HDMI Cable - 2 Male Connectors - 2 Meters

I bought this cable to go from my PS3 to my HD-TV. I was a little leery because it was sooo inexpensive. No need...this works just as it should, signal gets to the TV nice and clean with no issues at all. I have purchased other HDMI cable from retail store and the price for a 6' cable is always at least $20 and sometimes over $30. At under $5 you cannot go wrong with this. I cannot speak for it being capatible with the HMDI 1.3 since I have not tested it but for general HDMI use it is perfect.

Definitely the best way to go. I went to Best Buy, Radioshack, etc. and some cost $20+. Great product at a fraction of the cost.

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Cables seem to work. Picture looks good, no flickering or anything, even though I've got a 24" monitor set to a pretty high resolution.

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Don't be fooled by the price.

My cable stop working after one month. Just low quality product.

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Great product at a great price. The shipping was slightly faster than expecation as well.

TRENDnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Pan/Tilt/Zoom Internet Surveillance Camera TV-IP422W (White)

Got this a few days ago. Very easy to configure. Had mine set up on my wireless network in minutes. Much better video quality than I expected for this price.

Definitely meant to be used indoors in low light. When I point it out the window, the image just washes out and goes all white. But indoors, with normal lighting, the image is great. Night time image is very good. The built-in IR LEDs work well to about 20ft or so. Beyond that, things are pretty dark. I tried an experiment and turned on a desk lamp with a very low power fluorescent bulb and the camera had enough light to see everything in the house in full color. Really good low light performance.

The microphone is also very sensitive. Almost too sensitive. It picks up every sound in the house. I can hear the ceiling fan, air conditioner, TV in another room, people talking in other rooms etc. Has 2-way audio but haven't tried it yet. UPDATEtwo way audio works great. You need a powered, amplified speaker; I used an old computer speaker.

Super easy to operate. You don't need any special software to remotely view, just Internet Explorer. You can view with Firefox, but you lose some features. When viewing remotely over the Internet, you can click on any point in the image and the camera centers itself on that point.

Tons more options and features but, you can read about them on the manufacturers website.

If this had a true optical zoom, it would be just about perfect but, full Pan Tilt and Zoom cameras cost a lot more than this one.

I am pleasantly surprised with this camera. I've tried several 'affordable' cameras over the past few years and have been quite disappointed with them. The only really good network PTZ I've found is a nine hundred dollar Panasonic. Too expensive for me and it does not have audio.

If you need audio and full range pan ant tilt, but don't need zoom, this is probably your best choice right now for any price. Panasonic makes a nice, small, wireless camera with audio and pan and tilt but it does not have the range of motion that this camera has and this camera has much better low light image quality.

REVIEW UPDATEI've had mine now for several months and it still works great. I changed the video setting to "outdoor" and now it works perfectly in full sunlight. And it still works just as good in full dark as it did with the other video settings. I was having some problems with the camera losing it's wireless connection to my Linksys router. I would have to power cycle the camera to get it to reconnect. But then I started having other problems with the Linksys router so I replaced my old Linksys router with a newer D-Link router and the problems have gone away. The camera has not lost it's connection since I replaced the router.

Because this camera is IR sensitive and does not have a switchable mechanical IR filter, daylight images sometimes look a little fuzzy, as if the lens is dirty. This is most noticeable when viewing indoors with a lot of sunlight coming in through the windows. I have other IR sensitive cameras and they exhibit the same behavior.

Overall, I am still quite pleased with this camera and just wish Amazon would make it a Gold Box deal so I could get another one!

Amazon recently put the Panasonic BLC131A wireless network camera on sale for about 1/2 price so I got one to try. The Trendnet TV-IP422W is far superior to the Panasonic; it has much better image quality, sound quality and range of motion, and the Trendnet configuration screens seem much more intuitive to me.

If Trendnet would add a zoom lens and a mechanical IR filter, this camera would be perfect.

Hopefully you will find this review helpful for your setup. I know I rely HEAVILY on reviews and feedbacks for my purchase.

First off, don't expect much from the wireless feature. It's nice to have, for portability e.g. but not for reliability nor stability.

I bought 4 of these cameras, mounted them all wirelessly with (a) front door, (b) back door (c) kitchen and (d) foyer, to keep an eye on our dog. I figured I may be able to skip on pet hotel fees and get a big peace of mind at the same time. I setup my routers, sort out the remote web access and even got them to work via my iphone using the $5 eyecam app. The $25 IP PRO View app does not work with the IP422W's data stream.

When I was still home and before my first trip that truly tests out these cameras, one of the cameras would be missing from the network and never to be seen again even after a reset. Amazon promptly sent out a replacement but only after I discovered you really need to leave these cameras disconnected for more than a few minutes before it was really re-initialized.

Then we went on our vacation and after a few hours into it, 1 of 4 cameras were MIA. Still, it was fantastic to able to see our dog through the other working cameras. However, by day 2, we were left with only 2 cameras working and on our way home, only 1 camera was working. Of course, bear in mind, there's NOTHING you can do to fix it unless you get someone to go to your home, unplug and replug the camera's A/C adapter (a reboot).

The following week, we went On our 2nd and longer vacation and it was pretty much the same story. First, it teases you with much relief that it's working but then it never fails to disappoint with a non-functioning camera by day 2 or 3. On our way home from this 5 day trip, only 1 camera was working.

When we got home, I was bent on researching this further and opened two tickets with Trendnet, the 2nd one, they didn't even bothered replying. Now dizzy with the experience of being able to check on the house when we're away, I was prepared to send the Trendnets back to Amazon and swap them for far more costly Toshibas, Sonys or Axises.

But after much research, I quickly concluded that almost all of these IP cams just don't have very robust wi-fi components. Most reviews were plagued with widespread reports of losing connections, reboots and the like.

Still, I pushed forward, upgraded the router's firmware to DD-WRT, bumped up its transmitter range, added another router in as a repeater, relocated the routers to higher ground e.g. I even tried swapping the antennae on the furthest camera with a longer antennae that came off an older Linksys router. By now, there is probably sufficient signal strength in my house to service the neigboring five streets!!

But of course, one camera or another will still continue to drop out, never to be heard from again until they are rebooted. I supposed it would have been great if they will self re-connected again sometime later but they never did, not even once.

The geek in me then went into innovation mode, perhaps I can set up a script, reboot them every two days, use X10 power modules and restart them remotely. Then my wife gently reminds me we just spent a grand on cameras that have questionable functionality.

At this point, I bid kudos to those who have written about this same topic, about futile attempts to troubleshoot wi-fi problems, about even with the router next to the camera, it STILL loses connections. The optimist in me finally agreed, my wi-fi network is not the problem, THESE CAMERAS DON'T WORK WELL WITH WI-FI. Not that the wi-fi don't work at all, it's just that they don't work consistently.

So finally, I bit the bullet and reluctantly HARD-WIRED ethernet connections to all the cameras. I had explored using POE and possibly Homeplug to ease the installation pain but they added more point-of-failures and cost quite a bit more as well. I eventually opted to punch holes into the wall, fishing e.g. and did the hard-wired routine.

It's been a week since my wiring/stucco/drywall/painting work has just completed and the cameras have been live 24x7 without a hiccup.

All in all, the IP422W is great, has a good enough picture, decent IR, great low-light capabilities to 15 feet, unmatched panning angles and more importantly, good value for the money. Just don't expect an optical zoom or a continuously functioning wi-fi.

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We bought this camera to keep track of our kids at home in their playroom, and to keep an eye on our daughter, who occasionally has seizures at night that are hard to detect just by listening. This system is a little bit of overkill for that purpose, but the following are some things that made us settle on this camera instead of a more generic baby monitoring video system:

* It's encrypted, so people can't spy on what's going on inside our house.

* It's digital, so it works with all the wifi internet connections in our neighborhood instead of interfering with and being interfered by them.

* It's online, so I can check in on the kids and feel like I'm part of the family when I'm at the office.

The camera uses a regular wifi internet connection, and you open up the camera's web page to view the video. There are controls on the side of the web page that allow you to move the camera around, turn the sound on and off, and things like that. There are 8 presets you can label that will instantly move the camera to spots you select, which is a great feature. There is a button to cycle through all 8 presets once and then return to where it was looking before. You can set up guest users who don't have access to the controls, but can just view the video stream.

Despite having quite a few options, configuration was relatively easy, with all the options available on a separate setup web page. They did a good job of laying out the menu heirarchy to make things easy to find, although there were enough configuration options that I missed some the first time through.

Some of the drawbacks are:

* Some things only work on Internet Explorer using ActiveX controls. That's not a problem for almost everyone unless you happen to use Mac or Linux, like me. The basic functionality is all there, except for sound. I was able to work around that, but it seems odd to take the effort to support other browsers and operating systems with a java applet, then stop short of full functionality.

* The full manual is only on the CD-ROM, the only printed manual is a quick installation guide.

* The camera doesn't tilt down very far, which creates annoying blind spots when you set it on a shelf or something. However, there is a mounting bracket that we used to mount it upside-down, which gave us the full range of motion we needed. There is a configuration option to flip the image back upright.

* I wish it had a zoom, but the wide angle lens is a good choice if you have to have a fixed lens.

* The camera occasionally needs to be rebooted after experiencing a heavy load.

* The infrared illuminator doesn't come on automatically when it gets too dark, which is strange because the camera adjusts pretty well for brightness otherwise. There is a night mode button on the web page.

* Some of the configuration defaults are frustrating, like a 1 degree increment for pan and tilt. That would be fine if you could just hold down the button, but the web page doesn't allow you to do that, and pops up an annoying message to "Please wait" whenever you click the buttons too fast. The increment can only be changed on the setup page, but it's not a big deal because once the presets are set up, we hardly ever use the pan and tilt buttons.

* I wish it had a feature to disable guest access during certain hours. It would be nice to give access to the kids' grandparents out of state, but it would feel icky in the evening when we are all in pajamas to have people looking at us. I think I can set up a schedule on my router firewall, though, and it does have a schedule and motion detection I could use to upload still images to the family blog.

* It would be nice if the lights on the front indicated when someone was watching the video, not just if a link is established.

However, the drawbacks are nothing that can't be worked around, and overall the camera exceeded our expectations.

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Overall a decent camera at a great price point. There are some minor glitches but none of those are deal breakers for me.

Pros

Feature packed (Pan/Tilt, 2 way audio, night vision, wireless with WPA2 support, stream to IE/Firefox/3G phone, recording to NAS, just to name a few)

For $ including shipping, it's definitely the best bang for the buck at this point

Easy to install

Everything works for the most part once it's set up

Cons

Build quality: The first one I got from Amazon has very loud grinding noise when it starts up. The second one came without any problem though.

Stability: Whenever you restart or power down the camera, there is a possibility that you won't be able to connect to it after it comes back. I have seen the same problem on both cameras (with the latest firmware build 71). Usually the problem goes away after a few reboots, but it's quite annoying.

Constant background noise: This is a confirmed issue caused by an over-sensitive microphone. Apparently Trendnet is working on a fix for this.

Even though the camera has a built-in microphone, you can only capture video (not audio) when you try to schedule any recording to a network storage device.

Lousy tech support. They are not responsive, don't not know much about the product beyond the superficial stuff, and sometimes have difficulty to understand what I am trying to say (and vice versa)

Other things I wish it has:

Support https so it's more secure when streaming over the Internet

Support authentication over RTSP. At this point, anyone with a 3G phone and the right URL can view your camera if you enable RTSP (Yikes!)

A privacy button to temporally disable the camera, or some scheduling capability to turn on/off the camera

Multiple profiles for motion detect so you can monitor different parts of the room depending on the time of the day

More intuitive event configuration

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I've spoken to customer service so many times to get this camera working that I've put them on speed dial!

The good news is that they answer quickly and have a good data base to solve problems. It would, of course, have been helpful if that info were on the web site.

I am not going to repeat much of the features discussion here but rather, deal with installation other issues that I've learned and that may be useful:

-Install both the IP Setup and the Secureview software.

-Give the camera a Static IP address even if your router has a DHCP (not fixed) address.

-Follow the installation instructions carefully, The first task is to have your router recognize the camera's fixed IP address using IP Setup.

-Make sure the camera is wired to the router; the router is hooked to your modem; everything is powered on.

-Somewhere along the way, the program will ask you to install an active x control perhaps more than once. Make sure that you click on the appropate strip on the top of the page.

-If the camera's IP address appears in the IP Setup window and you click it but can't get a picture, try Secureview. If that works, then there is a problem with IE.

-Especially if you have IE 8 or Windows 7, be prepared to download and install the newest software (you may have to connect the camera directly to your computer and follow instructions carefully). You might also try Tools Compatibility View on IE.

-Once you get a picture, note that the camera has a manual focus on the lens. Watch the picture on your computer and slowly turn the lens from the edge with one finger without blocking the picture.

If you plan to go wireless within your network:

-Make sure that you have the IP address of your router (192.168.0.1, for example look it up by brand on the web). Also, any router user name and password you set up (default is probably admin.admin). Also the encription key you put in. If you need any of this and don't have it, you may have to reset the router and run the router set up again.

-From Setup-Network-Wireless. Check Enable. Click on Site Survey, highlight your own home network, make sure the name appears in the box, set up the same encription and key that you set for other items that access your router. Click all the appropriate boxes.

-Remember to disconnect the camera from the router, power it down and then up again.

If wireless works and you want remote access, then note the following:

-It will be necessary, especially if other items (TIVO, printer) are connected to the network, to change the port (Settings Network Network). Your IP may also block port 80. I went to 8001 to avoid problems.

-You will need to go to dyndns to get a dynamic address. Access the site from the computer you are using to install the camera so that dyndns has a starting IP. You will create a user name and password and select a dyndns account name.

-Log into your router and follow the router instructions to Port Forward 8001 or whatever you selected in the camera setup. Once port forwarding is activated, you probably do not have to enter the dyndns information in your router. You may not have to put in the DDNS settings in the camera network setup page either.

-When you access your camera remotely, remember to start the address with http and end with :8001 (or your forward port). It should look like: h t t p: / / (username) . dyndns . org: 8001 (no spaces).

-There are issues setting up email and ftp forwarding. The camera will not deal with encripted email servers nor will it change the smtp port from 25. I have been unable to configure it to send email.

-If you use FTP, note that the host address should be in the form of 00.00.00.00, not (ftp or h__p).

On balance, this camera works more or less as advertised. The picture is reasonable in good light; somewhat grainy in poor light. The lens needs to be properly focused. Digital zoom does not give a sharp picture. The panning range is impressive. I wish that the software were more up to date; that it could send encripted email through a different port and that the instructions were better.

Still, this may be the best available for the price at this time.

UPDATE 9/10. FTP UPLOADS.

As noted, it is possible to use the camera's motion detect features to take photos and upload them to an FTP site than can be accessed through the internet.

Research shows that some FTP sites have a monthly maintance fee. I have been using a site called: transferum . com that provides limited but adequate FTP storage. There is a one-time $1.00 fee (paypal) to join but no continuing fee, and members set a unique username and password. The site can be accessed using an http command; specific FTP software is not required. Pictures remain on the site until deleted by the user. Note again that the when setting the camera, the FTP site must be referenced using its 00.00.00.00 address form.

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Opteka CXS-500 X-Cage Pro with Handgrip and Rail System with Opteka FF180 Reversible Follow Focus (

Got this for Christmas. So far I love it. Makes my rig look really nice and professional. The follow focus is awesome. Wasn't sure what to expect out of it, but it is really nice. Good solid construction. I do recommend this cage.

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TENVIS Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With Pho

This might be the first review on Amazon of the Tenvis JPT3815W. I originally wanted to go with the Foscam since it was the most popular of the same type of IP camera, but decided to take a chance with the Tenvis. The little booklet manual was easy to follow and has good illustrations and photos. Set it up first with the ethernet cable before attempting wireless setup. The software auto-detects your network and puts the camera in the same IP address range. I got it all working and was viewing over the LAN in under a half-hour. With some port-forwarding knowledge, you can set the camera up for remote view on your smartphone, which I did with the excellent Android phone app, TinyCam Monitor Pro. Picture quality is good and focus can be manually adjusted by turning the ring around and night-vision works very well.

When operating, a green LED flashes continuously but unfortunately there is no way to turn it off in the software and hopefully the manufacturer will have a fix for it sometime in the near future.

I was looking for an inexpensive way to monitor my house while away and this product exceeds my expectations. While the setup can be challenging, the Tenvis technical support was very prompt! This product allows me to monitor my house (and pets) where ever I may be through either 3G access from my smartphone (either android or iphone) or internet access. The Pan and Tilt functionality of this camera allows me to monitor my entire living room with just one camera. Therefore, I'm able to sit at work and scan my living room to make sure my everything is ok. Also, it has 2 way audio where I can hear what's happening at home and also talk through the camera. You can also record through the camera (to your pc) and take "snapshots" of moments in time. I've looked at other surveillance systems and for the price of just one camera, this could not be beat. You can add up to 9 cameras and monitor your entire house. There is also an "alarm" function that will email you if there is "motion" in front of the camera. It takes "snapshots" of the motion and includes them in the email. This amazes me for the $60 price range. To get the most functionality out of the camera remotely, you must use Internet Explorer, but you do have limited functionality from other web browsers. The "smartphone" functionality is much more limited than using a web browser, but to be able to view your house through your phone is pretty impressive. I've just ordered two more cameras for my house which is still "cheaper" than many of the other surveillance systems I've seen that ultimately have fewer bells and whistles. I've very impressed with the camera!

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I have 3 JPT3815W cameras (plus 1 of a different brand). These are about as easy to install within a LAN as any other wireless device. However, setting them up for access from outside a LAN is more difficult. To be specific, I happen to have an Actiontec DSL Modem and I was able to achieve remote viewing only after configuring the modem to allow 'port forward' for each of the cameras. To accomplish this, I assigned port numbers of 8080, 8081, 8082, and 8083 to each camera respectively. After this I signed onto the Actiontec and created a port forwarding table. (I did this by entering each one of these numbers as well as each cameras IP address). Then, because my Internet service provider uses Dynamic IP addressing, I signed up with a DNS service provider. I elected to sign up with NO-IP at a cost of $15 per year. (Note that DYNDNS charges $20 per year). However, if only one domain is being setup then there is no cost to sign up. After obtaining my DNS account with NO-IP, I was able to create 4 separate hostnames and to then associate each camera's IP address and port number to that particular hostname. (Tenvis offers technical support if it is needed).

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These cameras are nice when they work, but they don't work very long. Ordered 2 of them. First one failed the second day it was in use. Second failed 2 weeks after the return window closed, which means I get to deal with warranty support via Tenvis. Both cameras were mounted inside the house. Meanwhile my Foscam, which has been abused by being mounted in a cold garage, is still going strong more than a year after I bought it. Tenvis appears attractive because it's about $25 or so cheaper than the Foscams, but the failure rate has been unacceptable.

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We've been upgrading our security system from Logitech cams to IP cams, and let me tell ya, the difference is stark. Logitech's security cams have always been wonky, but now with the addition of these new IP cams, Logitech's shortcomings have become stark. Do yourself a favor, and get these IP cams instead.

> Foscam vs Tenvis

This Tenvis looks to be identical to this older Foscam FI8918W. Tenvis performs just as well as this old model Foscam, but has a slightly narrower Pan & Tilt range:

Tenvis: Horizontal 270°; Vertical 90°

Foscam: Horizontal 270°; Vertical 120°

That 30° difference in the vertical lens movement can be a big deal, depending on the environment where you're using the cams. A little extra coverage is never a bad thing.

> User Interface

Tenvis just doesn't even come close to Foscam in this department. Foscam is much more refined, pleasing to the eye and just downright easier to use. Tenvis, by contrast, appears much cruder and rudimentary. The UI is loaded onto each cam itself, so all you need is a web browser to view all the options. Tenvis basically has the same features, but just not laid out as nicely as Foscam.

> No IR LED Control

One stunning omission with the Tenvis' functionality, is that you can NOT turn off the infra red LEDs manually. This is important, because IR LEDs will NOT work through glass. Even though IR isn't visible to the naked eye, the cam certainly sees it, and if you try to place this in a window looking outside, all the cam sees is a white spotlight reflecting off the glass. So in that instance, turning off the LEDs would be helpful. Also, there's some cam locations that have plenty of light, even at night, so turning off the LEDs would help make the cam more stealth. As it is, this is just not possible with Tenvis.

> Performance

The wireless range doesn't appear to be as good with Tenvis compared to Foscam. However, adding a longer external antenna seemed to help the issue. I got this one: WIFI 10 dBi 2.4GHz Antenna and they work quite well. About 3.5x longer than the antenna that came with this Tenvis. Definitely worthwhile.

> Value

We got this Tenvis for about half the cost of the new Foscam FI8916W New Housing. At that price, we just couldn't pass up on adding another cam to our system. This cam is excellent for the money, but Foscam is better constructed, IMO. This one just feels a bit cheap by comparison. However, once it's mounted, none of that really matters, since it functions just fine.

> Not As Many PTZ Presets

Foscam has 8, Tenvis has 6. No stark difference, but certainly worth noting.

> Works With Blue Iris Software

We recently upgraded our software to Foscam Blue Iris Professional, and let me tell ya, it's fantastic. Puts Logitech to shame for sure. Blue Iris works with almost every webcam, USB cam, and IP cam on the market. Setting up this Tenvis on it was quick and seamless.

**Note** You can use EITHER Foscam or Tenvis settings for this cam. Both work. Just good to know, in case some unknown conflict arises.

> Picture Quality

The images from the cam look fantastic. Seems to be on par with Foscam in this dept. Nice, crystal clear images, and very detailed. Almost looks HD, even though it's the old standard of 640x480.

> Pan & Tilt

Tenvis isn't as smooth as Foscam with the pan and tilt movement. The motor works fine, but the images can be a bit jerky. This might be related to wireless range. Nothing terrible, but worth noting.

> Iffy Mounting Bracket

By far, Tenvis is inferior to Foscam in this dept. Their mount just feels cheap by comparison, and like it could easily break if you over-tighten your screws. Plus, the angle adjustment knobs just don't stay in place as nicely, or clamp down as tight as Foscam's mounting bracket. If you bump your Tenvis, or don't handle it gingerly, the bracket moves from where you've set it and you have to make readjustments.

> Loud PTZ Motor

If you're planning on recording audio from this Tenvis, be aware that the mic picks up the PTZ motor while it's moving. When the PTZ motor stops, you can hear audio just fine. But once that motor kicks in again, you won't hear much, other than that PTZ motor whirring quite loudly into the mic.

> Setup

You'll need some knowledge of IP addresses and basic routing, but nothing difficult. A few paragraphs of reading at most. Very easy to setup and get going. Mine was up and running within 15 minutes. Granted, it was another day or 2 of tinkering to refine everything exactly how I want it, but the initial setup took no time at all. I didn't even read the enclosed material; just jumped right in and got it all setup in a snap.

Bottom Line -This is a fantastic IP cam for the money, but the user interface isn't as user friendly as Foscam. If I need another budget cam, I'd definitely get another Tenvis. However, if there's a deal to be had on Foscam, I'd pick that one over Tenvis for sure. We're quite happy with our Tenvis, particularly at the price we got it for. Hands-down it kicks Logiteh's arse; very nice to finally be dumping WiLife. Happy! ;oD

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Alientech Torpedo Video Projector

I purchased this exact item from another site and I ordered a 5' x 9' piece of projector fabric to create a large, opaque white screen. I ordered this for my 6 year old's "Saturday Movie Matinee" Birthday party, because I wanted to do something different besides the pizza place, hamburger place, jumpy bouncey place, etc. party. We're going to set a room up like a movie theatre and play one of the new animated releases for the kids, with pop corn and movie snacks.

I have read many reviews and complaints about this projector, but for what it is and for the money it works great. We have been testing this item the past 2 nights and so far, so good. We are able to get a pretty large screen, maybe 3' x 4' and the quality is "good." I would compare the viewing quality to that of a drive-in movie. It's not going to be super crisp like your TV and the colors could be sharper, but my kids think it is awesome! We haven't even tried this with the video games yet.

Also this projector does not require total darkness, which I've seen in many other reviews. We are able to view the movie on the wall just fine at one end of our bedroom, with a lamp on at the other end. However, the darker the room, the sharper the image appears. I would also add that movies with a brighter, lighter background are easier to view, than movies with a darker background. The movie sound is really good and I don't find the projector fan sound distracting at all. In fact, I think it kind of adds to the "movie" experience. Of note, you must have a live feed for this projector to work. You have to START the DVD for the projector to project the image onto the wall. Otherwise, you will see absolutely nothing or just a teentsy, tiny, little menu on the wall and you will be scratching your head and changing out the cables, trying to figure what's wrong. Trust me....we know!! :)

I bought this projector to replace a tv for a game room. Most projectors are around 100 to 200 dollars so I gave this one a try. When I received the package it was put to the test.

Pros: will project a 72 inch image on a wall or screen.(preferably a white wall)

replacement bulb very cheap around 5-10 dollars

small and easily set up

relatively high resolution 920-240

easy volume control

simple focus control (simply twist the lens to sharpen the image)

can be used for presentations with an adapter

Cons: only has one speaker built in

works best in dark rooms but poor picture with ambient light

only has RCA jack (red,yellow,white)

no cap for lens or carry case accessory

overall it is a great projector for its price but don't expect a high quality HD image or sound quality. Its good for games and movies as long as they aren't dark oriented.

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i got this projector last year at first i thought it was great(i dident have a flat screen) pixels will stand out when the image is 40" or higher

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El proyector tiene mala imagen, hace mucho ruido, se distorciona incluso estando a menos de 2 metros de la pared, me satisface tan poco que solo lo he usado 2 veces

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the price is good and cheap

the sound is very good

the display is poor

the size is gigant

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

October 2006 Update:

I thought I owed this Lens review an update after shooting with it for almost a couple of years and having the pleasure of shooting with a variety of L Lenses: 70-200L, 16-35L, Fisheye, 50mm and the Kit lens. This is what I've found:

1) Bar none, the best "portrait" lens I own. There's just something about this 85mm focal length + f/1.8 that brings out detail....faces have so much dimension with this lens, they look 3 dimensional. When I want to get shots of my daughter that amaze, I use this lens. When I look at my picture archive on my computer, I can easily spot the ones taken with this 85mm. My friends, some of which who don't know much about photography, pick pictures taken with this lens as their favorites they ask wow how did you get that picture? I have a few blown up pictures to 16x20 and 11x14 of my daughter for my parents from this lens which are magnificent.

2) I thought that when I bought my 70-200L I would never use my 85mm again, I was wrong. I routinely find myself putting on the 85mm and shooting pictures with it. Also, Its much lighter and less imposing than my 70-200L so when I just want amazing portraits, don't need the higher 200mm and don't want the weight, and want a real shallow depth of feel and out of focus backgrounds, I go for the 85mm.

3) I also have a 16-35mm L which I use quite a bit for inside shots and panoramas which stays on my camera most of the time but there's just a special look to the longer mm rating that you get which makes portraits just work better with the 85mm so when I take off the 16-35, I usually mount this 85mm.

4) I really thought that between the 16-35mm L and the 70-200L, I'd never ever use the 85mm, I was wrong. There are wonderful advantages to this lens which make it a keeper for me....the construction on this lens has held up very well, after years it looks brand new. I do have a UV/Haze filter that I use as a protector I got from Amazon (about $25) great value.

There's allot to be said for a non "L" lens which consistently winds up on my camera when I own several "L"s which cover the mm of this lens. To me, its an L: built like an L, color and saturation comparable to an L It's my "L" lens that doesn't have a red stripe.

Original Review:

I bought a 20D recently with the 18-55mm kit lens and to start out I bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens which really got me interested in the faster f/stops to blur backgrounds and take pictures in lower light. My kit lens was not fast enough (hard to blur background and hard to take pictures in low light) and both the kit lens and 50mm lens did not have Ultrasonic which made me miss focus more often with moving targets.

I looked quite a bit and found the 85mm f/1.8 lens. Although Amazon only had a few reviews, the photography forums I found were buzzing about how this lens should've been labeled an L lens. Pros might know why but 90% of the reviews I read said it was comparable to an L lens in quality and that it was very affordable.

I bought this lens and I have to tell you, I was very impressed with it right from the start. On construction, its heavier than the kit lens and the plastic 50mm II lens. It has a metal mount and very solid construction. If you look through it you can see allot of glass which tells you it has a wide aperture and consequently its much heavier than the kit lens or 50mm lens. But...its heavy in a good way. It balances the camera and makes it look like a real camera.

So what's good about this lens? For one, you can take great pictures in low light with the f/1.8. I photographed a stage play handheld with this lens and no flash (non allowed) and I got tremendous results. Ultrasonic helped with every picture in focus and all very sharp with vibrant colors, very nice saturation, and I used ISO 400 and I could even freeze the action on stage.

As a portrait lens, it really can blow the backgrounds into a very nice buttery blokeh and with the Ultrasonic I haven't missed focus once. Its also wonderful for inside pictures with no flash. The F/1.8 is really versatile.

A few notes. If you're going to get a 70-200 L zoom lens, you might wind up not using this lens as much but for parties, its allot less intimidating than a big white lens. I hear this lens was designed a long time ago and not really designed for digital and that some strange effects can be seen with it on digitals. I have not gone looking nor experienced any of these. Its just a tremendous value at $350. I was not able to use this lens as a macro as it was not designed as such but I have thought of putting an extension tube on it to see what I get but haven't done so yet.

Constructed Solid. Solid feel, smooth focusing ring, distance window, autofocus with a real Ring USM. Five Stars! Amazon shipped fast on this for me Great store.

The answer is most likely yes; since its price make it the best value for a fast canon prime lens. But before you make the $350 plunge here are few useful things to know about how it can be used. Keep in mind that I use this lens on the Rebel XT (1.6 factor), which means it provides me with an angel of view similar to 135mm on film cameras.

SHARPNESS: Yes that's one feature you can count on when buying this lens. This lens produces very sharp pictures. So much so that it will blow away your 18-55 kit lens (if you have one) and all other zoom lenses. Exception to that are the L-series zooms. The sharpness difference will be obvious even in the smallest of prints (4 by 6). If you can't envision such difference then consider this. Sharpness can be viewed as contrast between the edges of different color objects. Hence, the sharper an image the greater the contrast in the edges between such groups of color. This lens captures the contrast in such setting better than most other lenses.

SPEED: This lens is blazingly fast. As such you will have the opportunity to shoot at higher shutter speeds wide open (remember the inverse relation between aperture and shutter speed). More importantly you gain the ability to shoot in low light situations (concert for example) and still maintain a decent shutter speed for handholding. Here's the best part, if you're like most new people to photography, you probably plan to take self portraits. This lens will give you that ability, as you will be able to buy few clamp on lights coupled with 100-150W bulbs and start shooting at medium ISO speeds wide open.

ANGEL OF VIEW: Assuming you will be using this lens on a 1.6 digital format consider that you will be having a tight crop, more like that of a 135mm lens on a film camera (1.6*85=136). What does that translate to in practical terms? You will have to stand 6-8 feet away from your subject to be able to cover their head and shoulders at landscape orientation.

SPECIAL EFFECTS: Here are two special effects you will find useful in this lens depth of field and compression. To some degree or another every lens offers depth of field, which can be summarize as having only the subject of interest in focus and the rest of the picture blurred. This lens is unique in that it creates a very shallow depth of field in which the subject is truly isolated from the whole scene. Set the aperture to 1.8 and focus correctly and you can achieve such results. More importantly the lens quality of such blur (known as bokeh) is outstanding as there are eight diaphragm blades that control the aperture opening vs. 5 or 6 in many other lenses.

As for compression, since the camera is a telephoto it will compress everything in its sight closer together to fit in its sight. For example, if you are photographing a person, their face will look wider and their nose will look smaller or flatter. Keep in mind that unlike some of the longer telephoto lenses (300mm for example) the effect with this lens is subtle and pleasant

SIZE AND BUILD: Its size and weight are perfect! It balances my XT very nicely. So much so, that I can take pictures at very low shutter speeds with this combination (though I don't find my self doing that that often with this fast lens). All this translates to comfort and confidence when I am shooting with this lens. The build quality is excellent, I find no inherit weakness in the design.

If you plan to photograph friends and family then this is the lens. You will take sharp pictures with the right kind of effects for portraits like compression and beautiful bokeh. The lens is fast and designed excellently for maximum control and comfort. You won't miss a shot because of shake with slow shutter speeds and even if you do (that's a big if) you can put its speed to use by dialing a higher aperture. It's only draw back is that it has a pretty tight angel of view on 1.6 factor SLRs. I can't think of any other prime in the non-L canon line up that matches this lens (other than possibly the 50mm 1.4). Truly an incredible value, buy it with confidence!

Ps. By no means does this review cover all the merits of this lens. To name a couple, the lens offers precise auto focus and low chromatic aberration. Rather, I covered the features that were most useful for its intended purpose; taking pictures of people.

Buy Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Now

I hang out with friends a lot and up to this point, most of our photos together have been under flash conditions. Mostly because we hang out in the evenings, in someone's home. I bought this for my Rebel XT mainly for the great reviews and the impressive entry price! Although the reviews were already mostly positive, I took some time playing with the lens to get used to its characteristics. Since this forum is replete with technical reviews, I would like to share my impressions instead. I primarily rely on reviews, myself, to help me make purchasing decisions, so here are my thoughts on the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens.

PROS:

1)I'm a fan of Steven Soderbergh and love how he made it look like he shot Ocean's Eleven with natural light. I wanted the same effects for my get-together photographs and boy did I get them! I shoot mainly in RAW now and apply the Tungsten filter when I import them into CS2 and they look phenomenal!

2)After correction, skin tones look very natural and the lighting makes the captured moment look like a captured moment. Not a forced moment like when a blazingly bright flash is involved. (Sorry I don't know how else to illustrate it...)

3)The bokeh on this lens is dramatic, not distracting. My friends love the photos I take with this lens but the just can't put their finger on why...

4)The 85mm is solid. Compared to my XT kit lens, the 85mm feels like a 'real' lens with solid movement and loads of glass inside (which you can see when you peer into its very large front lens).

5)The shooting distance is very comfortable for your subjects, as they do not feel like you're crowding them with your camera. (More on this below in Con).

CON(just one!):

1)Sorry, this is not really a con, but more of a warning mostly to other amateurs out there who may be looking at this for the price. It may be pretty obvious to most, but this lens does not feature a zoom range. Meaning if you want your subject's head to look bigger in your viewfinder, you must walk towards them or have them come closer to you. Conversely, if you want them smaller in the VF, you must walk away from them etc...since this was my first fixed lens, I had to get used to it a bit. This is not the lens for you if you want to take group photos in low light situations in small room.

ALL-IN-ALL:

I love this lens. I love how dramatic my pictures come out in their natural settings. The bokeh adds so much more emotion to each photo. And since you can shoot with such a wide open aperture, you'll catch the moments when they happen without it blurring away from a too-slow shutter speed or a bright flash of blinding light! (Please buy an inexpensive UV filter for this since the front lens is so big, it will easily get scratched and damaged.)

Read Best Reviews of Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Here

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 II USM lens is a moderate weight (15 oz), very well built lens. It does not come with the appropriate hood, the Canon ET-65 III. You get both a lens cap and a mount cap, all packed inside tight conformal foam to protect the lens during shipping. There's also a very brief manual and the usual warranty paperwork.

The lens offers AF and manual focus, and allows manual focus even when AF is set to on, a very useful feature for low-light and other challenging focus situations. This is a USM lens, and as a direct consequence focus is fast and precise, just as you'd expect.

The AF/Manual switch is in a reasonable location, close to the camera body. There is a range indication on the barrel of the lens behind a transparent window which serves to keep dust and debris out of the workings of the lens. Manual focus is controlled with a broad, easy to manage textured ring about mid-body on the lens. During focus, nothing external on the lens body moves or rotates, so there are no complications for using polarizing filters, and no concerns about the lens "pumping" air and so causing dust contamination in either the lens or camera with use.

The lens lacks any form of image stabilization. IS is showing up in more and more lenses, though for the price... perhaps this is one of the justifications for building IS into the camera body. I'm sure that this design wouldn't be anywhere near its current price point with IS added to the build. One last point is that since the lens is a fairly fast design, perhaps there is less overall need for IS (though that argument falls completely apart the first time you *do* need it!)

It takes a 58mm filter, though I highly recommend the use of the ET-65 III hood rather than a filter; filter use should be limited to polarizers, neutral density filters and so on, rather than keeping a filter on the lens with the idea of protecting it. Here's why: filters create a flat surface over the end of the lens that can (and often does) create low-level reflections. These are most apparent in low-light shots, but they are almost always there. In the case of a UV filter, no other benefit is gained (UV can't get through the lens system anyway) other than physical protection. The hood, however, keeps the lens out of harms way quite effectively, and it increases contrast and reduces flare at the same time by preventing light from entering the lens at high angles of attack. I have shot with both hoods and filters, and after decades of experience, I have to come down firmly on the side of hood technique. It only takes one shot ruined by a filter reflection to wake up to this reality; and hoods never, ever compromise an image. They're simply the best way to go. Finally, the hood for this lens is inexpensive, well worth the extra few dollars it costs.

Aperture is controlled by an 8-blade system. The available f-stops range from f/1.8 wide open to f/22.0 fully stopped down. MTF (sharpness) peaks at f/5.6, and vignetting is almost gone by that setting.

On my camera, an EOS 50D, resolution loss from diffraction effects begin at f/7.6, so in many ways, the "sweet spot" for this lens for me lands naturally at f/5.6. On a camera with a lesser sensel density such as the 40D, diffraction doesn't set in until higher f-stops, but you're beginning to lose sharpness from other effects, so I'd still call the sweet spot as f/5.6 (which also provides a fairly extensive depth of field) for shots where detail is the primary consideration.

For portraits, you'll want to go right for f/1.8 if lighting conditions allow in order to take advantage of the shallow and pleasing DOF isolation this lens is famous for; background blur is very soft yet very strong, while the in focus region remains deep enough to keep the important features of the face in focus from ear to nose. The loss of MTF at f/1.8 is noticeable, especially once you get a feel for how the lens performs at f/5.6, but in my opinion, the compromise is perfectly acceptable in a portrait context. There's another benefit as well; at 85mm, and especially on a crop body like the 40D or 50D, this lens allows you to get some distance from your subject which tends to make them more comfortable, while giving you the modest compression that is the hallmark of any telephoto lens. Portraits "pop" and backgrounds blur away with commendable speed. Head-and-shoulders work will put you at about eight feet, and as the lens can focus down to just under three feet, this gives you considerable control over framing without ever running into a limit imposed by the lens design.

This is also a truly excellent lens for not-very-wide field astrophotography, although at critical focus and maximum aperture, chromatic aberration will make itself felt on the brightest stars, which you will then have to compensate for. I have successfully used this lens to capture the the Orion nebula, Andromeda galaxy, Triangulum galaxy, and a number of other astro objects that range from the easy to the difficult, all using no more than a standard (non-tracking) tripod, this lens, and the EOS 50D. On a crop body, 85mm (136mm effective FOV) is definitely the place to be to compromise between star trailing and magnification, and the f/1.8 aperture allows fast enough exposures to eliminate trailing at ISO 1600 and above.

I carry this lens nested in a large camera bag (a Tamrac 5612 Pro 12, *highly* recommended); I rarely put the lens on the camera until I am ready to use it, and when I am done, I take it right back off, cap it, and bag it without wasting any time or motion. I do both the assembly and disassembly "blind" in the bag, using the bag top to shield the camera and lens from the wind and environment as best I can manage. The lens has a raised alignment dot that makes blind assembly practical. It's the size of the overall investment that drives this behavior, of course; both the camera and a lens like this deserves -demands -good care and that is just what I try to provide.

Physically speaking, this lens isn't as large as you might think. Canon did a great job of packing a lot of glass (nine elements in seven groups) into a decent form factor of 3" diameter by 2.8" long; even with the hood mounted, this lens provides a fraction of the intimidation factor of, for instance, the 70-200mm f/2.8L. But at 85mm, it can still "get in there" and catch a lot of action without forcing you to crop to extremes. It's light enough that you can shoot for quite a while before fatigue sets in, an issue that will rear its head in any situation that goes on a while, like a wedding or a play (and that low-light capability is great for stage work, where a flash annoys literally everyone.) Plus it is black, and so looks more like it is designed as part of the same camera system, unlike the L's with the white bodies. That's also less distracting in a dark theater.

I can honestly say that this is definitely one of my favorite lenses. I have a fair collection of primes to compare it to, some of which are L glass, and I've got some great L zooms as well; yet for portraits, I inevitably turn to this specific lens as it outperforms everything else I own in the successful shooting methodologies I find myself returning to over and over. Frankly, at the price, I think it is perfectly fair to characterize this lens as a "must-have"; if you're ever going to shoot a portrait, trust me, this is the lens you want (even over the 85mm f/1.2L, which has far too narrow a depth of field for most reasonable portraiture, though you can't beat it for light-gathering.) Like Canon's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, the 85mm f/1.8 is one of those where you're left scratching your head as to why it doesn't have an "L" designation. It is an outstanding performer.

If Canon were to re-do this lens, I'd like to see them add image stabilization, and perhaps some modern anti-CA elements, as this is the one area where this lens occasionally bites the photographer in high-contrast situations. Until that day, though, this lens is unmatched by anything else in Canon's line for price/performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever regretting its purchase.

Want Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Discount?

This was my second prime lens, the first being the "I-am-prime-too-50/1.8" lens and I specifically bought this to shoot a badminton tournament (and more for the future). FYI, badminton tournaments are definitely 1.8 situations at ISO 1600 and no flash permitted. And what a lens!

The focus is absolutely sharp, crisp with gorgeous bokeh to make the subjects stand out. I took photos of professional badminton players (USA rank 1-5) and emailed it to them. Even though I am a serious amateur, they replied back saying the photos were gorgeous and amazing, and loved it. I shot the complete tournament at 1.8 ISO 800/1600 and have absolutely pleasing results.

On just one or two occasions, the focus was hunting, but I would put that down as a one off occasion as there was aboslutely very challenging situations moving subjects in low light. The focus is quick and absolutely smooth, no noise at all.

The lens is compact, not at all heavy and is perfect portrait lens. My only disappointment is that it comes without a hood, and even if I buy a Canon hood, it does not have the same look as other (say, Tamron 28-75 2.8 hood is a really good looking hood) hoods.

The relationship between the background and the foreground is something that impressed me with this lens, especially for an 85mm focal length. The lens makes the subjects stand out and you dont need to stop down for sharpness. I know I am going to keep this baby at 1.8 at all times in future.

This in concert with my 50 1.8 for wider angle situations like awards and group snaps, the photos are absolutely stunning. The reviews I received for my photos are pretty good, thanks to this lens with my 20D.

I am sold on primes now and will probably end up buying more primes than zoom lenses. Go on Canon, put a red ring around it!

Definitely 5 stars.

Other lenses considered before this purchase 85/1.8, 100/2, 135/2L and to a small extent, 200/2.8L. Finally chose the 85/1.8 due to the 1.8 and the effective focal length on 20D with 85mm. No buyer's regret, I am very pleased with my purchase now.

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11 Mar 2009

This is a comparison of 85/1.8 and 135mm/2L.

Ive had this lens for 3 yrs now and have taken so many portraits with this, simply put, amazing results every single time. Never been able to find fault with this lens or the images. Image quality has been consistently awesome, consistently 5 stars. The only lens that bests the images from this lens is my 135/2L, but that is of an entirely different league and shouldn't even be compared to this lens. Merely stating that for academic interest. Even then, the three places that the 135mm beats the 85 mm are

1. Sharpness 85mm is very sharp, 135mm/2L is simply a notch above.

2. Saturation 85mm is good, 135mm/2L is much better, image has a pop. But then again, 85mm has half a pop too!

3. Bokeh Again, 85mm has a lovely bokeh, esp @1.8 and 2. However, the 135mm is in an entirely different league, one simply cannot, should not compare.

Now, the $350mm lens compared to the much more expensive, much higher quality lens worth $925 is completely unfair. However, I would give the 85/1.8 4 stars assuming the 135mm is the gold standard with 5 stars.

If this review second rates the 85mm, that is certainly not my intention. I have consistently enjoyed shooting with this lens and will continue to have a lot of fun.

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Worked out of box, very easy set-up, crisp colors and black & white. Quite, low heat, no cool down time. I would recommend this item to anyone needing a quality projector.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Zoom Lens & EF-

Hi... I bought this Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera ... Its an amazing product... awesome quality. I happened to click a picture of a flying helicopter and it was simply unbelievable to see that i could even take the picture of the person who was flying it!! It was quite some distance but the picture didn't blur at all.. Am so happy with the product!!!

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Pentax Optio WPi 6MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I picked this camera up about a month ago at samys.com (much better price than Amazon) and took it on a week-long trip to the Bahamas. Since I forgot to bring a decent memory card, I was limited to a 256 mb card that I had in the camera, so I took all of my pix at 4mp under the medium quality setting. I found the image quality to be perfectly acceptable and got about 300 pictures and a few very short videos on the card.

Many other people have left great reviews of the camera, so I'll concentrate on the waterproof aspects. I had the camera in the water for an hour or more on each snorkel, typically twice a day, and never had any problems with water getting inside. This is about twice the recommended length of 30 minutes in the water. I don't dive, so never had the camera below 5 feet. I attached a floating key ring (available at any marine store for a couple of dollars) to the strap so that I wouldn't have to worry about letting the camera go and having it sink to the bottom. The camera is light enough that the key ring would actually keep it at the surface--I'd expected that it would simply slow it down on the trip to the bottom. This was a nice bonus, since I could just leave the camera floating while I dove to the bottom to get shells. I'd recommend a closed-cell foam float instead of the hollow plastic kind, as the plastic will eventually fill up with water and lose buoyancy.

In the water, I found the camera quite easy to use, although the buttons could have been a little bigger. The camera seemed to struggle to focus in areas where I was shooting fish from a distance or fish that blended in with the water (like a barracuda), but the pictures came out pretty well at the end. Snorkelers will note that it takes some practice to get a picture of a fish as the camera moves around with the smallest waves and there is just enough shutter delay to make things difficult. I found that by prefocusing (press shutter halfway and hold, with a green box indicating the focused area) and then waiting for the right moment, I got much better results. I couldn't tell a difference in photo quality between the camera's underwater setting and the normal setting. I used the macro setting for some close ups on land and was quite impressed with that.

If you'd like to see some underwater pictures for yourself, here is a link: Remember that I used the 4 Mpixel setting and 2 star quality setting to save space.

I rinsed the camera off at the end of each day but did not soak it as recommended and I haven't had any trouble or seen any signs of salt in the battery compartment. Speaking of the battery, I was a little disappointed here. I didn't like that I had to bring a bulky battery charger on my vacation--would much prefer that the camera ran on AAA batteries. I found battery life to be so-so. I could go about one full day, taking lots of pictures, then editing out all the bad ones, shooting videos, and keeping the camera on for hours at a time. But if I didn't charge it that night, it would quickly die on the second day. The battery level indicator is useless--it goes from full to half to dead in a matter of minutes, so keep the battery charged and if you're going to use it a lot, buy a spare. One other note about the battery--since you have to charge it every night (out of the camera), you can't use the camera's alarm clock feature. This was an issue for me, since I don't wear a watch, wasn't able to use my cell phone in the Bahamas, and had planned on using the alarm. The alarm isn't really loud enough to wake a heavy sleeper, by the way.

All in all, this camera does what it sets out to excellently. This is a camera for active people who want to take good quality snapshots while snorkeling, playing in the rain, kayaking, etc. It's not a camera for professional photographers or divers, but it doesn't claim to be.

I've been waiting for a solid weatherproof/waterproof digital camera for quite some time now and finally decided the resolution might be good enough. I'd been sticking with my trusty Yashica T4 Super (non-zoom) which I've shot quite a bit in thunderstorms and other precipitation-heavy conditions and I didn't want to give up that ability just to go digital.

To be upfront with it, the image quality is not the best. It's 6 megapixels, but there's a lot more to quality than having the most pixels. From a pure image quality standpoint, I'd rather have one of Canon's many offerings. Compared side-by-side with a Canon S550 (granted a more expensive camera with more pixels), the Pentax showed noise where the Canon showed weave pattern in a subject's sweater. Also, I'm used to shooting pro-level dSLRs so the difference in image quality was a bit of a surprise. Compared to the T4 film option I'm used to, I think I'm still bringing my film camera for those more difficult situations because there's just more info on the film and the lens is still better on that camera. Also, it lacks an AF-assist light which would really help in dim situations.

However, and this is important, I realize that most of the images I take with this camera are only going to be viewed online or will not be printed larger than 4x6. I have not yet printed images from this camera, but I think for that print size it will probably be fine. For web purposes, it's more than good. The many options in image size is very handy when you know you're going to web with an image. The sunset shots I took out the airplane window, while noisy, still have good gradation from black to white.

Getting back to the reason I bought this camera in the first place, I'm very pleased with its ability to function in wet conditions. I haven't taken it underwater yet, but I did shoot video with it while snowboarding and found out my skills definitely go down while trying to shoot video. But the camera kept going after being dunked in snow repeatedly. It was also snowing/raining so there was more than dry powder to deal with. The buttons, while small, are spaced far enough apart that I could activate them with gloves on. The screen was plenty big and legible from oblique angles while heading downhill with goggles on. Be aware, however, that the battery is physically not very big and therefore low temps have a noticable affect on battery life.

One of the best features is the green buttonit can be changed to access up to four different options/settings. I use mine for 1.exposure compensation; 2. white balance; 3. ISO setting; and 4. green (dummy) mode. So easy to set up and very useful if you still want some manual overrides (since there's no actual manual or priority modes, just different program modes). Without the green button, using the exposure compensation requires going into the menus and changing it but not seeing results until it's setwith the green button, it operates like every other camera, ie allowing you to see the changes as you make them.

Basically, foul weather functionality was the priority and I was pleasantly surprised by the easy and customizable interface (you can change the order of the program modes and the camera remembers certain custom settings, too). I was not impressed with the image quality and it's not replacing my film p+s or dSLRs anytime soon, but it's good for what I need it to do which is largely surviving being on the outside of my backpack or in my pocket in the rain, snow and dirt and still be ready to take a decent image when I turn it on.

Buy Pentax Optio WPi 6MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Now

This is one of the best purchases I've ever made. I absolutely love this camera. It is nice and small, super easy to use, and waterproof! Unlike other reviews that I've read here, I have taken it underwater. My whole life is water, so in only a few days of owning it it's been under plenty of times. It holds up like a champ!

I also really like the features it has. It has a good zoom, lots of programmed settings, movie mode, high speed shutter, and the green button which allows you to be using one mode and hit one button to be in another pre-set mode. I think that the quality and features are comparable with a lot of cameras that cost as much or more, and it's waterproof.

Read Best Reviews of Pentax Optio WPi 6MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Here

Beginning with images shot through the window of the puddle jumper aircraft while flying, and extending to the underwater shots of fish and a sea turtle that I've placed in the gallery, I've been impressed with the Pentax OptioWPi. The underwater capability is GREAT for casual snorkelers like myself. (I snorkel once or twice a year on trips and have no desire to mess with a larger camera in a waterproof case.) Care was easy mine lives in a sunglasses case. I rinsed with bottled water after each dip in the sea, and soaked the 10 minutes suggested by the instruction manual when I charged the battery. I took about 400 images on a week long trip and did a lot of editing and reviewing, and the battery needed to be charged twice. A second battery to rotate would be nice, but is not entirely necessary.

Yes, the viewfinder can be difficult to see especially when you're sitting in direct sun. I found that I could pull my hat down on my forehead, and then shade the viewfinder with another hat for best results. And finally, the ACDSee software that comes with the camera is terrific at enhancing images; better, in fact, in a side by side test than the photo kiosk at a local chain pharmacy. A sliding locking mechanism on the wrist strap would also be nice, since the camera doesn't float. If you're paranoid, you can probably rig something up with duct tape before snorkeling.

If you don't need the waterproof feature, you can probably find a better deal in a different camera. But if you fish, snorkel, beach bum, boat, etc. you'll appreciate this camera.

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I get great pictures with this camera and am wondering if reviewers below have failed to set their cameras to the highest picture quality setting. The camera does not come from the factory set at highest quality probably so you can take more pictures without SD card. I do agree about having problems seeing screen when very sunny out and have order folding screen shade to solve this problem. Another reviewer complained about low light level picture results well I have to say you should have read your instruction manual because it has a low light setting that works great with the aid of a tripod. Besides I have yet to own a pocket digital that rivals all the features and picture quality of this camera and can take the abuse of water and sand. If you like outdoor activities that may reek havok on a normal pocket shooter that this camera is for you. I do hope that PENTAX adds a viewfinder window to their next version though.

Oregon Scientific ACTMini Action Video Camera (ATCMini-S)

I received mine as a gift. the mounting hardware was broke, the sound is off about 2 minutes and customer service is quick but SORRY they don't have any replacement parts and "IF I WANT TO PURCHASE ANOTHER they will be glad to let me. But the problem was not solved. The picture quality is fair grainy but fair,

As I mentioned before the sound is off anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, and that makes it hard to know what is what.

overall service is extreamly poor so no matter what else I would not recoment anyone waste their money on this

My wife got me this for xmas. I mounted it on my bike helmet and raced it in a MTB XC race. It seems to segment the video into chunks instead of giving you one contiguous file. Indoor footage is grainy, but outside is OK (of course it's designed for outside use).

Helmet mount is really terrible and not easy to use. it took so long to mount it that I didn't want to take it off again and after I did, I didn't want to put it back on because I knew it would be a hassle.

Battery life is 1.5hrs or so not great.

It works and the audio is ok. It records in 720p so it's quality is good.

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I tried the ACTMini twice. The first one would not hold a charge and within a day would not turn back on. The picture Quality was fine. The second ACTMini that came as the replacement worked well held two hour charge, but the picture quality was not as clear as the first camera. I compared the footage and the street signs showed more fuzzy. Overall I was not happy with the picture quality and returned the second camera as well.

Read Best Reviews of Oregon Scientific ACTMini Action Video Camera (ATCMini-S) Here

Cables Unlimited PCM-2296-06 HDMI to DVI D Cable, 6 feet

I record HDTV off the air onto my computer and had been viewing the recorded video using the standard S-Video output on my graphics card. I bought this cable to connect the graphics card's high definition DVI output to the HDMI input on my plasma TV to get better video quality. It dramatically improved the video quality of the video on my screen to HD quality.

I was somewhat skeptical that this would be so, given the fact that this item cost only $12 and I had seen them priced at $40 and up at electronics stores.

I am extremely pleased with this product.

As an audio engineer, I understand the importance of good cables. I saw HDMI cables for over a hundred dollars, and I began to wonder why I should truly spend that much.

With other A/V equipment that I've hooked up, the signals have been (mostly) analog. Analog signals are prone to outside interference in a much more obvious way than digital, mainly because most digital signals (including DVI and HDMI) include some sort of error correction and/or signal reconstitution technology.

I spent MUCH less on this particular cable, and I have to say that I'm completely satisfied. The cable is short enough and shielded thickly enough that even my inexpensive TV is able to produce a clean, artifact-free image 100% of the time.

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I wish there was some way for me to tell everyone about buying cables online. When I shopped around for cables to hook up my home theatre I was disgusted by the price retail stores such as Tweeter and Fry's were charging for this and other high end A/V cables. Some places had this conversion cable listed for $100. Its should be considered consumer fraud. But this cable works great and My Star Wars Movies never looked better!

Read Best Reviews of Cables Unlimited PCM-2296-06 HDMI to DVI D Cable, 6 feet Here

I emailed Cables, Unlimited about the false advertisement, and received this response:

"We are truly very sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused you. Somehow, the listing for this item was changed. Since there are other companies selling under 1 listing it can be changed at any time by the company that created it. They do not have to notify other sellers of the change. We thank you for bringing it to our attention. We have removed our listing already.

We have issued a full refund back to your account for this order. You will not need to return the cable back to us. If you have any other questions please let us know."

I did indeed receive a full refund, but the listing obviously still exists. Be wary.

*******

Before I start, I want to make it clear I very, very rarely make this sort of exclamation. However, I've never witnessed something as absurd and nonsensical as this.

Here's a quick introduction.

There are a few types of DVI cables/ports, but I'll only focus on the ones specific to my case -DVI-I (integrated, meaning both analog and digital) and DVI-D (digital).

The difference between these two cables is four little pins by the single long pin on one side. DVI-I has these four pins. DVI-D does not.

This product is advertised as DVI-D, meaning it should NOT have the four pins.

THIS

IS

FALSE.

I purchased this on July 1st, and it came in today. After struggling when it wouldn't slide into the port, I peeked at the port and the connector, and lo and behold, my cable HAD THE FOUR PINS.

I don't understand why companies falsely advertise. It irks me that consumers can be lied to so easily without any regard from the supplier.

This is my first bad review, and it pains me to have to do it. But this terrible menace must be brought to light.

(And yes, I know I'm an idiot for not checking the appropriate type of connection beforehand.)

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I use this cable to connect my Powerbook with HDTV. I use my TV for iPhoto slideshow.

Work perfectly.

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