Essentials Bundle for Nikon D3200, D5100 & D5200 Digital SLR Camera and 18-55mm VR Lens with 32

The accessories were great. The merchant delivered quick and fast as promised. The 32 GB sd card is good for recording videos. The wide angle lense is great for shooting field activities of marching band competitions.

All the goodies brought, the accessories such cleaning kit and protective lenses no problem. The most important item, the wide and telephoto lens, no good. One worked and not the otherone. Once contacted the tech of the company in an attempt to fix the problem, the exchange of words were not pleasant. My mistake to purchase lenses of a camera at a cheap price, you get a cheap item.

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Genuine FOSCAM wireless white IP camera Pan 270° Tilt 120° MJPEG Night Vision 2 way audio

I wanted the older model with the I/O ports on the back as shown in the pics, however they sent me a FI8918W which is newer, but I would prefer the model as shown. I have also read that the Fi9818W did not have a mounting hole that was threaded the same as a camera, however on mine it is the same and I can mount this on a tripod if I wish. The camera works OK, video quality is not spectacular, but if you are familiar with inexpensive security cams this should be no surprise. The 2 way audio which was supposed to be improved over the older model is hit and miss, which really makes it pointless. Additionally for firefox the vlc (videolan) plugin needs to be installed to get sound (IE can get it with a plugin from the manufacturer). The pan and tilt functions do work well, though I have not found a way to set it up to patrol regularly.

I can verify that this works with IPCamViewer on an android device, only bug with that app was that the L/R buttons were reversed (not a ding against Foscam however).

Overall a cool toy, but the lack of I/O ports and the sound quality (or lack thereof) bring it down a couple stars.

I use this for our vacation house to serve several functions. When idle it is aimed at the front door including a view of the big screen TV. In the event of intrusion, it is set to email me multiple pictures giving me a better sense of security when we are away for weeks at a time. Also it comes in handy for a quick weather check. Mounted in a window frame, I can pan to the deck to see how much snow to expect on the way up in the winter. Only complaint is it creeps out the kids when they borrow the house. Whenever cabin in use I just aim it at the ceiling and shut it off. Overall very satisfied with the purchase.

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First of all, you do not get the webcam shown in the photos. You get the Foscam FI8918. It looks pretty similar but it doesn't have the alarm ports on the back.

Set up was easy enough. I didn't install the software that comes with this cam. I simply plugged the cam into my router, found the IP address on my network and used a browser (Google Chrome) to log in. There is a lot of setup you need to do on your router if you are going to view this webcam from outside your house. You will need to set up a static IP for the cam and then setup port forwarding. You also should use a DNS service if your internet provider changes your modem's IP address from time to time (most do).

Image quality of indoor images is good even in the dark. Outdoor images are very washed out and the colors aren't that good. I have since learned that if you want good outdoor images, you need to buy a web cam with an IR cut filter. This cam does not have an IR cut filter. I have this cam sitting in a window. You can't use the night time illumination (IR LEDs) to light anything outside because the LEDs just reflect off the window. Indoor image quality is good when lit by the IR LEDs.

If the outdoor image quality were better, this would be a 5 star cam. If all the stuff about the router set up sounds difficult to you, that is really the nature of any IP based web cam and there are some good tips and a forum on the Foscam site that should help

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I'm impressed! The IP cam worked better than what I expected, good range of movement, nice night vision and sound and audio that works well with IE7. Our first experiment for the Foscam was a petcam setup ...we always wondered what the dog did while we were away. I can even turn-on the speaker and call to our little critter... got him all confused lol! Easy to setup, I didn't even open the manual nor use the install disk... just followed hints from other reviews. First, plugged the cam into the router and opened router configuration to find the cam's IP address. Next, I logged onto the cam, configured user accounts and WiFi settings, disconnected the lan cable and presto... wireless cam found the router! Then, I setup the cam with a free account on "no-ip.com" to view our petcam on the internet. After allowing internet propagation of our new host setup on no-ip.com and port-forwarding, we now have petcam anywhere... fantastic! Highly recommended and a great buy!

Update7/22/2012; after 6 months of 24/7 use, the camera has an issue, locks-up about monthly and needs a power cycle reboot... somethings several to get the router to see the cam again... Which means reset the cam before leaving on vacation so the it stay up and running for as long as you are gone. I have two foscam but this cam seemed more problem pronged than the fixed foscam. Also, sound, mic and video record requires activeX to work... Meaning Windows only! Not a big issues. I like the alarm setting where the cam will email you clear pictures when it detects movement... Great for posting around the streets... "Do you know this guy???". So, stlll works but with issues.

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i bought this to monitor a panel on my boat and it has exceeded my expectations. As others have pointed out the setup is definitely not plug and play. Unless you configure routers for a living setting this thing up so you can look at it from anywhere is going to take you some time. But reading the instructions over and over again and getting on Google, it can be done. It is worth the time and the second one you do will be real easy.

CineBags Production Bag CB-01A, Black/Charcoal

This is the coolest production bag on the planet, i spent hours searching the globe for this and had to get it sent to New Zealand cause no one here stocks them. I would recommend this for any production related company that needs to sort lots of gear in a lightweight easy to transport bag:-)

I have lusted after a CB-01 for about 3 months since discovering them over at FilmTools (no affiliation with my FilmSupplies.com) in Burbank. I bit the bullet and got one. Not only is the construction better than anything out there, the pricing is amazing, and it is a good looking bag to boot! The guy that makes this stuff is a full time industry professional, not the hacks at other companies that are casual shooters. He cuts no corners and the zippers are rugged, straps comfy, and the velcro has an insane bite.

I am mainly a stills photographer now, and I got this bag versus the Lowepro and Tamrac bags. The quality and cost of those two companies makes the Cinebag twice as good and half the price. I'll probably get the DSLR backpack next and the laptop bag expands like crazy for tethered shooting.

Don't even look at anyone else, just buy Cinebags, you'll love it and please spread the word!

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Sanyo VPC-CA102 Waterproof Full HD 1080 Video and 14MP Digital Photos with 12X Dual Range Zoom (Yel

The VPC-CA102YL is the yellow version of the VPC-CA100 that you will find on the Sanyo site, and is the model sold in the US. I do not know if the black and pink colors will be released in the US.

This is about my 10th family video camera. I bought this one to replace the Sanyo Xacti VPC FH1, which is the ordinary box-like form factor, and is a great camera. I'm not an expert by any means, but over the years I've developed a handful of criteria that I have found to be useful. Here are mine, with comments on this camera.

Size: The camera I use is the camera I have with me, and to be with me all the time it has to be small. This camera weighs 245 grams, with battery, on my scale. Considering the quality of the video, and the fact that you can also get great stills, that's amazing. (I go back far enough to have held a black and white video camera on my shoulder. ) There are a number of other very small cameras out there shooting HD (although not usually in 60 fps progressive like the VPC CA102), so there are other choices, but as far as I know, this one takes the highest quality combination of video and stills for its size, especially if you add a waterproof constraint.

Waterproof: This is not important for everyone, but it is for me, and that's why I bought this particular camera. I'm outdoors a lot, and travel a lot. I want a camera that is dust-proof, sand-proof and rain-proof. I've had a whole video record ruined by the Amazon jungle rains. I assume this camera will also be fine for light immersion, but it isn't an "underwater" camera per se, and the attractiveness of the waterproofing for me is ordinary outdoor use--rafting on severe rapids and the like. I've also owned waterproof still cameras, and over the years have experimented with a handful of waterproof video cameras or used waterproof housing. Now I can get extremely high quality video with a waterproof camera that fits in my hand. Nice.

Video and photo quality: This is important for me, but I will admit that formal lab testing is not paramount. Over the years I've noticed the best pictures--video and stills--come from people who take good pictures, and is far less dependent on the camera. Nevertheless, the CMOS in this camera is terrific, and surprisingly large (1/2.33"). Not all HD cameras take the same quality video. I got fantastic video out of my VPC FH1 on a trip to Ladakh, and this sensor is even better. 60 fps is incredibly smooth.

Design and ease of use: This camera has a double whammy for ease of use, and I'm not surprised to see the complaints from early reviewers more used to regular cameras. First of all, it's a pistol grip. It handles completely differently from either a regular stills point-and-shoot or a regular box-type hand-held video camera. Second, Sanyo put all of the pre-shoot controls on the side of the camera, so for the most part it's difficult to change them on the fly. Finally, the actual buttons which you push for taking a still, zooming, and starting/stopping a video are definitely a little klutzy. I have found that one-hand use means I get a little jerk at the beginning and at the end when I am starting and stopping the video. On the other hand, the pistol grip makes for very stable video while you are taking it. For stills, I use a two-second delay, which is a shortcut default setting, so that I can position the camera. In my opinion, this is NOT a great camera for quick point-and-shoots, although you could probably get pretty good at using it for that, especially if you are willing to use both hands. Since most people use two hands to control regular point-and-shoot cameras, that limitation does not seem unreasonable to me.

The controls themselves are driven off the rocker button on the left side. I find the menus easy and intuitive, although I've seen complaints about how Sanyo organizes them. You can select four settings of your choice as shortcuts; for instance I have Flash, TimeDelay, Display and PictureFormat as my four. Before shooting I can just press the rocker button and rotate through the settings rapidly for each of those four choices.

In order to make the camera waterproof (I assume), Sanyo made this rocker button flush. It's a bit klutzy but I don't find that insurmountable, and I've gotten pretty good at it already.

Other comments:

Image stabilization. If you've followed the Sanyo Xacti line, you know that one concern is the use of electronic, instead of optical, image stabilization. This was definitely an issue at high zoom for my Sanyo VPC-FH1, although like most photographers I recommend a tripod stabilizer wherever possible (This one does have a tripod screw mount on the bottome). Sanyo claims a new EIS on this model, and in brief testing outside it does seem to be pretty good. Unfortunately this is one area where only formal lab testing will really define the difference; in general the average opinion to date is that EIS has not been as good as optical image stabilization.

File sizes. I noticed one reviewer mentioned jerky playback. This almost certainly related to hardware or software, and not the camera. Full HD AVC H.264 MPEG-4 at 60 frames/second creates large files, and how smoothly they play back depends on your computer's video substructure as well as the software. Sanyo includes ArcSoft's TotalMedia Extreme for playback, editing and DVD authoring; I have not used it. On my computer I can play back even the largest files using almost any software. I use Premiere for DVD authoring.

Battery. I was very disappointed that Sanyo puts a battery with only 700mAh in this camera. They claim an hour of video from this, but I have not tested that. My habit is to keep several batteries with me anyway, but my FH1 has a 2000mAh battery, and I loved that. This camera ships without an external charger, so I'll be buying a TechFuel external charger (about $15) plus some extra knock-off batteries.

Connections. Output ports are a miniUSB which goes to an RCA composite video plug and a single white RCA plug (I assume for sound). The other (main) output is a mini HDMI port which I assumes outbounds the full stereo audio as well as the HDMI picture. However the camera does NOT come with the HDMI video cable.

Sound. No external microphone. There is a speaker on the camera for internal playback, and instructions are voiced audibly in English for various features.

Summary:

Great quality video in a waterproof format. Quirky controls that you can get used to. High-quality stills but too awkward for zipping around pointing-and-shooting. Fine for landscape stills. Image stabilization unknown, but probably at least acceptable.

I just received the camcorder a few hours ago. I was excited to open it up and try it out. I havent recorded video yet or taken advantage of the waterproof camera functions. I did however take a number of digital shots, the images look really good. I shot from the lowest resolution all the way up to 14 megapixels. The build of the Xacti VPC-CA102 feels very solid and sturdy.

So far my only complaint or rather complaints are the controls. NOT easy to use. It feels a bit quirky when using them however with any new product it takes time to adjust to the controls. We also noticed when turning on the camcorder you have to hold down the button for at least 3 seconds to power on.

UPDATE: I just took the camcorder into the pool 8 feet deep and shot some HD footage. We used a 16gb SDHC class 6 card. It was recorded in 1080i/60fps. Overall we were both very pleased with the HD quality. We did notice that the colors on the video seem a little off. Take a look at the sample video with this review and decide for yourself.

We noticed that when playing back HD video on our iMac using the newest quicktime, the video skips. Not sure why. We then tried the VLC media player and found that it plays the HD video flawlessly. (perfect)

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I'm not a camera junkie. I have a simple point and shoot that I have used through the years and it works great at 4.9 megapixels. I have a nice Digital SLR I bought a few years ago and it takes great pictures, but it is so big and bulky, that I never use it. So, I have some experience with higher and lower end still photo cameras, but I'm pretty much the average consumer. I went on a trip last year and we did some rafting and I wished I had a good waterproof camera, other than the disposable one that I bought. You get spoiled by the ability to check your shot digitally to be sure it came out, as well as the ability to zoom and focus. I was trying to find out what was out there and then I stumbled on one of the older Sanyo Dual camera videos. I really didn't even know that this was available for video and still, not to mention in a waterproof model. I watched some videos on YouTube and I was impressed. The waterproof aspect of it was a bonus, as it seemed to take pretty good video as well. I then noticed some other manufacturers had some simple cameras in 1080 HD and that caught my eye, and I was thinking of going that way, until I stumbled on the "future release of the Sanyo VPC-CA102." I had already seen and liked the older versions of this camera. This one now has 1080 video and a 14MP still capability. I thought "Wow, I'm going to pre-order this thing....decision made." I got my camera a few days after it was released and went on a trip a few days later.

This camera has "out of the box" functionality. I didn't need to read anything to learn how to use it. Like most point and shoot cameras, the automatic functions will allow you to do most of your shooting. If you want to optimize it for night photography, close up, fireworks, or whatever, you do have those options available in the menus. I haven't done that yet, as I haven't felt the need to do it. As I said, I'm not a camera junkie, I want simple stuff. I took some AWESOME shots with this camera. The clarity of the stills really surprised me. I thought my 4.9 Megapixel camera took crisp shots.....compared to a 14 Megapixel....it was easy to see the difference on my computer screen. There is really no reason for 14 MP pictures unless you are blowing things up to poster size, or maybe showing on a big screen tv, but with this camera, you can do that with no problem. The video was so nice. I used it at the Full 1080 HD at 60 frames per second and it was really clear. I also liked the ability to snap a still while you are shooting video as well. I have read some reviews here and YES, some of the controls are awkward, but again, this is a simple camera. If you are like me, you need a button to zoom, and a button to shoot (here there is one button to shoot stills and another one to start/stop video). All three of these are pressed with your thumb while holding the camera like a gun. The other "awkward" controls are more for changing settings or reviewing the shots. They are a bit awkward because they have to be in order to be protected for underwater use, so I am not that concerned about it. It isn't that big of a deal for actually taking the pics. I have read that there is some shake in beginning and end of video shooting when you hit the button....well, it is a small camera and any hand motion will usually cause this "shake" when you press the button. A big bulky camera is heavier and the strength of your thumb may not cause that, but just like in the movies, they snip the videos to get things they way they want it. The software they gives you allows you to trim the ends off if it is needed. I have also read a review that complained about the instructions on a few functions. I do understand that some of the enclosed instructions fall short of explaining everything, BUT IF YOU ACTUALLY READ THEM instead of skimming through them looking for things you want, you will see that there is an online PDF Full Manual that does explain things in detail for more in depth users. I like it as I don't need some giant manual to give me more than I will ever need. The enclosed manual gets you up and working, and the downloadable one gits you the answers to so much more. I downloaded it and haven't needed it yet....as I said....I like simple and this is simple to use.

I gave it 4 stars oveall. The stills were 5 star to me....awesome clarity close and far. The video rocked as well. I can't compare to any other video cameras as I don't have any, but on my 52 inch plasma, the clairity was awesome....so I would give it 5 stars for that as well. The menus were good and easy to navigate although the buttons were a bit tougher to navigate with my fat fingers, but I do understand that the waterproofing makes the design options limited. I can't complan much about that so I will give it 4 stars...not perfect, but pretty good. Accessories....I will give this 3 stars. It is a full HD camera but the enclosed TV hookups are a composite RCA type wiring isntead of the mini HDMI available. At $350 for the camera, I would like the HDMI wire as well. I see them available online for a wide range of prices (some extremely low, others much higher). I don't know much about the cost to make them, but for this price of a camera, I would think you would get the wires to match the capabilities. I am going to buy the HDMI cable myself and not worry about it, but this camera is quite a bit more pricey than some of the competitor's 1080 HD cameras and it would have been nice to get the cable included as they don't cost all that much. The Battery included worked fine for me. I did a 4 hour tour of Niagara Falls and it ran out of juice at just about the end of the tour. I didn't have it shooting all day, and I didn't have it on all day. I would highly recommend a backup battery if you are doing anything memorable as the battery did wear down on me. I don't know about batteries much, but my SLR camera had an upgraded battery I bought aftermarket that had the ability to hold a charge longer, but I don't remember what numbers are involved in that (maybe mAh, but I'm not sure...ask a tekkie). The software suite is simple to use, and seems to have a lot of capability. YOu can even watch video and press a button and pull stills out of your video. This is a pretty cool option as you can capture the video of a moment, but it is more difficult to catch the still of a facial expression at exactly the right time to get a great photo....now you can extract that "wow" frame in the software suite. I am familiar with ArcSoft from previous cameras and I really liked their software. It was easy to use, and had everything I needed....without forking out the big bucks for the big names. I'm glad to have the ArcSoft suite.

Finally, I will say that I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS CAMERA in a heartbeat. Remember what you are buying. It is a Dual Camera. It is mainly a video camera in my opinion as the shape makes it easy for video. The still photo capability is a bonus. If you want a camera that you can hold traditionally, buy one of those...this is a gun shaped camera and it will feel different than you may be used to. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and take with you anywhere. One final design flaw I feel is the lack of a lens cover when not in use. This worries me when I throw it in a pocket so I'd get a camera case (mine is the purple bag from some Crown Royal) just to keep you from scratching or dinging the lens. I can't wait to go snorkeling on my next vacation and try it out underwater.

Read Best Reviews of Sanyo VPC-CA102 Waterproof Full HD 1080 Video and 14MP Digital Photos with 12X Dual Range Zoom (Yel Here

The most popular reviews have it spot on, but here are my experiences with the camera that I'd like to add.

Bought the camera when it first came out around 8/23/2010.

yah, the buttons are a bit hard to use, especially for my fat fingers lol. However if you use your fingernails it's ok. But this is the only product out there that has it all so far waterproof, camera w/flash, HD camcorder, small portable form-factor. I love the gun-style grip and the fact that I can just slip it into my pocket and take awesome video and pics on the go. Bought it to record my sister's wedding (720p 60 fps). I imagine this product is very similar to the Sanyo CG 102 I expect problems with low light recording unless you adjust the ISO settings, and problems with digital stabilization.

I got the 64 GB sandisk SDXC (class 4; amazon) card to use with this 8 hours of HD recording, seems to be a fast enough card for this camera though, recording at full HD. At the time of this review, it's the largest card available no more constant swapping out of cards, especially during long trips. However, most people will probably opt to buy a cheaper, smaller class 6 card. Also got 3 iTekiro 1000 mAh backup batteries for cheap on amazon ($9) (looking back, I should have gotten 2000 mAh batteries), plus the corresponding travel charger ($6). Other accessories include the Gorillapod magnetic tripod ($25, amazon), lowepro clips 100 bag (which fits this camera + all accessories beautifully; $20, amazon), a mini-HDMI 4 ft cable off of Ebay ($6), and a SDXC card reader off of ebay ($5; not really necessary). Hopefully this camera will hold up over time; I'm thinking about getting the squaretrade 3 year warranty for this too.

UPDATE: 9/9/2010

Just got back from the wedding; the 720p 60 fps video looks great and very sharp on a big screen HDTV, though from close up you can see some of the blockiness on the TV which may disappear at the 1080i 60 resolution. For low light settings I just adjusted the ISO settings, and it looks great (candlelight, etc.). Pics I only needed the 1600x1200 size and they all look great too. You can easily switch between taking videos and pics on the go both buttons are side by side on the camera w/the zoom buttons in the middle. The zoom on this thing is also incredible, especially when taking video. The wide & tele modes are awesome I took a beautiful video of a wide panorama of a beach during sunset, and then zoomed in a lot to my friends from far away.

Needed Improvements:

The shutter speed for taking a single pic with this camera is somewhat slow.

Turning on/off the camera is somewhat slow too (a couple of seconds); I want to have the camera ready at all moments to capture anything important but I kept it off to save battery. I wish there were a display off button for the camera that turns off the image display to save power but kept the camera ready. There is a power saving feature for the camera though; it automatically turns off after a while.

My only other complaint is the digital image stabilization for the video; when I'm holding the camera steady with my hand there are obvious minor tremors that move the entire screen. Next time I film I'll try turning it off to see what the results are.

Haven't used the camera underwater yet, but the camera's waterproofing was useful when it started drizzling a little one day. For big trips, multiple high capacity cheap batteries & 2 chargers (1 original which charges the battery inside the camera, and 1 external battery travel charger w/car charger) are the way to go. I'm glad I bought the 64 GB sandisk SDXC card too (no speed problems) I already filled over half of it up!

All in all a good camera the only one of its kind on the market right now. I'm sure that the next generation waterproof digicams will only improve (smaller form factors, better video image stabilization, longer battery life, more storage space, higher shutter speed for single image shots, faster on/off, energy saving mode when taking videos). Gun style grips are awesome!

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Pros:

Excellent video quality, good photo quality, waterproof/underwater capability, lightweight, full HD, very good image stabilizer, photo flash, solid built (not like cheaper Snayo models).

Cons:

Somewhat awkward buttons, somewhat slow auto-focusing, no lamp/flash when shooting video, need to remove battery to extract SD card, useless software (as usual), no lens cap, only 1hr of battery.

Overall:

It does the video very well. Occasional photo is also possible, although not comparable to a dedicated photo camera in terms of photo taking experience and results. Underwater capability is a killer feature! I like the gun shape, much easier to hold than a classic shape. People complain about image stabilizer, but I find it really good. You can actually hold it steady on zoom! The only real complain is awkward buttons: small, unresponsive, awkwardly placed. But that is a trade-of with being waterproof, I guess. I don't see myself using those buttons often anyways: set all to auto and run with it. Extreme yellow body is love it or hate it. Yellow makes it easy to find underwater if lost. Overall, very good value for the money, IMO.

100ft Monitor or Projector VGA SVGA M/M cable - Premium GOLD Plated for VGA, SVGA, LCD Monitors, Pr

I was surprised at the price, but lo and behold, it was too good to be true...

Our organization is all about quality. Our video presentations must be top of the line, this product did not deliver.

But the main reason for this negative product review is to spare those looking for somrthin that will last. As we were wrapping up our equipment, the little plastic knobs that screw the vga cable to the projector fell apart. The plastic material is very cheap.

What a deal! We were going to purchase a 50' extension cable for our church projector but it cost about $150. I suggested we look on Amazon to see what they charged. At Amazon I got gold-plated 100' cable for a quarter of that price!!! What a deal! It's all installed and working great. I won't look elsewhere again. That was a great purchase!

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I used to buy these cables for a lot more money, but this one is just fine. It works great and i've saved some money. I'd definitely recommend it.

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Good product great price quick service cable performs as promised I will recommend this cable to any One that need a video extension

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Received it much sooner than i expected. surprised at quality and price compared to other similar places! I will look for for them again when shopping for electronics.

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Levana BABYVIEW20 Interference-Free Digital Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Night Light Lullaby Ca

When I got our first video monitor, I wondered if it would be useful, or just a gimmick, or one more way to worry about the baby! We've found it very useful. There are just some things that an audio monitor can't tell you. And being able to check on your child without the disturbance of going into her room can save a lot of trouble, especially in the transition times in the evening and in the morning, when little disturbances can lead to bigger ones.

The video was especially useful when our child was a little older and moving around more, and we had left her to settle herself which sometimes can seem like crying herself to sleep! :-( We used the video monitor to see if she was just unsettled (so we very much did not want to go into the room, or she wouldn't learn to settle herself) or had gotten into a spot she couldn't get out of (stuck in the bars of the crib, or lost her lovey, so we needed to go in and set things right). Video monitors are also useful to see when a child is awake, and how awake sitting, standing, lying down or trying to climb out of bed! or on her way to sleep, or not. And they can be lots of fun, too, to watch and listen!

Our other monitor is analog, and once in a while we'd hear our neighbor talking on their cordless phone which no doubt means they hear us sometimes! A digital monitor, like the Levana, should be private and static-free.

So, I really wanted to like this product. Plus, I really needed it when a new baby arrived. But while it has an attractive design and some interesting features, the Levana Babyview monitor doesn't seem especially workable or useful for us.

The main issue, of course, is the video and audio quality. Both are problematic on the Levana BabyView:

Video: The video quality seems barely adequate. The resolution on the baby's face is OK, but just. The frame rate seems too low you don't get anything like continuous motion. Every several seconds, the video freezes. From time to time, it freezes for a much longer time. The video compression used results in a blocky, low resolution quality, though luckily that primarily affects low-contrast areas. Overall it's tolerable but not especially enjoyable to use, and lower quality most of the time than our analog monitor.

Audio: The audio had a persistent high pitched background whine when it was on. Also, it's apparently set to switch off and on at low volumes, so the audio is intermittent with lots of clicks, which is less than useful and more than irritating. The tiny microphone is in an odd location on the camera, it almost seems like an afterthought, perhaps that's part of the problem. Overall, much lower quality than our analog monitor.

Further, the user should be able to better control the audio have a microphone that picks up even low level sounds, and have a volume control on the handset that you can adjust; then the user can decide what to hear. Good quality audio can add a lot of information to how the child is doing. You don't want to lose audio quality to get video a monitor like this should have good quality audio and video.

Some aspects of the Babyview are well done:

The design is fairly attractive and compact. (Handset is 5.8" H with the antenna x 1" deep without the clip x 2.5" wide.)

The 2.3" screen is reasonably large.

The auto-switching between regular light and night vision seems to happen quickly and effectively.

The lithium ion battery in the handset is the best battery technology, in terms of power for the weight. (It's what's used in digital cameras and cell phones.) They claim over 4 hours of battery life.

The power adapters work at US or international voltages.

The included clamp for the camera is well made and seems likely to work well in a variety of setups.

Other features are good ideas that don't work well in practice:

The voice activation feature, which leaves the screen and the sound off until it picks up some sound, helps conserve battery and perhaps parents' nerves and sleep. But it needs too much noise to switch on it's either set to too low a level, or the microphone isn't sensitive enough. And again, this is something that the user should be able to adjust.

The little curved base is clever, but doesn't work that well at the optimum focal range of 5 feet. When placed on a dresser next to the crib with the camera is tilted down enough to see the baby, the base blocks a big part of the image. In addition, when the camera is in the base, the camera starts to tilt due to the heavy filter on the power supply wire (a biggish black cylindrical part on the wire). So for both those reasons, the cute clever magnetic base isn't much use in practice.

Some of the features seem potentially nice but I'm not sure I'd use them such as the nightlight and the music. I almost wonder if they added them to distinguish this product from their security cameras.

Finally, there are a couple elements of the design that aren't so great. Having a bright green power LED on the front of the camera is thoughtless on a baby monitor, though luckily it's easy enough to tape over (and there are so many lovely colors of electrical tape these days). And the glowing red night vision lights seem to have too much potential for distracting or even upsetting a child.

The wireless frequency is 2.4ghz, the same as wireless internet and some cordless phones. The Levana has enough channels (32, with auto signal hopping) that intereference shouldn't be a major problem, but I can't definitely evaluate that at this point.

The company's website is , though there's very little info there. Their parent company is SVAT Electronics, which makes security cameras and the like. So even though this is a new product from an unknown brand, they do have experience with this sort of thing. Perhaps their next generation of this product will have some of the wrinkles ironed out.

The most important factor about these devices are not having any dropped receptions, etc. Carrying a video signal wirelessly seems like a pretty hefty task. The Levana Babyview20 *INTERFERENCE FREE* Digital Wireless Video Monitor does a good job carrying a consistent signal; I haven't experienced any major freezes or losing video signal. However, I did notice some very brief pause when there's fast motion during night vision, but it is very brief.

The night vision works very well. The camera contains 9 infrared lights. In the dark, you can actually see it glowing red, but it is pretty dim (the green power LED is brighter); hopefully, that's not something that would scare the baby at night. You can see the actual infrared lights during the video I've uploaded, but it is actually not that bright; that is how the digital camera sees it -not to the human eye. But from the video, you can just get an idea of how much infrared lights are in there. According to Levana, the infrared lights are 100% safe to the baby.

There is a VOX (Voice Operated eXchange) feature, which allows the monitor to be off and only turns on when there is sound detected (for example when the baby starts crying) on the camera. This is a nice feature, but it would have been nice to be able to adjust the sound sensitivity to even detect lower sounds.

The monitor comes with a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. According to Levana, it takes 3 hours to fully charge; blue LED means it is charging and when it goes off, it means fully charged. The camera requires four AAA batteries (not included) if you don't connect it to an AC adapter. Levana claims the camera can operate for 4.5 continuous hours with AAA batteries. (and about half if you use the night light) So obviously, it's best to have an outlet nearby the camera to use the AC instead or be sure to buy some rechargeable AAA batteries.

On the left side of the monitor, it has a PLAY/STOP, NEXT, and VOX button.

On the right side of the monitor, it has ON/OFF dial (which also controls the volume), and BRIGHTNESS UP/DOWN button above it. The power adapter jack is also on the right side bottom.

Below the LCD screen, it shows the POWER/LINK/VOX/MUSIC indicator; there's also an audio level indicator between them with green LEDs. And of course, there's the speaker below it.

That's all it is. It is really basic and simple.

* Takes about 3 seconds for the monitor to turn on

* There's four levels of brightness.

* 3 lullabies can be played on the camera. You can play/stop/next from the monitor.

* There is a Night Light switch on the camera, which just turns on three star-shaped lights on the camera.

* The camera comes with two mounts. One is for clamping on a crib and the other is a magnetic cradle. The cradle is actually pretty nice, which will allow you to rotate the camera in many directions freely with ease.

Careful with the magnetic cradle! The magnet is pretty strong, so you'll want to keep sensitive electronics, especially hard drives away from it.

Sure, in today's HD world, it'd be nice to have everything in great quality. However, higher quality videos will obviously take higher bandwidth to transmit and more battery power. The video quality is pretty much what one would expect with low-end/average webcam. It's not horrible, but you have to be realistic. Overall, it's decent since you can still tell what you're looking at.

Pros:

Good range for around the house (100-150ft)

Have not lost any reception.

Design is fit for a baby's room.

Pretty close to real-time (about approx 0.5 second delay not a major big deal)

Night Vision works great.

Night light

Monitor can be clipped on to your belt or as a stand

Comes with two AC adapters for powering camera or charging monitor

Basic, very simple to use.

Cons

No color adjustments; you get what you get. (webcam quality)

Could use wider lens to see surroundings. (perhaps have an add-on to attach easily to screw on to the lens)

There should be a button on the monitor to turn on/off the night light.

The camera could use rechargeable lithium batteries like the monitor.

Should be able to adjust sound sensitivity for VOX

Would be really nice to have an automatic panning/zooming capability

Sound can echo.

I give this product a 3 1/2 stars, but will be a bit lenient and give it a 4, since I have not tested other baby monitors.

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The Levana Babyview20 is definitely not a unique idea, but the way its been implemented could be considered unique. How many of us want to see and listed to our babies? My wife just recently had our second child, so testing out this product was easy.

In addition to being just a regular video monitor, the Babyview20 offers music, a night light, night vision, and nearly static-free audio (overall, not bad). Both the monitor and the camera can run off of batteries, although power adapters are included.

When we first setup the unit and tested it out, we were quite pleased with the quality. Since our daughter is so young, we simply placed the camera in her bassinet. If your child is older, you can use the included attachment to attach the camera to a crib-side. Overall, quality was good, we could hear her breathe, and all was well. Setup was definitely a breeze.

During subsequent uses, however, we ran into some issues. The monitor started to lose its connection to the camera. Flipping off the monitor and turning it back on, powering the monitor with the power adapater, and even switching batteries in the camera didn't make a difference. I was forced to call Levana, which offered very friendly customer support. I was told to simply hold the "VOX" button (which is a mode that will only turn the monitor on if audio comes from the camera) and hold down the night vision button on the camera. After doing this, lo and behold, things started working again. Either way, if you run into the issue, hopefully this can help prove to be useful.

In the end, a great product that was executed very well. It's not perfect by any means (the music could sound better, for one), but, considering this appears to be Levana's second product, I think they've, hands down, got a winner.

UPDATE: After about a week of writing this review, I've had nothing but trouble with the camera and monitor. It keeps loosing its connection, and, despite the advice they gave me above, I haven't been able to get it to work. Also, before, there wasn't much static coming through the monitor, now it has a constant noise coming through it despite my daughter sleeping.

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I bought this product first because 1) price 2) lullaby 3) supposed to be interference free.

Then I bought summer infant best view 2.5' display one for my mom's house. OMG what a difference.

this Levana monitor 1) it does interference with my wireless online, 2) color on monitor sucks, 3) sound sucks. only good things about this monitor was the lullaby, which I didn't really need because I had electronic mobile. and the picture comes on when he makes sound.

the color in the monitor is like blue and white. even with the lights on.

the sound is delay. and it cuts off and on. really junk. it's like listening to broken radio.

the summer infant best view has 1) clear image 2) good sounds , 3) interference free, 4) zoom up and 5) controllable monitor.

it's really convenient to be able to use the monitor handset to zoom up and control the monitor. so when your baby is sleeping and turning, you can make sure that he has good airway. and when he wakes up and go into the corner of the crib, you can control the monitor on the handset to find him without going into the room.

I hope this info was helpful...

although the bestview's image goes on sleep mode automatically (and you can wake it up by just pressing one big button), I still think that one is alot better than the levana.

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I loved this baby monitor until it stopped working. Now the monitor inverts the colors and it looks like I'm looking at my son through night goggles. Levana won't fix it because I've owned it over a year.

That's very poor customer service. A product that is this expensive should last over a year!

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GoPro Tripod Mount for HERO Cameras

An essential piece to my camera bag, since I plan to do as much video production with my GoPro as possible.

However...

I've heard people complain about having to pay for this tripod mount. Since GoPro is mainly used for action sport/activities where the camera is attached to the person or vehicle, it wouldn't really make sense to add this piece to the already generous slew of mounts that come with the camera. If you're planning on doing videography where the tripod is the camera's main resting place, then the GoPro camera isn't really for you in the first place. This is just something handy to have if the need arises. Not all will use it.

The tripod mount is made of the same high quality plastic as the rest of the mounts -not much to tell. It does what it does.

However, I have reduced the review from 5 stars to 4 stars because it does not come with the nut you screw into. All the other mounts have their own nut, so I'm not sure why the tripod mount does not come with one.

Do yourself a favor, and buy a couple of 5mm Hex Nut caps from your local hardware store (my Home Depot had them in packs of 2 for ~ 50 cents, you'll find them in some drawers in the hardware section). The mount doesn't come with the bolt (but you can use the one you already have), but real issue is that it doesn't come with the nut, which all the other mounts have (hence the previous recommendation). Including this nut would have saved me the trouble of going to a hardware store, and getting it on my own. Although, you could probably pull it off one of your other mounts, but that is more of a hassle to pull that tiny thing off, and risk dropping it and losing it.

Anyway, it seems like it will be pretty decent. Pretty overpriced for a plastic adapter to convert it to a tripod mount. It'll definitely do the job, but could have been more handy with the nut, and cheaper would have been better too.

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First, this cost me $7.99 at Best Buy and it just made too much sense to not buy it from there. The mount came with the nut some people are complaining about not getting but perhaps its because GoPro listened to their customers and began including it or fixed whatever manufactoring issue was occurring. Don't know.

As far using this, I did not use it to attach my GoPro to a tripod. Instead I screwed a Ram mount with a treaded stud onto the other side of this adapter piece and now I am able to use any Ram Mount with my GoPro. I sometimes ride my motorcycle with a GPS mounted to my triple tree with a Ram Mount. Now I can utilize the GoPro in that location which is good because theres really no good place to mount the camera anywhere else on my triple. This little guy is worth it's weight in gold because the Ram Mounts do not allow for any movement when you have the pieces tightened down well and you can angle it quite well.

Read Best Reviews of GoPro Tripod Mount for HERO Cameras Here

For some reason GoPro believes this little jewel is worth it's weight in gold because that's about what they charge for it. And I wouldn't object so much but it even doesn't come with a nut. Adding a nut might raise their total production costs all the way up to what, 15 cents maybe. So at nearly eight bucks, the price is totally absurd. But then again, it's the same will all their accessories. They sell the camera cheap and then stick you for the accessories you need to get the most out of it.

Edit: Since the original review, GoPro has seen the error in their ways and is now including a nut. In response, upped rating to 4 stars. Still shouldn't be more than five bucks though.

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Just received 2 of these. Someone heard the voices here because the nut is included now in the packaging. This review reiterates all what was said about this product in previous reviews with exception of the now included nut!

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Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch LCD

Let me start by saying I'm not necessarily a 3d enthusiast, I wasn't all that impressed by Avatar in the theater... I'm not necessarily jumping on the 3d bandwagon because it seems to be the next big thing getting pushed by TV/display manufacturers. I am, however, a PHOTOGRAPHY enthusiast. I consider myself to be a fairly seasoned photographer -I've got a wide variety of cameras and lenses, am members of some local photography clubs... Creative photography interests me the most. For example I have interest in things like vintage camera equipment, pinhole lenses, Lensbaby lenses, Holga cameras, etc... just all kinds of creative ways to capture things that are maybe outside of the norm.

So while I think of 3d as a gimmicky trend that has been revived by the Avatar movie, I'm also a creative photographer that was very intrigued when I heard about this camera. I bought the camera sight-unseen, basically thinking it was going to be a gimmick. However after seeing the pictures it produces I honestly, truly believe it is not a gimmick and 3d photography is going to be here to stay. It may take a while to catch on, but it's here to stay.

Once you experiment with the camera a bit you'll learn how to get the most of the 3d effect. Taking photos of things that are further away (such as landscapes, distant architecture/buildings where it's difficult to get a sense of depth), the effect is more subtle and less apparent. But taking photos of things that are reasonably close to you, and there are points of interest at different distances throughout the shot (such as a forest with trees at staggered distances away), the 3d effect is much more apparent and can be quite stunning. Either way, with a subtle 3d effect for things further away, or for a much more apparent 3d effect on things that are closer, it truly does add another dimension to your photography. You see things in the photos almost the way you do in real life.

Like all things this is just another creative tool to add to the toolkit. There are lenses for certain jobs, and there are cameras for certain jobs. The images this camera produces really have to be seen to be believed. I, as well as several others I have shown the images to, am really shocked at how well the 3d looks and am still trying to wrap my head around it and when I might want to use this new tool.

Here are my pros and cons:

Pros

---

Reasonably compact for what it is. It's more compact than I expected. Have to keep in mind it is basically 2 cameras in 1. Most of the cameras I use (SLR's) are not nearly as compact as this so this really feels like a treat to carry around.

Battery life in my experience has been excellent. I've seen other reviews say the battery life isn't good. I've found that not to be the case. I didn't even fully charge the battery it came with and it's lasted for hours of me messing around and testing the camera out.

The 3d effect, when used appropriately, is really stunning.

Camera boots up reasonably quick for a compact.

Can easily switch between 2d/3d modes, can view 3d photos in 2d, etc.

Can do some creative 2d photography -having both lenses using different settings for 1 shot.

Cons

---

You have to hold the camera in a somewhat unnatural way in order to keep fingers from getting into the shots. The lenses are both on the outer sides of the front of the camera. This is a trade-off that I completely understand as they have to have the lenses apart to get the 3d effect but also wanted to keep the camera compact.

I've had poor results when using the Macro (close-up) functionality.

Not a fault of the camera, but until 3d is widely adopted it will be difficult to share these photos with anyone the way they're meant to be seen.

Prints are on the expensive side at $6.99 for a 5x7 print

Prints are only available in 5x7. I really wish there was a larger variety of sizes available. I don't expect to get gallery-sized prints, but a little bigger than 5x7 would be nice.

So is the camera perfect? No. It's obviously a new technology and is only going to continue to get better. But for where it's at right now I am really thrilled with the camera overall and that's why I gave it 5 stars. This camera really does add a new dimension to photography that has sparked a creative bug inside of me that I haven't felt in a long time.

* UPDATE 10/4/2010 I've got a couple observations after having spent a few weeks with the camera, taken some video, AND I just got my first order of prints.

Picture quality I, like many other reviewers, have been "wowed" by the way the 3d pictures look on the camera's built in screen. I will agree with that 100%, however, being critical about the picture quality after reviewing it on a PC, it's really not that great. Don't get me wrong, the 3d effect is absolutely fabulous, but don't be fooled by the results you see on the camera's tiny display -this is essentially 2 mediocre cameras stuffed in to 1 body. I can't say enough how cool the 3d effect is but the images on their own are on-par with about any other cheap point & shoot digital.

Video very impressive. I took some video from the top of a waterfall (looking down). Stunning.

Prints This is one area where I think a lot of other reviewers have not yet covered. I ordered 3 prints. They only come in 5x7 size. I tried to order somewhat of a variety of types of shots, just to get an idea of how they look on paper. I had no idea what to expect. Let me start by saying the prints come on a really thick paper, and it has those ridges on it -you know, kinda like those scratchy 3d things where you can turn them to see 2 different images. Not QUITE the same, but pretty similar. Just due to the nature of the paper it is printed on a lot of the detail can be lost. So that said, I got 3 prints. Portrait decent. Close-up shot not good. Nature shot awesome. The nature shot I took was from a bridge overlooking a river, with trees and such overhanging the edge of the river. The 3d effect was quite pleasing and I am excited about ordering more prints for this type of shot. Now my sample is only 3 prints, but perhaps this advice will serve someone else well. The 3d effect on the camera doesn't quite turn out the same way on a print for all types of shots.

I am a long time fan of 3D and a geek, this camera was an excellent fit for me. It produces very clear, perfect 3D images with good depth. The 3.5 inch screen on the back is very High resolution (1.15 million pixels) and Displays 3D without the need for Glasses. The screen is suitable for Viewing 3D and can display a nice 3D "pop out the screen" effect if you compose the shot correctly. Everyone that has seen the camera's screen is amazed at the quality and 3D effect. There is nothing on the market to compare with this Fuji W3 at the moment, AIPTEK has a low end $200 3D camera and Panasonic has a $1400 3D HD video cam.

This is a good addition to anyone who has a 3D HDTV or 3D projector, considering there is very little to watch in 3D at the moment. The Footage looks very good on the big screen. I am watching it on a 100" projection Screen with Nvidia 3D vision Glasses and the effect is amazing. The Best 3D I have ever seen on the consumer market.

The price tag is a little high, it still makes great sense for anyone that has invested in a 3D TV and shutter glasses. 3D and 2D may also be displayed on a TV using the built in HDMI port on the Camera (adapter required)

Fuji also offers an expensive 3D printing service that will print 3D photos for about $7 per 5x7 print.

Videos are recorded in resolution up to 720P in 3D or 2D. They look sharp and clear. They may be converted to work with Youtube 3D very easily using the FinePix Studio software that comes with the camera. Youtube 3D let's people watch your videos in various 3D formats, with or without glasses.

I am overall very pleased with the W3

Cons:

1. Battery life is ~1 hour Buy a couple spare batteries they are as low as $4.00 on Amazon

2. 3D Shooting distance should be no less than 4 feet in auto mode, anything that comes in closer than 4 feet should be small and centered, it may even pop out of the screen!

3. Buy a medium large case, the camera is a little large for a point and shoot.

4. Format the memory card once you install it, I ran into issues with videos cutting off until formatted.

5. 3D is not for everyone! Avoid the W3 If you cannot tolerate 3D..

6. The screen must be in the center of your field of vision for the 3D effect to work.

7. Video recordings cut off at 11 Minutes in HQ mode and begin a new recording. May be stitched together with software. Video Frame rate is very respectable for a flash recorder but not perfect, way better than the AIPTEK.

I have some movies on youtube 3D converted with Stereo Movie Maker, search for JJROBOTEK FUJI

Use the 3D button on the player to pick your glasses format.

Buy Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch LCD Now

I must say that I love this camera. I followed the W1 when it first came out and was waiting for it to be offered direct to the U.S. and not be an imported item from Japan. From what I have read the improvements are nice (but not significant at least for what I have used).

I bought this specifically to go on a trip to Civil War Battlefields and take pictures. I got the camera a few weeks ahead of time and started taking pictures right away. Prior to the trip I took took about 200 hundred pictures to get used to it. During the trip I took an additional 1451, so I feel that I have a pretty good feel for its abilities.

Pro's:

As many have stated, the 3D ability is second to none. I liked being able to carry it easily (I bought a small case that attaches to my belt). The screen is large and bright and the controls are easy to learn (I have only used Canon cameras before). It worked really well when you follow the suggestions of having your principal subject about 4-8 feet and then one or two more rows of depth behind. I also found that it worked well when I am shooting down on something. An image I took on the first day of a fire hydrant shot from above at a 45 degree angle is fantastic and I was just playing, but at that angle there is something all the way from top to bottom.

The 3D lens is amazing. It is so cool to show it to people. I have not had one person that realized that I was taking 3D pictures until I showed them and all of them were just blown away with the results. Even after 1500+ images I am still thrilled with that feature.

At first my macro shots were terrible. Others have mentioned poor results. My desire was to try shooting my keyboard from close up. Since it has two lenses I got a view in one image of the left keys and in the other the right side of the keyboard. Obviously not what I wanted. I did not think that I would be able to use it for macro work until I found the Advanced 3D option. At first this seemed kind of pointless. The "advanced" mode only shoots images from one lens (left) and then you have to manually move the camera to take the next image. I could not believe that this was the "advanced" mode, the neat thing about the camera was the ability to do both lenses at the same time. When I applied it to macro mode though it really shined. I took a few coins and put them on the table and took an image and then moved the camera very slightly and took the next image. Using the adjustment feature to adjust alignment I got a stunning image of coins that looks like I had giant coins made for the picture! Since then I have done a lot of macro work and with careful attention to detail you can get amazing results.

I have used the movie mode, but only on a limited basis as it is not as much fun since you can not zoom and moving around makes you dizzy in 3D. The movie mode is good and works well for what it is, I just do not have that much experience.

I have found that when you take a picture it is a good idea to press the shutter 1/2 way, the image will "jump" to a 3D view and you can then frame the subject easier than if you just clicked it. Several times this has saved me from cutting off parts of my subject.

I also really love the flash. I can take a flash image and be ready for the next flash in 2-3 seconds. My Canon is much slower between shots.

2D and 3D at the same time! When you take an image, you get both a regular JPG and a 3D (MPO) format at the same time. While it is possible to turn this to save space on your memory card I find it invaluable to use to find a specific image (2D and 3D will have the same name with different extensions).

Cons:

The screen can be VERY difficult to see in bright light. I know this would defeat the purpose of 3D, but it would be nice to have a small view finder that you could put your eye up to in addition to the screen when the light is too bright. Many other cameras suffer from this same thing, and I have always bought ones that gave me a view finder option. Since there is no other 3D cameras, that was not an option.

Supplied Memory. The camera does have a built in memory but it will only last for 3-4 pictures at the largest setting. I bought a 16Gb card and have been very happy with it, but be prepared to get a card if you don't have one. To access the memory card you need to open the battery compartment this can be a little clumsy.

2D image quality. While I purchased this solely for the 3D features I was surprised at just how poor the 2D images are. I love the 3D feature, but would be sending it back if I purchased it for it's 2D ability.

Battery. Some love it some don't. I think the battery is a bit under powered. I purchased two backup batteries and often go through all of them in one day. So far (thankfully) I have not drained all of them before I had the chance to recharge. If you use flash a lot (and 3D images are best with a lot of light) you might want to pick up a few extras.

Supplied software. This is THE most useless piece of the Camera. I installed it but could not get it to show me the image in 3D! Fortunately I had Stereo Photo Maker(SPM)installed and it does wonders. I set it as my default for MPO files and I love it. I would recommend this free download for anyone with this camera. There is also a Stereo Movie Maker (same source), it works well, but is tricky to install and I do not use the movie mode that much.

The strap can be a problem. While it is nice and comfortable, it is very loose around the wrist. I actually had it slip off and drop three feet to a concrete floor (thankfully no damage). I would like to see something similar to my Canon that has a little adjustment piece that lets you tighten the strap on your wrist after you slip you hand through.

Saving/Not saving certain settings. I took a number of pictures on a tripod (inside museums) and used the 2 second delay feature. As soon as you take a shot it immediately disables this feature. That means if you are taking a series of shots you need to reset the timer every time. If you are trying to do time lapse this can be really frustrating since activating the timer bumps the camera from your desired position. I would like the feature to be active until I change it or shut the camera down. Certain other features stay even after you turn the camera off. For example the flash setting stays off until you manually change it. Nice that it did not follow the logic of the timer delay, but would have been nice if it reset when you turned the camera off. If you turn off the 3D mode it will stay off, it is a one press of the button, so it is easy to do. Movie mode is the same way.

Dial slips. A few times I found the dial slipped from the last time I took it out of the case and started it. This is annoying and caused a few missed shots.

ASA settings can be set differently for each setting of the dial. I found it crazy that I kept having to check what my settings were since they were not global to the camera.

Along those lines, it would be nice to have a remote fire option so I don't have to bump it at all. Wireless would be nice, but even a small cable would be fine.

It is easy to put your finger in front of the lens. This was my #1 reason for wasted shots. Fortunately I had gotten in the habit of holding it between my index and thumb and not gripping it on the sides like most cameras by the time I left for my trip. I did make a few mistakes, but not many.

Tripod mount is off center. Due to the placement of the battery and memory card the mount for the tripod is way off center. I do a lot of panorama work with my 2D cameras and considered doing it with this camera, but the placement of the mount is so far off that will be very difficult.

Zoom. Forget it, this is only a 3x lens. The 3D effect still works well at 3x, but you just can not get close enough. I would like an 8, 10 or 12 x optical zoom. The zoom should also be able to work in movie mode

LCD photo frame price. As of this date (October 2010) the photo frame to show images in 3D is $500! Get it to $100 and make it bigger than 8". Also, printing is difficult to find you have to use their "seehere" website and then instead of using the "prints" option you have to use "photo gifts" area to find 3D prints. I actually had to submit a help ticket to find it. Guess they don't sell a lot of images, just cameras.

Rating:

I rated this down to a 4 for two reasons:

1. The screen can be nearly impossible in bright sun. Several shots were wasted because I could not properly frame the subject.

2. 2D image quality (while not the primary use) is poor. Since the images are essentially made of a pair of 2D images I would like the lenses to be better. This is listed as a 10Mb camera, but if you want to use it in wide screen mode (default option) the camera will be lowered to a 7Mb image. In the 10Mb mode it chops it off in the viewfinder (traditional 4x3 image ratio). You think it would be 10Mb for widescreen, but its not. When I look at the results of the left and right image seperately I notice that one is slightly out of focus with the other. You don't notice it till you go to 100% of image size, but it becomes obvious when you have to manually align images.

Bottom Line:

I love the camera. Just wish some of these things had been improved from the previous version. While I noted many cons, I wanted to be objective and hope that some of these ideas will be in future versions.

Read Best Reviews of Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch LCD Here

I'm a fan of all that is 3D, so I Have 55 "3D TV, games, movies, etc.. but I never imagined that I could take photos and videos in 3D, and most amazing is that everything looks 3D in the camera itself "without glasses", I don't know how Fujifilm make this happen but is AMAZING lol.

Is amazing how much fun it is to take pictures and videos of everything you want and enjoy this amazing technology.

when I pay $500 for this camera, I was a little scared by that purchase high-priced, but when I start using the camera and started taking pictures, I just said WOW so many times, I can now say that is one of my best buys I've done. if you're looking for something like this, don't even think about it, GET IT, I'm not a seller I'm a very happy costumer.

And if this helps you in someway, I search on ebay, and prices are almost similar to the previous model (W1, around $500 used) so if you get bored you can sell it without losing too much (I do not think you want to sell it)

just only 3 recommendations:

1buy a MINI HDMI cable for your TV 3D, because is not incluided and you'll need it to really enjoy everything in your 3D TV, I have to wait to get mine because I did not know about this.

2get an extra battery, you'll need it, trust me

3you'll need a carrying bag, you don't want this everywhere with no protection.

Cons: little things but good to know, battery life is not bad but can be better (remember is not a regular camera, use more energy) and is a finger magnet (is black)

I hope this will help you make your decision.

Want Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch LCD Discount?

My great-grandfather made 3D pictures in the 1920ies. As a child I loved to look at these razor-sharp 2x2in sepia images though a wooden viewfinder. Another era came alive in front of my eyes. Almost a century later, this camera finally allows me to produce the same magic digitally. The 3D effect is stunning on the built-in 3D LCD screen, which can be viewed without special glasses.

Overall, this is a well-engineered 3D camera that feels solid and looks good. Thanks to the built-in electronics, taking pictures is a breeze, though one needs to get used to the 'rules' for producing proper headache-free 3D pictures. Basically, objects should not be too close, and foreground must be centered in the picture. Also, 3D only works in landscape mode. The FinePix includes a good tutorial to get started. Though stunning, the 3D LCD viewfinder screen must be watched with some discretion, in order to avoid getting sick. Similarly, 3D movies should be panned very slowly, so that the brain can latch on to the optical illusion. If the brain misfires, this camera will literally make you puke.

As much as I love the 3D effect, the 2D quality of this camera is poor. In fact, its the worst I have seen come out of digital camera ever in the past 10 years. The pictures are grainy and unsharp, especially in the edges. The camera has a few unique 2D modes thanks to the two lenses, but given the very poor quality that all doesn't matter much. Especially greens such as lawns do not sparkle and look unnatural.

Given the many happy reviews and the 10MP specs of the camera, I was puzzled by the very disappointing picture quality. So I did some careful testing to get to the bottom of this, taking almost 100 pictures in various different situations and light settings. First I went to BestBuy to compare my FinePix 3D to their display model. The 2D picture quality turned out to be the same, so my camera does not have a manufacturing defect.

For every picture I took with the FinePix 3D I also made a reference picture with my phone (an iPhone 4). Since the phone camera is only 5MP and has much smaller optics, one would expect better pictures from the FinePix. The opposite turned out to be the case, unfortunately. Put side-by-side on the computer monitor, the FinePix's pictures were noticeably less sharp and more grainy for both outside and inside under low-light conditions.

I also compared all possible resolution, compression and ISO settings of the FinePix. Despite trying hard, I was not able to get sharper pictures out of the FinePix Real 3D. The main settings for jpg picture files are 2MP (1.3Mb size), 5MP (2.1MB), and 10 MegaPixels (4.1MB). Put side-by-side on a big monitor, it is barely possible to distinguish between the settings.

A thing to consider is that 3D pictures and movies can only be watched on a (new) 3D TV, or on the built-in screen. 3D pictures are stored in an uncommon format that is not supported by most photo software. Luckily, the FinePix also stores a regular .jpg picture with the 3D one.

In summary: 3D is a great gimmick and conversation piece, but the current price level and the awful 2D picture quality make it a little hard to justify. If you like to own something unique and can spare the money, the Fujifilm real 3D is for you. For most everything else, the camera in your phone is better.

Update after a few months of use:

The 3D pictures continue to put a smile on my face, while the poor picture quality continues to annoy. The 3D effects are hit-or-miss: it is hard to predict which pictures will come out well and which simply do not work. Sometimes a few objects in the foreground add a great perspective, while in other similar shots it does not work at all. The remedy is simply to take lots of shots and toss the ones that disappoint. Shots taken through a trees against low sunlight gave very nice effects in 3D.

I also noticed that some 3D shots work better on a big 3D TV while others work better on the built-in screen. I guess it has to do with the way our eyes focus differently on a tiny screen. The only way I found to play 3D pictures on a big TV screen is by connecting the camera to the TV using an HDMI cable. This is clumsy, since the cable is shorter than the viewing distance and there is no way to group pictures. Also the camera runs on battery power, so it turns off quickly.

For the 3D effects it is very important to be aware which foreground and background objects are in the shot. In bright California sunlight the viewfinder of the camera is near/totally invisible, which makes shooting quite a gamble. To salvage this, one needs to take off sunglasses and use the left hand to put a little shade on the LCD screen.

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HDE® 10ft. Mini Display Port Male to HDMI Male Cable - Direct Connect Macbook to HDTV

I used this cable to hook my 27" iMac (mid 2011) to my 47" Samsung TV and it works really well. I had no issues and the picture quality is great. Beats buying the Apple branded adaptor cable.

this hdmi cable works great. it connects right away and shows great picture. It's just what I was looking for.

Buy HDE® 10ft. Mini Display Port Male to HDMI Male Cable - Direct Connect Macbook to HDTV Now

This cord allows me to plug directly into my thunderbolt port on the macbook air and into the HDMI on my TV.

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Was exactly as I wanted it. It works great with no interference and the sound and video are both in sync

Want HDE® 10ft. Mini Display Port Male to HDMI Male Cable - Direct Connect Macbook to HDTV Discount?

Didn't have much expectations on this cable, ordered it because it was cheap and wanted to check how good/bad it was. I was really surprised with the results, audio can go through the cable directly to the TV or I can reproduce it on my Mac, video is full HD 1080p, length is perfect.

It has been with me only for week or so, but so far it's a "must have".

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Nikon COOLPIX L28 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom Lens and 3" LCD (Black)

I bought this camera bcoz I loved the Nikon Coolpix L22 model I bought in Thailand & have used for 3 years with no problems except I dropped it & the battery door clip broke off so I had to get a #8 blk rubber washer to hold the battery door closed tight. I thought the L28 would be pretty much the same camera as L22 but was disappointed bcoz the pictures are not quite as sharp as the L22. I did some research & discovered the only real true different in the cameras of any concern is the pixel size being 2.4 µm² for the L22 & 1.4 µm² for the L28 (bare minimum huge difference!!) u can find out all this infor on snapsort.com about any camera. Also the L22 was made in Japan & L28 is made in China (personally I really don't think that makes any difference bcoz these are cheap $100 cameras, period). All in All I like the L28 bcoz it is a little bit smaller (almost micro) than the L22 & I love little double AA battery pocket cameras. I took 10s of thousands of awesome photos in Thailand for the 3 years I was living there but had to keep the camera in the Auto Mode with the flash always on & everything else off such as motion control, etc., in order to achieve very sharp colorful pictures. When I was in Thailand I meet hundreds of people that had rechargeable lithium Li-ion battery pocket cameras & 9 times out of 10 their batteries were always low or exhausted so missed thousands of unbelievable shots when my rechargeable NI_MH double AA batteries gave out I just hoped 20 feet over to the nearest 7-11 & bought some cheap double AA batteries & was back in business within 10 minutes for 200 to 300 or 400 hundred more shots everybody always asked me to email my pics to them bcoz their cameras were useless (true story) that's why I love double AA pocket cameras bcoz u never miss a good shot just have to find one that takes sharp photos every shot...

This camera is really user friendly. It doesn't have the advanced features of some cameras, like manually adjusting the aperture, but it has many features and the exposure can be adjusted manually. I really like this camera and am very happy with my purchase. It is compact in size, but seems sturdy, like it could get accidentally dropped and not break in to a million pieces.

Buy Nikon COOLPIX L28 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom Lens and 3" LCD (Black) Now

Used it for two days and promptly boxed it up. First it had only one previous review so I didn't have much to go on. I tested the zoom, scenery settings, and flash and found all lacking. Very fuzzy pictures even without the zoom and long lags between photos. I'm sorry for the lack of technical verbiage, but hope this is helpful. I ended up trading to the Canon PowerShot SX160, which while not a DSLR camera, is a better point & shoot for me. It is much heftier (this Nikon was too small for my hands), much shorter lag time, and provides higher quality shots on just the auto settings.

Read Best Reviews of Nikon COOLPIX L28 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom Lens and 3" LCD (Black) Here

After reading previous reviews I was leery about buying the Coolpix L28. But, I really like my Coolpix L120 so I thought I'd take a chance on the L28 because I needed something really portable. I made sure that I ordered a memory card that is rated at class 10. The slower cards (class 4, etc) will take somewhat longer to snap and store a picture. Wait times with my class 10 card are only about a second or 2 at most. Pictures I've taken so far are reasonably sharp and colors are true. My PC recognized the camera immediately without installing Nikon software and it was easy to move pictures onto my HD. The high resolution of the L28 means pictures can be enlarged considerably. For closeup I snapped a picture of a printed page at about 5 inches and the type was perfectly clear. It is true that the L28 doesn't do as well in a dark room as my L120. Pictures are a bit grainy, but normal room lighting produces good results. In my opinion, for people who want a snapshot camera that is small and portable and reasonably priced, the Coolpix L28 is a good choice.

Want Nikon COOLPIX L28 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom Lens and 3" LCD (Black) Discount?

Camera won't focus well on close up shots, plus pictures have a reddish tint. doesn't do well on any flash picture, but works fine wit h daylight o utdoor shots. The only good picture this camera takes. Very disa''ointed u this Nikon.

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Gold Plated DVI-I Dual-Link 24+5 Male to HDMI Female Adapter

It works great as I did not need anything else to connect the computer to the tv except the hdmi cable I already had.

I placed my order based on the product description on the title page and positive customer reviews. However, I just noticed the item displayed in the 2nd picture is for a DVI-D single link connection. I am expecting a male DVI-I dual link to female HDMI adapter. Seeing as my order has already been shipped, I'll wait to see what I get and keep you posted.

=== 4/6/13 Update ===

I got the adapters just three days ago and they are both DVI-D dual link, which is not what I ordered...but it will allow my MAC PRO to connect to a 1080p HD television via HDMI. For a backup analog connection, I do have a DVI to VGA adapter just in case. So, I'm satisfied with this purchase. I am leaving my rating at 3 stars, because I didn't get exactly what the titles said this eas going to be. Also, 2 rows of pins in the both adapters were bent right out of the box! I had to pull out a knife to get them properly aligned! Needless to say, I won't be buying from this seller again. They don't even know what they`re selling...

Buy Gold Plated DVI-I Dual-Link 24+5 Male to HDMI Female Adapter Now

I am using this adapter for my GTX 560ti since it only had one HDMI which is currently being used. This adapter was used for a second display which only can use HDMI. This is a heavy good quality adapter.

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These adapters have worked as expected.

I would recommend these items to anyone.

I needed several and the quality was consistent.

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Canon 0976B001 DTC-1000 D Terminal Component Video Cable (connects HD camcorder to HD component)

Like every Canon OEM product I've used, the cable is well made and of nice quality. I use it with an adapter to take the component video out from the XHA1 and into the HDMI input of a Atomos Ninja for tapeless capture. And this thing is LONG! I have lots of length to dress the cable out of the way while shooting or reach to a cart where another capture device might be used. You won't be disappointed with this product.

In expensive way to get RGB cable for HVX200 camera. Seems to be of good quality. Perfect HD picture results.

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D terminal video cables are really hard to find. The seller shipped promptly, the cable is of excellent quality and the price was reasonable.

Read Best Reviews of Canon 0976B001 DTC-1000 D Terminal Component Video Cable (connects HD camcorder to HD component) Here