Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

The SD10 had problems. The battery charge system was just weird. The camera was not up to the hype when light was poor. But the images with good light were stunning. So it was with some angst, sustained by a delayed product release, that I opened my camera SD14. Very early on I knew I had a problem in that the camera hung... motion? But I got off some really spectacular images before sending it to NY repairs. They got it back quickly. I suspect something loose.

Well the images are simply wonderful. Just so you know, I have cameras at 5 & 6 times the price considered high end professional. I can get lots more pixels, but the color quality is not better.

The real test was low light. All the digital cameras fail in low light. So just a matter of how bad. OK, something is new here. This camera is far better in dim light than the SD10. When it starts to fail to low light the images become blotchy like camoflage rather than sandy as the GRGB cameras tend.

The SD14 X3F RAW images do well in Adobe's new Lightroom, and interestingly with the many controls for image modification in that program, there are none that set this camera aside (for punishment for being different).

The SD10 used a 1 GByte card but did not take larger. I tested the SD14 on 1 Gig (mechanical IBM type) and on 2 Gig, and 4 Gig, and 8 Gig CFII cards. Though, beware, some cards do badly with certain cameras across the board. So, I cannot say that ALL CFII's are OK. But I was able to find cards that worked a large range of memory capacity.

The camera saves images as RAW or JPEG. You can select two "color spaces", sRGB or AdobeRGB. I found that odd. Why not a 16 bit option? I suspect that is simply understood for RAW.

The booklet that comes with the camera may be the clearest such booklet of any camera. There were a few minor areas where referring the user to other sources seemed lazy(C1----v C2----v C3----v for camera strobes might be obvious to those who have these but ought to be explained to those who don't and maybe might want to).

Also the SD14 can shoot "tethered" a huge fact that gets barely any mention other than an arrow pointing at the port. Those who do that, know, but maybe some need to learn how?

The camera body is nicely shaped, the controls are very logical, and shooting is easy.

There is something about the color. The SD10 drove me nuts because I had to charge batteries in shifts (they didn't all fit in the charger at once... grrrr). I almost dismissed this camera from that experience alone. The low light limits of the SD10 were also hard to take. But, that color. Seems even better in the SD14. It is not like other cameras. Just isn't. Very pleasing rich deep textural color.

So, down side? Well Sigma is not a magnet for lenses made by other manufacturers. So you will probably be a Sigma all the way person. But the Sigma lenses I used were quite good and cost way way less than other brands. There is a specific flash kind for the flash shoe. So, maybe your current flash might not work? The built-in flash, does what built in flashes do.

The SD14 battery system is quite nice. There is a built-in dust protector to assist lens swaps very nice.

Want to do very high end photography with a wide array of lenses without going broke? Look at this model.

I own this camera and it is true that it isn't the most elegant body on the planet, nor is it feature rich. It struggles at high ISO settings and its LCD display is sub-par. The fps speed is slow and it takes a long time to write to the CF card from the buffer. You are stuck with Sigma lenses and I can't say that the 14.1 MP rating is s true 14.1 MP. But at the end of the day, when used for what it is intended to take pictures it produces the most beautiful and stunningly real, film like, dynamic, true color results. If you want features and functionality but lower quality pictures, go ahead and buy another camera, one without a Foveon sensor. If your after the best digital pictures available, shoot with the different cameras and review the results in a blind test. Chances are you will be a Sigma owner like me. That is what I did and I chose the Sigma.

Buy Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Now

I've owned the SD9 and now the SD14. The only two lenses I own for the SD are the Sigma 150/EX Macro and the 10-20/EX zoom. I shoot predominately Canon (1Ds/2, 1D/2, 30D and assorted lenses) but have a soft spot for the Foveon X3 technology, which produces a "look" that is difficult to replicate using a non-X3 "CFA" sensor (the type used in all other dSLRs).

First, don't be caught up in the various hyperbolic statements by Foveon/Sigma marketing and X3 zealots. The SD14 is really a 4.5 (not 14) megapixel camera. Photographs are two-dimensional (flat) representations. An 8x10 photo is still 8x10 even when you stack three red, green, and blues ones on top of each other. The SD14 has "only" 4.5MP in an X/Y space, which is all that matters. It's *how* the SD14 captures each one of those pixels that gives it an advantage over cameras with similar resolution. When it comes to resolving detail, the SD14 is roughly equivalent to the current crop of 8-10MP digital SLRs, and due to the unique nature of how its sensor captures those details gives it an edge to some believers. I like to use the SD for macro and some landscape photography, but since my acquisition of the 16MP Canon 1Ds Mk2 the SD14 has gotten little use. The SD14 easily matches both of my 8MP 1D/2 and 30D for both genres of photography, and in some ways produces images more to my personal tastes, but the 1Ds is clearly superior (as it should be for an $8,000 camera body).

If you like the unique results the SD14 is capable of, and your style of photography does not require advanced features like fast shooting, a high-performance AF system, and some other features found in most competing brands then the SD may be just the thing for you. Since landscapes don't run around and most macro subjects don't either it is perfect for these tasks -especially at its current low price around $800. However, if your photography style is mixed and you may just as frequently find yourself capturing quick, fleeting subjects, or you need a deep buffer with a fast frame rate (ie: a responsive camera) then the SD14 is definitely NOT the body for you. The autofocus (AF) system is generations behind those in even the low end of modern dSLRs such as the Nikon D80 or Canon 40D, and leagues behind the current crop of high performance offerings like the Canon 1D or Nikon D3 or D300 series.

In short, most 10MP cameras can and do offer more compelling features, etc with likewise similar image quality, but for a narrow set of parameters the Foveon-equipped SD14 brings a "uniqueness" to the image capture that no other camera can offer. If that is your primary criteria then I can recommend the SD14. Unfortunately, much of this advantage evaporates once the image is put to print.

So, thumbs up if you're a landscape or macrophile. Otherwise the average customer would be better served by most of the more capable brands' offerings.

Read Best Reviews of Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Here

I own a Canon 5D and Nikon D3 and my Sigma SD14's image quality is on par with both of these cameras.

However,...

... it does have a few shortfalls. Such as:

1. In low light conditions,... shadows will have "blotchy" noise and speckles of magenta compared to the same shot taken with a 5D/D3 at the same ISO settings. This can even happen in daylight conditions where there is a very wide dynamic range. The SD14 will expose correctly for the image, but the deep shadows will at times fail to render details in the shadows and those blotchy/magenta characteristics will appear.

2. Poorer AWB in mixed lighting than the 5D/D3.

3. Small buffer. If you need to keep up with action (sports, etc..), then you will be disappointed that after a burst of 6-8 shots the camera will lock up and take 5-20 seconds to write all that data to the card. And faster CF cards won't help. It is the buffer. The fact is that the processing is complicated and does not process quickly for fast shooting environments. Yes it will shoot 3fps, but the buffer is so small that you only get a little over a handful of shots and then the camera needs time to process that burst.

The positives?

1. ISO 50-200 in daylight conditions is spectacular. I prefer the SD14 over my 5D/D3 up to 200 ISO.

2. Image sharpness is amazingly crisp and has a 3D type feel that you can only appreciate if you have shot with this camera and a Canon/Nikon in the same shooting conditions. I have done so from the same tripod to compare shots taken with similar lenses in the same lighting conditions and can attest to the differences.

3. You can use Canon speedlites to use within wireless ETTL setups. I have two Sigma EF 500 DG flash units and three Canon 580EX II speedlights. I set the Canon's to ETTL slaves and the two sigma's to wireless and then the camera to wireless. You can set all of the flash units to either channel 1, 2 or 3, then match that with the camera's channel output to fire off all the flashes. The camera meters properly using this mix of flash units. I found all this out by accident. I was testing out the 5D and wireless flash setup VS. the SD14 and wireless flash setup. I had left the 2 Canon speedlights on while I fired off the SD14's and expected only the sigma EF 500 DG units to fire. The canons did as well and the SD14 metered for all four properly.

I'd have to go further into details to review all the pros and cons. I'll just say that as a 5D and D3 owner, the SD14 can hang in image quality. And in good daylight environments I prefer it to the IQ of either the 5D or D3. The SD14 is at a minimum, on par with both respectively and often trumps those two when lighting is strong.

Also, the dynamic range of the SD14 seems to be wider than reported. I don't know why. In lightroom I'm amazed at the amount of details I can recover in the highlights VS. 5D/D3. Maybe it is the fact that because the SD14 captures R,G,B on each pixel, those hightlights are of better quality and it is able to pull those details out of the highlights for that reason. I don't know. It just "is what it is".

Well worth the purchase. The far lower price point makes up for it's low light performance. Using flash or strong daylight environments, the SD14 can hang with ANY $2000-$5000 DSLR.

Want Sigma SD14 14MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) Discount?

I will start the review with a disclaimer that I had the chance to beta-test this camera before release; That also means I have had a few months experience in shooting with the camera.

I will start out with a little history. A few years ago, Sigma released the SD-9 and SD-10 digital cameras. They were widely hailed to have excellent image quality, but the trouble for some buyers was that the cameras did not have some convinced features that other cameras offered, like in-camera JPEG or on-camera flash, and so they went on to other systems.

Fast forward to today and the SD-14. Sigma has addressed all the little aspects of usability and features that people have asked for, like in-camera JPEG, on camera flash, PC-Sync socket, and many other little features. But best of all, in addition to adding more resolution, they also improved the image quality from the sensor even further the camera has even more dynamic range, and much better high ISO support than before with everything up to 800 working really well and even 1600 being usable. This is a camera with a feature set that just about anyone can make use of, and leave the choice of the body to image quality rather than body features.

When considering a camera like the SD-14, it really is important to understand the difference the Foveon sensor makes as this camera really is different than any other camera on the market today. Look at sample images (look at full-size sample images, not shrunken down web versions!). Read about the Foveon sensor. The use that information to make up your mind if this is the right camera for you. For fine art work or landscapes, I'm really not sure there is anything better.

Sigma deserves a lot of credit for daring to continue updating the camera line with this unique sensor in a market full of otherwise very similar choices (except for Fuji, props there).

You can read more here about the Foveon and Bayer sensors compared in terms of detail captured and the information about resolution charts you should know:And you can find full-size sample images either on the Sigma-sd14.com web site or here in the user galleries:

LCDVF Digital LCD Viewfinder for Digital SLR Cameras with 3'' Screens

I'd recently purchased a Canon T2i digital SLR with the almost sole purpose of shooting video, but I also use it as my primary camera for still photography. When shooting HD video with this batch of Canon DSLRs the viewfinder is blocked and the only option for seeing what you're shooting is the LCD screen, which is hardly ideal for manual focus. I'd read all the reviews of the three top contenders: the Zacuto Z-finders, this LCDVF, and the Hoodman Hoodloupe 3.0. Zacuto was way out of my price range for what's essentially a good magnifying glass in a nice holder. Hoodman would've been a real option if they had a useable way to mount it to an T2i, which has an LCD screen offset to the left-bottom corner of the camera, not centered as on other models that the Hoodman was designed for. So in the end, I decided to go with the LCDVF and I'm very glad I did.

I've found the magnification on the LCDVF to be fantastic with my T2i's LCD screen when manually focusing. At 200% magnification it enlarges the image just enough that you can clearly see what's in and out of focus and you can just start to distinguish individual pixels on your screen. If it were magnified anymore, it might look nicer because it's a "bigger" picture, but it's only because the individual pixels are bigger, and seeing more of each pixel won't help me know if the picture is in focus or not. The only reason you would really need magnification of more than 2x is if your camera's LCD is a higher resolution than the T2i's (1,040,000 dots). Furthermore, the physical size of the LCDVF is great. As opposed to the bulky size of the cube-shaped Zacutos, the 5 inch long LCDVF tapers down from the end to the eyepiece, making it appear somewhat smaller when attached to the camera.

As for attaching to the camera itself, this is where things get a bit sticky. The LCDVF comes with 2 frames (you only need 1 frame, the extra's a spare) with adhesive on one side requiring you to attach a "permanent" frame to your camera's LCD. It's a tiny bit on the small side, as it just barely covers the dimensions of the LCD screen (be careful when attaching it). Once attached, this metal frame holds the magnetized end of the viewfinder. What? Magnets and electronics? How can this be?! The manufacturers ensure that while the magnets are strong enough to securely hold the viewfinder to the frame, they are not strong enough to mess with any of the gizmos within your camera (although they do recommend taking if off when not using the camera.

The ONLY negative I can find with this product when compared with other models is that there is no diopter. The Zacuto and Hoodman viewfinders have diopters built in to adjust focus for folks who wear glasses. However, if you're nearsighted or wear contacts like myself then you shouldn't need a diopter at all.

I'd definitely recommend this for anyone who has bought a DSLR for shooting video through a 3" LCD screen, it really clarifies the image and is a great tool for pulling focus. And at about half the price of a Zacuto, it's a relative bargain and a fine alternative.

Ordered this for my 7D after a night of trials and tribulations attempting to find focus using the naked LCD. You need an LCD viewfinder. This one attaches the mounting frame to the camera back with an adhesive. The view finder has magnets in the plastic frame. This means you do not need different frames if you use a battery grip and extended frames are not cheap. Also. it gets a little crowded around the tripod hole with other "necessary attachments". I loved this for my first day of shooting. The second day was hotter, about one hour in the adhesive let go and instead of the frame remaining attached to the viewfinder body, it hit the beach sticky side down of course. This made the rest of the day miserable and it got cut short. I've attached my second frame, but I have no doubt that the first incident will repeat itself at another critical time. I intend to keep experimenting with automotive/marine quality adhesives until I get one that works.

Buy LCDVF Digital LCD Viewfinder for Digital SLR Cameras with 3'' Screens Now

This is a great product! I did not have any issue mounting the adhesive ring and its on there GOOD! I think the ones that are having issues with the mount ring are not getting the natural skin oils off the LCD screen before they mount it or are possibly touching the sticky side of the ring while mounting it. I cleaned mine real well first with some liquid dish soap on a soft damp towel and then rinsed and dried it real well. I also put my camera lens side down and set a large soup can on the ring (for a weight) overnight. Trust me Mine is STUCK ON GOOD! Optics are also great and are well made to give you a full view of the LCD screen enlarged to its max without cutting out the corners. I love it and would highly recommend!

Read Best Reviews of LCDVF Digital LCD Viewfinder for Digital SLR Cameras with 3'' Screens Here

After much deliberation over the three top contenders, I couldn't pull the trigger on the 375.00 Zacuto ZFinder. It just seemed like too much to pay for an engineered magnifying glass. I also couldn't really take the Loupe serious, what with the rubber bands and all. I decided on the LCDVF, even though my first impression was that I wouldn't want to glue something "permanent" to the back of my 7D. It seemed there were also a fair amount of comments about the adhesion reliability of the frame as well.

I received my order in 48 hours and was ready to apply my frame. I took care, as was mentioned in several reviews, to clean the area well with a mild soap and damp cloth. I then used a micro cloth to clean any residue. You'll want to take a moment to line up your frame over a brightly lit screen such as a menu to assure where you want to place it. Peel off the adhesive strip being careful to keep your finger oils off the adhesive area. Apply the frame and apply pressure with your thumb pads all around the perimeter. Now turn your camera lens down and set it on your counter. Find an appropriate size canned good to add weight to the frame. I used a Campbell's soup can against the frame, and then added another larger can on top of that.

After leaving it for several hours I was ready for a test drive. The first thing I can tell you is I think it would take a lot to knock this frame loose. I was impressed with the adhesion and would trust it. The second thing I noticed disappointedly, was that because there is no diopter setting, this viewfinder is not usable for anyone wearing corrective eyeglasses for reading. I finally figured out that for my eyes wearing my glasses, I needed to hold the viewfinder several inches back from the LCD screen on the back of my camera to get what was then a very clear, beautiful image. I don't want to give this product a black eye and say anyone with eyeglasses will have this trouble, but it sure wouldn't work for my eyes. I wish that some of the other reviews had mentioned this. I didn't take the lack of a diopter adjustment serious enough.

I decided to return the item, which Amazon does makes easy. And of course I know that I'm going to need to go for the Zacuto for the diopter, but I still need some time to digest that price. If your eyes are unencumbered with age related problems, then I think this item would be an excellent choice. If they could work a diopter into this product, then I would give it five stars.

Want LCDVF Digital LCD Viewfinder for Digital SLR Cameras with 3'' Screens Discount?

It's a good concept and the foam cushion over the eyecup is a nice touch; but after using it once on my 5D Mii the adhesive came loose and the intermediate frame between the LCD and the magnet lost its bond. I contacted the manufacturer and requested more glue. They said they would send some but never did, even after follow up! The kit comes with two frames but I'm using the other frame on my other camera (7D). So, this is very inconvenient, especially since I exactly followed the manufacturer's instructions for adhering the frame to the LCD. I don't know what kind of adhesive I should use now to glue it back on. It also lacks a diopter; so if you wear glasses this will be problem. It was a fairly good product and at a lower price that the Z-Finder but alas the glue was weak! Another reviewer had the exact same problem I had. Obviously they haven't worked out this problem.

HP DreamScreen 130 13-Inch Wireless Connected Screen

Lets first just get some things out of the way before I talk about the quality of what the device DOES do lets talk about what it does not, yet claims to do.

Downright Lies

--------------

The following quotes are from the HP site itself:

"The HP DreamScreen is a gateway to the Internet using your wireless network to access

weather info, Snapfish and your favorite web destinations."

This is just untrue. There is no integrated web browser. It has three web `apps' on it: SnapFish, Pandora, Facebook. That's it. It does not read RSS feeds, or do much of anything you probably want it to do, simple things like display news or recipes.

"Stay current with social network sites like Facebook"

`Like' facebook? There is only Facebook: nothing else.

"Be organized with a built-in alarm clock & calendar."

This is laughable. Wondering how to sync the calendar with outlook or google or anything; maybe even just add appointments, I finally consulted their online documentation. Here, seriously, is the feature list for the calendar `app':

"View the current month, press right or left to view the next or previous month."

BWAH HA HA HA... *sigh*

"Touch-enabled controls--Get fast, easy access to information and entertainment with simple touch controls embedded in the display"

This is referring to some buttons around the bezel of the screen and is just so untrue they would have to change the marketing campaign in Europe or get sued. This does however remind me of the old In Living Color sketch where the handcapped superhero always says he is `not handicapped, but HANDY-CAPABLE!'.

"Videos--Watch home movies and video clips in full screen Its simple!"

It's as simple as taking your video, recompressing it to a supported video codec, resizing it to a specific resolution, and then physically transferring it ot the device -so simple grandma could do it! (with gordian knot, virtualdub, CCCP, and all those other video tools she has)

The Screen

----------

Resolution

The thing is a frickin' 300 dollar photo frame, but it's resolution is 800 x 480, this equates to 0.38 megapixels, at the time the frame came out, the average cheap point n shoot ranks 9 to 10 megapixels: this is well over twenty times the resolution of the screen!

Because of this, it can take 10 full seconds to load a photo and downsample it to 800 pixels from it's original resolution. This makes browsing photos a pain, and loading photos from your camera cards nearly useless. Power users will use photoshop or xnView to batch all their content to 800 pixels.

There is aliasing galore, as 800 pixels is the resolution of many phones and handheld devices, not 13' photo frames!

NOTE: The official specs on the HP website and elsewhere say the DreamScreen 130 is 800 x 480, however, it's own documentation on the CD is came with claims a resolution of 1280 x 800. I called HP and they confirmed the lower resolution for the DreamScreen 130. There may be a middle road as some sites report: "13.3' Widescreen800 x 480 pixels upscaling to 1280 x 800 pixels", which would mean you purchased a 1280×800 screen and they didnt feel like making the software go higher res for the more expensive display. Jesus.

Color Reproduction

It is a cheap TN panel, the gamma of your images widely fluctuates depending on the angle they are viewed. I would be ok if they had a low resolution but used a nice IPS, SIPS, or OLED panel, but this is just unremarkable. The black point is a dark shade of grey, in all seriousness, the panel quality seems on par with something like the panels they use in the dashboard of a Prius, or other industrial UI readouts.

Streaming / Network

Streaming requires lots of Microsoft Windows Media software and services running on a PC server in your house that is always on, they relied on this instead of doing the footwork themselves. If you were under the impression from their marketing that it could read files off samba shares or work with Macintosh, you would be wrong.

Software / User Interface

The software is pretty terrible. It is very clunky and unresponsive. Many times it does not recognize that physical media has been inserted and must be rebooted. The UI graphics themselves show terrible compression artifacts.

When you bring up the on screen keyboard to type in, say, the name of the device, it clearly shows buttons like [ [ [.com], and others to make it easier to browse the web, however there is no web browser! There are other places in the print ads and UI itself that refer to features the device just does not have!

"Touch Screen"

The device claims to have a `touch sensitive screen', and IT DOES! A small area around the bezel of the screen has botons that can be pressed/touched! This product is in NO WAY a touch screen device, and has no touch sensitivity, other than the buttons on the bezel, the marketing is a lie.

Open Source?

On the CD that ships with it, they have a ton of readme files showing they used a lot of GPL'd code, however the source installer did not work on my windows 7, x64.

Conclusion

Pros:

* They used Linux and GPL'd code so they will have to release theirs soon, hopefully it will be taken under the wing of the open source community and all these issues can be fixed by hard working college students and kids in their spare time.

* The packaging/box is very high quality with a great look and feel

Cons:

* The screen is low res and low quality

* The device is way overpriced for the quality of it's screen and software

* The docs and UI refer to features that just do not exist

* No battery, it must always remain plugged into the wall

* Super-glossy, all you may be seeing is windows!

* Software-wise, the average cellphone is vastly superior in extensibility and quality (browsing photos, playing mp3s, videos...)

* The UI looks like a rip of cell phone UIs, but only in pictures... There are no smooth animated transitions, nothing in common with the user interfaces they seemed to want to copy. To an experienced person, the UI feels like something HP outsourced to Asia and sent them a poor art-bible of the end product they were expecting...

* The device seems unfinished

Photos look great on this and the widgets seem to work pretty well, though you're restricted to those that HP wanted to install. No Flickr? But there are serious problems here. Everything takes a LONG time. Opening up Settings seems to take much of a minute (okay, closer to 15 seconds). It's slow. And the user interface? It looks like it was designed to be a touch screen interface but then that turned out to be too expensive. So you're always scrolling around the screen getting to exit and open buttons. It's pretty painful.

Pros:

Looks nice

Good resolution

The Internet Radio bit seems to work well

Cons:

SLOW!!!

Only the widgets that HP wants

Dreadful and painful user interface, you're just going to be unhappy working with it

Bugs all over the place (radio station genres, spelling errors, sometimes the slideshow button works, other times it doesn't)

I'd wait for version two of this. Let the bugs get fixed, have them improve the user interface, get some more widget options, and install a faster processor. Then it'll be worth something like the asking price.

Buy HP DreamScreen 130 13-Inch Wireless Connected Screen Now

I got this for my mom as a Christmas present. I got her a Westinghouse 14 inch frame a couple of years ago and that set the size bar pretty high. With the HP Dreamscreen I hoped to improve upon the previous frame in several areas.

With the previous frame, found that having a digital frame is a lot of work if you have to change out the pictures on a memory card all the time especially if you don't live near your parents. So I was hoping to find a way to do this remotely. The Snapfish option sounded promising (but why no flickr, photobucket or imageshack?). Facebook seemed sketchier to me, as Facebook already crunches your photos when you upload them and doesn't even present them THAT well on a PC screen.

We finally settled on the snapfish option and save the images at 800x480 and that works very well. I am very pleased with the images on the screen. The odd size is a bit of a problem, but overall the images look great and are crisp and bright.

Pandora radio is pretty cool. The sound is above average but it only goes so loud and starts to get tinny at higher volumes. It is a neat "gee-whiz" feature though. I haven't played with HP radio yet.

Facebook has been buggy for me. I even updated to the latest firmware when I fired the frame up for the first time (and another bright spot was that the frame logged onto my wi-fi flawlessly and easily.) But Facebook is SLOW and the pictures don't look great from Facebook, as I suspected they would not. The Facebook feature would actually make the frame worth buying for that alone if only those pictures were better quality.

The remote control works well, the controls are ok. Not great, but there are worse out there.

I spent a bit of time trying to change the slideshow settings for the Snapfish account before I realized that you have to be in the PHOTOS section. Press options there and you change the transition, length of time each photo shows on the frame and various photo options for ALL of the different modules (facebook, snapfish, etc...)

One good point to HP is the packaging. When you open the frame, it is almost like opening a jewelry case. The box is well designed and everything inside is protected nicely and the presentation is outstanding. If the product lived up to the packaging it would get 5 stars all the way! As it is, I would rate this as 3 stars if you are looking for more than a picture frame, but as a wireless digital frame, it is a five star unit and it has exceeded my expectations.

Read Best Reviews of HP DreamScreen 130 13-Inch Wireless Connected Screen Here

After reading some of the reviews, I had low expectations. This is a great piece of gear. It really is no slower than your home pc would be. It is a great device for streaming music, photos, etc. The internet radio is worth the price. Hook to your stereo system and listen to hundreds of stations, many with cd quality. If you have a home network set up this is nothing else that compares. I have owned mine for only a couple of weeks and there have been 2 firmware upgrades which added enhanced features.

Want HP DreamScreen 130 13-Inch Wireless Connected Screen Discount?

Sadly, the digital photo frame market is mostly flooded with no-name products that are seriously lacking in several areas. One would expect a "world class" company like HP could offer a much better product, but so far as several others have reported in their reviews, HP has largely failed. This product looks great on paper but is disappointing in reality.

Consider this: You can buy (from HP no less) a very nice complete netbook computer with a better higher resolution screen, a much faster processor, WiFi, a full keyboard, expensive Li-Ion battery, hard drive, etc. for the SAME PRICE as this photo frame which has none of those things. So why does HP use a substandard 800 pixel display that makes your photos fuzzy? Why do they use a little toy processor that makes everything so slow as to be painful? Why isn't there a motion detector to turn the frame off when nobody has been in the room for a while to save energy?

Why also, isn't this device UPnP-AV or DLNA compliant so it can automatically pull pictures off your PC, NAS or home server? Other less expensive devices offer this functionality. The "internet" features of this device are severely limited. You can buy devices at a third of the price that do much more (but granted have a smaller screen). And you can buy devices at a third of the price with a better, higher resolution screen, than the DreamScreen.

I would suggest waiting until more companies figure out the "high end" digital frame market. There are new wireless offerings from Buffalo, D-Link and others that conform to home media standards (UPnP and/or DLNA) that put the DreamScreen to shame and can do much more. Hopefully such competition will force HP, and others, to get their act together.

Sony Handycam CCD-TRV128 AV Cable - TV Video Cord for Sony Handycam CCD-TRV128

I received what I needed quickly and at a good price. I put the cable right to work and it is working fine. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007I7BZNO/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

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LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER

I just wanted to mention that I've owned this product for only a week and I really like it, but there are a couple of things bothering me that I hope will be fixed down the line.

1. The felt (or whatever material it is) inside the view finder is not the greatest. It's causing tons of lint particles to land on the magnification piece. Every time I use it, I have to dust it out. The more I do, the more the material comes apart and causes distracting stringy pieces to appear in my field of view. Very annoying.

2. Whether it's the fact that the frame is slightly bent (which the company boasts is not possible, but was in fact bent straight out of the box) or the nipples/tabs on the frame are slightly off on mine, or both, the eye piece is not fitting in properly so it is not flush against the frame. Even if I work it on, at some point, I hear one of the tabs pop out. The magnet is strong enough to hold it on, but this is causing the unit to not be as secure as if it were on correctly.

3. The rubber material picks up lint like crazy.

Other than these issues, I have no complaints. However, the aforementioned may become a problem. I'd also recommend providing, or at least making available, an eye cup pad. That enormous eye piece is not going to be fun when a sweaty face is pressed against it.

Have had mine for about 2 weeks now and use it with my T2i. This has changed my life when recording video. Not only does it make pulling focus that much easier but all of my shots are now steadier when holding it to my eye. For $60 or so, you can not go wrong. Get this, I promise you will not regret it!

Buy LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER Now

I bought the Carry Speed LCD View finder for my 60D. It seemed to be well built and the reviews were good.

I was a little concerned about getting a view finder with out a adjustable diopter but that shouldn't be an issue if it was built correctly or so I thought. when it arrived, I installed it, seemed to be well built. Magnets hold very well but the image was slightly soft to the eye when looking through the finder. I pulled the Z-finder away from the LCD screen and it was in perfect focus at about 1 inch away. Could my vision be that far off or is it the z-finder? I had my 10 year old son try it, he's got youth and perfect vision going for him and sure enough he had the same problem.

Needless to say I am very disappointed that the Carry Speed Z-Finder has a serious flaw.

This might work for some people but not for me.

Having an adjustable diopter is important.

Read Best Reviews of LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER Here

I've been pricing 3:2 viewfinders for my Canon T2i. I was about to purchase another model which cost about the same as this one, but did not come with the eyecup. The eyecup brought the price up to about $30 more than the CarrySpeed VFinder. As soon as I saw this at a very popular auction site at a price lower than similar models with the same features, I jumped on it. The unit is built very well. It came with a lanyard, two steel frames, a cleaning cloth, and the eyecup attached. I attached the metal frame to the lcd cover already attached to my camera. I haven't used any other similar units to compare this one with, but I don't imagine one can find one with the same features in this price range.

Want LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER Discount?

This is a well-made and efficient alternative to the significantly higher priced pro-level product. There is no question that Canon 60D owners (and T2i owners should also purchase the CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2L METAL TRIPOD MOUNT FRAME FOR CANON 60D T3i 600D. By using the frame you can avoid having to glue anything to your camera. When the frame is detached from the camera, the 60D articulating LCD works normally and lays flat, face down against the body, which it cannot do if you glue a metal frame to the LCD face. I love this product when used in combination with the specified optional frame. There are two "cons," if you will: (1) The cost has been kept down by not including a diopter. However, I am able to effectively use the Z-Finder while wearing my glasses with little or no inconvenience. (2) CarrySpeed should have added a protective coating on the optional frame so that it does not scratch the LCD or other camera parts. I performed this fix myself see my review of the Carry Speed LCD View Finder 3:2l Metal Tripod Mount Frame. Oddly, Amazon and/or their partners do not make these two complementary products available from the same source. However, both items arrived promptly and at the exact same time.

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Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR Lens with 32GB Card + Filter + Case + Accessory Kit

I just received this camera that was recommended to me by a photography student since I'm interested in the same. I LOVE IT! Especially sonce it came with extras including a carrying case and all the other accessories. It was a great deal, better than any retail store. It would have cost a lot more if I had purchased through retail. I'm looking forward to expanding my photography hobby into a small business and this camera is the perfect one to start with.

Arrived on time. Everything works well and the USB card holder has been very handy. The only thing that isn't great is the camera case. If you have more than one lens, it's really crowded. The lcd screen protectors seem unnecessary but that's probably a personal preference thing. Overall, very happy with the purchase and love the D3100 as my first DSLR after owning two Nikon film cameras. Would recommend it to anyone. The continuous shooting was really fun this winter while capturing some downhill sledding and jumps.

Buy Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm VR Lens with 32GB Card + Filter + Case + Accessory Kit Now

Fujifilm FinePix T200 14 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (Gunmetal)

I was afraid to order this, though I've owned several Fuji cameras and I've been very pleased with them. I still have my first digital camera, a 2 MP Model A205 I got in 2004 it works fine as old as it is. So why the hesitation to order this T200? The 3 reviews I read which don't think highly of this camera. I'm here to tell you don't be put off by the other reviews. Sometimes you also have to take into account when you read a 1 star to 3 star review that the person writing it has no idea how to use a camera, not accusing anyone here, but always keep that in mind. I'm not a professional by any means, but I've been buying/using digital cameras for almost 8 years.

This camera was intended as a gift for a young relative of mine. I took it on a test run beforehand, and here are my thoughts.

One reviewer complained about this having no focus assist lamp. That's a plus for anyone photographing pets, I own many cameras with this and most you cannot turn it off, so a blinding red lamp lights up right before you press the shutter on these types of cameras causing the cat's or dog's eyes to shut. This T200 does not have this lamp, and I've been able to obtain good pictures of my pets with the "Natural" mode choice on the dial. There is also a "Natural and Flash" choice too, which is working out well 2 shots are taken in rapid succession, one with no flash and one with, so you can compare which one is best.

Essentially, this camera is EXACTLY the same as the Fuji T300 Fujifilm FinePix T300 14 MP Digital Camera with Fujinon 10x Wide Angle Optical Zoom Lens (Black) and look at the reviews for it compared to this camera. The only difference is the T300 has a 3" LCD screen and the T200 is 2.7" LCD screen. Not a big deal, and I preferred the gunmetal gray to black. It's a beautiful gray, great build quality (mostly metal), the fit and finish is fine, and it even has a textured surface on the right front to help with gripping such a small camera. This camera IS tiny though.

Photos taken with this camera are true to color. Outdoor shots are better than indoor, but it's this way with any cheaper P&S camera. Shutter response time is OK, although I have seen faster in the Sony camera I recently returned. When you are taking Natural & Flash, there is extra storing time, the same with the Panorama Feature, even using a Class 10 SD card.

Battery life is good. The optical image stabilization is good. Some people think there's something wrong with the camera when the dial is turned to SR Auto and you can hear the zoom motor but that's what it is supposed to be doing when you have the dial turned to SR Auto (SR stands for Scene Recognition) and you aren't holding the camera still, it can't decide what you want it to focus on.

Oh, and this camera DOES have optical zoom during videos. But I have a complaint and I don't know why Fuji does it this way when other camera manufacturers like Panasonic do it right. With this Fuji, while you are optically zooming out during a video, the audio goes away, then it resumes when you are finished zooming. I assume they do this so you don't hear the motor sound in your video, but it's just plain stupid to do it this way. The 720p videos are very good quality.

If you choose this camera, also pick up an SDHC card, preferably Class 10 for videos. They normally say Class 4 or 6 for videos is adequate but a Class 10 card would be even better and they don't cost much more.

This camera is thicker than other ultra-compact cameras due to the 10X zoom. The lens area isn't flush with the rest of the camera body, making the camera approximately 1-1/8" thick. So take that into account when choosing a case for it.

Here's a good fairly inexpensive SDHC card:

Transcend 8 GB Class SDHC 10 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC10E

After reading the reviews, I thought that I made a mistake buying this T200, but I changed my mind. The lens is exceptionally sharp, and on par with my Canon G11, and my Sony H20, both of which cost more than twice as much.

I used the camera indoors, and out. I took it to the beach to take some sunsets in low light, the pictures are beautiful. I used it indoors with the flash, and without the flash; again, the pictures are marvelous. I shot some movies with it at the beach with the waves breaking over the rocks; they are dramatic and very high definition. Every feature on that camera works; and it is no larger than my cell phone. That is amazing to say the least.

The build quality is solid, and the camera seems to be mostly metal. The 10 X zoom is sharp throughout it's range; and the auto-focus worked even in the low light at the beach during sundown. I have the pictures to prove it.

Yet one might say, that with those other excellent cameras why would I get the T200. The answer is that camera has more features than many larger cameras, but it is unbelievably small in physical size, but enormously powerful with it's 14 mp, 10 x zoom, and really good image stabilization, even when zoomed. I'm extremely pleased with this remarkable camera.

Buy Fujifilm FinePix T200 14 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (Gunmetal) Now

This camera has been very dependable and works as described. what it needs is better software for editing and picture removal from camera; it seems outdated and doesn't update to much better software. the other problem is you need very stable hands, as some pictures come out blurry.

Read Best Reviews of Fujifilm FinePix T200 14 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (Gunmetal) Here

God, where do I start? It's slow, auto-focus is inept and the light-meter is arbitrary, even between 2 shots shot concurrently in the same setting. The shooting selections are retarded and the smile-detector won't allow me to take pictures of some buildings. When you switch between modes, the title of the mode covers the entire screen for several seconds with no shutter access, so shooting quickly is just not possible with this camera. It's even slower than my first digital camera, which saved to a "superdisk" (120Mb floppy). This camera sucks. When you press the shutter, you have about a 50% chance that it will take a picture. It does fit into my pocket, so I suppose that is good.

However, it has one nice feature, which saved it from a one-star review. It has a "panoramic" setting (conveniently titled "SP1" for no reason) that actually usually does a decent job of patching 3 pix together in-camera. Didn't work well in a hot-air balloon, but on stable ground, it does a decent job, usually. Much easier to make panoramics than spending hours in Photoshop matching sky levels and horizon line, meshing foreground objects. Not great, but decent, most of the time. Assuming light-levels match; if you're shooting varying levels, like in a sunset situation, it doesn't match them well.

I bought this as a backup for my DLSR, and for a camera to carry on my longer hikes and jogs, as my DLSR is heavy and floppity when jogging. It isn't a good backup camera, my old 5 megapixel Canon Crapola 6000 is a better camera overall. But I do carry it in my glovebox for it's panoramic strengths, which is it's only strength. If you want an OK panoramic camera for the price, it's not terrible, but for a point&shoot, forget it.

Want Fujifilm FinePix T200 14 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (Gunmetal) Discount?

I bought this as my third Fuji camera. It came and I liked. It does have some problems in low light but other then that I was pleased until month 10 when it started turning itself on and off repeatedly. I have to keep the battery out of it now, causing us to have to go thru date programing to use it.Then it started refusing to let me review pictures.Finally at 11 months it now switches to picture review when I want to take a picture. So a quick review...not great in low light, switches on and off repeatedly,picture review button doesn't work,won't let me take a picture but instead automatically switches to picture review. I have always like Fuji since the film days of old. I probably have the lemon out of the bunch. However I felt the need to share my experience. There are many good things about this camera including many features, simple to use, takes good point and shoot pics, lines up your pamorama photos, its small and appealing to the eye. I guess its really up to you.

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED

Love the camera, the small size is perfect for a pocket. Takes some getting used to in order to open and close with one hand to make it a nice point and shoot. Being that its so small also, you might as well forget about keeping the screen clean. That is not going to happen. The entire back is screen and your thumb will always smudge it.

I come from owning a previous cyber-shot which I loved that had buttons and a touch screen. However when visiting other countries or just traveling, I would walk around with this huge bulge in my pocket where the camera was. It was also a point and shoot, but no where near the small size of this TX-66 which is thinner than my wallet.

What I dislike is not about that camera itself, but at the fact that it comes with nothing. No install programs, no holder, no screen cleaner, no memory card. I had to go right back to amazon and place a new order for a case, memory card and travel charger (the original charger is two pieces, plug and usb cord). Without a memory card, you can't use all of the features (parallel video and camera) and you can only take 2-3 pictures. For something so delicate as this small camera, I had expected it to come with at least 256mb card and a starter case.

another thing to note is that while I would love to use one hand to use th entire camera and its features, that is very hard to do, you can get a quick point and shoot, but the zoom button on top is very small and you will definitely need two hands in order to zoom in and out (one for stability)..

In the box Camera, Charger, USB Cable/charger cable, Wrist Strap, Paint Pen (will never use it), Tripod adapter.

I've heard of the previous version as having a bad touchscreen that didn't respond well. With this version I dont see that problem. The controls are fast and up to standards with my iphone and ipad and even better than my previous cybershot. I have large fingers and the screen reacts well to them.

I have the silver camera and it is by no means close to the silver in the image above. It is more of a gray color and a tint of purple on the back. After checking videos and review photos, it seems that this is normal.

While the camera is small and feels sturdy, it also seems delicate by the size. This isn't a camera that you want to drop. You might be able to get away with sitting on it as you may forget its in your pocket, but dropping it "looks" to be dangerous. I have no plans to let anyone else use it.

What I like most about the camera however is its ability to shoot video and take a picture at the same time. It was really my reasoning for purchasing. Last year I had my wife shoot the video while I took the photos for christmas and after the holiday was over and it was time to upload everything, I found out that my wife never hit the play button on the flip camera. This way I can now control all of the memories while she enjoys helping unwrap the presents. The downfall fo shooting video and using the camera at the same time is that the camera loses all of its functions and programming, which means that you just get to snap a picture without any settings such as flash or blurred background, etc. You get whatever the video is utilizing.

As for the quality of the photos, they are great when you get a good picture, the issue that I keep having is that I must remain almost completely still in order to get a perfect photo. The camera is sensitive to blur do to the photographers movement. If I move, then the photo will blur, if the subject moves, then the photo is fine. Moving at night (because night photos simply suck with this camera) and snapping a photo is practically pointless in any mode. While the camera captures nice scenes with its settings, it isn't designed to be taken on the go, which is pretty disturbing for a point and shoot.

As for shutter speed, this camera is much faster than anything I've ever had including my previous cybershot. As I mention that remaining still is a must, you won't have to stay still very long in order to get the picture. It truly is the best point and shoot if you want to pull it out of your pocket, open and snap a picture and place it back in your pocket. You can do that all within seconds.

As for video, the video is one of the best features of this device, for some reason the developers created the video to be blur free while moving, but missed the mark with still images. Nonetheless, if you're looking for a great point and shoot for video, this is by far the best and I didn't expect the great quality that it had within such a small camera.

Another issue I had with the camera is that its suggested auto settings doesn't have a force flash and that the only way to get a force flash is to put it to custom program settings, which dont look as good as the suggested.

While this camera does have a lot of pre-programmed settings, you'll be flipping through them a lot in order to find the right one for the mood, the suggested settings are good, but they switch between scenes too much and too often and often times to the wrong settings(night scene, day scene, twilight, candle light, etc.). unless you're in a nicely lit room or in the sunlight, the suggested settings aren't all that great for auto choosing the right one.

While the tx66 is a great camera, it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I previously used another cybershot which I've had for 5 years and is 8mp, and the photos between that camera and the tx66 aren't that far off in quality.

In a nutshell, this is the best camera at 18.2 MP, best possible size for a pocket camera, and for the size, quality and speed, this is the best on the market.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 camera is pretty good, but in my opinion not worth the full price (currently $350 through Amazon). It excels in some areas and not so much in others. See below for my review. If you don't want to read the long version, you can skip to the short version at the end.

Long Version

Design This camera has a very sleek design. It weighs next to nothing and is very small. And when I say small, I mean small. It is about 5.5 cm tall, 9.5 cm long, and 1.5 cm wide. The camera is so small that it does not have a tripod screw on the bottom; it has a small screw hole and they provide you with a tripod adapter that you screw into that to make it compatible. If you are a guy and/or you have big hands then this camera will not be all that fun for you. It's fairly easy to accidentally get a finger in the picture because the lens is right up at the top of the front of the camera. If you're a girl and/or you have small hands then you'll probably love this because it is just so small. Check out my uploaded picture to see. The only moving part on this camera (besides the top buttons) is the front lens cover. It slides straight down and you cannot shoot without it down. This is good because it protects your lens when you aren't using the camera, but can be a little bit of an annoyance if you happen to forget that it needs to slide down to be used. It's also easy to forget to slide it back up, which kind of defeats its purpose in protecting the lens. The camera will turn on automatically if you slide the cover down, or you can press the power button and then slide it down. It'll also turn off automatically if you slide the lens cover back up.

Functionality With the exception of the power, shutter, and zoom buttons, the camera is operated entirely through touch screen. All options are on the LCD screen. This is actually not bad, because the touch screen is very responsive (almost a little too responsive; I started recording a video before I even knew I had pressed the record button, that's how lightly you have to tap). Shutter time is quick, but write time can be fairly slow; if you're recording a video or taking photos in a mode that requires the camera to manipulate (e.g. watercolor mode), you'll need to wait a few seconds while it processes the photo.

Photos Photo quality is generally good if not amazing. It zooms in to 5x but you can then magnify that to 10x; the good thing is that at 10x as they advertise it is still pretty clear although you won't have a wealth of detail. Because of the fast shutter speed, you should be able to take photos of moving objects pretty easily. There are many different types of photos you can shoot, from regular auto mode to program mode (where you can manually manipulate ISO, etc.) to various picture effects (e.g. miniature, toy camera, partial color [one of the coolest camera effects I've ever seen; allows you to block out everything in monochrome except the color you choose to accentuate], watercolor, illustration) to different scenes (e.g. landscape, portrait, beach, gourmet [???], snow). Some of these look pretty cool, like the partial color (which can be finicky depending on the lighting, see my uploaded photos), and others are kind of throwaways. While watercolor is neat and all, I don't see that I'm going to be sending people "watercolor" photos; it seems more like a waste of what could have been a good shot (see my uploaded photo). In addition to these you can shoot in panorama, which is good in that it lets you do an automatic sweep rather than having to do the overlay with multiple photos like most cameras, AND it lets you take the panorama while sweeping either left, right, up, or down. However, the really stupid part is that it gives you an angle limit to turn the camera on, which is great if you're doing a 180 (but not a 360), but then it gives you a *time limit* or something as well. I still can't figure out what exactly is happening but it'll automatically end on its own and if you don't turn the camera all the way through its predefined limit within the countdown then it saves with a big gray space; see my uploaded photo, this is a big problem that's really annoying. There is also a background defocus that is supposed to let you shoot close-ups and blur the background, but I cannot get it to work. You can also shoot in 3D, but if you don't have a 3D television or glasses then that'll go unused. Night shots are a mixed bag; in auto mode you get a lot of "orbs," handheld mode looks good, night mode is blurry without a tripod, and high ISO mode also looks good but is a little bright (see all my uploaded photos).

Videos Video quality ranges from excellent to average depending on the type of video format you select from the Menu screen. I tried recording in both AVCHD (for HDTVs) and in regular MP4 (for computers) and the latter is just no comparison to the former. The AVCHD mode looks really fantastic but the files get saved in some weird .MPO format that my computer doesn't even recognize without using Sony's included software. You can, however, use Sony's software and there's a button right in it to convert the video to .WMV and resave, which is good. The .MP4 files can be opened in Quicktime without having to use the software or manipulate anything, but the quality is vastly degraded. They are much grainier and choppier, whereas the AVCHD videos are smooth and clear.

Extras The camera has some extra points worth mentioning. 1) This camera uses a micro SD card, so be sure you have one ready. It does not have a slot for a full-size storage card. 2) It comes with a paint pen. This is basically just a small fat stylus that you can use to select things on the camera or to draw on your photos. You can draw freestyle or the camera also has some premade frames on it that you probably won't care about unless you're a girl under 10 years old (seriously). 3) It requires the cable to charge. For some reason Sony thought it would be a good idea to not just put a slot for the battery into the charger like everybody else does, so instead you have to put the battery into the camera and then use the USB cable to connect the camera to the charger. This is not a huge deal but it just means you have to carry the cable around with you wherever you go if you think you're going to need to charge. The good news is that if you have a full USB charger in your car (like the smartphone car chargers that Verizon sells that have the regular micro USB and a second full USB) then you can charge the camera battery with it. 4) Software is included on the camera. No CDs here, folks. Instead you just plug the camera into your computer, turn it on, and after an annoyingly long Windows driver installation (for some reason it decided it wanted to install the camera as three separate drives), you can install the inventively-named PlayMemories Home software. The software is pretty basic and you have to download extra features separately. 5) Help is built into the camera. There is a button in the lower left of the screen with a question mark; just press this to go to the help screens to learn all about how to perform different functions. The camera does come with a written manual but it's fairly useless except to tell you how to charge the battery and install the software.

Short Version

This is a pretty good camera that works best if you have small hands. It sets itself apart by having all controls on the touchscreen, and thankfully has a very responsive screen. Photos are generally good quality, though some of the modes seem useless, and videos range from excellent to average depending on the video format you record in. The camera also requires a micro SD card, comes with a stylus, requires the USB cable to charge the battery, and has Sony's included software and built-in help files directly on the camera. See all my uploaded photos for examples.

Buy Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED Now

I tried out this camera for about a week before returning it, but I did so with a heavy heart because this is a great little camera. I'll start off with the pros.

This camera produced some excellent shots. I was very impressed with the quality of pictures that came from it, especially when I was intentionally giving the camera bad conditions to shoot in. I was very pleased with their clarity. The jpeg noise I would often see in pics from my old camera (Panasonic Lumix TS1) was absent. Really, I was thunderstruck the first time I looked at the pics on my PC. Just beautiful!

The camera is truly tiny. The pictures here on Amazon don't give you the proper scale. It easily fits in your front pocket, without creating an uncomfortable bulge. This is definitely an 'on-the-go' camera.

The negatives... I guess I'll start with the big one.

The reason I returned this is because the camera is just too small for me. I'm a burly guy, with big hands but stubby fingers. It's just awkward for me to manipulate this. After playing with it for a week, I could never find a comfortable position to hold this camera. I tried, but could never figure out how to turn it on one-handed. I could not take one-handed pictures either. The entire back is a touch screen. That made me hesitant to rest my palm against it to grip the camera for fear of taking a picture, changing the focus, opening up the settings feature, etc. I ended up holding the camera with two hands, between thumb and index finger very clunky, and uncomfortable. This method of holding it produced way too many pictures with my hand shadowing the lens. Finally I decided, a camera with great picture quality was no use if I didn't enjoy actually taking pictures with it. :(

I was also shocked by the cheap hand strap Sony provided. I've used several Panasonic models, and they come with a comfortable wrist wrap with a lock that lets you tighten the wrap, so you don't have to think about accidentally dropping the camera. If you fumble it, no worry, the wrap keeps it secured. Sony's wrist wrap was just a piece of stiff cloth. You get no protection from that. When I'm paying this much money for a camera, I expect the company to think of these little details, not nickel-and-dime me.

The camera's UI was not quite so obvious to use as I hoped. With more practice I would have eventually learned it, but some of the settings are not as apparent as you would think.

So, I guess my quick summary is... The TX66 is a great little camera, but it's not for people with large, stubby hands. It's just too difficult to comfortably handle. It's a great gift for your wife/girlfriend though, assuming she's not bigger than average.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED Here

I had my expectations of this camera, but it exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. My review below is based on first impressions, as I have used this camera for less than one week.

Unexpected pleasant surprises:

5x optical zoom does not project the lens outside the camera casing. All lens movements happen within the camera casing. Amazing to watch that.

Picture and video quality are as good as any of the P&S cameras I have owned so far. I have owned several Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, and Flip cameras/camcorders.

Zoom is enabled during video capture. Not many P&S cameras can do that. I was blown away when I found this out.

You can capture a still image while capturing video. I still can't believe that this tiny camera includes this feature. See my remarks about this feature below.

Zoom well over 5x. See my remarks below.

Touch screen brightness, resolution, and sensitivity are well over my expectations.

Tripod mountable! You have to attach an adapter (supplied) to mount it on tripod.

Unpleasant surprises:

Supplied printed manual is extremely basic. See 1st comment for the URL of the full user guide.

Online user guide is HTML based, not PDF. Why do they do that? PDF is much more convenient and printable!

Camera's bottom surface is not flat and hence not freestanding.

It takes a few seconds to save the image after taking the picture.

Capturing stills while shooting video:

This function works very well. See the sample photo I posted. I don't know the underlying technology for this, but after you stop video recording, the camera starts saving the images to the memory card. If you took a lot of snapshots during the video, expect to wait several seconds for all the images to be saved.

Zoom:

Like many P&S cameras these days, this camera can also zoom much more than the advertised capacity. The 5x zoom is when the picture size is set to maximum 16M. However, if you lower the size, the zoom capacity will increase. For example, at VGA resolution, this camera can zoom to 38x without quality deterioration and to 76x some deterioration. Read the online user guide for details on the zoom capabilities and capacity. (Link for user guide is in the first comment to this review.)

Setting the USB Mass Storage:

I don't like using any utilities to download my pictures from camera to the computer. I just want to insert the cable and then see the camera in my computer as an external drive. If you are like me, you should go to Main Settings menu, and change the USB Connect Setting to Mass Storage option.

Picture quality comparison:

I have compared pictures taken by this camera with the pictures taken by Panasonic ZS9 under identical conditions and found that they compare equally in many cases. I have posted comparison photos on Amazon with my comments. See for yourself.

Overall, I am very happy to acquire this camera.

Update 06/15/2012:

The camera stopped responding a few days ago all of a sudden. Opening lens cover didn't turn it on. Repeating the process was of no use. Pushing the power button was equally useless. I then removed the battery and put it back in. Then in started working normally. It has worked fine since then. If this problem occurs again, I will consider reducing the star rating.

Still very happy with the performance and compactness of the camera.

Update 08/15/2012:

We went on a road trip recently and we took 3 cameras with us. The big P&S camera (Panasonic FZ28K) rarely came out of the bag. We used this camera (TX66) and Panasonic ZS9 and took hundreds of pictures. I observed that the success rate of TX66 is very high. Almost all pictures are usable (no blurring, no shake, in focus, good light, etc.) TX66 camera being so small and portable, we always had it handy and we didn't miss any photo opportunities. We are still very happy with the camera. Only known issue at this is that, inadvertent setting change due to unintended touch screen operation. Easly overlooked due to the convenience and the quality of the pictures.

Want Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3.3-inch OLED Discount?

These Sony Sureshots just keep getting better and better. This one takes my breath away just from it's sheer tinyness. It will take 18 megapixell pictures...in 3D...or wide screen panarama...or with a 16gb micro sd card record 2.75 hours of hd vid!!! The 3D photos can be viewed on a 3D capable TV! They look great. Getting the kids together to wear the glasses and view photos was a fun activity. (do buy a micro sd card when you order the camera as it will only take 3 pictures without it...and get an extra battery or two as well! Amazon sells several very reasonably priced ones). Be warned however that it is indeed tiny and if you have trouble manipulating small objects you might want to go with a bigger model. It's smaller than my iPhone. I didn't have any problems holding it steady for shots and using the buttons. I'd also recommend getting a good strap ( I agree that the one included is woefully lacking and the one thing tiny inspires is the feeling that it won't survive a fall) The entire back of the camera is a touch screen so bear that in mind too. Overall I'm really impressed with the quality feel of the camera itself and the performance has been a dream. I'll use it a lot this summer and it's just the right size to slip into my shirt pocket and head out. It's just an amazing camera that you have to see to believe both it's size & it's performance!

Pelican Products 1095 HardBack Case with Foam (1090-020-110)

I purchased the Pelican 1095 HardBack Case with (Pick-and Pluck) Foam to hold a 15-inch retina MacBook Pro.

The laptop fits snugly in the 1095 case when allowing a single row of pick-and-pluck foam inside the non-removable foam border, leaving a total foam padding layer of 2-3cm around the edges of the laptop.

The 1095-CC's liner seems to snugly fit a 17-inch laptop, so purchase the 1095 with pick and pluck foam if you have a smaller laptop.

Pros:

+ quality plastic, less of a military design than previous iteration.

+ discrete.

+ snug fit.

+ easily customizable foam.

+ more waterproof and dust-proof than aluminum briefcases.

+ small form factor.

Cons:

slippery plastic.

no handle, only cheap shoulder pad.

padlock holes are small. It would be nice to have an alternate way to secure the latch for transport without resorting to a padlock.

latch looks like it makes 8 inches of contact but really there are only two 2-inch plastic tabs at either end of the latch plate holding the case shut-the purge valve is in the middle.

no room for charger with 15-inch laptop.

(SPECULATIVE) I worry that over time the plastic latch will wear, but Pelican offers a lifetime warranty.

Bottom Line:

The 1095 is a great solution for protecting your laptop chassis, but you will need additional gear to carry the power adapter and other accessories. The sacrifice of an all-in-one briefcase to hold accessories and laptop is recovered in the 1095's small form factor and better foam cushioning.

3-MONTH UPDATE:

:::More Pros:

+ The shoulder strap has held up and the nylon strap has not slipped through the plastic ladder buckle as I feared. I may upgrade to a ladder lock style of strap buckle.

+ I use a mini carabiner rather than the "Pelilock 1506" or padlock because the mini carabiner provides a tighter fit, although the case could still potentially crack open if it fell. A mini padlock may be ideal in fit but unlocking with a key would consume too much time/effort.

+ I can literally toss the 1095 in the car without worrying about crushing my laptop's screen against its keyboard, knowing that the case will not deform. In the past without the Pelican case, just packing too many things into my briefcase could cause keyboard marks on the screen.

:::More Cons:

The plastic lid will scratch easily, to the point where I feel that the old design with two ribs running down the front would better serve scratch protection.

The 1095 may be too big to fit into a carry-on backpack for airline usage, so the 1085's tighter fit might be better for flying.

:::More Bottom Line:

I still feel that this case is better than purchasing a metal briefcase, because the Pelican is slick and covert.

Yes it protects you computer from everything but, it dosent fit in any of my bags efficiently or at all and the cary strap option sucks. It is such a hassle that I've just been putting my computer straight in my backpack. I would strongly recommend the bigger case with handle.

Buy Pelican Products 1095 HardBack Case with Foam (1090-020-110) Now

It fits my Macbook pro 15.4 early 2011 very well. I highly recommend the "1095 pick-and-pluck foam" model over the "1095CC(Computer Case)". I feel that a custom cut case for your laptop

offers more protection than a universal laptop case, also with the ("1095 Pick and pluck" Model you can store a 13" laptop in it safely, by utilizing the leftover foam). I believe this case would

also fit some 17" laptops. There are some draw backs to this case though. First, it is heavy, though it is worth the extra weight. Second, It scratches easily. Third, This WILL NOT fit in a

messenger bag or backpack, I read some reviews online that said otherwise, but it would have to be a very large backpack. Lastly, there is no room for a wall charger.

I still firmly believe these minor drawbacks are worth the inconvenience for this level of protection though.

Read Best Reviews of Pelican Products 1095 HardBack Case with Foam (1090-020-110) Here

The Pelican 1095 case is made to fit 15" laptops, such as the MacBook Pro 15 (there are other models available for 13" and 17" laptops). It comes in two configurations: the 1095CC, which has a pre-molded foam interior, and the "standard" 1095, which comes filled with "pick and pluck" foam. I am told that the molded foam interior leaves slightly too large a space for a MacBook Pro 15, so that it rattles around a bit inside the case. I got the pick-and-pluck foam, which is basically a slab of foam precut into half-inch squares; you can then measure how big and what shape a hole you want for your item, and then cut or pull out squares to create exactly the space you need. As it happens, with this foam you can get an almost perfect fit for a MacBook Pro 15.

The case is sturdy, has a gasket and closes securely, you could likely throw it into the open ocean for hours without water leaking in and damaging your computer (although this is not a test I am willing to do myself!). This is not a true briefcase though, there is no handle, just a web shoulder strap. Still, the case is sleek and elegant and would not be out of place in a boardroom.

The case is by necessity larger than the computer adds about two inches to each dimension so it will not be as easy to stow in a knapsack or shoulder bag. But if you absolutely, positively need a 100% jump-in-the-water-proof case, this is the one you want.

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Bought this case for my Sager NP8130 and it fits very well...snug enough to hold it in place with no wiggle room yet it closes without squeezing the laptop too much. It also doesn't add too much to the original size of the laptop so it still fits in a carry on bag. I highly recommend it!

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