Showing posts with label summer infant babytouch digital video monitor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer infant babytouch digital video monitor. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16

Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16GB Card + Case + Filters + Tripod + Telephoto & Wide-Angle Lens KitNikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16GB Card + Case + Filters + Tripod + Telephoto & Wide-Angle Lens Kit

WOW its an amazing camera. I already own the D5000 ( Which can't even match up and I though I loved it when I first got it 3 yrs ago.)and the D5100 ( which I still love ) and wanted the D3200. I am a professional photographer and its going to bring even more smiles. The pictures are so crisp. Its small but packed with power. Video very clear. Good sound too. I can't wait for my next shoot.

If you want to get brilliant pictures and get your creative juices flowing, this WILL do it. I have no hesitation to recommend this buy. Even the bag in the package is great. I love the lenses. I was able to capture a humming bird in my garden up close from 20 ft away.

I am going to have fun with this new baby.

Sarah

It has a great performance and take wonderful pics. It has a great HI definition. Easy to use in automatic mode. Im so happy of this camera and all adittional items.

Buy Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16 Now

Being a beginner at SLR, this camera seems to be easy to use. I have just tried it twice or thrice (outdoors and indoors) in last 10 days and the photos are amazing. I guess its a good choice if you are a beginner and struggling to decide what to buy. Even the camera bag and everything else is of standard quality. Haven't opened the tripod yet. Good buy, go for it.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16 Here

Excelent combo for an Entry level DSLR camera. Takes wonderful pictures and has all you need to get going.

Would be nice if they add the remote on it.

Want Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens (Black) + 55-300mm VR Lens + 16 Discount?

I don't know if I'll ever learn all the features, takes great pics, but you gotta get Photoshop or some software to edit raw pics, not very usable without that. High quality setup with Photoshop.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Minolta Dimage 7 5MP Digital Camera w/ 7x Optical Zoom

Minolta Dimage 7 5MP Digital Camera w/ 7x Optical ZoomI like this camera. I'm what I call a professional amateur with lots of cameras. I've been taking pictures for 36 years with several different point and shoot, seven different Nikons, the Hasselblad 500 C/M, and now with a handful of digital. I've used an original Casio (

Monday, March 24, 2014

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-135mm IS Lens with 32GB Card + Batter

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S 18-135mm IS Lens with 32GB Card + Battery + Case + Filter + Remote + Tripod + Cleaning & Accessory KitThis camera is awesome! I have just started using it in the easy mode and the pictures look great! The quality is wonderful and it is easy to use. I am planning on reading about the more advanced features soon. I am also looking into photography classes. I bought this camera to capture photos of our new baby and now I am thinking of taking his monthly pictures rather than taking him to a professional.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

High Speed HDMI Cable 25 ft. CL2

High Speed HDMI Cable 25 ft. CL2This 25' cable is perfect for running from my Dish Network box to my TV located across the room. Works perfectly, and is an excellent value.

This cable was everything I was expecting. It worked well from the very first time I hooked it to my laptop and TV, yet it was half the price or less than any where else I could get it. I would recommend it highly.

Buy High Speed HDMI Cable 25 ft. CL2 Now

Cable is insanely low priced and works flawlessly. I received mine only a few days after I place my order. I run this 25ft cable through a wire mold from my component cabinet through several 90 degree turns to my projector and picture quality and flow is not sacrificed at all.

Read Best Reviews of High Speed HDMI Cable 25 ft. CL2 Here

This cable was installed in-wall as part of an upstairs renovation. Cable has worked excellent since initial hook up, no issues. Would definitely purchase again. Good price for 25 foot cable.

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

VideoSecu 4 Channel DVR USB 2.0 including 4 Audio Video Infrared IR Day Night Security Cameras and

VideoSecu 4 Channel DVR USB 2.0 including 4 Audio Video Infrared IR Day Night Security Cameras and 1 of 4 Channel Power Supply W48This was an expensive mistake. I purchased the program and cameras with the belief if something happened I could get assistance in correcting it. I have not been able to get any assistance from anyone on this product. When I load the program, it changes my screen resolution and I can no longer access my tast bar. This has really been a disapointment. Amazon required me select at least one start but it is not even that. Starting to feel like money wasted.

I purchased this system to catch some local vandals. Given the price I paid for this system I wasn't expecting much. I was happily surprised with the ease of setup and the quality. The video quality is more than adequate for my needs. Setup was straight-forward and the included instructions were easy enough to follow. I had the whole thing up and running in a couple of hours. Cameras work well both in the day and night. DEFINITELY worth the money as the color vision is great. Highly recommend.

Buy VideoSecu 4 Channel DVR USB 2.0 including 4 Audio Video Infrared IR Day Night Security Cameras and Now

Monday, November 11, 2013

Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom

Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom(...) I purchased my Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap tapeless video recorder three days ago from a retail store within the first six hours (six hours in a car without Internet access) I was ready to return it. I could not get the MPEG2 video to play outside the camera. The supplied software, as it has been aptly described by others in the above reviews, is one of the worst applications I have seen in recent years as one reviewer put it "what were they thinking?" I was ready to return the camera really I was making plans to go back to the store then finally got to the Internet and I read the oh-so-simple comments on the this review board about renaming the .MOD to .MPG and I completely changed my mind about the camera the results are spectacular!

"What an engineering marvel" we all said upon seeing the results on the PC. With the camera producing native MPEG2 files it was doing what I expected it should do files that can be edited with any desktop video editor. I still can not believe the no other word for it `blunder' on the part of Panasonic's marketing and software groups. This is the only tapeless video recorder under $800 (I paid $600 with a mfg. rebate coupon) that produces native DVD quality MPEG2 files period. Why don't they just say that? Why don't they suggest renaming the .MOD to .MPG and call it a short cut for advanced users? It's just weird.... My impressions point-by-point:

First Light Setup 10/10 (out of the box and shooting video as fast as I could unwrap the plastic very easy PC software on the other hand ... read-on below...)

Ergonomics 9/10 (minor same points made by others no tripod screw, buttons though not needed for most functions while capturing images require a bit getting used to located under and behind the flip screen)

Camera menus usability 10/10 (what you need for each mode where you need it)

Convenience (read: size) 10/10 (you will always take it with you you will find yourself taking video and capturing moments like never before)

Image quality 9/10 (Carl Zeis was a genius no CZ lens here; white balance quite sensitive, but good though there is a manual mode and this videographer needs to master it for low light, contrast-y, indoor shooting)

Image stability 10/10 (as good as my image stabilized binoculars even with the optical zoom extended)

Accessories 9/10 (comes with all you'll need but why is the charging system brick and tray assembly larger than the camera itself? Charging batteries separately in a small form-factor unit is a must out-of-the-box, Panasonic requires batteries to be charged in the camera apparently there is a third-party external charger available separately. I'll be buying one soon!)

Recording Capacity 10/10 (this may surprise you I use the NORM MPEG2 that's 22 minutes good but not quite DVD quality on the supplied 512M chip and over 40 minutes on a 1G chip how much video do you need to shoot anyway? For family and activities I've not had a problem plus I can dump the chip to hard drive in a few minutes. At $60/Gig buy a couple chips. The 2G chips are soon to be sold and 4G chips are on their way that will be three hours of video on one chip!)

PC Software 0.0001/10 (total utter failure on Panasonic's part. Fortunately it is not required at all as I came to find out. Simply take the chip out, plug it into your SD chip reader desktop or laptop unit copy and rename the files there is even a freeware utility available on the Internet)

Did I mention convenience `-) 10/10 !

When I first looked into this product I was in a quandary I worried about cutting edge: "high wow factor low performance" "sounds too good to be true" I took a chance anyway I am happy I did. For more info excellent source: Do a Web search on "SVAV100" and "Jack Brown" you'll find an excellent "SVAV100 Forum" Panasonic should give this group part of their marketing budget they are far more competent.

This is a great little camcorder for having with you at all times to take short videos. You will have to download often to your computer since the SD card cannot hold much. These .MOD files for MPEG2 take up a lot of room. Most people don't like to watch long videos anyway. You will have this camcorder with you when the bigger one will be at home or in the car. The supplied software is not worth a dime. It cannot keep up with your files if you need to move them. Get Moonlight El-ecard MPEG2 Player software from the Internet. You can also transfer the videos to VHS, 8mm or DV tape. Actually, they look better doing this (then watching on your TV) than by viewing them on your computer.

Buy Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom Now

Even after reading about all the 'problems' with the SVAV100 I decided I still had to have one. I wanted a way to capture video of my daughter without looking like the proverbial "dorky-dad-with-a-video-camera." This camera lets me do that.

But, surprisingly, I've either not experienced these problems or found very simple workarounds for them. Here are some examples:

Software: there are numerous, high-quality editing programs that handle the task of editing MPEG2 video with aplomb. Most offer free demos so you can decide which works best for you at no cost.

.MOD file format: simply change the files extension to .MPG and nearly any video tool (Windows Media Player included) can read the MPEG2 files produced by the SVAV100

CODECS: I have WinXP running on a fairly new PC I didn't need to install anything to get up and running.

SD Card: the camera records 10 minutes of MPEG2-fine on the included 512M card (I get just over 20 minutes from a new 1G card). Between the two cards, 30 minutes of storage covers all the video situations I've encountered.

Battery-life: I have found replacement batteries for less than $15 each. I carry a couple of fully-charged backups which provide all the battery life I could possibly need (certainly more than enough juice to fill both SD cards, and then some).

Anyhow, this has been my experience to date; YMMV. Overall, I am very pleased with the quality of the camera and it's output.

Finally, I'd like to give kudos to Jack Brown for establishing an extremely useful SVAV100 users' forum (see URL in his review here). It contains a wealth of information and is definitely worth checking out.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom Here

The advantage is that it is small and light, even smaller and

lighter than my cannon power shot camera. The biggst problem is

battery life, it claimed that it would be capable shoot about

60 minutes continuously, but in my experience, the battery is

gone before I finish all 20 minutes SD capacity (in Mpeg2 normal

mode).

Want Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom Discount?

While the Pansonic D-SNAP has the potential for usable video quality, you need to realize that it is going to take atleast an additional $799 card to make it functional. To reach a useful quality, the D-SNAP uses a high speed Panasonic version of the SD card, which is now available as a special version 32x SD card by other sources. Today, people try to get the best price for a 30 60 minute DV tape at $5. With the D-SNAP, you'll be shopping for a $799 32x SD card, with 1 gig of storage, so you can move from 10 minutes of video to a whopping 20 minutes (which really is the bare minimum) at $799. Also, beware that the manual is clear that the high speed write times will wear down the card, and you need to run special procedures to help reduce the errors which will start occurring.

The goal with compact devices is to make recording on the road possible. So if you can avoid 2 devices, one for STILLS and one for videos, this goal is possible. However, while most cameras today consider anything less than 2 megapixels (2 million pixels) for STILLS bare minimum, the D-SNAP can only do .3 megapixel (330 thousand pixels). You can't even print a high quality wallet size.

The quality of the video is there with the D-SNAP. But the STILLs are completely unacceptable and you will be paying thousands of dollars to get 30 60 minutes of video.

The Sanyo Fisher is equally as compact, very solid construction, provides 3 megapixels for STILLS, and provides the resolution (30 frames per second) and size (640*480) required for TV. It also comes with a 512kb card, BUT it achieves 20 minutes of DVD-like quality or 45 minutes of VHS-like quality (which is very good), out of the box. It uses more recent compression technology to write at multi-mb speeds on a normal SD card. You even get 30 frames per second to meet your 360*240 PC requirements, which provides more than an hour of video. The interface is much better thought out on the Sanyo (everything is there at your finger tips, whereas the Pansonic makes you want to rip off the LCD at times because the controls are at the side). The focus is 6x zoom optical on the Sanyo, instead of 10x like the Panasonic, which is still excellent. And the ISO levels and features are exceptional. Bottom line, you can live with any downside of the SANYO. You can't live with the downsides of the Panasonic.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom (Silver)

Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced ZoomThis camera is small enough to easily fit into your jacket pocket. The automatic lens cover means not having to worry about the lens, nor any extra pieces to carry around and keep track of. The long battery time, large capacity of a SD card and small size adds up to a very convenient camera to keep with you translating into a greater likelihood of actually having the camera with you more often to catch those interesting moments of our lives. This is a very easy camera to use while shooting video.

There is a little more labor involved to edit video and transfer footage. Although it can be done without too much difficulty. And I am reluctant to be critical of that aspect since the technology has advanced so much in the last decade. I remember a time when videotaping our personal lives was much more limited by the technology.

The picture and sound quality are good. The price is right. I recommend this camera for the convenience and price. Unless of course the best picture and sound available is what you want, then more expensive cameras are available worthy of a five star review. For most purposes, this camera can't be beat for its convenience and therefore the greater chance of actually having it on hand when needed.

Canon seems to have taken a step down from the comparatively-excellent FS200 with a range of features that fall short in so many areas. As others have mentioned, the software included is practically useless, but more importantly the video quality just isn't there. There are major compression artifacts that appear whenever there's significant movement or any zooming used, it handles low night very poorly, resulting in grainy video, and the single-shot feature produces low quality shots comparable with those you would see on a cell phone.

Inexplicably, Canon has removed the audio in jack that came on the FS200, meaning there's no way to use an external microphone to capture any sound. Consequently, there's camera noise in every video, which is surprisingly loud considering it has so few moving parts. Combined with the fact that it comes with no memory (contrary to indications in the manufacturer's own product description), the FS300 feels more like a budget version of the 200 rather than an upgrade. As for documentation, I agree with other reviewers I wouldn't normally notice a poor quality manual in electronics but I needed it to find the power-in jack, which is superbly camouflaged on the unit.

Overall, it's small and easy to carry around but falls short of the quality I've come to expect from Canon products. I can't use this for pro-sumer video capture as I had planned to, and apart from the decent zoom function there's not much to separate from a Flip at half the price. Let's hope the FS400 fixes the plethora of faults, though I'll be waiting to the see the reviews before parting with my cash so hastily!

Buy Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom (Silver) Now

As stated by others the software included with the camcorder is terrible. It has no editing ability. I ended purchasing a third party software for $50, so in the end, with the memory card this is more like a $400 camcorder. Video is as good as it should be for an SD camera, sound is okay. Overall a good camera.

Pros: Small, light, quickly charges, long battery life, decent enough video

Cons: Poor video in low light, okay sound, software

Read Best Reviews of Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom (Silver) Here

This is a fairly inexpensive, basic, camcorder. Probably the best selling point versus its competitors is the excellent wide ranging zoom lens on this camera. The LCD screen is also good sized and seemed bright and clear. You'll definitely want a 16GB or (better still) 32GB SDHC card to get full use from the camcorder. I found the image quality to be only so-so, though certainly in line with other inexpensive camcorders (and far better than a Sony "bloggie" that I had the misfortune of trying a few months ago). It's a small camera (would fit in a pocket), easy to handle (controls right by the fingers), and those controls are clear and straightforward. You'll want to get your hands on the actual camera before buying though, some folks complain that their hands are too big around the unit. Check that out yourself.

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To say this camera works seamlessly with a Mac is a joke. It's very spotty at best and I've spent literally hours (today for example) trying to get iMovie '09 to recognize the camera even though the camera icon shows up as a drive on the desktop. Yes, I've downloaded video in the past, but it's always a crapshoot. So buyer beware.

I had NO idea Canon would even release a camera that didn't work seamlessly with the Mac Platform. Disappointed to say the least. Help!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L Lens and AF200FG Flash

Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L Lens and AF200FG FlashPros:

High quality (sturdy feeling)

Well designed

Superb Image quality

No pattern noise at high ISOs (looks more like film grain)

In body image stabilization

Cons:

No image orientation sensor (if you hold portrait style have to manually rotate)

No red focus confirmation dot (still has green dot in viewfinder at bottom)

Who should buy the K2000? Anyone also considering entry level Nikon or Canon DSLRs. This is fully competitive, but offers in body image stabilization that works with any lens (old and new). Nice feature set at a great value.

The auto focus of this camera is improved, focusing more precisely in low light than previous Pentax models, and also works with the new SDM lenses. Auto white balance is also improved. It does much better under tungsten light than some previous Pentax cameras.

The shake reduction is highly effective, as much so as most in lens systems. About 3 f-stops for me. This is a handy feature because it works with ALL lenses. You don't have to keep buying the same feature for $100 to $500 every time you buy a lens for which you want stabilization. Not to mention, when a new body comes out you get an improved stabilizer. With an in lens system, you have to replace your lenses to get improved stabilizers.

Even though this is a no frills system, it is very capable for those advanced amateurs or pro's looking for a compact body to use with the Pentax Limited prime lenses (compact lenses offering outstanding image quality). The big two haven't invested many resources in prime lenses suitable for APS-C sensors (by far the best selling dSLRs), Pentax has bucked the industry trend with their superb DA Limited series lenses.

Image quality is outstanding. I used it at a studio shoot recently, and had no issue. My only complaints were the lack of user selectable focus points (besides all or center only) and lack of orientation sensor. For the most part these were easy to work around. The picture results were stunning, even up to ISO 800. By 1600 there starts to be a fair amount of noise, but there is no pattern to it (my K20d has awful horizontal pattern noise). These photos are highly suitable for B&W conversion, and they resemble high speed film better than many digital cameras.

In conclusion, you get a lot of bang for you buck with this camera. The bundled AF200FG flash is very good compared to any built in flash offering much better range, better fill, and being off camera helps reduce red eye and shadowing from lenses. The kit lens is excellent at apertures 5.6 and up at any focal length (it is a tad soft at the corners at wide angles at apertures larger (smaller number) than f/5.6. I mounted it to the K20d and it had no problems resolving for the higher resolution sensor. I recommend this without many reservations (see my cons), and for a starter or enthusiast it is a great little camera. With my review title, it is the first time I can feel comfortable to recommend a Pentax to a non-DSLR user (previously they have been better enthusiast, non-beginner models).

Update One: First set of batteries that came with the camera have more than 1000 shots on them, many of these with the flash. This has truly amazing battery life, especially considering how much the back LCD is illuminated (no top information display). This would last many users a year!

The only other little things I have noticed is there is no slot for a cable remote and the back LCD can be bright. This camera wouldn't be the best for star trails for example, but this will only impact a small percentage of users.

I still love it!

This is a great camera. Its pictures are stunning. The camera is well built and it feels solid in your hand. The kit lens is excellent and it uses all of my old 35mm Pentax lenses with the camera's stabilization feature.

The camera is very intuitive to use; I was able to use it right out of the box and have then progressed to use more and more powerful features by reading the manual. The features are all well thought out; this camera clearly implements many lessons learned from previous DSLR's because so many things are done so well. It is simply very well engineered.

I have had a series of point and shoot digital cameras over the last several years including a Fuji, a Sony and a couple of Canons. Before that I used a 35mm Pentax SLR and am therefore familiar with SLR operation. I also have a number of good lenses from the film SLR.

Part of my enthusiasm is this is my first DSLR and it offers so much more than the point-and-shoots and my old 35mm SLR. For example, I have been using its RAW feature and can save photos in both a Pentax and a standard Adobe RAW format, the latter I was able to use with Photoshop Elements 6 and have found all kinds of useful adjustments that were never available to me before.

I also like the fact that this camera uses regular AA batteries available anywhere.

The AF200 flash works well in my group photo shots and is a great value bundled with the camera. It has a nice diffuser cover for the flash to support wide angle shots. On the negative side, the AF200 is not extremely powerful-I was used to a more powerful one with my old 35mm's external flash and the AF200 can not be swiveled to bounce the flash off the ceiling--another feature I miss. However, it is much more powerful than the pop-up on the camera and it too uses AA's.

Another feature I like about this camera is its low light performance. The pictures I took at night making use of high ISO and image stabilization were simply amazing.

The camera does not have live display on the LCD on the back; you have to look through the viewfinder. Despite my recent experience with the point-and-shoots which all have live view, I have not missed that feature-looking through the viewfinder works well for me under all lighting conditions.

Overall, this has proven to be the perfect camera for me. I STRONGLY recommend it for folk coming from the point-and-shoot world and if you happen to have some old Pentax lenses (or buy some on e-bay) it makes an even more compelling purchase. Five stars!

Buy Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L Lens and AF200FG Flash Now

I own a Pentax K100D which was my first DSLR. Enjoyed for 2 years shooting sports photos (runners) and landscapes. Main issues were somewhat slow focus and having to clean sensor (30 minutes and test photos) with almost every lens change.

The new 2008 cameras almost all have built in sensor cleaners which are worth their weight in gold. I wanted faster autofocus and the "cleaner" so I looked at many reviews for all entry or middle level SLR brands. It came down to the Canon XSI, Sony A300 and the Pentax K2000. The Pentax 200D and 20D used existing autofocus and reviews all said they were slow.

With built in image stabilization, the flash included, and the 5 point auto focus (faster than the 11 point K100D) I decided on the Pentax. The Canon and Sony have live view, but if you haven't used it for awhile you won't miss it. I had also invested in a couple of lenses (Pentax 18-250) and a lesser priced Quantaray 70-300 zoom for the K100D, so I didn't need to spend any additional dollars.

Waiting for the spring track season and the faster continuous shooting speed, but I'm happy with everything I've taken so far. Slightly smaller than the K100 body, but sturdy and controls well placed. Help button is new and works very well, especially for the new SLR user.

I'm used to AA's for power and always keep an extra set charged.

Read Best Reviews of Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L Lens and AF200FG Flash Here

This is my first DSLR, upgrading from a 10x point and shoot, although I was a film SLR owner for several years. I looked at the following cameras closely before deciding on the Pentax K2000: Nikon D60, Canon Rebel SXi and the Olympus E-420. Although I'm sure that all of these cameras are good, I chose the Pentax for the following reasons:

size: it's smaller then all of them except the Olympus and I liked the feel of it compared to the Olympus. I wanted a camera that's good for travel.

lenses: although I'm starting fresh with no lenses, I liked the fact that you can use Pentax lenses even from the 1970s gives me more options to pick up some good lens deals. Also, I read that Pentax has good lenses for cheaper than the others. Along with this purchase, I got a pancake Pentax 40mm lens love it and when it's on the camera, it's really not much bigger than a point and shoot.

good for beginners: it's very easy to use and makes it easy for people who are new to DSLR to learn.

I also like that it uses AA batteries good for travelers.

I like that there's not a bright red light that beams out to help focus in low-light situations. Some cameras have that and it's very annoying when you're trying to discreetly take photos in a church or someplace.

There are some things that could be improved, like the 5-point focus system, but for the price, this is a good camera.

Overall, I just like the camera and I'm loving some of the photos I'm taking. I also like the support you can get online at the Pentax forums. I would definitely recommend the Pentax K2000.

Want Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L Lens and AF200FG Flash Discount?

My K100D still works great, but it's starting to feel a bit dated with its slower autofocus system and lack of SDM lens support. Since K2000s are getting so inexpensive, I decided to pick one up for a minor upgrade.

My initial impression was that the K2000 is heavy. It actually weighs slightly less than the K100D, but the smaller hand grip makes it feel heavier to me. The hand grip is less bulbous so it doesn't fill into my hand nearly as well, but I suppose that the hand grip was the only part that could be drastically reduced in size without making the camera feel unbalanced.

I also immediately noticed the missing LED screen at the top. Fortunately, all of the information is clearly and brightly displayed on the back LCD screen now. The new interface is actually very, very well designed. It's familiar enough that I could jump right in, and intuitive enough that I quickly figured out the new shortcuts and features. I'm finding the autofocus to be pretty quick and camera operation a bit quieter. Overall, I find the K2000 to be extremely usable.

The switch to the 10MP sensor finally gives me ISO 100 and smaller ISO increments for more control, but I'm also noticing much more noise than with the wonderful 6MP sensor in my K100D. With my K100D, I found ISO 800 to be very usable, but I'm afraid of pushing beyond ISO 400 with the K2000. I think this is something that I'll just have to get used to when I'm framing and exposing scenes.

The DA L kit lens seems to be about the same as my old DA 18-55mm, except for the plastic mount and sticker badge. You also don't get a lens hood. I haven't really tried the AF200FG flash because I have the AF360FGZ, but it seems appropriate for an entry level kit flash.

Pros (relative to the K100D):

+ Smaller and slightly lighter than the K100D.

+ 10MP sensor that gives more control over ISO.

+ Incredibly intuitive interface.

+ Sv (sensitivity) mode! I didn't have this before on the K100D.

+ Excellent mix of pro and non-pro features like the Help button, which can also be changed to be the RAW button.

+ Despite the cheaper construction, the kit lens still feels solid and comparable to my old 18-55mm that has a metal mount.

Cons (Relative to the K100D):

The 10MP sensor is noisier than what I'm used to. I've seen some amazing pictures taken with this sensor though so I'll have to learn the limits of this camera.

The ergonomics of the body aren't quite as good as the K100D. It's probably perfect for people with smaller hands though.

The DA L kit lens has a plastic mount, a sticker badge, and no lens hood.

UPDATE 7/28/09: I took my K2000 to San Diego Comic-Con and I must say that it performed admirably at ISO 800. I found that as long as I expose properly (preposterous!), the noise levels are totally acceptable. It's a bit more fussy than the K100D when underexposing at the same sensitivity, but I'm no longer afraid of using this sensor at ISO 800.