PLC-XW250 2600 Lumens 1024 x 768 XGA 500:1 Ultra-Portable LCD Multimedia Projector

I bought one of these a few months ago, and I am absolutely impressed. The picture quality is excellent, and the price is much lower than almost any other professional type projector out there. I recommend to anyone that needs a great projector for presentations, trainings, or anything else. I have even used mine for photo slideshows. Works great.

Moultrie D55-IR Game Spy 5 Megapixel Digital Infrared Game Camera (Camo)

Firstly, I want to make clear that I'm not using this camera for its intended purpose; I'm using it to try and find my lost cat by locating the camera near where he's been sighted, and then placing food to attract cats.

That being said, the camera has worked perfectly for my needs. It is easy to set up; the quick start guide steps you through setting up the time, photo/video, photo resolution, number of shots per trigger, and period between triggers. It has a nice, long adjustable strap for placing around trees, fence posts, etc. The camera's heavy-duty case is also lockable, as long as the lock has a small bar. I used a small padlock which is locked to a cable bike lock and the camera. At one feeding station location, the camera was vandalized by kids who tried unsuccessfully to remove the camera; failing at that, they tried to smash the lens. They managed to scratch the plastic lens shield, but the camera still takes good photos despite the scratches. The plastic covering of the digital info display was cracked open as well, but the camera still functions perfectly.

The night-vision works very well. I have placed the camera at a maximum of 3 feet from the feeding station, and can easily tell on the night photos whether a cat is black, gray, white, or tabby. The camera also has an aim feature that allows you to determine where the lens is aimed for optimal placement.

I was also concerned at first, because I'd heard that some of the game cameras won't detect smaller animals like cats. This camera has captured 7 different cats at 3 feeding station locations (none of them was my cat, sadly), as well as people walking by, crows, dogs, and bushes waving in the wind. I imagine that, if I were a hunter, I would find this to be a very useful tool for spotting game. I also am favorably impressed by the battery life. This camera has been running more or less constantly for 2 weeks straight on 6 C-cells, and the battery life indicator is at 89%. At this rate, I don't anticipate needing to replace the batteries for a couple of months. If I were placing this out in the bush, I would be able to rely on it staying on for quite a long time without needing to be babysat; I think the SD card would fill up before the battery ran out.

I give it 4 stars because there is no on-board memory, and it requires an SD card in order to operate. Also, there's no onboard display, so if you were a hunter, you'd either need to take the SD card all the way home to review the photos, or take your laptop out to the bush with a card reader. Not ideal. I have no idea if the photos taken by the Moultrie would show on another digital camera's display or not; I know other game cameras have problems with this kind of cross-compatibility. The camera does have a USB out feature, but that apparently only works for PCs, and I'm a Mac user.

This camera is outstanding, definitely 5 stars. I highly recommend it. I have several different cameras-this one is far superior to the others. The key with any camera is to not face it East because off morning sun unless you are in Pine trees or shaded area. It is good to face it where a trail comes toward it. The battery life is amazing, and the fast triggering exceptional. I had a large buck rub and scrape--I positioned camera about 20' from rub and the camera took 21 pictures of the buck crystal clear at night-great photographic quality. Surprisingly the flash had no affect on him as far as scaring him. Daytime photos are better than my other more expensive cameras. Programing the Moultrie couldn't be easier. I couldn't be happier with this camera. I also bought lock box for it and purchased a heavy chain and lock. No need to donate great camera to the wood's fairy. Don't hesitate buy Moultrie, buy the best.

Buy Moultrie D55-IR Game Spy 5 Megapixel Digital Infrared Game Camera (Camo) Now

This is my third Moultrie camera. All three are in the woods taking pictures of deer as I write. I purchased the D-55IR early in October and and has been in the woods for around 4 weeks. Still running on original batteries and taking great pictures. What I like about all my Moultrie cameras is that you can set them up without the manual. As far as not seeing the pictures in the woods, take your point and shoot camera with you. You can zoom in on the pictures to see whats on them. Sometimes I exchange the cards before I hunt and look at them while I'm in the stand. I am looking at buying a couple more of the D-55IR just so I don't have to buy three different si zes of batteries that my other cameras use.

Nov. 2011 update

I told my coworker how much I liked the D55IR and he bought two. He took these to the U.P. (Michigan). one camera took some nigh time photos and the other would not take any. He set the two next to each other, deer tracks in the snow and all the bait gone but no pictures. He asked me to check them out so I put them behind my house with my camera (now have three DIR55's and all work great) and the first one of his had few night time pictures 50 total, his second had 200 pictures with night time photos and mine had 500. I am going to tell him to send them back for repair.

Read Best Reviews of Moultrie D55-IR Game Spy 5 Megapixel Digital Infrared Game Camera (Camo) Here

This item was purchased brand new and didn't work right from the box. The directions were followed too the letter with no results. The company's customer service is non-existent. Attempted 7 phone calls and was put on hold each time for up to 40 minutes. Attempted several emails using their website with no response or results. The warranty is equally worthless because you have to contact their customer service department for their reimbursement procedures. My advice save your money and purchase another product. Moultrie Gamespy 5 Megapixel Digital Infrared Game Camera

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Bought the camera when something killed my Tom turkey. The critter had drug the carcass to a corner of the orchard and covered it with leaves. I knew it would be back. I set up the camera, it was easy to do, the instructions are easy to understand. No pictures the first night, except close-ups of me positioning the camera. The next night the critter came back, uncovered the carcass and had a feast. But not one picture!

I spent an hour during the next day trying to figure it out. Found out it has a detection limit of about 15 feet (does not mention that in the instructions). I had it set up about 25' from the carcass. The package says a 50' flash, big deal if it does not sense movement beyond 15'!!!

I will fool around with it a bit more but as it stands today I am sorely disappointed. I do not recommend this camera.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch

Now I know that is a bold statement and I intend to back it up. However, before I do I need to explain what I mean. I am not saying this camera is the best at everything or even anyone thing. Cameras that are the best at something are usually specialized beasts that can really only do that one thing well. What I am talking about is a camera the is so good in so many categories that it can joyfully be used for just about and photographic or video graphic purpose you may have. The GH2 is that camera.

Now that is out of the way we can get to the meat and potatoes of the review. I shoot mostly Nikon and Panasonic and I primarily shoot stills. I dabble in Video but do not proclaim myself any sort of an expert. I can say if you are looking for the best handling combo/cam with the most features then the GH2 is the one you want. Panasonic went out of its way to make this a video camera so that was its primary focus with this camera. However, there are lots of payoffs for the stills part of this camera so this is the best m4/3 stills camera by a long shot also. I will also say that the hard core video market is a niche market compared to the stills market because shallow depth of field video is hard to shoot properly and hard to edit. The average home user has neither the time nor inclination to properly storyboard and shoot this type of video. However, with that said, it is really nice to be able to shoot stills and video. And basic home videos are a snap to shoot with this camera; much more so than any other DSLR with the exception of the Sony SLT A55/33 which at least has a fast auto focus also. To shoot nice home movies, put the mode dial to iA, press the red button, and you are shooting video.

This camera is the next generation of cameras as it successfully blends the advantages of Point and Shoot cameras with the benefits of DSLRs and creates and incredibly small and powerful camera. Listed below are some of the benefits and weakness you get from this next gen camera.

What's Hot

The handling on the GH2 is bar none the best handling "DSLR" on the market. WIth smart controls, great layout, fast autofocusing, swivel screen, full time double live view, etc. Even with how good the D7000 is, it still feels clunky after using the GH2. I get into most of the details of this down below so I don't want to repeat the info here. What I will say here is that you can do things with this camera you couldn't hope to do with DSLRs and you can generally set up your photo parameters much faster with this camera. The menus on the GH2 are not very good. However, the actual camera controls are so good you will rarely even need to use the menus.

Program Shift Forget using Aperture priority with this camera. You can leave the camera in Program mode. With program shift you can change the aperture setting and thus the shutter speed while in program mode. To do this you press the shutter release button down half way to set the exposure. Then if the numbers are in yellow you just rotate the rear dial switch to change aperture. Want a shallower depth of field or faster shutter speed, then dial in a bigger aperture (smaller number). If the numbers are not in yellow then you are currently in exposure compensation mode. All you have to do is click the rear dial switch and then rotate it. Snap. What a neat feature.

Extra Tele Convert (ETC) Mode in Video If you shoot video you are going to love this. This is even great for home/casual video shooters. The GH2 has a 16mp sensor but like every other consumer combo/cam shoots 2K video. That means the picture is usually down-sampled to make it 2K. This has some pluses and minuses. Enter the GH2. With the ETC mode the camera uses only 2K of the sensor. This gives you an extra 2.6x crop factor. Which means your total crop factor is now 5.2x. So that brand spanking new 100-300mm you just got is now 520-1560mm with no light loss. If you put a Nikon 135mm f2 then you now have a 702mm f2! lens for video. There are some drawbacks for using ETC also but they are pretty negligible.

Auto focus the auto focus on the GH2 is twice as fast as the GH1 and the GH1 was the fastest of previous generation. I have seen some very knowledgeable photographers saying it is as fast as mid-level DSLRs. While I think it is supposed to be a complement I don't think it is a very good comparison. I find the focus speed of DSLRs has most to do with what lens you have on. There are some lenses that focus slowly on even a D3. All of the lenses I have used on the GH1 focus very quickly except the 45-200mm. That lens tends to be my slowest. Non of the lenses I have focus as fast as a 70-200mm f/2.8 but the rest of them focus as fast if not faster than any of the other Nikon lenses I own. The best I can say about this is that you won't notice the focus speed on the GH2 as it is fast enough to get out of your way.

Smaller lighter camera I recently went on a trip to Egypt and carried nothing but my Panasonic gear. Two camera bodies, 5 lenses, 1 flash, an iPad, and camera bag. Total weight 10lbs (3lbs of that was the bag itself). My Nikon D300 and 14-24mm lens would have weight more just by themselves (I was carrying the Panasonic 7-14mm so I did have wide covered)

Swivel Screen with full-time live view You won't know what you are missing until you become used to this and how well it works. Want to reach up as high as you can and shoot down; No problems. Want to get as low as possible but can't lay down in the mud or water; No problem. Want to take a picture of you and your daughter but there is nobody around; No problem. Turn the screen around aim the camera at you and use the screen to frame. Something that makes photos interesting is showing the viewer something from a perspective they don't often see. The swivel screen actively encourages this. The other thing the swivel screen does is make shooting from a tripod a joy. Because of how small and light this camera is you can use a much smaller tripod. I have a 3lb tripod that can support 7lbs. Also, you can now set you camera up in all sorts of whacky positions and just rotate the screen to be able to frame and focus. Very nice. Also, with no mirror to flip up you don't have to worry about any vibrations.

Touch Focus implemented as slick as on the iPhone. As I mentioned above you can shoot from many strange angles because you can swivel the screen to almost any angle. However, if the camera did not focus on what you wanted it would be hard to change it. Now you can simply touch the screen on what you want to focus and presto it will focus on that. The GH2 is worth the price just for that.

WYSIWYG What you see is what you get. Since you are looking at either the screen or the beautiful EVF, you are seeing what the sensor sees. With a DSLR you are seeing what the lens sees. This is an important difference. If you forgot to reset your WB or Aperture or any camera setting, you will see it before you shoot. On a DSLR you would have no idea until you looked at the pictures. Also, if it is a low light situation, the EVF will start to noise up and start to lose some of its smoothness. This is a warning to you that you need to use flash or a tripod. With a DSLR the viewer becomes darker but you don't get a very good visual cue of how your camera is seeing it. For me the most brilliant thing with WYSIWYG is setting exposure. Because I can see what the camera is doing with exposure, I usually leave the camera in P mode. Then I change the exposure by changing where I aim the camera, lock the exposure and then reframe for the subject. It works something like this. I am trying to take a picture of a person but the exposure is picking up to many bright objects, thereby dimming my subject. So, I aim the camera to include more dark areas while keeping my subject in the shoot. Then I press the shutter release button down half way to lock the exposure and focus. Then I reframe back to the original photo. This works so quickly you can try several exposures in less time than you could set one with the exposure compensation dial (which is actually exceedingly well executed on this camera also.) In a DSLR, since you don't see the exposure, you are just basically guessing at what you want and then shooting, view the photo and fix. Much slower.

Shoot about any lens you want The distance from the lens to sensor is so short, that with the appropriate adaptor, you can put just about any lens you want on this camera. Canon, Nikon, Leica, Voigtlander, Pentax, Sony, you can use them all. Generally you need to use lenses which have aperture rings. Additionally, you do lose autofocus but there are many instances where this just doesn't matter. Macro photography is a good example. You can fit a Nikon 200mm f/4 onto the GH2 and then either get a 2:1 reproduction or a 1:1 reproduction with twice the depth of field. It is like putting on a teleconverter without the loss of light and depth of field. Brilliant.

Great for Newbies All DSLRs are easy for anyone to use and the GH2 is no exception. The great handling makes the GH2 better for newbies in my opinion. Anyway, all you have to do is put the camera into iA mode and start shooting. This camera gets the subject correct more often then not and will make you look good. In dynamic situation, I actually use the iA mode quite a bit. I do this because the camera is good a recognizing as scene as a person, flower, scenery, etc. The camera then instantly sets numerous setting to make that scene look as good as possible. If you tried to do it yourself it could take a few minuets to set and then a few to set back. Or even worse you forget to reset it and you next pictures look bad. If I have time, then I will set the camera myself. My daughter has been using the GH1 since she was 2. Here hit rate initially was only about 10% usable picture and 1% good pictures. Her hit rate now is about 70% usable pictures and 20% good pictures with about 5% really nice pictures. She has such a different perspective that it is really interesting to see how she views the world.

Image Quality I am reluctant to put this in the review because all modern cameras have such good IQ that it really is not relevant in most cases and any discussion encourages pixel peeping instead of photo making. I will say, if you are using this camera to make pictures to view on your monitor, or publish on the web, or print 8x10s this camera will more than meet your needs and if you do your part make some really nice photos. The GH1 has been my go to camera for the past two years and I have made some amazing pictures with it. The GH2 is better. You can argue the merits of FX vs DX vs M4/3 until you are blue in the face but the fact of the matter is it just doesn't matter in todays age and each year it continues to matter less and less. All cameras have their limitations and part of being a good photographer is know what those are and shooting around them. As far as ISO goes, with the GH1, ISO 800 was the highest I would shoot except in an emergency. With the GH2, ISO 1600 shoots clean (better than 800 on GH1) and 3200-6400 are perfectly usable.

Stills while shooting Video The GH1 would not let you take a still photo while shooting video. The GH2 allows you to take a 14mp 16x9 picture while shooting video. So now you can be taking video and when you see something you want a still photo of just press the shutter release and now you have a photo. Brilliant.

5 fps full 16mb resolution and 40fps 4mp pictures for up to 1 second Here is a feature I have not really seen anyone talking about. This camera has become a fantastic sports camera. It will shoot full resolution at 5 fps which is pretty pedestrian but still more than adequate for most sporting events. The 7D and A55 shoot 7 and 10 respectively. However, the GH2 pulls a trick out of its hat with an electronic shutter that will shoot 4mp pictures 40fps for up to 1 second. Now for those of you who think 4mp is yesterdays news. That is a 2400x1600 size photo. That is good enough to print a 12x8 photo from. Combine this with the fantastic new 100-300mm lens and you can shoot 40fps at 200-600mm equivalent. Wow.

I can go on and on but this review is getting too long already. Some of the features I haven't talked about are Aspect Bracketing, Advanced Scene Mode, My Color Mode, Film Mode, Face Recognition, Fn1-3 button (Function) and the C1-3 modes (Custom Modes). You can really tell that someone who enjoys making pictures designed the layout and handling for this camera. There are not a lot of cameras out there that can make that claim.'

What's Not

1/4000 top shutter speed and 1/160 flash sync speed Panasonic has given us a partial Electronic shutter on the GH2. They were supposed to have released a full electronic shutter but instead wasted research resources on the fad know as 3D. A full electronic shutter, as we are likely to see in the GH3, will probably have a shutter speed of 1/16000 and a flash sync speed around 1/2000-1/4000. Also, it is like to be able to shoot 24+ fps for as long as the card can stand.

Construction The switches are a cheap feeling plastic. Please panasonic put some nice metal or composite switches on this camera. I never had it fail on my GH1 but I was always worried and careful of it. This is a bit of a double edged sword as the current construction keeps the camera very light and as I said I have had no troubles with the GH1. However, The mode nob rotates too easily. When I am pulling the camera out of the camera bag I often accidentally rotate the mode nob.

Panasonic Flashes are outdated, lacking in multiple features and are heinously expensive. You may wonder the relevance of this in a camera review but if you seriously want to make nicely lit indoor pictures you are going to want a flash.

3 years into M4/3 and we are still missing critical lenses 12mm f/1.4 25mm f/1.4 45mm f/1.4 35-100mm f/2.8 300mm f/4 300mm f/2.8 1.4/1.7/2.0 Teleconverters. All MIA. This and the flashes are the only thing really holding the M4/3 system back as a dominant professional system. To shoot events and wedding you really need the fast glass for the shallow depth of field and for catching special moments in poor lighting.

Conclusion:

The GH1 in my opinion was a truly revolutionary camera for its day and was the best all around camera on the planet. The GH2 continues the revolution and has added some amazing new features such as touch screen, 40fps shooting speeds, ETC mode, hi ISO shooting, and the list just goes on and on. Frankly, there is not another camera that can even come close to doing all of the things this camera is capable of. It is the new best all around camera on the planet.

Pros:

40 fps 4mp shooting for up to 1 sec

Touch screen focusing

Blazing fast auto focus -twice as fast as the already fast GH-1

Clean Pictures up to 1600 ISO -Same as D700

Best video in a combo-cam to date

Most shooting modes of any combo-cam

ETC 2.6x extra crop factor turning your 100-300mm into a 520-1560mm video lens

Multi-aspect 18mp (16 mp per aspect) sensor

Best M4/3 sensor delivering clean images at 1600 and useable to 6400 thanks to the 3 venus microprocessors for video

IMHO Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the best all around camera on the planet

Cons:

Still only 1/160 flash sync speed

Still only 1/4000 max shutter speed

3D is a Fad -No one wants to have to find/wear some goofy glasses to watch TV or read a book all of the time. There are good 3D picture solutions that don't require glasses but they are expensive.

3years into M4/3 and the format is still missing critical lenses. 12mm f/1.4 25mm f/1.4 45mm f/1.4 35-100mm f/2.8 300mm f/4 300mm f/2.8 1.4/1.7/2.0 Teleconverters. All MIA.

Stills Purchasing Thoughts

Panasonic GH2 with 14-140

If you buy a M4/3 system then you are going to want this superzoom as your all around lens. This lens cost $750 by itself. This means if you don't already own this lens you are faced with a tough decision. The GH1 with 14-140mm lens is selling for $950-1000. If you buy the GH1 now and then wait six months to buy the GH2 body, you should be able to get that for around $700 at that time. Then you would have two superb cameras for only $200 more than the GH2 system today. The downside is, while the GH1 is still a great camera it is not in the league of the GH2. If you do opt for this system, then the sister lens is the 100-300mm lens. This would give you a 35mm equivalent coverage of 28mm-600mm with only 2 lenses. Very very nice.

Panasonic GH2 with 14-42

This is the system that I bought simply because the body only was not available when I ordered. The 14-42 is probably Panasonic's worst lens. Optically it is fine but the construction is not up to the standards of Panasonic's other lenses. I would avoid this combo and buy the GH1 with the 14-140 lens for the same price as this camera. Then down the road buy the GH2 body only or wait for the GH2 body only. If you are just burning to have a GH2, and you only have $1000 to spend then you can still set up a good system. Get this, and the 45-200mm lens for a total of $1300. Those two lenses cover you from 28-400mm and should serve just about every need.

Panasonic GH2 Body Only

Great for anyone who already has M4/3 lenses or anyone just wanting to shoot with Leica lenses.

Video Purchasing Thoughts

Buy the GH2--period dot. There is no other consumer combo cam on the planet that can even come close to the GH2.

**First off, I have given the GH2 five stars because of its general excellence and how much I love using this camera, but that is not to say it's without fault.**

I am a huge fan of the micro 4/3 format. Point & shots are fine as such, but the lack of manual controls frustrates me as does image quality beyond a 5"x7" print. On the other hand, a full size DSLR feels too bulky in my hand and to carry around often. I learned basic photography using a 70's vintage Nikon FM, so the G-series size is more familiar to my hands than today's full size DSLRs. And with taking candids and street shots, it doesn't feel nearly as intrusive as a 1.5+lb DSLR kit does to me.

So this is my third G-series Panasonic camera. Without a doubt, this is the best one yet. The G1 & G2 are great cameras in their own right, but the GH2 advances the M4/3 format to whole new level. I wanted a faster camera but had too much invested in this format to look elsewhere. The GH2 is faster in every respect over the G2. AF is noticeably quicker, and better yet, very accurate. I've yet to see it really tripped up. Shooting rate is very quick; much, much faster than the G2. Unfortunately it seems Panasonic didn't bump up the buffer size to keep up with the frames per second the camera's capable of. So after about 10 shot burst, the camera freezes up for 5-10 seconds or more, especially if you're shooting RAW -and I'm using a class 10 8g card. Shooting in jpeg helps some. Don't think of using anything less than a class 6 card, even shooting jpeg. This is a shame as it keeps the camera from being a decent sports/action shooter

Handling is one of my favorite things about the GH2. It feels good in my average-sized guy hands. If you're used to a DSLR, it may feel too light and lacking heft. Coming from point-and-shoots, it feels pretty solid and stable in hand. The thumb grip, while adequate, could be a bit bigger and stickier. The body does have a little too much of a plastic feel and sometimes seems a shade too light. Still, I never have the feeling of it slipping or squirting out of my hand.

The ergonomics are very good. Frequently used settings have manual adjustments. If not, there are now 3 function buttons to customize, as well as 3 custom modes. Or you can drive through the menus. The touchscreen initially struck me as kind of superfluous: I could adjust everything without it. But after awhile, I found myself using the touchscreen much more than I thought I would. It adds another level of control. Sometimes I can't remember where to find setting, but often within two taps of the screen I'm adjusting what I want. It's very helpful in getting the focus point(s) just so on a tricky composition, setting white balance (see below) and reviewing shots.

I always will miss an optical viewfinder, but the GH2's EVF is about as good a substitute as it gets. Smearing and rainbow effect are negligible and only appear in very poor light conditions, as does, not surprisingly, a lot of noise. Otherwise it does fine, even during a fast pan.

I've never been much interested in shooting video, but in the little experimenting I've done, the image quality is absolutely amazing. A number of GH2 owners have posted vids on youtube. Some of these really got me salivating, even though I'm not a video guy. I suspect this may be the camera's better/stronger half.

As for still images, Panasonic is closing in on DSLR quality. The dynamic range and low light speed are much, much improved since the G1, especially daylight, high contrast scenes. Blown highlights are just about a thing of the past. Low light image quality is now quite good at ISO 1600. I can get usable shots up to about ISO 3200, at which point noise is really becoming prevalent. Image stabilization is fine, I suppose: I've not noticed it one way or the other. The new Venus engine seems to render colors closer to their true values than earlier G-series were able to. Images out of the camera (once the WB is properly set, see below), seem sharper and more vivid than the slightly soft look Panasonic cameras I've owned tended to produce.

However, there are two image related issues. First is the auto white balance. It's the camera's greatest weakness. AWB does a pretty good job in ordinary outdoor light, if on occasion a little bit off. Indoors, it's middling at best. In general, inside AWB is too warm, yellow actually, for indoor photos. Moreover, the preset modes, ie, cloudy, incandescent, etc, are quite off and are all but useless. I either set the balance myself -this is where the touchscreen is very handy -or use my custom presets. This bothers me less than it sounds. I've learned what to expect and adjust accordingly.

The second issue is really more an issue of preference than a problem. When I'm feeling slow on the draw or just lazy, I'll select the full-on point-and-shoot mode, aka intelligent auto. Shots are consistent and just fine. However, here again, AWB can be a little off. ISO 400 seems to be the default daylight speed when 100 or 200 would be much better, and images once in awhile are little underexposed. Most of which can be addressed post process. But in semi-auto modes where the camera selects the ISO, having it default to ISO 400 when 100 or 200 is warranted, is annoying. But to be fair, in full iA mode, the camera will almost always choose the correct scene -portrait, children, landscape, etc -that you're trying to capture and produce pleasing results. Perhaps a firmware update will correct the WB issues and have a better algorithm for the auto ISO.

I can't say I'm enamored of the the kit lens. It's the same lens my G2 came with. I didn't care for its particularly plasticky feel and look. One good bump and it looks like the plastic casing will crack. In operation I think it felt a little cheap too. Given I already had several M43 lenses, I had no need for a kit lens so I ordered the body only. BTW, if you're thinking of a zoom, skip the Pany 45-200mm --it's slow without giving that much zoom -and go for the 100-300mm. Also, I highly recommend either of the Pany pancake lenses: the 14mm f2.5 or the 20mm f1.7. Both bring out a little something extra from the camera that I can't describe. Images just seem to have a depth, clarity, and tone that other lenses seem to miss. Plus fitted with a pancake lens the camera is small enough to fit in a large coat pocket.

Print-wise, this is where the camera really rewards effort. The rare times I've gotten everything just right have yielded a large print or two I'm proud of. The focus modes and various metering modes are spot on, that is, of course, if the dummy at the controls has configured the camera properly.

The issues with the white balance and the small buffer keep me from giving the GH2 an unqualified 5-star rating. 4 stars is too few for its overall excellence, so read the 5 stars as being 4.5.

On a final note, I wouldn't say this format is for everyone. There are compromises, which become less with each new model, but you pay extra to lose the weight and bulk of a full-size DSLR. For less money you can buy a DSLR with better specs -on paper at least. I get a kick out of using this camera, in a way like none other I've owned. Its size, its good handling and ease of use, and the way it rewards when you put it to work all justify the extra dollars out of my wallet.

Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Now

Now I know that is a bold statement and I intend to back it up. However, before I do I need to explain what I mean. I am not saying this camera is the best at everything or even anyone thing. Cameras that are the best at something are usually specialized beasts that can really only do that one thing well. What I am talking about is a camera the is so good in so many categories that it can joyfully be used for just about and photographic or video graphic purpose you may have. The GH2 is that camera.

Now that is out of the way we can get to the meat and potatoes of the review. I shoot mostly Nikon and Panasonic and I primarily shoot stills. I dabble in Video but do not proclaim myself any sort of an expert. I can say if you are looking for the best handling combo/cam with the most features then the GH2 is the one you want. Panasonic went out of its way to make this a video camera so that was its primary focus with this camera. However, there are lots of payoffs for the stills part of this camera so this is the best m4/3 stills camera by a long shot also. I will also say that the hard core video market is a niche market compared to the stills market because shallow depth of field video is hard to shoot properly and hard to edit. The average home user has neither the time nor inclination to properly storyboard and shoot this type of video. However, with that said, it is really nice to be able to shoot stills and video. And basic home videos are a snap to shoot with this camera; much more so than any other DSLR with the exception of the Sony SLT A55/33 which at least has a fast auto focus also. To shoot nice home movies, put the mode dial to iA, press the red button, and you are shooting video.

This camera is the next generation of cameras as it successfully blends the advantages of Point and Shoot cameras with the benefits of DSLRs and creates and incredibly small and powerful camera. Listed below are some of the benefits and weakness you get from this next gen camera.

What's Hot

The handling on the GH2 is bar none the best handling "DSLR" on the market. WIth smart controls, great layout, fast autofocusing, swivel screen, full time double live view, etc. Even with how good the D7000 is, it still feels clunky after using the GH2. I get into most of the details of this down below so I don't want to repeat the info here. What I will say here is that you can do things with this camera you couldn't hope to do with DSLRs and you can generally set up your photo parameters much faster with this camera. The menus on the GH2 are not very good. However, the actual camera controls are so good you will rarely even need to use the menus.

Program Shift Forget using Aperture priority with this camera. You can leave the camera in Program mode. With program shift you can change the aperture setting and thus the shutter speed while in program mode. To do this you press the shutter release button down half way to set the exposure. Then if the numbers are in yellow you just rotate the rear dial switch to change aperture. Want a shallower depth of field or faster shutter speed, then dial in a bigger aperture (smaller number). If the numbers are not in yellow then you are currently in exposure compensation mode. All you have to do is click the rear dial switch and then rotate it. Snap. What a neat feature.

Extra Tele Convert (ETC) Mode in Video If you shoot video you are going to love this. This is even great for home/casual video shooters. The GH2 has a 16mp sensor but like every other consumer combo/cam shoots 2K video. That means the picture is usually down-sampled to make it 2K. This has some pluses and minuses. Enter the GH2. With the ETC mode the camera uses only 2K of the sensor. This gives you an extra 2.6x crop factor. Which means your total crop factor is now 5.2x. So that brand spanking new 100-300mm you just got is now 520-1560mm with no light loss. If you put a Nikon 135mm f2 then you now have a 702mm f2! lens for video. There are some drawbacks for using ETC also but they are pretty negligible.

Auto focus the auto focus on the GH2 is twice as fast as the GH1 and the GH1 was the fastest of previous generation. I have seen some very knowledgeable photographers saying it is as fast as mid-level DSLRs. While I think it is supposed to be a complement I don't think it is a very good comparison. I find the focus speed of DSLRs has most to do with what lens you have on. There are some lenses that focus slowly on even a D3. All of the lenses I have used on the GH1 focus very quickly except the 45-200mm. That lens tends to be my slowest. Non of the lenses I have focus as fast as a 70-200mm f/2.8 but the rest of them focus as fast if not faster than any of the other Nikon lenses I own. The best I can say about this is that you won't notice the focus speed on the GH2 as it is fast enough to get out of your way.

Smaller lighter camera I recently went on a trip to Egypt and carried nothing but my Panasonic gear. Two camera bodies, 5 lenses, 1 flash, an iPad, and camera bag. Total weight 10lbs (3lbs of that was the bag itself). My Nikon D300 and 14-24mm lens would have weight more just by themselves (I was carrying the Panasonic 7-14mm so I did have wide covered)

Swivel Screen with full-time live view You won't know what you are missing until you become used to this and how well it works. Want to reach up as high as you can and shoot down; No problems. Want to get as low as possible but can't lay down in the mud or water; No problem. Want to take a picture of you and your daughter but there is nobody around; No problem. Turn the screen around aim the camera at you and use the screen to frame. Something that makes photos interesting is showing the viewer something from a perspective they don't often see. The swivel screen actively encourages this. The other thing the swivel screen does is make shooting from a tripod a joy. Because of how small and light this camera is you can use a much smaller tripod. I have a 3lb tripod that can support 7lbs. Also, you can now set you camera up in all sorts of whacky positions and just rotate the screen to be able to frame and focus. Very nice. Also, with no mirror to flip up you don't have to worry about any vibrations.

Touch Focus implemented as slick as on the iPhone. As I mentioned above you can shoot from many strange angles because you can swivel the screen to almost any angle. However, if the camera did not focus on what you wanted it would be hard to change it. Now you can simply touch the screen on what you want to focus and presto it will focus on that. The GH2 is worth the price just for that.

WYSIWYG What you see is what you get. Since you are looking at either the screen or the beautiful EVF, you are seeing what the sensor sees. With a DSLR you are seeing what the lens sees. This is an important difference. If you forgot to reset your WB or Aperture or any camera setting, you will see it before you shoot. On a DSLR you would have no idea until you looked at the pictures. Also, if it is a low light situation, the EVF will start to noise up and start to lose some of its smoothness. This is a warning to you that you need to use flash or a tripod. With a DSLR the viewer becomes darker but you don't get a very good visual cue of how your camera is seeing it. For me the most brilliant thing with WYSIWYG is setting exposure. Because I can see what the camera is doing with exposure, I usually leave the camera in P mode. Then I change the exposure by changing where I aim the camera, lock the exposure and then reframe for the subject. It works something like this. I am trying to take a picture of a person but the exposure is picking up to many bright objects, thereby dimming my subject. So, I aim the camera to include more dark areas while keeping my subject in the shoot. Then I press the shutter release button down half way to lock the exposure and focus. Then I reframe back to the original photo. This works so quickly you can try several exposures in less time than you could set one with the exposure compensation dial (which is actually exceedingly well executed on this camera also.) In a DSLR, since you don't see the exposure, you are just basically guessing at what you want and then shooting, view the photo and fix. Much slower.

Shoot about any lens you want The distance from the lens to sensor is so short, that with the appropriate adaptor, you can put just about any lens you want on this camera. Canon, Nikon, Leica, Voigtlander, Pentax, Sony, you can use them all. Generally you need to use lenses which have aperture rings. Additionally, you do lose autofocus but there are many instances where this just doesn't matter. Macro photography is a good example. You can fit a Nikon 200mm f/4 onto the GH2 and then either get a 2:1 reproduction or a 1:1 reproduction with twice the depth of field. It is like putting on a teleconverter without the loss of light and depth of field. Brilliant.

Great for Newbies All DSLRs are easy for anyone to use and the GH2 is no exception. The great handling makes the GH2 better for newbies in my opinion. Anyway, all you have to do is put the camera into iA mode and start shooting. This camera gets the subject correct more often then not and will make you look good. In dynamic situation, I actually use the iA mode quite a bit. I do this because the camera is good a recognizing as scene as a person, flower, scenery, etc. The camera then instantly sets numerous setting to make that scene look as good as possible. If you tried to do it yourself it could take a few minuets to set and then a few to set back. Or even worse you forget to reset it and you next pictures look bad. If I have time, then I will set the camera myself. My daughter has been using the GH1 since she was 2. Here hit rate initially was only about 10% usable picture and 1% good pictures. Her hit rate now is about 70% usable pictures and 20% good pictures with about 5% really nice pictures. She has such a different perspective that it is really interesting to see how she views the world.

Image Quality I am reluctant to put this in the review because all modern cameras have such good IQ that it really is not relevant in most cases and any discussion encourages pixel peeping instead of photo making. I will say, if you are using this camera to make pictures to view on your monitor, or publish on the web, or print 8x10s this camera will more than meet your needs and if you do your part make some really nice photos. The GH1 has been my go to camera for the past two years and I have made some amazing pictures with it. The GH2 is better. You can argue the merits of FX vs DX vs M4/3 until you are blue in the face but the fact of the matter is it just doesn't matter in todays age and each year it continues to matter less and less. All cameras have their limitations and part of being a good photographer is know what those are and shooting around them. As far as ISO goes, with the GH1, ISO 800 was the highest I would shoot except in an emergency. With the GH2, ISO 1600 shoots clean (better than 800 on GH1) and 3200-6400 are perfectly usable.

Stills while shooting Video The GH1 would not let you take a still photo while shooting video. The GH2 allows you to take a 14mp 16x9 picture while shooting video. So now you can be taking video and when you see something you want a still photo of just press the shutter release and now you have a photo. Brilliant.

5 fps full 16mb resolution and 40fps 4mp pictures for up to 1 second Here is a feature I have not really seen anyone talking about. This camera has become a fantastic sports camera. It will shoot full resolution at 5 fps which is pretty pedestrian but still more than adequate for most sporting events. The 7D and A55 shoot 7 and 10 respectively. However, the GH2 pulls a trick out of its hat with an electronic shutter that will shoot 4mp pictures 40fps for up to 1 second. Now for those of you who think 4mp is yesterdays news. That is a 2400x1600 size photo. That is good enough to print a 12x8 photo from. Combine this with the fantastic new 100-300mm lens and you can shoot 40fps at 200-600mm equivalent. Wow.

I can go on and on but this review is getting too long already. Some of the features I haven't talked about are Aspect Bracketing, Advanced Scene Mode, My Color Mode, Film Mode, Face Recognition, Fn1-3 button (Function) and the C1-3 modes (Custom Modes). You can really tell that someone who enjoys making pictures designed the layout and handling for this camera. There are not a lot of cameras out there that can make that claim.'

What's Not

1/4000 top shutter speed and 1/160 flash sync speed Panasonic has given us a partial Electronic shutter on the GH2. They were supposed to have released a full electronic shutter but instead wasted research resources on the fad know as 3D. A full electronic shutter, as we are likely to see in the GH3, will probably have a shutter speed of 1/16000 and a flash sync speed around 1/2000-1/4000. Also, it is like to be able to shoot 24+ fps for as long as the card can stand.

Construction The switches are a cheap feeling plastic. Please panasonic put some nice metal or composite switches on this camera. I never had it fail on my GH1 but I was always worried and careful of it. This is a bit of a double edged sword as the current construction keeps the camera very light and as I said I have had no troubles with the GH1. However, The mode nob rotates too easily. When I am pulling the camera out of the camera bag I often accidentally rotate the mode nob.

Panasonic Flashes are outdated, lacking in multiple features and are heinously expensive. You may wonder the relevance of this in a camera review but if you seriously want to make nicely lit indoor pictures you are going to want a flash.

3 years into M4/3 and we are still missing critical lenses 12mm f/1.4 25mm f/1.4 45mm f/1.4 35-100mm f/2.8 300mm f/4 300mm f/2.8 1.4/1.7/2.0 Teleconverters. All MIA. This and the flashes are the only thing really holding the M4/3 system back as a dominant professional system. To shoot events and wedding you really need the fast glass for the shallow depth of field and for catching special moments in poor lighting.

Conclusion:

The GH1 in my opinion was a truly revolutionary camera for its day and was the best all around camera on the planet. The GH2 continues the revolution and has added some amazing new features such as touch screen, 40fps shooting speeds, ETC mode, hi ISO shooting, and the list just goes on and on. Frankly, there is not another camera that can even come close to doing all of the things this camera is capable of. It is the new best all around camera on the planet.

Pros:

40 fps 4mp shooting for up to 1 sec

Touch screen focusing

Blazing fast auto focus -twice as fast as the already fast GH-1

Clean Pictures up to 1600 ISO -Same as D700

Best video in a combo-cam to date

Most shooting modes of any combo-cam

ETC 2.6x extra crop factor turning your 100-300mm into a 520-1560mm video lens

Multi-aspect 18mp (16 mp per aspect) sensor

Best M4/3 sensor delivering clean images at 1600 and useable to 6400 thanks to the 3 venus microprocessors for video

IMHO Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the best all around camera on the planet

Cons:

Still only 1/160 flash sync speed

Still only 1/4000 max shutter speed

3D is a Fad -No one wants to have to find/wear some goofy glasses to watch TV or read a book all of the time. There are good 3D picture solutions that don't require glasses but they are expensive.

3years into M4/3 and the format is still missing critical lenses. 12mm f/1.4 25mm f/1.4 45mm f/1.4 35-100mm f/2.8 300mm f/4 300mm f/2.8 1.4/1.7/2.0 Teleconverters. All MIA.

Stills Purchasing Thoughts

Panasonic GH2 with 14-140

If you buy a M4/3 system then you are going to want this superzoom as your all around lens. This lens cost $750 by itself. This means if you don't already own this lens you are faced with a tough decision. The GH1 with 14-140mm lens is selling for $950-1000. If you buy the GH1 now and then wait six months to buy the GH2 body, you should be able to get that for around $700 at that time. Then you would have two superb cameras for only $200 more than the GH2 system today. The downside is, while the GH1 is still a great camera it is not in the league of the GH2. If you do opt for this system, then the sister lens is the 100-300mm lens. This would give you a 35mm equivalent coverage of 28mm-600mm with only 2 lenses. Very very nice.

Panasonic GH2 with 14-42

This is the system that I bought simply because the body only was not available when I ordered. The 14-42 is probably Panasonic's worst lens. Optically it is fine but the construction is not up to the standards of Panasonic's other lenses. I would avoid this combo and buy the GH1 with the 14-140 lens for the same price as this camera. Then down the road buy the GH2 body only or wait for the GH2 body only. If you are just burning to have a GH2, and you only have $1000 to spend then you can still set up a good system. Get this, and the 45-200mm lens for a total of $1300. Those two lenses cover you from 28-400mm and should serve just about every need.

Panasonic GH2 Body Only

Great for anyone who already has M4/3 lenses or anyone just wanting to shoot with Leica lenses.

Video Purchasing Thoughts

Buy the GH2--period dot. There is no other consumer combo cam on the planet that can even come close to the GH2.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Here

I was fortunate to have the GH2 very early in its distribution cycle in the US, so I've had time to get used to its quirks and abilities, and frankly the "Best all around camera" title is well deserved IF put into context.

As with most pro and semi-pro cameras, the quality of output is mainly due to the PHOTOGRAPHER not the camera. I've been a pro photographer for 30 years, but gave up the craft for the past ten years or so, moving back to simpler point and shoot cameras for vacations. When it's your "job" taking photos, vacation pictures can seem too much like work. :-) The convergence of digital photography and videography finally prompted me back into the semi-pro field. And I've got to say, the GH2 has me totally excited about photography again!!

A few points to add to the other reviews made here:

1) Yes, the auto white balance is the GH2's one achilles heel. It's just not that good indoors. This can be completely fixed through RAW file conversion (more on that later) but is more of a problem with video. Just make sure to use the indoor white balance modes instead of AWB. They work fine.

2) The GH2 viewfinder is WORLDS better than most digital DSLR's, except for the full frame pro cameras that weigh and cost tons more. The APS-C DSLRS have pathetically small viewfinders. It's like looking through a toy periscope. Not so with the GH2. As an old film camera photographer, I had no problem getting used to the wysiwyg digital viewfinder, and it really helps indoors to see more detail than your naked eye can see.

3) JPG output straight from the camera can look a bit soft and muddy, but this is totally due to image settings, not the inherent data of the image. Panasonic uses a much more conservative "film like" setting, with low sharpening and contrast. It's always easier to add these items in post processing. Many newer digital cameras crank saturation, sharpening, noise reduction, and contrast up to ridiculous levels to give that "punch" so many amateurs seem to like. But remember, jpgs are "lossy" images. Every time you tweak the settings of a jpg in post processing, you reduce the quality a bit. The solution? Experiment with the in-camera settings (and there are plenty) to get the perfect image values you prefer. By altering the contrast, saturation, and sharpening settings from the menu, you can achieve a punchy shot to rival any other semi-pro camera.

4) If you're a point and shoot amateur looking for a simple camera that requires no thought or creativity to crank out mildly decent photos, then the GH2 may not be for you. In fact, stay away from digital SLR's altogether. You'll be happier. On the other hand, if you want SUPERIOR photo quality, then start shooting with RAW files. I love setting the GH2 to JPG+RAW. That way, I can punch up the jpg settings to get that "amateur" punch straight out of the camera for viewing while on vacation with friends, but I have the excellent RAW files to tweak to my heart's content later, when I want the best quality possible. And since RAW is a lossless format, you can tweak anything and everything. That's when you will really start to appreciate the professional quality possible with the GH2.

One software package I HIGHLY RECOMMEND for the GH2 is DXO Optics Pro. This post processing software is close to a miracle and has tuned modules for the GH2 and lenses. It automates most of the post processing of images, in both jpg and RAW formats. Take a RAW image and run it through DXO, and you will get an almost perfect combination of noise reduction, contrast enhancement, highlight recovery, lens distortion correction, and white balance. I find most of the images turn out perfect with the default settings. It's the "lazy mans" Photoshop without all the tweaking. Check it out at dxo.com.

5) The addition of video makes the GH2's "world's best all around camera" claim a reality. If you've never done video, like me, the option to capture 1080i video right from my digital camera is truly enlightening! The secret to good vacation (or pro) photography is to be ready for the perfect shot whenever it occurs. Having ONE camera with a 14-140 zoom (28-280 35mm equivalent) that can also take breathtaking video, ensures that you won't be fumbling around with lenses and camcorders while the action passes you by.

6) Low light capability with this camera is amazing! Just make sure to set ISO to automatic, and set the upper limit to 3200. (from the menu) You will get perfectly usable images, especially if you post process RAW files through Photoshop or DXO. But remember, a 14-140 lens on a sensor this large is never going to be a fast indoor lens. Get the 20mm 1.7 for excellent indoor images. It also makes the camera much more like a point and shoot for those indoor parties and children shots.

7) Depth of field: This may be one area where amateurs get confused and disappointed. Smaller sensor point and shoot cameras have inherently greater depth of field, making it easier to keep a video or quick photo in focus. The shallower depth of field of the GH2 and other DSLR's takes some getting used to, but it is also why the videos will look so professional when done right. Most movies use shallow depth of field as a key technique in focusing the viewer's attention. You can literally take movie quality videos with the GH2, which is why the amateur film movement has embraced it.

8) Lens interchangeability: This is great feature, especially for video! I have many old manual Nikon lenses that work wonders on the GH2. Yes, you lose autofocus and aperture control, but if you put the camera in aperture priority mode, and turn on auto-ISO, the camera will still expose images properly and automatically. The lack of autofocus is not that big of a deal. I've taken plenty of excellent photos during my career with manual focus. The REAL advantage comes with video though, where manual focus is an ADVANTAGE, not a liability.

So is the GH2 perfect? Of course not, any more than any other digital camera, but its flaws can be easily circumvented with post processing. You simply will not find any other camera on the market that combines so many different professional features into one, small, inexpensive package.

Want Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Discount?

I have recently owned the Panasonic G1 and GH1, been very pleased with them, and thought that getting the GH2 would be 'just another upgrade'. Not so. The ergonomics give a camera that is an absolute joy to use. The touch screen totally transforms macro and tripod shooting, while the buttons, knobs, dials, and switches bring every major photographic parameter to your finger-tips. I agree with the earlier 5-star reviews here, but must say that on my camera, I find the knob action is firm (much firmer than G1 or GH1) and will never be accidentally knocked into a different setting, and that the other switches are adequately robust. I have found the Olympus flashes (FL50, ring, twin) all work perfectly with the Panasonic. I'd recommend the 14-140 lens, its a great all-rounder and takes 80% of my shots, even though I have the 7-14, 14-45, 20, 45-200, 45 macro, and 100-300 in my bag.

DSLR Rig Movie Kit Shoulder Mount

i honestly love my new rig, this is an amazing item with a solid build would highly recommend it!

Every item has its pros and cons, here are the ones for this rig.

Pros

-Solid light weight build

-Converts into 4 total camera rigs plus more if you get creative

-the camera screw is adjustable so it can be closer to you or further away from you

-PORTABLE WITHOUT DISASSEMBLY (my favorite part)

Cons

-no brand, no warranty, but it shouldnt be a problem as i am really very confident with the item's build.

This came in the box and I tried a few set ups with it but ended up just putting it back into the box. I'll one day have the patience to assemble it and take it out into the field. This doesn't come with counter weight so all the weight is pushed up to the forearms. Not really designed for someone who needs to carry the weight on the shoulders hence, SHOULDER MOUNT. If I wanted a forearm mount, I'd buy that instead.

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Vivitar ViviCam 5188 5MP CMOS, 8x Digital Zoom, 2" LCD Digital Camera (Black)

I bought this to test for an upcoming trip to Hawai'i (want an underwater digicam for snorkeling). I was initially impressed by the housing but the camera was awfully light. A quick inspection showed why. The SD port cover is a rubber "plug" (similar to the covers for USB ports, etc on most digital cameras). No big deal, but I could see it coming off with rough use. The menu was extremely basic and didn't even have an option to turn off the barely audible "beep" that followed each button press. You also couldn't change the length of playback which was barely a second. Switching "modes" resulted in the display disappearing while the change was made then reappearing (the first time I set flash to 'always on" the display didn't come back up for 5-6 seconds). "No big deal," I thought, since it was a $60 u/w digicam (I own a Nikon D200 so certainly wasn't expecting to use this on land). I took a few shots then pulled them up on the computer. Aye, there's the rub...

The shots are really quite poor. The lens may be fixed focus, but it's a relatively narrow cone in front of the camera. Approximately 60% of the image was out of focus. There's a noticeable circle in the middle that was reasonably focused with increasing fall-off towards the edges. Furthermore, the shutter speed was iffy at best. A shot of my refrigerator with flash "on" resulted in a very blurry picture. These shortcomings might be mitigated underwater, but I doubt it. Judging by my brief experience, I would strongly suggest avoiding this for any "meaningful" photography (above or below the water).

I give it 2 stars because it's probably ideal for a child as a first camera. The waterproof case was pretty tough and seemed to be up to the task of protecting the camera from rough handling. The poor picture quality would not be a huge issue for a child. The latch to open the case required enough dexterity that a curious child would not be able to open it on accident.

All-in-all, I could see a 4-6 year-old having hours and hours of fun with this at the beach or pool. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, are likely to be sorely disappointed.

While the quality of the camera is not state of the art, it is pretty decent for the price. My 12 year old daughter is thrilled with it.

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Even at the top level of fidelity, called FINE, the pictures have a lot of blurry areas because of image compression. End result is that the pictures with this 5M camera look worse that a similar picture with my 2M Canon. If they really have the 5M pixels on the sensor, they should improve the software to take use of this.

The only saving grace on the camera is the waterproof case. It is nice to take it rafting without having to worry about getting it wet. As soon as you hit dry land, however, dump this thing for a real camera!

Read Best Reviews of Vivitar ViviCam 5188 5MP CMOS, 8x Digital Zoom, 2" LCD Digital Camera (Black) Here

I got this because it was the cheapest underwater camera I could find. It worked great when I went snorkeling in Mexico, but then the clasp on the case broke and I haven't been able to fix it. It's worth taking a chance on this I think, just be very careful with the case. The video quality is actually very good for the price.

Want Vivitar ViviCam 5188 5MP CMOS, 8x Digital Zoom, 2" LCD Digital Camera (Black) Discount?

I bought this camera to take to the beach and on canoe trips. for this it is great. No worries about it ever being ruined by the water, and the fact that it will take video with sound, even with the case on it was a plus. However I would not reccomend this as your everyday camera because it is slow and alot of the pictures(not all) will come out blurry. So I just usually snap two shots of everything. If you want a cheap, take to the beach camera, than I can reccomend this for you.

ViTiny Pro10 Plus Portable Digital Microscope 10x - 200x

• Built in 2.8" full color TFT LCD screen: 320 x 240 pixels for preview; Magnification: 10x to 200x (Optical zoom: 10x to 40x, Digital zoom: up to 5x); View Range on 2.8" LCD Screen: 6x4mm at 10x magnification
• Digital Camera: 2M pixels; Photo Resolution: 1600 x 1200 pixels, JPG file; Video Resolution: 1600 x 1200 pixels, AVI file; TV Image Output: MP4 file; Web CAM Function
• USB Cable: 1.1 speed for transferring images to a PC; AC Adapter: 100-240 Volt, 50/60 Hz for world-wide power requirement; 32MB internal Flash memory for saving images; Micro SD Card Slot: optional cards used up to 2GB
• Multi-LED Lighting Function: adjustment of light source from different direction; Special Effects: Grey Scale, Inverse, and Embossed; Measurement Function: measurement of length, perimeter, area, angle, etc.
• Set of 5 support accessories for the Pro10 LCD digital microscope: Shallow Contact Cap (1) - to examine soft materials such as cloth, paper, hair, skin, etc; Deep Contact Cap (2) - to observe coins, screws, SMT Components, etc; Non-Contact Supporter (3 ) - to examine fragile items such as Printed Circuit Boards, flowers, wounds, insects, etc; Deep Tank (4) - to observe larger objects such as flies, rocks, etc; Shallow Tank (5) - to study smaller objects such as fish eggs, spores, sand, droplets, diamonds, etc.

I used this microscope to observe small particles with several hundred micrometers. It is easy to operate and convenient to carry around. I can take good pictures and videos and share them with my colleagues. The multi-modes LED lighting helps me observe the particles with different shapes and orientation. Also the comparison mode and length ruler on the screen are very useful for my quality control work. The software coming with the device is useful for editing and preview images. Overall I like this pocket size microscope.

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This microscope is perfect for field technical service work. The microscope is the size of a small camera and works perfectly. The price was also very reasonable.

Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

I really did some research on digital cameras, even tried out a Sony, but the Canon brand is by far one of the best. I don't have to do a lot of thinking when snapping a picture with this camera, it does most of the work! I like to be able to think about the compostion of my photo and not ISO, aperature, and all that jazz. The settings make it so easy and the color of the photos turn out so true. The digital zoom is great and will even alert you if the picture will come out blurry. There are so many features on this camera, too many to list. I even found a great deal at Best Buy on a 2 gig memory card, I get over 1,000 photos with a high resolution! It takes alkaline batteries, but I bought rechargeable ones and one charge lasts a long time. I am sooo happy with this camera, I take it with me everywhere, even a couple of days to work.

I ordered a Nikon Coolpix L6 (6MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom) and then ran into a friend at a party. He had one and I gave it a try. SLOW and fair pics. I went home, jumped online and changed the order to the Canon PowerShot A550. This camera is slightly larger, but is quick, good zoom, easy enough on the batteries and takes wonderful pics. Make usre you buy additional SD cards 'cause you'll love using this camera.

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For the birthday party, vacations, and casual user, this camera is outstanding at the price. For about $200, you get the great resolution and GREAT color, compact size, and usability you need with 15 kids running around you at a party! You will, of course, immediately need a memory card before using it (the one in the package serves up about 8 pics!) The SanDisk memory cards are supercheap, and I bought both a 1 and 2 GB version, both of which work great (2GB will hold about 1,000 pics...plenty). The program for your computer can be a little clumsy to load, but within 20 minutes I had the program and all my recent pics all loaded into my computer.

Awesome for the price, and unless you are a professional photographer looking to get published in National Geographic, you cannot beat the value priced A550 for 7.1 megapixels and the Canon name. Fill your family scrapbook for under $200.

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I wanted a camera that the whole family could use Including my 10 year old son. This camera has proven to be that and much more! What impresses me the most is the astounding battery life and the quick focus features. It is at an excellent price point as well. Our pictures no longer suffer from the dreaded 'redeye' effects. I upgraded from a 4 year old Olympus

4 megapixel camera and am blown away by the improvements over that period.

Canon rocks!

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I'm going to write a positive review of this camera, but you should know that I ended up returning it to Amazon because it didn't meet my specific needs.

I was looking for a high quality, inexpensive point and shoot digital camera when I bought this item. The reasons I returned it had nothing to do with the quality of its prints. Let me make sure I say this: they were outstanding. I loved the ease at which the A550 makes beautiful pictures.

What didn't do it for me was the size, and the lack of a panoramic mode. The camera I ended up with, the $300 Canon SD700, is just so small that I slip it into my pocket without thinking about it. With the A550, I could never forget it was there. This bulkiness lead to me not carrying it all the time, which led to pictures not being made that otherwise might have been. If I had a purse though, or I just wanted something to take on occasional outings, the A550 would have been perfect. If this is you, then get this camera.

Lastly, I got excited about the 4x optical zoom. Don't. Bottom line is that, if you want to really zoom in but be able to take sharp photos, you need to invest in a SLR or DSLR camera system. When I zoom in with the A550, even with my steady grip, pictures often come out quite blurry.

Hope this helps.

Infrared CCTV Security Surveillance Camera 700TVL High Resolution 1/3" Sony Super HAD Color CCD DSP

I am used to the bullet sized cameras but this one exceeds those smaller sizes. This is fine though with me, it will let others know that they are being watched to help deter whatever doings they may think of trying. At night you can't even see the ir lights, which is unusual with all my past cameras this is not the case. The resolution is outstanding, this camera is a little touchy though with its focus though. Excellent distance viewing but it is harder to maintain that focus up close though; gets a little fuzzy the closer you are to it. Still could just be fine tuning and personal taste. For the price, it is a good camera; does the job. The only other qualm I have is that it can't really be adjusted to get the right angle, if you are setting it up near your eaves, etc... you have to make quite an adjustment to get the right angle without hanging it upside down. Again it all depends on where you need it and operator error and placement. Overall a pretty good camera.

I purchased this camera to replace one with lesser specifications. After hooking it up I can confirm that it is noticably sharper and has better night vision than my old camera. But...In two weeks this camera died. No video out. Amazon's return process was great (they paid for return shipping). I would have ordered a replacement, hoping it was just a fluke failure, but because the camera was no longer available Amazon refunded my purchase price. I purchased another/different camera for slightly more $$.

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Great during day light hours but it is grainy at night. It just works OK. I would like it to be better at night.

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Great night time and day time view. A must have add on to any basic system. I'm installing these for a friend, but I'm going to upgrade my cameras to these now that I see how sturdy and well they perform.

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Very good quality picture, solid well built camera. Easy mounting and adjustments. I added a seperate IR light source because of the depth of my backyard.

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.)

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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.

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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.

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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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