Showing posts with label summer baby touch video monitor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer baby touch video monitor. Show all posts

Monday, October 20, 2014

Intova Sports Camera with 180-Feet Waterproof Housing

Intova Sports Camera with 180-Feet Waterproof HousingWhen you see 14 megapixels in the advertising, plus underwater to 180 feet, that sounds like an excellent camera. My brother-in-law bought one and we and our spouses took a trip for several dives in the Caribbean. My brother-in-law had his Intova IC 14, my husband had a Canon HV20 in an enclosure, and my sister-in-law and I each had a SeaLife DC1200. We all took video, three of us took stills, and then came the moment of combining our photography into a video presentation of our experience.

My husband has done photo work for nearly thirty years, first running a chemical finishing lab and more recently doing digital graphic arts. He is entirely into color correction, contrast balancing, curve adjustments, and the rest. His concerns rose quickly when he tried to optimize the pictures and video from the Intova IC 14, as opposed to that of the other cameras. Our SeaLife pictures, both still and video, were taken with a warm undersea filter in place, and this gave a somewhat overly orange cast. My husband was able to color correct these quite easily to good color differentiation throughout each scene.

The Intova and Canon images, video and still, were taken in sea blue, without filtering. The color corrected Canon video clips retained a noticeable amount of green cast in the foreground and magenta in the distance, which is a tendency when color correcting straight undersea blue, but in differing light levels color shifts could be greatly reduced, and the video images were clear and realistic, pleasant to see. Meanwhile, the Intova footage had a chunky look from the beginning, from which no fine detail could be extracted. After that, due to lack of color depth, it was not possible to noticeably reduce a severe magenta-green transition. The scenes looked like a Martian landscape, basically with the water bright purple and the ocean floor bright green, in a flat, high contrast presentation. It was frankly difficult to watch once one had seen the other results, with the only other alternative being to turn everything back to a deep blue. The highlights were washed out, the shadows were blocked, there was little subtlety of light transition, and low resolution of detail, and also a bothersome light fringe around dark objects. There was not enough depth of information in the Intova video material to correct that harshness at all. While the Canon video showed subtle details, nothing similar could be brought out from the Intova material.

After a long delay, I have at last successfully attached a short video that compares image qualities of the Intova, the Sealife, and the Canon cameras that we used. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so watch the video to compare better.

With still photos, the SeaLife cameras gave quite a good consumer quality result. Color correction from warm filtering yielded good color differentiation after color correction. Comparing apples and oranges a little bit, the stills from the Intova, which were heavily blue cast, could not be color corrected. First, its deep shadows appear black, but they contain much red, while the highlights are blue. Even color adjustment of the image helps to neutralize the blue, but in that process the shadows begin to pop out with a volcanic red. Preliminary reduction of red in the shadows helps somewhat; you can keep the shadows dark instead of having the volcanic effect. However, the color depth for most of the picture is not much. If you take away the blue, the picture fades, because other colors are barely there at all. Color balancing at best gives a pretty much black-and-white remnant.

We have yet to try warm filtering of the Intova still images in a sea blue environment. Maybe that would help, although the color depth seen so far is a concern. Even if that makes things better for stills, there really seems no helping the video image quality. My husband took a closer look at the camera, to see if something had been overlooked. He made sure that the video was set to its highest quality and most natural settings, and then he took some samples inside a nicely sunlit home living room, thinking that this might give pretty good results. What came out looked much like it was from a $5 computer camera. There seems to be no getting past the chunkiness and the fringing. Yes, this camera will take undersea pictures, and if that is all you see, you might be delighted with the good memories. You will be able to make out what the scene was about, kind of like the home movies of yesteryear with their accepted fuzziness and their particular jumps from green to magenta to blue, due to different film batches. If you ever compare the results from the Intova IC 14 to what other cameras can do, though, you will probably wish that you had recorded your precious moments in a different way. Other cameras can make your visual presentation much more like really being there, and that better honors what you pay for your plane ticket.

Since the original writing of this review, my brother-in-law bought a SeaLife D1400, which does a better job, and he is through using the Intova. My sister-in-law asked my husband to remove all non-essential footage from the Intova from the record of our trip, because it was so distracting alongside the other video.

When we moved to Hawaii my husband started research on cameras and underwater housings. We already had 2 other cameras that are great but not able to go underwater. When he found this one, it sounded great. He bought it locally without ever testing it out in the store. The first couple of times he used it, the pictures he took were horrible. Extremely grainy, blurry, and many were very out of focus. We thought it was just the settings he used or maybe because it was the first underwater camera that he had ever used. The next time we went to the beach we took all 3 cameras (this Intova, an Olympus Stylus and a Canon Rebel EOS t3) and I took several pictures with each one on the beach (the Intova without the housing). The Intova actually has 2 megapixels MORE than my Canon t3 but you would NEVER know it. The pictures that the Intova takes are awful. The 14 megapixels actually look like about 5. Both of our Android phones take MUCH better pictures than this camera.

We decided to give it a try underwater again and took it with us snorkeling. While it did a bit better underwater than on the beach without the housing, the pictures are still really grainy, out of focus and blurry. It is extremely hard to see the screen through the housing under water so you cannot see what you have the camera pointed at and cannot see how far you are zoomed in to the subject you are trying to focus on. The buttons on the housing are hard to push.We are definitely on the hunt for a different underwater camera because this one in a word, sucks.

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Purchased this camera for a trip to Cozumel. The camera took great pictures. I didn't have any issues with the case leaking. The only issue I had was with one of my SD cards.

Read Best Reviews of Intova Sports Camera with 180-Feet Waterproof Housing Here

This camera is so easy to use and takes beautiful underwater photos and video. Check out my You tube video of a tiger shark on a recent scuba dive to Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Q-See QSM1424C2 Indoor and Outdoor Security Cameras with 40 feet of Night Vision (2 pack)

Q-See QSM1424C2 Indoor and Outdoor Security Cameras with 40 feet of Night VisionFirst pair was non functional on IR and could not see in the dark. Replacements work OK but its obvious these are not long term units. Will be surprised if these last a year because of poor quality control Remember,You get what you pay for!

these cameras work great both day and night. easy to install. would definately recommend purchase and would by again if i need more

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Nice camera's for what I needed them for!! If you are looking for high quality picture especially at night then these are not what you need. But for close range they seem to be a good camera.

Read Best Reviews of Q-See QSM1424C2 Indoor and Outdoor Security Cameras with 40 feet of Night Vision (2 pack) Here

I don't expect an electronic item to last forever but I certainly expect more than one year. I purchased the complete 4-Camera QSee Package from a local store in Trinidad, after 10 months two cameras failed. The option to return only the cameras was not available from the supplier, and it was too much of a hassle to pull down all the wiring to return the entire unit. So, I chose to buy two replacement cameras at Amazon.

The replacement of the defective cameras were a snap, and I must add that the picture quality of the ones I bought were far better than the ones originally supplied. But here I am after 16 months writing a (poor) review of their life kaput goes another camera!

I would not recommend this product to anyone who is thinking about a camera system. It is cheaper the most other security systems and that is exactly what it is ... cheap!

I give 2 stars one for each year of service!

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When I received these cameras, I already had two wireless security cameras installed at my home. I really did not think having wired cameras would be much of an issue. I was so wrong! Wired cameras are such a headache to install and do not offer the versatility of a wireless camera and though these cameras come with 60 ft of wiring... for my house that was not near enough. Moreover, the picture quality was not what I would call high quality and the night vision was disappointing as well. Needless to say, if you are looking for inexpensive cameras with sub-par video quality for the sake of perhaps deterring a potential criminal then these are the way to go. If you want a security system that creates a picture or video where you can actually identify all in it, this is not the camera for you.

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Qvs Cable 25FT Premium VGA HD15 Male To Male Tri-shield Black

Qvs Cable 25FT Premium VGA HD15 Male To Male Tri-shield BlackI'll be honest here. I bought this cable because it was the cheapest vga extension and I was installing a multiple monitor amplifier system with long runs. I had concerns at first about ghosting at 1024x768 but none showed up, so the cable is well constructed.

The price was certainly right at considerably less than $1/foot. Other cables were priced MUCH higher at the 25' length with no obvious reason. This one works fine and filled my application well (I bought 4 of them and a 4 way distribution amplifier these cables kept the project costs down versus the next alternative with no sacrifice in signal quality on the lcd monitors.

I'm a very happy customer.

For the price this is very well made. Clip holds well, finish and fit is good, interior is padded nicely, looks sharp, magnetic flap holds well. Without any case is a touch loose; with the couple cases I've tried is a bit tight, so I figure sizing is right on to cover the spectrum of widths one finds in an iPhone with and without cases, although a very thick case would be too tight. Cutouts are well placed to push the phone out of the case and to run a headphone cord out while the phone is in the case.

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I own a music studio, with five monitors active doing different jobs, a slight equiptment location change left me with the need for a HIGH quality vga cable, the complex wavv form flow chats grafted out from 11 or 12 tracks running simultaniously requires special equiptment, I am pleased with the performance of this this cable, it's 24 k gold plated, and does the required work, thumbs up

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Fujifilm FinePix Z30 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Whirl White)

Fujifilm FinePix Z30 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCDI just ordered this camera and got it today. I was a little nervous ordering a camera that was just released and had no reviews, but the fujifilm finepix z20 had such good reviews, that I decided to take a chance on the newer model.

So far everything is perfect. The battery charged quickly and setup was very simple. This camera is so easy to use, which is important to me, since I'm kind of technology-challenged. With most cameras, I have trouble navigating the menu, but this camera is very simple to work. Also, the screen on the back is very large, to make viewing the pictures easy. There is one great feature on the camera that I really like. There is a setting that when activated, will always take two pictures every time you snap a picture. One with a flash and one without, and store both for you to view. This way you never have to worry about your pictures being too dark or too bright. The pictures are crystal clear, and I'm very glad I've purchased this camera.

I can't comment on the software, as I haven't used it yet, but everything else has been great.

Pros:

Compact Size

Quality Feel

Sliding lens cover doubles as power switch

Fast LCD refresh (must be 60 hz, but only in high performance mode)

Weather Sealed buttons

Cons:

Battery Life

No full manual mode

Only 3x optical zoom

No optical shake reduction

Bottom Line: Great value for a quality feeling budget compact camera. Image quality is fine, I see no problems with smaller prints up to ISO 800, this is far better than my previous point and shoot that was half the resolution. My favorite features are the weather sealed buttons (the camera isn't weather sealed, get the Z33wp for that), but the buttons are rubber covered and liquid can't get in around them, and my other favorite feature is the high frame update on the LCD. As long as you set the menu option for high performance, the rear LCD updates very rapidly, any motion is updated instantly. This is much improved over most of the competition, but no reviews I see mention this.

Some people are complaining about the quality of the images, but either they have a bad sample or are just viewing the images at 100% on a computer monitor. Prints are fine. I will comment that the rear LCD is sometimes grainy appearing, but the final images are great. This is because the rear LCD has a high frame update, about 60 hz, and it needs to set the sensitivity very high in low light in order to show you an image at that rate, so the display comes grainy. When you take the picture it is fine.

Overall this is a pretty average performing camera that is inexpensive. It has a semi manual mode for setting your own ISO, EV compensation, but it lacks a few other options. The aperture just uses a couple values, and can't be selected manually. If you can pick this up for about a hundred bucks it is a bargain. If you get up near one hundred fifty there are probably better options available.

Update: I found the condition people must be getting grainy pictures. This camera doesn't have a powerful flash, and in a large room trying to take a picture of a subject maybe 15 or 20 ft away the flash doesn't have the power to illuminate them adequately. If you use this indoors in a dim room, it is fine at close range, but not great for a Christmas program or a picture of a presenter across the room. In these situations you might try disabling the flash.

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This camera is perfect, exactly what I wanted. It looks even better in person!! I've used it out on the town, inside with flourescent lighting, and outdoors, and it's definitely 10.1 megapixels of AWESOME. You can read about all its details above (it's red-eye removal, video capabilities, etc).. but here are the items I wasn't sure about when I ordered the camera from Amazon, but was proved wrong:

1) The camera looks expensive, NOT cheap. I was worried about the little stones looking feminine or cheap, but they're very tiny and does NOT make the camera look "girly".

2) The sliding door is a great idea, because it protects the lens, and makes the camera ready to GO once you open it! Normally cameras take 10 seconds to ready to shoot (power.. ok, adjust, click, hold, wait..) Not this camera! You open the door, click the button, and view the picture within 3 seconds. It's so nice! Plus, it's ready to go AFTER taking a picture much more quickly.

3) The sliding door has a nice "click" so don't worry about it opening up in your purse/pocket... really. It's fine.

4) I love the buttons on the back of the camera--they're larger than other cameras, easy to read and press, looks more modern, etc.

So... BUY THIS CAMERA! You'll love it!

Read Best Reviews of Fujifilm FinePix Z30 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Whirl White) Here

I just purchased this product, turns out it did not come with an Owner's Manual or Installation CD. When I first saw it I loved the color (Orange) and small, sleek style. I snapped a few pictures which looked grainy on the LCD screenI quickly turned to the online reviews and found out this is a common complaint of this camera.. HOWEVER, once you download them onto your computer they look amazing. Well worth it for the price!

I love the flip open cover seeing as our last camera got sand in the zoo lens and ended up never working the same. This added protection is great!

One other thing that made this a 4 out of 5 star rating is having to use the USB cable to upload pictures onto the computer, which I do quite frequently. And the fact that it does not take a "normal" battery, so make sure you order an extra and keep the one it comes with charging when not in use.

Overall a wonderful camera for the price and style.

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Just received this camera for my teenage granddaughter so I charged up the battery, set the camera to its highest and best settings, installed a 4GB SD card and took some sample pictures and a sample video. The picture taken outdoors was very good, sharp, clear and colorful. The picture taken inside using the flash was more grainy than it should have been as compared to my other cameras of this general P/S type, hence the loss of a star. The video this camera takes is another story, its first rate, clear, colorful, and very smooth with very good sound. Its a good camera, not great, but very small and easy to operate.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

New KAMERAR 11" Stainless Tough Friction Arm

New KAMERAR 11' Stainless Tough Friction ArmThis works ok for light use. It is pretty stable in the 'angular' direction but is weak in the 'rotational' direction if that makes any sense. Where the black arms meet the stainless ends is the weak linkit tends to rotate easily if much weight is applied in an off-center direction. I can get it to lock in but I have to tighten it very very hard. The build quality is great and I would purchase another if this issue were addressed. This is based on first 3 uses. I hope it may improve after a break-in period.

Does just what it says, and when you tighten down, it is solid. I used it (with a second arm attached to the hot shoe) to mount a 5D with a full sized lens to a helmet, successfully. No shake or droop.

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I have a lot of arms bogen-manfrottos (large, single and double arms) and a few of the cheaper Chinese units like this one. There is no comparison between the quality of any of the others compared to this one. While its new and I don't know how well it will wear, I have never seen a clamp that clamped so solidly. No need to turn the handle with pliers to keep the arms and end-swivels tight. It works like a tool should. The fit and finish are excellent. And, it comes laid out in a piece of foam perfectly cut out for the unit. Someone in China has figured out how to do it right and they have priced it fairly.

Read Best Reviews of New KAMERAR 11" Stainless Tough Friction Arm Here

I bought the 7" and the 11" and both are more than I expected for the price. I did buy them on sale. Not much more to say other than I was not disappointed with the quality or the functionality. Recommended for those with, and without, unlimited budgets.

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Yep it's true. Very solid aluminum construction and works great. Nice finish. Will hold a heavy load and not move at all.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Kanex iAdapt VGA

Kanex iAdapt VGAMy VGA monitor looks great using this adapter, coming from my Early 2011 MBP. That is to say, when it is not displaying periodic jitters and other, similar scan/sync disturbances ranging from almost never to every few seconds.

My HD monitor on the other hand, will -notgo full screen using the sister adapter to this one, coming from my Early 2011 MBP. I could have sworn it had been full screen initially, but I guess that can't really be confirmed. I updated the video drivers with no improvement, and reinstalled the initial BootCamp/Windows drivers with no improvement.

The thing that really hurts, and is the inspiration for the title of the review, is the absolute, z-e-r-o response I have gotten from the Kanex support people, or support person, or support wall poster. I submitted two different, fully documented support requests that included phone information in case their emails weren't getting through.

If this thing cost 4 or 5 bucks, that would be one thing. But it's going on 30 bucks, and for that kind of pocket money, you better produce life signs if need be.

I would never, ever buy anything from this company again, for that reason, and I would suggest that you do not either, since there's no way to guarantee it's going to be smooth sailing out of the box, or you're stuck w/a piece of relatively useless hardware and no one to stand behind it.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Swann Max-IP-Cam Network Camera (SW-P-IPC)

Swann Max-IP-Cam Network CameraThis cam will be my third attempt at finding something that actually works as described. The cam out of the box was extremely easy to setup and completely intuitive. The picture quality is excellent even at full resolution and in the dark. I would highly recommend this camera for home security or a video baby monitor (what I'm using it for).

No where on the spec or on the box does it say what operating system is required for this camera. It does NOT SUPPORT MACINTOSH at all!

I wished I knew that before I bought this camera! I emailed Swann, and this is their response.

----

Unfortunately the Max-IP-Cam uses ActiveX controls which means it is

only compatible with the latest versions of Internet Explorer (6+).

Keep in mind that you'll need a Windows system or ActiveX

compatible browser to connect to the camera.

---

So be warned!

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I am using this as a baby monitor as well. I have a monitor next to our bed, but can also check from my laptop or from work. My dad lives in Thailand and it is a great solution for him to be able to see his grandchild. I use a little peice of electrical tape to cover the blinking green light.

Read Best Reviews of Swann Max-IP-Cam Network Camera (SW-P-IPC) Here

This camera was easy to set up and is working well as a baby monitor. It is nice to be able to check on our son from anywhere in the house (w/ laptop and wireless) or remotely when we have a baby sitter. The only downside is that it has a flashing green light on the front of it that can't be turned off.

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This camera works fine as long as you use Internet Explorer and follow the obscure instructions on the webpage that appears when the camera is found. If you are a Firefox devotee, you will be disappointed as you need to use MSIE to set this up. Infrared works good out to about 14'. Microphone is great too. Focusing is hit and miss. Drove me crazy getting it just right. This will also accept an SD card which is nice. All in all a good camera. Just don't spend more than $70 USD for it.

Monday, February 24, 2014

BenQ MX511 2700 Lumen XGA 3D Ready DLP Projector

BenQ MX511 2700 Lumen XGA 3D Ready DLP ProjectorBenQ MX511 is 3D ready but it does not support HD source for 3D. You can see 3D only using composite (yellow) or s-video cable (advised by BenQ tech support). To see HD 3D you need HDMI 1.4 input and this projector only support HDMI 1.3 input. I hooked up Sony 3D Blue ray player (BDPS470) with HDMI 1.3 to this projector and this combination was not able to project 3D image on screen. It automatically playback to 2D/1080p. Menu Option in BenQ for 3D setup also got disabled/turn off with this setup. I have checked with composite cable to see 3D with DLP link ready glass and 3D was horrible with no depth, seems like 2D.

I am really quite pleased with this projector. Wanted a projector to replace my very old NEC SVGA one with hdmi for xbox gaming and dvd/etc in the basement and i am now projecting about a 5ft high image on a white painted wall. Was looking extensively for months, comparing lamp life, native output, etc, etc, and waiting for something acceptable at the price point i wanted. Found this one for $449, which was well below what i expected to pay, but there is no comprimise.

DVD quality was excellent as well. I played a few games of Black Ops standing up, and found myself trying to look around corners and up over things. For the price and with 3d ability(which i cannot comment on yet), i could not be happier. Colors are really good with a # of preset and configurable settings via the small remote. Audio is obviously not going to knock your socks off, as i haven't run it through the amp yet, but it is still more than acceptable. Kicks my upstairs HD toshiba picture actually. Great deal and no real compromise for an excellent viewing experience for those not 'needing' it to be the absolute best there is out there.

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i purchased the mx511 about three months ago. i have to say it's awesome. hdmi works great. it's the only thing i have hooked up. i have it hooked up to my directv and ps3. i am running through a viewsonic vp3d1 adapter. i am using cheap 3d dlp link glasses made by futurecinema.. i am totally pleased. if you shop around, you can get this unit for around 450.00 and less if refurbished. i am not going to waste you time talking about the clarity of the picture. it's awesome. i have watched 3d through espn 3d, 3net, on directv and it looks great. i have also bought and watched tron:legacy, resident evil:afterlife, piranha, the green hornet, alice in wonderland, tangeled, cat and dogs 2. as i said before, they look great. regular blue rays play perfect. if there is one the to gripe about it's about my samsung ht5500 bluray surround. hdmi doesn't pick up thru it. i have heard that samsung has had the same problems with certain manufacturers. not a deal breaker.

Dec 9th 2011 update. samsung blu ray system works . had a bad 45 foot hdmi cable

Read Best Reviews of BenQ MX511 2700 Lumen XGA 3D Ready DLP Projector Here

I have had this projector since January 2012, have put about 110 hours on it so far.

I am including the guide on how to run 3D from your computer onto this projector below. but first pros and cons.

I bought it for 350 from staples canada (toronto)

Pros:

Great picture quality

Great color reproduction

All the standard features + hdmi (at 350 HDMI is pretty good).

Cons:

Loud fan (according to my standards, others may think its alright)

very poor instructions in the 3D department from Benq, and thats where they lost the point.

How to run 3D on this projector.

1Buy the glasses. (I got "Sintron" 3D glasses from ebay for $31, they work very well)

2secure a VGA cable. (HDMI will not work, dont waste your time)

3download the "stereoscopic player" from 3dtv.at (dont buy it yet, just download free first try and see if 3d works for you)

4connect the projector via VGA and go to display properties -> advanced, set the resolution to the highest resolution possible at 120Hz. its important to set it at 120 HZ (may also work at 100HZ but 120 is better)

5Press the menu button on projector's remote, you will see that the 3D is now available, select 3D and turn it on.

6open your stereoscopic player and go to File -> settings -> playback options. in "Viewing method" pick "Software pageflipping" in "glasses control" pick "DLP 3D Ready Encoding". under Preferred viewing methods Stereoscopic pick "Software pageflipping".

7hit ok.

8now play your SBS movie and it should be throwing 3D on the wall.

P.S: if you didnt turn on your 3D glasses. smack your self :) .

I hope this helps

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Bought a factory refurbished MX511 about 2 weeks ago. It is very bright and works well even in a moderately lit room. I use it mostly for Xbox 360 and it looks great. I have it projecting a ~116" image and the quality is very good. Great projector with HDMI input. If the lamp lasts as long as advertised or even close this projector is a fantastic buy.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Vivotek IP7160 3GPP MPEG-4 Fixed Network Camera

Vivotek IP7160 3GPP MPEG-4 Fixed Network CameraThe user manual is terrible. Some advanced items are mentioned but not discussed. The camera has a manual focus ring which is not even mentioned!

I was able to access all of the features using my Mac, except setting up motion detection zones and sensitivity it appears these features are Windows Explorer centric. I was able to set this up using Windows XP on my Mac in VMWare Fusion.

The camera has 4 independent streams of video, 3 of which you can configure to your own resolution and quality settings. You can have any number of streams recorded to a whole host of options ftp, email, SD card (I have a 16gig card in mine), SMB windows share. You can have the camera trigger events using motion detection or an external input. You can also have an external output trigger.

The camera is a very comprehensive server with more options than you could ever need.

I have mine set up to record a 800*600 stream to the SD card, (and recycle the card when it is full) in case my video capture machine is off or down. I also have the camera send a 1600*1200 (the maximum size) every second to a Windows share on one of my Macs, and again recycle the storage when it is full. If motion is detected it sends an email alert with a short stream of images of the event.

You can integrate this camera using standard HTTP POST and GET commands, and quickly view a static high res image using a URL, like

or view a stream using a web browser or QuickTime player like rtsp://192.168.20.80/live.sdp or rtsp://192.168.20.80/live2.sdp

It supports security using HTTPS including certificate creation, account access control, access lists, etc.

This camera does not have IR, so your target needs to be illuminated at night.

The quality is OK. Its not as sharp as a 2 megapixel stills camera. I'll upload some samples. For $300 its worth every penny!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2012

The camera started to malfunction. The only way to contact support is to submit a ticket. It took a little over a week to get a response. The response was essentially, "it needs repairing, but you are outside your warranty. Sorry about that."

We have 9 other Vivotek cameras, and a Vivotek NVR. Given the failures over the past two years, we are starting to regret locking ourselves in on Vivotek,

Monday, August 26, 2013

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens + 32GB Ca

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens + 32GB Card + .45x Wide Angle & 2.5x Telephoto Lenses + Remote + Filters + Tripod + Accessory KitI have enjoyed taking pictures with my camera since I got it. In fact, quite a few people in my family are a little jealous, I wouldn't be surprised if they get something similar. I looked around, read reviews, and compared prices, and this was the best package for what I needed. The stock 18-55mm lense works great for taking pictures on the go, and the stalker lense, 55-200, worked great for getting those pictures of the family when they were at their most natural. I have used the wide angle and telephoto lenses a littlebit, but not too much yet.

What was annoying:

The telephoto and wide angle lenses both come with a standard male threads to attach to your other lenses that are 58mm, but the camera lenses here are 52mm. The lense kit comes with some adapters to convert to other sizes including the 52mm, but there is only one of each size; I have 2 lenses, 1 adapter. It's a little bit annoying, but I remove the adapter when I'm done anyway because the caps for the lense only fit the 58mm threads.

The remote doesn't take pictures awesome. I used it the other day, and even while pointing directly at the camera from a couple feet away the shots were still hit and miss. The remote says it's supposed to work from up to 15 feet away, but how will you know if you're getting the pictures if you can't even be sure you're getting them from a couple feet away. I read somewhere that the camera changes back from the remote if you don't take a picture within a minute or two, or after every shot. While it definitely didn't do it after every shot, I did occasionally find it back on single shutter mode, which wasn't too annoying.

The tripod moves around a little because the metal of the tripod flexes when you manually shoot... I think it's nothing unexpected because the tripod seems to be made to be transportable, and it is very light and has enough features to cover all of the basic types of tripod shooting. But you defininitely can't manhandle the camera while it's on the tripod and expect the camera to remain perfectly still.

I had some technical problems with ebay while trying to buy this same product from the same seller, and the seller was fantastic with response times to emails and customer service when I decided to give up on ebay and buy their item from amazon instead. If this package isn't the right one for you, I would definitely recommend checking if they have something else that would suit you since they have many packages and they delivered what they promise. I'm sure you will be surprised how much stuff comes in a set, and how big of a box it takes to ship it... I know I was.

I did a TON of research before purchasing my new DSLR and I was torn between the Nikon D5100 and the Canon T3i. I eventually decided on the Nikon, as it had slightly higher reviews, it was a little more compact (therefore easier to hold in my hand), and I just seemed to "connect" with that camera better (as I tested them both out at Best Buy). I am so happy with my choice. The Nikon is everything I wanted and absolutely LOVE this package. All of the accessories came with, and they were all great! And I love the 55-200mm zoom lens. It's amazing. I do a lot of natural lighting portraits, and this lens is especially helpful with shooting toddlers, as they get very antsy in front of the camera. I can just step back and shoot from a little farther away, if necessary. I plan on getting the 300mm zoom lens next. Overall, I think this is an amazing package. All of the accessories and the camera came packaged perfectly. I am very impressed. I had no issues whatsoever with the seller, they delivered on their promise. I can't complain!

Buy Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens + 32GB Ca Now

Having owned Canon cameras for the past forty years I had often heard that Nikon was a great brand but never managed to buy one for myself and over the past decade or more, having become used to the cheaper digital cameras, I had thought that the older style of larger cameras had seen their day.

But over the past few years I had noticed that the older style cameras were making a comeback and decided for my birthday to take the plunge and invest in one of the new version Nikon cameras.

I could not speak more highly about this particular camera.

The amount of things that this camera is able to do that the older style, smaller, cheaper digital cameras do not, is amazing and I'm now back enjoying my photography, producing the best pictures ever, with great sharpness and clarity that the cheaper digital camera simply do not produce.

Very happy indeed with my new purchase.

The quality and price are great and the service from the seller was first class too.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens + 32GB Ca Here

This camera package is top quality. It arrived with all pieces except one, which came in a separate package later. The camera and lens are great. I bought the camera to learn photography. It is a little complicated to learn, but it has great point and shoot capabilities while you learn. It also has a built in flash in case you don't want to start out buying a separate flash. It is also a good deal given what the D7100 costs.

Want Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens + 32GB Ca Discount?

The bundle as a whole is a great deal: The camera, the two kit lenses, memory and bag make it worth it. The tripod is not great quality, but I take it as a "gift". It works reasonably well for a beginner. UV filters, cleaning kit and remote and card adaptor are cheap, but convenient add-ons. More of a "colored glasses type of things thrown into the deal".

The telephoto lenses, on the other side, are a different deal:

The 2.5X does not work with the kit lenses. It is blurry and foggy because it needs an f value 3.0 (perhaps even less) or lower. But these lenses are f/3.5 and up, so why are they selling it with this kit? I find this misleading for he uninitiated.

The wide angle on the other side, works "ok" but quality is not great. But there is something not mentioned in the package or amazon page: the wide-angle is actually two lenses: a macro and a wide angle per-se. Disassembling it and mounting the macro part of the lens on the 18-55mm kit lens allows for a GREAT beginners setup for macro photography.

Overall: I highly recommend this kit, despite the incomplete/misleading information on some component.