Panasonic AG-DVX100 3CCD Professional Camcorder

I have been using this camera since January 2003 to shoot documentary material in Iraq. I have to say, it really is a good camera. For the price, it is even amazing. Even in the hotest weather in August -which gets up to 125 degrees F -the camera continued to function normally. I had to gaffer tape the cassette door closed to prevent dust and smoke from clogging the works, which the owner's manual says you shouldn't do because it causes over-heating, but the camera survived even that. Sometimes in extremely dusty situations you will notice noise on the recorded material, but it clears up quickly due to the self-cleaning heads feature.

In terms of picture quality, the thing that really sets it apart from other DV cameras is the 24 fps progressive scan aspect. This means that your video frames wind up looking like photographs or cinema frames because there is no interlaced "comb" pattern on moving objects. The 24p format alone is enough reason to choose this camera over others, I think. The last documentary I shot was with a Sony DSR-500 camera, which cost about $13,000. I think the DVX-100 images hold up well by comparison. The Sony, though recording interlaced images, had better image processing to extend the dynamic range, which I miss, but I guess that's what the extra $10,000 buys you...

That and the ability to shoot anamorphic images, which the Panasonic DVX-100 will only do with an add-on anamorphic converter that, I think, costs about $700 and might prevent you from super-close focusing. Without the converter, the lens on the DVX-100 can focus right up to the glass when it's zoomed wide. However, the smallest area you can focus on is about 4-5 inches across, which makes it a little difficult to do super close-up work. Not a big draw-back.

Now, after about 160 hours of fairly intense recording in the dust and heat of Iraq, the camera has developed a problem with the flip-out LCD display. Everything else continues to work fine, and I can still film using the eye-piece viewfinder (not as sharp as the LCD). I will probably buy a new DVX-100 and use the one I have now as back-up.

If you want to edit 24p material from this camera, the best (and as far as I'm concerned, only) option is Final Cut Pro 4 on a Macintosh computer. This is working well for me in the field using a 17" Apple G4 Powerbook and 500GB Lacie external Firewire800 hard drives, which you can "daisy-chain" together. No hardware / software problems at all so far.

A couple things wrong with the camera design: The sound level dials are positioned on the bottom edge of the camera where they have a tendency to get turned by accident. Solution: tape them down with a piece of gaffer tape on the lower half of the dials that you can peel back to adjust levels. Otherwise, audio recording with this camera is great -the same quality as the Sony DSR-500 camera when using an external XLR mic, though lacking an "auto levels" setting. Other things on the wish list would be some kind of sun-shade for the flip-out LCD -it is really hard to see the images in bright sunlight, and correct exposure is diffcult to judge.

In the future, I hope that there will be a HDV version of this camera that records 24p HD with better dynamic range + an integrated upgrade to Final Cut Pro for editing HDV firewire output. Also, I would like to see this same camera made with a slightly more durable design -even if it cost a bit more. It's absolutely a great buy and a great camera, but for extreme conditions encountered in many film shoots it would be nice to have a truly professional, less plastic model (with a sharper eye-piece viewfinder).

But almost no serious complaints -an amazing camera.

That said, I should mention that Panasonic has just come out with a newer model of this camera, the DVX-100A, that addresses some of my concerns listed here. Costs about $4,000.

Pros: Real 24P at an affordable price for serious videographers; produces filmic look; professional controls; phantom power and two-channel audio control.

Cons: High-contrast artifacting; noisy zoom and autofocus mechanisms; lack of gain adjustment and autofocus in progressive mode; only 10X optical zoom.

Summary: I just got the camera two weeks ago. It is my baby. I have already shot a short film and it looks darn near close to film. There are so many tricks this camera has it is insane. I love it way better than the XL1 or the Xl1s' frame movie mode. This is the ultimate DV camera. It's pixelation is 410,000, the Xl1s only has 210,000. You do the math.

What I didn't like was after using this camera and trying to edit the finished material I found that there were flash frames on edit points. The problem comes from the camera converting 24fps to 60 field which is what your data is when its put to a non linear to edit. Whats wrong with this camera is its trying to ride the 24p/1080 excitement that Sony's created with the HDCam product. This is not at all the same although some advertising is eluding to it.

But other than that, it is a must try!!!

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How do you say "amazing"?

Panasonic says it by producing the DVX-100

I'm a filmmaker myself, currently filming my second indie feature on this camera -----lemme tell you what I love about it

1. the 24 fps is for real! No gimmicks at all! Make sure to edit with Final Cut Pro 4 to get the most out of the 24 fps capabilities

2. AMAZING PICTURE --the picture on this thing blows away all other cameras within its price range, and even a lot of those above it!

3. Great professional controls --manuel aperture, audio, etc --and all easy to control!

4. The simple stuff --nice flip out LCD, big buttons, good lense, etc

However, there is no anamorphic..... so I recommend purchasing Panasonic's 16:9 convertor for full capabilities!

In conclusion though ---you won't find a camera with better controls and better picture quality --its easy to use, and looks AWESOME over any TV, or luck pending, movie screen!

Buy it --you will not REGRET it at all!

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Hello..

You've heard it all from the other reviews.

The cons:

No autofocus in 24P... and that really sucks.

No remote control for focusing either!!!

Microphones do not sound good.. but that was expected. So get external microphone

Don't expect to shoot during lowlight environment in 24P... it's just not made for it.

Expect to buy a lot more stuff after this.

The manual is really BAD. If you don't know how to use this camera, you have hours/days before understanding it all.

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The AG-DVX100 has killed 16mm motion picture camera systems and 16mm film stock except for the die-hard motion picture fans. The bottom line is do not shoot 16mm or Super 16mm because this camera produces cine images that are better than 16mm and Super 16mm on DV, which means that it is also cheaper because you do not need to buy and process 16mm film stock. If you blow this video up to 35mm the image quality is still better than 16mm film formats.

However 35mm still rules... but the future for digital looks good.

Also the problems with this camera have been corrected in the AG-DVX100a version so you may want to hold back until you see that one on-line here. You would also do well to get the AG-LA7200G anamorphic lens so that you can shoot in scope with a squeezed digital image (Just like a real anamorphic lens!)!

Bottom line. This is a top of the range domestic camcorder with pro qualities. 16mm motion picture camera users should use this in their productions instead. It is a waaaaay cheaper and looks better. The cine-switch technology in this camera is based on the same system that Lucas used to film his New Star Wars movies with. Also the PAL version does not have 24 fps but this does not matter because PAL is 25 fps and the difference can not be noticed with the naked eye alone and transfer to film is easy with 25 fps PAL but not so easy with 30 fps NTSC so the NTSC version of this camera can also shoot 24 fps for that. Also this camera is loaded with functions. There is not a single thing you can do not with it but! and this is a big but! the NEW AG-DVX100a will address the negatives that the AG-DVX100 has (zoom problems and focus problems and other things). Keep an eye out for the AG-DVX100a although it may be $1000 more expensive than this one but should be no concern to those who had to shoot on expensive 16mm film equipment with expensive 16mm film stock and expensive 16mm processing and expensive 16mm to video transfers.

16mm is dead.

Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR + 55-300mm VR Lens with 16GB Card + Filters + Case

My opinion this is a big deal for the price and all the accesories you get. Everything announced is inside the box. This product is for people who want to take picture like a pro. It comes with everything you need. Nikon lenses are the best in the market and with VR (vibration reduction), they are really good.Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR + 55-300mm VR Lens with 16GB Card + Filters + Case + Tripod + Accessory Kit

This is a fantastic camera. Nikon's SLRs are pretty good in general, but I am very impressed by how good this one is. I took several great pictures of the recent lunar eclipse using this and I was blown away with how they turned out.

Anyways, this is more of a review of the kit. Cameta Camera shipped the product fast and the packaging was pretty good. The kit is a decent price. The filters were great and the carrying case is Nikon brand which has ample room for the components. Everything that was in the kit (except the tripod) fits nicely in the case with room to spare. It's very nice to have the 300mm lens included and the 16gb SD card gets you started right away.

The on thing I didn't like about the kit is the tripod. It's really flimsy and the camera really is too heavy for it. It didn't provide a firm footing, especially with the 300mm lens attached. As a matter of fact, I was so worried that I kept the camera strap around my neck while I was shooting with the tripod. I have a smaller point and shoot camera, so I can use this tripod for that. But, for the 3100 you really really need a better tripod.

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Everything promised arrived in one package, well wrapped and undamaged. All the tools needed to take great pictures is in the deal. As a novice with DSLR cameras took really great pictures during the holidays. Camera features are fantastic and easy to use. Highly recommend this to anyone interested in photography.

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The camera is light, comes with all the bells and whistles that an amateur photographer could be looking for, easy to handle.

Have had it for 6 weeks, no problems or complaints.

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Great camera. Does take some time to learn the attributes for novice photographers. Takes great pictures. The video option is a nice addition.

DXG USA DXG-535VB HD Riviera 720p High-Definition Camcorder Luxe Collection, Blue

Do not invest in this camera. I bought it, and the first few times it was great. Then, I was filming and it just stopped. I checked the battery, and saw there was only 1 row. But, I remembered that only 3 mins ago, it was full. From then on, my camera only turned on for 1 min before saying low battery, when it was fully charged. Do not buy this.

I had seen this camera on Amazon and i had been looking for a good quality cheap camcorder. When i came across one i just adored it and begged my mom to get it. When i opened it on Christmas day i just loved it! It was white with little gray rhinestones on it and had the cute little screen so you could see what your filming. Since i was too lazy to read the instructions i had been struggling for the first five minutes but, after that it was a piece of cake. The video quality was amazing and the design of it was really cute. The controls are so simple a infant could do it. The guy/gal who wrote that paragraph on how "The controls are so hard!" was obviously lying or is just plain stupid because I'm not the brightest blub in the tanning bed but, i figured it out in ten minutes and now can do it blind folded. The video quality of it is like i said is amazing and i am happy with my camera. The only flaws is that it needs a memory card because it didn't come with it so you could only film for about a minute and twenty two seconds. I bought a memory card at Best Buy that hold almost four hours of footage for a low price so i was very satisfied with my purchase. Also The batteries only last for about 30 minutes but, you could buy a chargeable batteries from Amazon that will give you more than 30 minutes. I am so happy with my camera and i don't know why it has been getting bad reviews. Overall it's a 5 because of the low price of 60.00 dollars i had bought it for, the video quality,simple controls, and of course the pretty pattern on it! I hope you buy this camera.

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Casio Exilim EX-Z90 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch TFT LCD (Black)

For the money you cannot buy a better digital with hd video. The only

drawback with this camera is in hd mode you have a maximum recording time

of 10 minutes. In lower quality mode you do not have that limit. The

digital stills are much better then my last Casio EZ-80, much richer

and not as much noise. But I bought this camera for the HD Video capability,

it is amazing for the price. Also this new movie format is AVI which is

a lot more user friendly then the quick time mode of the EZ-80.

This camera was a hand-me-down from someone who used it only twice but purchased it brand new. It is one of the worst digital cameras I have ever used especially for the price. It takes very poor photos. We were having some trouble with it and contacted Casio to fix it. We spent almost $100 to have the lens replaced and when we received it back from Casio, the lens was still broken. I contacted the company 5 times to request that the camera be inspected again and finally received a UPS shipping label via e-mail in order to send the camera back. I am not only extremely disappointed in this camera, but I am extremely disappointed in Casio and their customer service and plan to not purchase any Casio products ever again.

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This is a great camera for the kids. It takes OK pictures but they love to make their own videos. I put in an 8GB card and they have a blast. They don't worry about download issues because we have a MAC so there are no issues with iPhoto. Plug it in and away it goes.

I would not replace my Cannon with a Casio but for my kids, this is great. Picked up a few extra battery packs and we are all set.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want a better camera, there are many out there but if you want a cheap camera with the ability to do video and allows for your own memory card, this cannot be beat.

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One of the simplest and compact camera I have used, it also has a a menu that is very easy to accessible, with much choices for most the situations and it produces excellent HIGH quality photos, comparable to some DSLR.

This is one more excellent product from Casio, I have been using their products over 30yrs and this just affirms my confidence with Casio products today.

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DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA YOU WILL REGRET IT!

I fortunately I didn't spend money on this, I received this camera as a gift, from my sister when I my older Sony stopped working. I have to say out of 6 digital cameras I have own, This was the worst!!!

The quality of photos are poor, especially at night, zoom is HORRIBLE!!

You try zooming into something and the camera doesn't want to take a picture,is just so annoying, Especially if you want to catch a quick moment, you have to click it like a 1000 times until it takes it. I've notice that it has trouble doing that, and if by miracle takes it, most of the time is blurry or super grainy.

I've this for about 3 years, but after less than a year of owning this and hating the quality, I bought the Canon XS260, the best digital camera I have own (look at the reviews if you don't believe me). It takes wonderful pictures and the zoom is amazing. The closest to a pro-camera without being one.

But Oh well I forgot this is another review. I got that camera and unfortunately lost it few months later. and had to go back to this camera while I bought back that same one I had.And that just happen a few weeks ago and that gave me a big reminder of the awful quality this camera has, after having & comparing it to the Canon.

Please! BELIEVE ME! They are other ones out there that are cheaper and WAYYYY better.

I can don't really find any pros in this camera..

Is awful.

I'll definitely recommend any Canon or Nikon cameras...

ONCE AGAIN.. Stay away from this one

NIX Pro Series 12" Digital Frame with Motion Detection Sensor

This is my first digital photo frame. I just received it today and was playing around with it. Let me talk about the good parts first. The screen measures 12" diagonally so it is nice and big. The lightup side touch buttons are good looking and gets activated with a light touch. The motion sensor is an added bonus feature. Its brightness and contrast are adjustable. Here're what's great about this frame:

The quality of the photos displayed directly from the SD card / USB drive are fantastic. The color of the photos are quite accurate as well.

The borders do not take up too much space like other photo frames do. This is one of the reasons I purchased it. It is a full 12" diagonal frame.

Stylish glossy finish will look great in your room/office.

There's a clock and a calendar. I don't think they are mentioned in the product description. These are definitely bonuses.

Motion sensor great feature so you don't have to leave it running all night.

The credit card sized remote control will help you navigate the menu faster and give you access to the most common features quickly. You do not want to lose it.

The frame itself is well-built, definitely not cheap material. (The stand is a different matter, however, read below).

Here're some major annoyances that need to be fixed:

The frame does not remember the last photo viewed after it's been turned off. So the next time you turn the frame on, it will start all over again with the first photo in the queue. Because I have shuffle OFF, I have to dig through all the folders to find that last photo viewed. I have dozens of folders created and thousands of photos on the SD card. As you can imagine, this is a big hassle. The frame should remember the last file viewed. If it doesn't exist, then the frame should pick up from the last folder viewed. And if that doesn't exist, then we start from the very first folder, alphabetically. To me, this is a major annoyance. I want to view the photos chronologically. It's impossible with this frame. This should be the most basic functionality.

The folders I so painstakingly sorted and created on the SD card get scrambled when viewed in the unit. For example, I have folders set up like /2001.01.02 LA, /2003.04.01-12 Europe Trip, /2007.01.01 Canada, etc. When I first turn it on, it will start from the folder "2007.0.01 Canada". It should look at the folders by name in ascending order and start from "/2001.01.02 LA". This frame seems to have a mind of its own and decides to sort the folders its own way. Not good.

Images less than 800x600 in resolution gets magnified to fit the whole screen. The image becomes very pixelated. If the image is smaller than the resolution of the screen, the original size should be displayed. This is a bug.

I tried to delete multiple folders from the unit, but I cannot select multiple folders for deletion using the frame's UI. Also, I can only delete the files within a folder. The folder stays undeleted. You have to hook the frame up to the computer via the mini-USB cable in order to delete the folders.

If you decide to copy the photos directly to the frame's memory, your 4:3 photos will be resized to 800x600. They will look pixelated, I can see the quality difference when compared with the same photos displayed on the frame using a plugged-in SD card. Maybe it's a good idea to add an option to the frame's firmware that will allow the user to set a resize resolution. This will give the user better control of how the final images will look.

The resize process takes a very long time, especially if you have JPG files of large sizes (> 2 MB). Also, it should give you a progress bar of the percentage completed for all files chosen, but it does not. It shows the % converted for each photo instead, it's meaningless. It's better to just buy a SD card and plug it into the frame instead of copying the files to the internal memory. I bought a 32 GB SDHC card and avoided this headache.

The rear stand and the lock seem fragile and loose. It should be tightly attached to the frame itself when it's locked, but it is not. I am afraid these pieces would break if I drop the frame by accident. Perhaps they should build them out of metal parts.

I cannot comment on the video and music features, I won't be using them.

OVERALL: This frame is stylish and the display quality is excellent. It does a good job of displaying the photos. But they absolutely need to fix the firmware/user interface in this frame. It is such a pity because the display quality is superb... I might consider returning this frame. Hopefully the company will address and correct the issues above.

Update: March 2nd, 2011

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

I received a detailed response from NIX support, there will be no firmware to correct the annoyances mentioned above because it's "more down to re-designing the chip-set" as they put it. Therefore, I have to return it. If you are perfectly okay with the flaws above, get the frame. Otherwise, get something else.

Update: March 23rd, 2011

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I got a Samsung frame instead which addressed almost all the issues I had above, for a bit more money. Not trying to promote any other products, but you get what you pay for.

The NIX 12" Hu-Motion Digital Picture Frame is great! Briefly we purchased the NIX X08A frame earlier this this year and have found it to be trouble free. We particularly liked the auto rotate feature which allows you to view pictures in the portrait mode by simply rotating the frame 90 degrees. The only problem for my wife and I was the size of the image. We upgraded to the the 12 inch frame, the X012A but discovered that you could not view portrail mode pictures by rotating the frame. The files had to be manually rotated -This was a show stopper for us. The frame was returned for a credit. We decided to wait until a larger size frame became available with this feature. Well it now here! The frame automatically rotates pictures when placed in the portrait orientation.

The pictures are bright and vibrant and appear to "jump out at you". The ON/OFF feature works well although we do not use it on a regular basis. Setting up the time and calendar features were easy but you should read the manual before doing so. You can adjust brightness and contrast using the remote. The remote works okay but sometimes "chokes" if you push the buttons too quickly. We are using 2 GB SD memory cards with no problem. A full card does not seem to slow down the speed of the frame.

The one problem that I have not solved as yet is showing pictures in a specified order. THe NIX web site (under FAQ section) says this can be solved by numbering your files, 1001, 1002, etc. I will try this in the next few days.

All in all an excellent product and a good value. THe NIX customer service is excellent and of course the Amazon return policy is good!

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Overview

I'm happy to say my reviews and judgments of this frame started as soon as I got it out of the box. The frame came covered in nice velvet slip case and was very security boxed. All the components were individually wrapped and secured in their own compartment. This is an attention to detail you seldom see in consumer electronics.

Taking it out I removed second protective film from the face of the frame and pulled out the rear support. The design was a little unconventional, you have to line some tabs up with a slot on the back and push and turn. It required a little force, which with plastic parts is always a little scary but it soon clicked into place. The back support rotates 90 degrees and can be ratcheted to be long or short to support that frame. This allows landscape or portrait orientation at various angles with one part. Again innovative design.

Inspecting the rear of the frame there are a few plugs and ports. On the right had side we have the power switch and the card reader (SD/Multi-memory/Memory Stick). The power switch is a bit difficult to flick when reaching around from the front but that's no big deal.

The right hand side has a power indicator, the power plug, mini-USB port, Audio Out and full size USB port (to plug in a USB memory drive).

On the business end up front it s a very clean frame, no ridges or texturing. The manual controls are small white touch points along the right hand side of the frame. They are electrostatic so there is no tactile feed back or disruption of the clean lines of the frame. The only thing that breaks the surface up is the motion sensor in the lower left corner.

The unit also comes with a remote which has 32 bubble style buttons. Its messy and confusing but it is the best way to access the settings and controls. If you happen to loose the remote all functions can be access from the touchpoints on the frame without too much difficulty.

Turning the unit on gives you a NIX boot screen for a few seconds and then it will pull up your first picture. It always pulls up the same first picture (so make it good). After that it goes by file order unless you have it on random slideshow. Random seems to vary day by day. Some pictures are more "random" than others.

The unit has a image resolution of 800x600 pixels. Loading larger files doesn't help or hurt the image quality in a noticeable way or speed it up or slow it down. If you happen to copy a file into its internal memory it will automatically resize it.

Image

The image quality is pleasing. There is a minimum distance you'll want to be from it, any closer and you begin to see the pixels in long straight lines if you examine the picture closely. For me the distance is about 36 inches. You can adjust for brightness and saturation but its important to remember that this is a consumer grade photo appliance, not a professional processing tool. For the discerning viewer you will have all the issues you have with cheap, glossy oversaturated monitors. Color shifts, excess saturation by default, lack of dynamic range and other visual sins. These are not at all unique to this device, they exist in every photo frame I've ever seen. For the uncritical eye it looks sharp and colorful, better than most I've seen.

Controls

One thing that makes this unit a cut above other unit's I've used is the controls. While inadequately documented (anywhere, even on the website) they are easy enough to figure out. For best results use the remote, though the buttons on the frame are adequate for the job.

When you bring up the settings menu you have scrolling access to all the items. Video, Music, Photo, Settings, File, Clock and Calendar.

Video, Music and Photo are settings that let you select if you want to read off internal or external (card). Calendar gives you different options for displaying the calendar with or without a picture. Settings cover most of the other controls and settings including the motion detector.

Key Features

This frame has all the standard features as well as a few bonus ones.

Orientation sensor The frame knows if it is in landscape or portrait mode and automatically rotates your pictures. You have the option of shrink to fit or expand and crop for pictures that are not the 4:3 aspect ratio.

Good on frame controlsSeven touch points down the right hand side of the frame give you easy access to the menu system

Auto On/Off You can set the unit to automatically turn on/off every day.

Motion SensorThis units claim to fame. It has a motion sensor on it and you can set a timeout period. If it goes that period with no motion it shuts itself off. As soon as it detects motion it boots back up. Takes about 8 seconds and comes up with the base picture, then off to the slideshow. This feature was what made it stand out compared to others. The Lamps on LCD displays have a finite life and dim with use. This combined with Auto On/Off will extend the life of the unit (thus reducing E-waste) as well as saving electricity. I have it set up to be "On" only during working hours and if I'm away from my desk for more than a few minutes it turns itself off.

Other Features

MP3 It plays MP3's fine, just understand your talking alarm clock speaker quality. But you can set it up to play cheesy music for your slideshow. In this respect you use it as a presentation device.

Video It plays some MP4 video, just not very well. I loaded up a video formatted for an Ipod/Iphone (800pixels wide and 1 gig for a feature move). It played it, at about 1 frame every 2 seconds. It might do better with lower resolution/more highly compressed file. But playing movies is not its strong point.

2 Gigs of internal memoryThat's a lot by today's standards (2011), I'm sure in 5 years it won't be enough to blow your nose with. I keep all my photos on SD card so internal memory is no big deal.

The Cons

As much as I love the unit it's not perfect. Two annoyances I find are

VERY glossy finish. The screen has a super high glossy finish. It reflects light and other objects annoyingly well. It is also super sensitive to fingerprints. If you touch the thing it's going to leave a print. If you use the on frame controls you'll need to wipe it down afterward. Keep a cleaning rag handy.

The power transformer is attached to the plug prongs (which is common) so it fights with your cheap speakers, battery charger and other devices that want to suck up 3 slots on your power strip.

Service

I had the misfortune to find out how well their customer service worked. The first unit I took delivery off had a couple of glitches, the motion sensor didn't work properly and sometimes some of the controls would only show the green channel. I contacted NIX about the issue and their initial response was very fast (about 4 hours) and they recommended some good troubleshooting steps but it was ultimately a flawed unit (they said they'd check with the engineers and never got back to me). I returned it for another and the second works fine.

I think it's important to understand that with cheap consumer electronics stuff like this is the rule not the exception. As long as low price is the primary criteria consumers use to make their purchases quality is going to suffer. But few of us are willing to pay 50-100% more for the same thing to get a quality unit that will stand the test of time when something newer/faster/better and cheaper will be out next year. This is the reality of the current market, failures will happen so be sure to purchase from a place that has a good return policy. You may pay a few bucks more but it's worth the time/stress and frustration if you get the lemon (and eventually you will).

Conclusion-

I love it, it does almost everything I want it to do and does it well. It lets you enjoy your photos in a whole new way with increased value and reduced operating costs that are unique in this type of product. I highly recommend it.

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Just received the latest greatest version of the Nix 12" HU-Motion digital picture frame. All works well and pretty decent images except the function where you can play your images with background music. Checked and double checked to make sure I did everything correctly and still no music WITH images. You can get music without images though, why you would want to I dont know. Anyway I have put in an email request for technical support and am waiting to hear back. At their website they brag about 24 hour return support. So I will wait and see and update this review as soon as I hear back. Over and out. UPDATE: KUDOS TO NIX FOR RESPONDING IN UNDER 24 HOURS WITH A DOWNLOADABLE FILE TO CORRECT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC ISSUE. NOT SURE IF YOU WILL NEED TO GET THE DOWNLOAD ON NEW UNITS BEING SHIPPED OR IF THEY WILL BE FIXED BEFORE LEAVING THE FACTORY BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES HAVE A DOWNLOAD TO CORRECT IT, SO I WOULDN'T HESITATE TO BUY THIS FRAME AGAIN, ALL ELSE WORKED WELL ON THIS UNIT.

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This is a nice frame but as of today 1/31/11 NIX has *confirmed* (after numerous e-mails back and forth to me) that there is bug that prevents the timer from turning the unit on by itself each day. It will turn on by itself exactly once the next day and never do it again.

If you use a different method of activating it then you don't need to read further but I am used to my frames actually turning on each day otherwise they get little use. The motion detector worked but in a home setting was problematic. Either turned on every time someone went by or it had to be in an area that made you approach it and that's not much better than just clicking a remote.

Everything else worked fine. The colors don't "pop" like my Viewsonic 10 inch and the resolution isn't particularly sharp as 1068 is spread over 12 inches (the Viewsonic is also 1068 but in a 10" frame so of course it's sharper). The whites are more yellow or tan... think very "warm" video setting. No way to adjust color temp or hue either.

Still after a while I realized this isn't automatically a bad thing as it made skin tones more natural. Some of your pics will look more drab but others look very natural. Not as over-saturated and harsh as some frames.

But it won't turn itself on everyday like virtually every other brand does. I suspected it was a software glitch as everything else was fine.

I was frankly amazed when dealing with their support. They didn't say mine was defective or know *anything* about the issue. Turns out every unit they have sold has this issue as they never bothered to actually set up a few at the office and see if they performed correctly... I told them (politely) that I expected BETTER testing from a British firm... not worse (or non-existent in this case).

Blew my mind when they verified the bug and that they never tested it.

They claim they will make a firmware fix "in the next 3 weeks"... because their guys "are working on other projects". I felt like telling them maybe they should concentrate on fixing the products they have already sold... but what the heck.

Anyways with this track record of non-testing I am returning mine. Amazon makes it easy and if they ever DO fix it so it turns on (like *every* other frame out there) then I may pick up one again.

Hope this helps somebody.

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JVC GR-AX760U VHS-C Compact Camcorder

Bought mine at a university surplus auction a couple of years ago. It is a good camcorder with lots of nice features. You can buy optional remote control on ebay, and control the camcorder basic functions with wireless remote control up to 25 feet away. Uses standard VHS C cassette. Two recording speeds SP and EP for extended recording time.

Snapshot function allows you to capture a digital still shot on tape for 5 seconds. Stabilizer feature allows is an anti jitter technology which helps keep recordings smooth and professional even with shaky hands. Built in battery charging system with charge indicator, charges battery when camcorder is plugged in and turned off.

RCA audio and video outputs allow for connection to TV.

Special effects. Only thing I would change, is the camcorder has a short battery life. Battery only lasts four hours on continuous use before it needs recharging.

Overall compact, light weight, good quality, and ideal as a good travel camcorder.

Blackberry ACC-40486-301 Micro HDMI Data Cable - Retail Packaging - Black

This was worth every penny plus some. I really enjoy being able to hook it up to watch movies and even give presentations.

Excelent accesory for your Playbook, you can watch exact what you see on your tablet on your plasma with excelent definition. Picture, HD videos and much more. Recomendable!!!

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I'm sorry about the length......So I love it and would be 110% happy had I not received a used cable. the packaging had clearly been opened and the item used as the ports had signs of use obvious by the scuffs and light discoloration on one port. The way the cable was packed inside the worn packaging was not like any other item from RIM would typically be packed. I paid for a brand new cable and I feel I did not get what I paid for, instead I got someone else's unwanted and returned item. Shortly after receiving it, bummed when I should have been happy, I decided I was going to return the used cable and get exactly what I payed for, a new cable. I gave it more thought and considered that I waited a long time to get this cable and it worked fine. So I decided against returning and I figured this one time I could SETTLE and just deal with it despite me feeling like I was not receiving the best customer service. In conclusion it works but someone else had already used up some wear on it before I did and i won't ever get that back......

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Joby GP1-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey)

HOW BIG IS YOUR CAMERA? This is a great product, but if you buy one that's too weak to hold your camera's weight, you're going to be disappointed. The GP1 will hold up to 9.7 ozbasically your average small point-and-click digital camera onlythink Elph. The GP2 will hold up to 1.75 lbs -smaller/lighter SLR cameras with short lenses only. The GP3 will hold up to 6.6 lbs and has a slightly larger camera attach point, similar to larger tripods -good for SLRs and smaller camcorders. Unless you want to spend 10-15 minutes fighting the gorilla to hold your camera without sagging (and forget about portrait/sideways shots), make sure you buy one that can support the weight! Otherwise it's tough to beat the versatility, reliability, and small size/weight of this tripod. From what I've seen of other reviews, you'll be disappointed with cheaper imitations as well.

Fantastic product. We bought this while looking for one of those mini tripods that you can velcro to another object and found this to be much better. The grip is strong and most situations can be accommodated. It's a little pricey, but well made so very much worth the cost. Older, heavier cameras may tend to overwhelm it in some positions, but for the most part, it works great. If nothing else, it replicates a "traditional" tripod well, and the added bending and gripping feature really makes the difference. I no longer have to balance the camera on the hood of the car with sticks and rocks to get a good photo of us during our travels. Everywhere we go, somebody stops us to ask where to get one... it's quite a spectacle.

I ordered an extra shoe so we can transfer the gorillapod from her camera to mine. If you're in the market for a new camera, try and get one with the tripod mounting shoe somewhat centrally located on the bottom of the camera. My fiance's camera has the tripod mount on one side so the camera wants to lean to the other side. Fortunately, the gorillapod is strong enough to resist this.

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I still can't believe that this thing is real! And I'm blown away by the quality of the tripod.

The 'legs' are stiff enought that it doesn't fall out of shape as it holds the camera. Each little grey ring around the ball-like pieces are rubberized to help it grip onto objects. I have been able to mount my Canon SD600 and hold one 'foot' of the tripod while it remains in the shape I bent it into. The leg didn't change shape or sag at all.

I've had it on top of my LCD, hung it from a doorway, sitting on top of a lamp... I think the legs are long enough and the feet are 'grippy' enough to mount it to the side of a bowling ball!

The clip on top lets you mount and dismount the camera quite easily and without hassle. The only problem I could see is that with the mounting clip attached to the camera I can't put the camera in the fitted Canon carrying case that I have for the SD600. Well, it fits with it on, but very snug.

I can't stress how much I love this little tripod!! Get one; you won't be disappointed!

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I own a Canon PowerShot A550. The Gorillapod screws into the camera securely. The downside is that on the Canon (and Sony Cybershot DSC also) the screw is not in the center of the camera, but off to the left (if looking at the back of the camera). This off-set causes the camera to "slump" to the right because it's off-balance. To make matters worse, the button to take the photo is on the right, so if you get the camera to balance on the Gorillapod, you still have to press the button to take the photo, which causes the camera to slump then to the right.

The 2 ball-like connectors that connect the camera to the 3 legs on the Gorillapod don't seem to have enough resistance to keep a small camera like the Canon in place.

My mother-in-law has a Sony Cybershot DSC which is small enough and light enough to not slump, so she will probably be getting the Gorillapod to use with her camera.

I love the idea and was excited to get it and try it out. Doesn't work for me like I expected and my point and shoot isn't big at all. I would have thought the design would have taken into consideration that the point and shoot cameras don't always have the screw hole in the middle of the camera.

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As long as you don't expect the world of the Gorillapod, it won't disappoint. I've had a slew of small tripods for years (to match my succession of digital cameras; I'm tough to please). My Ultrapod II is good, sturdy and stable, but often not as versatile as this. I'll still keep that one around, though, especially after I got the quick-release head for it. For me, a quick-release shoe is a very big plus. My full-size tripods have always had this feature, but I've never been able to find it on the minis until the Gorillapod. It's extremely useful. No more struggling with screwing the tripod in when you need to take that quick picture, desperately trying to keep from cross-threading and stripping the plastic mounting threads common on today's cameras. The Gorillapod snaps onto the camera in about three seconds. This won't hold my camera as still as my 4-pound tripods, but it's a heck of a lot lighter and easier to carry with me all the time. While Joby lists the maximum weight capacity as 12 ounces, my camera still works fine despite being a couple of ounces over that. If there's one thing I don't really like, it's that it does take a bit of fiddling to straighten out the legs after use. But if you're not obsessively neat, you probably won't mind some slightly crooked legs. If you really want a bit more stability, see the Gorillapod SLR. A quarter pound heavier and twice the price, but when you need it, sometimes you need to bite the bullet. Or get the Ultrapod II if having superflexible legs isn't of paramount importance. That's a couple of ounces heavier still compared with the Gorillapod SLR, but its rigid construction and Velcro strap make it more secure in iffy conditions.

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