items. If i had known at the time of the order, i would of purchased these extras through Amazon at the time of the camera order & also saved more money this way.

What i would rather see included in this package, is for the above items to be removed and have the suppliers include a more suitable backpack style bag. I just think it's better to have less in the package, but have more quality & suitable items especially with a camera of this quality.

I hope this helps spme people out there that are looking to buy this or a similar package.

I bought this package for the t3i's hd video capabilities. First day I took it out on the job the case's strap broke. Next the charger broke. The tripod was terrible from the start. And just now while shooting a music video for a dj for my internship the sd card broke on me for no explainable reason. All of the Zeikos and Digital Film accessories are absolutely horrible. If you're willing to spend this much money on the camera and lenses alone, go for it. If you want quality accessories to go with it, don't buy from Sunset.

Buy Canon EOS Rebel T3i SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ Canon 18-55mm IS Lens + Canon 55-250mm IS Lens + Huge Now

I've not had my camera long and have only taken 200 pictures, but let me tell you, I am impressed! Don't get me wrong, I know very little about cameras. I am not a photographer. I just want to take good pictures of family, friends, places and everyday life in general. That being said, I am an outdoor person, hunting & fishing and wanted to take better wildlife pictures. I chose this camera because of the reviews and all the auto features. I chose this package because it included the "IS" lenses and the best price. I took pictures of deer in the woods behind my house, that I literaly couldn't see until viewing through the camera's zoom lense and the pictures were great. The everyday pictures around the house are great as well, there is much more depth in the pictures. As I am not a photographer I do not have the word bank to describe the difference. Auto focus is for definitly me. I do plan on taking classes so that someday I can play with all of the manual features but until then, THIS CAMERA MAKES ME A MUCH BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER!

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS Rebel T3i SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ Canon 18-55mm IS Lens + Canon 55-250mm IS Lens + Huge Here

I ordered the Canon EOS Rebel T31 complete package deal. Opened up the travel quick charger and found out the hard way that the battery doesn't fit. I looked at the package and it states that the charger is for Canon NB-7L batteries.

Please pay close attention to everything when unpacking the box and not assume everything is going to fit together.

Want Canon EOS Rebel T3i SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ Canon 18-55mm IS Lens + Canon 55-250mm IS Lens + Huge Discount?

So let me start by saying that this is a fair price for what you get.

Awesome Camera!, Good lenses and filters. That was worth it. What is completely useless are the tripod, camera bag and I received an 8gb SD card not 16gb. The seller did try to contact me before he shipped it out...that said I called back 3 times and got no return phone call...I assume it was about the 16gb card. I got the bundle a day later. it seems he threw in a few extra camera batteries to make up the difference...which is fine...I don't care about that so much. But the tripod is way to flimsy for the weight of that camera. The Camera Bag is way to small. It also came with a sub par flash...however it's not useless. I bought a Canon 580EX II Speedlite flash separately and will use the flash that came with the kit as a secondary slave. If it were a dream kit...I would take out the current tripods, camera bag, and flash and replace them with a decent tripod that can handle the weight of the T3i.

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Essentials Bundle and 18-55mm IS II Lens with (2) LP-E8 Batteries & Charger + 3 (UV/FLD/CPL) Filter

Includes some great essential products for your Canon at a great price. The wide angle is the thing I wanted the most, but the tripod is a great addition too.

Tamrac 5290 T90 Photo Digital Camera Bag (Blue)

This bag is just large enough to fit my Canon Powershot, four AA batteries and extra cards. The case doesn't zip but does feature a dual Velcro / clip closure. The case is padded for the camera's protection and can be worn on a belt if wished. I'm happy with this and the larger Tamrac case I ordered. Very nice construction.

This is a nice little bag that holds the two things most needed by the cameras that fit inside: extra batteries and extra memory cards. It's made of sturdy nylon, with a double clasp closure and a shoulder-length strap. The only thing I wish it had is a belt loop hence four stars instead of five.

Buy Tamrac 5290 T90 Photo Digital Camera Bag (Blue) Now

I bought this to hold my Canon PowerShot SD850 IS and some small accessories (spare battery, spare memory card), and this bag is wonderful. The case feels solid, and seems like it would last awhile. My camera isn't snug inside, so I definitely have to make sure that the case is all the way closed. This really isn't a problem though, because the case comes with both velcro and a snap closure; having both is nice as I don't need to worry if I forget the snaps while running around. The area around the camera is nicely padded, and I never have to worry about my camera being damaged. It gets bounced around my purse quite a bit, and just the other day, my camera completely flew out of my purse sitting in my bike basket as I was going to class. Thanks to this case, no damage was done to my camera at all. I'd highly recommend this product.

Read Best Reviews of Tamrac 5290 T90 Photo Digital Camera Bag (Blue) Here

I am very pleased with this case, and the price. It is just what I wanted and needed for my new camera. Lots of padding to protect camera and the adjustable shoulder strap is an added bonus!!!!!!!!

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This bag is undersized for the 720IS camera. It is a squeeze to get it in and difficult to get out. The mode wheel on the camera is turned by the friction of the bag when removing the camera.

The construction is fine. Better for a smaller camera.

Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only)

Pros:

Rugged, full weather seals. Rain, snow, or dust won't slow it down.

Compact Size with a magnesium alloy shell of stainless steel chassis.

Selection of lenses designed for the APS-C imaging sensor

Shake reduction with every lens

Ergonomics

External Mic in video mode

Very quiet shutter

Industry first Composition Adjustment and horizon level (separate features)

Cons:

Battery life in Live View/Video mode.

Not a beginners camera unless you have a strong desire to learn about photography

High ISO performance could be a bit better

What previous Pentax users will notice:

Refinement, refinement, refinement

Low light autofocus is fast and accurate (inline with the competition now)

AF-Continuous is fast, but not class leading.

Ergonomics different from previous K10d and K20d (maybe good, maybe bad depending on your position)

Insignificant change in image quality from K20d

Can disable long shutter noise reduction for shots 30 seconds or less

Excellent sensor dust removal

Who should buy the K-7? Anyone looking for a prosumer dSLR (Nikon d300, d300s, Canon 50d, etc) that they want to take anywhere. This thing is for serious adventurers, with its full weather sealing and wide array of weather sealed lenses (DA* or WR series lenses). Going on a trip to Alaska? Hiking in the back country? Canoeing down the Colorado? Or even if you just want a smaller dSLR with all the features of the big boys from Canon or Nikon. This camera steps up the competition.

What new to Pentax users should be aware of? The camera makes slight noises when you pick it up or turn it on. The sensor is free to shift in its mount due to the shake reduction system. This is totally normal, but scares some first time users where they think something might be broken.

Detailed review:

I have tested out the weather seals in a driving rain, where I shot video using my DA* 60-250mm lens. The seals held up well and the camera still works, so all is good. Having used previous Pentax cameras, I have had minimal trouble with batteries dying in the cold like some friends with Nikon's and Canon's have. I had my K20d out in -30 F weather for 1.5 hours once. The camera had frosted over.

The camera is diminutive, but feels like a little tank. It is sturdily built and feels great in the hand despite the compact size. Without the grip I only have 3 fingers on the grip, but this is the same way I held my much larger Canon 5d when I had it. The K-7 is comfortable for me to hold for long periods, I support the camera with my pinky finger.

Pentax has a stellar selection of lenses for APS-C cameras with a wide array of fixed focal length lenses (primes) for best image quality, or large aperture zooms (f/2.8), medium aperture zooms (f/4), or "consumer" zooms (f/3.5-5.6). To find a list of Pentax lenses, visit Pentax Imaging USA's Website. If you want weather sealed remember to buy WR or DA* lenses, non of the others are weather sealed.

It is important to note that shake reduction works with every lens for the Pentax system, usually around 2 or 3 f-stops, but up to 4 for those with shaky hands. This is invaluable to have a 50mm f/1.4 with shake reduction for those available light shots, just remember that shake reduction allows a slower shutter speed so it isn't ideal for moving subjects. Also remember to wait a split second for the shake reduction icon to show in the viewfinder before taking your picture at slow shutter speeds.

The ergonomics are intuitive for the K-7, but might throw some previous K20d users for a loop. Users coming from the K-2000 (K-m in foreign markets) should be able to adapt quickly, as it is very similar. One of the new design paradigms is quick access to everything through the info menu on the back. Also use the info button to disable the LCD (for those that do night shooting and get blinded by it). There is a direct ISO button now too, for those that didn't know it was hidden under the OK button before. Typical of modern electronics there are several over-loaded button functions, so it pays to sit down with the manual and read over it, but overall it is intuitive. The screen often shows you what button to press (like a little symbol of the front e-dial is shown to change a particular setting using that dial). Similar to the K20d, but slightly different too. Be sure to download the latest firmware from Pentax for better use of the AF Select mode (for selecting your own autofocus point).

The video mode is reasonably good. It uses motion JPG compression (AVI) which results in huge file sizes, but minimal artifacts while panning or during motions scenes. It records 720p at a fast 30 frames per second, most of the competition only does 24 fps. Max is 4 GB per file, which might be 8 minutes or so at max quality, or 30 minutes at a lower quality. Like all dSLR video cameras the internal mic picks up every sound the camera makes, so ideally you should use an external mic for high quality video. Only two dSLR cameras allow that at the time of this review writing, and those are the Canon 5d which is twice as expensive as the K-7, and the K-7. The soon to be released D300s will allow an external mic too, but it has a targeted price of $500 more than the K-7. This makes the K-7 one of the best bargains in dSLR video.

The refinement of this camera is stellar. The shutter is very quiet for a dSLR (if you are coming from a point and shoot it is of course much louder), but it is unobtrusive and professional sounding. No more clackety clackty whirrrrr that the older K20d made, one of those noises that turned every head in the room. It is also nice the shutter acts separately from the mirror, so mirror blackout times are minimal and the shutter can be fired multiple times without cycling the mirror, like in live view.

This camera also has an extreme degree of flexibility in configuring JPG options, you can customize several different JPG modes ranging from vibrant, muted, natural, portrait, etc. You can change the key, contrast, saturation, sharpness and more. You can also take 3 shot HDR images right in the camera with decent results. Finally, you can do a wide degree of image processing right in the camera using built in digital filters and also RAW developing.

The composition adjustment can be used to make small shifts left and right and rotationally using live view mode. These are very handy for fine tuning the composition and are equivalent to shifting on a tilt shift lens (just to a lesser degree, 1mm each direction). The level is also handy, allowing you to easily see when the camera is not perfectly straight, or it can be set to automatically level the horizon.

So, I have had a pretty glowing review so far, what are the downsides?

I have shot 2000 shots through the K-7 now, and it has performed as expected. I have charged the battery maybe 3 times, so life is reasonably good, except when using live view or video mode frequently. The camera sometimes thinks the battery is going dead when it is low and turns the camera off. You can still shoot pictures if you turn it back on, but not much video or live view. However, you can still get a lot of use from the video or live view before this becomes an issue, and if it does you might invest in a battery grip or AC adapter.

My only disappointment with the camera is I wish ISO 1600 performed half a stop better. The noise is relatively pleasing though, and will lead to good prints or black and white conversions.

This camera has an intimidating array of buttons and options. If you are a beginner, and have no intent to learn photography in terms of exposure and aperture, I would hesitate buying this camera. Pentax's entry K-2000 might be worth a look in that case.

However, this camera really brings everything to the table and if you are an advanced consumer or even a professional looking for a feature rich camera, this Pentax is definitely worth a look. This camera is an amazing price considering the competition.

Every once in a while I get a product that is "just right". The first VW Rabbit, a Taylor Guitar, a couple of my many Macs and my Klipsch speakers come to mind. They have that extra something that makes me love them. Other brands may be as good but these products click. Add the K-7 to that short list.

I couldn't believe that I bought this as I already own the very good Pentax K20D. The K-7 is a better camera. As the current have-to-have feature is video, Pentax included that with this camera. Not being that knowledgeable about video, it seems like it does a good job, though it isn't a quick, push one button action.

But when it comes to still photos, it is superb. It feels good in the hand. It's noticeably smaller than the K20D and a bit lighter but don't make the mistake of thinking that small doesn't mean hefty. This thing is solid. It' build like a tank. I believe that the steel and magnesium body is tough. It sure feels that way.

Pentax has taken a good camera and fixed the little niggling problems that kept the K20D from being great. The slow, low light autofocus is fixed. That's fast and accurate now. The already decent high ISO performance seems to be about a full stop better. The camera now has a dedicated ISO button, too, which is a much appreciated addition.

Other little touches shine, too. The camera handles like a dream. It's well balanced with my not very light lenses. The 4 way controller now has separate buttons, that let you access the functions individually. Excellent. The ISO button and exposure compensation buttons have been moved to the top of the camera where they can be easily found by feel. The review button, also has been moved to the top and doesn't have to be picked out of a cluttered back.

Oh, and the photos this takes are excellent. It has a bunch of scene modes and effects, which honestly I haven't used. I shoot RAW, though Pentax has left their exclusive RAW/JPEG button on the front of the camera if you choose to mix your image formats. I already mentioned the improved low light performance. High ISO noise doesn't really appear until 800 and then it's not something that detracts from the quality of the images. It actually produces usable images at 3200 ISO. They are grainier than some other cameras but Pentax applies very little noise control and the photos have more detail than other cameras I've tried. I like the balance that Pentax has taken.

One other nice detail is that Pentax has replaced the fiddly key you need to turn to access the SD card with a simple latched door. It's still weather sealed. The one place where the camera seems just a bit worse is in the media door on the other side of the camera. The solid door has been replace by a rubbery plug that I'm not fond of. It still seems to seal the camera but it feels cheap, the only part of the camera that isn't top-top.

One other area that's been improved is the burst speed. I honestly don't believe that the slower rate of the K20D was really a problem for most people but the numbers didn't look as good as the competition. That's "fixed" with a 5+ frame per second rate. It just shows that Pentax really paid attention to what people said about the K20D and fixed it. Pentax also added a high dynamic range feature that does a pretty good job. That has two ranges. The high one shows that HDR strangeness that I've come to expect. The middle range does a pretty good job, though I still like to bracket the exposure and post process. Though I did use it this afternoon and got a decent exposure.

For a serious amateur, I can't image a better camera. Go to a camera store and pick one up. I'm guessing that you'll like this gem, too.

**Addendum I just spent the last week with my new macro lens. The new ability to zoom in with live view makes manual focusing easy to get spot on. And manual focus is necessary with extreme close ups.

A problem with all DSLRs is that the lack of the split screen built into the old film cameras makes manual focusing less precise than it was with them. There really are no models that I know of that don't suffer from this. Live view zoom solves this.(you can add a focusing screen but I understand that those mess with metering)

Buy Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only) Now

I had owned a Pentax K10d and have been wanting to upgrade for a while. I did extensive research on the Canon T1I, Canon Xsi, Nikon D90, and Nikon D5000.

Pentax K7 won out in the end. I was willing to change systems, but the K7 is simply superior to everything at and below its price range. Even surpasses the ones that are a few hundred more as well.

I travel a lot and wanted something light and weatherproof. during the P&S days, I ruined 3-4 cameras because of dust and did NOT want that to happen to a more expensive dslr. Pentax came to the rescue and offers a weather sealed body. So I can take photos where there's lots of dust and even in the rain! what other slr camera can you do that with? The Pentax K7 is the only camera within hundreds of dollars that can meet this criteria.

Of course having great image quality and autofocus abilities were critical too. Yeah, the Nikon D90 might have great low iso performance, but it's a toy compared to the Pentax K7. Canons were nice, but they felt like toys... unless you go into the $1500+ range. the tight body of the k7 is a sheer delight.

I got immensely frustrated by Canon and Nikon because I really wanted to switch over... mainly because so many of my friends have their lenses and I could borrow them... but I couldn't do it because Canon and Nikon deliberately trip their cameras so that it doesn't cannibalize their other cameras. Also, they want to make more money by putting in the stabilization within the lens instead of the body. So you have to get a stabilized lens which is a lot of more money. Pentax ain't nasty like Nikon and Canon. They put their best foot forward instead of little toes like Canon and Nikon with their stripped cameras.

admittedly, one of the major problems with my K10 was the low light autofocus. it was hard to take shots with my 1.4 prime in a dimly lit room. but that problem is now gone! the k7 autofocus is quick and accurate. an additional bonus... one of the reasons why i hate flash is because it disturbs the people around you, but the loud shutter sounds of slrs are a distraction too. but with the k7, i think it has the quietest shutter of all slrs! this is a huge bonus when trying to take pictures without disturbing people around you.

all the cameras that aren't full frame are similar in image quality. some have more noise and more detail (like the pentax), and the others have less noise but less detail, but the differences aren't very significant. so it comes down to the value and the feature set. and this is where the Pentax K7 BLOWS away the competition. you might be a little turned off by the $1300 price, but at that price, there's NOTHING that comes even close.

Read Best Reviews of Pentax K-7 14.6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video (Body Only) Here

Starting with the impressive Pentax K10 a few years ago, I later welcomed the arrival of the K20 for improvements over a very capable camera. The K20`s 14.6mp CMOS sensor provided much improved high ISO performance so that shooting at ISO 2000 for concert photos was no problem. The individual lens adjustment for auto focus was also a huge plus since lenses that were barely usable on the K10 due to front or back focus problems functioned normally on the K20. I even found that the live view feature was pretty handy for such things as sunrise or sunset pictures where it would be impossible to look through the viewfinder without damaging your eyes. What remained a bit of a disappointment on the K20, however, was the often slow and inaccurate auto focus, the slow burst rate and the finicky white balance performance that much of the time needed constant fiddling to get close to accurate hues under various lighting conditions. There was also the anticipation that high ISO performance would be improved as well. Knowing the K20 limitations, I could usually work around them and still get impressive shots. But there's always the expectation of improvement, especially when you start bumping into those limitations and seeing how the competition is moving ahead of what you're shooting with.

So when the K-7 was suddenly announced, I had hopes for another measureable step forward to answer to the shortcomings of the K20. The first feature that caught my attention was not the HD video capability at 30fps, but rather the entirely new 14.6mp sensor "built from the ground up" with the intention of improving high ISO performance, especially in shadow details, as Pentax claimed. Additionally, there was the new 5.2 fps burst rate and improved autofocus performance. That was all I needed to buy the K-7. You can read about all the improvements this camera represents in the other reviews from those who also bought the K-7, so I'll keep my comments to those things specific to my experience after a month shooting thousands of JPEG pictures (no, I haven't played with RAW yet, and I understand that's where the K-7 really does well).

Pros:

The new smaller size is not what I would have liked. I actually was hoping for a slight increase in the size of the K20 since I just like the feel of a larger camera. However, the solid construction and layout when combined with the optional battery grip made for a satisfying package for comfortable handling. I also like the battery option of standard Pentax K-7 battery or 6 AA batteries in the grip. Without the battery grip, the small size does have advantages for portability/storage, however.

The auto white balance improvement over the K20 is huge! Even under various artificial lighting conditions, the white balance is surprisingly accurate. This will save me many hours of post-edit work just to adjust the color balance as I did with my indoor K20 shots.

The new shutter is much quieter and smoother. I never really cared for the shutter sounds of the K10 and K20 compared to Canon, Nikon and others. Although still not as smooth and "precise" sounding as other cameras, I can live with the K-7 shutter noise. In fact, the quietness is a big plus for taking candid shots when you don't want to draw attention to yourself.

The 5.2 fps burst rate is a substantial improvement from 3 fps for action shots and is still workable compared to the faster rate of other cameras in the 6 to 8 fps range.

The autofocus performance does seem to be improved, although the type of lens you use can make a big difference in focusing speed. I've found that in bright light the fastest focusing lenses are the ones not using the quiet SDM mechanism in the lens, but rather the noisy screw drive in the camera body, although these lenses tend to have less focus travel, helping with focusing speed. I've noticed less "back-and-forth" indecision in focusing with the K-7 in low light situations, but the overall speed is probably average amongst the various DSLR makes. The AF assist light is also a nice addition that helps in near-dark situations. Update: A leading photo magazine just tested the K-7 auto focus speed, and compared to their test of the K20, the K-7 looks to be almost 10% faster in all light conditions according to their tests. That same magazine also tested cameras like the Canon 50D and Nikon D300s where they were about 50% to over 100% faster than the K-7 in medium to low light conditions. Hands-on experience still shows that the Pentax autofocus system is far slower than the competition in lower/low light situations. This can be very frustrating when focus response slows significantly or continues to hunt back and forth while your one or two second photo opportunity has passed before the camera could finally achieve focus and get the shot. In bright light, however, the K-7 and the others are all about the same in focus speed.

Cons:

I'm most disappointed with the performance of the new sensor. Throughout my picture-taking with this camera, I noticed an overall tendency for my shots to be just a bit "noisier" than the K20 at all ISO settings. After careful JPEG comparisons between my K20 and the K-7 at ISO 2000 using the same lens and same settings, I found that the K-7 had slightly more "grain" than the K20. This was especially noticeable in shadows which is where the biggest improvement was supposed to be. The K20 sensor would best the K-7 at all comparable ISO noise reduction settings with the exception of the highest NR setting. Detail would certainly be reduced in both cameras at that setting, but the K-7 does seem to show more detail despite the increased noise reduction. The only thing I noticed is that the increased detail, or resolution, is accompanied by harsher edge detail like over-sharpening or the way watercolors can bleed along an edge. These issues considered, I would have been no less disappointed if the K-7 had come with the K20 sensor so long as the auto white balance improvement came with it. Not clear what the story is behind the K-7 sensor development (by Samsung) unless it somehow didn't quite measure up to what Pentax was expecting in time for the launch date of this new camera.

Despite the greatly improved auto white balance, I found that the K-7 still has a bit of a problem rendering red such as red lighting or red colors in stage performance situations. They end up looking a bit washed-out and pinkish.

I remain concerned about Pentax quality control. The first copy I did most of my shooting with turned out to have a "noisy" flexible back that squeaked and creaked near the buttons and thumb rest. Amazon was spectacular in getting me a replacement in a couple days. The new K-7 is solid very solid, but I've noticed that pictures on this copy are slightly underexposed. I've been told that there have been some other copies purchased with the same flexible rear body issue.

Forgot to mention the little issue with the SD card door: the card is way too close to the door hinge when it's open such that I can barely get my fingers on the card to pull it out. I almost resorted to needle nose pliers to do the job.

Overall:

The K-7 is still a worthy improvement over the K20 despite the disappointing "non-improvement" in ISO performance: for me the K20 now becomes a solid backup camera to the K-7. The multitude of features and improvement of the menu and controls and the overall quality of the pictures it can produce, hold up well to competitors in the same general class resulting in a really fine camera choice and better deal in the balance. Mounted with the best Pentax glass, I feel just as capable standing next to the pros shooting with high-end APS-C class Canons or Nikons the resulting pictures speak for themselves. With the K-7, Pentax is a high-value option for serious enthusiasts.

Update 9/23: The 2nd copy I received turned out to have an apparent defective sensor/light metering system or very odd normal behavior. At all ISO settings above 1250, the image (JPEG and RAW) is underexposed by at least one full stop. A "problem" of underexposure with the K-7 is covered in more than one professional review but Pentax says that they are not aware of such issues so this may be isolated. Looking back at pictures taken with my first copy, it also appears the problem existed to some degree with that one as well. As a result, I'm personally not confident in the integrity of the new sensor/metering system on the K-7 (and certainly not in the quality control) and will wait until next year before possibly trying my luck with a third copy. In summary, I feel the K-7 needs some serious improvement with the sensor, autofocus system and quality control to better compete with the likes of the 7D and D300s and be a truly outstanding camera as a result. Looking forward to seeing these improvements on their updated K-7 model in the hopefully not-to-distant future. For now I'll continue to enjoy my still capable K20.

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Background: I have been doing photography for 30 + years and digital photography since about 1997. I own or have owned Pentax ist*D, and K20D. I also have a Fuji S2Pro (Modified Nikon body), and Sony A100, A700. I have briefly used several modern Canon and Nikon DSLRs. I purchased the K7 for a 3 week trip to England and Ireland, mainly because I didn't want to lug around a DSLR and a video camera (Sony HDR-HC1). I bought the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 and did the trip with that single lens only about 10% of time did I desire a longer focal length lens.

Pros:

Solid. I dropped it 3 feet onto concrete (camera bag hung on something). The lens hood shattered but the camera and lens worked perfectly.

Compact and weather resistant -feels good and soaking rains of Ireland did no harm.

Great Auto White Balance even in low light and indoors; Fuji S2Pro is close on AWB but most other DSLRs really struggle with low indoor and mixed lighting

Fast (relatively)-about same as Sony A700 (5fps).

Fast and significantly improved focusing (versus K20D) especially in low light.

Better low light performance, focusing, color balance, noise.

Improved anti-shake is a significant aid in low light didn't need tripod. Remember, unlike Nikon and Canon the antishake is in the body so it works with all lens and this makes the lens cheaper.

Adjustable Noise Reduction. Very good low-light performance, best under ISO800 but acceptable to ISO 1200.

Tilt-meter that really helps, really needed on video but great for most photos

Controls: buttons for most important functions. In particular the push-button RAW button, exposure compensation, and ISO.

Unique Pentax exposure modes: Sensitivity priority #set the ISO for the lighting and it will pick aperture and shutters speeds for correct exposure and TAV where you set the shutter and aperture and it will change the ISO to get the correct exposure.

Customizable -every comprehensible way. There are a million little things (Lateral Chromatic aberration distortion adjustment, HDR capture, digital filters, bracketing options (unbelievable#, autoface detection.

Quality of photos is excellent particularly with a good lens.

Cons:

Not a video camera. Need to be careful about focusing. Focusing is a slow, one-time thing for each shot. It is hard to verify focus on screen (can't use viewfinder) particularly in bright light. One can't pan or zoom well. You get best results if you don't move the camera just let the activity in the frame create the action. In the same way that video cameras aren't replacemets for DSLRs for still photos DSLRs are not replacements for video cameras not yet anyway. That said, you can get good looking video if you are careful. Video eats up SD card space fast tell your story with short 5-10 second clips.

There is so much that can be done with this camera that it can easily intimidate -just leave it in "green mode" until you are comfortable.

I have trouble getting the SD card out of the camera it seems to hang and I end up pushing it in and letting it spring out multiple times.

Why doesn't Pentax use Compact Flash Cards? For the money they are cheaper, faster, and hold more. It would be nice to have 2 card slots and then this would be a true professional body.

Bottom line:

I believe the material/build, features and quality of the results make this the best DSLR camera value today. If you are just getting a DSLR for the first time think strongly about this instead of a Canon or Nikon.

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Tripp Lite P570-006 6 feet HDMI to mini-HDMI, Digital Audio - Video Cable, 6 feet

I bought the cable for use with a canon SD780 camera. It securely attached to the camera and my HDTV. I found that the miniHDMI side was adequately narrow to fit into the plug on the tiny SD780. It works perfectly. I was a little concerned by some bad reviews, but figured I'd give this cable a try considering that it was 1/3 the price of other miniHDMI-HDMI cables I looked at. I'm glad I did.

NOTE: HDMI is entirely digital. The 1's and 0's either transmit or they don't. You won't get a "better" picture by using more expensive cables. Here, because this cheap cable works, there is no reason to ever get a more expensive one.

I bought the Canon HF-10 a week ago it is a great camcorder. I also bought this Trip Lite Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable. When the items arrived, I tested the camera and was very happy. I then tried to play videos over mu Sony 52" HDTV through the HDMI port with this cable. It did not work at all. I began to worry about whether it was the cable or the HF-10 HDMI port. The component cable supplied by Canon worked great on HDTV in 1080i but not the HDMI. Finally, after a lot of investigation (several hours) I had my wife buy a SONY cable (about $40). It worked superbly! It appears to me that the quality control on these Tripp Lite cables is very poor. Reading the review you see that a lot arrived and did not work. I think Amazon should withdraw this item. I know that cables are a high profit item for electronics vendors. You can get them cheaper on e-bay if you shop around. Going for the Tripp Lite version cost me waste a lot of time. The HF-10 camera surely is great!

Dr. Bob Brown, Jr.

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I bought one of these to go along with my canon HG10 HD camcorder. Using the cable, the picture was grainy and miscolored on one TV, and didnt work on another TV. I did an amazon return/exchange (great btw) and the next one didnt work *at all*. I started to doubt the camcorder thinking maybe the mini HDMI port was bad. I took the camcorder to a Fry's Electronics store, and bought a different brand cable (30$) and tested it out on the spot. Worked like a charm. If you are getting this for a canon HG10, I would beware.

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Not much to say about a cable. Just that it fits with my Flip Ultra HD camcorder and works fine.

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I ordered this cable with some low expectations because of some of the reviews. What i got was a perfect cable cable with no issues. I am sure that some people may have received a defective cable but most of the problem may be that the cable not being properly installed into the equipment.

I however would have to say go ahead and try it. What do you have to lose for the price.

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POV Case 3.0 Small GoPro-edition Black

My wife gave me a Hero3 with an extra battery, the video back and a handful of mounts. I started looking for a storage solution that was compact, gave good protection and lightweight while able to fit camera and all the goodies. This seemed to be the best option for what I needed and after using it a few weeks I am very happy I made the purchase. If I was reviewing the price this would get knocked down a star or two because it is expensive but being the only good option for what I wanted I had to "pay to play". When you think about paying a little extra to protect your investment of a nice GoPro system that you take everywhere it is probably well worth the cost.

A good review should be based on the overall product including its performance and this case gets five stars for that. It has a nice dense pre-cut foam interior that fits the camera (in it's case), an extra battery, an extra SD card, the video back, a nice amount of accessories and a netted area on the top section to hold your cables and a few extra items. The construction is very good, zipper is solid and it has a soft rubber seal around the interior edge so when it's closed it will keep dust out. The exterior of the case is a durable material and has a good quality feel. If you skipped to the end of this review... I recommend this as a very solid purchase.

This is a very nice small case for my GoPro. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is that it is extremely overpriced for what it is.

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I am very pleased with this case. The precut openings fit the camera and accessories perfect. I wish it had a little more room but overall great case. It may seem overpriced but NOT having to to make the cutouts is worth it.

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I bought this based solely on the photos of it here on Amazon. What I can say is that it's very well made, soft textured yet rugged exterior with firm "shell like" feel to it. Inside you'll find good padding that more than adequately protected my camera and accessories on a trip that went from Lower48 (home) to Maui to Alaska. I had it in my backpack, stuffed that pack into overhead bins on planes and it came out fine. The only caveat is that you'll find as you accumulate more GoPro accessories, if you're like me, you also want something to store them ALL. This one is a bit small for that, and I find myself picking and choosing what I'll take. So I'd recommend that you get both this one and the larger one. Use the larger one for permanent storage at home or for those trips when you're going to need a lot of accessories, and use this one for when you are able to limit what you'll take. For example, for scuba, this would easily accomodate most things I'd need, save perhaps any special mounts.

Overall, I love it and will be taking my own advice and buying the bigger one as well.

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I like very thing that this case provide in protection, but with all the extras that you may need with your go pro, it fall short on space, I should have bought the larger case.

Nikon 1 J1 10.1 MP HD Digital Camera System with 10-30mm VR and 30-110mm VR 1 NIKKOR Lenses (Silver)

There's been a lot of talk about Nikon's new 1 Series cameras, and a lot of disappointment over the CX sensor size, and the perceived lack of quality compared to Sony's larger APS-C NEX cameras. Many enthusiasts have been understandably frustrated by this move, wanting the best of all worlds D3 quality in a point and shoot body. The J1 doesn't quite hit that mark, but if you understand what you're buying and play to the camera's strengths, it's a great piece of gear for the beginner, enthusiast, and the pro alike.

For clarification, I am primarily evaluating the J1 for its use *as a camera* I won't touch much on the video or motion snapshot modes.

The Good:

* As a part-time professional, I bought this camera primarily because of its size, and the ability (hopefully) to use my collection of F-mount lenses in the future. In this respect, the J1 is fantastic. My first mirrorless purchase was a Sony NEX-3, and I was overall very happy with it, but the size of the lens still made carrying it around a real chore. Unfortunately, this really comes down to physics there are physical constraints on how small you can design a lens with a 55mm focal length (concretely, it can't really be much less than 55mm in length). Fundamentally, this is where the CX format helps the J1 significantly. Due to its smaller sensor size, it is possible to construct equivalent lenses which are significantly smaller and lighter than for the APS-C format. The promise of being able to use standard-range high-quality zoom lenses (think a 17-55 f2.8, for instance) as mid-range telephotos is certainly intriguing. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and obviously the wide end and depth of field suffer here, but I am hopeful that Nikon or third party manufacturers will address that concern as much as they can. At the moment, however, the J1 with its kit lens is a camera that is, while not pants-pocketable, certainly coat-pocketable.

* The autofocus system is fantastic, especially in good light. I've been particularly impressed at the ability of the J1 to track a subject around the frame. I've been a big fan of Nikon's 3D tracking AF since I first saw it in action on the D300, but the J1 really takes it to a new level. The subject tracking mode is fast and very responsive, and once you've locked it on something, it does a very good job of staying with your targeted subject. Nikon claims that the J1 and V1 focus faster than the D3, and while I haven't used a D3 in a while, the J1 focuses fast enough (in good light) that I wouldn't doubt the claim.

* Image quality is actually quite good. I was fearful of how bad the noise would be on a smaller sensor, but I've been reasonably impressed with the results so far. JPEG results out of the camera are not stellar at high ISO there's certainly some aggressive noise reduction going on so you will certainly want to switch to RAW for best results. At present, ACR will not open J1 files, but Capture NX2 will. The ACR 6.6 beta results posted on dpreview.com are encouraging, being close to on-par with previous generation sensors (D90, D300, etc). Without access to the files in my normal workflow (Lightroom), it's hard for me to make a direct comparison on how much you can eek out of a RAW file on the J1 compared to other cameras, but so far I've been pleased.

UPDATE: Lightroom version 3.6 (beta) is out, and I've had a chance to play around with several of the images I've taken over the past few weeks. Again, I've been reasonably impressed. This is not a D3. With standard noise reduction in LR, I think the image quality is easily better than my D200 was, which given the size of the sensor is quite impressive. It is certainly better than the higher end point and shoots I've owned (Panasonic LX-2, Canon S90 which to be fair are a couple of years old).

Things that could be improved:

* The interface. The camera tries to take care of a lot of things for you, and for the most part it does an ok job. If you're trying to access things like you would on a DSLR, you may have some problems. It would be nice to see Nikon update the firmware with the ability to reassign some of the buttons to tasks that are more useful in manual mode, but as with any wish-list feature, it's not something you should plan on happening if you're buying the camera. Overall, the interface isn't worse than the NEX-3, so I'm not displeased. I'd like things to be more accessible, but the camera is perfectly usable as it is.

* The high-speed electronic shutter setting is very, very restrictive with regard to the settings you can change. Things you have no control of if you want to use the high-speed capture: Program mode only (no aperture, shutter or manual), ISO (Auto 100-3200 only), metering (matrix only), focus mode (AF-A only), and focus tracking (area mode only). I was rather looking forward to using the high-speed mode, but frankly these restrictions make it pretty difficult to use with any kind of creative control.

* There doesn't seem to be a way to turn off the image preview after you take a picture, which is somewhat problematic if you are trying to capture a string of pictures. You can take a single shot, or a burst of pictures, but in either case you can't use the camera again until the preview goes away, which generally takes 2-3 seconds. This won't be a big deal most of the time for most people, but it does make capturing any kind of action problematic. Simply adding an option to turn this off in firmware would go a long way.

Things that you might care about, but aren't strictly speaking critical to being a camera:

* Video seems to require more light than stills at least if you are using the 720p60 and definitely if you are using the high-speed video. High-speed is somewhat gimmicky, perhaps, but don't plan on using it indoors. There simply won't be enough light. The 720p60 video is nice certainly smother than a lot of SLR and mirrorless video out there, including my experience with the NEX-3. I don't know that you're going to get broadcast quality, but things have come a long way in just a couple of years.

* The smart selector function seems to work fairly well, but since you can't see the images it throws away, it's hard to really know. I haven't used this function extensively, but when I have, I've been happy with the pictures it's kept.

Should you buy a J1? It depends. If you're intrigued, but not completely sure you need one, I might wait for the next generation. If you want to be able to carry a small, light camera that offers fairly good image quality especially if you have a set of Nikon lenses this would be a good choice. If you're a parent who wants to take pictures of your kids at their sports games, when paired with a longer range zoom, the Nikon J1 will get you some great results. If you want a camera that weighs half a pound, can fit in your pocket, has a 25x f2.8 zoom, and gives you noise-free images at ISO 204,800... you'll need to look somewhere else.

At the end of the day, the J1 is a compromise, and it doesn't really pretend to be otherwise. You won't get the low light performance you would in an APS-C camera, but you won't be carrying ten pounds of gear with you either. When buying the J1, my personal philosophy was the following: if I'm in a situation where my primary concern is image quality, I'll bring my pro gear along. Otherwise, I'll carry the J1, and thereby have the possibility of capturing scenes, albeit at reduced (though still acceptable) quality, because my camera is with me, instead of sitting at home.

I initially preordered the V1, most of the lens, and the flash. I realized I was getting a Nikon 1 camera so that I don't have to carry so much camera equipment. I cancelled the V1, and I purchased the J1 black instead. I am glad I did.

I think for most people the J1 and 10 30 mm kit is the best choice. The 10mm pancake lens is nice if you want to do a lot of shooting in low light, but you can't zoom. Most of you are used to zooming, and when you can't get closer with your feet because of some barrier, you won't be happy. Many are posting that the 30 100 mm lens is very good too. I would have gotten that one for my J1, but I have Nikon lens for my Nikon dSLR D5100. I plan on buying the adapter so I can use my current dSLR Nikon lenses on the J1 for fun.

The J1 is a great little camera, but you do need to read parts of the manual. If you are someone who likes to capture the moment, this camera is very good in bright light. The colors (white balance) is very good, and in bright light the camera will focus more quickly than most cameras out there. This is great camera for someone (example, my wife) who likes to just shoot and not worry too much about all the photographic technical mumbo jumbo.

The Nikon 1 cameras are very good in both pictures and video. I think there is one other mirrorless brand that does video as good as the Nikon 1 cameras. When I use my D5100 Nikon dSLR for video, I just have to accept the fact that there will be enough moments where the D5100 is trying to find focus, and so the video will have many small instances of a blurry picture. For most of us, the video of the Nikon 1 J1 will be very good for our family and social events. The Nikon 1 J1 has better auto focus video than any dSLRs out there.

My previous ''small' camera was the Canon S90. I really liked it. I have compared the J1 to the S90. You have to increase the sharpness in the J1 menu settings to match the sharpness of the S90. The J1 beats the S90 in color accuracy. I love the colors (white balance) from this new camera. It is as good or slightly better than my Nikon D5100, which is a great dSLR.

I am enjoying this new toy. Hanging the camera on my neck or shoulder is much more comfortable than my DSLR. If you can afford it, I recommend getting the J1 10 30 mm kit. In bright light it is fantastic with great fast focus and great color. You do need to read the manual on the topics of vibration reduction (VR) and active dynamic lighting. For pictures you will want the VR to be on 'normal' most of the time. For video, you probably will need to put VR on 'active.' This is currently the best camera for both very good pictures AND very good video. As a father, I really regret not taking enough small video clips of my kids, especially of them speaking. Like any camera, you do need to use good holding technique, read the manual, and learn to use this new toy if you want to get the most out of it. If you just like to point and shoot, this will do that too.

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So, I feel like this camera isn't getting enough credit. I own a D7000 and quite honestly, the negative reviews are happening because they're comparing DSLRs. STOP. You absolutely cannot compare the Nikon 1 to a DSLR. As far as the facts go, this camera does everything advertised. I am completely satisfied with it. When I don't feel like lugging my D7000 around, I grab this camera. In fact, I can't wait to bring it home with me for Christmas because I can get nearly the same quality as I would a D7000 shot. BUT, you do need to treat it MUCH differently than a DSLR so please don't purchase this wonderful camera because you think it's going to perform like a DSLR because it has removable lenses... it will not, so spend time with this camera and learn it's soft spots and what works for you.

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I've had my new Nikon J1 with 10-30mm lens for one week and have taken about a 1000 test shots with it. A decent compromise between the dSLR and the point and shoot, and I get video. The color is superb. The auto focus has NO problems. The image review has been very accurate. If the images did not get enough light then they were darker on the review screen and I re-shot them. There is some amount of vignetting at the corners, especially at each end of the zoom range. At f/9.0 everything is very nice and clear. I believe there is some distortion at the 10mm end, but perhaps the 10mm /2.8 lens will not have this problem. I also purchased the 30mm-110mm lens and have been very happy with the quality of the pictures. Like any new camera there is an adjustment period and learning how to shoot it. I have learned to shoot in A-mode outdoors and S-mode indoors to get the type of images I want. I wanted something light than my Sony A700 that still took good pictures, especially macro work, and this lens delivers for that. For landscapes, the jury is still out on that one due to possible distortion issues. I don't normally shot in RAW mode, so adjusting the images in Photoshop has not been a problem. Video seems to work nicely. I was strongly considering buying the Sony Nex-5N, especially since I could use my A-mount lens on it, but decided against it because it requires a separate microphone for sound and has no attached flash. This made the camera less easy for capturing in the moment photo shots and video and more gear to carry around. Purchased the White body and lens and loving it. Glad I bought it? After getting familiar with it YES.

Update: After using the camera a little longer I would say one disadvantage is the shadow cast by the lens when using the flash up close. You can not use the flash when you are standing close to the object or there will be this little brown shadow at the bottom of the picture. To compensate, just step back and zoom in and no shadow. I purchased my camera kit from a local store and paid full price of $899, which is irritating when I see the sell prices from some of the online stores. I found a piece of lint in the front glass of the 30-110mm lens. I took it back to the store and they promptly replaced it, no problem. I actually took an Olympus PEN camera home to try out and took it back the very next day. It did not hold up in comparison to the Nikon J1 at all. The video works great on the J1, it focuses constantly and keeps a sharp image.

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Let me start this review HONESTLY...I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I am just a normal guy that got tired of going on trips and seeing grainy unfocused blurry pictures when I got back home. I was looking into SLR cameras but they are too expensive for someone that just wants to shoot and have the pictures look good. I started looking into DSLR cameras (youtube is a great source for reviews). It eventually came down to the Sony brand camera everyone rants and raves about and the Nikon J1. Now according to the reviews and a little experimenting of my own..The Sony gives a slightly better picture, but I chose the Nikon mainly because of price. It was $550 when I bought it, and for the quality of pictures I get I definitely think it was worth it. YOU CAN GET SLR QUALITY PHOTOS OUT OF THIS CAMERA. I personally feel like every shot I take is a good one. took it downtown this past weekend to get some Earth Day gathering pics, and I even believed I was a professional for a second. Extremely clear, beautiful pictures out of thing. This camera takes great pictures! The menu is easy to navigate, gives you plenty of options. The video shooting is good as well, and the ability to take pictures while shooting video is a cool perk. Now for the bad, every camera has problems and the thing that bothered me most was that you can only take about 5 seconds worth of slow motion video which I did not like. Other than that I love this thing and would recommend it to anyone