Showing posts with label summer handheld color video monitor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer handheld color video monitor. Show all posts

Thursday, August 21, 2014

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

Panasonic Pro AG-HVX200A 3CCD P2/DVCPRO 1080i High Definition Camcorder with 13x Optical ZoomWe used this camera to shoot our short film and it proved to be awesome. The P2 cards were a little tricky to work with, but certainly less difficult and more portable than film; without the added expense of telecine.

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

Great cam for the money.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I would recommend this camera to a friend.

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, June 29, 2014

CamRanger Remote Nikon & Canon DSLR Camera Controller, Wireless Camera Control from iPad, iPhone, i

CamRanger Remote Nikon & Canon DSLR Camera Controller, Wireless Camera Control from iPad, iPhone, iPod TouchWhat is it?

The CamRanger app and hardware enable wireless remote control of supported cameras over a private wi-fi network. It can be used simply as a remote shutter release. However, it is actually much more powerful than that because it can be used to remotely control a wide range of camera settings and shooting behaviors, as detailed below. Currently, a number of Nikon and Canon DSLRs are supported. I have tested CamRanger on an iPhone 4S with a Nikon D90. Most of my observations probably apply to other Nikon models. There are some differences between Nikon and Canon implementations, as described in the CamRanger user guide. I refer to the hardware component as the CamRanger "pod".

Addendum: after publishing the first version of this review, I discovered that focusing was not working properly with my D90. After a couple of e-mails with Dave at CamRanger, he agreed that things were not as they should be. He fixed this issue promptly in an updated version of the CamRanger app. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the customer support. Also, focusing now works properly with my D90.

A small bit of terminology

CamRanger can be used in Live View or non-Live View (Dead View?) modes. In Live View mode, the image being recorded by the camera sensor is streamed in real time (with a delay on the order of hundredths of a second) to your iDevice screen (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). Touching the screen on your iDevice will cause the camera to focus on that part of the scene, provided of course that you are using an auto-focus lens and AF is enabled on the camera. With Nikon cameras (but apparently not Canon), you have a choice of two connection modes: PC or Camera. Camera mode means that you can interact directly with the camera controls, and can see all the usual information on the camera's top LCD (provided that Live View is NOT also enabled). In PC mode (and Live View mode), the camera is unresponsive to direct manipulation of camera controls, and the top LCD simply displays "PC". PC mode enables remote control of the camera shooting mode (P,S,A,M). In Camera mode, you must rotate the dial on the top of the camera to change shooting mode. (It should be noted that turning on Live View while in Camera connection mode effectively changes the connection mode to PC.) If you want to use touch focusing with a Nikon, you will probably need to be in PC mode (see discussion below).

Basic Camera Settings

Unless otherwise noted, the following applies to both PC and Camera connection modes.

Shooting mode (P,S,A,M,Scene): as noted above, this can be controlled remotely only in PC connection mode (on Nikon cameras). A tiny glitch is that in Program (P) mode it is not possible to remotely alter the shutter speed/aperture combination selected by the program. That is, one cannot remotely engage what Nikon calls Flexible Program. This seems a minor point: people who use CamRanger are unlikely to use Program mode in the first place.

Aperture: full remote control

Shutter speed: full remote control

Image format: remote selection of RAW, JPG, RAW+JPG, and JPG quality -but NOT JPG size. JPG size will be as last set on the camera.

Metering mode: full remote control in non-Live View mode

Drive mode (single-frame, continuous low speed, etc.): full remote control -plus the ability to set the number of frames in continuous shooting mode

White balance: full remote control

Auto-focus mode (AF-S, AF-C, etc.): full remote control

Exposure compensation: full remote control in 1/3 EV increments (up to ± 5 EV on a D90)

Exposure bracketing: full remote control three exposures (± 2 EV in 1/3 increments on a D90). Note: the exposure compensation and bracketing options available in the CamRanger app are the same as if the D90 were being operated manually. This suggests that the available CamRanger settings will depend on the camera being used.

Focus mode (AF, MF): remote switching between auto focus and manual focus available in PC connection mode only. This is perhaps the least intuitive control. If you are in Live View, touching the screen will make the camera focus on the part of the scene that you touch, regardless of the AF/MF CamRanger setting (provided the switches on the camera and lens are set for AF). However, if CamRanger is set to AF, the camera will re-focus before making an exposure, using the focusing area last selected on the camera. In other words, CamRanger must be set to MF in order for remote touch focusing to work properly. In effect, this is remote manual focusing (MF) by using a touch screen, and it overrides the AF camera/lens settings. You need to be in PC connection mode in order for the switches on the camera and lens to be set to AF while at the same time being able to be set CamRanger to MF. At least that is how it works on the D90. I don't know how this works on Canon bodies, and even other Nikon bodies may work a bit differently.

Live histogram: in Live View mode only

ISO: Full remote control, with the caveat that Auto ISO must not be enabled in the camera menus. Unfortunately ISO selection is NOT disabled on the CamRanger when the camera is in Auto ISO mode. This gives one the false impression that ISO is being controlled remotely. Auto ISO cannot be turned on and off remotely.

Focus Control

See the discussion above about MF/AF focus mode. Remote autofocusing is accomplished in Live View mode by touching the image on the iDevice screen to place a focus point. Furthermore, remote focus can be fine-tuned by pressing six upor down-pointing triangular touch-screen "buttons" in the CamRanger UI (rather than by touching the image). In non-Live View mode, the camera will focus automatically according to the settings made on the camera (single-point AF, etc.), with the obvious caveat that AF must be enabled on the camera/lens. It is not possible to remotely select the focus point in non-Live View mode.

An automated focus stacking feature is also included. It is possible to set the number of shots in a sequence. One is also given the option of small, medium or large focus increments between captures. But there is no indication of what small, medium and large actually mean. A sequence is started from the the closest focus point, which is chosen in Live View mode. However, there is no way of knowing, except by reviewing images, how far the focus stacking sequence progresses. In other words, getting reliable results will involve some trial-and-error tinkering. An alternative is to do focus stacking manually by touching successive focus points on the iDevice screen. Hopefully, this feature can be be improved in subsequent software versions.

Time-lapse Photography (Timer and Intervalometer)

CamRanger can be used to control a time-lapse sequence of exposures, or to make a single exposure at some point in the future. The user sets the number of exposures, the time interval ("shot delay") between exposures, and the delay before the first exposure. The number of exposures can be set between 1 and 10,000, and the interval between shots can range from 1 sec to 59 min 59 sec. Once a sequence is initiated, the communicating iDevice can be turned off and/or disconnected from the CamRanger wi-fi network. The CamRanger user guide states that the interval between exposures is not precisely controlled, particularly when it "is only a few seconds or less." It's not clear how long (in time) that a sequence can be, given that the limiting factor will be battery life of the CamRanger "pod".

HDR Sequences

CamRanger can control automated HDR exposure sequences. Steps between successive exposures can range from 1/3 to 3 EV (in 1/3 EV increments). The attribute being varied can be aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. The number of exposures in the sequence can also be set, within a range that is determined by available camera settings (e.g., maximum shutter speed), the step size between exposures, and the settings for the initial exposure. The initial exposure is the "darkest", as set within the CamRanger app. In my tests, the time between exposures was about 2 sec, which is rather long given that subject movement is generally undesirable in HDR images.

In some ways the CamRanger implementation of HDR is an improvement over the native implementation on the D90. In particular, a native "automated" HDR sequence on the D90 is limited to no more than three exposures with a maximum range of 4 EV between the lightest and darkest images. However, if the drive mode on the D90 is set to continuous (high), those three exposures will take less than 1 second.

I tried to see if I could work around CamRanger's slow HDR shooting. Using CamRanger, I remotely set the camera drive mode to continuous (high) for seven exposures. Then I used CamRanger to set up a 7-exposure HDR sequence. I ended up with 49 exposures, seven taken at each step in the HDR sequence! Hopefully HDR sequences can be sped up in the future.

Image Review

With Nikon cameras, you must shoot JPG or RAW+JPG in order to review images (other than thumbnails) on your iDevice screen. (With Canon, you can just shoot RAW). You cannot review images on the LCD of your camera as long as the USB connection is maintained between the camera and the CamRanger "pod". This is true even if the connection mode is set to Camera. Image review on your iDevice can include a three-color histogram as well as blinking highlight and shadow clipping warnings.

Small Irritations

1. Almost every time I want to establish a wi-fi connection between my iPhone and the CamRanger, I am prompted for the network password. The "fix" is to simply try again. It always seems to work on the second try -no password needed. (This is a known "bug".)

2. On an iPhone, the CamRanger app does not switch to landscape view when the phone is rotated. (I believe this is NOT the case on iPads.)

Conclusion

Overall, CamRanger is truly impressive from both software and hardware standpoints. The variety of camera settings and shooting behaviors that can be controlled remotely (wirelessly) is astounding, especially for a third-party implementation. Certainly, nothing made by Nikon comes even close. All features seem to work quite well, although focus stacking is a bit crude, and execution of HDR sequences is slow (as detailed above). So far, I have only used the CamRanger "pod" within a few feet of my iPhone, so I cannot speak to the communication range. Nor have I made explicit tests of battery life, or tied to shoot video sequences. I have not tried using the CamRanger app in bright sunlight, where visibility of the the iDevice screen might be an issue. Finally, I'm guessing that the Live View capability with touch focusing will be very impressive on an iPad, with its much larger screen (compared to the iPhone). Finally, I've had excellent customer support from CamRanger.

I purchased one of these devices after being quite disappointed with my acquisition of the Nikon WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter for my Nikon D600. The CamRanger is the REAL DEAL! I couldn't be happier with it's performance. Once the software is downloaded from iTunes and the unit is registered in the software, it works like a dream. As an old dude who shoots a lot of ground level macro nature subjects (mushrooms), I no longer have to get my face close to the ground to compose and focus my images. With the iPad on my lap or on the ground next to me, I observe the screen to set the composition and then lock it in with a Really Right Stuff ball head. If I use auto focus, I simply touch the iPad screen at the precise point I want in sharp focus, or I can focus manually and use that huge iPad screen to easily see when my image is sharp. F/stop and shutter speed settings are all done on the iPad screen, as well as releasing the shutter. One can also make incremental focusing adjustments on the iPad for focus stacking, as well as program multiple exposures for HDR shooting. After the capture is made, the image can be brought up on the iPad screen to view the histogram and verify proper exposure. The images will always be stored on the camera's media card and can also be stored in the iPad or smart phone. This product is a nature photographer's wet dream!

Buy CamRanger Remote Nikon & Canon DSLR Camera Controller, Wireless Camera Control from iPad, iPhone, i Now

The CamRanger hardware is a slightly rebranded TP-LINK TL-MR3040. I say slightly because outside it has stick on labels that say 'CamRanger' and show the 'serial number' CamRanger has assigned to the unit. Inside the battery cover it is all about the TL-MR3040. To see the base hardware Amazon has the TL-MR3040 here:

http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Portable-Battery-Wireless-TL-MR3040/dp/B0088PPFP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357480671&sr=8-1&keywords=tl-mr3040

I received the unit in a plain cardboard box. There was absolutely nothing in the box except the router, cabling, carrying case, and charger. No documentation of any kind. Documentation is included in the iOS CamRanger app but one must be connected to the device to see the documentation. This means you must figure out how to get it connected before you can see the documentation telling one how to connect it-not a particularly good situation.

I made a few guesses and had it up and running in about 3 minutes so the lack of proper 'in the box' documentation, while annoying, isn't a deal breaker for me--YMMV. The documentation can be downloaded from the CamRanger web site in the form of a PDF file and I suggest anyone contemplating purchase of this device do so and read it before purchase.

There were many very small scratches on the device which I suspect are the result of handling by whoever adds the CamRanger specific labeling and installs the CamRanger firmware. These scratches aren't obvious under normal lighting but I suspect that the soft plastic case scratches easily-time and use will determine that.

The CamRanger web site has a link to a video showing the unit in operation so I won't go into that other than to say my unit performs as shown in the video. No surprises so far.

Most of the cost of the unit appears to be in the firmware and iOS software added to the router by CamRanger and is what I would consider, on first glance anyway, to be a bit steep. If the unit proves to be physically robust and CamRanger continues to update the firmware and software at no additional cost then the price gap will narrow. It should also narrow from competition as other vendors enter the arena. As it is I am slightly taken aback by the cost but I feel that if it was produced by Canon or Nikon the cost would be even higher.

Some have said that the battery cover is fragile and can be problematic when opening it for the first time. I didn't have a Quickstart guide to read as one was left out of my shipment so I opened it very gently. CamRanger support just emailed me a Quickstart guide and I can see where confusion can arise. The directions for opening the battery cover aren't totally correct IMHO.

The directions as to where to begin the opening process are correct, but an easier (to me at least) method is to pry the outer edges up and out slightly using fingernails until the end of the cover on the Ethernet side is up slightly--about 1/4" and then gently pull the Ethernet end of the cover slightly away from the router while also gently pulling towards the Ethernet end. This action will successfully remove the cover without overly straining the little plastic tabs holding the battery cover in place.

I will add more to this review as I become more familiar with the unit.

Read Best Reviews of CamRanger Remote Nikon & Canon DSLR Camera Controller, Wireless Camera Control from iPad, iPhone, i Here

I bought this unit through the CamRanger website and have owned and used it since February, 2013. I wrote a pretty extensive review about it and have been in contact with the creators. I'm a little conflicted giving it a 3 of 5 stars rating because mostly it's a 5 star product. I see many glowing reviews and most of them are pretty accurate. Understand that this is not an "intervalometer". Nor is it a "wireless interalometer". The features go way beyond that!

You can do focus stacking, automated HDR, remote shutter operation, remote setting of just about everything!

But here are the things that detract for me for MY use. Mind you I'm a night photgrapher, a Nyctophile. The good news is I believe nearly all of these issues can be remedied with a firmware/software upgrade, except for a few. Note that my testing has been with several Canon cameras (the 40D, 50D and 5Dii). Because the application allows you to do what the camera exposes, your experience will be different depending on the camera you use. Nikon's are noticeably more feature stunted something I observed when I unplugged it from my 5D ii and plugged it into a friend's Nikon 800.

1. While you can set up a timelapse sequence, there is no way to stop it from the iPad or iPhone application. The only method seems to be to turn off the device.

2. There is no indication that a timelapse sequence is underway, how many frames have been taken, or how many are left to shoot.

3. CamRanger doesn't remember the last settings used. So, for example if I go to "Timelapse" I have to always start again by dialing in the shot length, delay, etc. Unfortunately the number of shots is a single spin wheel only. It takes quite a lot of spinning to get to say, 500 shots. Likewise the exposure length is a slider that is fidgety to set a precise exposure length.

4. I couldn't convince the CamRanger to take an extended Auto Bracket. I could coax it into doing what my 5D II is able to do natively, but not more. For example if I wanted it to shoot at 1/2, 2, 8 and 32 seconds it doesn't seem possible because that sequence spans the range from conventional to bulb mode.

5. The application doesn't remember the focus mode. To do focus tweaking you have to leave autofocus ON on the lens and disable it in the application. Unfortunately it doesn't remember the application settings so if you go out of range or start over, oops... your camera will try to auto focus.

6. There are a number of modes and operations where the application insists that you manually turn off live preview (or turn it on). Oddly, the app has a button to do it, but it won't do it for you.

7. I would like to have sub-second delays between exposures (a star trail mode). This apparently is not feasible due to the nature of the USB interface.

Hardware Issues

8. The only way to charge a battery is in the device (at least that I'm aware of). The battery life has been good, however, and it can be powered via a separate power source.

9. The on-off switch is a tiny little button that is nearly impossible to find and operate in the dark.

10. I wish the case that came with the device had velcro strap so I could attach it to a tripod leg, and enough space to hold all the components (charger, extra cable, spare batteries).

About the Cost

I am aware that there are homebrew solutions at much lower cost if you are using an Android phone. That's not what I have. However, the application except for the flaws noted, is well done, and the number of features added to your camera in a well packaged, wireless solution is pretty amazing for the price. One night spent warm in my car while I monitor (and change) my camera settings from 40 feet away; one evening spent cozy indoors while I monitor my astrophotography going on in the frigid outdoors; not having to break my neck to fine tune the focus while my camera or telescope are pointing up at impossible angles; and being able to show my photography students real time results on a nice big iPad without having to hover around an LCD all make this solution well worth the price.

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Does everything it claims to do, easily and flawlessly. Wonderful for architectural work. Much easier and more efficient than tethering. I have used this great little item on both my Nikon D800E and Canon 5D Mark III without a single hitch. I love the fact that you have the option of loading the images only to the camera media and not to the ipad as you could easily use up the ipad memory with images when shooting on these high mp cameras.

Connection to either camera is fast. The little baggie supplied with the unit hangs nicely from my tripod. I have recently added a Tether Tools iPad holder to my tripod which allows the whole setup camera, tripod, CamRanger, and iPad to be moved through a photo shoot with one hand. No trailing teather cable or going back to drag the laptop to another room for tethered shooting! This is a mega leap forward for my workflow something I have been looking for several years.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Sony Cybershot DSCT33 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station)

Sony Cybershot DSCT33 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical ZoomI own the DSC-F828 (8 megapixel) Sony...and do a lot of varied work, usually taking it everywhere. But it's a bit slow out of the bag sometimes, for a simple snapshot. Therefore I purchased this camera (the T-3 Euro version) as an adjunct to the big brother.

Frankly, 5 Megapixel appears a bit less sharp now that I'm used to 8 Megapixel ....and the lens CAN be a tiny bit soft focus in low light. Yes, there's relativly few manual adjustments, too.

Flash is not bad, works well as a fill in sunlight, a bit harsh indoors. But then I shot a lot of no-flash, as slow as an 1/8, handheld. It works well. Nice colors, too,

However, this little devil powers up FAST as I draw it from the Sony leather belt holster. Red Eye reduction, 3x zoom, *HUGE* view screen (really impressive for showing off to your friends what you just shot...), neat carry strap.

This thing is really HANDY....not as your ONLY camera but as the all-day, EVERY-DAY camera. It fits on your belt in as little space as a cell phone with the abilty to shoot all day long....

I bought a travel charger & spare battery (these can charge while I shoot), extra memory (came with a 32mb I bought a 128, then a 256. You buy a 512.), and the nice Sony leather belt case. Look for a USB memory stick reader, like the wonderful SanDisk MobileMate MS (the size, literally, of a USB flash drive, i.e. keyring-able), and you're ready.

You can afford this. Think about it. Super small, excellent quality, out of the way...but ALWAYS there. Get it. Or, let me put it another way, "Can you afford less?".

PS What I REALLY like about this camera is that my big 828 scares the pants off my subjects because it's seen (to them) as "professional", yet no one runs away when I pull this little guy out. You can see the differences in their attitude right away.

I get more intimate pictures, with minimal quality loss, using this camera far more frequently, now, than the 828.

I bought this camera about a month ago and have been truly impressed. I know a bit about digital cameras having owned a few over the years and this camera presses all the right buttons for me. The camera is small, about the size and weight of a pack of playing cards, smaller even. The styling is great and the build quality is top notch. The camera has many features normally found on larger format cameras. The video quality is superb and nearly does away with the need for a camcorder for those holiday videos, works best out doors and in daylight. There is no set limit to video length except for the capacity of the memory card. A 1 Gig card holds about 13min of highest quality video, long enough for any take I can think of. The general picture quality is very good for a compact and the prints I've made to A4 paper are spot on. It is fast to start up and "reload". The LCD screen quality is the best I've seen on a compact. The macro/magnifying mode is a revelation, allowing for some "microscope" type close-ups. The interface is intuitive and user friendly. In conclusion this camera is perfect for the average user who needs a highly portable quality digital camera. Recommended upgrade would be a 512mb or 1Gig memory card for that high quality video.

Buy Sony Cybershot DSCT33 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station) Now

We purchased this camera as a replacement for our bulky Sony DSC-P52, which stopped working after year or so due to a problem with the lens mechanism. Naturally, only time will tell if this is any different, but in the meantime, here's what you need to know about this baby:

The Good:

1) Size and weight Fits almost comfortably in any pocket. Much thinner and lighter than any previous digital camera I've owned, thus encourages one to carry it most anywhere. The size is also pretty comfortable for one-hand shooting.

2) Big LCD screen You didn't need me to tell you this, right? Makes previewing images and taking shots much more satisfying, though sometimes it does not appear very clear, especially if the subject is not static. However, it is bright and rich in color.

3) InfoLithium This is Sony's name for a battery that tells you how much time it has left only approximately, of course. If use is consistent, will provide you with a good idea. If you use one function then another then another, it tends to vary much more and is not as useful.

4) Integrated charger/USB station A flimsy plastic cradle takes care of charging the on-board battery as well as providing a USB hookup for downloading images and video into the computer. Minimizes wires and removes the need for a separate charger, though the bright white color is far from a match.

The Bad:

1) Focusing problems The camera cannot focus on objects that are relatively close to it. I am not speaking about macros, but simply the function or lack thereof to focus on small, near objects, such as coins, stamps, or text. Quick focus on objects farther away, though.

2) Integrated Battery I listed the InfoLithium as a positive, but the fact that you cannot just pop-in a couple of AA batteries means you will always need the station or the plug to charge up if you need some juice. I don't know if the battery is universal, but even if it is, it will cost substantially more to purchase a replacement.

3) Incompatible Memory Sticks I will not complain about Sony's desire to make consumers pay more for its cards than adopting a standard, but this camera uses the MemoryStick Duo, which is about 1/4 or so smaller than the "regular" MemoryStick. This means that the hundreds you may have invested in memory cards for previous Sony digital cameras are pretty useless, as they do not fit into this or any other device using the smaller cards.

4) Ineffective Flash The flash is tiny, thus does not provide adequate illumination in the dark. Within a few feet is okay, but farther subjects are not touched.

5) 3x Optical Zoom C'mon, this is 2005! 3x optical zoom is pretty pathetic for such an expensive camera.

6) Slow Write Speed There is a decent pause between pictures, meaning you not be able to shoot at a rapid rate. You can certainly take pictures in bursts, but it takes even longer to write to the memory stick. Previewing the images is also slow. This is also disappointing, as it's not faster than my older P52.

7) No Tripod Hookup If you wish to use a tripod, you have to mount the camera on the plastic station, then connect the tripod to the plastic dock. This is far from ideal.

Well, there you have it. The negatives I listed may be insignificant for you, in which case this could be a great value for you. I am certainly happy with it, but I only wish Sony would stop treating its customers like cash cows with changing standards, compatibilities, and dubious long-term quality.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Cybershot DSCT33 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Includes Docking Station) Here

This is a great camera for travel and everyday events because of its small and convenient size. We bought it to replace our bulkier Sony DSC-F707. The large screen is wonderful! The video feature is a lot of fun but due to the small size it is hard to take a steady video. The battery meter is very useful as it tells you how much time you have left. The main downside with this camera is the flash. It doesn't work well in very dark conditions for distant or even slightly distant shots. If it weren't for the flash, I would have given this a rating of 5 stars. This is overall a good camera.

For more serious digital photography, we prefer to use the Sony DSC-F707 as it has a better flash and zoom. However, it is too bulky to carry around.

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We were early digital camera adopters so this model is now our 5th or 6th camera. A requirement for us when we buy a digital camera is the availabilty of an underwater housing since we use these camera during scuba trips. We have a larger Sony DSC-F707 with an Amphibico housing which does a great job for us but requires a crate when we take it diving. This camera was purchased with the Sony brand underwater housing which is tiny and neatly organized so the entire package and is very compact to travel with. Sony has made some significant improvements in their underwater housings since the first generation including double o-rings and ability to support the deepest recreational dives. Camera and housing fit in a tiny backpack and easily goes under an airplane seat. For serious underwater photography you will require heaps of external light and I'm not a fan of Sony's underwater lighting solution but other choices exist.

My favorite things about the camera are the large 2.5" screen which allows me to easily see which shots I want to keep. The small, thin and light size also makes it easy to use. The big selling feature for me was a 640x480 30 fps mpeg movie capability so we can email clips that people can actually see. The docking station makes sure it is always charged and ready. I've been very pleased with the battery life. As far as "cons" go there are few. I would like to see a better flash (which seems to be the case with most digital cameras) and more than the 3x optical zoom. Again, a larger zoom seems improbable in a camera this size. On land, the unit is a bit inconvenient to use with a tripod since it must be in the docking station to mount. I consider all of these to be minor since my primary goal was to have a small underwater-capable camera that would do 640x480 mpegs and bright 5.1mp shots. For me, Sony met those goals in a small form factor and at an attractive price.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

MOBI MobiCam Ultra 900 MHz Monitoring System with SW Power

MOBI MobiCam Ultra 900 MHz Monitoring System with SW PowerThis product really needs to back to the design board. I am a new father and thought this would be an amazing addition to the collection of baby products that we invested in. however no, it is not. the IDEA of it is great, but in practical applications it is of little use.

The audio it sub par. for a produt that cost nearly 200 dollars and it labeled with the ULTRA classification one would expect amazing performance. however it is quite lackluster. The audio is something that has been mastered by other baby monitor manufacturers so one would expect that this one would be too. Not so. The audio is unusable. I had to go and purchase a 30 dollar baby monitor to hear my child.

The Video. well, that is what this product is for right? well, good luck. I happen to live in New York city so the is interference all around. as well as a WiFi network in my apartment. In this day and age of everything wireless one would expect a product costing 200 dollars to have some sort of RF rejection circuity to make sure that the signal to get through to the unit. Not so. I understand that it is on the 900Mhz spectrum which should not interfere with the 2.4 Ghz spectrum of Wifi and cordless phones. but no, the video constantly rolls and is barely usable. The Night vision is a nice idea, however the IR lights that help the night vision work are too strong, so the image is blown out when trying to place the camera at a distance where one can see the eyes of the little one to know if they are awake. So then placing the unit at a distance so that the night vision actually works puts the camera too far away to see their eyes in the day time. it is a toss up.

Overall i am very dissatisfied with this product. It functions only now to be used in addition to a 30 dollar baby monitor to see if the little one is moving around. not as the primary monitor, which i thought it would be.

The video sounds cool and is a neat idea, but a webcam might be a better option if you have a computer.

plus the receiver unit/video mointor EATS batteries. It should have an option to just use the microphone, that way it would be more economical.

My husband and I purchased the Mobicam 70007 to use as a baby monitor (although, it can be used for other things). I really wanted the video portion so I could see my son at night and not have to panic running into his room to make sure he was ok. It helps me sleep well since I can just open my eyes and see him (even when he was in our room in the pack and play, I had to get up and walk over there to see him...so this is way easier). The picture is fairly good as long as you don't have any "interference" (like a cordless phone, microwave, running fan, or anything else like that around). I find it gives a lot of static at times, which is frustrating.

There are two things everyone should be aware of:

1) Mobi's customer service is non-existent. I wrote in with a simple question over a month ago and never heard back. That is UNACCEPTABLE to me. Not even an auto-generated response. This alone will keep me from buying any more of their products since they obviously don't care about you once you buy from them.

2) You will need to keep the camera AND receiver/monitor both plugged in almost all the time. The camera is easy to plug in, but the monitor eats through batteries. So while it seems convenient to have it be wireless and portable, you'll have to change batteries literally every day! But, keeping it plugged in most of the time is ok.

Overall, this product does what it needs to do and helps me sleep at night. I'm just disappointed in the "service" from Mobi, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth after spending a good deal of money with them for a product I had to wait a month to get.

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The system would get 5 stars if not for interference it gets almost non-stop.

I don't own anything else in the 900Mhz range, yet the system receives so much static sound that it's almost unusable. I have used 900Mhz/2.4Ghz/5.8Ghz phones and none of them ever had this kind of static.

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I echo the previous comment. We bought this unit so we would be able to see our daughter in her crib while she slept. In reality all we were able to see was "snow" on the camera and we had to keep the volume all the way down so we wouldn't hear the static from the unit. The only time we were able to get a clear picture was when the camera and the receiver were in the same room together. I wrote to their tech support and all they could tell me is that there was interference with something else in our house.

We have since spent a little extra money and purchased an AVTech Solutions monitor with much better results. The screen is bigger and the images are much clearer. It is well worth the extra money.

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I returned this monitor after 2 days. I could not get it to stop crackling (popping static sound) intermittently. Also, if you don't have the camera wall mounted, in order to use the night vision option, you have to lift the camera and move a button under the unit. This is not practical since you run the risk each time of not repositioning the camera correctly. Then you have to set the switch again in the AM. This just wasn't the product I expected for this price.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Polaroid Pro Video Condenser Shotgun Microphone For The Nikon 1 J1, V1, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D

Polaroid Pro Video Condenser Shotgun Microphone For The Nikon 1 J1, V1, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D80, D100, D200, D300, D3, D3S, D700, D3000, D3200, D7000, D800, D800E, D4, D5100 Digital SLR Camerasi have the nikon d5000 and this mic i ordered dosent even have the right input for it.. please beware and buy somewhere else the customer service was just a answering message and they never called me back with my issue... buyer beware!!!! ur better off going to radioshack and having them pick a mic for u

The announcement indicates that the microphone is compatible with Nikon D5000, however this is not true. D5000 does not have the connector to use this microphone.

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This is my first review, but I feel obligated to share my experience with this particular item.

I initially got it for the use of my D5000, since the product advertised that it was compatible. This got me pretty excited because the audio on that body is really despicable and useless when sound is concerned. I got it pretty promptly, but was disappointed to see that it required a mic input that the D5000 unfortunately lacked, so buyer beware. It's somewhat my fault for neglecting to check that small detail, but the title was very misleading.

But to be fair, I should really base my review on the item, right? Well it's not too satisfactory in that department either. I got the opportunity to test it on the newer D5100 model, and the audio with the external microphone is marginally different. Tested multiple times in loud situations, I found that it helps lessen distortion and peaking, but just a fraction better than the inbody microphone of the D5100. Keep in mind that the model I have has exceptionally good audio recording already, and tested the quality with loud live music. So if your camera really has poor sound, it might be worth the price.

I should also give it credit for being really easy to use right out of the box. I just had to put in the battery, plug it in, and switched it on. However, the light would flicker once when I switched to on, but wouldn't stay lit to signify that it was continually on. A small issue, but was something I noticed.

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I'll admit right away that I don't have this product, but I did notice that it says Nikon 1 J1. I have a J1, it doesn't even have a mic input so there is no way that this mic would work with it. I'm just writing this review not to hate on it but just in case someone is considering the J1 and thinks that the thing has a Mic Input because of this.

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Confused about the complaints relating to the D5000... Nowhere does it say this mic is compatible with that model. D3000, D3200, D7000... yes, but not the D5000. Maybe buyers should be sure to read the details on the product before being critical of things it isn't meant to do.

The mic seems to be fine for the price and what it's intended to do.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Datacolor Spyder Studio S4SSR100

Datacolor Spyder Studio S4SSR100I spent the weekend setting up my new spyder4 studio bundle, and I must say I am very very happy with my purchase. I'm a visual effects student who does photography on the side, and after school ate into my budget I found myself unable to afford a calibration solution for my monitors. It got really irritating trying to explain to my teachers that it looked right on MY monitor. Anyway, I got my tax return and bought a spyder4 studio with it. Initially I was aggravated because nothing worked. Every time I tried to run the Spyder4Elite software it locked up to the point that I would have to reboot the computer. Eventually I found that the software was clashing with my amd graphics cards Catalyst Control Center software. I uninstalled all of my amd software and drivers, downloaded the newest drivers and reinstalled without the catalyst control software. So far I haven't had any problems with the lack of that software, and unless you like to overdrive your gpu for gaming I don't see any reason why you would have problems not having it. After that the spyder ran perfectly, and it's made an amazing difference. I've also been able to try out the spyderprint, which also works very well. Overall I'm stunned with how well it worked. If you want to work professionally in any kind of visual field you're taking a big risk not owning something like this.

I found that the display calibrator worked great, however the SpyderPrint generated ICC profiles that were very off in color. The ICC profiles provided with my printer (Epson Stylus Pro 4900 produce far better results. Even letting printer manage color was better.

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Recommended by a photo pro and does what I want. Have installed on three of my computers. Generates a consistent color profile on each machine.

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It does the job, but the printer calibration is very difficult. I am sorry I did not pay more for equipment that would be easier to use.

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Canon 0976B001 DTC-1000 D Terminal Component Video Cable (connects HD camcorder to HD component)

Canon 0976B001 DTC-1000 D Terminal Component Video CableLike every Canon OEM product I've used, the cable is well made and of nice quality. I use it with an adapter to take the component video out from the XHA1 and into the HDMI input of a Atomos Ninja for tapeless capture. And this thing is LONG! I have lots of length to dress the cable out of the way while shooting or reach to a cart where another capture device might be used. You won't be disappointed with this product.

In expensive way to get RGB cable for HVX200 camera. Seems to be of good quality. Perfect HD picture results.

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D terminal video cables are really hard to find. The seller shipped promptly, the cable is of excellent quality and the price was reasonable.

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