Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm AF-S DX f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Nikkor Zoom Lens

No matter how you slice it, this is a great camera.

If you're considering this camera you likely to be in one of two camps: A Nikon person trying to determine whether or not to buy the N50, N70 or the D200; or you already know you want something more on the pro end of the pro-amateur spectrum and are trying to choose between a Nikon and a Canon. If you're in the latter camp then you can't go wrong with either the D200 or any of Canon's offerings. They both make excellent cameras. If you're already a Nikon person, get the Nikon; if you're already a Canon person, get the Canon.

That said, I'm a Nikon person, and after 5 years of having fun with my film-based N80 I wanted to make the leap into real digital photography. I say real, because I've had a Canon Sureshot for 4 years and it's great for snapshots, but when it comes to landscapes or dealing with any kind of lighting issues, it just doesn't measure up. Since I'm a Nikon person (all my lenses work with the new digital SLRs) I looked at the N50, N70 and D200. There are plenty of sites out there that compare these three cameras (against each other and the competition) to death, so I won't bother with all the details.

We buy cameras to take a variety of different pictures and my choice was driven by my needs, so my review is going to be colored by the kinds of pictures I tend to take. My favorite pastime is landscape photography. For this, any of the three cameras will take great pictures. The 6 mega pixels on the N50 and N70 are more than enough to take great pictures I've got a 20x30 poster of Yosemite's Half Dome taken with a friend's N70 that is as crisp as anything I've seen. Having 10mps gives me more room to play with when it comes time for cropping, though, and that's always nice, but hardly a reason to shell out an extra grand.

My next favorite photography subject is my yellow lab, Happy. If he's standing or sitting still, then all three of these cameras take excellent portrait shots. But when he's moving, such as launching himself off the end of a pier to fetch a toy in the lake, the D200 really shines. Its 5fps burst mode takes perfect pictures. It focuses each shot and with its rich 25 picture buffer built into the camera, I've yet to fill it up. What this means is that it doesn't matter what speed your memory card is. The camera takes its pictures and puts them into its buffer. Then a separate set of processors moves the picture from the buffer to your memory card. I would have to hold the button down for over 8 seconds before the burst mode would slow down (it would simply slow down to the speed of your memory card here it wouldn't stop taking pictures). This clarity of the pictures in burst mode is what made me choose the D200, and with the 18-70mm DX kit lens you'll get some brilliant photos.

While all three cameras let you take great picture, the D200 makes it very easy to change the most often used settings. Picture quality (e.g. resolution and depth), White Balance and ISO can be changed by holding down a single button with your left hand and rotating the command dials with your right. This means you don't have to take your eyes off of what you're looking at through the viewfinder in order to change these settings, and I find myself changing at least one of these on almost every picture I take. To be sure, you can change them on the N50 and N70 as well, but just not as quickly or easily.

Other things I liked about the D200 are:

o Build. It's made of metal and has a very nice heft to it. The D50 and D70, much like my N80, are made of a very good plastic, and I've never had any problems with the N80, but the D200 just feels good

o LCD. The 2.5 inch LCD makes it easy to determine whether or not you're happy with a picture in the field.

o Color. The auto white balance for the D200 is awesome and the colors are brilliant.

o 4 settings banks. You can preprogram four settings (ISO, WB, Picture Quality, etc) so you can get to it quickly.

One last point the D200 is very difficult to get a hold of these days, but it's slightly easier to get in kit form (which comes with a lens). The 18-55mm lens is nice, but I prefer the 18-70mm (remember, with digitals you have to multiply the focal length by 1.5 to compare it with their film counterparts, so the 18-70 for digital is more like a 28-105 for film). The 18-70mm kit will run you about $300 more than the body itself, and it's worth it.

If you don't already have a big zoom lens then the new 18-200mm Nikon VR lens is awesome (equivalent to 28-300 for film). It takes stunning pictures and has all the zoom you're likely to need. It runs between $700 and $800 and is even harder to get than the D200 (which is why I don't have one yet :-).

In summary, you can't go wrong with any of these Nikons. The D200, however, is definitely the king of the hill. Happy picture takine!

I just had the opportunity to use 2 nikon D200 cameras on a trip to Antarctica. All I can say is "wow"! I have been hesitant to make the move to digital due to the relatively low resolutions of the early amateur digital SLRs. The specs for the D200 caught my eye. Of particular interest were the 10.2 MP resolution, the magnesium body and the enhanced environmental sealing. In fairly adverse conditions the cameras performed flawlessly. Particularly notable were their ability to work in cold conditions, something I was concerned about at the beginning of the trip. While other people's cameras were having battery issues in the cold, the D200 kept shoothing. The camera handles very well and is easy to shoot with. There is a bit of a learning curve to understand all the custom settings and menus. The good news is that most of the controls build off of familiar Nikon concepts so they are not hard to pick up. The output of the camera is amazing and while I have not had the chance to review my shots on anything but a laptop, the early returns are very positive. The new autofocus system is quite good, though one of my few complaints is that it sometimes seemed balky with certain subjects. I am willing to write this off as perhaps my not have a full understanding of the various focusing modes, but time will tell. The monitor on the camera is really good and viewable in bright light. Being able to shoot at 5 fps was nice when trying to shoot diving humpback whales. In this case the DX size sensor comes in handy, extending effective focal length by 1.5 the 35mm equivalent. With wide angle the DX is a little more frustating and I see a new lens in my future. I am very happy with the D200. I think Nikon is feeling some heat from Canon and had to come up with an offering that upped the ante on the price performance curve. The D200 looks like they got a lot of it right.

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The Nikon D200 is a professional camera which is also aimed at the serious amateur digital photographer. It is essentially the upgrade unit from the D100/D70s, and it incorporates solid improvements over those excellent cameras.

The most obvious upgrade feature of the D200 is the 10.2 megapixel images that it creates. The advantage of more megapixels is twofold. Firstly, many digital photographers "crop" their images in post-processing. For example, if you take a photograph of a flying bird such that the bird occupies only a quarter of the image, you may want to crop the image such that you eliminate half of the image, leaving the bird dominant. More megapixels means more detail will survive the cropping, which is essentially a form of magnification. Secondly, if you wish to print images larger than about 8 x 10, more megapixels again equates to more detail.

In my opinion the most impressive improvement in the D200 over the D100/D70s is the autofocus system. The D200 gives the user numerous different autofocus modes over and above those offered by the D100/D70s. These are designed to make it easier and more effective for the user to photograph moving and erratic subjects, such as fast-flying birds, or athletes on the playing field for you sports photographers. This, combined with another big improvement of the D200--the fabulously bright and wide viewfinder--makes it much easier to photograph difficult fast-moving subjects. The D200 viewfinder is wonderfully bright, making acquisition of difficult subjects much easier. Combined with the improved autofocus, I am bringing home more "keeper" photographs of erratically flying birds in which these photos are in perfect focus.

The D200 also offers up to 5 frames-per-second continuous shooting, and has a big buffer so that the camera will not slow down to write to the CF card. This is really useful when shooting fast-moving subjects. When combined with the excellent autofocus system, the user can shoot fast shots with confidence that most or all of them will be in focus. This is another improvement over the 3 FPS of the D70s.

Another obvious improvement of the D200 is its body construction. The quality and durability of the D200, which is housed in an all-metal body which is weathersealed at all critical points, has to be experienced to be appreciated. The unit is built very solidly, but happily does not sacrifice weight for durability like some Nikons (remember the F5?) have done in the past. Despite being all-metal, the D200 is light enough that you will probably not mind carrying it all day on vacation (like I like to do) or during outdoor photo shoots. Although this camera body is of pro-quality, it nevertheless retains enough lightness and is sufficiently compact that amateurs will not feel overwhelmed by its size or weight when carrying it around on vacation or whatnot.

Other reviewers have noted that the D200 is much more similar to Nikon's other professional cameras, and I am inclined to agree with this. I am only an enthusiastic amateur, and I am convinced that the D200 is about as much camera as virtually any amateur can effectively appreciate.

The D200 menu system is very good, and it is an improvement over the already very good menus contained in the D100/D70s. The camera allows the user to set up four "banks" of settings that are completely independent of one another. Thus, you can have one bank with settings optimized for portraits, one for fast-moving subjects (e.g. birds), one for landscapes, and one for point-and-shoot "party" shots. (This is how I have mine set up, credit to "Nikonians"). While this sounds complicated, the way Nikon set up their menus actually made this quite easy to grasp, and after about thirty minutes of playing with the camera I was quite proficient with the menus. Good job Nikon.

By the way, the exposure system on the D200 is also an upgrade from the D100/D70s. Nikon really spared no effort to make the D200 a quantum leap over its already excellent line of amateur DSLRs. This is the first amateur digital camera that I have used that seems to get exposures as good as my old F5 film camera (one of the great Nikons during the film era) although the D100 and D70s came pretty close.

With the D200 Nikon continues its tradition of offering a nice on-board flash. This flash is fine for snapshots and fill-flash of close subjects. Serious shooters will want either the SB-600 or SB-800 external flash units. Again, here Nikon has given the camera pro features--the D200 built in flash can act as a "command" unit for other flashes. Serious amateurs and pros will appreciate this feature.

As if to prove that it re-engineered the D70s/D100 from the ground up, Nikon also improved the battery situation with the D200. The D200 battery has built in voltage testing, which means that the battery indicator on the D200 is actually accurate, a first in my experience with any DSLR camera. This means that when it says that the battery is half-discharged, that is actually the case. (On other, earlier units, when the battery indicator moved from "full" this usually meant full discharge was imminent.) This is important because the D200 does go through a battery significantly faster than did the D100/D70s. This is partly because of (yes, another upgrade) the larger LCD viewer on the back of the camera, and partly just to the more complex electronics in the unit. Serious users will want to buy one or more extra batteries to stash in one's pocket or vest.

The 18-70 DX kit lens is a very nice little lens. It features some ED glass for better contrast in the images. Since it is a DX lens, it is small and light, while sacrificing nothing in image quality. This is a great first lens or walkaround vacation lens for portraits, snapshots, and landscape shots.

One very minor quibble with the D200. The default sharpening settings are somewhat soft. Some users have been unhappy that when they take the D200 out of the box and start shooting, that their images are not tack-sharp, as to be expected from a high-end camera. Not to worry, simply set sharpening to +1 or higher in the camera and it will produce sharp images. Better yet, experiment in post-processing with sharpness settings. Bottom line is that the unit will and does produce tack-sharp images, but not with the default menu settings.

Overall, the D200 is a pro camera at amateur pricing. It is used by pros and serious amateurs, and with its feature set and impeccable quality and ergonomics, it is an impressive offering by Nikon. This is one of those cameras that is really fun to use, and it produces fine, sharp, and bright images limited only by the skill of the photographer. Highly recommended.

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When the D200 was announced with its feature set and price, I was shocked at the low price. I was on the wait list at several places, but luckily picked up one at BHphotovideo. I've had one or two minor glitches such as the mirror/shutter locked up. A quick call to NikonUSA and tech support told me to reset the menus. I did that and I was back in action in 10 minutes. The images it produces are incredible. I upgraded from my Nikon D70 which is also an excellent camera, but I wanted several features that the D200 has. My AI/AIS manual focus Nikkor lenses can be used on the d200 and exposure metering & Aperture Priority mode are features I really wanted. This makes macro photography a snap with my AIS lenses. Other added features included Mirror Lock Up, 5fps drive, faster read/write on the CF cards, vertical grip, improved focus speed and the list of other improvements is long.

Image Quality This is was photography is all about. The colors jump out at you as they are vibrant. The 10mp images allow for cropping when necessary and you can still print large. The b&w mode is great. This camera beats the medium format film cameras and I have a Hasselblad and a Rollieflex as well. So when I want higher quality than my d200, I have to grab my 4x5 camera...

Shooting raw NEF the files are about 16mb. But shoot compressed raw and the files are only 8-10mb and no one has been able to tell the difference in quality.

Cons: Still very hard to find as demand is so high. Need big CF cards, get 2gb or 4gb CF cards as you will not want to stop shooting this gem.

Bottom line: The D200 is a pro quality camera body for a consumer price. Wedding photographers have embraced it. There are few photographers who could outgrow it. It's got a ton of features so be sure to read the manual while you're charging up the battery. Unless you shoot high speed action sports, this should be all you need. If you need a faster motor drive, then get the D2x.

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The excitement over this camera is justified!

We've all heard about the excellent build quality and it is true.

This is in many ways the best camera I have ever owned. The interface is intuitive and really is beyond compare in my experience. Every adjustment is right there at your finger tips making it fast and easy to change settings as different lighting and situations present themselves. This camera fits my hands like a glove!

So far the matrix metering is impressive. The amount of detail captured in the shadow area is exceptional!

Contrary to rumors I have read the D200 does offer capture in black and white mode.

Nikon has done a lot right here!

One other thing the software is another excellent feature. You can import existing pictures, regardless of brand camera used to capture. The upload is quick and offers the ability to tag, export, mail, adjust, resize and more. Very nice and comprehensive user interface there as well.

Packaging and accessories are first class!

One side note, the battery does not last anywhere near the 1800 captures described in the descriptions I have read. One battery does not get me through a day of shooting, particulary when using a VR lens. Plan on getting a couple of hundred shots in between charging possibly more if using manuall focus and shutting off frequently.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase of this camera. It's the best value on the market in my opinion.

*Continued assessment after even more extensive use.

Ok...I am even more impressed than I was when I wrote the above portion of this review.

The amount of well thought out features on this camera expand the photographers capability greatly.

Start with having four custom menu's that can be set and ready to use just a click away. For instance, one set-up for sports, one for flash portraiture, one for night capture and so on.

This camera produces the best life-like as witnessed at the time of capture color I have expereienced since discovering photography almost 30 years ago.

I mean superb color! Pariculary in the greens and blues. Every color really!

The images produced have the least amount of digital noise I have seen. This means better pictures, enlargements and best of all a lot less time spent in the processing. I even jack the ISO(International Standards Organization) up to 800 or a 1000 with excellent results! There is some noise at 1600. About the same as some of the other cameras I've used when set at ISO 200.

The EV(Exposure Variation) adjustments are easy to access and you can set the increment value to 1/3, 1/2 or 1 full stop depending on personal preference.

Oh! You can do picture Overlays in the camera! Yes right in the camera as long as they are captured in RAW and on the same memory card.

Add to that multiple exposure capability as well.

This camera puts a lot of capability in your hands!

Good luck!

Nikon D5100 16.2 MP Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens with 55-200mm VR Lens +

Everything I need in one package. Love it. The camera, of course, is just what I've been looking for, and the camera bag is better quality and design than I expected.

Samsung Digimax 360 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

While we do a fair amount of digital photography for our web site, I've always been hesitant to pay the hefty prices that so many digital cameras command. Cameras get banged around, and digital cameras tend to break when that happens. Or, at least, mine do.

Our search for a low-cost 3.1MP camera with an optical zoom led us to the Samsung 360. I bought this unit with fairly low expectations ... and instead have been pleased as punch with the quality of the photos it takes, not to mention its ease of use.

Colors are true. Focusing is quick and accurate. The controls are intuitive. And the price is great.

Was primary camera for 4 years worth of weddings, honeymoons, birth of child, vacations, trips to parents, etc. Took excellent pictures and handy videos. No problem with 1MB card. Wouldn't work correctly or practically with anything but those expensive Lithium Batteries($10 for 4), FYI. I got over it. I liked the A/V feature where you can plug it into a television and show the pics & videos. I used that a lot and not all cameras have that..

Optical sensor went bad(Streaky, phsychedelic images) after 4 years. Does that sound about right with other users? Anyway, Samsung said they'd fix it for $50, whatever the problem. Nice offer, but decided to go with a newer camera. Overall, excellent camera experience.

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I have had this camera for a while now.For the price and features that come with it you will not find a better deal.It is great and I would recommend to everyone.

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I purchased mine used on eBay for around $35.00. This camera takes excellent pictures, and is packed with features. It's relatively small and light, which makes it easy to take along when you travel. It uses a variety of battery options you can use AA (alkaline or rechargeable), or those CR-V3 lithium ion batteries. Either way, you're not stuck with a camera that uses $40.00 proprietary batteries. It can also be hooked-up to an AC adapter, but this is sold separately, and for most people, is not practical to have to plug-in a camera to take pictures.

Although the camera is guaranteed to recognize SD cards up to 256MB, mine has recognized much larger cards (up to 2 GB) with no issues. With memory being relatively inexpensive, I wholeheartedly recommend taking pictures in the highest resolution (finest setting) possible. The results are well worth it.

Some basic Pros:

1).Crisp, bright pictures, which also print beautifully at a photo center or from a PC.

2). Has a larger 1/1.8' ccd chip compared to the smaller 1/2.5" ccd chip on many 7-10 megapixel models which results in much nicer pictures. Remember Megapixels do not equal quality, just maximum size.

3). Uses non-proprietary batteries (e.g. 2 x AA)

4). Has a variety of features (B&W, Sepia, Antique style pics, Automatic fine-tuning zoom, series shooting, and a variety of image adjustments, to name a few)

5). Lighter-weight and more compact than many cameras it's size, but still solidly built.

6). Decent optical zoom.

7). Recognizes larger sized SD cards than stated in the user's manual.

Some basic cons:

1). A little slow between pictures when writing to the memory card (about 3.5 seconds in highest quality mode).

2). Optical zoom is very good, but the digital zoom leaves a little to be desired, especially when using it on the highest zoom (12x). Pictures at this zoom seem to be a little out of focus and not as crisp.

3). Small LCD screen (1.5 inches). This can be seen as a pro as well, because a smaller LCD screen eats batteries much less than a large one.

4). 3.2 megapixels will print beautiful 4x6 or 5x7 photos. But if you're looking to print 8x10 photos, posters, etc. you'll need a camera with larger resolution (more megapixels).

All-in-all, this is a fantastic camera for the price!

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First off we've had this camera for many many years and it's been used for everything between birthday parties to professional websites.

The one thing that I LOVE about this camera is the sheer quality of the sensor, it's ABSOLUTELY crisp. I have owned a number of point-and-shoot cameras such as a Nikon CoolPix S220 and an iPhone 2G and 3GS. All of these cameras are many many years newer and the quality and crispness just does not compare.

Furthermore, the camera has a great macro mode, comparable with the iPhone 4S in distance.

However, The battery life and video recording capability are absolutely mediocre. It sure does not last a good long day of taking photos, unless if you've got yourself extra-high-capacity rechargeable batteries.

If you're googling this in 2013, wondering if this is a good camera, then YES it is however there are probably much better options these days. However, I have to say that the image quality of this camera challenges many other point-and-shoot cameras out there and virtually all mobile phone cameras in terms of quality. As long as you are not printing, this camera will take fine resolution images, at 25% higher resolution than the largest standard 1080P HD monitor.

Azden WLX-PRO Lavaliere System

• LEDs on transmitter and receiver to confirm system status. Earphone included to monitor sound that is being recorded. Receiver plugs into camera's external microphone jack. Both units use one 9V battery each. Includes WR-PRO receiver, WM-PRO belt-pack transmitter, and lavaliere electret condenser microphone.

The Azden transmitter-receiver system has operated marvelously well for me over scores of interviews. As an aspiring video maker it was a product I should have bought a long time ago.

Mine is the 9v-powered model, not the AA. But it has proven well-made, light and easy to use.

There's something neat about micing people with a lavaliere unit. I find that they enjoy the attention of attaching the mic and the professional touch that it brings to the taping.

Being able to range abut the room while taping and simultaneously retaining good audio is a remarkable experience. Another benefit of micing someone is that cuts way back on ambient noise. The din of voices surrounding your interview is a typical intrusion; using the lavaliere cuts out a great deal of the unwanted sonic information.

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Overall, this is a good investment for beginning videographer. It works as described, yet I found that it's sound needed post work if it was going to be presaentable. My standards are not unrealistic, yet I was disappointed when I first worked with this mic. It comes with a lavalier mic, and a handheld. Of the two, the handheld pickup better, and is more manageable. Both only record in mono, so you have to set your camera to place the signal on the two channels, or do so in postproduction.

Still, if you wish to use a mic that is dependable, is inconspicuous, and has a small learning curve, this mic could serve your purposes.

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Affordable and effective. Didn't pick up a lot of background music or talking, and got a good deep sound from the person wearing it. Used it for a wedding and the other wireless systems used didn't interfear with it's opperation nor did the background clog up the mic.

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The Azden is a reasonable, reliable, and low cost way of stepping up your audio abilities to the wireless level. I've used it professionally in many occasions, and have mixed opinions. I just have the lavaliere (not the handheld).

1. Don't expect superb sound quality. Mine, at least is blaring when it comes to audio levels... it will max out your camera's audio input unless you can turn down the mic input. It provides rich lows, but is very weak on the highs. You can't boost the highs too much in post, because then it highlights all of the audio "fuzz."

2. It's best for convenience, not distance. Use it as a convenience to avoid wires, but don't expect it to work solidly from 100 feet away. As you move farther away from the receiver (more than 25 feet), you'll start to run into dead spots and random static.

3. CELL PHONES WILL MAKE THIS THING GO CRAZY. The transmitter and receiver are highly sensitive to cell phone interference. Everybody within 25 feet of you will need to turn off the cell phones completely, or you'll get that annoying cell phone buzz.

4. Battery life is pretty darn good. I've used the same batteries for hours beyond what they suggest that you do.

Overall, it's a good place to start if you're doing amateur or small scale productions. But if you're client is paying $1,500 for a TV commercial, you'd better have a good Sennheiser or Audio Technica to meet production standards.

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I was nervous at first recording because the audio volume was too low, and I lost quality by boosting with software. I'm sure I voided my warrenty, but I opened both the receiver and tranmitter to see if I could make adjustments... there is a tiny screw labeled VR101 (trans) and VR2 (rec) that adjust pick up. I basically maxed both of them out because I'm soft spoken, but it works like a charm now. Works to reduce pickup as well, if needed. Just be careful of cheap plastic housing when opening.

Panasonic HC-V520 HD Digital Camcorder with 80x Zoom and Wi-fi (Black)

I work with baseball players and bought this unit for its 60P capability and long zoom. The zoom is more like 58X or 62X, but that's still VERY powerful. The image quality is good, even at max zoom and the image stabilizer seems to work well. This video-camera also seems to work very well in lower light conditions (it's at least one stop better than my other cameras, I assume due to a bigger sensor). It has a full range of manual controls that seem to be available in all modes. It's also VERY small and light. Battery life on the included battery seems better than average (compared to my Canon HV-30).

The only downsides -and the reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 -are that I literally can't buy another (or really two or three) battery for it, which is an issue for me because I am a semi-professional photographer and film entire baseball games and like to have 2 or 3 batteries in my bag just in case. Panasonic also charges a ridiculous amount for accessories like batteries and an external battery charger. They are pricing the camera low and then getting you with the accessories, so understand that the effective price of this camera is more like $500 or $600 if you need more than just what comes in the box.

P.S. The BIOS is buggy. I am getting increasing numbers of card write/read errors, despite using premium, high bit rate Sandisk cards.

I like it very much. very simple to use. good quality video & pictures.the zoom is very good. The main reason I bought it is for live streaming. I like the shape and features. Battery life is only one hour when using HD.

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Magnific Zoom, great queality.

I like this product. It is very good and small, but excelent quality. Buy it now

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Datacolor DC S3P100 Spyder 3 Pro

I've used three other monitor calibrators and in my opinion this is a mid grade product. This item is superior to the Huey Pro since it's able to calibrate hybrid backlit monitors like the Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp but the ultimate downfall of this product is that it does not measure luminance.

I was able to accurately calibrate color but the brightness of the monitor was blinding even when I set my brightness to ZERO, luminance level was measured at 320 cd/m2. I had to returned this item to purchase a X-rite Eye One Display Two since the calibration tool and software is similar to that of the Lacie Blue eye pro but more importantly it measures luminance for accuracy. With the Eye one display two I was able to calibrate my dell 2408wfp luminance to a comfortable 120 cd/m2 and still maintain superior color accuracy and good contrast.

If you don't have problems with brightness and just need color accurate calibration then this item is for you. But if you spend long hours in front of overly bright LCD monitors and need color accuracy without fatiguing or damaging your eyes then consider the Eye One Display or even Lacie Blue eye.

This review won't compare this colorimeter to other brands/models. However, the capabilities of the Spyder3Pro where exactly what I was looking for, and I detail some of the results.

I bought this item after shooting my first wedding. I had noticed that previously, all of my photos had to have some additional correction to get anywhere close to what I had on screen when sending them to print, and even that was a crap shoot.

This little gem has completely fixed the issue. True, there is a *slight* variation from printer to printer (as I didn't buy the elite package that profiles your printers too), but it's not noticeable to most people.

Down to details:

* It's very nice to be able to set multiple monitors in multiple locations and know that the profiles you have will definitely work. I can match up computer LCD displays, CRT televisions (or monitors), or even wide-screen plasmas and projectors to become color corrected.

* The ambient light sensing ability is another big plus since I take my photo editing with me to multiple locations on my laptop. This is important if you're switching from working in daylight to fluorescent to incandescent light. There can also be issues when you're working in a space where bright light is being reflected off of colored walls or some other surface and can effect the color cast in which you're viewing your work. Odds are, if you care enough to be considering one of these, then you'll care about these issues.

* Since I've had my laptop for almost 4 years, you can bet that the screen's LCD had changed in hue. After correction, it was ridiculously better. Now, not only does photo output look better, but working in other types of applications is actually a little exciting with such vibrant colors that I hadn't seen in years, if ever. Before, I thought it was simply the glossy screens my friends had on their newer laptops that made them look better (I'd never get oneglare is too annoying). Now I know it was simply the color profile.

* This Spyder is much smaller than my friend's Spyder 2, and still produces the same or better results. It even includes a stand (with threads on the bottom for mounting) to sit on your desk or wherever to let you know if lighting conditions change enough to warrant a different or new color profile. The unit comes with a rather lengthy USB cablegood for desktop usersand slide-able counterweight. Both worked like a charm for me. I only wish they gave you a case to protect it inside your bag.

Some system specific anecdotes:

* Profiles can be custom named (of course) under Mac OS and will show up in the Display->Color pane of the System Preferences app in Mac OS X. Just make sure that you don't have "Show profiles for this display only." checked if you want to see your new, custom profiles.

* While the new profile for my laptop screen made a DRASTIC difference in the look of the rest of the system, Aperture seem to adjust much less. This is probably due to the associated RAW processor accounting for display settings when throwing up previews. That being said, I noticed a much larger shift when working with flattened or RAW images in Photoshop. Lesson learned: when using Mac OS, Aperture does a much better job account for display aging/profile shift.

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I don't know what some of these reviews are saying... I just received mine today and it works great! I do also have the huey, and that works ok, but the Spyder3 does a much better job and the colors look more vibrant and photos look the way you want them to when you print them.

Also I have a new iMac with a CRT on the side so i have two monitors. They are both easy to calibrate with the new updated software on the website.

Go ahead and splurge.....!!!!!!

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Product worked great. I can't believe the difference. The lack of documentation was somewhat annoying though. Also I would advise to download the updated setup program from their website instead of using the one on the provided disk.

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I researched up and down this product the Spyer 3 Pro and iOne Display and after reading endless comparisons detailing the pros and cons, I chose the Spyer3Pro. I read EVERYTHING for three weeks. It seemed to me that the big difference was the help and the easy easy walk thru that you get with teh Spyder, where I heard that the iOne display really comes with nothing to help you out or help you make your choices as you go. I really wanted that help. It was so easy to use and it brought my Imac 20" monitor right in balance, even though it hadn't been out so far.These mac monitors can be really really bright, so right befor ethe adjustment, I drop my brightness down to a little below half way and then begin the calibration. Remember to turn off all screen savers that might pop on and to do it in a dark room without the lights on. I am very very pleased. I did not experience any of the greenish hue that some users did.I have heard of that but read that support will help you and that you would do a reinstall or they would link you with the latest version of updates. Mostly I heard it happening on ibooks. This seems rare from what I read.

I just did a print job with a Giclee printer online and I had the ICC # for the paper he was using to print my work. When I proofed that profile in PS it was EXACTLY what I got from them a week later and exact match. all I needed was to know what color space to save my artwork in, and know what ICC profile to proof against and I was all set. The printer I used also had recommended the Spyder Pro or the Elite and said they liked how consistent and easy it was and they had switched from using the iOne display a while back. No regrets! You will get a good calibration ay a fair price with a details help menu and support. The support I contacted a day before calibration, sent me the latest install software for mac OSX.6.4. I just installed the one from the box, then went online to the link the support sent me, entered my serial number and added the most recent install software to my HD. EASY! A good buy! Better more accurate color without a doubt.

NIX Pro Series 12" Digital Frame with Motion Detection Sensor

This is my first digital photo frame. I just received it today and was playing around with it. Let me talk about the good parts first. The screen measures 12" diagonally so it is nice and big. The lightup side touch buttons are good looking and gets activated with a light touch. The motion sensor is an added bonus feature. Its brightness and contrast are adjustable. Here're what's great about this frame:

The quality of the photos displayed directly from the SD card / USB drive are fantastic. The color of the photos are quite accurate as well.

The borders do not take up too much space like other photo frames do. This is one of the reasons I purchased it. It is a full 12" diagonal frame.

Stylish glossy finish will look great in your room/office.

There's a clock and a calendar. I don't think they are mentioned in the product description. These are definitely bonuses.

Motion sensor great feature so you don't have to leave it running all night.

The credit card sized remote control will help you navigate the menu faster and give you access to the most common features quickly. You do not want to lose it.

The frame itself is well-built, definitely not cheap material. (The stand is a different matter, however, read below).

Here're some major annoyances that need to be fixed:

The frame does not remember the last photo viewed after it's been turned off. So the next time you turn the frame on, it will start all over again with the first photo in the queue. Because I have shuffle OFF, I have to dig through all the folders to find that last photo viewed. I have dozens of folders created and thousands of photos on the SD card. As you can imagine, this is a big hassle. The frame should remember the last file viewed. If it doesn't exist, then the frame should pick up from the last folder viewed. And if that doesn't exist, then we start from the very first folder, alphabetically. To me, this is a major annoyance. I want to view the photos chronologically. It's impossible with this frame. This should be the most basic functionality.

The folders I so painstakingly sorted and created on the SD card get scrambled when viewed in the unit. For example, I have folders set up like /2001.01.02 LA, /2003.04.01-12 Europe Trip, /2007.01.01 Canada, etc. When I first turn it on, it will start from the folder "2007.0.01 Canada". It should look at the folders by name in ascending order and start from "/2001.01.02 LA". This frame seems to have a mind of its own and decides to sort the folders its own way. Not good.

Images less than 800x600 in resolution gets magnified to fit the whole screen. The image becomes very pixelated. If the image is smaller than the resolution of the screen, the original size should be displayed. This is a bug.

I tried to delete multiple folders from the unit, but I cannot select multiple folders for deletion using the frame's UI. Also, I can only delete the files within a folder. The folder stays undeleted. You have to hook the frame up to the computer via the mini-USB cable in order to delete the folders.

If you decide to copy the photos directly to the frame's memory, your 4:3 photos will be resized to 800x600. They will look pixelated, I can see the quality difference when compared with the same photos displayed on the frame using a plugged-in SD card. Maybe it's a good idea to add an option to the frame's firmware that will allow the user to set a resize resolution. This will give the user better control of how the final images will look.

The resize process takes a very long time, especially if you have JPG files of large sizes (> 2 MB). Also, it should give you a progress bar of the percentage completed for all files chosen, but it does not. It shows the % converted for each photo instead, it's meaningless. It's better to just buy a SD card and plug it into the frame instead of copying the files to the internal memory. I bought a 32 GB SDHC card and avoided this headache.

The rear stand and the lock seem fragile and loose. It should be tightly attached to the frame itself when it's locked, but it is not. I am afraid these pieces would break if I drop the frame by accident. Perhaps they should build them out of metal parts.

I cannot comment on the video and music features, I won't be using them.

OVERALL: This frame is stylish and the display quality is excellent. It does a good job of displaying the photos. But they absolutely need to fix the firmware/user interface in this frame. It is such a pity because the display quality is superb... I might consider returning this frame. Hopefully the company will address and correct the issues above.

Update: March 2nd, 2011

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

I received a detailed response from NIX support, there will be no firmware to correct the annoyances mentioned above because it's "more down to re-designing the chip-set" as they put it. Therefore, I have to return it. If you are perfectly okay with the flaws above, get the frame. Otherwise, get something else.

Update: March 23rd, 2011

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

I got a Samsung frame instead which addressed almost all the issues I had above, for a bit more money. Not trying to promote any other products, but you get what you pay for.

The NIX 12" Hu-Motion Digital Picture Frame is great! Briefly we purchased the NIX X08A frame earlier this this year and have found it to be trouble free. We particularly liked the auto rotate feature which allows you to view pictures in the portrait mode by simply rotating the frame 90 degrees. The only problem for my wife and I was the size of the image. We upgraded to the the 12 inch frame, the X012A but discovered that you could not view portrail mode pictures by rotating the frame. The files had to be manually rotated -This was a show stopper for us. The frame was returned for a credit. We decided to wait until a larger size frame became available with this feature. Well it now here! The frame automatically rotates pictures when placed in the portrait orientation.

The pictures are bright and vibrant and appear to "jump out at you". The ON/OFF feature works well although we do not use it on a regular basis. Setting up the time and calendar features were easy but you should read the manual before doing so. You can adjust brightness and contrast using the remote. The remote works okay but sometimes "chokes" if you push the buttons too quickly. We are using 2 GB SD memory cards with no problem. A full card does not seem to slow down the speed of the frame.

The one problem that I have not solved as yet is showing pictures in a specified order. THe NIX web site (under FAQ section) says this can be solved by numbering your files, 1001, 1002, etc. I will try this in the next few days.

All in all an excellent product and a good value. THe NIX customer service is excellent and of course the Amazon return policy is good!

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Overview

I'm happy to say my reviews and judgments of this frame started as soon as I got it out of the box. The frame came covered in nice velvet slip case and was very security boxed. All the components were individually wrapped and secured in their own compartment. This is an attention to detail you seldom see in consumer electronics.

Taking it out I removed second protective film from the face of the frame and pulled out the rear support. The design was a little unconventional, you have to line some tabs up with a slot on the back and push and turn. It required a little force, which with plastic parts is always a little scary but it soon clicked into place. The back support rotates 90 degrees and can be ratcheted to be long or short to support that frame. This allows landscape or portrait orientation at various angles with one part. Again innovative design.

Inspecting the rear of the frame there are a few plugs and ports. On the right had side we have the power switch and the card reader (SD/Multi-memory/Memory Stick). The power switch is a bit difficult to flick when reaching around from the front but that's no big deal.

The right hand side has a power indicator, the power plug, mini-USB port, Audio Out and full size USB port (to plug in a USB memory drive).

On the business end up front it s a very clean frame, no ridges or texturing. The manual controls are small white touch points along the right hand side of the frame. They are electrostatic so there is no tactile feed back or disruption of the clean lines of the frame. The only thing that breaks the surface up is the motion sensor in the lower left corner.

The unit also comes with a remote which has 32 bubble style buttons. Its messy and confusing but it is the best way to access the settings and controls. If you happen to loose the remote all functions can be access from the touchpoints on the frame without too much difficulty.

Turning the unit on gives you a NIX boot screen for a few seconds and then it will pull up your first picture. It always pulls up the same first picture (so make it good). After that it goes by file order unless you have it on random slideshow. Random seems to vary day by day. Some pictures are more "random" than others.

The unit has a image resolution of 800x600 pixels. Loading larger files doesn't help or hurt the image quality in a noticeable way or speed it up or slow it down. If you happen to copy a file into its internal memory it will automatically resize it.

Image

The image quality is pleasing. There is a minimum distance you'll want to be from it, any closer and you begin to see the pixels in long straight lines if you examine the picture closely. For me the distance is about 36 inches. You can adjust for brightness and saturation but its important to remember that this is a consumer grade photo appliance, not a professional processing tool. For the discerning viewer you will have all the issues you have with cheap, glossy oversaturated monitors. Color shifts, excess saturation by default, lack of dynamic range and other visual sins. These are not at all unique to this device, they exist in every photo frame I've ever seen. For the uncritical eye it looks sharp and colorful, better than most I've seen.

Controls

One thing that makes this unit a cut above other unit's I've used is the controls. While inadequately documented (anywhere, even on the website) they are easy enough to figure out. For best results use the remote, though the buttons on the frame are adequate for the job.

When you bring up the settings menu you have scrolling access to all the items. Video, Music, Photo, Settings, File, Clock and Calendar.

Video, Music and Photo are settings that let you select if you want to read off internal or external (card). Calendar gives you different options for displaying the calendar with or without a picture. Settings cover most of the other controls and settings including the motion detector.

Key Features

This frame has all the standard features as well as a few bonus ones.

Orientation sensor The frame knows if it is in landscape or portrait mode and automatically rotates your pictures. You have the option of shrink to fit or expand and crop for pictures that are not the 4:3 aspect ratio.

Good on frame controlsSeven touch points down the right hand side of the frame give you easy access to the menu system

Auto On/Off You can set the unit to automatically turn on/off every day.

Motion SensorThis units claim to fame. It has a motion sensor on it and you can set a timeout period. If it goes that period with no motion it shuts itself off. As soon as it detects motion it boots back up. Takes about 8 seconds and comes up with the base picture, then off to the slideshow. This feature was what made it stand out compared to others. The Lamps on LCD displays have a finite life and dim with use. This combined with Auto On/Off will extend the life of the unit (thus reducing E-waste) as well as saving electricity. I have it set up to be "On" only during working hours and if I'm away from my desk for more than a few minutes it turns itself off.

Other Features

MP3 It plays MP3's fine, just understand your talking alarm clock speaker quality. But you can set it up to play cheesy music for your slideshow. In this respect you use it as a presentation device.

Video It plays some MP4 video, just not very well. I loaded up a video formatted for an Ipod/Iphone (800pixels wide and 1 gig for a feature move). It played it, at about 1 frame every 2 seconds. It might do better with lower resolution/more highly compressed file. But playing movies is not its strong point.

2 Gigs of internal memoryThat's a lot by today's standards (2011), I'm sure in 5 years it won't be enough to blow your nose with. I keep all my photos on SD card so internal memory is no big deal.

The Cons

As much as I love the unit it's not perfect. Two annoyances I find are

VERY glossy finish. The screen has a super high glossy finish. It reflects light and other objects annoyingly well. It is also super sensitive to fingerprints. If you touch the thing it's going to leave a print. If you use the on frame controls you'll need to wipe it down afterward. Keep a cleaning rag handy.

The power transformer is attached to the plug prongs (which is common) so it fights with your cheap speakers, battery charger and other devices that want to suck up 3 slots on your power strip.

Service

I had the misfortune to find out how well their customer service worked. The first unit I took delivery off had a couple of glitches, the motion sensor didn't work properly and sometimes some of the controls would only show the green channel. I contacted NIX about the issue and their initial response was very fast (about 4 hours) and they recommended some good troubleshooting steps but it was ultimately a flawed unit (they said they'd check with the engineers and never got back to me). I returned it for another and the second works fine.

I think it's important to understand that with cheap consumer electronics stuff like this is the rule not the exception. As long as low price is the primary criteria consumers use to make their purchases quality is going to suffer. But few of us are willing to pay 50-100% more for the same thing to get a quality unit that will stand the test of time when something newer/faster/better and cheaper will be out next year. This is the reality of the current market, failures will happen so be sure to purchase from a place that has a good return policy. You may pay a few bucks more but it's worth the time/stress and frustration if you get the lemon (and eventually you will).

Conclusion-

I love it, it does almost everything I want it to do and does it well. It lets you enjoy your photos in a whole new way with increased value and reduced operating costs that are unique in this type of product. I highly recommend it.

Read Best Reviews of NIX Pro Series 12" Digital Frame with Motion Detection Sensor Here

Just received the latest greatest version of the Nix 12" HU-Motion digital picture frame. All works well and pretty decent images except the function where you can play your images with background music. Checked and double checked to make sure I did everything correctly and still no music WITH images. You can get music without images though, why you would want to I dont know. Anyway I have put in an email request for technical support and am waiting to hear back. At their website they brag about 24 hour return support. So I will wait and see and update this review as soon as I hear back. Over and out. UPDATE: KUDOS TO NIX FOR RESPONDING IN UNDER 24 HOURS WITH A DOWNLOADABLE FILE TO CORRECT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC ISSUE. NOT SURE IF YOU WILL NEED TO GET THE DOWNLOAD ON NEW UNITS BEING SHIPPED OR IF THEY WILL BE FIXED BEFORE LEAVING THE FACTORY BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES HAVE A DOWNLOAD TO CORRECT IT, SO I WOULDN'T HESITATE TO BUY THIS FRAME AGAIN, ALL ELSE WORKED WELL ON THIS UNIT.

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This is a nice frame but as of today 1/31/11 NIX has *confirmed* (after numerous e-mails back and forth to me) that there is bug that prevents the timer from turning the unit on by itself each day. It will turn on by itself exactly once the next day and never do it again.

If you use a different method of activating it then you don't need to read further but I am used to my frames actually turning on each day otherwise they get little use. The motion detector worked but in a home setting was problematic. Either turned on every time someone went by or it had to be in an area that made you approach it and that's not much better than just clicking a remote.

Everything else worked fine. The colors don't "pop" like my Viewsonic 10 inch and the resolution isn't particularly sharp as 1068 is spread over 12 inches (the Viewsonic is also 1068 but in a 10" frame so of course it's sharper). The whites are more yellow or tan... think very "warm" video setting. No way to adjust color temp or hue either.

Still after a while I realized this isn't automatically a bad thing as it made skin tones more natural. Some of your pics will look more drab but others look very natural. Not as over-saturated and harsh as some frames.

But it won't turn itself on everyday like virtually every other brand does. I suspected it was a software glitch as everything else was fine.

I was frankly amazed when dealing with their support. They didn't say mine was defective or know *anything* about the issue. Turns out every unit they have sold has this issue as they never bothered to actually set up a few at the office and see if they performed correctly... I told them (politely) that I expected BETTER testing from a British firm... not worse (or non-existent in this case).

Blew my mind when they verified the bug and that they never tested it.

They claim they will make a firmware fix "in the next 3 weeks"... because their guys "are working on other projects". I felt like telling them maybe they should concentrate on fixing the products they have already sold... but what the heck.

Anyways with this track record of non-testing I am returning mine. Amazon makes it easy and if they ever DO fix it so it turns on (like *every* other frame out there) then I may pick up one again.

Hope this helps somebody.

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XShot 2.0 37" Compact Camera Extender Handheld Monopod with Cleaning Kit + Accessory Kit

This little extender is awesome. I bought it for my GoPro and it allows you to get the sickest angles. Lets start a revolution with this little device. Take it from me, this is 100% the coolest way to video or take pictures with a mountable camera

Nikon COOLPIX L25 Silver

I've used a Nikon Coolpix for years now. When they get old, I get the same, only a newer model. This one seems to be just as good, or better. I really like the zoom feature, much easier to use, for me. Shipping was great, the whole transactions was!

Sorry, my mistake. I purchased the XP50, which is waterproof, not the L25. I havent figured out how to get the original (wrong) review off..

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JVC GR D 275US Camcorder 680 Kpix optical zoom 25 x Mini DV

PROS: Color viewfinder, good resolution, light-weight, easy to handle (at least for small-handed people like myself), nice look, automatic white balance on auto setting, excellent zoom, great selection of accessories, manual is easy to understand, more pros than cons.

CONS: No headphone or mic jacks, slightly annoying motor noise, battery level measured by 10's only (i.e. 40 m, 50 m, etc.).

In short, an excellent starter camera, but may not be fantastic for more experienced filmmakers.

Be sure to take extra batteries and tapes (I recommend TDK for the tapes), as well as a cleaning cassette, with you when you go to shoot.

I purchased this for my 7 yr old.. She has not seen her father except in pictures so she has no clue to his mannerisms or his voice. I have video tapes that we took of her when she was an infant and her Dad is in the videos. She has hit the age where she wants to know about him. I had no idea how to show her these videos.. my camcorder broke yrs ago so I was stuck. I found this one and thank God it's the same kind I had when she was a baby but with more features.. my family thinks I am nuts for not getting digital but there is a reason and if my daughter can have some answers to questions that I can't answer without ill feelings toward her Dad, then what kind of a parent am I? She can still have the little girl vision that he is a good man and he loved her and that's all that matters.. BY THE WAY.. The camera works amazing and I am so pleased with it.. Thank you

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This is a great little digital video camera. I've owned one for three years now and I've videotaped two festivals, a series of psychology interviews for a research study, and presentations at academic conferences. It's easy to use -it has a nice clear LCD monitor and an intuitive interface, and the instruction book was actually helpful! The video is excellent in quality and looks very professional if shot with a steady hand or a tripod. It uses digital tapes (MiniDV tapes) (I always thought this was kind of an oxymoron, "digital tapes") -this has pros and cons because they record high quality digital data but do so onto tapes so they have to be rewound and fast forwarded and must be played back (at 2x speed) in order to copy the data onto a computer. Also, the built-in still camera takes poor quality photos. Otherwise, this is a great basicto intermediate-level video camera that just about anyone can use to shoot fairly high-quality home videos. If you're looking to shoot a feature film, this camera probably won't cut it. But for home videos, research, and documenting community events, it works great!

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This camera is an OK camera as far as features go. But like the other reviewer stated, there is no external mic input which is a big down side. The auto stablizer sucks so I was forced to buy a tripod for any kind of shooting I do.

JVC customer service is horrible! My camera broke after only 3 hours of using it. Seems that there is some sort of tracking issue during playback. I asked if they could fax over a copy of the proof of warranty for repair being that it's only 8 months old and I was told they couldn't do that because "It's on another system"??? WTF does that mean???

Don't buy this camcorder or any JVC camcorder.

I'm only giving it 2 stars because its a decent price but youre better off with a canon or sony.

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