Sharp PG-C30XU Projector

I was awarded this surprise for Christmas and was amazed at how nice the picture actually looked. Its very unassuming and with the right cables

( Vga for both Xbox 360 and PS3) I got it to go 1080i and well lets just say between some Halo 3 and Little Big Planet @ over 65"(goes up to 300" *yipes*) plus Im not sure i'll ever get rid of this thing.

Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

My current camcorder is over [..], and I found that I just wasn't using it much anymore. Two reasons: It was a little big to carry around, and it recorded to tape, so deleting 'bad' scenes was not practical until it got to the PC. All the new camcorders are plenty small enough to carry around.

I like the workflow of digital cameras in that you can easily delete the garbage shots after taking them. I wanted the same for a camcorder, which meant DVD or HDD was my choice, despite the possible reduction in end quality as compared to tape (HDD/DVD compress the image, tape doesn't). DVD was out for me since its capacity is very limited, and I just don't trust writing to DVD (I've had too many fail while closing the session on my PC). So it's HDD, even though I compromise image quality over tape.

I also wanted a long zoom lens. With a long zoom lens you have to sacrifice the larger CCD's, and larger CCD's allow for better image quality. Another compromise.

This left me with three final candidates in my price range: Sony DCR-SR42, JVC Everio GZMG155 and Panasonic SDR-H18. The Sony specs list 40x zoom, but the number that counts is the focal range (1.9 to 76), which actually gives you about the same true zoom as the other two (they advertise 32x). So they are equal there.

The final difference came down to price and the image stabilization. Only the Panasonic had optical image stabilization, which generally does a better job than electronic. This is especially important for these long zoom cameras. So the SDR-H18 won, and it was the least expensive also.

Considering the 'compromises' I had to make to go HDD and long zoom, I'm very happy with the image quality when played back on a standard def TV (haven't tried HD TV yet). It's at least as good as my old Digital-8 Sony image. The image stabilization is better than I expected I had no problem holding the shot steady free handed at 32x.

BTW No need to install the included CD. Windows XP recognized the camera and mounted it as a hard drive. Just copy the movies to your system like normal works. You may want to rename them to MPG files though, and set the widescreen flag in the file since the camera doesn't. Search for sdcopy.exe for a free simple utility to copy, rename and set the flag for you.

The only downsides I noticed so far:

Very low light feature on camera is useless as compared to Sony's IR mode. The Pana just makes the exposure time huge, which means you can only record still scenes in very low light. Not a problem for me though as I don't find the need to record in the dark much! Normal indoor light is OK, but not great.

The supplied battery won't last very long on a charge. Amazon has a battery CGA-DU21 which will 3 to 4 times as long for a very low price.

Update on experience with it: I have had the chance to try the video on a 42" LCD HD TV using the S-Video connector. It's not HD for sure, but the quality was acutally pretty good. I expected it to magnify the compressions issues to the point of being distracting. Others in the room actually commented how clean the video looked (the sample was from video taped outdoors in bright light).

One additional negative to add is that you can't delete a shot until you are in playback mode. I'd like to be able to delete it as soon as I've finished shooting it from the record mode thus saving a couple steps. Overall, no regrets.

Overall this camera is a great value.

It is lightweight, easy to use and creates high quality video images. If you have large pockets you can carry it in your pocket. It will make a bit of lump, but it's doable. I have done it.

SELECTABLE VIDEO QUALITY

This camcorder let's you choose the video quality. At the highest video quality it still can capture 7 hours of video. I can't imagine needing that much. I don't think there's anybody on the planet that would appreciate watching a 7 hour video, let alone one that's over 20 hours long in lower resolution mode.

STANDARD AND WIDESCREEN FORMATS

Multiple formats are user selectable. You can select a standard aspect ratio or widescreen format. I prefer widescreen because that's how my TV's are formatted. The only downside of selecting widescreen is that it will only playback in widescreen format on the camera's monitor or directly connected to a TV, and through the free software Panasonic provides. However, the widescreen format won't auto upload to Adobe Premiere Elements video editing software without first loading the footage and then using an obscure "interpret footage" command to force it back to widescreen. Once you know how to the use the interpret footage command to the uploaded scenes it literally takes a second to make the conversion back to widescreen. Windows moviemaker has the same problem and if there is interpretation function I am not aware of it. Finding the command in Adobe Premiere Elments is the hard part. It took calls to Panasonice and Adobe to solve the problem. Adobe support solved the problem. This is simply a camera sofware output issue that Pansonic should probably fix in future releases of the firmware / software.

VIDEO FORMAT AND HARD DISK SPACE

Video files are a proprietary mpeg format that takes a while to read, load and render in Adobe Premiere Elements. And, of course, be prepared for using up a lot of hard drive space to load and store all of the files. However, this is true of any digital camera output. I use a 320 gb external hard drive to store work in progress video files. When finished editing I transcode and burn to DVD and delete the files from my hard drive.

For the average person who only wants to take videos and directly view on their TV this camera is very easy to use.

The display adjusts to a full range of brightness which means it can be used on a bright sunny day. The adjustment is a separate button, not some command buried in the software.

Overall, it is a great value. The provided software works, but you can do much better with an upgraded video editing software or even Windows Moviemaker. Although with Windows Moviemaker it can't read the widescreen format. It's compressed to a standard aspect ratio so everybody looks skinny.

I first bought another brand of video camera but it's output couldn't be read by anything but the bundled software. That camcorder was returned in favor of this unit.

Optical image stabilization is on by default (you can turn it off). The OIS is good although it won't over come full zoom hand held video quality. At full zoom you'd do best to have a tripod.

Low light level is good, but it isn't a night vision camera.

There is a slot for a removable flash card. I popped in a 2 gig card. The last one I bought was only $12. You can record video or stills using this media. This is handy if you want to take stills (see below). I seldom use this feature because I have a Canon SLR with Canon L series lens and I don't shoot in automatic mode with the Canon camera.

STILL CAMERA CAPABILITY

Single camera jpegs can be taken in a 640x480 format (complete with a shudder release sound effect). Still picture quality is acceptable but it isn't a SLR digital camera. Quality is much, much better than a cell phone. Quality is on par with what you had 5-6 years ago with your typical digital still cameras. You don't buy this camera for taking stills although I have even used this at work to capture closeups of quality issues and then switch back to video mode to tell a story surrounding the defect. Let's put it this way, it's a better video camera than a still camera, but for the majority of people who buy point and shoot cameras this works just as well unless you are taking photos you plan on blowing up to poster size.

EDIT: UPDATE 11-30-07

After twice, sometimes three times a week use, I can still say the camcorder works great. I used it for the fall volleyball season for my daughter's high school team. I recorded every game and gave it to the coach for her to review (her request). Using the camcorder reaffirms my purchase decision. Processing a couple of hours of video to minimally edit and transcode to a DVD takes hours. That's a function of the software. Quality was high for a very dimly lit gyms.

I also produced a 36 minute end of season banquet video using mainly still shots interspersed with some video from this camera. This camera's output was easily integrated into the final video production.

SMOOTH TRANSITIONS

One nice characteristic I noticed was the transition between scenes was smooth. I was able to pause the camera during playing sequences and there was jumpiness (is there such a word?) when I paused and restarted the recorder. This may not seem like a big deal but I have had cameras where the camera would shake or move when you function the pause or record button. Obviously, this is a pretty well engineered camcorder to pay attention to such details.

LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCE UPDATE

Low light performance is better than I described earlier in this review. For example, I mounted the camcorder on a tripod and recorded the sports banquet speeches and presentations. The banquet room was dimly lit. The video came out just fine. It is very similar to the colors you see with the human eye. Things tend to become grey at low light levels. However, like I said earlier, you can't expect to go out at night in the country and shoot videos by moonlight. It's not a night vision camera.

LETTING YOUR DAUGHTER USE IT -A CASE STUDY FOR EASY TO USE

I let my daughter use it for a high school video project. She's no videophile or technical whiz. With me providing a simple 30 second tutorial on how to use the camera she was able to record usable scenes for her class project. She did it for her team and another team. I think that's testimony for how easy the camera is to use. The only problem she had was finding the volume control function for playback.

ONE LAST COMMENT

This camcorder does not have a standard viewfinder. It only has the display on the flip open door. I have had no problems without a viewfinder except on sunny days when the sun is directly shining on the LCD screen. Then, and only then, is viewing the image somewhat difficult.

Again, this camcorder is a great value for the money. Truly, it is a best buy.

Buy Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Now

This is a great camera and while my budget wasn't my primary concern, getting the right product was. Before ever knowing what the price was I had read a review of this camera on CNet.com. The review gave this camera high praise from its editors and put it on the short list of good quality cameras on the market today. So once I read this article I went looking for a few more opinions and the consensus was that this camera would get the job done. So when I went pricing and found out that it was only $400 I thought I was either going to get a great camera at a great price or there was some big conspiracy on the internet and this thing is really a piece of crap. It's not a piece of crap and it is a great camera at a great price.

If you are a gadget person and you are looking for a camera that has a feature set that you may never learn how to use, but are happy that they are available, then this camera is not for you.

There is no view finder for example. However, we don't use view finders any more and if you are like me, I point and laugh at people that look through view finders when they have a perfectly functional 2.5" inch color display in front of them.

Also, this camera doesn't have a light. Now this could be important, especially if it's your intention to shoot in low light situations like a darker room. The picture quality won't be great in low light but if you are like me and like to shoot things in the daytime or in rooms where electricity is present, then this shouldn't be much of a problem for you.

The camera is simply functional and its buttons and switches are designed to provide the user with function that they will most likely use. There is a zoom button, volume button, burn to DVD direct button, record button, menu button, delete button, etc, you get the idea. The view finder is used to view what you are recording and it doesn't double as a touch screen display, which is perfect for me as I have oven mitts for hands. The multi switch is actually a little joystick like you would find on a video game (although it's much smaller) and your thumb can operate all of the onscreen menus with a flick of this joystick. This camera comes with an optical zoom level of 32x. Optical zoom is what the lens creates and in my opinion is the only zoom you should use anyways. However, if you need to view beyond 32x, the camera has a digital zoom of 1000x. The digital zoom is simply the brain inside the camera creating what it thinks is the image based on zoom levels. You would need a very high powered and expensive lens to get to 1000x zoom but who needs that? At 32x you are very close to your subject and the best part of this camera is that if you shake like an Epileptic in an Arcade like I do, the image stabilizer system is second to none. It realizes what you are focused on and then reduces and sometimes illuminates the shake that often times ruins a video. This feature and the zoom are by far the best features a camera can have and Panasonic has hit it out of the park by putting so much focus on it.

Most importantly is the format of the camera, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), like you find in your computer. MiniDV is the standard technology but it is a dead technology. If you want the best of video output then stick with this technology but be warned that the day of the tape is going away. DVD camcorders aren't really DVD's like the ones we rent from the video store. They are 2" discs that record about an hour of footage in a quality setting, which simply isn't enough. The HDD camcorder you are looking at has a 30GB drive which is equivalent to 22 mini DVD's. Moreover, there is an expansion slot on the camera for external memory cards. This slot may not mean much today but we are at the beginning of the HD SD card revolution and soon the general public will be able to buy a 30 GB SD card which five years ago was unheard of. So in essence this $400 camera could double its recording capability without the need to upgrade to another model. This is a big deal.

Here is the procedure that you will use with this camera. You will record little Jimmy getting mauled by the family dog. You will then plug the camera into the computer and upload all the videos to your video file. You will use the software that came with the camera or some other commercially available product and you will edit the video to your hearts content. You will then use your onboard DVD burner ($40 at buydig.com) and burn a copy of the video onto a full size dual layer DVD that can store up to 8 GB of video footage. Then you can give the video to your local law enforcement to show them why it's a bad idea to own a Pit Bull.

This camera is cost effective, it's memory will expand as far as technology will go, you won't be buying 2" DVD's and miniDV cartridges, you won't be storing them either, you will buy full size DVDs that you can burn and play on standard DVD players, and most importantly you will have a good camera that won't break the bank. Now get buying.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Here

I like nature and I like this camcorder! Great zoom with stabilization. Battery lasts a couple of hours and longer if you take many 5 or 10 minute shots. The battery is small and cheap , so having 2 might be nice, but I don't have the need for it at this point.

I took a 119 meg shot and condensed it to around 10 meg , just to show the zoom feature with stabilization and also to show these files can be changed to any format, I condensed it to WMA format for uploading to here.

AT around 40 SECONDS into the clip I zoom all the way out and in again to show what I was seeing with my eyes and what the camcorder picked up. I was sitting in gazebo and there were children playing a few feet from me and ducks and birds interacting with these children, they were sliding one of the tables on the concrete as I was filming this ... so sound is a little distracting in clip. The people on lake are least a 1/3 to 1/2 mile away.

Also take into consideration that any time you take a 119 meg clip and reduce it to only 10 megs you take out the detail, so the actual clip is very clear compared to utube like wma file I made.

I made clips 1 hour after sun went down a few days ago and I could see everything very clearly and it seemed like it was just a rainy day , the only way you could tell it was nighttime was if you saw the street lights and house lights on. I had stopped filming because I couldn't see anything, but when I went home and reviewed the tape, I was amazed, I could have still filmed more. Of course the Colors weren't vibrate but the camcorder saw a lot more and in more color then I was seeing! :)

In house shots in darkness are probably not that good, most camcorders are not that good at indoor night shots without good lighting according to Consumer Reports Nov 07 issue, CR rated this camcorder a Best Buy in Hard Drive models in that issue.

I also made a DVD using software that comes with camcorder and it was easy and looked good on my HDTV.

Want Panasonic SDR-H18 30GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 32x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Discount?

We were looking for a basic camcorder for home videos, and this matched what we're looking for. One of our main criteria was to buy a HHD camcorder, and at the time Sony and JVC were the only other brands offering HHD camcorders, though both generally had good reviews, it was Panasonics Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that won us over, BIG difference in video quality when compared.

Pros: Hard Disk Drive (no need for extra tapes, DVDs etc), OIS (very clear and stable video, even when zooming in), light camcorder (easy for travel), intuitive user interface, good sound.

Cons: Nothing as of the moment I write this, and I have been enjoying my camcorder for 2 weeks now!

Note on the software: I previously saw a review commenting how bad the FREE Editing Software was, I would like to add a note that the software does the job (as good as any of these free software are when you get them for free with your electronics). I have successfully imported my videos to my computer, have been able to trim my videos... if you need to trim the middle of the video, it's a bit more work with this software as you need to first edit 1 version with only front end of video you want, then second edit with only back end of video, and finally combining them into your final 3rd version with middle part deleted. (sorry this seems obvious, but that review was complaining about not being able to trim the middle of their video with this software...so my point is, you can do it, it just might not be as efficient as using the more commercial/professional editing tools out there).

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens with 16GB Card + B

Delivery of the camera was super fast and I got to use my Amazon points so got an even better price than listed. I have always used a point and shoot so this was my first Digital SLR. My grandson is 10 and started racing motorcycles this year. I wanted to get action shots of jumps and I am amazed that I took these pictures. I love the 3 shots per second option. I have great shots of him crossing the finish line in the air and have taken some beautiful pictures of nature. It certainly isn't me I have to give all the credit to this camera. I can't speak from a professional level but if you are an amateur and want to start getting beautiful shots out of the box this is the camera for you. LOVE IT!

works fine. it's my first dslr and it's sooo fine. just really have to be in a really dust-free area when installing the screen protector. arrived on time so i could start getting great pix

Buy Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens with 16GB Card + B Now

Package came as specified! Camera is amazing! I recommend it for others to buy this camera for this seller!

It is a great camera to beginners, I open the package and took amazing pictures of sunset, kids! Great product!

Read Best Reviews of Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens with 16GB Card + B Here

I wanted a camera that I could get action shots of my nephews, and as someone who doesn't really have time to care about the logistics of photo's this is just the ticket. I wanted something under $500 that would take great pics. This is great, not much more I could ask for.

Want Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens with 16GB Card + B Discount?

This camera is awesome! We cannot say enough of how it takes pictures!! Would recommend this to anyone! Thank you.

ProAm USA DVC200 8 ft Camera Jib Crane

My Jib Crane arrived 2 days before the projected delivery so walking into the office seeing that big box felt like Christmas morning as a kid. I tore into it, expecting complex instructions, but everything was self explanatory and it took longer to get the protective wrap off than it did to assemble. That's a sign of solid, well thought out design.

Sturdy construction, no flex, smooth as silk, and stable! I ordered the suggested stand in addition to this jib because it just makes sense. Everything is sturdy and the crane has a wonderful matte finish that just says BC went the distance. Everything fits together as planned without drama or buyers regret. I'm 100% thrilled with both items.

The only thing that I don't like... No carrying case. This is such a great deal already, so I don't think anyone should be discouraged from buying it... as a note to BC Media... Bags are cheap to make, but hard to find. If you did that homework for me it would have just been that little extra step to show guys like me that you're covering all bases (no pun intended).

All together great! Send me some transport gear and I'm head over heels... :) I'd hate to scratch beauty with it banging around the trunk. Keep up the hard work guys!

Ok, when I looked at this, I thought it was too good to be true when I saw the price. When I received it, I realized it was too good for the price! I highly recommend purchasing the 4' extension and base along with it. You'll be amazed at how much it will increase your overall production value without breaking your budget.

A COUPLE OF ITEMS WORTH MENTION: You'll need to buy the weights separately. (I also highly recommend a lillyput monitor w/ mount, a motorized pan head and wired camera remote WITH EXTENSION! We found it also very helpful to utilize a few sand bags on the tripod to keep it a little more steady, especially if you're shooting with any sort of winds.

Love this product, its portability & its ease of use... Look no further.

Buy ProAm USA DVC200 8 ft Camera Jib Crane Now

This is an awesome jib with a great price. It just WORKS! Get amazing shots that everyone will be in awe. Using it with my 5DMK2. Stuck a manfrotto plate on and mounted a LCD monitor. Setup and breakdown. You can buy a bag from BC Media but I recommend putting foam padding between the bars because they can get scratched. This jib is the best.

Read Best Reviews of ProAm USA DVC200 8 ft Camera Jib Crane Here

This crane / jib is well built and an excellent value, especially if you compare it to other pro ones that cost way more.

Adds so much production value to the shots. I even use it on some regular hand held shots to help hold steady.

However, my one only biggest complaint is the flex on the mounting bracket where you attach the camera.

There is considerable flex after mounting a DSLR rig to it. In airplane terms: it rolls clockwise. In other words it tilts to the right, since it hangs to the right of the main arm. So the camera, when facing forward, looking down the length of the arm, is always off level and tilted to the right.

I have tried bending and flexing it back, but it always relaxes back after mounting equipment to it.

The simple solution was to level the tripod that the crane is mounted, to compensate for the slight angle, but alas, as soon as you swing and pan in either direction, the angle is worse in one way or the other.

The obvious solution would be to mount an adjustable head on the bracket, which is what I've done. However, now I need to buy another tripod head so I can do the quick release thing from crane to tripod without having to unscrew everything back and forth every time I switch between supports.

There really shouldn't be any flex there at all. Aside from that, a good product.

Want ProAm USA DVC200 8 ft Camera Jib Crane Discount?

I just received my DV200 and I was blown away by how tall and sturdy it is. Keep in mind that I ordered the entire set, which includes the extension and the base stand. My crane can easily reach 16', the base stand that is extra easily gave me 4' of extra length and its super sturdy. Although I bought the monitor and I am returning it because it only has video cables and does not support my HDMI only cameras. I would recommend this to a friend!

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Belkin NetCam HD Wireless IP Camera for Tablet and Smartphone with Night Vision and Digital Audio (

This was incredibly easy to set up, and the only thing I am using it for is to see who is at the front door (I live in an upstairs apartment). The camera is fairly well-suited to that task, and it seems to stay connected just fine with my iPhone 4, but I'm not actually using it that often or asking that much of it. The video quality suffices to show me whether it's the UPS driver or a person here to give me a copy of Watchtower.

What the camera supposedly *does* but doesn't do well:

It's not good for video chatting. The video quality, while supposedly HD, is considerably worse than the front camera on my iPhone 4, and audio is lousy.

Motion sensitive security: way too sensitive and annoying.

Recording video: Nope. It's like a strobe sequence in a horror movie. Just, nope.

Bottom line -> this is not a good value in an IP camera. As of this writing, it is every bit as expensive as the higher quality cameras that are available. If it were selling for about 1/3 of its current price, I would add a star for value. At its current price, it gets three stars for mostly serving its purpose.

*Update 6/15* thanks to a commenter, I did get it to work with ISpy, by updating the camera list in the wizard (off to the right, for some reason even with the latest software, all the cameras weren't listed), and then I could use the wizard to set it up. This also showed me the extra info that was necessary to also get it to work with IPCamView basically http://admin:admin@[camera ip adddress]:80/goform/video. Basically the admin:admin is the username and password, then @ipaddress of the camera then :80 for the port that it streams thru. Using this I think you might be able to set it up with any other camera monitoring software or app you choose, altho I haven't been successful configuring it with anything besides ISpy yet. I gave it an extra star for that to bump it up to a 3 star rating. The hardware aspect of this camera is great, the optics are good and build quality is about what you'd expect, but it doesn't perform well in low light, and there is no way to adjust the brightness/contrast (I would really like to see belkin add image settings and even an option for auto image setting that could automatically adjust the brightness/contrast based on current lighting conditions). Also the software for this camera is severely lacking in advanced features such as saving to an ftp server, setting up motion detection zones, etc..

Wow i saw the other reviews, but thought, surely it can't be that bad. It is. The app has virtually no functions and no options. I thought, well, that's okay, I can use it with IPCamView or even Blue Iris on my computer BUT NO it is NOT COMPATIBLE with any other software and apps that almost every other IP camera is compatible with. WHY? Why did they choose to limit it like this and render it virtually unusable. You can't even adjust the image, or set motion detection zones.

The app is so basic that you can only log in, and view the camera. If you go into settings you can turn the audio on or off, turn the IR on or off, turn image auto adjust on or off, and set emails on or off and that's pretty much it! This camera and it's pitiful app mean that it is only good for real time viewing forget about it if you want to record anything automatically or use it for any kind of home security. Maybe Belkin will wise up and add some better features in the future, but as it is, this camera is really not good for much other than viewing real time activity. And because it's not compatible with other software besides Belkin's own, you can't use it to mix and match with other cameras in your home security system. Trendnet and Foscam both have similar cameras that have all the features this is missing. IE the ability to record to SD card or computer when motion is detected, the ability to use it with any software and app that you prefer and I believe both of them are similar, if not cheaper in price than this Belkin. I may be trying one of those two for my next WIFI camera. The logitech alert cameras are more expensive, but also have a much higher feature set than this, as well as really nice desktop software for recording activity and scheduling alerts, etc.

Motion detection alerts seem to work okay and it will email you two frames at the time it is triggered, but again, since this is meant for phone/tablet use only, why only email alerts? There should be an option to have it send push notifications so you can look right away and not have to wait for an email to come thru. And without it having the capability to automatically record when motion is detected, it is useless unless you happen to be able to drop everything and go into the app and press the record button. If someone breaks into your house forget it, you cannot have it record them ripping off your stuff so you can give the video to the police. This makes it basically a glorified nanny cam or pet cam. And if that's all you want it for, I would get something a lot cheaper than this.

Also, at this price point, I feel like it should have an sd card slot to record motion events to, but unfortunately it does not.

These Belkin cameras seem to be released prematurely they advertise easy setup, and sure that is true, it is easy to setup because they are so limited in functionality. I think they are planning on these cameras as part of a whole home automation system, but right now I would say they are in pre-beta stage and have a lot of work to do they are starting out with less than other makers have had available for years. I'll be interested to see if they improve functionality of these over time.

It does deserve at least one star, because it is so simple to setup that any novice user can do it, and for those that don't want to have to mess with port forwarding, dynamic dns, etc but still want to view their camera from anywhere, then maybe this is the best option and they won't mind all the missing features.

Buy Belkin NetCam HD Wireless IP Camera for Tablet and Smartphone with Night Vision and Digital Audio ( Now

I have a half dozen different wifi cameras in my house. This is the easiest to set up. It has you create an adhoc wifi network with you iphone, then it simply attaches itself to your wifi network. It all runs through an iphone app. The antenna is internal, so not very good.

The camera gives a decent picture looks pretty HD to me. Colors are accurately reproduced.

The app is not optimized for the iphone 5, so it clips the top and bottom. There is no dedicated ipad app, so only a tiny window iphone emulation.

I cannot figure out how to access the camera using other software I can only get it to work through the Belkin app.

The app itself is pretty bare bones. There are no brightness controls. There is no portrait orientation (only landscape). You cant even pinch to zoom. Audio streaming is patchy at best maybe due to a weak signal. When recording video, the frame rate drops to an unusable level.

The app allows you to do motion detection, but that is completely useless. Even at the least sensative setting it detects every minor movement of a cloud changing the lighting in the room a tiny bit. And the emails it sends you are all have the incorrect time in the subject unless you happen to be in CA, which the camera knows I am not.

I give this three stars. It has potential to be four or even five if the software were improved.

The setup was very easy, so that is a major plus.

Read Best Reviews of Belkin NetCam HD Wireless IP Camera for Tablet and Smartphone with Night Vision and Digital Audio ( Here

UPDATE 6/12/13:

I have successfully connected this camera to ISPY as an IP Camera. There are numerous posts on the Belkin forums that describe how this works basically you'll connect to the IP address of your camera like this: http://[ip address]/goform/video. Username/password is: admin/admin. Not very secure, right? ISPY will connect to this style of camera with no issue just use the Wizard and select Belkin / HD NetCam and you should have no issue. I can't speak to connecting this to things like webcamXP, but it should be a similar process.

PRO:

Night vision is excellent with this camera. Visibility can be set to day/night or auto and the camera will automatically switch when the light level is too low for normal vision.

Responsiveness is quick...movement on the camera is reflected in the mobile app within about 2 seconds, and does not have any significant lag time.

Application works on both apple and android products, and is quick and easy to install and use app is fast and has all the relevant configuration options for the camera plus live view and share.

CON:

Like other network cameras this one can't be connected to a home surveillance system like a webcamxp or ispy camera device. It creates its own wireless network (which you can't completely customize), and so you must use the Belkin app in order to view the video. This is a huge downside if you already have a home camera solution and just want to add a night-vision camera to it. So if you have a solution, this is a second solution vs. an add-on.

Installation is very quick and easy the camera creates a wireless network that you connect to and configure using the interface, plus the app that you download from either iTunes or Google Play allows for configuration. You can turn audio on/off and quality settings as well.

We accidentally left the phone connected to the camera's wi-fi network after config and wondered why we had no internet access just remember to connect it to your home wi-fi and then move back to your normal setup. You might have to look at the channels of your wi-fi network and move things around so you don't have overlaps, because the camera default isn't configurable as far as I have found. That's another CON for me. I like to fully customize anything on my network, right down to the nitty-gritty.

I took two points away for the network inflexibility...otherwise the quality of the camera is very good and in both day and night mode it provides a clear picture with very smooth quality over a mobile connection (4G and wi-fi tested).

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Love how all the Belkin people have rushed in to thumbs-down my review. Typical.

Let's begin. First off all, this is not made by Belkin. It's an off-label brand that they have rebranded as their own. Yet it actually has less functionality than the off-label product.

Pros:

The video preview quality is decent. That's it.

Cons:

The software crashes all the time.

A 3-second animation plays every time you open the app, even if the app was just idle!

The camera keeps losing the connection to the iPhone app, so you need to quit the app and relaunch it constantly.

The video recording on the software is limited to about 2 frames per second.

The buttons for recording or taking a photo have childish sounds attached to them and they can NOT be turned off. Even if you put your phone on silent.

The recording of video stops at random places, probably caused by notifications on your phone.

You have to sign up for their service, giving them a username, email and password in order to use the camera. There is NO way around this. This means at any time Belkin can watch your camera!! Now wait a minute, you think this won't ever happen? After I sent 3 emails through the app to Belkin, a notice popped up on the screen of my iPhone stating:

Logged out!

There has been a log-in of the same

username and password from

another computer device.

They were looking at my camera!!!!

SEE the photo I added above!!

I sent it back within 3 hours. You will too.

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Clover CW5700 2.4 GHz Wireless Video Monitoring Systems with 4-Channel Switcher

I bought 3 of these units, new in box, from Walmart.

There are 4 channels, so you can have 4 cameras with one base unit.

These were on clearance for $40 (regular $127)

I wanted one for the front door, one for the back door, one for inside monitoring.

The camera looked to be very solidly built. It looked like it WOULD hold up to outdoor use.

But things went downhill fast.

The software simply would NOT work.

I have 3 different computers, running 3 different versions of windows, and I could NOT get the DVR to work on any pc. (windows XP home, XP media center 2005, Vista Ultimate)

The little tiny instruction sheets (about the size of 5 index cards, folded in half, to make a booklet) did NOT give insight into what windows systems were or were not compatible. I could not find any minimum PC requirements anywhere.

(I planned to use this as a DVR, to record video events on my PC)

On my Vista pc, the software WOULD NOT even load. The install would crash and abort.

On XP home, the software installed BUT.... when you launched it, you would often get an exception error.

I visted the WISECOMM website, but could not get any drivers nor downloads that might help me.

I was never even able to get a picture to come up on my pc (from the camera to the base unit DVR).

After spending a couple hours with it, I packed them up and took them back to walmart for a refund.

I really had high hopes for this unit, but if it won't work, then why bother with it.

It's a cheap camera, that's what you pay for and that's what you'll get. The static interference is atrocious at 15ft away I can't imagine 400. It boasts about on board mics but I cant find them, there are zero audio settings in the software or users manual. The camera itself has a pretty decent image though it's never stable. The night vision's impressive but again this means nothing with out a good connection. Forget about customer service they have yet to finish that portion of their website. So buyer beware. Your experience could be different but yo will be gambling your money.

Buy Clover CW5700 2.4 GHz Wireless Video Monitoring Systems with 4-Channel Switcher Now

Many people don't have the drivers for this unit. I was given this link and downloaded the DVR drivers

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8561352/CW5700.zip

Read Best Reviews of Clover CW5700 2.4 GHz Wireless Video Monitoring Systems with 4-Channel Switcher Here

I bought this unit to install in my carport about three weeks ago. So far it works better than I expected for the money I paid. The software installed without a hitch, the camera and the receiver does exactly what I had expected. The software includes unexpected bennies like camera and motion detection settings plus a recording scheduler, and frame selector for the PC. The camera construction is heavy duty too, made of metal not plastic. Next I buy another wireless camera, since the DVR is set up for four cameras.

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Couldn't install DVR software on mini disc because my antivirus program detected a trojan,IFinst27.exe. Visited Wisecomm website and sent emails to sales and tech addresses provdided. Both emails were rejected.

Vivitek D825MX 2600 Lumen XGA DLP Projector

I've used a few other projectors, but this is first one I've owned. I selected it for use in many different venues for large and small groups. I made my best guess based on the reviews, zoom, brightness, clarity, ease of use, weight, size, and noise. I also liked the long life and lower replacement cost of the lamp. I've been quite satisfied with the D825MX performance regarding all my criteria except zoom, which is minimal. The zoom is so minimal in fact that it functions more like a minor adjustment similar to keystone (which works well). If I had it to do all over again I would study the zoom numbers carefully and look for something that provides more meaningful options for locating the projector. As it is, for a 5' high image, there is only a 2 foot difference in distance from the screen (from 12 feet to 14). I don't blame the product which performs as advertised, just the understanding the implications of every aspect of the specifications before purchase. I may yet return it for one with better distance options.

Coming back to this about a year later, I am still very happy with the D825MX and have not found the lack of zoom to be a problem. My peers have other projectors that I don't prefer but they're envious of the long lamp life and low lamp replacement cost. I've loaned this out a lot and had no troubles despite some rough handling. This is a good solid machine.

I was curious about the Vivitek brand since it's a fairly new name, at least to me. Last time I researched for projectors was probably back in 2002~2003 when the popular Infocus X1 first came out. This time, it turns out that the transformer manufacturing giant, Delta Electronic is actually behind the Vivitek brand. Delta (based in Taiwan) supplies excellent power transforms for major computer OEMs such as Apple, Dell, HP and Xbox and so on. So there's a good chance that the computer you are using now has a Delta power brick right at this moment. Delta is highly respected in the transformer business. So there, a little background about the brand. And now you can be rest assured knowing that 3 years down the road when you need to replace that projector lamp, the company will still be around.

Buy Vivitek D825MX 2600 Lumen XGA DLP Projector Now

Purchased projector in October of 2009 and used for 10 months with no problem at all. Projector was sufficiently bright for use during daytime, wasn't too noisy, and the focusing knobs were easy to use. I began using the device more frequently a month ago, and a few pixels started sticking in the full open (white) mode. At first it was just a few, but then then number started to grow every time the device was turned on. Power cycling did not fix the problem, and soon there were ~20 stuck pixels scattered all over the image! I wrote to ViviTek, filled out an RMA form, and waited for a response. One of their customer service representatives, Jason Kang, refused to answer my e-mails, and there was no response from . Their phone number always sends you to an answering machine and your call will not be returned. In summary, their customer service could not be worse. Amazon's on the other hand is wonderful. I called them this morning, explained my problem, and they shipped me a replacement immediately.

Read Best Reviews of Vivitek D825MX 2600 Lumen XGA DLP Projector Here

After reading reviews on similar Vivitek products, I took the plunge and purchased this projector in April 2010. I am very impressed with the projector's bright and clear image. I projected a 75" x 75" image in a sunlit room and the image was clear and not faded by the ambient light in the room. In the dark, this projector is amazing.

I operate my projector with the lamp in economy mode and fan on high as this will probably prolong the life of the lamp. With the fan on high, the projector barely warms up.

I use a hi-def tv tuner by KForce with VGA out (1280 x 760) and standard laptop VGA output as the source for this projector. Both work very well with this projector. At the time I purchased, HDMI inputs added another 1 or 2 hundred dollars to the price. Due to my budget I chose to stay at this projector's price point. Since HDMI appears to be a decent standard for the future, you may want to buy a projector with an HDMI input.

The project carry case is not padded so use care when moving the projector.

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I was excited to finally buy a 2600 lumens projector for an affordable price. Unfortunately, on my first try to use it, I experienced a "flickering" image. Very embarrassing and I suggest others try it before the presentation. I went on Vivitek's web site and put in my question in the form. I've been searching for an answer too. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'm going to return the item. While it is okay to carry at about 5 lbs., I'd spend the extra money and buy the 3.2 lbs. It also seemed really hot even though it was only going for about 5 minutes. I'm disappointed.

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Nikon 1 Series Deluxe Digital Camera Case (Red) with 32GB Card + EN-EL21 Battery + Tele/Wide Lenses

This is a great value for these items. The nikon case is really nice and fits the Nikon1 J1 that I purchased well. And the battery charger and extra lens and cards. It seems well made too. Note! The battery this package comes with is for the Nikon1 V1, NOT the J1. There is a different package from same seller that contains the battery for the J1. I made that mistake, but the seller took care of that for me. Would highly recommend this package.

Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD

Let's get the facts out first. I've been a Nikon shooter for several decades, currently with a D300 (haven't made the leap yet to full frame, but that's next). I'm an amateur, but shoot at a pro level. My focus is on music and sports photography, and I like to have a good camera with me when I travel (my last ride-along P&S has been a Lumix DMC-TZ5). I shoot in a variety of conditions, but what I need must a) provides high quality images, b) be really portable (fits in my purse, can get into concerts that ban DSLRs unless you're shooting on assignment) c) have a longer lens option (200mm is 'table stakes') and d) provide the flexibility to twiddle the dials to find the best combo of ISO-aperture-shutter speed for a particular situation. Having HD capability is a nice-to-have.

I've been shopping for a new P&S easily for a year. Got interested and then uninterested in the Canon G11/G12/S95 because the lens is too short (even the extenders don't push it out far enough). Similar higher-end P&S cameras don't have the length I was looking for, or didn't fit the size criteria (ruled out the 'super zooms' largely because of this).

Nikon got my attention first with the P100 but I read about image quality issues. When I learned about the P7000, I was intrigued. Could Nikon overcome its perceived issues and produce a P&S that makes picky photo people happy?

I made the plunge and bought the P7000. After reading a few more reviews and having a burst of post-purchase cognitive dissonance, the best plan was to just take the new acquisition out and A:B it against my D300 and the Lumix in a variety of conditions.

I'm glad I did. First impression: lots of dials to set and menus to learn, so to make it easy I just left it on the 'green' setting and let the camera make the decisions. Immediately it was clear that the Lumix's photo quality wasn't even in the same class as the P7000 (it looked good until you held it up against the others). The P7000's quality should be compared against the DSLR class.

After carrying a DSLR rig around, the P7000 seemed like a featherweight around the neck. Great build quality solid metal feel. I don't like the AE-L and AF-L button being next to where you thumb is, but my fingers will learn. (Wish there was a wriststrap option that shipped with the camera too.) LOVE the display, and the ability to see the histogram data. Feels like my D300 in many ways.

Now to the images. Shot with the D300 and the P7000 looking up a tree trunk. Depth of field, image clarity and WB were surprisingly similar. Wow. Tried it again in both indoor and outdoor conditions, and saw little to no difference. In fact I preferred the P7000 images several times to the D300 they looked better (Note 1 below). After several hours of shooting both cameras, my post-purchase cognitive dissonance was gone and I am eager to learn more about my new traveling 'friend'.

I do agree with the reviewers who note that the dials and settings aren't particularly intuitive. The instruction manual is about on the scale of a DSLR. It also for now lacks the really long lens capability I'm looking for (I believe that Nikon will be introducing accessories soon, including a telephoto extender). I wish that the lens were faster in the lower end, and I wish that Nikon did a better job of removing high ISO noise (this is a criticism for non-full frame Nikon bodies in general; I'm hoping that RAW and post-processing will clean this up). But the advantages of the camera DSLR-like photo quality, Nikon fit/finish and build, and a longer lens than comparable high-end P&S make me believe that Nikon is going in the right direction and that this is a break from its previous P&S cameras.

If you don't have size constraints (as I do), buy a DSLR you will get more in the long run. If you want DSLR-like performance in a P&S, definitely take a look at the P7000.

(Note 1: A good DSLR rig with good glass will take better photos than a point-and-shoot in virtually all situations that's simple physics. I've not given up my DSLRs, but am recognizing the fact that the P7000 has the ability to shoot photos at the same level of quality in the outdoor/daylight conditions low ISO in which I ran my comparison. Higher ISOs for low light conditions do introduce more noise, and this is an expected function of the sensor in this class of camera. When I'm shooting 'serious', I still take the DSLRs. Use this camera on the path to a DSLR, since it has many of the same control features, or as a supplement for times when you don't want to carry the 'big rig' or can't because of constraints where you will be shooting.)

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

UPDATE: I've put about 1,000 shots into the camera over the past week, including one day of a music festival where I shot all but maybe 3 shots with the P7000 (see the photos here -data is on). Net: though I still have not figured out the nuances, you can get really good photos out of the camera, but it does require learning how to use its capabilities. It is slower than the DSLR, but not so bad that it gets in the way of getting the shot. The P7000 has developed an issue where the lens cover will not retract completely, which causes the corners of the frame to be shaded. So, this must be sorted out. This is unfortunately not what I expected from Nikon, even in the first release. I'll report back in based upon what I find out, but for now I'm keeping the 5 star rating.

UPDATE (NOV 2010): The camera returned from Nikon in time to take to SFO. Nikon adjusted the shutter (works fine now) and the white balance. Interestingly the shot count was advanced about another thousand, so I trust they took the time to really check it out. I've finally figured out how to do quick aperture/shutter speed adjustments in manual mode, and am finding as I learn its controls and tricks, it's easier and easier to get great shots. I'm amazed at the 'night' setting never fails to render something really interesting and usable. White balance in this mode has been most impressive even in darkened rooms and in street shots at night, the photos come out rendered in the right colors, in focus and with plenty of light. I'm keeping the 5-star rating.

UPDATE (Feb 2011): The shutter has not hung up again but the service guy who looked at it last noted that he thought some of the parts were 'worn'. I still really enjoy the camera, but did purchase a 3 year extended warranty. I would recommend that anyone else do the same if they buy it in the near future, up until the time that the reports of the shutter issue die off. I'm attributing it to the initial release of a very new camera design, and there are often things they will improve upon over time. But in contrast, my new D7000 is working like a champ right out of the box, leading me to surmise that their design and manufacturing standards may be higher for their DSLRs than their P&S cameras. Just an observation does anyone else have a similar experience?

UPDATE (Mar 2011): Spoke with a Nikon person during SXSW who advised me to make sure I had the firmware updates loaded into the camera. Another reviewer commented that it's still in beta I would tend to believe that. Still enjoying the camera. I did tell him that I am wishing for them to take a great low-light sensor and put it into a P&S footprint, and he noted that pretty much everyone wants that too. Nikon where is this on your product roadmap? I'll camp out to buy one of these!

This is a great camera if you're looking for an extremely customizable compact camera.

Size and Handling -This really just depends on what you are looking for. If you want a pocket camera that can fit into shirt pockets, jean pockets, etc then this is not the camera for you and you really should look elsewhere. For me, it's the perfect size, not too big and not too small. The camera is solid but not too heavy.

Picture quality -I shoot mainly in RAW and the quality so far is excellent. Little noise up to ISO400 and usable to ISO800. Can go to 1600 in a pinch.

Autofocus -Focus is fast and accurate. There are options for Autofocus, Macro Focus, Infinity, and Manual Focus. Be sure to read the manual and spend time understanding the focus options. Some people are reporting focus issues and I believe many are related to users not learning enough about the focus system.

Write speed -This is where I would have given a 4 1/2 instead of a 5 if I could. JPG write speeds are good but RAW is fairly slow and doesn't appear to buffer. It doesn't affect me much based on the way I take pictures but there are times that it would be nice if it were faster. Of course if you shoot JPG then this is a non-issue.

Pros

Customization

Battery life

Viewfinder (I don't use it too often but nice when you need it)

Image quality

Zoom range

Menus (intuitive, easy to use. Even better if you're familiar with Nikon DSLR menus.)

Works with Nikon remote and Nikon flash

Preset zoom

Cons

Have to select Playback button to scroll through images (I like the ability to scroll after taking a photo like the D90)

No articulating screen (If I have to choose, I'll take the higher res LCD but every once in a while the articulating screen would come in handy).

RAW write speed (will be a bigger con for some than it is for me)

In summary this is a great camera and I highly recommend it as long as you aren't confusing it for something it's not like a pocket P&S with limited controls or a full sized DSLR!!

Buy Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD Now

I purchased this camera for my wife for Christmas. In March while out on a photo shoot of wildflowers the Lens Cover stopped opening fully. Since it was past Amazon's 30 day return window I went to Nikon's Website and set up a return to repair facility. At this point I was somewhat disappointed but understanding of the fact sometimes things don't go completely correctly and had high expectations of Nikon making things right. I sent off to Nikon(on my dime) and after a few weeks they replied the camera would be repaired under warranty. So far so good. After about a month and a half the camera was returned. The first time we took it out it immediate exhibited the same Lens Cover not retracting issue.

Now I will have to look forward to sending it back to Nikon (on my dime) and waiting a couple of months for Nikon to "repair". Not what I expected from Nikon. We have vacation planned for next month and the whole idea of purchasing this camera was to have one which took quality photos but was easier to carry around than our D40x. Now it looks like I will have to purchase an equivalent size camera from Canon or another company if we don't want to carry the D40x.....

I should have read others reviews before purchasing as I see this issue is not unique to us.

Update:

I contacted Nikon Customer Support and they sent me a pre-paid shipping label since the problem was back less than six months from their "repair". I can't complain that I had to ship back "on my dime". Still unhappy the camera has been at repair facility for about 1/3 of the time I have owned it.

Update:

After a few weeks my wife called and checked on repair. Nikon stated it was shipping out the next day. After a couple of weeks it hadn't showed up and she checked back. Nikon then stated the repair had not started yet. Since it was less than a week until our big trip my wife was upset and let Nikon know it. They agreed to send a NEW camera to replace our original one. It arrived in time for trip and so far it works OK. Hope the lens cover issue does not reappear. I will update if anything else goes wrong or if everything goes right (fingers crossed)

Update:

Camera performed flawlessly during vacation. Took ~ 1500 photos. However, the week after our return the *NEW* camera started exhibiting the same lens cover problem. So far we have had to send to Nikon twice, once for repair and once for replacement.

We plan on contacting Nikon and asking for a refund.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD Here

I've been waiting for a camera like this from Nikon for years and was about to go for the Canon G11 when the P7000 (and G12) came out. The specs were exactly what I'd wanted a lower pixel count with higher ISO, larger, higher res screen than the P6000 with faster RAW processing and a greater range in the lens. I looked at the G12 but decided on the Nikon and I'm glad I did.

I shoot a D700, but wanted something I can take everywhere and I've just been blown away with the P7000. The controls take a little getting used to if you are familiar with the Nikon DSLR range, but ISO, QUAL, WB setup are almost the same and you get three custom settings U1, U2 and U3 where you can save common configurations such as low light (as the auto ISO ranges from 100-200, 100-400 and 100-1600 so it is a good idea ifyou use low light and want 3200 or Hi1 to set this up as a U setting rather than changing the ISO I setup mine as U3). You can also reprogram 3 of the standard buttons to shortcuts and there is a MyMenu which is really hand for commonly used settings.

Manual is a bit fiddly as the +/sensor is a bit slow and too small to use dynamically as the light meter setting shows up yellow on white (not much contrast) whereas the Aperture and Shutter priority are as fast as they are on a DSLR and are really clear. One really nice feature is the real time histogram, if you use histograms this will save you a lot of time and missed shots as you can see your shot will be over or under range before you shoot but then the matrix sensor is pretty hard to fool. I'm not a fan of bracketing, why not get the shot right first time around, but if you are a bracketing fan this too works well on the P7000 and can be setup on another U for when you want to make doubly sure you get the shot.

Image quality is amazing for a point and shoot like this, even at full optical zoom it will really make me think twice when travelling as to whether to lug your DSLR.

There is plenty of distortion in the lens, but not complex and easily corrected in Photoshop (not sure if NX2 does this automatically as with the D700).

I've no idea why Nikon bothered with the flash hot shoe, if you stick a flash on it you may as well use your DSLR and with the low light handling and VR of the P7000 as well as a steady hand you can take superb low light shots, and the little inbuilt flash more than suffices when high ISO's are not enough.

One thing I love is the view finder. I'm happy to use the screen to take a shot but in daylight you are often guessing at what you are shooting and the viewfinder provides an pretty good alternative. An accurate DSLR viewfinder it isn't, but it zooms as the lens zooms and it is accurate enough to get the shot. Apparently it is an 80% viewfinder, I think that is an average as it seemed to vary over the range but you do get used to it pretty quickly, especially with the P7000's zoom stops.

All in all the P7000 is just superb. I'm glad I waited and at 85% of the weight of the G12, longer zoom (the lens is rated slower at 5.6 vs 4.5 with the G12, but then the P700 runs to 200mm whereas the G12 is 140mm they are probably similar at around 140mm).

I'm sure Nikon will have a better model in 2 years, but at this stage I can't even imagine what would entice me to buy it as the P7000 has it all.

Thank you Nikon and well done.

Want Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD Discount?

I really get tired of people who write reviews and have no idea of what they are talking about. I have been a photographer since 1958 and haave used/experimented with everything from (A) Alpa to (z) Zephyr. A Nikon devotee I will say right up front that the Coolpix P 7000 is not a camera for those who are given to setting cameras in the (P) mode and white light balance to Auto. With the D3x, D700 and D90 in my camera cabinet I can tell you that the P7000 deserves to be in that company. Yes there is a bit of a lag if you are shooting in the Fine mode with both RAW and JPEG files being recorded, but that would be true of any camera in this "Bridge Class" of cameras.

I put this camera through its paces at the Newseum here in Washington DC and in areas where flash was forbidden, historic documents and front pages with White Light balanced to incandescent the aging document colors remained accurate and at ISO 1600 I was able to hand hold without difficulty and without loosing a shot, producing 300 DPI 11 (x) 14 and 16 (x) 20 print files. In fact the only time I used the flash, set a fill-flash was to photograph a brass Lion outside of the Capital Grill. Bare burning sunlight lit up the right side and the fill flash balanced the left side shadow area to absolute perfection. That photo is a flawless 16 (x) 20 file that reveals every bit of weather damage and Pigeon droppings.

Spot metering the interior of a hanging Helicopter interior, conveniently approximately 50% Grey value the sensor recorded every color, hue and tonality faithfully.

Exterior photos from the observation deck produced picture perfect postcard renditions of the Capital and surrounding buildings.

The camera uses all of my external Nikon Flash cords and set up on a Stroboframe Pro "T" bracket makes for a very appropriate compact carry unit Compared with a good number of cameras in this class, all competent, the controls of the P7000 suit me to a, excuse me, a "T". The Stroboframe 300 QRC plate is a wonderful fit for tripod mounting. I have left it mounted to the camera as I habitually carry the small Bogen Manfrotto 3422 Table Top tripod around with me and use when needed bracing it against anything handy.

I used that setup in the nearby St. Mary's Cemetery doing some test scouting in anticipation of Fall Fog and Winter Snow. The rendering of the head stones was simply amazing; no other word, and the detail of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the back ground was superior to anything my Canon G cameras have produced.

Every camera has its strengths and weakness. If you want a swing out display buy something else and don't Complain. I don't like them and too many of my friends have had to send their equipment out for repair after minor knocks. I'm old school I guess and I carry a 4 ft. square of Black denim in my camera Bag and play Matthew Brady when I need to see the LED display in overwhelming light. It works just fine.

After over 250 photos with this camera I have dumped two. They were my errors.

If you read/study the manual, practice and utilize the white light balance control, change ISO appropriate to the Challenge, change meter pattern as dictated you will love this little gem.

As for any 1,2,3 ratings; I have to assume that those folks are either novices or Canon detractors. I have used them all and don't slant my appraisals. The Canon G series has much to offer but the Nikon P7000 does everything I want it to. Also you might want to looks up some of the reviews from the recent Photokina Trade show in Cologne where the P7000 was the hands down winner over the G12.

Can't wait for the accessory attachment tube to available. Heavens knows what I'll be able to mount on it...maybe Precision Optics +7 diopter close up lens.

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ViewSonic PJ1060 Office Theater Projector

I bought my PJ1060 for a home theatre setup. The 2000 lumen projection is more than adequate for daytime viewing of a 100" diagonal DA-Lite screen (projection distance ~15'). With inversion and keystoning features, I was able to mount the projector upside down from the ceiling using a third party mounting kit. Since I have a TV-tuner card (ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon) in my computer, I watch TV in 1024 x 768 resolution RGB mode, as opposed to Video mode. The quality is super. Projection of PC DVD movies is even better. I have had my projector for a year now without problems, operating it on average, several hours a day . I have not had to replace the bulb yet. The only reason I'm not giving the projector 5 stars, is that it does not support 1280x1024 non-interlaced. However, in my opinion, the price/performance ratio is excellent.

This very light, portable projector is perfect for small conference rooms.

It is easy to set up and connects in a snap to your laptop. Don;t leave home without it!

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