Nikon D5100 SLR 16.2MP Digital Camera with 18-55mm II AF-S DX Lens + Nikon AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 5

I was extremely happy with my purchase and excited about the VR (Vibration Reduction) lens, which was the deciding factor for my choice, until I realized that the D5100 18-55 VR Kit did not included a VR lens at all. I am a novice and therefore did not know that the VR lens has VR written in red on the lens. Instead I was given a 18-55 DX lens and a 55-200 telephoto lens and NEITHER one of them are VR. SO instead of being excited about a camera purchase that was over $1000.00 for the first time in my life I feel that I was ripped off. I didn't realize to look for the red VR on the lens but if you read this review you can decide for yourself whether you want to take a chance. The return policy says you can return within 30 days of receiving the product if it is UNOPENED. How will you know if you have a VR lens (box states VR kit) unless you open it. Your choice to take a chance...

Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

The grand appeal of this prime is that offers the telephoto reach and fast f/2.8 aperture of Canon's 70-200/2.8 professional lenses, but at far less cost and size. In practical terms, the 200/2.8 is fast enough to shoot nighttime football games that would have slower f/5.6 consumer zooms struggling to reign in motion blur.

Unlike consumer zooms, it also takes well to a 1.4X teleconverter, giving the equivalent of 280mm at f/4. The USM autofocus system is quick, silent, and sure in almost any lighting, and because this 200/2.8 is essentially a longer version of Canon's legendary 135/2, it's plenty sharp all the way from f/2.8. Finally, because it's small and black, the security at sporting venues is far more likely to let you take it inside.

It's not all roses though. 200mm on a 1.6X crop body is a 320mm equivalent in view angle. That's a lot of lens to handhold without stabilization. Pure sharpness doesn't stand for much when the whole frame is blurred by handshake. Despite the fast f/2.8 aperture, it takes a lot of light to keep the shutter speeds up, and this lens isn't all that forgiving below 1/400; good technique and proper bracing are essential. My copy suffers further from color fringing around highlights and loss of contrast in sunlight to a greater extent than any other lens that I own. Shooting into the sun, or with the sun just outside the frame, is not a forte.

If you want versatility, there are also better choices than the 200/2.8. Framing options are limited, and you'll rarely find the composition afforded by 200mm exactly matches what you intended. While the 70-200/2.8 series are no stronger optically than this lens, they'll get the shot every time purely by the ability to track an object at 70mm and rapidly zoom to 200mm to take the picture. The addition of IS (image stabilization) alone doubles the number of keepers on the 70-200/2.8 IS. If your livelihood depends on your results, that's worth the price of admission.

But if you're not molting fifties, and you just want a sharp and fast telephoto that'll manage better shutter speeds, sharpness, background blur, and contrast (in most circumstances) than a consumer zoom, this 200/2.8L is a great choice.

Canon L lenses are known for their great optics and priceyness. This fast tele is an excellent value. Some pictures I took at the Phoenix zoo with this lens are superb. Use your tripod and get tack-sharp images. The only thing that would improve this lens would be the addition of the image stabilizion feature found on a few Canon optics. Of course, the advantage of large aperature lenses is that you can set a fast shutter speed and still have enough light for a shot. This lens is surprisingly compact, (as long focal length teles go). The autofocus is very fast and quiet. Comes with a hood, too.

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This lens is Canon's biggest bargain and a rather well kept secret. The 200 f2.8 L lens is an amazing value and has the "red ring", Canon's professional rating. One shoot will convince you of it's value.

Photos taken with this lens are extremely sharp, with colors rich and deep; it takes the 1.4x teleconverter well, adding range. The lens takes sharpening extremely well. I find it easy to handhold, and rarely use my tripod. In comparison, the Canon 70-200 f2.8 was simply impossible for me to use without a tripod; it's size and weight defeated me regardless of the IS. A direct comparison of shots between the smaller 200 f2.8 and the large 70-200 showed the prime in my case to always be superior.

Although the zoom lens are a convenience I personally find I am always at the long end of the telephoto within the 70-200 range. I own 9 Canon lens, owned the 70-200 f2.8 IS L and sold it, keeping this lens in its place. The advantages are many I find it much sharper, easier to handhold than the white lens at 200, it is possible to take it to affairs where they will not allow the big white lens, and much, much, MUCH less conspicuous. My husband uses the camera on autofocus only, and his shots are outstanding with this lens. He is an artist and has a great eye; matched with this lens he gets what he wants.

The price is outstanding for such high quality;this amazing lens is a genuine bargain in today's camera world. Let's hope that Canon doesn't wise up and price this according to it's quality. Have owned it for several years, definitely a keeper. Buy it you will not regret it.

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Interestingly, the price has crept up a bit on this lens in the last few months. It's value must be becoming more apparent to more folks. Nice to have bought before it went up instead of vice versa.

Nevertheless, this is the most reasonably priced of the Canon L Primes & is a perfect one to start out with, if you don't own any yet. This lens is tack sharp, has very true, very vibrant color and high contrast. In all these areas, it is probably just shy of the 135mm, 85mm and 50mm lenses, but this is a discerning eye speaking, and these are subtle (although modestly notable differences). The difference between this and an ordinary Canon lens will be much greater.

As a side note if you already own either or both the teleconverters (1.4x and 2x), they work very well with this lens. It maintains AF with both, due to it's speed. And this is a small light lens, considering the focal length. With a 2x it becomes a 400mm f/5.6, yet it is much lighter, narrower, and more portable than any comparable variation (the 100-400mm L, or any of the 400mm L primes, of which there are two, plus a non-L DO prime that looks like an L, and might fool you). If you intend to shoot all the way out at 400mm mostly, this is probably the cheapest method, and the quality loss is less with the 2x on this lens than with many/most others.

Whatever your choice, this is probably the most reasonable L value on the market and is a very smart buy if you wish to see what all the fuss is about.

And Yes, the fuss is warranted. L's are that good.

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I am a hobbyist and only comment as one here this is the best lens I've used so far as far as IQ goes. On top, it's light weight, discreet, not too expensive. Somehow I felt the AF on this is not as quick as my 70-200/f4 non IS zoom. Maybe just me. But the IQ (color, contrast, sharpness) on this one simply blows me away, wide open or not. I use this lens shooting in-door head shots of my little 4-yr old. She simply springs to life from this lens! The 200mm on 40D is even better than 5D because it gives the kid more room to be herself. The AF on this lens is not the best in low light. This is true with 40D, 350D Rebel, and 5D. 24-105L under the same condition works much better. This is true even with the build-in flash emitting AF assist beams. With the 580EX however, AF is instant. And so does most other lenses I use. I suspect this has to do with this 200mm lens being of a much older design while the 24-105 is far more recent.

Update April 2011 -

After some years of use mostly on 5D mk1, I get to know more about this lens:

IQ is great, but not the best. Actually, both 100/f2 and 300/f4L IS seem to be better in many cases. AF is not the quickest either, worse in normal indoor light. Flare can be a problem for this lens if shooting with a bright window in the background. 300F4IS is quite a bit better. 100/f2 is much better. But under normal light, this prime is great.

BlueRigger High Speed HDMI to DVI Adapter Cable (15 Feet)

Well built and no problems with its performance.

Good price as well. I will be buying another when

the need arises.

I am starting to replace all of my computer and entertainment system cables with Blue Rigger cables they are well built and stay put. This cable is well molded and the screw pins close and tighten flawlessly. I purchased this cable to replace a Belkin cable that only lasted 18 months. This cable does not have the fold marks that other cables retain and the picture quality is noticeably improved.

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Great product at a great price. I would recommend this to a friend!

Quality plugs and delivers a high quality signal.

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The cables work really well with my setup. I am quite happy with the quality and the video that is on my HD television

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This cable is quality made, solid connectors ends and not cheap plastic like the others. It was refreshing to see that someone cares when making a product for a change and selling at a super price as well!

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Panasonic AG-HVX200 1/3" 3CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV Cinema P2 Camera

We just received an AG-HVX200 and I tell you, it's got more menus than a powerhouse Chinese restaurant. It's not for people who enjoy the pyro-friendly camera; there are menus with the depth of a 15-layer cake. The reason is because the camera can be configured into over 100 different ways of shooting.

The HVX200 gives the new user a challenge to sink or swim, because it thrusts you into deep water. If you've ever shot with the DVX100, you'll adapt to the HVX quite well, from other reviews I've read. I'm a still shooter for a major city daily newspaper, and we're moving towards high definition gear to shoot movie clips and pull frames for news print. With this in mind, the camera's color retention are quality. But I wish the configs were a bit simpler. It will take time to learn a new format of news-gathering, but I see the potential with this gear.

One big drawback that I see is that the menu buttons are on top of the camera, beside and beneath the handle. Try shooting in the field and change your recording format, and it's an awkward feat to accomplish, since you're looking through the viewfinder (or watching the fold-out screen) as you scroll through the layers to figure which is the best recording format.

Would I consider giving this camera up? Hail, no. It's a powerful tool, and the result is what the image quality is about. The color shift with reds and greens and blues are minimal, unlike other samples from competing cameras that I have seen. This, coupled with the ability to drop files into a PowerBook with Final Cut Pro makes it a fast and efficient companion to get files changed to .mov format to drop them into ftp for web publication.

Delete unwanted files as you record. Drop the files onto a hard drive and wipe your P2 card to shoot some more. But you'd better have your software and hardware in order before you plunk down $6,000 retail,, just for the camera (and no mounted boom microphone sold as an acc). A 4gb card sells $600, the optional 100gb Firestore costs $2,000 (which is about the same price as a couple 8gb P2 cards), Final Cut Pro 5 costs $1,000, and you aren't even talking about the need for a GOOD fluid head tripod ($500), wireless microphone system ($500), blue ray DVD burner (for the multitude of gigs of recording files), extra batteries and perhaps a large external drive to store clips as you figure how to keep all the hundreds of gigs of files from overloading all your open drive space. The HVX eats drive space like a great white eats people. It doesn't think, it just does, and at up to a gigabyte per minute.

Even with working for a newspaper, we still have to adjust our budget royally to get what's needed for one HVX camera. Add filters or a 4x4 filter system and, yeesh. Or, kerching. It's bling bling for the developers, while you've just spent the same amount for your camera, just to get it up, and running.

**Rule of thumb, boys and girls: plan to spend double the camera's cost to outfit a system; aka, you'll have to fork out over $11,000 to effectively shoot in the field and edit in-house.**

For those in the pro field, it's probably worth it. For the casual user, or someone just getting into indie film making or trying to make money off the business, it might be worth it to wait. The HVX200 is a groundbreaking camera, like digital cameras revolutionized photography. Tapeless production will be adopted and will change the face of video production in the coming years. The price will drop as others compete for market share.

Being a professional videographer/producer.... I anxiously awaited the release of the HVX200. Having rented the 100Kplus Varicam for 1500 per day plus 600 per day for the deck.... I was head over heals when I read about the HVX coming out. It's DVCPRO HD codec is Professional. Not HDV consumer quality codec.. but real big boy stuff here. Sure, it doesn't have interchangeable lense, and a 2/3 chip... but man it's Sexy. Man it delivers the goods for a very reasonable price. One week or more of renting the Varicam and this baby is mine. It's my daily shooter.. my hammer and it's allowing me to deliver broadcast quality results without breaking the bank. Great for indi filmmakers and those looking to up their quality without killing their savings. It's also REVOLUTIONARY. Truly Tapeless and that's a God send. Tape is DEAD. Film is nearly dead and this camera is the harbinger of good things to come. It's not a pick up and shoot cold kind of cam. There's a learning curve... there some post considerations.. but all in all it's a 16mm film killer. Quality on par with 500 dollar for 10 minutes of Film kind of quality. It's variable speeds and timelapse is un-parralled. Ask anyone shooting tape to compare their Post affected slow motion with your real 60fps slow motion. It's just glorious.. as well is the 4:2:2 color. A must for green screen and high end work.

Best piece of technology that I've ever bought.... and I'm sure it'll be serving me well for more to come. Already had it for a year and still excited about shooting wtih it... been a while since I could say that...

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Our company has purchased four of these HVX200's and we're very happy with their performance thus far. We're shooting a half a dozen HD (720P at 24fps) shows and all of our users seem happy and impressed. Be warned, however, that this camera is BIG and is not easy to use as a hand-held, particularly if you're using it with an external monitor with related battery.

The images we're capturing with the HVX200 are great. (Lighting, of course, is vital. These are not low-light cameras.) Learning how to shoot tapeless onto the P2 cards is a bit daunting at first, but, once you catch on, it's not difficult and has been reliable. We set up a laptop on location and use it to import the footage into Final Cut. Shooting at 720P/24fps, we can get about 20 minutes of video on each of the 2 P2 cards. So, it is optimum to have 4 of the cards for EACH camera. (So you can be loading the media onto the hard drives while shooting on the other two cards. It takes about 15 minutes to load one full card's media onto a hard drive.) At $1500 apiece just for the P2 cards, setting up one of these cameras is expensive. Check out Zacuto at

We're pleased.

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Don't get me wrong, the video quality of this camera gets a five all the way, as do the functions of the camera. My disappointment with this camera is just the fact that it is an extremely pricey camera to operate. My point is, with a 32GB p2 card being over $1,000 (which will give you roughly 30 minutes at the highest quality of footage), you could purchase a firestore device with 100GB (or more maybe now, I have not looked at options in awhile) which will give you much more recording capability. I have used this camera for recording graduations, amateur band performances, and just about everything possible, and if you are a professional who knows what you are getting in to with the purchase of this camera, by all means, you should have already bought it. BUT, if you are an amateur film maker who lacks training with this or a similar camera, look elsewhere and work your way up, or have a professional show you the ropes of this camera.

I also recommend "The HVX Book" By fiercely Independent Films. It comes with a cd-rom showing you how to operate the menus, and a very nice 200-some page booklet.

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Vivitar ViviCam V25 Digital Camera

The resolution is terrible. the screen display shows a grainy bad resolution picture. You can do alot better for your money.

Does what it says it will do. What more could I ask. Good value. I don't have 6 more words.

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

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

Nikon D2H Pro Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

I have been working for a major daily newspaper in Baltimore for 2 decades. Perhaps that will qualify me as an expert in photography. I have been shooting digital imagery since the late 1990s. Maybe that qualifies me as an expert in digital photography. This may be longwinded, but it's extensive and can be useful.

I received the Nikon D2H camera -2 bodies total -over one year ago. I think I got them shortly after the D2H system was released in 2003. Since then, I have used them to shoot images of all types -documentary, sports, daytime, available light, flash, and deadofnight -for the paper I work for. This is the only camera I work with.

First, please read the manual. There is a ton of information there, and the information is terrific to begin with. The D2H is highlyconfigurable, with screen after screen that you can set for your own specific use (resist lending the camera to anyone for a long period of time, for your camera may be returned with many of your settings changed so much that it acts like a thoroughly different camera).

I'll just punch right in to the way it feels. The camera is a rather heavy beast, and for some, there can be an amount of shoulder or neck fatigue when using it for hours per day, like I do. But the camera feels well in hand and the controls are easy to move through. I've long since given up using any camera bag. All I have are a fanny pack for a 14mm, 55mm, teleconverters and 2 extra camera batteries and flashes clipped to its belt. And the D2H's hold the 17-35mm Nikon and the 80-200mm Nikon onetouch or the Sigma 120-300mm 2touch.

Shooting is a breeze. The batteries let you shoot long before the need to recharge. I have my D2H set on ISO 200 or 400 most of the time and sacrifice shutter speed for lower ISO as often as I can, because the higher ISOs bring digital noise and a loss in color saturation. Just today, I purchased digital noise plug ins for Photoshop to limit this, and that's a wonderful thing to invest in with this camera when you must shoot action photography with no flash at ISO 800 and above.

I now have little problems with capturing images in even barelylimited lighting. I recently shot stars and a plane wing from my seat of an Airbus at 36,000 feet over the Pacific at 30 seconds wide open @ f/ 2.8, and it looks tons better than night shots via the D1H, which lacked the internal digital noise filter. That filter kicks in at around 1/2 second and longer exposures, and can make you wait as long as your image you've shot to strip your long exposure of much of the digital noise. When you shoot this way (and in general), don't simply react by cranking up ISO because you will not be happy with your results.

The camera can be loud. At over 7 frames per second, it can make you obvious in a quiet room. Shooting sensitive situations can be testy, so limit your shooting to single frames. I wish this camera had an option to silence this camera, but since the mirror has to raise and lower, there's no chance to do this.

Am I happy with the D2H? Definitely, yes. Are there improvements that can be made? Yes. But the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. People have been bailing out of using the Nikon system and going Canon, which has some incredible gear, I won't deny that. But instead of simply giving up on your system of equipment, learn how to use the D2H well and you'll be much happier than ever. And that means you should push its qualities to the max while respecting its limitations.

For instance, white balance. This can be the best thing for you, or the worst thing you've ever dealt with, depending upon how you approach it. Daylight, grey skies, dusk and dawn are easy, because you can set the camera to daylight, flash, shadow (for dusk and dawn times) and even the fluorescent and incandescent tend to be right in the ballpark. But the horrible mixed light or the street lamps that glow blue/green or orangered from mercury vapor can be the death of an image if you don't properly use white balance. Preset white balance is king, here. I can get grey, black and white when I preset in mercury vapor light. And I used the preset for any light that the auto white balance setting can't figure. There is also a setting to dial in kelvin temps as well! If you do this (and I can go on for miles here), you're on your way. So, with trying this D2H, or considering it, read through some of the digital D2H forums and ignore the posts that slam the camera without giving instances. Generally, those who pan the camera have not tried to understand it. I can bang off images to disprove where they suggest this camera will fail. When you have decent light, you'll have a decent image. But when you try to use it without learning how you can maximize the system, you will come about shooting images that are terrible and unprintable.

In closing, I have not been paid by anyone, I have no Nikon stock and have no outside interest in writing this except that I'm giving the D2H credit where it's long overdue.

I ordered this camera in December, have had it since then, and it an amazing camera. First time I have ever had professional camera, and it takes time to learn how to use it. It is not a point and shoot camera. If you want large pictures and like to crop, this may not be the camera for you. However if you want the ability to take great pictures, and learn how to use a professional camera at a great price this is the one to buy.

Ability to have custom curves, which means to have predetermined parameters for different conditions. Ability to chage ISO at random for different conditions. You can pay five thousand dollars for its successor, the Dx2, however for $2000 this is a bargin that you will never find again.

Jim Comfort

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I've had my D2H for 9 months now. I've heard of the magenta skin tones issue but have never seen it..skin tones on my unit are great. It seems this issue plagued a minority of users.

Camera is very fast, exposes well and delivers results. It's primarily designed to be a sports and Photojournalism camera -for situations where speed counts. It's a 4 megapixel wonder -it's true it only has 4 megapixels, but they are 4 GREAT megapixels. Images upsize wonderfully.

I love my unit, and am debating whether to buy a second one as a backup, or wait for the D2X. The price of the D2x is making that decision a bit easier and I'm leaning toward another D2H.

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I have the D2H, and make stunningly pleasing photographs with it daily, yes, in 2008. It really is a fantastic camera to use and enjoy. It may only have 4.1 MP, but the resulting RAW files are razor sharp and crisp, beautifully saturated, and nice and quick to download, copy, edit, upload, etc.

Noise-wise, properly handled (expose properly, use lowest ISO necessary), this camera can easily compete with the D200, and match or beat the D2X.

Quality-wise, countless people have made 13x19, 16x20, and even 24x36 prints from this camera with great results. Of course, it would be smart to use a tool like Genuine Fractals to ensure proper DPI, but that's really the case with any camera. The pixels interpolate beautifully, due to a weaker (that's a good thing) anti-aliasing filter on the sensor. Larger , newer sensors often have strong anti-aliasing filters meant to reduce noise, but as a side effect they blur the pixels slightly, reducing the sensor's resolving power. Without this filter being so strong, you can go up to large print sizes gracefully, with a sharp, film-like look, as opposed to pixelation. This coming from experience, not forum postings. :)

I'm sure some technology nerd who's never made a decent photo in his life could find something to whine about with the specs (they always do), but real photographers can appreciate the speed, elegance, and pure utility of this camera.

Moose Peterson raved about this camera, as did Thom Hogan, and Joe Buissink shot it as his main DSLR for years, doing high-end A-list celebrity weddings for $15-70,000 each. I think it's more than adequate for most of us. Photographers who have these and D200s and 300s have said that if they had a money shot, they'd trust the ease of use, clean design, and raw speed of their D2H to get the job done over even the brand new D300. There's just something to be said for the quality and ergonomics of a true pro body that has to be felt to be understood. And considering you can get one of these on Amazon for just $750... that's a pretty great deal.

I can fit 2400 RAW on an 8 gig card, and shoot well... a TON of pics without running out of battery. In fact, I have yet run out of battery charge. I just shot a wedding with it, and none of my shots were noisy (I kept it to ISO 800 and lower), and after shooting all day, I'd only used 1/5 of the battery charge! And my battery is an older one! Wow!

Highly recommended.

Speed: 5/5

ISO performance: 4/5

Ergonomics: 5/5

Battery Life: 5/5

Ease of use: 5/5 [after the 1st half hour :)]

Features: 5/5

Bank for the buck: 5/5

I'd give it an overall 5/5, as the positives far outweigh any flaws.

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I was reluctant to buy an used item like this online. I have used this multiple times and I love it. It was a fantastic value for the price.