Supereyes B005 0.1X ~ 200X Handheld USB Digital Microscope Endoscope Loupe Otoscope Magnifier with

Watch out! They claim it works with Mac and Linux but there is no software for either OS. Documentation is virtually nonexistent. There comes a small form factor CD with it,which can only be read if you have a tray type CD reader. It is not much use anyways, because much of the stuff on it is in Chinese and whatever comes in English is just a copy of the printed "instructions." I don't know if it works with Windows. I'll post once I find out.

Update: I stand corrected: With a Mac one can use PhotoBooth at the software end to see the image live and to take snapshots. The only annoyance is that PhotoBooth reverses the image and has no switch to change that.

Save 38% Off

Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical Zoom

We used this camera to shoot our short film and it proved to be awesome. The P2 cards were a little tricky to work with, but certainly less difficult and more portable than film; without the added expense of telecine.

For the cost, we could not have gotten this level of quality otherwise. I believe its got the depth of 16mm, plus it shoots in 24p. When we saw our final projection, we were just amazed.

Great cam for the money.

I have no idea whay they are still selling this camera for $5400.00. I have used this camera many times since 2008. Every time I am forced to use it on a shoot I just keep thinking how much better cameras have gotten. The P2 media is way too expensive. Cameras now take SD cards which are 40.00 instead of 350.00. The picture quality is pretty good but not 5400.00 good. The HMC150 is so much better in many ways. I understand people want to be able to have 2 P2 cards in their camera at once. For one thing most people need to because they can only afford two 16 gig cards, meanwhile with cameras that take SD cards you can put a 32 gig card in there for $60.00! It's heavy due to it's SD shooting option. Who shoots SD these days? I haven't touched a mini DV tape in years. Bottom line, there are way too may better cheaper options out there these days.

Buy Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical Zoom Now

I am now a proud owner of the Panasonic HVX200A. This camera has treated me very well since I've received it, although, there are some really important things to consider when making this purchase. This camera comes with many great features and great picture quality with a quick and easy workflow. The camera is somewhat heavy compared to others in it's size class, but it's the best quality for the price in my opinion. (next to the Sony EX1, which I have not put my hands on yet)

One thing I didn't consider when purchasing this camera was the cost of getting it up and running. This camera comes with a great (big) price, too. P2 cards have come down in cost since the E-Series card came out, but thinking a little further into it is a must. In order to be in a run-and-gun situation there are a few more items needed. You'll need a place to store all your footage, and with the P2 card they haven't made it easy. There are 2 products that I would trust, although, Panasonic's P2 Store is the lesser of the two. Nexto DI has a product that I purchased to go with my camera so I can shoot events and not have to worry about running out of space or time. $2000 Nexto=500GB, $1500 P2 Store=60GB. You decide which is better.

With my Nexto DI storage I wish I had purchased the 32GB P2 card to go with my 16GB card because of how fast it unloads. My ave. with a full 16GB card was 5 mins.

Really consider the cost when considering this camera. It might save you some time and money.

I would recommend this camera to a friend.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical Zoom Here

The HVX remains among the best choices for prosumer HD camcorders. Previous reviewer was right to advise buyers to consider the cost. Realizing the full potential of the HVX will require at least another $2k worth of purchases, depending on what you intend to do with it. Plan to buy at least a couple P2 cards or a Firestore, an 82mm UV filter, the HVX book by Barry Green, a solid tripod, and a good case before getting started. The quality is excellent for the price, but it is overkill for most consumers.

Want Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical Zoom Discount?

Smaller components, such as the headphone jack, IEEE1394 jack, etc will fail on you and repairs will cost you hundreds of dollars. I purchased one of these cameras in august of 2009 only to have both the headphone jack and IEEE 1394 port fail only days out of the one-year warranty expiration period.

Do NOT buy this camera because for what your paying (an extremely expensive $3,000+ price tag) you would expect a much more quality product. **These various ports and jacks failing are a known issue with these cameras. See the panasonic forums and other websites**

Q-See QSBVC Weatherproof Bullet CMOS Camera Kit (Color)

I have been trying numerous cameras for a computer based security system. This camera gives a good picture and color when compared to other cameras in the same price range. It is a daytime only camera so you will need other cameras to see in the dark.

Completely ignoring price, it's not very good. I have an 8 camera system, witch cameras including the cheapest ebay has to offer, and pro CCTV cameras pulled from businesses. This camera is pretty much the worst one I have. It sees decently in low light, but the image just isn't very sharp. It's not a lens problem, it's sharp in the way that low resolution looks when it's blown up with no interpolating. It's almost pixelated you could say.

For the price, this is probably the best deal I've ever seen. A camera from eBay runs about 20 bucks for just the camera. Then there's a run of cable, and in some cases, a power adapter. This camera is easily the best bang for the buck. I think I'll buy a few more, they look really solid, like they'll last a long time.

Highly Recommend

Buy Q-See QSBVC Weatherproof Bullet CMOS Camera Kit (Color) Now

The camera arrived when it was supposed to. Took about fifteen minutes to completely install. I mean I mounted the camera outside, ran the cable along the wall, used the hole for satellite TV and connected to the monitor in the fifteen minutes. Great little camera with a very satisfactory color picture. And a good price.

Read Best Reviews of Q-See QSBVC Weatherproof Bullet CMOS Camera Kit (Color) Here

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 4MP Digital Camera with 6x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

I've known what I wanted in a digital camera for several years:

1. Fast shutter release (my Canon S-200 takes 3+ sec., 5+ flash).

2. Small and light (for backpacking, travel).

3. Point and shoot zoom(5X plus with image stabilization).

4. 4+ megapixel, under $250.

5. No proprietary batteries, 2 AA preferred.

Up until now, nothing has come close. Then I read in Business Week that the LZ1 and LZ2 had become the best selling cameras in Japan within several months of their introduction. No independant reviews were available (even CNET) so I bought the LZ1 on the strength of it's technical spec's and my previous experiences with Panasonic products.

I took the LZ1 to the rodeo several days ago to test it under demanding conditions. I used the "sports" setting and burst mode(four exposures in about 1 1/2 seconds under those circumstances), all freehand. The results were stunning! No noticeable shutter lag, no blurry or out of focus pictures, all action frozen. Simply put: point, shoot, you got it!

Notes: Actual weight with 2 batteries is 8.2 ozs. The user interface is the best I've seen: full functioned and simple. Flash shots have shutter lag of approx. 1/2 second. I use Panasonic 2300 mah nmh rechargeable batteries purchased at Costco. Panasonic specs claim 370 pictures with those batteries, 30 seconds between shots, LCD on, flash every shot, full zoom in and out each shot. This camera has no optical view finder. I use a 512mb Sandisc Ultra II SD memory carda little more expensive, but after having a Viking card quit and swallow 200 pics on another camera, I don't pinch pennies on memory.

A professional photographer visiting from New Zealand showed me this camera, which he uses mainly as a sophisticated light meter for his 35mm black and white photography. He said that he's obtained excellent color images using this camera, easily enlarging them to 16 x 20" without no visible loss in quality. I was surprised how well this camera handles, fitting comfortably in the palm of my hand. And thanks to the image stabilized option, I could photograph at a shutter speed as low as 1/15 of a second. The resolution I'd seen from this camera is on par with what I have observed from the Leica Digilux models and the Contax TVS digital camera. In short, this is extraordinary performance from a 4 MP digital camera. Panasonic's latest digital camera comes with a Leica Vario-Elmarit lens, which is as good as the Leica and Zeiss lenses I have seen on other digital cameras. If I had some money to spare as well as space in my camera bag, I wouldn't hesitate buying this little optical jewel of a digital camera.

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 4MP Digital Camera with 6x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom Now

I bought this camera on the strength of other people's reviews. It does take good pictures and the optical stabilizer is great. However, I found that the lack of a viewfinder made it impossible to compose pictures in bright sunlight. This is my first digital camera, and I didn't realize what a problem it would be. I'm used to SLRs. I returned the camera and bought an Olympus C5500. It was a little more money but is WAY more versatile. I do miss the stabilizer, though.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1 4MP Digital Camera with 6x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom Here

Panasonic SDR-H80-S SD and HDD Camcorder (Silver)

I bought the Panasonic SDR-H80 digital video camera from Best Buy yesterday (May 23, 2009). It cost $399 + extra for a backup battery and a warranty.

The Good Stuff:

The optical image stabilization feature is quite adept at stabilizing a shaky image.

The 70x zoom is kinda cool, though you really need a tripod for anything over about 30x.

The camera looks attractive, is light weight, and has a relatively easy to use interface. The buttons are mostly positioned well, except the zoom lever, which I couldn't easily reach without jostling the camera.

The Bad Stuff:

The image quality of this camera is utter trash. Pure garbage. My picture phone literally takes better quality video at a higher resolution. I was absolutely stunned at how bad the image quality is. It looks like some kind of highly compressed late 90's webcam or something.

And it gets even worse in low light. And here, by "low light", I mean anything less than direct sunlight. My first attempts with this camera last night turned out so bad that I couldn't see anything.

I did have the camera set to the highest quality, and I followed the instructions for the different lighting types (fluorescent, mercury, etc) with no luck.

The camera claims to have an intelligent auto (iA) feature, but I didn't notice it doing much but fiddling with the white balance at odd intervals.

There is also a special low-light feature called "magic ..." something or other. I forget. But it reduced the frame rate to 1 or 2 fps, which makes it completely unacceptable as a video recording device.

I am surprised at how good the reviews are for this piece of equipment. Really, people, set your bar just a little bit higher.

I returned this product this morning to Best Buy. I brought my laptop, and while I was there, I tried out other cameras of this model to make sure that mine was not simply defective. They were all trash.

I ate the $60 Best Buy restocking fee, but that's okay because I'd rather be out $60 than $400 for a camera that won't do anything but sit in my closet.

Bought this a couple weeks ago as my old Sony MiniDV camera bit the dust.

So far so good excellent zoom, audio quality, nice to have so much recording time to the HDD.

Didn't notice till I got it that it does not have an eyepiece only the LCD screen other than that I couldn't be happier.

Note, I originally tried to save money by buying from one of those New York Electronics dealers guy tried to convince me it only came with a 30 minute battery and I needed to spend the extra $100 with him to upgrade. Looser -

It's good for at least a couple hours.

Buy Panasonic SDR-H80-S SD and HDD Camcorder (Silver) Now

After some research and because I own a Panasonic Camera. I decided to buy this camcorder. First impression it looks good (small and very light), the optical zoom 70X and 60GB hard drive make it very impressive.

The biggest downside to this camcorder is the video quality. I shot a couple of shots in the morning under daylight and the image quality was very good. However, with no sunshine the image quality is very shady and bad. Imagine even with a house that is brightly lit the image looked very grainy and not good quality. The backlit feature does not help either.

Am going to return this camcorder and would advice you to stay away.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SDR-H80-S SD and HDD Camcorder (Silver) Here

First off, I was looking for a replacement for my JVC mini-DV camcorder which I used extensively last year. It worked well until one day, it fell to the floor and since then, I would get errors while recording after 30 minutes of use. If I used a cleaning tape, I could get it to work somewhat. But, the biggest thing I disliked about it was that it would take 1 hour to transfer to my computer 1 hour worth of video using firewire.

So, I was looking for a good Standard Definition camcorder which would either use a hard-drive or flash memory card to transfer video to my computer for further editing and DVD authoring. And, this camcorder does that and very elegantly as well. I tried out some HD quality camcorders but to edit those would require a new PC, better software which doesn't seem to be available right now and more frustrations than I was looking for. I was looking for an easier way to do what worked.

I read where some do not like the quality ( primarily of photos ) which I'm not concerned with. The video quality to me is as good as my old JVC mini-DV. I have captured snapshots from the video taken on this camcorder and, considering all, they're not too bad but if I want a good photo, I'll use my digital camera. The software supplied with this Panasonic transfers the .mov files from the camcorder to the PC and renames them .mpg files. The files are identical so I'm assuming the camcorder records in mpeg format using a .mov file extension on the camcorder itself. I have thought I might just copy to my PC directly but the software is fairly straight forward enough, I use it. For editing video ( and photos ), I use my regular video/photo editing software once the files are on my PC. I used Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8 Platinum for video and PSP X2 or Photoshop Elements for photos and they work well.

What I like most about the camcorder are:

1. the zoom -I recorded our son's football game and from across the field up in the video booth, I could zoom in on players and see their face quite easily zoomed in,

2. optical stabilization -at zoomed in level, the stabilization worked very well. I held the light camcorder in my left hand as steady as I could and used my right index finger to zoom and thumb to record/pause the video. This worked very well,

3. audio -I picked up audio from below, close up and far away while recording and was truly impressed with the resulting DVD I created from the captured video,

4. transfer to PC -instead of 1-to-1 time transfer with a mini-DV, I could send 15 minutes of video over to my PC in 2-3 minutes max time -and I didn't have to view/listen to the video being played while transferring.

What I like least about the camcorder are:

1. it is light -almost too light but I'll get used to that,

2. the battery only lasts about 2 hours before charging so I've bought a longer-lasting battery which should help there,

3. the AC adaptor plug and file-transfer USB cable plug in under the battery. Somewhat awkward yes, but to do file transfers properly, I should be using AC anyway so it's impossible to mess that up using a low battery and losing power in the middle of a file transfer,

4. there is another feature called aI which I haven't completely figured out yet but from what I can tell so far, it may be something I would add to what I like Most about the camcorder. If I find this is so, I may wish to update this review.

So, for my purposes, this is a great camcorder!

Want Panasonic SDR-H80-S SD and HDD Camcorder (Silver) Discount?

I've read the other reviews and have to say, the one's that claim the image is bad quality or grainy need to go to school. Just read the manual and learn how to adjust the settings to the surroundings. It's a camera, not a box of ready to eat cereal..... it takes a bit of talent and practice to make a good video.

I also have a Laptop that's running 64 bit Vista and had no problem with the software, as well as on my 32 bit desktop with XP. I'm not sure what her problem was.

Take the bad revues with a grain of salt, these people probably can't tie their shoes right.

4X Evertech CCTV Security Cameras - 700 TVL each camera, 36 IR, 2,8~12mm Wide Angle ZOOM Vari-focal

Hard to beat the price for this level of image quality. Daytime images are great but nighttime are awesome particularly in low light condition where the IR really helps.

Panasonic PV-GS36 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 30x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom

I was looking for a basic mini dv camcorder to learn editing and video techniques. Picture quality was certainly important but, having strong photographic knowledge, also wanted something that would allow manual control. That limited the search quite a bit, especially in the single CCD class. The Panasonics in general seem to be well reviewed and offer a good ratio of features to cost.

I've had the camcorder for one week but have explored it quite a bit. In short, it easily meets if not exceeds my expectation. Video quality is very nice. The 30X optical zoom is impressive, but demands a tripod when zooming out in the higher range of the zoom. Color accuracy is very good, assuming a proper white balance. The LCD panel can be rotated which is ecpecially nice when using the camcorder to transfer video to a computer. Battery life is very good, with some power saving features that can be enabled optionally. Unlike most competing models, this camcorder has a more horizontal orientation which makes it very ergonomic to use. Most operations can be carried out with one hand. It is compact and easy to handle, even without the digital stabilizer which it also has. There is even a 16:9 mode that appears to be true widescreen, not just letterboxed 4:3 mode.

For its very reasonable cost, it holds its own very nicely and offers very nice performance. The only feature missing that would be nice is a mic input, but almost none of the entry level camcorders offer this. Other than that, it is very fuill featured and is bettered in this regard only when stepping into the prosumer class. To reach the next level of video performance, the logical step would be to go to Panasonic's 3 CCD models as opposed to a competing Canon or Sony single chip model.

Be aware that the still capability, which I have yet to try, is not meant to replace a stand alone digital camera. The resolution is only VGA 640x480 which is where digital cameras were about 10 years ago. The intent of including this feature on this camcorder is as a convenience. Such images could be acceptable for web posting, but don't expect true digital camera performance here. That's not what this camcorder is for.

This camcorder is a very good model for someone looking to get involved with digital video at a nominal cost. The video quality and feature set are excellent. Naturally, in this camcorder class there are some limitations relative to professional level usage, but with a good understanding of photography and video technique, this can be a surprisingly capable camera.

I'm a video professional and I love my Panasonic PV-GS36. I've used tons of high end $10k+ cameras and I know a good little camcorder when I see one. This summer I got married in Thailand and didn't want to take a ton of video stuff, just a nice little camcorder that wouldn't breakdown on my big day. This one came through with flying colors.

I did weeks of research and this is the one that had the best value for the money.

Not only are the controls easy to operate and very intuitive but this little baby withstood the extreme heat and even more extreme humidity of Thailand.

The lens goes nice and wide for small areas where you have to get very close to the subject and still be in focus (depth of field). I'd stay away from the digital zoom, they're not very good on any of the palm/camcorders.

Also none of the small camcorders are particularly good in low light.

What do you expect for a few hundred dollars?

That said, this one is nice and small, is easy to operate and is tough in rough conditions. I'm very happy I bought this camcorder.

Buy Panasonic PV-GS36 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 30x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom Now

I've been using camcorders professionally and recreationally since 1986, and this little camcorder is the best deal out there period.

DV technology is proven, been around for a long time, if you want a reliable, simple to operate, and very GOOD camcorder, look no further. Picture quality is excellent, one of Panasonic's strong points, color accuracy very good, and autofocus laser accurate.

The joystick driven menu is very simple to use, most features you'll need are readily available without it's use, and it operates intuitively.

Again, this is an entry level camcorder, that means it's best used in fully auto mode, point and shoot, for taping you kids, vacations, etc. That being said, you can still get very creative once you have downloaded the clips to you computer for editing.

Another review mentions firewire, saying it wont work on a PC. I'm surprised this user can actually surf the web. All you need to do is connect the firewire cable to the camcorder, windows finds it, install whatever drivers it needs (as with any other peripheral), and away you go.

I purchased mine at Costco, they have excellent policies, if you're not satisfied with the product, return it.

I recommend this product to all my friends and family and for the average user, who wants a simple, good product.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic PV-GS36 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 30x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom Here

My wife and I love to travel & our favorite place to go and relax is Walt Disney World. One of the things we love to do there is take our cameras and run around looking like the dopey tourists we are.

My wife focuses solely on still photography, I do stills and video. In my youth I played around with Super 8 film cameras, later graduated to a VHS camcorder, then a Hitachi 8mm camcorder, then for years used my favorite camcorders: the Sony Digital 8 series. I have had 4 of them, going all the way up to the TRV-720 with its awesome 4" LCD screen a really nice camera. The problem I ran into though was not with the cameras per say, but my arm. I get a bit obsessive with videotaping; like I never stop I have to film everything every minute of every show, etc. I could easily fill 40 hours of video on a just a short vacation. You know that you spend too much time with your eye stuck to the view finder when after the vacation is over you are still trying to zoom things in with your bare eye. Steve Austin I aint.

Anyway, from where I worked I developed a nasty case of tendinitis in my elbow; the consequence being that I could no longer comfortably hold the heavier cameras up for a long period of time. Add to this the fact that I looked like a pack mule schlepping around with the camera, its bag, and a ample supply of tapes and accessories for the day and you can understand why I had to find a smaller camera.

I read decent things about the Panasonics, Costco carried this one, so I decided to give it a try.

No, it is not as versatile as my old D8's, but it is a nice little camera. I really like the small footprint; I can quickly tuck it into my fanny packs large front pocket. Which sure beats having the heavier D8 hanging from my neck. The tapes are nice and small, and you can get a extended life battery for it as well.

In some places I had read some folks angst about using the joystick to maneuver through the menus; really, it is not that difficult at all. I would like a larger LCD, but only because it just makes viewing the videos more pleasant, being 'old school' I prefer to use the viewfinder when filming. Which brings me to the one gripe I have the viewfinder does not extend out enough to compensate for the extra depth of the higher capacity battery's.

As many have said before me ignore the digital zoom; useless is overstating its usefulness. On the other hand the 30x optical zoom works very well; of course unless you have the camera supported on a tripod or such your viewers are going to get sea sick watching your masterpiece when you have it zoomed all the way in to some distant object. Some in other places had stated that the zoom works too fast. Nonsense, with gentile pressure you can get nice smooth zooms in and out.

The camera also has a nice quick start function which allows you to leave the power switch in the ON position and the camera will quickly turn on and shut off when you either open and close the LCD screen or extend the viewfinder. Note though that the camera is still using a minimal amount of power in this mode when it is off so you might not want to use it with a short capacity battery.

If, like us, you like taking a gazillion still photos as well, get a nice camera dedicated to that purpose (the Canon PowerShot SD950IS 12.1MP is a nice one). This camera will take stills, but they are really only good for quick shots you want to email or post on facebook, not high resolution photography. A nice feature is that the pics can be stored on SD card so it is easy to swap the card out of the camera and into a reader for quick uploads.

As far as I know there is not any small camera in this class that has great low light abilities, it could be better, but it is not terrible.

I couple of accessories you might want to get are a wide angle lens and a filter kit. The lens will help when filming shows, like those at WDW, which cover a wide area, it will bring so much more into view without having to pan right and left or up and down constantly. The filters will help clear up or enhance you images. The thread size on the lens for these accessories is 30.5mm. If you need to you can get a step ring to make a larger accessory fit this small size.

Most folks are not as anal about their filming as I am and I still like this camera; you can have a lot of fun with it as well.

Give yourself ample time to familiarize yourself with its functions before your trip and you will have some great memories to cherish.

If you are a parent with a small child you owe it to yourself and your children to get a camcorder to archive all the wonderful things you do together; the days that pass will never come back and this is a nice little camera to capture them with.

K

Want Panasonic PV-GS36 MiniDV Digital Camcorder 2.5" LCD, 30x Optical & 1000x Digital Zoom Discount?

Beware of the warranty. Ours had a defect that manifested under certain conditions. However, the labor warranty expires after 3 months so they wanted $200 plus 2-way shipping to repair their defect! We barely had the thing out of the box at 3 months.

Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom

I've owned this for about a week and am taking it on a trip to do a more complete analysis. I'll post back later. I currently have mixed feelings on this camcorder. It does take good video and is priced right. There are a few negatives to be aware of though which (I guess) are to be expected on such an inexpensive unit:

1. The battery life (for me) is sucking. I will take it on my trip for a better test and if the batteries can't record more than 10 or 15 minutes each it'll go back. If I can get the 30 minutes that it is documented to have, I'll be happy. Note: I do realize that 30 minutes is probably "up time" for the unit whether it is recording or not. The batteries are only 1000Mah and have a loose feel inside the camera too. Will a more robust non-oem battery be coming out?

2. The buttons (to me) were ackwardly positioned causing a "shake" on the camera... and I guess I didn't realize how much my other camcorder's image stabilization must help me. Really needs 2 hands to hold without a shake and I can adjust but really, I think that the design, grip, and button placement could be a ton better.

3. The thing completely froze up on me once and I had to reboot it by removing the battery. I read online there is a firmware update but haven't pursued that yet. And I don't know what the firmware actually fixes.

4. The sound quality is not consistant. Many times I speak as I'm taking the video and mostly it sounded like a towel was over the microphone. The quality of those further away from the camcorder was only marginally better. Almost like the gain is turned up to far or something? I don't know and will test further.

5. No lense cover? Come on Aiptek. That's just cheap and plain dumb. And if I find the lens starts getting micro-scratches over the next week or two it'll go back for certain. It does have a descent carrying case included though. However, the safty loop that you wrap around your wrist so you don't drop the camera STICKS to the velcro on the carrying case whenever you take it out or put it away. This loop will end up being frayed or looking abused shortly because you have to "umph" to rip it off the velcro. This makes me wonder how much real world testing went on before this cam hit the street.

Besides these negatives the fact that I can throw it on my belt and carry it on my trip without feeling encumbured makes me want to use it more before making an ultimate decision as to keep or return. It will really come down to battery life (maybe it will improve as I use the batteries a few more times) and sound quality.

Oh, and it does work with BOTH the A-DATA and Patriot 8G SDHC card that I have.

So I'm giving it 3* for now. Doesn't mean I'll keep it or bring it back... just trying to give a fair review. I'll update my rating (if possible) and the review after a real road test shortly.

UPDATE: 3 WEEKS LATER, AFTER ROAD TEST

----------------------------------

Well I really wanted this little wonder to work. And it did for the first day of my trip. Then it just quit working. The only thing I can figure is that the roads I was on (Tijuana) were very bumpy. It was in the protective case 100% of the time when not in use but the plastic shell housing must be tell-tale of the low build quality on the inside. It just plain stopped working. The screen backlight would come on, but the camera would not initialize. Conclusion: THIS ITEM IS NOT VERY RUGGED AT ALL. It does not hold up to any real use and certainly not the tumbling that my old Canon digital camera (s410) always holds up to. It is a dead clunker now and it is going back to where I purchased... fortunately... with a good return policy. Moral of the story is buy this only from a site that has a descent return policy.

I'm not upset. It was great just throwing the broken cam in the bottom of my laptop bag where it took virtually no room at all. That is the point of a "go anywhere" sized camcorder. I was willing to trade some features for price... but not ruggedness. After all. It is the size itself that makes it something you want to bring anywhere. I'm going to hold off and wait for a similar product that is rugged. It is only a matter of time. It is too bad Apitek didn't built something with more stamina but someone will and I'll be there to buy it when it is out. After all, other than the zoom there are no moving parts in this thing to wear or break. So it must just be bad build quality.

Amazon won't let me change my star rating but if I could, I'd rate it down to 2 stars: more than one star because of price, features, and innovation but no more than that because... well... it has to KEEP working in the real world.

In short, unless you are willing to treat this thing with kid gloves (and I pretty much thought I did) I'd avoid it. The cheap price is tempting, and only spend as much as you can afford to lose because if you read other reviews, you'll also read about the cheap plastic on the outside among other quality issues. I'm here to tell you that what is cheap where you can see it, is evidently even cheaper where you can't.

There are three reasons to buy this: 1) size, 2) resolution, and 3) cost. My old camcorder was huge, and the thought of lugging it around on vacation this summer in Europe motivated me to look for a new one. This thing fits in your pants pocket (the use of the SD card keeps it small). I wanted something with hi-def resolution so I don't look at the videos in 5 years on my hi-def TV and think how old-fashioned it seems. And I didn't want to spend a thousand or more dollars. This fit the bill on all counts.

Some problems: 1) There doesn't appear to be any image stabilization, so I've needed to hold on to it with both hands to keep it stable. 2) It deals poorly with movement. I'm not sure if this is the codec or the optics or what, but panning around can introduce some weird artifacts. 3) The zoom is quite noisy. If you're filming some quiet scenes, it's probably better not to zoom. 4) As with most camcorders, it needs light. It does have a built-in LED light, but it doesn't do much. 5) As with most camcorders, the microphone picks up the filmer's voice fine, but not the subject's very well. 6) The battery life is low. It comes with two batteries; you'll need them both. If you keep these limitations in mind, the size, cost, and HD resolution can make it worthwhile. If you can afford it, get the HV20 or another $1000 HD camcorder and many of the above issues will be reduced or eliminated.

A note for Mac users: I couldn't get my Mac to see the camera directly, but a card-reader plugged into the USB port could read the video/still files just fine.

Buy Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom Now

I picked up this camera not expecting anything much... but I was surprised!

The video quality is very good and its pretty much a no brainer to use.

For mac users it works great since its a .mov file . All I had to do was pull the sd card out of the camera and into a reader hooked to the mac and copy the files over... they play with quicktime as is with no further processing. I used quicktime pro to edit what I wanted and all went well. But since these are h2.64 files you will need to use viddy up or divx to send your creations to youtube.

Over all the camera exceeded my expectations. these kind of camera's are really designed for quickie type videos that you want to view on your pc . They are convenient because the file is ready to go with no need for tape conversion then the dreaded compression which take forever... they are ready set go as soon as you copy the file. Also a 1gb sd card yields 30 mins and a 2gb is one hour. the camera comes with TWO batteries.

For the price you really cant go wrong.

Read Best Reviews of Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom Here

I am fairly happy with performance so far. The zoom motor is loud. My wish list would be for a microphone in. Low lighting isn't too bad for video, but not good for stills (there is a good flash strobe though).

Docking station [called "Instant Theater" ] is for the most part a box padding [really is an alarm clock or whatever, I don't get it]. This "dock" doesn't really integrate well with this camera as it is designed for the lower end Aipek cams with mp3 function (this doesn't have that). It was hope that you could charge the battery or cam and it doesn't. You can only charge one battery at a time (there are 2 batteries in the box, last 30 minutes each) with either USB or DC adapter.

I ordered an 8GB SDHC card and it hasn't arrived yet so using a 512 MB card for now. The manual doesn't address the SDHC (at least the printed one), but I believe the web site at Aiptek does.

You save a lot of $$ over the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2, but the Sanyo does offer HDMI and 10X zoom. Most HD video files are so large that it is hard to computer-edit. I've found these files small enough with the H.264 codec that it isn't too bad. One can use NERO to do this [DVD burner suite]. The low light video is simply fantastic at this price point. The cons are mainly sound [mono only], lack of fine controls [maybe a plus], fantastic sills at 5 megapixels, no videotape, and small pocket size. THIS ISN'T A CHEAPIE TOY, it is well-built.

Two batteries came with mine ~ but remember only 30 minutes with each battery for video. You can charge through USB or AC adapter.

Want Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom Discount?

I had this guy for 3 days before it went kaput, in those three days I shot nearly 3 hours of video, in various lighting conditions. So I think I got a pretty good taste of its capabilities.

First the Pros:

1. PRICE!! HD 720P for under $300...its a steal! Lose it or break it, you won't be crying (as hard) like you would over your $1200 HDR-CX7.

2. Size, its tiny, it literally does fit in your pocket, without you looking like you have a Camcorder shoved in your pocket. No excuse not to have it with you all the time.

3. Video is decent, especially outside in the sun

4. Shoots H.264 (Pro and a Con, as you will see later on)

5. Very fast power up and shooting time, no more waiting for a shot or between shots.

6. Looks sweet when playing back directly from the camera on my HD SRXD TV

Now the Cons:

1. Auto focus is awful, its loud and its no very accurate, I wish they at least gave you a manual focus ring to compensate

2. Optics are small, low light shooting is bad (what can you expect from such a little inexpensive camera though)

3. Its build quality leaves a little to be desired, you can see where they saved the money

4. 2 sets of cables to output HD Video, The camera has 2 miniplugs for AV output, one hidden under a tab (the HD) and one above it, not hidden. If you want to output to an SD TV the Yellow/Red/White work just fine, if you want to output to an HD (which I would assume is why you bought the camera in the first place) you need to open the tab, connect the composite cables Red/blue/green, then connect the analogue SD cables and steal the Red and white audio connection from them, leaving the yellow to dangle.

Don't get me started on the Audio Only "docking station"

5. Not many manual settings, or overrides, the controls are very very basic

6. The Audio recording is not so good, I think the problem is cheap mikes

Playback and editing (Be careful what you wish for)

I have an old computer, a P4 2.4 with 1 Gig ram, and Nvidia 7600 AGP video card. Playing the HD output files from this camcorder I was not able to get over 10 FPS, from the 30 FPS in the file (this is not a knock on the camera) The issue is the codec's complexity combined with my computer's old age made for a very frustrating playback (it almost made me buy a mac)

Editing was tough for my poor machine, to convert 6 minutes of HD into a FLV files of 640x320 took 3 hours! Again not the camcorder fault, but if you think you will be whipping off Discovery channel HD type documentaries with this baby make sure you have the rig to handle the task

The idea behind this camcorder is great, the price is even better they could have executed a little bit better, I was willing to forgive a lot of the short coming because of the price and the newness of it, and I probably would have kept it, had it not started adding the sound of film projector ticking to all my movies on the last day.

Remember a poor quality video, is better than no video.

Save 67% Off

JPQuality® 6ft Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable for Motorola Droid RAZR & Droid 3

We hook up our Razr to the TV and watch YouTube and get on Facebook, design photos, this cord is fantastic because sometime when your viewing things on your phone you just want them to be bigger, this gives you that.

OEM Tenvis Outdoor Network Ip Ir Wireless Camera Security Motion

I needed some security, thought I would try just one camera first. Got it going somewhat but unless your a computer genius you will have to call Computer Geeks or some one to get the computer side correct. As far as the camera it's good but the programming and settings get real technical. I went to Best Buy and they recommended hiring a Geek to help me install it. When you buy it, they tell you how EASY it is. WRONG, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME.

I thought I was getting an outdoor camera and received a total different camera that looks nothing like the picture. The camera is complicated to set up, but I finally got it to work. The software is confusing as far as viewing the camera. I still have not figured out how to record from the camera. I have set it aside for now and will try again maybe.

Buy OEM Tenvis Outdoor Network Ip Ir Wireless Camera Security Motion Now

View Sonic PJD6223 XGA Front Projector, 300 Inches - Black

Ordered this product from J&M, fast delivery from NY to UT. I am a hardcore movie enthuiast, and I love and admire good high definition picture and sound. I bought this product for the affordability and somewhat mixed-okay-good-fair reviews that I read about online. The Viewsonic PJD6223 is very stylish, very sleek looking, I loved how it was designed asthetically, BUT IF YOU ARE A HARDCORE MOVIE FAN, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE PICTURE QUALITY WHEN VIEWING BLU RAYS FROM A BLU RAY SOURCE OR DEVICE. This was my first HD projector that I bought for the purpose of power point and other presentations that I do for church, but it is also for High Def movies at church when we have youth group nights, so I have to say that it is perfect for presentations but not up to par for Blu Ray Movies. Shortly after it arrived I ended up returning this product the day after. I am currently looking at the $4000 SONY projectors and I may be purchasing one soon. For those of you out there who are Viewsonic fans, I just want to say I'm a huge viewsonic fan hence me buying this product in the first place, but this projector is more suited for business than entertainment.

Save 43% Off