Panasonic DMC-FZ7 6MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

I just upgraded to this camera from my FZ3 and I love it. It will take a little time to get used to it because they changed some of the methods of accessing settings. All of those changes are a big plus in my book. The lens is still great, the handling has been improved and image quality is excellent. Some of the new featurs over pervious version;

2.5" LCD is just huge, yes lower res but still good.

Standard 52mm filter adapter much better then FZ3/4/5

High angle LCD mode works! I don't need tilt/twist any more

High sensitivity mode works, but not the best quality image

All the featurs it adds and at a price MUCH lower then any other FZ has been introduced at, how can you go wrong!!

Updated 9/28/06

Still love this camera. Noise is not as big of an issue as some people make it out to be. I now have the after market lens adapter that is from Pemaraal, it is a great addition.

I've had this camera two weeks now, and have had no problems whatsoever with it. It's my first digital camera, and so I spent about a month shopping around, reading various reviews, checking what needs I had in a camera, etc. When I knew that I wanted a megazoom, I ended up narrowing my selections to a few cameras: Sony DSC-H2, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7, Canon S3IS, and Fuji FinePix s5200.

All of them are great cameras and review well. In many of the reviews I would regularly read of each owner praising their own camera over the traits of the others. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't afford to own one of each camera to really know what that's like. What I took it to mean was that most of the people who bought any of these cameras were very happy with them. In some ways it made things more difficult (which one should I get?), but then in other ways it was a destresser (at least I won't get a dud, whichever I end up with).

Going to the stores around here and getting a feel for them in my hand was important. Everyone's hands are different, so it won't help for people to know which felt comfy in my hands, but I'll say it was a factor.

Features-wise, these cameras are all in the same neighbourhood. Big zoom, mid-high megapixel, and plenty of user-control when it comes to the settings. The viewscreens vary in size, as does the onboard memory, the kind of memory cards and batteries the camera uses, etc., so these are the major distinctions. Lenses on these cameras are also very good, no matter which you're looking at. Fuji and Canon, for instance, are both camera companies before they were into electronics, and Sony uses the Carl Zeiss and Panasonic uses the Leica. Quibble if you must about the lens quality of one vs. another, but the differences are minute. All offer some form of image stabilization as well, which is most helpful to me and my big, shaky hands.

When decision time came, price became a factor. The Fuji and Canon were $50-100 more than the Sony, and the Panasonic was another 20 below the Sony. Again, it wasn't the only factor, but it was in there.

Other factor: Power source. Some cameras run off AA batteries (Sony and Canon, not sure about Fuji), the Panasonic uses a Panasonic brand battery (Lithium-Ion), but you can buy knock-off brands that are much cheaper. They don't last as long (I have two) as the Panasonic, but I would say they are about 90% of the shooting capacity of the one that came with the camera, at about a fifth of the cost.

And last but not least: Storage. Panasonic and Canon use SD cards, which are cheap and fast. The Sony uses MemoryStick (a Sony product) that costs more. Not sure on it's performance, but from what I could tell from other reviews, a highspeed (UltraII by Sandisk, for instance) SD card was more than adequate. I got a 1G UltraII SD card and it holds 334 pics at max resolution. It's a fine performer, and fits into my laptop's cardreader. Very fast transfer from card to CPU for editing and such. Way faster than the included USB cable.

With the Panasonic, I make the tradeoff that memory is relatively cheap and flexible with other cameras and computers, but I have to have my batteries charged and ready for picture taking. With the Sony I could have gone to any corner store most anywhere in the world and picked up two AA's to operate the camera. They don't last as long as NiMH AA's, but they'll work fine when you have no other choice. To me that was a trade I'm willing to make, since I have three batteries (each rated for 270-300) and being able to acquire more storage cheaply would be better for what I need.

If you get this camera, you will be very pleased with the pictures you take, though that doesn't mean that you would be displeased with the others I mentioned. Make sure you get a chance to hold the cameras in your hand, and see what your priorities are going to be in picture taking. If you're always on the road and charging batteries is a problem, this camera might not be the one for you (charging the battery for this camera takes 2 hours), but if that isn't an issue, this camera is an excellent choice.

The only criticism people have had of this camera has been 'noise' at high ISOs, but that's not something I've noticed. I'll be doing some night shooting soon, so I'll experiment and see what I can get. As for the other positive reviews of picture quality, clarity, colour reproduction, etc. I echo those heartily. Again, this is not a camera that disappoints. You'll be very pleased with the results.

Happy shooting!

Buy Panasonic DMC-FZ7 6MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) Now

This camera replaces 35 year old Nikons with all the lenses etc that were available at that time. I have been reluctant to join the digital camera set. This Panasonic is simply an outstanding product. In one small package you replace many heavy lenses and two Nikons I have been carrying. Prior to my purchase I tried to research hard and read mostly positive reviews on this camera. They were absolutely correct and many of the negative comments have turned out to be either very very picky or simply not reading the manual. The strong suits to this Panasonic FZ7 for me are the portrait and macro quality. The Leica lens is excellent and the results are excellent. I have now taken over 400 pictures with this camera and had one portrait printed by a custom lab. They were impressed also. Portraits are just outstanding and so are close-ups such as mountain wild flowers. The ease of use is outstanding. Yes you have to read the manual and yes you have to do some practicing but you get out of this camera what you put into it. Battery life is outstanding. I love the provided battery and don't want to be carrying AA batteries. Charging for 2 hours from completely dead is impressive and being able to take several hundred photos on one charge sold me. For the most part the software that comes with it is good although I am not sure why you would need 4 different photo programs and it seems they could have put their effort into just one great photo program.

For the amateur photographer I consider this camera to be outstanding as long as you will study the manual and try the different settings. There are many settings and they do produce the desired results. There is, of course, a "simple" setting which frankly I haven't tried yet because this camera is so easy to use the more advanced settings. For an old film camera guy its a joy to take as many pictures as I want and delete the bad ones. Seeing your results instantly is impressive and its so easy to watch on your TV that was actually the first place we did watch.

I also find the view finder to be an absolute joy. The LCD screen is more than adequate for most conditions but I find that in bright sunlight(sun behind you) the view finder is such a joy that I find myself using it more and more. The detailed information available within the view finder is in such sharp detail its amazing. Didn't know that was possible.

The arguments against this camera might be that it doesn't fit into your pocket but its so lightweight and the 12X zoom is so impressive I love to carry it. I bought a small case for it that fits it nice and tight and at Sam's Club I bought a 1GB Toshiba high proformance SD card for under $50. The 1GB card matches the battery capacity at best quality for about 329 pictures at 6M megapixels. Absolutely no regrets about purchasing this camera. I was into my third day with it before I even tried the audio. Who knew? Good idea! Another really unreal idea is stabilization in a still camera. When you are out on the 12X zoom its very impressive. Haven't used a tripod yet and for wildflowers the Nikon just about had to be on a tripod when using the Micro Nikkor lens in wind etc.

All of my Nikons will soon be featured on E-Bay. First though there is this 12 day vacation through 3 Natl Parks. Hmmm taking my laptop so I can download the SD card because I am thinking at least 1,000 pictures! It all came down to either this Panasonic or the Canon S3IS with comparable bells and whistles but the Cannon was over a $100 more and I couldn't justify it.

This camera will basically take your picture for you if you use all of its capability.

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In January, my beloved Canon s-45 received the dreaded E-18 error. At two hundred dollars, it is not worth repairing. I am joining the class action law suit on that Canon camera error (Google for more info if you have that problem). So I set out to find a viable substitute.

I purchased a Pentax Optio S-6. Very unhappy. Outdoor pictures were clear but indoor pictures, terrible quality. We used the camera at a birthday party, put it back in its case and into a purse, and for some inexplicable reason, the LCD screen 'cracked'.

So, I returned it. Turns out that is a common and fatal flaw for that camera.

I went to Frys and talked to several people who reccommended that for the money, the Panasonic was the best deal. My main goal for the camera is to shoot indoor club volleyball action shots with some degree of sharpness and quality. I realize it would not be the performance of my friends several thousand dollar camera systems, but I wanted something that would 'do'.

Well, in this Panasonic, I FOUND IT! I have had it for a week, and have test run it in every situation, night, action, inside, outside, object, people. The instruction manual is a bit difficult to read, a little confusing, but once you figure out what you are doing, the camera is a real delight.

The inside volleyball shots I got are even more than I'd hoped for. I have one fun shot that captured no less than four volleyballs in the air, clearly. That was just a bonus to the player I was shooting. Don't get me wrong, you cannot get an action still like something you'd see in the newspaper, but you can get something almost as good.

I am very happy with this camera. I have decided to keep it, and am going out to purchase a good case today. Additionally, we are so happy that we went out and purchased the Panasonic DMC-FX9 for my 22 year old daughter. Her friend has a slightly older model (also a former Canon user) and is thrilled with it. We are very happy with that purchase as well.

Again, this is not a camera for those looking for the sports page spectaculars. This is a camera for a person looking to have good quality photos of their every day activities that come out clear, sharp and crisp.

Good luck! Karen

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An elderly friend of mine is just getting his toes wet with his spiffy new laptop,spiffy new 3-in -one printer,and this very,very sweet camera.

He is a retired art instructor,and was a professional photographer back in the days of the Rolliflexes. He asked for my help in selecting all of the above,and I have to tell you: This camera has knocked his socks off. He is trying everything the camera is capable of,and he is continually amazed at the quality,heft,and pictures the Lumix can take. Being very mechanically-minded,he is just as intrigued with its operations ,as he is with the finished print.

As for my opinion?? I wish I had one of these! I have a very nice pocket-size Nikon,5.1mp,and I bought it so I could carry it in my pocket. It takes wonderful photos,so I really don't need this one.But..I like the fact that you can override the auto settings and tweak it to your specifications.He has been having a lot of fun with it over the past couple of weeks.Taking photos in all sorts of light situations.Moon photos,sunsets,etc.

I think he will continue to be very pleased with what he has purchased.It was so nice to see his face light up the first time he took a photo and looked at it in the very huge LCD screen.

I suggest,as amazon did,that you get a 1Gig SD card,minimum,but if you can swing it,go for the 2Gig.

All-in-all,this is a great camera,and coupled with a spiffy,high-quality printer,anyone into photography will be pleased.

LinXcel HS-41A0 4 Ports HDMI Switch With One 6ft. HDMI Certified Cable

It does what it is supposed to do, but it takes a good 6-8 seconds to switch between inputs. Also, note that this is HDMI 1.2a, not the latest version.

Update:

I have been using this switch for almost a year now. AT&T U-Verse (Pay TV over IP) DVR box, Philips upconverting DVD player, and Canon HD Video cam. Still takes 6-8 seconds to change between inputs. Occasionally have to power cycle the unit, which isn't a big deal for me, but try to explain it to the wife over the phone. Occasionally I get a HDCP error on my tv, and I have to cycle through all the inputs to clear it. Still better than swapping cables or buying a new tv with more HDMI inputs.

I have just purchased a Samsung Blu-Ray player, and this switch does not work with it. The connection cycles on and off continuously, even on the player's setup menu. I am afraid I need to find a new solution now.

Sony VPLDX11 Multimedia Projector - 1024 x 768 XGA - 3000lm - 4:3 - 4.11lb

This is one of the more powerful yet smaller projectors I have ever used. It is ideal for mid-sized conference rooms and classrooms or even watching a movie on the wall, better on an actual projection screen. It has an incredible 3000 lumens and accepts a wide range of input signals, including both PC and video sources. It can be floor ceiling or rear-mounted. I have used it to connect to a BluRay player and the picture was awesome. I have a regular briefcase I carry it in and it's even lighter than my laptop.

Videosecu 16 Channel Surveillance Video Audio DVR PC PCI Capture Card 1B4

The Mini DVR is a very safisticated system and I am very pleased with the four purchased for my home security system. Features that make it very desirable include: Small and easy to hide, low power, runs cool, no mechanical disc drive to fail, does not loose it's memory when the power is disconnected, records on motion detection, takes up to a 16 GB SD card, does not need a PC to function, overwrite feature, and can run on battery power. This DVR has a neat pre record feature that when engaged starts recording the video signal 5 seconds before the motion activation is detected. This way it catches everything from the start. Sound feature not used. Came with a slick little device that will hold the SD memory card and plugs into a USB2 port allowing files to be viewed on a PC.

One minor issue not covered in the instructions is when the unit is powered up for the first time and the video output is plugged into a NTSC compatible monitor the picture has a rapid vertical roll to it. When the unit was tested it was set for PAL compatibility and must be reset for NTSC which can be tricky since the screen is rolling making it hard to read. Going through the following sequence by pressing the keys indicated when you first turn it on it will set it to NTSC. 1. Menu 2. OK 3. Right Arrow 4. Right Arrow 5. OK 6. Right Arrow 7. OK. When the DVR set to PAL is plugged into the color quad processor Real Time Color Digital Quad Processor Security-surveillance or area-monitoring systems with Remote controler DIY QD435 1EYthe picture does not roll but is very low quality until the DVR is changed to NTSC.

The settings that work best for me are to record at 5 FPS and not 30 FPS. Set the motion sensitivity to 7 and the record time to 30 seconds. Used this way a 16GB card will record about 8 to 10 days worth of movement of street traffic in our neighborhood.

Fosmon Mini DisplayPort to DVI Female Adapter Cable for Apple Macbook / Macbook Pro / iMac / Macboo

it works fine,but bigger than the apple one,and made of cheap plastic..i use for a projector but works with the tv too

Love this cable! Works perfectly with my mac book pro. All i needed to do is plug it in and the computer recognized it and did everything for me. I ordered it from SF Planet.

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I am so upset that this doesn't work. My tv keeps saying "no connection" to pc. I've tried multiple times. I would like a refund.

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15 Inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with 4GB Flash Memory - Perfect for Your Home or as Advertising

I like this frame a lot, image is large, sharp, clear and bright, very HD looking. Easy to operate. I have about 1900 photos at full resolution loaded onto a 32GB SD card so far. The 1900 photos use about 5GB of memory so it looks like I will be able to get around 14,000 photos on this card. Random playback and continuos looping is good as long as you don't put your photos in a folder in your storage media. Viewing angle is great. This frame is a home run.

Very stylish looking too.

You won't be disappointed.

Screen is bright and crisp, but suffers from limited viewing angle. But the hardware is not the issue. As others have noted, "random" slideshows are not really random and exclusively display only the older pictures in your set. Transitions are also irregular and can become quite long. My theory is that the unit assumes all pictures it will encounter will have the same JPEG properties (compression etc) as the first one it happens to open. When it finds pictures that do not conform, it can't open them, and thus hangs on the current picture for more time until it finds another picture it can open. Finally, since even in random mode it ALWAYS starts with the exact same picture, it always initiates with the same JPEG settings. This may be right or wrong as to the reason for the unit's behavior, but accurately describes the net results: some pictures are on for 3 seconds (or however long you set the delay), while others are on for long enough to become quite annoying (10 30 seconds). In a large group of pictures, the sequence is obviously non-random and the unit completely fails to display the more recent shots (even after leaving it running all night, dividing up pictures among different sub-directories, writing them to the internal storage in different orders etc you get the picture, I put in some time and effort and tried everything I could think of to work around the issues and make this thing behave like it should).

Another issue is the auto on/off functions. You can set it to turn on at a set time, and off again later. I try to conserve energy so this is important to me and I do not want it running when no one is around to see it. It can only run on the same schedule every day though, no weekdays vs. weekends etc, and only one on and off event per day. Other digital picture frames I have seen support more detailed scheduling with the ability to run mornings and evenings but turn off in the middle of the day or use a different schedule on weekends, and this thing has calendar and clock functions so it has the hardware capability they just chose not to make very good use of it.

Returned it. With a firmware update to address these problems, it could be a pretty good product, but I am not keeping it "at risk" as to whether Nix gets off its duff and issues one. Failing to display any recent pictures is kind of an important defect for a product whose entire raison d'etre is displaying pictures.

Wish I could point you to a better frame in this size range, but thus far I have not found one. Ironically, the smaller, less expensive frames (e.g. Pandigital) seem to be much more polished products than the larger ones.

Buy 15 Inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with 4GB Flash Memory - Perfect for Your Home or as Advertising Now

I'm actually unimpressed with this unit. And disappointed as well. The picture is quite grainy and I have the correct settings chosen and am using 5mp images that are the same size format as the screen. The remote control takes some effort to use. Have to push buttons multiple times to get the unit to respond. Pictures are ok but appear washed out, and there doesn't seem to be any contrast or brightness controls anywhere. I figured I'd go with the more expensive unit to get a better quality. Ehhhh. I'm unimpressed. I think it's going back. Can buy a whole small tv with a DVD player for what this costs, and just out the pictures on a DVD... Idk. Just unimpressed... Not the quality I expected.

Update 7/30.

Ok after figuring out the kind of cumbersome interface I do have to say the frame now working well. Seems easiest to just load the pictures on an sd card and just leave the card in the frame. And with the "optimum" setting chosen the pictures look really good. This frame definately has a better LCD panel than the cheaper models. It can be seen well from all angles and is nice and bright. And the 4x3 format is much better for photos than the widescreen sizes. I use a mac and found that if you click enhance in the iPhoto software the pictures look much better on the frame. The auto on/off was not working. But it started working once I discovered that in the menus you have to push enter after you make each selection, even though enter does not appear to do anything. And then you have to push exit on the remote for changes to set. So now the auto on/off seems to work. I do like the frame. Still think it was a little pricey. But the picture quality is really very good. If you are worried about your power bill. I measured the amp draw. Running the frame is the same as running a 25 watt light bulb... Would cost a couple dollars a month to run 24 x 7. I did finally find the picture controls. They are on the second screen of the setup screens. Hard to find as there is absolutely no indication in the software that hese is a page 2.

Read Best Reviews of 15 Inch Hi-Res Digital Photo Frame with 4GB Flash Memory - Perfect for Your Home or as Advertising Here

Bought this photo frame as a compact way of displaying the 1,000s of images we've collected over the years. The screen display is bright with lovely colors as advertised, though back-lit faces are displayed much darker on the Nix than on my PC monitor. The unit has brightness and contrast controls but I've found it to be more effective to adjust the images on my PC to make sure faces are not in deep shadow.

The frame is constructed well and I very much appreciate that it does not have NIX in big letters on the front like one of the competing models. The instructions for the frame support say to keep pulling it out until it clicks. I never did obtain a click and it does not lock in place and I feel that if I pull on it any harder it will break. Seems cheap to me to have flimsy plastic support without a locking mechanism on one of the more expensive frames on the market. Whenever I move the frame to slide a memory card in or out, I must make sure that the support is extended. I would have gladly paid a couple of extra dollars for a sturdier support to avoid a catastrophic crash. Especially since I live in earthquake country.

The 4GB USB memory card that came with the frame is not recognized by my Dell PC although every other USB flash drive card I've ever inserted into it before and after has been accessible. So the drive that it comes with the frame has been useless for me. Luckily I have a spare SD card that I've loaded up with images for a trial run. I was able to insert the SD card in the Nix unit upside-down which I've never been able to do in any other device. It did not harm the unit but it makes me wonder about build quality.

For my purposes, the primary opportunity for improvement is in the random image selection algorithm. Every time I turn the unit on and put it into the slideshow mode the algorithm seems to start all over again and re-selects the same set of images it started with every other time I've entered the slideshow mode. I would much prefer that it start up where it was when turned off last and display images that have been selected fewer times than other images. I have now seen about 50 of the 900 images on the SD card dozens of times and the rest of them not at all. We do not want to waste energy by leaving the unit running when no one is watching it. This is quite frustrating and something for potential buyers to consider seriously as this is one of those things you just can't know about until you've tried it.

For the transitions between the images in slideshow mode, you can choose None, Random, or any one of a set of transitions to be used constantly. The one we would like to use constantly is the Fade transition. Unfortunately, it is not an elegant fade like every other slideshow software product has. It is better described as pulsating where parts of the new image overlay the existing one in steps. It gives my spouse the heebie-jeebies to look at it. The None option does exactly that and it works fine though it is abrupt. All of the other transitions are gimmicky in an elegant setting.

Sorry I cannot comment on the musicor video-playing functions since I did not purchase the unit for those features.

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I bought this Nix 15" digital frame as a gift for my mother's 90'th birthday. I've been loading pictures directly into the frame's memory all week. The pics are a variety of landscapes and portraits, some from my own camera card, along with a couple of dozen that were emailed to me from different relatives. Before loading them onto the frame, some had been cropped, but none had been photo shopped. All were JPEG. Also, all of them were taken in a horizontal/landscape camera position except one. I was relieved to find that I didn't have to resize any of them, but the frame did crop off the bottom of the legs of the people in the only verticle picture that I installed. The slide show is the only feature that I've used, but that is why I bought the frame. The sharpness of each picture is great, however, in a few, the colors are brighter than the natural colors. I did try to tone down the brightness (red faces and brighter clothing) using the brightness and contrast features, but it tended to make some of the other pictures look faded. I might be able to refine it more, but I haven't had the time. I'm thrilled with the overall crispness and detail of the pictures and that there are so many choices for timing the slide show (secs, minutes, or hrs between photos).

There are 5 things that I would highly recommend though:

First of all, take all of your pictures using a horizontal (landscape) perspective or try to crop them to that shape. It's possible that you might have better luck getting your vertical pictures to not get cropped by the frame if you use a USB flash drive. Secondly, if you are going to load them directly into the frame's memory, select the order that you want them to be viewed in before loading them onto the frame. If not, you cannot change the order once it's on the frame. You can delete pics or add new ones (which will show up on the end of the slide show), but can't just switch them around for better sequencing. Although, if it's important, you could delete out all of the pictures and reinstall them in the desired order or create a new file with those same pictures in a better sequence. Thirdly, the stand seems a little flimsy considering the wt of the frame. It extends out easily from the back, but when I pick up the frame, even just to move it over a bit on the table, the stand drops back down inside of the frame, leaving the frame unsupported. At first, I barely caught the frame in time because the stand closed up every time I picked it up to move it. This happened several times. I'm planning on stuffing a piece of foam rubber in back to keep the stand fully extended so that my mother won't have this problem. Fourthly, place the frame in a spot that is below eye level from where you'll view it, such as a desk, coffee table, or end table. This is because the frame tilts back, making the photos look dark if you have the it at eye level or higher. Lastly, some of the features on the frame, require you to use the remote control, which at first seemed like it didn't work. It does work however if I try pointing it at different angles to the frame.

This might seem like a lot of issues, but after all of the complaints that I've read about on all sorts of digital frames, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pictures and how easy it was to download them onto this frame without any difficulty. Also, for my purposes, it was user friendly. And, it's the ideal gift for my mom --and what's more important than that!!!

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Looxcie Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System, Android Compatible (Black)

As a gadget nut, I ordered this the day it became available on Amazon and had it shipped next day (ok, so an impatient gadget nut). The concept is awesome capture and share those expected or unexpected moments in life as I see them, how I see them. The videos you see on youtube were promising and I was in need of a new bluetooth headset, so I bought it.

First thing that I noticed was how nicely everything was packaged. I took the Looxcie out of the box and set it to charge via the wall outlet adapter Don't want to run out of batteries on my day out! I love the design of this thing, looks so slick! After it was fully charged, pairing to my Android phone is a breeze. With the Looxcie software downloaded, it was time to put this thing on my ear and see what it can do!

...And that's where things started going downhill! First of all, the Looxcie does NOT fit on my ear correctly. I tried all 3 sizes of ear buds and on both ears (in case I had a deformity in one ear of which I wasn't aware) and with my glasses on and off. I read the instructions and my Looxcie did look bent as shown in their images anfter several attempts. Perhaps its the weight of the camera boom, but the Looxcie just droops down such that the camera is not eye level (aiming more at my jaw line). I would have to walk around with my head tilted up in order for the camera boom to be level with the ground. I had my wife try it as well, maybe its the size and shape of my head and she experienced the same issues, no matter how we shaped the flexible ear-piece.

After much fiddling to the point where my outer-ear was a bit sore, I managed to get the Looxcie on at an acceptable viewing angle. Any quick head jolts and I risk having the camera boom shift slightly downward again. Now comes the other fitment issue Being that the Looxcie was on my right ear, anything that was happening to my left would not be picked up. If I held my hand out in front of me, the camera eye would not see it until my hand was about to cross my nose. They really should have included some sort of curvature to the camera boom to contour to the face because as of now when it is at eye level, it points to the right (on my right ear).

I love the fact that I can use my phone's screen as a viewfinder! Going into it, I knew the Looxcie's recording specs and frame rate so my expectations were low but the resulting videos I took were even worse than expected. I tried several activities from driving, to walking to just standing and panning my head back and forth. The video I get from the Looxcie is very choppy, I would say even worse than the 15fps they claim. I was walking through the mall in one video clip. I turned to look at a dog that was there and turned my head back (more than a 1 second look) and in the captured video, I don't even see the dog because of the choppiness of the video (although I can clearly hear myself talking about it).

The other thing is battery life the Looxcie is rated for 4 hours but after a full charge and playing with the unit, I would say its more like 2-3 hours of video use tops. This should definitely be improved.

I do have to say that I like the ability of reviewing and editing video clips on my phone, then e-mailing or posting to Youtube, Facebook, etc without having to be at a PC. That is a key feature of this device!

I would have to say my expectations have not been met with the Looxcie. The concept and idea is there, but due to the lacking design, ergonomics and quality of video I am fairly disappointed. The price-point is good if they can deliver a quality product that will actually fit, stay on my ear(aimed properly) and take video where I don't miss any of the action (true 30 fps PLEASE!). I honestly wouldn't mind the low-resolution of the video if the frame rate was there and I could record for an actual 4-5 hours as claimed.

Once these issues are resolved, perhaps they can look into adding features such as retaining the last 10-30 seconds of video before the record or instant-clip button was pressed. :D

Likes:

-Concept of sharing the every-day

-Visually pleasing design

-Mobile editing/emailing of video thru an Android phone

Dislikes

-Device Fitment/Aiming of camera boom

-Recorded video quality lower than expected

-Battery life

UPDATE: As of today Looxcie updated the firmware on the device and added a new phone app and new desktop app. This is a major improvement to the device as it now adds the ability to record in 480p @30fps which I've tested and is a HUGE improvement. You can also save clips directly to the phone's SD card now instead of just on the Looxcie device. They also allow livestreaming now which is awesome.

Ok, so I was extremely excited to get this product and ordered it as soon as it became available. Since I've had it I've probably recorded about 2 hours of video with it at various places with varying noise levels. So here's my impression.

For the price it is a really nice piece of hardware, I've had no trouble with the build quality, it's comfortable and very light when wearing and adjusts to fit virtually any way you want it. The video quality is exactly what I expected it to be. Nothing great but not horrible considering the size of the device. I love the Android app that this device utilizes, you can use your phone as a "viewfinder" and Looxcie is very easy to pair with your phone (Nexus 2.2 in my case). You can save notable clips on the device by pushing the clip button making 30-second clips or make custom length clips through the app. Once you make the clips you can hook Looxcie to the computer and do what you want with them there, or upload them to the place of your choosing through the Looxcie App. Playback in the app is a little choppy but much more smooth on the computer. Using the device as a bluetooth headset has been great for me. I usually run into problems where the volume is never high enough but my Looxcie is so loud it hurts (luckily you can turn it down). Call quality is good and I have no problems hearing anyone or with them hearing me when talking through it. It's very useful to be able to use this as a "dual-purpose" device.

My gripes:

-As of now the clips you "save" are saved to Looxcie and not your phone's SD card. So viewing clips while away from your Looxcie are impossible unless you've uploaded them somewhere through the app. Now this can be fixed through an App update but just something to be aware of.

-Audio: While playing back my clips on the computer what I've noticed is that (since both microphones are on the bottom of Looxcie) I can hear myself talking fine, but whenever someone else in front of me is talking I find it difficult to make out what they're saying. I CAN hear them but if you're anywhere but in a quiet room with a couple people it can get difficult to hear anyone other than yourself. This is the only real problem I have with Looxcie.

My likes:

-Easy to use App interface, easy to pair

-Portable, wearable camcorder, letting me have my hands back. Great for when I go fishing/snowboarding or anything else.

-Look/Build quality of the device is wonderful!

-Battery life is very good considering the size of it.

-So many adjustment options makes it very comfortable and adjustable for any size/shaped head.

-Recording length (5HRs)

-First of its kind/cheap for what you get.

Overall the Looxcie is definitely worth the price and I would recommend it to anyone who is tired of always "holding the camcorder" and missing out on the action. Very useful, easy to use, and fun device even though placing one of the microphones in front would've been a wise decision. (And no I don't work for Looxcie in case you're wondering)

Buy Looxcie Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System, Android Compatible (Black) Now

Yep jumped right in the day it was available. Not a bad price for bleeding edge though I'm sure it'll drop soon enough. Conceptually great! I love the potential! Paired immediately and Android app installed and works though the images have a pixelated quality along edges. Very cool app though! Only had for about 2 hours now. First thing was to rotate for left ear. Manual doesn't make clear what exactly rotates. Figured out it was just the earbud itself (makes sense) however when rotating it gently and smoothly the top half of the earbud clam-shell fell off. It was glued so technically its broken but a few drops of plastic adhesive fixed it. I'm not ready to return it without playing. Maybe later if anything else happens. Going to play with the actual video functionality now and write more later.

Day two. Played more with the video. Other than the previously mentioned edgyness everything seems as described. This product DOES NOT stream to or thru the handset. The real issue today is the audio quality. In a word it's atrocious! I have many many Bluetooth headsets including some real bargains and this is by far the absolute worst incoming quality I've ever experienced (that's why the stars dropped). I think there must be a defect with my unit but I'm not ready to return it yet. Again audio quality is lower than anything I've ever used. I am still so enamored with the potential of the device I will keep playing until I must decide about returning/exchanging it.

Third and forth day. Looxcie has GREAT customer service! One of the engineers was reading the reviews here and jumped right on it and contacted their customer service (on Sunday) and made arrangements for a replacement.

Before the replacement arrived today. I was able to spend a lot more time with the video functionality. Again the Android app is great! I clipped the 'my girlfriend almost hit 2 baby dear' clip that of course no one ever gets. Looxcie is gonna be great for accidents, and once in a lifetime stuff! I agree with Nathan's comments on the microphone placement and clips being pushed to the app as soon as possible but of course that could use more power when you're not necessarily close to power like you probably would be when intentionally sitting down to review clips (maybe a check box option). It's certainly ok the way it is now. And also that the video quality is more than I expected from a device this small and cool. Really haven't seen anything better at this resolution.

Replacement unit: audio is far more normal on this unit and though it still sounds a little hot it is absolutely fine. Nathan is also correct that the volume can go way up. Even to the point of distortion which was at least some of the problem with the audio experience of the original unit.

Something I didn't quite get at first but makes sense now. Looxcie is called an always on camcorder with the ability to clip the last thirty seconds. What that means though is its always on once you turn it on with the app or the capture button. Not a problem once you realize it. So battery life has multiple modes. Standby (un-connected to phone), headset mode (connected not in use w/wo capture on) and active (in a call w/wo capture). No un-met battery expectations so far.

A useful thing on the site would be audio clips for each signal tone. I hear some but not sure what it's telling me because there are some I haven't heard to know the difference (for instance there are 5 different 2 tone signals). Not too hard to force them so I've learned the difference now.

Stars go to 5+ and I love my Looxcie! Can't wait for all those clips I wished I had an always on camcorder for and of course upgrades to the device and app for even more features! I'm geeked!

And thank you to Rob and Michael.

Read Best Reviews of Looxcie Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System, Android Compatible (Black) Here

The Android app for Looxcie (without which you can't really use the device) is infuriatingly unpolished:

(1) it does not use Android Intents for sending email or uploading videos to Youtube (ie rather than using the Android-provided facilities for this they implemented their own; for example they require your Gmail password; the only way around that is to create a separate Gmail account just for the Looxcie app)

(2) the UI for browsing the circular video buffer has many issues: it is sluggish, the position slider is too inaccurate to easily select a scene within the 4 hours of recorded video, when you click "create new clip" the position jumps so if you had carefully navigated to the beginning of an interesting scene you have to start over again)

(3) when uploading the video fails, retrying means that the app downloads the clip yet again over Bluetooth

(4) when you create a new clip and give it a title, the title is not reflected in the file name on the flash disk presented to a connected computer

This would all be tolerable if the app were open source or at least the Bluetooth protocol documented -as it stands, Looxcie officially says that they have no intention of opening up the product but instead intend to keep it a completely closed system.

Regarding the hardware: there is no motion stabilization and no wind protection for the microphone. This means when you take a movie while bicycling, you can all but forget about the sound and watching the video clip is bound to make you seasick. It also appears that the Looxcie has a hard time keeping up with rapid changes of the pictures -you'll see the image shearing.

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Ugh If you have 5 hours to waste and disappointment galore this is the product for you This is the iPhone version

1st A firmware upgrade

2nd press button 1,2,3 no no press 3,2,1 no no no press 2,1,3

3rd Plug it into a wall socket, no plug it into the laptop

No first press 3 buttons then it will reset then plug it into

the wall socket

After five hours four calls to the support hot line and three emails

I returned it disappointed upset and aggravated

The product is not yet mature

In my case the device could not hold a charge

I tried literally everything and even their support people could not get it to work

Was it just a bad unit My sense is "No"

Why

On the phone they relayed to me that I had to do a firmware upgrade

then I had to do a complete system reset back to the default mfg settings

My sense is that they have not worked out all the kinks for the iphone yet

Oh and by the way (a little untold fact) the transfer rate between the

device memory storage and your iphone is 300kbs that means if you recorded

20 minutes of video (which equated to a 500 mg file) It will take you

4 hours (yes 4 hours) to transfer that file using blue tooth Now that's what I call real time

Sony Alpha NEX-7 Digital Camera Body & E 18-55mm OSS Lens (Black) with Sony 32GB Card + Battery

The camera is terrific! Can't say anything negative about it (and no, I haven't hit the dreaded record button yet, though I can see how someone could), and it's even smaller than I expected. If you're looking for a smaller-than-DSLR size, easy to carry, easy to hold camera, with a picture quality 2nd to none, this is it. As far as the kit: the tele and wide-angle lenses are 'usable' but really just for using/practicing with until you get real tele and wide-angle lenses; the camera bag on the other hand while well made is unusable because you really can only squeeze the camera and kit lens in and I do mean s q u e e z e. For example, you can forget about adding the included tele and wide-angle lenses in the case, or something like a 55-210 (frankly, I gave the case to my 10 year old daughter for her Sony point and shoot which it really is for and am using an old Lowerpro case I had laying around); lastly, the tripod is really just a piece of junk. There is no other way to describe it. It's junk from the word go. If you like the camera you won't ever use this disaster-waiting-to-happen piece of %@#$. Bottom line: with the exception of the bag and tripod, everything else in the kit is pretty good and usable.

GSI Super Quality Snap-On LCD Monitor Cover Protector, Prevents Damage To Camera LCD Display Screen

It took me a minute to figure out how to attach this item to the camera, as it didn't come with printed instrcutions, but once I figured it out, it a very clever little device. I like it a lot better than the "stick on" screen protector that I had before. You can easily remove this and actually clean the screen from time to time and put this right back on. It arrived very quickly and seems quite sturdy.