IOGEAR HDMI v.1.3c CAT-2 Series 1000 Cable, 9.8 Feet GHDMI1003P (Black)

I have an older IOGear HDMI cable (had it for a couple years now) that's never given me trouble. The older one came in a really fancy package and cost a fortune. I was a little skeptical when I found this one priced this cheap. It doesn't feel quite as well made as my first IOGear cable (and it was simply packaged in a plastic bag). But for the price, it's better than expected.

If I ever need another HDMI cable, I'll definitely buy another IOGear.

After searching locally for HDMI cables and refusing to pay $20 or $30 for

a simple cable, I searched Amazon and found this cable.

I love the braided type jacket that I/O gear used, and the connectors on

the ends are solid and extremely good quality.

I liked this cable so much once I installed it, I purchased (4) additional

cables in shorter lengths to outfit the rest of my entertainment center and

my desktop PC.

Don't spend any money locally on cables, way to expensive!!

I ordered these on a Monday and they hit my doorstep Wednesday afternoon.

Saved me over $100 bucks compared to buying these at any local store.

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I used this to hook up a DVR that is located in another room,ran this HDMI cable to my HD TV and boom

there it is GREAT PICTURE!Would recommend to fam/friend for sure. Works perfectly!!!!!

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These have gold-plated contacts and heavy braided covered wire. And the IOGEAR one is inexpensive. I have everything in my two home theater systems connected by these. The added bonus is they're 6 1/2 feet long. Most other are only 6 feet. That extra length may come in handy it did for me fit perfectly in my application.

Wait until you see the braided covering. Doubt you'll ever wear it out. Makes running the cable through the sharp-edged access holes drilled in your furniture a breeze. No danger of hurting the wire.

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Can't say much about a cable.....it's long and can reach my television from my pc....and it works. SOUNDS LIKE 5 STARS OUT OF 5 TO ME! Good job hdmi-cable, you're awesome.

Samsung Digimax S630 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Advanced Shake Reduction Zoom (Black)

this should really be a 4 1/2, but it does not give that option, so I rounded up since I like almost everything about the camera, and it is great for what I bought it for. I bought this lightweight small camera to keep in my purse-for those unexpected shots you want to take. I have a Sony Cypershot with a 12X optical that I normally use. The Sony is great for action shots and taking marching band shots from the bleachers. This one, I'm not sure could do that. It has a 3x optical, which is fine for zooming in on a person across the room, but not as far as into the football field. The in-camera zoom is ok for trimming, but I noticed it does lose some of the clarity on the shot.

The one drawback to this camera is the lag time between shots. If you like capturing shot after shot quickly-avoid this camera. However, if you are someone who generally takes shots of people at birthday parties, or objects on your vacation, this might be a great camera for you. It is a decent camera for the price. For what I wanted it for, it is perfect.

Ok, to sum up:

PROS

Small, lightweight

Good picture quality

Can take an SD card up to 4GB (That's A LOT!)

Easy to use

Inexpensive-goes on sale sometimes for around $100

Can take rechargeable batteries (I recommend for ALL digital cameras)

Video capabilities

Software compatable with older Windows(in case you need that)

CONS

Lag time between shots

In Camera Zoom loses picture quality

As you can see, I like most of the features. If you are looking for a decent, inexpensive point and shot type camera, then this might be the one for you.

Most people don't know how to change the factory settings for better effect. I use this camera along with a much more expensive Canon camera I have and they are rougly equal. But these cheaper cameras have a longer lagtime.

Otherwise if anything the Samsung is better because it takes equally good pictures with excellent color accuracy inside and out, and needs less tweaking on auto.

Some reveiwers reveal their ignorance because they use alkaline batteries in the first place and yet complain of short battery life. Alkaline batteries last about a third as long as rechargeable Nimh ones, and the latter can be charged 500-1000 times. Alkaline batteries make no sense.

Moreover, there is a setting for Nimh batteries and Alkaline. If you use Nimh, youll get astonishly long battery life, but not if the factory setting of "alkaline" isn't changed.

I might also add that Nimh batteries can be normally in the 1800-2700 range, and the higher they are the longer the battery life.

I don't change the batteries on this camera very often at all, but I use some of the energy saver settings and 2700 NIMH batteries of the type that don't lose hardly any of their charge (sold cheaply on Amazon). Otherwise regular NIMH batteries lose 40% of their charge EVERY MONTH just sitting around.

I bought my battery charger including 4 2500 NIMH batteries for $13 from Amazon with no shipping charges or tax. Get the batteries that hardly lose their charge too.

There are many setting that extend the battery life as well, such as "lcd save", "normal" vs. "fine" and "ultra-fine", lcd "bright, normal and dark", and also how long you want the image to show after taking it (1-5 seconds), and how much time yould like to elapse before the camera shuts off (3-10 minutes).

All digital cameras have difficult menus and poor manuals, so it's no wonder users struggle often with the wrong settings. Some of the settings cannot be made on "Auto" and must be made on "P" (program).

Now the 7 and 8mp version are out and they are even cheaper. The settings and quality on the 7mp are the same; the settings on the 8mp

have been rearranged a bit, but it is smaller with the same size monitor.

So get either of those instead.

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I bought this for my mom for Mother's Day and I'm disappointed. The picture quality just isn't there, all the pictures feel a little flat. Not blurry, per se, just never crisp. That being the primary function of a camera, I can't get too up on this thing. I have a 5 year old Nikon Coolpix 2100 that I paid the same price for back then (87 bucks on sale) that takes better photos than this. Cheap optics on this camera, I suppose.

The battery life seems to be fairly limited as well and the response time seems a tad slow. If an inanimate object could have malaise, this camera would.

Everything works, and nothing's bad enough to make me feel ripped off, but by no means is this little thing impressive, certainly not as great as what some of the other reviewers have made it out to be. It is what it is, I suppose, but I'm still a little bummed.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Digimax S630 6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Advanced Shake Reduction Zoom (Black) Here

We bought our German exchange student a digital camera for Christmas. It was a different make, and it lasted all of four months before heading to the great recycling center in the sky. When I discovered the camera we had bought only had a 3 month warranty, I felt badly and decided to get her a replacement that might actually last for a decent period of time.

After researching various cameras, I discovered this particular camera. It was the right price, had similar features to the one we had previously given her and it had a 1 year warranty. Also, the warranty is good worldwide, allowing her to get warranty service in Germany if it becomes necessary. That is not a common feature in other makes.

After several weeks of use, she is thrilled with the way it works. It takes wonderful pictures for a point and shoot, and is constructed of far better materials than similar priced cameras. I will admit that it does take a little while to record a picture, and it does inhale batteries, but these are problems that we saw in her previous camera, and I think are a function of the price.

Overall, for the price and type of camera, we are extremely happy and would buy another Samsung camera in a flash. If you are looking for a sophisticated camera, look elsewhere, but if you want a quick point and shoot camera, this is an ideal choice.

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I take pictures of cars for car dealers for a living and this camera is just what we needed, something CHEAP that takes very good photos. The battery life, unlike some other statements, is great for me. I can go all day, usually around 600 shots and not have to swap out batteries. I use 2500mA batteries from Wal-Mart and have used the same set for two years now, every single day! I did manage to drop the camera pretty hard on a parking lot and the battery door flew open and batteries flew out across the lot, but when I put them back in, the camera worked fine and this was a month ago. It did damage the nice red finish, but that's not too important to me. The 2.5" LCD is a little hard to see in direct sunlight, but not nearly as bad as my old Canon Powershot camera. Indoor performance is not so great though, so if you're wanting something to do indoor portraits or lots of flash photography, you better not get this one.

Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Several months before the D90 came out, I bought a D60 to hold me over until the D90 was released. Well, I've enjoyed using both cameras, but this one is a huge step up and more suited to an advanced enthusiast, like me. It's a real pleasure to use.

ERGONOMICS The D90 is solid, tight, and well-balanced with the 18-105 VR lens. It's always ready and it shoots very fast. I love all the direct access buttons; they're easy to press, with good tactile feedback. And since you're not going into the menus as much, you can work faster. It's heavier than the D60, but that's OK. It's still very manageable to carry around and it fits my average-sized hand better too. The shutter sounds different than the D60 (if that matters to you). It sounds more like a professional camera; more like a fast "whoosh" than a "click-click". And there are so many internal customizations that you can set it up exactly as you want.

LENS Biggest surprise was the 18-105 VR lens which I expected would be ho-hum, but turned out to be pretty sharp and clear. Better results than the 18-55 VR. We've really come a long way from the days (30 years ago) when you were cautioned to ALWAYS to buy a prime lens, NEVER the kit lens because of it's poor image quality. With computer-aided design and new technology, that's not true anymore.

IMAGE QUALITY I shoot RAW for maximum detail and the ability to adjust settings afterward if necessary like exposure or white balance. Image quality is very good to excellent depending on your RAW converter. To my eye, best results are obtained with View NX/Capture NX, but Adobe ACR/Lightroom still do a very good job (2010 UPDATE; After using Lightroom the past year, raw conversions are beautiful and far quicker to achieve than Capture NX). When shooting JPGs using the Standard Picture Mode, images are sharp and colors are true, without over-saturation. You can always use different Picture Modes and customize any of them to get closer to the in-camera results you want. For example, you can boost saturation and contrast and save the setting as your default if that's what you like.

LIGHT METER Metering is fine and seems to be quite accurate in most cases. I use matrix metering mostly. As with any camera, you have to get to know the meter. If I had to be VERY critical, I'd say when it's pushed, it's more likely to preserve shadows than highlights, usually when Active DLighting is on. To me that's a good thing. Another website mentioned a slightly "over-enthusiatic" meter in its review. The good news is: if you really feel exposure results are not to your liking (whether over or under exposed), the meter is fine-tuneable, so go ahead and customize it as you see fit. I would just work with the meter first -get to know the camera and adapt yourself to it before you start making any adjustments. That said, I've used the D90 in a very wide range of lighting conditions and I can truly say that while exposures may vary occasionally, they've always made perfect sense for the situation. I've never been shocked or puzzled by the output.

LIVE VIEW is great for the occasional high or low shot. I didn't think would need it, but when I had the D60, I found myself in many situations where I really could have used it. Unlike a point-and-shoot, focus is slower in this mode and shooting seems somewhat clunky. I wouldn't use Live View if I were in a rush or trying to get an important shot. It's just a nice little extra.

MOVIE MODE this is a nice novelty and may be handy in a rare moment, but I'm generally not a video camera person. I'm surprised to read that some people have made movies and commercials with the D90. I keep promising myself to use this feature more, but I don't have a tripod and I'm just too jittery and uncreative to get good cinema-like results. Moreover, from the little I've tried it, I'm not impressed there's no autofocus during filming and the movie comes out over exposed and far from HD quality. The user manual is not very helpful either. But I didn't purchase the camera for this feature, so I'm not disappointed.

ISO I really like the new wide range of ISO settings, especially when coupled with the Auto-ISO setting. Mine is customized to keep the camera at ISO 200, but kick in at 1/30. In this example, anytime lighting decreases enough for the shutter speed to drop below 1/30, the D90 will automatically compensate by raising the ISO high enough (up to an ISO limit you set) to help keep your shutter speed at 1/30. Once the ISO maxes-out at your limit, the camera has no choice but to start bringing down the shutter speed. Noise at high ISOs isn't an issue. In fact, you have to zoom in pretty close for it to be even slightly noticeable. I use Auto-ISO mostly all the time. Its an amazing feature! I only turn this feature off when I want to stick to a particular ISO at all times (if its on a monopod or I've stabilized the camera in some way).

ACTIVE D-LIGHTING helps camera to preserve shadow and highlight detail. More important to use when shooting JPG because the exposure has to be right at the time of shooting, when the camera creates the JPG. RAW shooters can always adjust exposure in post processing. Even though I shoot RAW, I usually leave it on Auto so I can double check the exposure details on the LCD screen. It's available in various strengths from Low to Extra High. Again, another great customization.

CONS

-At this price, Nikon should include a robust image editing software, or at least a decent discount on Capture NX2, which works great, but costs extra.

-Kit lens is thick in diameter (67mm). Also, the front glass of the lens seems somewhat exposed, as if it's not recessed that much (it's just enough for a lens cap). I worry that it'll get scratched easily. Good thing Nikon included the lens hood.

AUTOFOCUS TIP I customized the D90 to autofocus using the AF-L button instead of the shutter release. Now I can focus with one press of my thumb on the AF-L button and shoot with my index finger on the shutter release. This allows me to focus first, let go, then take the shot. Since the subject is already in focus, I can take multiple shots, recompose or go vertical. I'm not forced to continually re-focus for every shot or move the AF point around in the viewfinder. This minimizes AF mishaps on unintentional subjects. And since the VR system remains off until you half-press the shutter (it activates only when you're ready to take the shot, not while you're focusing) you save on battery life as well.

Also, with the D90 set to AF-C mode (continuous autofocus) you can keep a moving subject in focus by holding down the AF-L with your thumb and shooting with your index finger. If the subject becomes still, simply let go of the AF-L button; focusing stops and is locked where you left it. Then shoot when ready. Now your D90 can act as if it's in Single or Continuous AF mode without you having to change settings all the time. This gives you more immediate control over the behavior of the AF system Try it and you won't go back!

SUMMARY Overall I'm extremely happy with the D90! It's designed for serious shooting, but it's still fun to use; noticeably heavier than the D60, but still not a burden. You do need to be committed to carrying around a solid DSLR in the first place. Once you get used to that, you'll come to appreciate that it's more substantial because it'll be less shaky during shots. Nikon really packed it with a ton of features and customizations. Now I finally have everything I want in a DSLR, without it being overblown and overpriced. I'm actually surprising myself with some really spectacular shots.

If you have your basic photography skills down, you can make any DSLR sing, however, I believe THIS camera, because of its superb sensor and spot-on feature set, can actually help you improve your technique and get better results. You'll take more chances and push yourself farther because now you have the tools (ie. features) to help capture more difficult, more creative shots. And you didn't have to spend $3,000 to get there!

8-MONTH UPDATE: Still love this camera which hasn't lost any of its original excitement. Very reliable never frustrating. I'm not craving an upgrade not contemplating a switch to Canon either I'm perfectly content. Haven't discovered any hidden quirks. In fact, the longer I use it, the more I realize how well engineered it is. The only extras I bought so far were a light monopod and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

I am far from a professional photographer, but I take it as seriously as possible while still referring to it as a hobby. I take mostly pictures of people at events and many of my baby son without flash in low light situations.

I had been using a Nikon D40x for 1 year and very early reached my limitation with that camera. The Nikon D40x has very nice image quality, but the camera's interface is not suited for a more serious shooter who wants quick single button or dial access to such shooting parameters such as white balance, shooting mode, metering mode, etc. I also felt very limited by the D40x not having an in-body focus motor that would allow me to use non AF-I/AF-S lenses (which are lenses without the focus motor built-in).

The Nikon D40x limitations were severe enough that I was about to consider purchasing a Canon 40D until the Nikon D90 appeared just in time.

PROS:

1. Fantastic set of separate buttons on the camera to control parameters like ISO, white balance, metering, autofocus, image quality, shooting mode, etc.

2. Two command dials

3. High resolution 920K pixel LCD screen (like the one on the Nikon D300)

4. 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor

5. Low noise high ISO capability (for low light shooting) I can shoot ISO 1600 with good image quality with this camera, while on my D40x I could only shoot with ISO 400 and obtain acceptable IQ. I will even use ISO 3200 frequently with very usable results!

6. Separate top-viewing LCD screen in addition to the rear high res screen, to show shooting parameters constantly

7. In-body focus motor which allows the use of Nikon's non AF-I/S lenses, including wonderful and CHEAP prime lenses such as the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 (~$100 lens!)

8. Continuous shooting of 4.5 frames per second

9. Small size, although larger than the D40/D40x/D60, it is still substantially smaller in the hand than the D300/D3

10. 720p 24fps MPEG video shooting capability with incredible ability to use depth of field that I cannot achieve with my Sony High-Def camcorder.

11. Eleven auto-focus points (not as nice as the 51 points on the D300, but substantially better than my D40x with its 3 points)

12. GPS option

13. HDMI output

14. Enormous number of options to customize camera and shooting settings to fit your style of shooting

15. Fantastic image quality right out-of-box if you don't want to do any post processing

16. Terrific build quality

17. Top notch camera ergonomics (but this will be a very personal opinion that differs for each shooter)

CONS:

1. "Rolling shutter" phenomenon while recording video: The D90 CMOS sensor has the same problem that other CMOS video recorders have when recording video. If you move the camera, especially horizontally, you get a "jelly" or "rubberbanding" effect where the image wobbles significantly. It is nice to have the video features, which looks very sharp at 720p, but it is NOT a substitute for a video camera. If you use a tripod, and do not do quick zooms/pans, the video quality is excellent. Without a tripod, however, you may get nauseous watching a wobbly video. The sound is also in monoaural.

2. 1/200 flash synch: Not a problem for me, but it might be for you.

3. No weather sealing: This is found on the Nikon D300/D3 and even on similarly priced models from other camera companies

4. The buffer will fill up after about 8 continuous RAW + JPG (FINE) shots. This number differs depending on the shooting parameters that you will choose. If you shoot primarily JPG, the buffer seems to allow a very large number of continuous shots, but I have not quantified this for JPG only.

TIPS:

1. Get the FREE Nikon ViewNX software from Nikon's site as your 1st step in your workflow. This will let you examine your RAW images that you can process for either Nikon CaptureNX2 to do further RAW processing or just export to JPG or TIFF for a JPG/TIFF editor such as PhotoShop.

2. Recommend buying the Nikon CaptureNX2. It is a RAW converter (if you shoot in RAW) that will read the camera settings properly for export to JPG or TIFF. Capture NX2, however, is not as slick as the Adobe products and Capture NX2 requires a fairly powerful computer, otherwise it can run pretty slowly on a PC > 3 years old.

3. If you use JPEGs out-of-camera, consider increasing the sharpness above the default 3 or 4. Nikon uses a very conservative sharpening default setting. Nikon has also decided to change the default JPEG images to match the higher end D3/D700/D300 cameras which produce more neutral images. Consequently, the D90 images that are less punchy than the D40/D40x/D60/D80, so you may also want to turn up the in-camera saturation and contrast.

The Nikon D90 has all of the interface features that serious and even professional photographers need with wonderful image quality.

Buy Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) Now

There are plenty of reviews out there, and I don't want to be redundant. So here are some helpful points that I had a hard time ferreting out when doing my research before pulling the trigger on this purchase, given that I was upgrading from a D60 and that I am, like many who are reading reviews on this product, not a professional:

1. I owned the D40, then the D60. So this is my third Nikon. I had trouble deciphering how my lenses, purchased for the D40/D60, would behave when used in this new model. The answer is that the D90 handles all of them perfectly. This includes lenses that have the HSM built in (the Hyper Sonic Motor is packaged in the lens, because the D40/D60 range doesn't have a built in auto-focus motor) as well as those with no internal motor. The D90 has an internal focus motor, so all lenses built for Nikon cameras will auto-focus, including the Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens that I had to manually focus in the D60.

2. The D90 is heavier, but certainly not uncomfortable to hold or carry. Weight will not be a discouraging factor in purchasing this camera.

3. The D90 takes different batteries, so any spares you have for the earlier models will not work on it. Battery life is truly outstanding. I am not even going to buy a spare battery.

4. The user interface is completely different from the D40/D60. I found it intuitive however. The functionality is just superb, much easier and more flexible. This is a pro level camera with the ease of use of a high end amateur camera.

5. Live view is a great enhancement. Really.

Overall, there is nothing I can say negative about the D90. It's everything I was hoping it would be, and it's so worth the money to upgrade. I'm selling the D60 for half what I paid and doing it gladly because the D90 is worth more than it's being sold for. I absolutely highly recommend it.

I also thought I would offer some lens advice, because I had trouble finding a reviewer that just cut to the chase and said "look, just do this." So, look, just do this: I do NOT recommend the kit lenses that you can obtain bundled with the D90. Get the body only, and buy yourself that Nikon 50mm f1.8 (Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). It's a no-brainer at the price point, and the images I have already achieved have been just excellent. For the rest of your lenses, I highly recommend Sigma. I own the 18-200 (Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras), the 10-20 (Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras), and the 150-500 (Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). I cannot say enough positive things about the quality of the lenses or the images. Pack the 50mm and the 18-200 superlens for normal occasions. If you can stand the extra weight, you absolutely cannot go wrong with the 10-20 for landscapes, it just pulls in everything and the quality is shocking. The 150-500 is enormous, you are not going to want to carry that thing around, but when you need it, you really need it. I captured images of my son playing in a soccer game that blew me away; could not have gotten the shots without the big lens. Get the lenses in the order I have specified if you cannot afford them all.

I have just learned all this over the past 2 years. I am no expert but I have discovered the joy of capturing great images that you just cannot get from a point-and-shoot. I think once you see the quality you can achieve with a better camera, you will be thrilled with the decision to spend the money and the energy. And Nikon has truly produced the best camera at this price point in the world. It's a pro camera with an amateur price and it's very easy to use. Words really don't do it justice; you need to experience it to understand.

Any questions, please send me a comment. Happy to help!

Update 16 Jul 2009:

I have now taken well over 4,000 images with the D90 and can confirm that it's still all I had hoped it would be. Every time I think of something I wish I could adjust, I find that the D90 has the adjustment capability in the menu somewhere. The active D-lighting is spectacular. The noiseless photos in low-light conditions have blown me away. I don't see myself upgrading from this camera for a very long time. My technique for most situations has become as follows: snap a few images using the Auto settings. Then switch to full manual and start playing with the depth of field by adjusting ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to fit the situation. Half the time, the Auto photos are so good that I can't do much to top them in manual mode!

Update 20 Jan 2010:

Over 10,000 photos taken with my D90. No new lenses purchased since last update. I have yet to find a situation the D90 cannot handle deftly. Over Christmas, I took a family photo of my wife's entire extended family, over 40 people involved. It was indoors, at night, with only weak overhead lights and the lights from the Christmas tree behind the group. I used an ISO of 3500, my small Nikon 50mm lens at 1.8 aperture, and my remote control (so I could be in the photo too!) Under these low light conditions, with no flash, I was able to capture 50 images in a very short time, and miraculously got several with everyone smiling and no one blinking, and out of these one was perfect! The group included several young kids who hate standing still, to name one challenge! The output was startling; in the natural light, its almost ethereal. I'm the new family hero. The reality is that this single photo is irreplaceable and worth more than the camera and lens. It could not have been accomplished with a lesser camera/lens combination, including the previous Nikons I have owned. I would venture to say that no other camera in the price range could touch what I did with the D90 in this situation. Over and over, the camera proves its worth to me. In the end, what is one fabulous photograph of your child, your vacation, or your life's important events worth?

Update 27 April 2010:

I noticed that I forgot to mention another very useful addition to the D90 the remote control. This device allows you to remotely trigger the shutter and I find I use it for group shots much more often than the timer, especially because I can trigger multiple shots without returning to the camera. It's very inexpensive and small (I keep it in the little pouch that it comes with, threaded into the strap, so it's always there when I need it.) Here is the item: Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control for Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D80 & D90 Digital SLR Cameras. Highly recommended!

Update 13 May 2010:

My D90 was stolen two weeks ago. What a bummer. Anyhow, I decided to upgrade to the D700, but not because there's anything wrong with the D90. I loved it. The D700 has the FX size sensor, whereas the D90 has the DX size sensor, which is smaller. The real benefit of the FX sensor is better sensitivity, meaning higher shutter speeds at a given aperture. Of course, the D700 is more sophisticated in nearly every way, but it's also heavier and more complex to operate. It's also over $2,000 for the body only. I sprang for it. But even so, after considering carefully all the current offerings, my conclusion is that for the money, there is still no better camera than the D90.

Update 15 Feb 2011:

I highly recommend Thom Hogan's "Complete Guide" series for the Nikon D90 (and for any other Nikons). I bought the one for the D700 and it's just incredibly useful, way more easy to understand and more thorough than the Nikon documentation. It's really essential reading; you get the why, not just the how, and practical advice on settings you should use for different situations. Thom really helped me understand why it's worth shooting in RAW (I now onluy shoot in RAW), and what tradeoffs are worth making and when (ISO vs shutter speed vs aperture). You can only get them off his website so google it. bythom dot com is the address BTW. (I don't know the guy and am not getting a kickback, I swear!!!!)

Also, I'm really enjoying having a good quality wide angle zoom, anyone who hasn't obtained one yet for their setup, I think you ought to look into it closely. I find myself using it more and more.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) Here

Pros

The same ISO capability of the D300.

Intuitive layout that Nikon is famous for

Fast focus, frames per second, and card access

First DSLR to have video, but . . .

Cons

Video has poor audio quality and no AF

Kit lens is not worth what Nikon says it's worth

Recommendation: Casual users who aren't concerned about how tough the kit lens is should buy now. Semi-pros who want a good lens might want to wait and just get the body (available about a month after the kit release)

Before making the leap to the D90 I researched this and other cameras for several weeks. I actually wanted the more expensive D300 because of the magnesium body and weatherproofing, but ultimately decided that the $600 difference was too big for just that one issue.

The D90 has the same sensor (or greatly similar depending on the source) as the D300 which means it shares the same great ISO capabilities. 1600 looks fine and you can definitely get usable small prints from even 3200. There are some reviewers on other sites claiming that the D90 has better noise reduction than the D300. Combine that with the the new Nikon VR lenses and you can shoot in low light at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I've always hated using a flash and this camera is going to allow me to avoid using it in situations I never dreamed were possible. I took a shot in a dimly lit room at night and this camera picked up details I couldn't see with my own eyes!

The control layout is superb. The single button choices make complete sense ISO, image quality, white balance and previous shot are right there on the left side of the LCD.

I did not buy this camera for its video function. However, Nikon did not deliver the goods here. You can buy a several year old Canon P&S S2 or S3 that shoots video (VHS/regular quality, not HD) at 30fps with stereo sound AND autofocus. If they could put that kind of functionality on a $200 camera it should be possible on a $1000 one as well. It just seems that if you're going to add a function like this it should have been done well or not done at all. If you're buying this camera because of its video capability then I would urge you to wait until Nikon or another DSLR maker does it right. Or just buy a separate HD video camera at a fraction of the cost of the D90.

I realize a lot of folks like the kit lens, but it is not the same quality as Nikon's other zooms in this price range. I read that Nikon says this kit lens, the 18-105mm VR, would sell for $400. Thus the "$100 savings by buying the kit." I bought the Nikon 70-300mm VR at the same time for about $485 and the build quality is far better with a metal mount and rubber gasket to keep out the elements. The kit lens has a plastic mount with no rubber gasket and it just feels cheap in comparison. If you're just looking for a basic everyday lens as an average user this might not matter, but if you're an aspiring amateur/semi-pro this is really not acceptable.

Overall this is a great camera and it is, minus the lack of weather proofing (which I can't expect at this price range anyway), exactly what I was looking for. It does have its flaws, however. Thus the 4 star rating instead of 5.

Want Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) Discount?

It is an amazing camera by Nikon, expecially for amateur and enthusiast level photographers. The feature list is fantastic, plus the fact that it has the sensor of similar quality as the professional grade D300 model, and of course how can you forget the HD video capabilities? The sensor is highly rated for amazing dynamic range and color depth (the blues and greens are dreamingly rich, see my images in the customer images section). Please watch the video for a comparison with Rebel XSi that I owned before this one.

[+++++]:

Great sensor, amazing colors out of the camera

Auto D-lighting to restore shadowed regions

Feels great in hand, very comfortable to hold... lighter than a Canon 40d/50d.

The optical viewfinder is bright and big, with great coverage

AF tracking points are easy to spot and switch to

Great 320K dots LCD

Video feature is great.. you can make some really slick short movies after some practice. It is a bit difficult to master both autofocus and zoom and exposure control in video mode, but I guarantee you a huge share of fun with it.. especially with DOF tests:-)

[-----]

My copy of the camera came with one big bright hot pixel that was ON even at low ISOs like 200 and at fast shutter speeds. I was just about to learn to ignore it by using the software to map it out, and 2 more developed within a week of normal usage. Not good for a $1K camera right out of the box. I searched online and found many many others with the same issue. Further, you will have to pay at least one way shipping to a Nikon service center to have them mapped out, and yet they say it may develop more with time. I dont understand why a brand new camera has this issue. And its not just my copy, you can search "Nikon D90 + hot pixels" and you will find many many recent posts on this topic.

The live view is just a gimmick. It doesnt stand in front of the implementation in a cheaper Canon XSI even. It lacks exposure simulation (the mode which brightens or darkens the LCD view based upon live shot setting changes like ISO/aperture/exposure time etc.). Further, it only goes as high as 6.7X while the XSi and 40D/50D go upto 10X zoom. To add to that, D90 seems to extrapolate the live view image at high zooms from a lower resolution image... showing bad interpolation artifacts like blocks at 6.7X zoom. You have to see it to believe it. Try a Rebel XSi and a D90 live view, and you will know what I mean. Also, there is no exposure scale overlay on the live view image to guide the user whether the shot is under/over exposed. You will have to switch to optical view finder to confirm the shot exposure level. All this renders the live view practically useless for anything but framing a snapshot or a video. In fact it should have been called an LCD view finder and not the live view, which it is not. D90 also only has one auto focus mode in live view which is contrast based, and too slow. Even 40d has a fast phase detect mode. Also, the D90 LCD refreshes only 15 frames per sec while a 40d/50d refreshes at 30 fps better for sports. If you wear glasses and are hoping this live view will help you take pictures without having to goto the top LCD or the optical view finder, you will be shocked. Having owned an XSi and tried a Canon 50d, I can say with confidence that Nikon really has to improve their live view, or at least stop calling it that. I have let the Nikon customer support know of the interpolation issue at least, and they say it may come as a model update later, probably not an easy firmware update. But their answer was not clear. It took many emails just to explain the problem.

The zoom (+/-) buttons are for the left hand. They may have been like this for most of the Nikons, but coming from Canon, it was a big discomfort to me to first switch the camera weight to the right hand, then move my left hand to use the buttons to the left of the LCD, then switch the hands back. This can be a pain if you have a heavy lens (like 70-300mm VR) and don't have a tripod.

The pixel depth is only 12-bit as compared to 14-bit in a Rebel XSi or a Canon 40d. This is not that obvious, and it is actually surprising that D90 produces great colors for a shorter pixel depth.

The video mode can possibly age your sensor quicker than it should. Because of prolonged exposures (upto 5 minutes in HD mode), the sensor may develop more hot pixels over time than usual. It is also hard to lock exposure while in video.. else there are jerks when the auto-exposure-compensation mode jumps in as the scene brightness changes.

In conclusion,

if you can live with a sensor that may come with hot pixels, or may develop more sooner than expected,

if you don't mind using both hands to manage controls while also holding a heavy lens,

if you don't use live view at all and will only use the optical view finder, and

if you have about $1200 to spare (as of Jan 12 2009), and a few hundred more down the line for expensive Nikkor zooms,

then this is a great camera for you. You will be more than satisfied with the colors that come flying out of it. Otherwise, allow me to recommend Canon 40d or 50d with pretty much all of the basic imaging done the right way.

The live view and the hot pixel issues are a big reason why I gave this camera only 3 stars. Especially so because it is a still camera first.. and if they ship out defective units (with hot pixels) in a brand new box, and ask you to use a software to take 30 minutes just to wait for them to me mapped out, I think they fail to provide the basic purpose of this camera. Plus the live view isnt useful at all except only for shot framing.

Edit to add: Here is a website that will let you compare the sensor quality between different models for your information. I am not sure how reliable they are, but they seem genuine.. still I advise you to interpret that data at your own discretion: %7C0/(appareil2)/267%7C0/(appareil3)/262%7C0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Canon/(brand2)/Canon/(brand3)/Nikon .

Edit#2: I have since returned this camera and have ordered a Canon 50d. I want to take good still pictures first, and the video mode and the ineffective live view and the LCD werent helping me too much in doing that. Regardless, it may fit your requirements, in which case please enjoy all the features it comes with, and dont forget to share your first video:-) Here are mine:Edit#3 (1/19/09): After having owned a 50d, I would add one more star to this review, only the system doesnt allow it now. The reason being, I feel D90 handled noise much better... at least better than the 50d. Also, the 50d gave lens mount error right out of the box too... this is with firmware v1.0.3, the latest available.

Edit#4: 1/21/09. I confirmed that D90 had better noise performance in day-to-day use as compared to Canon 50d. Again, no lab tests, no controlled environment.. but just regular in-house pictures.. and I can see more chroma-noise with Canon 50d pictures. Also, no matter what I tried with the Canon pictures style editor, it was near to impossible to get the 'punchy' colors that nikon produces. In all fairness, Canon's picture style editor is a great idea, and it does help a lot too (see my blog here: ). But the limitations are with how we can only select and change 100 discrete/individual colors, and there is no easy way to just plain rotate the color cone for all the possible colors. I decided to return the Canon 50d for these reasons.. plus the fact that it started giving me lens mount errors right out of the box. Come what may, I have re-ordered the D90 kit (I know.. but at least I tried both and found out what I like). I know I will miss the tack sharp live view and the hot-pixel-less sensor from Canon, but I have come to realise that what counts is the ultimate aesthetics of picture-taking, and Nikon D90 gave me that. I caught myself frequently comparing D90's output pictures with the 50d's. And no matter what I did, I always spent more time staring at and panning and zooming in the Nikon results. In a way, they 'called' me.

I plan to deal with the hot pixels with Adobe Lightroom which automagically maps them out from raw images. Or I will write scripts to map them in batches from both RAW and JPEGs in Capture NX2 (yes.. I found out that Capture NX2 allows you to remap hot pixels even in JPEGS.. so you dont necessarily have to shoot RAWs to avoid the hot pixels. as is the common misconception!).

So if you have read this review so far, please know this: I chose aesthetic pleasure over technical (or specification) superiority.. a personal choice. And if I could change the star rating of this camera, I would now make it 4-1/2. The half points will still be gone for hot-pixels and inferior live view with no exposure simulation.

There. I lived through two great cameras, and embraced one. Its your turn now. Good luck.. and whichever one you choose, make sure you like the end result.. and not just the camera's specifications or mega pixel count:-)

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Mediabridge High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (35 ft) - Ultra Series - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and

OK, not much you can say about a cable, unless you get one that is bad or "flakey" from a problem with the shield, as we read from a previous posting.

I recently upgraded my HDTV system and now have a HDTV, Blue-ray, and Receiver that supports the HDMI 1.3 spec. This spec enables new high bandwidth features previously not supported in older HDMI cables and equipment. Both the Blue-ray and the HDTV, and my Roku-Netflix box are firmware upgradeable, so this cable should support their enhancements for at least a couple of years.

Being the quintessential anal-retentive Electrical Engineer, I tend to over analyze everything (even if not required). When buying cables (typically, the weak link in most systems), you have to determine if the product is manufactured from a reputable vendor, or built by a couple of guys in their garage, with no quality control. Mediabridge Products is a subsidiary of Broadband Products, Inc. Broadband Products has HDMI certification (see hdmi.org for why this is important).

There are two types of HDMI cable, Standard (Category 1) and High Speed (Category 2), and they have different performance metrics. A Standard cable can transmit a 1080i signal for 15 meters (49 feet) or more, while a High Speed HDMI cable can transmit a 1080p signal for at least 7.5 meters (25 feet). For the most part, running cables less than 5 meters, either will work, but I want to make sure and this cable is Category 2.

Why did I buy this specific cable from this vendor: The vendor has an almost perfect feedback record, the product is low cost for the specs, fulfilled by Amazon, and importantly free shipping, and a return policy that pays the shipping for returns/exchanges of defects.

ADK

So far I have bought a total of four HDMI cables, in lengths ranging from 3' to 15'. I bought the 3' cable first. It was made by Philips and sold by the most gigantic of all gigantic discount Marts. It worked fine, and it would have been long enough except it was so stiff I could never straighten it out completely. I returned it.

I did some research on Amazon and found these Mediabridge cables with astounding user ratings and amazingly reasonable prices. Not the sub-dollar junk you can also find here, but less than one third the big-box price of the Philips cables in equivalent lengths. I bought two of the 6' cables to connect my two 1080p upconverting DVD players (a Sony 5-disc changer and a Philips region-free single-disc for playing foreign DVDs) to my wonderful (and cheap) AOC HDTV.

I was a little reluctant to buy 6' cables because I only really needed 3', and I know cable length can be tricky with very high-speed signals, but since the Philips 3' wasn't actually usable to that length, and I didn't want to have to return these, I ordered 6'. They work like a dream. They're as flexible as cooked spaghetti and transmit the signals without a single glitch.

Then I bought a new HP laptop with an HDMI output, but to work comfortably the cable had to be longer than 6'. I figured I'd go all the way and order the 15', since it's only marginally more expensive and would allow me to use the HDTV easily for watching streaming movies from Netflix. This cable also works like a dream.

My TV only has two HDMI inputs, so I do a fair amount of plugging and unplugging, with no signs of reliability problems so far. I highly recommend these Mediabridge HDMI cables--in any length--to anybody needing one.

I'm also very impressed with Mediabridge itself. Each cable comes very nicely packaged individually in a sturdy corrugated box, which is put into a larger box for shipping, and they ship quickly directly to the customer. What a relief not to have to saw through a hard plastic shell to get the product out! It's an impressive company. PLUS, they're an American company, and although I don't know if they manufacture the cables domestically, they're unafraid to print their New Jersey street address right on the box.

Buy Mediabridge High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (35 ft) - Ultra Series - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and Now

Just in case someone may feel guilty for not paying a lot more for, basically the same thing, let's look at our top of the line offer, Monster HDMI 1000HD Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable (2 meters) and do a quick comparison.

This item supports the HDMI 1.3b standard which is almost as good as it gets (1.3c doesn't add anything special). Any HDMI 1.3 cable can carry up to 10.2 Gbit/s. Hmmm... I suppose the Monster is much better, right? Well... it "guarantees a certified cable bandwidth of 10.2" Okay, but the Monster also supports "x.v.Color, and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD". It turns out that, all of the above, and more, are part of the HDMI 1.3 specs and they are fully supported by every cable that complies to the standard and can be had for about 90% less in the Mediabridge. The expensive brand presentation simply enumerates the HDMI 1.3 specs as if it being HDMI 1.3 compliant was a really big deal. It is not a big deal. Even a cable that costs 95% less is HDMI 1.3 compliant.

My suggestion: if you think that the proponents of the expensive brand have a point when they claim that their product is a lot more durable, buy TWO Media Bridge wires and still pay almost 80% less than you would pay for one of the expensive ones.

My personal experience: I've never paid 'a lot' for an HDMI cable because it makes no sense to pay more. I took home one of the 'expensive' ones once because the salesman promised to take it back if I wasn't amazed by the difference. It made zero difference and I returned it.

_________________________________________________

The following are the HDMI 1.3 specs and all certified HDMI 1.3 cables (including Monster) are going to support them.

Maximum signal bandwidth (MHz) 340

Maximum TMDS bandwidth (Gbit/s) 10.2

Maximum video bandwidth (Gbit/s) 8.16

Maximum audio bandwidth (Mbit/s) 36.86

Maximum Color Depth (bit/px) 48

Maximum resolution over single link at 24-bit/px 2560×1600p75

Maximum resolution over single link at 30-bit/px 2560×1600p60

Maximum resolution over single link at 36-bit/px 1920x1200p75

Maximum resolution over single link at 48-bit/px 1920×1200p60

sRGB

YCbCr

8 channel LPCM/192 kHz/24-bit audio capability

Blu-ray Disc video and audio at full resolution

Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)

DVD-Audio support

Super Audio CD (DSD) support

Deep Color

xvYCC

Auto lip-sync

Dolby TrueHD bitstream capable

DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream capable

Updated list of CEC commands (only on HDMI 1.3a,b,c)

Read Best Reviews of Mediabridge High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (35 ft) - Ultra Series - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and Here

These cables worked great for me...I'm getting 1080p@24hz no problem. My setup is a Samsung 52" LCD TV (LN52A650) and a Playstation 3. Save yourself a whole lot of money and don't get ripped off buying "Monster" or any other overpriced HDMI cable. Order processing, USPS shipping, and receipt in Texas was lightling fast(7 days). Order 2 while you're at it...someday you'll need another one!

Want Mediabridge High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (35 ft) - Ultra Series - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and Discount?

This cable was a great fit for our purposes. I was running cables in a crawl space from our TV mounted on the wall to a cabinet to have a fully hidden AV system. The 25 ft was the right length and the price was amazing for a cable of this length. Everything I priced locally was well over $100 for the cable. Unfortunately, my TV does not run Ethernet over HDMI so I can't use that feature, but the 3D Blu-ray works well with this system. The cables held up with with all the fishing of wires that I needed to do as well. The flex points where they attach to the cable were solid and held up well being pulled thru multiple holes.

Pros: Affordable. Ethernet over HDMI and 3D ready.

Cons: None come to mind.

Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope

The Qx5 microscope is the natural follow-on from the Qx3. Used as a toy with the "child friendly" supplied software, it will load onto the latest machines; difficulties with the old Qx3 software on Windows XP Pro were not encountered with the Qx5. I have found this software to be intensely irritating for my use, but letting my two young nephews loose on my computer I was delighted to find that the whizzes, zips and boings the program generates during its natural operation freed me to be elsewhere in the house without fear that my young guests had given up on the microscope and were trying to sabotage my machine in ways available only to the very young. Not that I need have feared: a simple walk around the local park produced more than enough samples to keep them delighted until dinner. An excellent Christmas game can also be knocked out with the Qx5 and a laptop by wandering around the house, taking magnified snaps of the decorations and furniture, then challenging guests to identify the objects. (Print thumbnails and you can have a dozen people wandering around different parts of the house peering at ornaments.)

However, I have not bought two new Qx5s to supplement the Qx3s I already have just to play games. These `toys' are truly excellent scientific instruments. They allow for rapid inspection of small components, provide good images for presentations, and an image of a graticule can be used to calibrate distance per pixel, providing simple distance and area measurement. These images can be fed to image-processing packages for colour-dependent area measurements and other techniques. Contact angles of droplets on surfaces can also be measured from these images, with the 60x magnification matching the best droplet size. The improved pixel count of the Qx5 gives markedly better resolution of crystal morphology and the more intense LED illumination at last makes 200x magnification generally workable. The rectangular grid of pixels on the old Qx3 has been corrected to a square grid meaning circles are now the same number of pixels across as they are high (rather than 10% fatter). They can be used to monitor and record movement because they collect movies as well as stills: with 15 frames per second (up from the Qx3's five) much faster events can be captured.

So what are the downsides? This is a souped-up Qx3, with a better webcam at one end and brighter light at the other, so in common with the Qx3 the optics are not perfectly matched. The focal plane for each magnification is therefore in a different position requiring re-focusing after every change, as well as producing occasional microscopes with one of their focal planes squeezed quite close to the microscope body. This can mean the plastic stand is at the limit of its movement and bouncing on the last tooth of the cog, or if you've built your own holder you may start bumping into the plastic shield around the light. The TWAIN driver is new, and has no light control, and there is no utility offered to control light separately from your Start Menu. It captures images on command, but then you have to select the image to pass it on to your graphics package an unnecessary extra step for most applications. The automatic colour balance bleaches images of predominantly one colour, and with the bluish LED illumination, yellow seems to come off particularly badly. This is not true with the interface that opens for capturing movies, where all sorts of settings can come under the operator's control, but the driver (at least in XP Pro) is a Windows Driver Model (WDM) rather than Video For Windows (VFW), limiting your options to only more recent software, and the light is still not accessible.

Generally, however, I'm delighted with the improvements in image resolution and frames per second that the new camera and light offer, and for a price that seems lower than the Qx3 commanded until the very end of its commercial life, these `toys' are extremely good value for anyone who wants to peer at small things through the eye of the twenty-first century.

My son got this for his birthday and absolutely loved it. Immediately he was making movies and magnifying everything. He loves that it comes off the base to magnify just about anything that he can get close to the computer. He asked me if he could take it to school and share it with his class. His teacher loved that they could all gather around the computer and look at the images. It is even better in the classroom becasue she can verify that they are looking at the right things, and when students ask questions they can point to it on the computer screen instead of trying to explain what they are seeing through the regular lens. This is a great item for beginning to use a microscope and helping a child learn the ropes.

Buy Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope Now

I bought this microscope to help introduce 'natural science' to my almost 3 year old. He had been playing a bit with toddler software but would lose interest. Since buying this (and we have to leave setup at all times!) my son is not only fascinated with looking at things (the stuff he wants to look at! dead earthworms, onion skin, leg from a dead spider, every feather) but his computer skills are really developing. He loves the software that comes with it (graphics type for 'art' and making your own movies) and handles it like a pro. The only fault with this is it did not include slides (for $90 you'd think they would include a few) I am currently purchasing some cool water experiments here we come (I think I have as much fun with this as my son!!)

Read Best Reviews of Digital Blue QX5 Digial Microscope Here

This is a rather fun toy microscope that has a built in CMOS detector so that images can only be viewed via a Windows PC. The all plastic construction (including lenses) limits the accuracy of focussing and the on-screen image resolution is adequate rather than good. This microscope was originally marketed by Intel and built by toy manufacturer Mattel as the QX-3. Now Digital Blue have taken it on after Intel discontinued production. The QX-5 is an upgrade having 640 x 480 pixel resolution rather than just 352 x 288 in the original QX-3. Have a look at micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/intelplay for very detailed scientific description of the original QX-3 and advice on what to use it for. Every school in the UK was given one of these in 2002. Scientifically inclined youth (and school teachers) should also be very interested in the book `700 science experiments for everyone', published by UNESCO and available from Amazon for about a tenner.

I installed the QX-5 software under Windows XP Pro on a 1.2MHz Athlon PC and the software worked fine. The only downside is that the software changes the CRT screen refresh rate to 60Hz and doesn't switch it back to the flicker free 85Hz. So a trip to `Start, Control Panel, Display, Settings, Advanced, Monitor' is required to set the graphics back to their correct setting (check these before you run the software). Otherwise the software and USB microscope run very well. It comes with a small prepared `slide' (a cardboard and plastic array of things like insect parts) plus a reasonable archive of digital images which you can add to.

Once on the PC the 640x480 images can be manipulated and pasted etc, and it does time-lapse for things like crystal growth, and there's a fair bit of control of the time-lapse intervals from 0.1 second to 1 hour intervals. I have a QX-5 at home for the kids, but like most kids with microscopes they can get bored with it after running out of things to view so web and book searches for ideas is useful. Note that you can also get pretty good hi-res images of things like nuts and leaves from a cheap flatbed film scanner (not the Lide type), and there's also the digital camera in macro mode, but this microscope is far more kid friendly and being very light it bounces well. The main microscope body can be detached from the stand to view things.

The QX-5 has not got the resolution of even a standard 'school' compound microscope though, largely because you see it all 'enlarged' on a large computer screen, it uses plastic lenses and has a low resolution detector (but you can share the view with friends). So you may find the QX-5 a real disappointment if you expect too much of it in terms of image quality. However it is rather fun to use and has transmission + reflection white LED light sources built in to view specimens. The software is also very kid friendly and the increased resolution over the QX-3 is very welcome. So overall, recommended for pre-teen budding scientists.

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I just received this item last night and after just one evening of use I can already tell both the kids and I will have a blast with it. The optics, lighting, and overall performance of the microscope are SURPRISINGLY good. The supporting software is also very straighforward, functional, and kid-friendly. As others have pointed out there is a strange lack of instructions that leaves you feeling initially clueless (there is a "Help" feature accessible through the software) but the overall usage is intuitive enough that it wasn't really missed. Also, some of the webpages that I've seen indicate that you need 4 AA batteries but this is not true. (Maybe the earlier model needed it?) I very much recommend this product for your budding scientist (and yourself!)

Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom

I was really excited to see a camera with a built in projector and first saw the older S1000 on Amazon for half price of the newer s1100pj.

I first bought the newer camera because it has a brighter Projector up to 14 lumis compared to up to 10 lumis of light projection on the older camera.

I also liked the newer features such as Fisheye effect and 720p high difinition video recording.

When amazon dropped the the price on the older camera s1000pj ($129.00) I decided to buy it and compare it to the newer version s1100pj and here are the results.

The newer camera sucks at $309.00.

First of all I had trouble getting the touch screen to respond when looking at my photos. The projector brightness doesn't look better then the older camera.

The 3 inch view screen on the new camera remains on when projecting which is very annoying. The only way to shut off the viewer screen on the camera is when using the remote control.

The fisheye effect is not fisheye at all. It's Nikon's way of adding a strange effect (Non-Adjustable) on photos already taken and cannot be used when shooting 16 X 9 photos or with Video recording.

The older s1000pj is the only way to go.

There's no touch screen which is better in my opinion and the Viewer screen on the camera automatically shuts off when using the projector.

The brightness on the wall looks about the same as the newer camera's projector.

The focus adjustment is a knob on the newer camera and a slider control on the older camera. Both are easy to use.

Even the battery compartment on the older camera is more user friendly.

I was having trouble removing the battery on the new camera as it would not drop out without the need of shaking the camera.

Also, the description failed to mention that if you use the projector for a few minutes you must wait for the camera to cool for about 30 minutes before you can resume taking pictures so keep that in mind if you're at a party.

The result is buy the older s1000pj Nikon camera. You will save money and have a better camera.

I have owned Nikon SLRs and own a Nikon D-SLR and wanted a smaller camera to take on shorter business trips and into places where SLRs camera are not always convenient or allowed. I had seen the videos/promos for this camera and wanted this before it even came out. I ordered via OneCall (one of Amazon's partners) on the first day it was available and so far I'm impressed. The touch screen works really well, menus are very obvious, picture quality is very acceptable for a point-and-shoot, video quality is very nice, battery life is acceptable (I ordered a spare battery as I have a history of taking many photos) and of course there is the projector, which most of you want to know about. In daylight it works well on a 8x11 size background from 1 to 2 feet away. Anything further away or colored background are not ideal in daylight. In a darker to dark room, you can actually go quite big, much bigger compared to stated, with reasonable quality. Obviously, the closer to the wall, the better the quality, but remember that this is just a very small projector, and it's built into a camera and not a stand-alone device or intended to be a stand-alone projector. Battery life suffers quickly using the projector and I wish they would not display the "battery low" indicator on the projected image, but that's how it works.

Drawing on images while projected does not work as smooth as in the promos and the provided stylus is a better tool for this compared to using your fingers.

Have to yet test it as a projector on a PC but assume this to be similar compared to projecting images.

Overall it lived up to my expectations. Nikon has a gem with this one, and after testing the S1000pj at a retail store, it seems like quite an improvement over last year's model. It's a good camera and for a geek like me, it's also a sweet gadget.

Buy Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom Now

Shortly after receiving this camera the shutter button/zoom switch became problematic. I contacted Amazon and they replaced it, no questions asked. Kudos to Amazon's excellent customer service. The second camera developed the same problem after six months, obviously a design flaw. Amazon then referred us to Nikon customer service and gave us a $30 gift certificate for our troubles. Since then, dealing with Nikon's customer service has been a nightmare for an obviously flawed product. The denied any fault and said Amazon probably dropped the boxes the cameras were stored in and have insisted that we pay $84.00 to repair the camera. They also refused to allow us to speak to a manager or some higher authority. Feeling like we had not other choice, we agreed to pay the $84.00 to repair this $300+ camera. That was four months ago, they have not received the part for the repair as yet and we are without a camera. It remains to be seen when and how this will be resolved. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA and Nikon obviously does not value it customers as evidenced by its very POOR customer service.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon Coolpix S1100pj 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom Here

The projector is 14 lumens but is not as powerful or as big a pk102 which is 11 lumens. Connecting it to a PC requires installing a software using a CD they provide. The projection lags a lot on a netbook. You have to switch the settings of the camera every time you want to change from uploading photos to computer and using the computer as a projector. The whole camera is pretty big in size compared to regular digital cameras but can't complain on a device with a built-in projector. The camera has some pretty nice features, though some requires the user manual to help you find out what they do. The flash is very powerful and there is a touch to focus/exposure on taking pictures. Not on video though, unfortunately. The touch screen sometimes lags a little and requires more pressure than smartphones such as the iPhone. Overall, not bad.

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The touch screen is not as sensitive as I would like it to be without using the stylus. Whenever I'm trying to change settings or go to the next picture, it doesn't wan't to respond when I try to move it accross the screen... unless I press harder than normal. Maybe I'm just too used to the iPod Touches screen.

The projector is very nice, but it has to be pretty dark to be "very nice". It's really nice to be able to show off your pictures or videos on up to a 47" screen instead of everyone huddling around you and the tiny camera screen right after you took a picture or something.

Overall, this is a very worthy camera and I highly recommend it. Picture quality is great and it takes 720p High Definition video. Also, the sound quality is pretty good as well. If I could, I'd give this camera a 4 1/2 star rating.

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Nikon Coolpix S9500 Wi-Fi GPS Digital Camera (Black) with 32GB Card + Battery & Charger + Case

Just returned from a two week trip to France, this camera provided fantastic photographs, effortlessly! Best shoot and point camera I've ever had. The zoom ability is great.

I love this camera. Great resolution and pics. The only complaint I have is the location of the pop-up flash. The package deal was the best deal ever!

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Everything came neatly packed and on the right date... Great condition, and the camera works perfectly! Great combo! A great deal!

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There were more features and accessories that I did not expect. I plan on using this camera more than my larger Nikon.

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Camera and accessories arrived early and were packaged well. We love the camera and all the extras that were bundled in the price!

Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (White)

After extensive research, I bought this camera as my first DSLR. This camera is great. I could go on and on, but I'll just say that I am very happy with this purchase. It takes great pictures and is easy to use.

I would also like to point out that Pentax technical support is amazing. They are not just a bunch of yahoos in a call center reading off of the screen. They employ their own call center staff and have offices in North America so you won't run into the language barrier that many other electronics manufacturers have.

I've had this camera for about a year and I have no complaints. I am able to take professional looking pictures without knowing much about SLR Cameras. This camera is also very well made, heavy and expensive looking. Everywhere I go I get compliments on this camera and people with more expensive cameras want to look at it and compare the features. Most of the time they walk away knowing that they spent way too much for their camera. I had a film Pentax SLR for years and loved it, so this digital SLR was a perfect upgrade for me and I was able to use my lenses from my film camera with no problems. This camera will even take video which is a nice feature to have on a DSLR. I take thousands of pictures and do not baby my camera at all and this one has held up nicely with no problems. My 8 year old and 15 year old use this camera often and without any problems. I love the white body on the camera and get many compliments on it, not to mention that I can spot my camera easily when it is left on a table with other cameras at karate class or in my child's classroom. The high speed continuous mode is wonderful for sporting events and I have been able to capture a lot of perfect shots with this camera because it is so dependable and easy to use!

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I bought this camera about three weeks ago and it has blown past my expectations! Out of the box, it just feels good in my hand. The pictures taken with the 18-55mm and older 80-320mm were sharp and well exposed. Even an old Sima soft-focus lens that I've had for 30 years works perfectly. It's too bad that Pentax doesn't advertise it's cameras because this is a gem!

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I've always disliked DSLR cameras because I was not satisfied with the quality of the images, specifically in regards to color and contrast. However, the newer DSLR have rectified this issue and have a much more film-like quality to the images. It has been very easy to adjust to this camera after using Pentax SLR cameras for many years. I'm sure the next generation will be even better, but I'm very happy with the quality I'm getting from this new camera.

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I wasn't planning on giving this camera a five star review. In fact, I wasn't planning on reviewing it at all. However, Pentax has just really been impressing me!

This is their entry level DSLR…yet it is so professional. I bought it as a back-up to my other camera. My first impression as of just having received it (3 hrs ago) is that it is the fastest camera I have ever held!

I have extensive photography experience and this is an excellent entry level DSLR. I can go from nill to turning it on, auto-focusing and getting the shot, in 3 seconds. No start up delay, auto focus is phase detection, and I'm pretty good, but I can't get 3 seconds with my other cameras. I can't wait for Pentax to enter the pro-DSLR market!!!

ANYONE looking to buy this its light weight, easy to use and did I mention it's FAST?!?

Love it!

Casio Exilim EX-Z29 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Purple)

I really, really like this camera. It takes awesome photos. To be honest, at first I was disappointed. It turned out to be a lot bigger (thicker) than I expected, which was just error on my part for not clarifying dimensions. The user interface is very elementary and I felt like I didn't have a lot of control. Then, the way that the screen displays the images-it was rather mediocre. There didn't seem to be anything special (well, that is, 10.1 MP special) about them.

Anyway, I decided that it was such a great deal that I could deal with these quirks. I'm so glad I decided to stick with it! Once the photos were uploaded, they looked INCREDIBLE!!! I couldn't believe that I took them (I wasn't even trying to pay attention at quality, and a lot of the pictures were taken when I wasn't actually sober...).

I don't really use the Best Shots, but the camera pretty much does all the work for me. So, yeah--if you're looking for an easy, straightforward, inexpensive (you wouldn't believe how much research I did on inexpensive digital cameras.. this one is by far the best value), digital camera, this is a great choice!

This is my first digital camera, so I don't have any other to compare it to; but I have used film type off and on for many years, including some semi-pro SLR types my ex-lady owned. Right out of the box, using quick start/dummy settings, this one took some impressive pictures! I have yet to mess around with some of the more advanced manual and auto settings, but I can see already this camera is a great deal for the price. Picture quality and ease of use are outstanding! My only complaints so far; the buttons are a bit small, and I have had to back track through the menu a few times to make up for my thick fingers, and I can tell already the lens assembly is a bit delicate...watch your fingers when the camera is on! Also, I would recommend buying a case to go with; though this is a 'stick it in your pocket' size camera, it looks like the lens and LCD screen will not hold up to that sort of treatment in the long run.Casio Exilim EX-Z29 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Purple)

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Well, I my review might be a little jaded since I'm used to using DSLR cameras that produce brilliant pictures but I'll give you my opinion anyway. For $70 bucks I guess it's worth it to have a camera that you can just throw in your pocket and use for snapshots. In low light your gonna get allot of "redeye" because the flash is so close to the lens. Outside in well lit area i.e. daytime the camera works good. It's also very slow between shots (must be the processor) again I'm used to cameras that can take several shots a second.

Bottom line: If you want a basic camera to take ok snapshots and you can get this camera on sale for $70.00 I'd say it's a good buy. If you want more speed and better pictures in low light look somewhere else.

UPDATE: 5/28/10 My son dropped the camera into the dogs water bowl that was full. The camera was submerged for 10-20 seconds. Without turning the camera on I removed the battery and the memory card and let the camera dry for twelve hours. The camera works fine.

UPDATE: 6/24/10

I've owned this camera for two months now and It's just a piece of crap. Theres no better way to put it. Whites are too easily washed out. Redeye is awful, and the time it takes the camera to process the pictures in between shots is forever. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

UPDATE: 2/26/11

The Camera has been sitting on a shelf for months now. I'll either lug my big Canon DSLR around or use the camera in my iphone 4 before I use this camera.

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Please note that this review is about the product, not about Amazon's service. As usual, their service was great. I bought this camera for my daughter. She used it about one month and then the flash unit quit working. I sent it to Casio for warranty repair, and their response is that they'll repair it for $69 plus $10 to ship it back to us. That's about the same amount as the original purchase price. I won't be buying a Casio camera of any kind again.

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Had the camera for about a week and the lens locked up. Sent it back to Casio for repair. Let you know how it goes..

Fujifilm FinePix XP20 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black)

I bought this to take on a white-water rafting trip. I got some great pictures on the trip. A few had a small spot slightly smudged from a water spot on the lens, but that's not the camera's fault. There was splashing throughout the ride down the rapids. Most of the pictures were very good. Some were great. Previously I had used disposable cameras for water sports, but these pictures were infinitely better than those obtained with disposables.

I also had my daughter take pictures with this on the rest of our vacation, while I used my Nikon D90. She got plenty of good pictures, both in good light and at dusk as well. As a point-and-shoot, pocketable, waterproof camera, this works great, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it when I don't want to carry a large dslr.

I bought this for my wife and she loves it. Great pics and durable. Highly recommend this if you are looking for a durable camera. Be aware it DOESN'T come with a memory card.

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I bought this camera for my daughter and my husband. My niece had one also. All 3 have quit working. They did not meet the expectation. They were not used very much. I am very disappointed.

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I ordered this camera to replace another that bit the dust (literally) while in Afghanistan. I assumed that the ruggedized case would be a better fit for the dust, occasional stream crossing, vibrations, and general havoc of deployments. I was right on those counts. 10 months later, the outside camera still looks fairly new. However, there are some issues with it.

Poor performance: this camera does well outside, focusing and taking a picture in usually around half a second. Inside, however, is a totally different story. With a flash or without, the camera had a hard time getting clear pictures. It would spend an excessive time trying to focus (usually on what was not the subject) and then take a muddied picture at such a slow shutter speed that the picture was generally unusable. If using a flash, there would be a lag of 2-3 seconds between pressing the shutter release and the camera firing. Sometimes it would just refuse to take a picture. There are many times I would have to have somebody else take a picture because the Fuji XP refused to.

Weak points in case: I had the camera in my pocket one day and took it out to find that several of the buttons had been smashed in and were no longer usable. So while the case can stand falls, water, etc., the buttons can't take the pressure from my thighs pushing it against the inside of my pocket.

This camera is essentially trash after 10 months. I'm not fooling with repairs or warranty service on a camera that performs so poorly anyway. It's loaded full of virtually useless features but can't get the basics down: take good pictures (fast) and don't break.

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*EDIT: Raised to five stars I have taken this camera on numerous trips now, fully submerged it repeatedly (never more than a foot) I have beaten the crap out of this camera and it keeps comming back for more. When closing the battery compartment make sure (as the manual says) that there is absolutely no yellow showing on the latch and you should be golden. At this point I cannot confirm the durability issues reported which nearly lead to me not purchasing this camera and have to attribute the complaints to opperator error.

Figured I'd take a chance on this camera, I do a good bit of kayaking and was hoping I might get a decent waterproof with abit of optical zoom. First of all the image quality is good, I like the layout of the camera, and definitely like the one touch video. Good out of the way I have taken this out once, I don't do underwater photography but it's definitely going to get hit with water along the way. Then, according to the manual I rinsed/soaked it in clean water when I got home. Then hung it on a peg and went to get dinner quick, two hours later when reviewing the days shots water leaked out of the camera any time a button was pressed and low and behold the area around the battery also had a few drops. The way the seals or designed that isn't a problem the antechamber can get wet without the battery/smart card getting wet but for the price of the camera I am not pleased with that. Audio playback from the camera is horrible but once the video is uploaded it's fine. It also boggles my mind you have to hold the power button a few seconds to turn it on but one bump will shut it off instantly.

My final thoughts on this camera are that it's not bad but I don't have a ton of faith in it. I have used the Kodak C123 sport and find it takes far better pictures when moving and it has dual locking doors providing a higher level of confidence in it's waterproof(ness) and it's cheaper.

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Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch L

I just purchased this Canon on a whim, earlier today at Best Buy. I have been tinkering with it for the majority of the evening. My previous SD300 is still working like a champ, however I have been considering a video camera for some time...after some peering at the video camera counter I wandered over to the point and shoot table... what initially drew me in to the SD780IS was its appearance on the display stand. The sleek matte-black body is very eye-pleasing...then I looked at the specs. and realized that it shoots video in HD! (1280x720) Then all the other attributes made me realize that it was time to update my "everywhere, anytime" camera.

I proceeded to check out some of the other Canon SD cameras. The SD960 became the other candidate...it has a little more glass(4x)zoom, over the SD780's (3x)zoom. The SD960 has an appealing f2.8 apeture over the SD780's f3.2. The SD960's screen is more tailored for the HD video capture as it has a 16:9 ratio LCD panel. (Kinda nice for instant viewing ON THE CAMERA)

After some thought I went with the SD780 for these reasons:

1. The HD video capability is awesome and comparible with the SD960. It has a HDMI jack. The traditional 4:3 screen does not bother me, because the video is ultimately going to be viewed on a HD TV.(There will be an upper and lower bar on 16:9 playback through the SD780's LCD).

2.The weaker 3x zoom is not a big deal as this camera is for general shooting(out w/ freinds, bars, random afternoon at the beach, mountain biking, etc.)and with this camera EASLIY fitting in my jeans pocket or camelbak, the portability is what gives me the opportunity to document those moments, that would otherwise be missed. The SD960 is a little bulkier(but still small). I do also shoot with a Canon 40D, accompanied with L optics, but the weight and bulkiness do not lend to certain shooting circumstances. (as mentined above)

3. The user interface on the SD780IS is like most (if not all?) preceeding SD cameras. While there is not much control in the way of shooting settings, feature buttons like flash override, AE lock, AF lock, and exposure compensation are present on the camera body. The SD960IS has two buttons and a jog wheel, which lend to swims in the menu. I'm sure the new interface on the 960 is intuitive, but I liked the 780 due to its similarity to my old SD300.

I am very happy with the results produced thus far with the SD780IS. The HD video is excellant, however it should be known that once recording you can only zoom digitally. Low light cabilities and sound in video mode are excellent. The stills I have taken look great. Also, to the budget-minded who are upgrading from older digital point-and-shoots, a class 4 minimum 4GB or 8GB SDHC card would be well suited due to the demanding memory of the 12.1 million pixels, and HD video. Also, most old card readers will not process the the SDHC cards so you may have to purchase a new card reader as well.

I have to mention it again...the small size of the Canon SD780IS is mind-blowing...and the functionality actually mirrors its beauty.

OVERVIEW

Canon SD780IS is the perfect travel/everyday camera. It weighs a little over 4 ounces. The size of the camera is astonishing. It is smaller than my iPhone 3G and my wallet. I love the new 720p video recording HD feature on the 2009 Canon P+S line. The image stabilization for video/image stills is a winner. The clips are sharper and clearer than the clips from the Creative Vado HD and the Flip Video MinoHD.

PLAYBACK ON COMPUTERS

For video playback without choppiness on the computer, you need to have at least a Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Windows (Vista/XP SP2/XP SP 3) or Core Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Mac OS X (v10.4-v10.5)

MEMORY CARD

You should get at least 8GB Sandisk Extreme III SDHC (Class 6 or higher) memory card for the camera. 4000x3000 resolution images can quickly fill up your 2/4GB SD memory card.

CONCLUSION

+ Quick Continuous Snapshots

+ 720p HD Video Recording with Image Stabilization

+ Lightning Quick Startup

+ Ultra-Compact Point & Shoot Camera (Thin + Light Combo)

+ Beautiful Design

+ Great for Beginners (Very Easy To Use)

+ Bright LCD Screen

+ DIGIC IV Technology

+ Blink Detection

+ Can Edit Video Clips on the go

+ Scene Detection Mode works Flawlessly

No Optical Zoom in Video Mode while Recording (You can Digitally Zoom)

Monotone Sound in Video Mode

Only 3x Optical Zoom for image stills

View Finder is Useless

Little Noisy/Grainy when Using Higher Than ISO400 but Acceptable

SCORE/VERDICT

09/10: Recommended

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After researching ultra-compact cameras for 2 weeks, I had narrowed down my choices to this camera, the Canon SD880 IS and a couple of models from other manufacturers (though I knew in the end I'd choose a Canon). As with most electronic purchases I make, it was an agonizing process. Every camera had a feature that I wanted, yet none of them had everything that I wanted. I would have liked a bit more zoom, and other cameras have wider lenses. In the end, the three features that won me over were the amazingly small size, the ability to capture HD video at a resolution of 720p, and the HDMI out.

As for the performance, I couldn't be happier. Many of the reviews I read before purchasing mentioned a high amount of noise, but in my experience it only occurs at higher ISO's, is not very noticeable, and seems to be in line with other compact cameras that I've used, no more, no less. I would NOT let this be a determining factor if I were considering this camera.

This is my first camera with image stabilization and it's works very well. On a recent trip I took over 500 pictures (and filled up less than 1/4th of my 8-gig card at the highest resolution), and not one of them ended up blurry. The AUTO feature has also proven to be much better than I had anticipated: it changes between 18 settings automatically, such as macro, bright sunshine, etc., and so far, it's been right on the money. Another complaint that I've read is that viewfinder is useless. While it is quite tiny, I have actually used it, and I find it to be quite serviceable. At some point, a camera gets so small that it's difficult to squeeze everything onto its surface area. Kudos to Canon for even including the optical viewfinder at all.

My complaints are few, and none would be a dealbreaker for me. The small size and smooth, symmetrical shape sometimes make it hard to tell which side I am holding onto when I take it out of my pocket. When attempting to push the power button, I will often realize I am pushing on the bottom of the camera. I have to actually look at it to tell what I am doing. Also, as stated previously, the HD video takes a pretty beefy CPU to play back smoothly. My PC is 4 years old and has a hard time keeping up. The easy solution to this is to play back directly to the monitor/TV with an HDMI cable. It seemed improbable to me that a video made with a camera this small would look good on a 55" HD television. I was stunned at how sharp it looked.

The bottom line is that anybody looking for an ultra-compact camera is going to be extremely satisfied with this one. It doesn't take the pictures that a digital SLR is going to, nor does it have the same features. But anybody looking at this camera realizes that already. I went to an arts festival last weekend and was AMAZED at how many people are lugging around DSLR's these days. It seemed like every other person had one. When looking at performance vs. convenience and portability, I'll take the SD780 any day.

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As many have already left HUGE reviews on this camera I will try to be quick about it, but I did have to review this camera. This camera is great. When I say that I mean it. I work for a camera store and everyday I'm reviewing cameras to people's faces and when this one came out I took one look at it and the features and told my boss "Oh yeah, we'll be out by tomorrow" and we were. It sells FAST. Why? Because it's a GREAT camera.

The form factor can't truly be captured in a picture, you have to feel this thing in your hand to know what everyone's talking about. 9 out of 10 people I show the camera to decide to buy once they've held it. It's small, it's REALLY small. It's just a sexy form. The 2.5 isn't screen isn't because they wanted to be cheap, it's because they couldn't put a bigger screen on there without making the camera a good deal bigger. Same for the 3x zoom.

The Digic IV processor and iSAPS technology means this camera is fast and accurate. It's constantly focusing and letting you know what it thinks you want to take a picture of. It's facial recognition is so fast and accurate, it can track someone running quickly across the screen with a box around their face the whole time. And it picks up faces on magazines, ads, anything that has a human face on it. The iSAPS is constantly changing the mode to better suit what you're shooting and it'll show you the mode you're in while it's doing it(upper left hand corner of the screen).

The 720p high-def video is the one that seals the deal. You know it's fast. You know it's accurate. You know it's easy. But the video, always catches you of guard. "Wait you mean to tell me this camera smaller then my blackberry curve can take high-def video as well as pictures??" Oh it can do more then that. Canon always has a few things thrown into video mode for the fun of it, like color Accent, as in taking away all but one color. Allowing your friend in the red shirt to be the REAL center of attention. And seeing that on the big screen only makes the camera more interesting.

And I even sold myself on buying the camera, with it's sleekness, speed, accuracy, and high-def I just couldn't resist. I'm not telling you to get the camera, but if you do, you won't be disappointed.

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PROS: Easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, Excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable, compact volume

CONS: Poor Low-Light Performance, some noise in low light, tiny viewfinder, mini-HDMI to HDMI cable not included, SD/SDHC storage card not included

Amazon has the best price at under 250 bucks. Most sites are charging full retail since this camera is so popular.

High Definition video is very good at 720p. This will not replace a full size camera or the 5D Mark II for video quality. But, it is a lot better than most including the original Flip video camera.

An HDMI cable IS NOT INCLUDED with the camera. You will need it to watch HD video directly from the camera on an HDTV. I bought a 3 ft miniHDMI-to-HDMI cable online from Monoprice for 8 bucks including USPS first class shipping. They have quality cables for the lowest price on the Monoprice site.

UPDATE: I am very happy with the mini-HDMI to HDMI cables. They were so inexpensive that I bought 2 of these at 3ft long: one for the iMac, the other is for my travel bag. I bought a 6ft mini-HDMI to HDMI cable for the HDTV in the first floor family room. I should have gotten a longer cable since you have to control the video start/stop/next buttons on the camera. You have to get up often to start the next movie clip. I also bought a small 1x3/4inch miniHDMI to HDMI adapter to carry everywhere I take the camera which is everywhere!

UPDATE: The small cover that protects the miniHDMI and USB ports feels a little flimsy. The hinge stretches. I have to force it slightly beyond my comfort to insert cables. I can see this covering breaking off with a lot of use.

An SD storage card IS NOT INCLUDED. They are available at low cost, under 15 bucks, on the net. Check the Dealnews site for the latest sales. I used a 4GB SD high capacity (SDHC) card which will hold about 30mins of video.

Some complain 2.5inch is too small for the LCD. There is no place to put a larger 3inch LCD on this camera without making it a touch screen like the iPhone or increasing the camera size. Plus, 2.5 inch is common on a lot of cameras. I have no problems with it.

TINY VIEW FINDER: It was hard peering through the small hole. I mainly use the LCD screen about 95% of the time. So, NOT A PROBLEM.

Got this camera to try out the 720p HD, face/blink detection and other features. They all worked great.

I was surprised by the small size since I only saw this camera online and never tried it out at a store. It is slightly smaller than my average size business card and about as thin as a new deck of playing cards. I'm female, but, I never bought an ELPH-size Canon camera because they seemed too small. I was concerned I would not be able to comfortably operate the buttons or it would slip out of my hands. I don't have that fear with the SD780. The brushed metal finish provides some friction. The buttons are placed well. Also, the wrist strap is always available as protection against dropping the camera.

SMART AUTO feature is great! I use it often to take closeup (macro) shots or when I don't have time to adjust the settings. I hold the camera about 4 inches from an object and the camera self adjusts the settings. It amazing to watch it work. I partially press the shutter button to see where the camera is focused and move it to focus on my area of interest. The camera selects of the pre-programmed 18 modes to find the one that creates the best image.

As many stated, the images are superb thanks to the 12.1 mega pixel resolution, Digic 4, and the image stabilizer (IS) function. You should not live without IS unless you are into the artsy blurry pictures. It takes great pictures of kids who don't sit still. Great if you don't have steady hands. Images are crisp, clear and can be easily seen in the beautiful 2.5inch LCD.

I noticed the noise in some of the photos. Did not have too much problems with it.

The 3X optical is fine. Best for the photographer to move in or out to zoom/out on the subject matter and not worry about the camera lens zoom when just taking photos. Zooming during filming would be better. Hopefully, Canon adds this feature to future powershot ELPH models.

Overall, a great camera that is thin enough to hide in a small purse or pocket yet still deliver superb photos for it's size!

(I have owned 7 Canon cameras including 5 digital cameras. I have used this camera for about 1 week.)