Nikon D5200 Digital SLR Camera Body (Black) with 18-300mm VR Zoom Lens + 32GB Card + Case + Battery

This is what I want, a 18 300mm Zoom Lens. No more carry two lens. Just ordered too earlier, The price dropped too fast. $280 is not a small amount.

It is cheaper to get this kit with the 18-300 lens and getting the 18-55mm lens separately if you need it, although you end up with a few things you probably don't need. The tripod is heavy but it could be useful if you just use it at home or somewhere and you don't have to carry it.

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Optoma PK201, VGA, 20 LED Lumens, Pico Pocket Projector

I'm in the tech field and I've been waiting for the pico projectors to come down in price. I just never expected one of this quality and feature set to sell for under $300.00. I've looked at the 3M ones and some of the others but none come close to this 20 lumens switch blade of a Pico projector. I got mine about 3 weeks ago and I've been using it constantly. Everyone who see's it is like "I'm so getting one of these". I like the fact that it came bundled with the cables required to connect your laptop. With other units this was extra as well as a case. I purchased the IPOD connector kit so I could hook up my Iphone. It looks awesome with video coming from my Iphone. Please note that the extra battery in the Ipod/Iphone connector kit is for the PK101/102 projectors and will not fit in the PK201. So bascially I'll ebay that battery. The Arcsoft media software I'm not so happy about. I tried converting a video to the PK201 profile settings in Arcsoft only to have it not work on the unit. If I convert the same file utilizing Arcsoft's PK101 profile (lower video bit rate) then the file will play on the PK201. I have a support case open with them about but its really an Arcsoft issue. I've worked around that anyway by utilzing other software to do the job. Long story short is that I've done a lot of research regarding the Pico Projectors, this is by far the best due to its brightness, input capabilities, resolution, and ability to play content on its own (built in media player). Those are some of the most important things to me when I was looking for a Pico Projector. Did I also mention it utilizes Micro SD so I you can have up to 16gb of storage. It's great just taking this unit out without having to hookup any wires and play a movie or project a powerpoint. I've never written a review before and I hope this helps you in selecting a Pico Proejctor.

Cheers

This little projector is a joy in the dark.

The ability to throw in a SD card and let it play is genius. It will even pick a piece of music off the card to play with your picture slide show.

Unfortunately, it is not bright enough to use in any but the darkest rooms. If you intend to use this on the road where you might not get a completely dark room, or you need to use it along with written materials, then this projector is not for you.

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Had the PK201 for about 3 weeks now. 4 1/2 stars. The brightness has much improved. I love that I can now connect just about anything to the PK201. Hopefully the rest of the cables/adapter will be available soon. Battery life is poor, at about an hour. But I mostly keep this plugged in all the time. I wish the screen was just a little bit bigger. 70" easy with good clarity. The focus wheel is much better, not loose like previous models. Great for travel and hotel rooms. Even with some light ambient lighting you can see the picture fine. Best with complete darkness.

**** Update **** After a lot of use I've noticed a few things when compared to other PK models. First the projection screen on the 201 has a smaller footprint on the wall. I'm unable to get the entire screen to focus. Areas remain blurry no matter what. 101 had better focus. Get the PK301, really impressed with that model. Bought one myself.

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1. VGA output from connection to portable laptop: Adequate due to focusing problems, i.e. unfocused image across the breadth of the projection which comes from a distance of approximately 12' in this case. Furthermore, focusing the image adequately with the focusing wheel is somewhat difficult. However, if the operator fiddles long enough with the focus, one can generally see a clear image over MOST of the projection if the projection is nearly perpendicular to the wall with minimal skew. Although 12' is outside the range suggested by the manufacturer, the Optoma PK201 has focusing problems even at shorter distances, e.g. 9'. The HDMI capability begs a user to connect the PK201 to a computer and project the desktop onto a wall as a replacement for a large screen TV. Currently, the latter process doesn't work well because not all quadrants of the projected image are in focus at the same time. Personally, I'd love to use this capability with my speech recognition system while browsing the InterNet, but a projected desktop consisting of text is very difficult to read. In order to read the fuzzier text, heavy use of the web browser's zoom capability is required which causes other problems. Optoma, you blew it here and I fully expect your next generation of micro projectors to precisely focus all quadrants of the projected image simultaneously. I won't be as forgiving if this problem reoccurs in succeeding generations. No excuses.

2. Thermal: A purchaser wouldn't want a micro projector producing greater heat. Personally, excessive heat might be playing a role in the focusing problems. With the current design, 20 lumens is about maximum for micro projectors using LED DLP (currently) and passive cooling. Employing laser diodes instead of LEDs is an option for micro projectors, but I'm unsure which option has the greatest luminosity per unit of thermal output.

3. Luminosity: The projector is barely acceptable at 20 lumens. Unless one restricts the usage of their micro projector to nighttime hours, don't buy a micro projector with a rated output less than 20 lumens. The projection from the PK201 can be seen in a room with some INDIRECT exterior light so the brightness is acceptable.

4. Battery life: Marginal at best. Buy another battery as a spare. You'll need it.

5. The power switch is too small.

6. One can replace the included conversion software with Handbrake if the user is willing to fiddle with the settings. Personally, I use AVIDemux 2 to convert video for the PK201, but Handbrake will work as well. Thanks to legondaree on the Handbrake forums for these selections for use with Handbrake:

a. Select the "iPhone & iPod Touch" preset.

b. Set output format to "MP4 file"

c. Set Video\Video codec to "H.264(x264)"

d. Set Video\Quality to "Average bitrate(kbps): 1500"

e. Set Advanced\B-Frames to "0"

f. Disable Advanced\CABAC Entropy Coding

g. Set Advanced\Motion Estimation Method to "Uneven Multi_Hexagon"

h. In "Picture Settings", select a maximum width of 720 and height of 480 and set Anamorphic to "None"

Although, I initially thought about returning the PK201 due to the difficulty in focusing and the minimal life of the battery, I've decided to keep it as one can get a readable image across MOST of the screen if the aforementioned precautions are followed and one can always purchase an additional battery. The PK201 is a good micro projector and worth $300, but the difficulty in focusing and the minimal life of the battery detract from its usefulness. Remember, technology will continually advance these micro projectors so one has to weigh various factors before deciding to purchase. Personally, I don't think either the PK201 or PK301 are mature enough yet although they are close. The next generation of these micro projectors will probably see much wider adoption of these devices. I suspect 30+ tested lumens will probably be the minimum output and at least 90 minutes of battery life before these devices see wide acceptance.

In conclusion, the PK201 will work nicely for displaying pictures and video as a slightly out of focus condition won't generally be noticeable in parts of the image. Furthermore, if the PK201 is used primarily in a room with INDIRECT light, e.g. ALL shades pulled during daylight hours, or at night, the brightness of the projected image is adequate. The PK201 can also be used to display text, but slightly out of focus text can be maddening after awhile. Personally, I'm able to use the PK201 to project my desktop while browsing the InterNet with my speech recognition system IF I heavily zoom my web browser to enlarge the text and precisely fiddle with the focus wheel. The latter can be done with some difficulty and the text is largely readable so all isn't lost. I've decided to bump my overall rating from 3 to 4. The PK201 is so close to meeting the requirements for many applications and it's a very good buy if the intended use is primarily for viewing pictures or watching video.

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I was so excited when finally my PK201 arrived. I read the manuals before actually used it, charged it, connected to my laptop and watched one 20-min tv series. At the end of the series, I realized that white spots started to appear at the bottom of my screen.

Now these white spots have multiplied and black spots are also appearing and multiplying themselves. All in a span of 1 hour since my first usage!!!

I wouldve loved this projector because it's what I thought it would be, it was bright enough for my room. But a huge turnoff on the white spots. :(

If anyone knows how to remove these, please let me know. I am from Singapore and would be a big hassle to return it and ask for replacement.

JVC Everio GZMG37 30GB HDD Digital Media Camcorder with 32x Optical Zoom

At $700 this camera was not a good buy for $500-$550, not too bad.

The biggest complaint people seem to have is with the video quality and while I agree it's not as good as a top quality miniDV or some of the more expensive HD models JVC also produce, it's not nearly as bad as they're making out (or they've somehow managed to buy a whole bunch of bad cameras).

I've recorded movies both indoors and out neither have been particularly poor, and I would place it's top quality setting somewhere around that of a VHS tape. I got none of the artifacts or corruption people have complained about, the quality is a bit fuzzy, but on the whole perfectly acceptable for creating family movies or sending scaled down mpgs via email.

The format it records in is NOT proprietory as some people claim. It records in mpeg 2 format, but unfortunately due to the proprietory software that comes with the camera all the clips have a .mod instead of a .mpg file extension.

No drivers or software are needed just attach to your PC, then access the HD as if it were a USB thumbdrive. After you've copied the data, you can rename the files to .mpg if you wish, this will make them instantly available to any movie playback program, including Media Player.

Editing in Windows Movie Maker however is not possible, as this softare isn't able to handle mpgs it doesn't create with it's own proprietory codec but all versions of Premier or other decent video editing programs work fine.

If you want top quality, don't buy an HD video camera stick with miniDV or spend big bucks on High Definition. If you don't mind a little bit of fuzziness around the edges, then any of these cheaper HD cameras work great.

I've head that the more expensive versions of this camera have higher resolution recording as well as better handling of colour/light/etc. If this is true then you might want to ask a sales rep to do a recording and transfer it to a large screen PC to see if that works better for you. Any salesman worth his salt will do this test for you, after all $500+ is a lot of money, and if they truly want the sale they'll show you how good or bad the camera really is.

This videocam turned out to be a great and expensive disappointment. I spent some time searching through the menus for the right settings--surely something wasn't set properly. I studied the manual until it dawned on me that the settings were not actually misconfigured -that the image quality truly is horrendous.

Even at the highest resolution, there are more compression artifacts than picture. This is especially visible in freeze-frame mode. The contrast is very poor, and the colors look hideous. In Ultra-fine mode (the best mode) the images look like a cheap CMOS webcam. Don't believe the hype that claims "DVD-quality movies". For such an expensive camera I was expecting something much better than this. I'm returning it. This product is not ready for prime-time. I've got an ancient mini-DV Sony DCR-PC100 that has much better picture quality. Also, the battery life on the GZMG37 is very short.

On the positive side, it is quite light-weight and there is no videotape to mess around with. If only one did not have to sacrifice image quality completely for that convenience. Overall, this unit does not live up to its promise.

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The only advantage this camcorder has it size/media. That is it.

While it has a 30gb HDD, which is certainly very convienent, the highest quality setting uses half of the bitrate of what a minidv would use. In addition, the artifacting is multiplied in lowlight conditions.

You can use a USB cable to transfer the videos to your computer, to edit them.. but you have to use their software, or you will lose the audio. (What is wrong with just using MPG files?)

Bottom line is:

It's quite obvious that a HDD in a Camcorder is the way to go. But not until the video quality is comparable to what is out there now.

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I was waiting for the second generation to come out, hoping there would of been some improvments from the first generation hard disk camcorders.

The good: looks and feels reel good. Easy to use, LOTS of room with the 30 gig drive. 32x zoom.

The Bad: LOUSY low light! Maybe I'm spoiled. My first mini-dv camcorder was a JVC-GR-DVM70 that is now 7 years old. Compared to that camera, the GZMG37 is bad in low light. The other thing I was disapointed in is that the movie is NOT recored as MPEG2, but a .MOD file extention. SHAME ON YOU JVC for creating your own file extention and not using a standard MPEG file. If you search you'll find programs that will convert it to the standard mpeg.

Bottom line...This camcorder is great except for low light recording. After looking at several other camcorder reviews that seems to be the biggest issue out there.

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I returned this camera to Best Buy and gladly paid the %15 restocking fee. This is the biggest waste of money I can imagine. There is no documentation on how to convert to PC for editing and the video quality is terrible. Don't waste your money. I can't believe they charge $700+ for this thing!

Polaroid PDC-3030 3.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Digital Zoom

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS CAMERA OFF EBAY FOR $24.99 W/FREE SHIPPING....CANT BEAT THE PRICE ONE BIT....

THIS IS MY FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA WITH AN LCD SCREEN....

I HAVE TO SAY THAT I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH THIS ITEM....IT IS SMALL, COMPACT, EASY TO HOLD AND CARRY....IT FUNCTIONS PERFECT....I WAS EXPECTING IT TO NOT WORK SINCE THE LOW PRICE ON EBAY....IT CAME WITH EVERYTHING THAT COMES IN A BOX (EXCEPT BATTERIES)....

THE LCD SCREEN IS SMALL, BUT IT SHOWS WHAT IS NEEDED TO SEE....AUTO LIGHT FOCUS WHEN OUTSIDE....YOU TURN THE CAMERA ON IN THE SUN AND YOU CAN SEE IT FIX LIGHT IN THE LCD....

AS FAR AS THE BEEPING GOES, ITS NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE THINKS IT IS....IT ACTUALLY HELPS....THE BATTERIES ARE A DIFFERENT STORY....IT DOES SUCK UP ALOT OF BATTERY USE EVEN WITH THE FLASH NOT IN USE....I RECOMMEND USING RECHARGABLE BATTERIES....

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS CAMERA, EMAIL ME AND I WILL TRY TO HELP YOU....I HOPE THIS HELPS ANYONE WHO READS THIS....THANK YOU....

I was looking for an inexpensive digital camera for my kids (4 and 2) to use, since they kept borrowing mine! When this camera arrived, I was eagerly awaiting its use.

However, after testing it, even for my kids, I decided to return it. This camera is the same age as my own digital camera (2004), yet my Sony is more user-friendly and less clunky than this one was. I know ... it was meant for my kids, and would they know the difference?! Well ... I still wanted to make sure that it was user-friendly.

The other main issue was that downloading was a challenge. There was no USB. Additional cords were included, and that was the final nail in the coffin. If I couldn't use the USB from my existing camera on this Polaroid, then I wasn't going to be bothered with attaching additional cords.

Sadly, I returned it. It was also too much money (over $40.00) for an older model camera

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Sony Alpha SLT-A58 Translucent Mirror Technology Digital SLR Camera Body & 18-55mm Lens with 55

Just received my first DSLR and very pleased with it. I was so surprised that it has auto focus and is a great transition from my point and shoot cameras. This is the 4th Sony camera I have owned and so I'm somewhat biased, but know that my pics are always the best when compared to others. Great camera!

I have been taking photos for the last 15 years of family and friend evens. I wanted a more professional look but didn't want to break the bank. I love this camera and I am glad I spent the money on it! I have never made purchases online and was happy that the process was quick and easy.

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EzFoto 11-Inch Articulating Magic Arm for mounting HDMI Monitor LED lights, with 15mm rod clamp

I really shouldn't be going into much detail about this arm but I feel there are a few important details one should know before purchasing this particular one. Hopefully it will save someone the frustration.

Just the articulating arm part itself works pretty well. Nice solid, sturdy construction and a convenient single knob control of all the joints is the only reason I even gave it 2 maybe 2.5 stars.

However, the 2 attachment adapters are lousy and do not work very well, if at all.

The 15mm rod rail attachment adapter does not clamp tightly. Once you attach the arm and put any mount of weight on it (like a field monitor or light or audio or whatever) the clamp will move around the rod and slowly fall. You have to constantly move it back into position. And then it will slowly shift and fall again once you touch whatever is attached to it.

You might just think to tighten the heck out of the knob; but you'd have to use a pair of pliers to get enough leverage to do so and if you did, the cheap plastic knob it is made of, is guaranteed to break! It may be fine to hold something small and light sitting on top of it but it is definitely not designed to clamp the weight of an arm sticking out and holding another piece of equipment. For me: useless part.

The worst is the adapter attachment for a hotshoe mount. It is poorly manufactured. The first one I got was defective, The screw down knob was tapped at an angle and could not be tightened down to a hotshoe mount because of its angle. And it would wobble back and forth when mounted.

I notified the seller and they promptly sent a replacement adapter part. The new part was also defective. It was much straighter but would not screw down all the way due to the way the threads were molded. I even tried using metalsmith tools to carve it out but still would not screw down completely. It would just get stuck.

I gave up. Fortunately, I also purchased a Marshall monitor hotshoe ball mount for $10 (excellent quality, btw). I threaded the arm onto it and they work pretty well together.

As for the 15mm rail attachment, I will have to modify it somehow. Or buy a separate one.

Overall, the arm works pretty well and very solid. Unfortunately, the 2 mounting adapters must be made by a separate manufacturer and do not work: Making the arm pretty useless if you can't securely attach it to anything.

If you have / or are willing to buy better attachment adapters with a 1/4" 20 thread for whatever you are going to attach, then this arm will work well.

Or you can just gamble and hope for the best.

The arm itself seems fine, and tightens to create a rather sturdy mount for 7" monitor or audio adapter box. However, the rod mount is junk. It says it's supposed to fit 15mm rods, and it might work if your 15mm rods were actually 16mm rods. I couldn't get it tight at all and ended up stripping the adjustment knob less than 5 minutes out of the box. I have been able to attach the arm to my rig's cheeseplate with no problem, though. If you can get past the idea of the rod adapter actually working, you may be pleased with this purchase.

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I just got this in the mail for the intended use as a monitor arm. It seems sturdy enough for the job but the adjustments aren't the most fluid. I shouldn't expect so much from a 30$ arm I suppose. I will most likely use this for my light panel which isn't as heavy or expensive. As with anything, you get what you pay for.

Note worthy: the knob on the 15mm adapter is made of plastic as well as the main tightening knob on the arm itself. (had I known this I wouldn't have purchased)

On the other hand the shipping was very fast and it seems to hold a good deal of weight relative to its size. I'm just worried that it won't hold up.

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It is an artefact need for mounting lights and it not complicated to be attached into the rig. I'm satisfied.

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Like others have said, this it perfect if you don't need to connect it to a 15mm rod. If you need it for the rod, get a double rod block and attach it to that.

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Sunnytech 1.5FT(0.5m) HDMI/Male to DVI-D/Male Cable, 5 Year Warranty

This Cable is just what I needed, the right size because I have a mini PC with a VESA mount in a monitor and it just fit in very well

I have been frustrated by the lack of shorter cables in brick and mortar stores, but am quite impressed and thankful for this cable. It is exactly what I needed.

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Sony TX Series DSC-TX9/H 12.2MP Digital Still Camera with "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor and 3D Sweep Panora

I've only had this camera for a few hours, but I had to rush to give an initial impression. In one word, WOW! For a compact point and shoot, Sony has the market leader. First the photos.... Very good. For a point and shoot camera, I can say that the photo quality is as good as most of my previous canon point and shoot cameras. The photos have good color saturation and clarity and focus, and there is little shutter lag. Now video...... AMAZING. This little camera has as good video quality as my Sony CX-12 AVCHD video camera. The video is sharp, clear and the sound is excellent. The difference is this finally combines a decent camera with excellent video capability. Another great feature is the wide angle lens, it gets the whole shot it without needing to back up. I was unlikely to tote my video camera on every trip, but now I don't have to be concerned about pocketability. The only downside is that because of the small form factor, camera shake can be an issue. The OIS steadyshot is good, but could be better. Also, you cannot make changes to settings while shooting, such as increasing the exposure, you have to stop shooting and then make the change. Overall, those are small prices to pay for such a compact camera that I can take anywhere and play videos on my 55" LCD that are jawdroppingly good.

For comparison:

I am currently using a Panasonic ZS3, which had average photos but very good video. To me it can't compete with the Sony. The Sony has better photos and much crisper video (both use AVCHD, although the Panasonic uses AVCHD lite). I recently bought and returned the Canon SD4500IS. I went back and compared photos between the canon and the Sony. Both are close, but the edge goes to canon for clarity (although the Sony does handle white balance better in the auto setting). Where the Canon failed was in the Video: No wide angle lense, and the quality was below that of the Panasonic ZS3, very grainy and fuzzy.

UPDATE

After playing with this camera for about 8 hours I am quite impressed with the image quality from photos and the video remains stellar. In comparing to the Sony WX5 (which I also have at the moment) the video is slightly softer, but the TX9 handles camera shake better, picks up sound more accurately with the mic on the front rather than the top, and does not have zooming noise from the lens moving while shooting video. Taking photos, this thing blows away my Panasonic ZS3: Photos are constantly clear and vivid and the white balance is spot on. Shooting outdoors or in a room with adequate light, the shot to shot times are excellent. The only downside I see to this camera is the shot to shot times when using the flash. It takes at least 3-4 seconds to take another picture with a flash, due to the charge cycle on the flash. It also seems to take the camera a bit longer to process the image after a flash, so that adds time. I will say the photo quality with the flash is astonishingly good. When using the ZS3, it was hit or miss on flash photos (either white balance was off or the photo was overexposed), with the TX9, just about every flash photo looks great. Overall, this is a great camera that takes excellent video and photos. I forgot to mention one great feature is the intelligent auto which picks the scene automatically for each shot, so far every picture I have taken (which is close to 400) has been very accurate with little post processing required.

UPDATE 2

Took the TX9 on a trip to Disney and it performed without flaw. Took close to 700 pictures and a little over an hour of video. Of all of the pictures that were taken, I'd say maybe 2 dozen would have been tossed, the rest turned out very nice with excellent color, sharpness and saturation. The video taken on 17M FH setting are stunning. I have no need for my Sony CX12 video camera anymore since this camera is ultra portable. One reviewer noted a significant fisheye effect because of the wide angle lense. I will say if you look for it you may see a slight effect, but I have not seen it very often.

I used the TX9 on my Cabo vacation and it is hands down the best camera I have ever owned. It's panoramic pics are breathtaking and the 1080i video is eye poppingly good.

But the TX7 is very similar, the main 2 differences are 1. that the TX9 has an extra 3D mode which is gimmicky, it looks like crap and so I don't use it and 2. The sensor is 1/2.4 instead of 1/2.3 which translates to virtually no difference in quality (yes there are more pixels). Save yourself the $100 and get the TX7.

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The TX9 comes with no memory card, but it does accept SDHC cards formatted to FAT32. With the 32GB card it the camera predicts that I can take around 6000 photos in 12M Pixels.

The touchscreen is not bad looking, it is reflective like the Ipod screen which makes image looks clear but at the same time it is also more prone to glare. The touch screen is resistive, not as responsive as the capacitive screen we are used to with the iDevices. This is conform by the fact that it came with a slim plastic dog tag looking contraption with a pointy end. My girlfriend ask what it was, we were puzzled until I went to read the manual... apparently it is a stylus. Only resistive screen can use random plastic object as stylus.

Besides the camera, the package came with a small docking station and a battery charger. This is a nice touch apart from the fact that is doesn't come will all the accessories for the docking station to fully function. It needs a separate AC adapter with Sony's own proprietary plugs which cost no less than $39.99 from Sony's website. Model AC-LS5, I included this, because I personally had a hard time finding this oddball adapter. The docking station has a HDMI and a AV connector, the package only comes with the RCA cable, so again you need to buy your own HDMI cable. I ordered the Amazon Basic ones, since Best Buy loves to insanely overprice these HDMI cable after Circuit City disappeared. With the HDMI cable, the TV out function is very nice. The picture displayed on the screen is amaziningly sharp and clear in 1080i HD and you won't need to bring a computer to show your photos to your friends on HD Television. On the down side you will not be able to recharge your camera on the docking station if you don't buy their AC adapter. Personally I find this really inconvenient. Update: I purchased the adapter, and it does not seem to recharge the camera's battery.

The basic modes of Photo on the Tx9 is Intelligent Auto Adjustment and Superior Auto Adjustment. The Intelligent Auto adjustment is the classic point and click and forget mode, the new superior mode take multiple photos at once then process it to improve picture quality. This does create noticeable clarity, but it needs around 5 second delay after each photo for processing. So this is not so useful if you have impatient friends that wants you to snap quickly.

There are only a few buttoms on the camera, as most of the controls can be done on the touchscreen, the physical buttoms are there for fast access. Photo Mode, Video mode, Shutter, power, zoom and thats it. There are some primitive editing tools on the camera but they seem way too simple to be useful on a small resistive screen. It is more of a gimmick.

There are 2 3D modes, the sweep panorama 3D photo which requires you to have a 3D TV to view and the Sweep multi Angle Mode which appears to changes prespective on the screen when you tilt the camera, similar to a holographic sticker. Since it depends on you to accurately perform the sweeping motion to get good photos, most of the time the 3D photo don't look correct. I also did not find a way to view the Multi Angle Mode photos outside of the camera.

The photos are automatically organized onto a calender very similar to the way Nintendo DS does it. I found this to be a nice feature. The include photo software for the PC was not so useful, it decided to scan all the photo's from my other drives on the computer instead of just the camera, which made a mess of things.

All the previous function are there, iSweep panorama,auto shutter on smiley face, etc, but unlike the TX5, the TX9 is not waterproof. I found it funny that Sony would called their trademark feature "iSweep" panorama. Without knowing the facts, if you have to guess which device the feature "iSweep" came from, Apple or Sony, which would you guess?

All in all the strongest Pro on this camera is the point and click photo quality. It can do 1080 HD movies, but it's not the best of quality, however it is very good for it's compact size (The sound seems to be too loud when recording movies). On the down side, it doesn't include everything you want right out of the box, it only includes what you need, (minus the memory card) and buying Sony proprietary accessories isn't cheap.

Update:

I don't have a 3DTV but I found a zero cost alternative for viewing the 3D pictures on your computer, at least for novelty purpose. Is the use of Nvidia 3d Vision. You just need a blue and red anaglyph glasses (came free with a one of the issues of maxim) and Nvidia 3D translate the photos for you into 3D. Note that at the time of writing, this does yet work the Nvidia release drivers, it only works with the Beta video drivers, which probably would've already been released by the time people read this.

Even if you were going for the more expensive 3d option from Nvidia (with 3D vision kit kit + 120hz monitor) it is still marginally cheaper than buying a 3DTV, plus it has the added option of playing games in 3D. But the main attraction for me was being able to view the 3D photos from the TX9 at almost zero cost, as long as you already have a PC computer with a nvidia gfx card.

Read Best Reviews of Sony TX Series DSC-TX9/H 12.2MP Digital Still Camera with "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor and 3D Sweep Panora Here

This camera has turned me into a total geek after just a few days of use. My friends and family are tired of me showing them pictures and talking about my new camera. I am not one to easily fall in love with a product, but I'm in deep lust with the TX9 so far.

The camera functionality is a little confusing at first because there are so many options, but then I came to realize that if I just leave in the automatic it does a great job on its own selecting the best mode for the shot. Plus after just a few minutes of really playing with it, the functionality and features started to become very intuitive and make a lot more sense (e.g. switching from playback to camera to video with just one button).

It's been 5 years since my last digital camera purchase, so perhaps some of the features/results I'm wowed by are now pretty common place, but to me they still are amazing. The most obvious difference from my old camera to my new is the ability to capture action shots. Please look at the shots I uploaded to the product gallery (canon fire and girl jumping into pool) to see how the camera allows you to make good-quality still images from the full 1080 HD video and high-quality images in 'burst' mode. Those two features alone make me happy I bought this camera. I never was able to capture such action before.

The regular photo mode is fool-proof. Just point and click and 90% of the time your image quality is going to be top-notch no matter the lighting or scene. You do have the option to select certain modes like "beach" or "twilight" but I haven't seen a noticeable difference from the automatic mode. There's even and underwater mode which I haven't a clue how that's useful. One problem I had initially is that my finger would sometimes get into frame. It took me a few days to learn to hold the camera different so my finger wouldn't end up in frame.

The camera also touts 3D capabilities, but I have no use for that technology yet. Perhaps it will be practical one day for me, but for now it's just a sorta cool extra that I have no way to view outside the camera. In other words, don't buy it for this feature alone unless you have a clear plan on what you need it for.

Pros:

Full HD video is beautiful and sounds great

Image quality (12.2 MP) consistently delivers vibrant, beautiful photos

Low-light shooting is far, far better than I have experienced from older cameras

Automatic mode is very intelligent

Features are easy to use

Huge display screen (note: I had very little trouble viewing subjects even in bright sunlight)

Size and weight make it easy to tuck into your pocket

Cons:

Battery goes pretty quick (I was able to get a full day of shooting and video on a family trip but had to recharge before uploading images to computer)

File sizes are huge (ballpark 500MB for a 30-second HD video and 4-5MB per image) and will really eat up space on your memory card and your computer. You will probably need a long-range storage plan like an external hard drive or something.

The power cord for the dock costs extra ($40). I chose to buy and extra battery.

Uploading your media to a Mac has been a little confusing so far. I somehow uploaded my photos twice at one time into iPhoto causing a management headache. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but it's not as intuitive as my old camera. Video is uploaded to iMovie not iPhoto.

Overall

Despite some minor annoyances and unanticipated extra expenses (cost of high-capacity memory card, extra battery and eventually more computer storage), I am thrilled with this camera. The functionality, results and compactness make this a worthwhile purchase. I will be able to capture many family memories with this for years to come.

Want Sony TX Series DSC-TX9/H 12.2MP Digital Still Camera with "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor and 3D Sweep Panora Discount?

We currently own a Sony HDR CX12 camcorder. It takes excellent 1080i AVCHD videos as well as good still photos (but only in good lighting). Most of its indoor shots and low light outdoor shots are disapointingly out of focus. After doing some resesarch, I narrowed our choices down to Sony TX9, alpha 55 DSLR, or alpha NEX-5. My primary goal is to have a camera that can take 1080i AVCHD video as well as still photos, particulary in the low light setting. Most of our pictures are of our children and family events.

I decided to buy a TX9 becuase of its low-light picture capability. After using it for about 1 month now, I'm very happy to report that my indoor low light still photos are great and in focus. I have it set on the Superior Auto Adjustment mode most of the time. It takes 6 pictures rapidly (if necessary) and combines them to give you the best result. With this mode on and the flash turned off, pictures in low light settings almost always come out great and in focus. There is some fishbowl effect occassionally, but not noticeable to my eyes. This camera also has a large and bright LCD display which allows you to easily tell if your subject is in focus. There are very few buttons on this camera as most features are activated via its touch screen LCD.

The TX9 also takes excellent 1080i AVCHD videos (but its audio is 2 channel stereo, not 5.1 digital like the CX12). It takes some practice to hold the camera steady for video shots (when compared to a camcorder like CX12) due to its small size. Its video quality is so good that I won't be needing my CX12 any further for home videos. The 4X zoom is more limiting when compared to the 10x zoom I was used to in the CX12 camcorder, but transitioning to 4X zoom was easier than I thought.

I was able to compare the TX9 to my sister-in-law's Sony alpha 55 DSLR; both take great shots; but portability was much more important to me, so I decided to keep the TX9.

I did purchase a seaparte spare battery as others have reported that it does not last as long. A spare battery actually makes sense as this camera cannot charge its battery when it is inside the camera. It requires you to charge the battery outside of the camera via a small wall charger. Overall, I'm ecstatic that I finally found a small portable camera capabile of taking great HD videos as well as great still photos in low light settings. If it wasn't for the zoom, limited to 4x optical, I would have given it a 5 star rating.

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HDMI Cable - 2 Male Connectors - 2 Meters

• Cable has 2 male HDMI Type A (19-pin) connectors; 2 meters in length
• High quality w/ gold plated contacts, cable meets HDMI 1.3 specification
• Get best picture quality with HDMI; Supports full resolution with Blu-ray
• Can be used with DVI-I (24+5) or DVI-D (24+1) adapters
• Use for Audio/Video (HDMI carries both in one cable!) in TV setups, and video in computer setups

I am very pleased at the improvement in both video and audio quality switching from component to HDMI using my Xbox 360 and the length is just plain perfect. Add the price of near nothing compared to the other retailers and this becomes a deal you can't pass up.

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This cable works great! Had to laugh though, the cable was $ and shipping & handling was $. It arrived quickly, I hooked it up immediately and it works perfectly. I am a happy camper.

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Does what it is supposed to, length is just right for just about any use, no complaints!

No quality loss at all, definitely looks better than component video!

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I suppose this is a good cable, however it didn't work for me. Since it was cheap, did not return. This cable had two small black round things at each end, not sure what they are. However, had to order another one, and cheaper one and guess what it worked fine. Was trying to connect up my blu-ray dvd to HDTV. This cable producted a picture but had lines running through it also was no sound. Received the cheaper one with no small black things on it and it worked fine. Sorry but this cable not for me.

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The product is as per mentioned in the specs. Very good and working good so far. Also the delivery was on time.

Lilliput 569ho 5" On-camera Hd LCD Fireld Monitor W/hdmi in Hdmi Out Component in Video in Video Ou

I decided to buy this 5-inch monitor as opposed to the 7-inch versions because I shoot with a GH2, which is a small camera compared to other larger DSLRs. This monitor is jus the right size and looks great on my rail system next to my follow focus! They buying experience was somewhat of a hassle. I purchased this for the first time a month ago from the VIVITEQ seller. It arrived with a cracked screen (not their fault) and a couple accessories missing and/or not as described on Amazon. The battery was not a Sony-F550, and there wasn't a Sony adapter plate, so I couldn't even use the battery that was included! After contacting VIVITEQ, they offered to replace the damaged monitor and to get me a Sony plate adapter, but they said they don't have the actual F550 style batteries in stock. Since I have a few F550 batteries already, my main reason for purchasing this unit was so it could run off those type of batteries. I decided to return the item, and once I got my refund I re-purchased it through the only other seller listed at the time, SmallRig. What a difference! Even though they ship from overseas, it arrived via DHL in about 4 days! Everything I expected was included in the package, plus extras that I did not expect. There is a 7-inch adjustable arm designed to mount the monitor to your rail system! This was something I thought I'd have to purchase separately (about $20-$25) but it was included!!! Also there is some other device, but it's not exactly clear what it is so I won't try to explain it. There is no base mount to support the monitor "off-camera", but since I plan to have it attached to my rig at all times that doesn't matter to me at all. Overall, the hassle to finally get the correct version of this product was well worth it! I hope you can learn from my experience and if you really need the F550 battery option and want the adjustable arm included, go with the SmallRig seller and not VIVITEQ.

The picture is not as crisp as some monitors out there, but other monitors cost between $500 $2,000. So, for the money it's a solid product.

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Clover 4 channel IP Addressable Standalone Digital Video Recorder.

I bought the no hard drive version of this recorder and added my own HDs. Replaced my analog time lapse VCRs which were a pain to maintain. The IP addressable feature is handy if you want to keep sight on your premises through the Internet. We recently traveled overseas and I was able to log in and see the views. Setting up the IP accessing from the Net is almost only for the geeks. Two options are mentioned in the manual for setting up the DDNS access, via dyndns.org and cloverdvr.com. The latter does not even exist (rechecked at the time of this writing) so I have to take a point off. Another thing to note is that while it takes video input from four cameras there is only one audio source input.

Update: My recorder lasted only 9 months. Poor electronics quality. Supposedly, has a 2-year warranty but I have to spend $30 to ship it to them and to include $30 for return and have no idea how long they will keep it. Instead, for $89 I can get another brand recorder of same type right here from Amazon.

(Wanted to change the stars to one, but was not able to do that.)

Sharp VLZ7U MiniDV CCD Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, Memory Slot and 8MB Card

This is the first camcorder I've owned, though not the first I've used. I'm very happy with my purchase. I think it has excellent video quality, much better than others in a comparable price range. It does have a compact battery (for a reason), and hence a shorter recording time. I have recorded for over an hour straight with one battery. But you can purchase extra batteries if necessary (I bought one on ebay for $20).

It has tons of features and options, more than I will probably use. The manual provided is extremely helpful in guiding you through the many features. I was recording within 10 minutes of opening the box.

I have read negative reviews regarding the on screen menus, the manual, still images; let me just say that I have not had any problems with any of those. I find the menu EASY to navigate. And the manual explains everything. I read it from front to back without ANY confusion. It does not have an index in the back, but it has a table of contents at the beginning if you'd rather just browse. I have not seen a CAMCORDER that has better still images than this one. I have seen better pictures from a digital CAMERA. I suspect some people may not have the patience, or interest, in learning how to utilize all of the features that may yield the best quality images. Or, perhaps they're just used to a different product.

Some of the most commonly used features like playback on TV, downloading to PC, editing, I think are easy to use and just plain fun!

Anyway, I must emphasize that the overall quality of this camcorder is great. Every product is different, we pick and choose. I use mine for recording life's little (and big) events.

If you're still comparing camcorders, be sure to consider this one.

I teach video productions and I've tried many camcorders. I like the Sharp's ability to rotate the body of the camera with my hand and still be able to get good shots at various angles without putting my wrist in traction. The drawbacks I've found are the lack of an external mic input (which isn't usually a requirement for most family videos) and a small button to control tape playback. This is a problem with us fat thumbed people. I would recommend buying an additional battery since there isn't an external charger available. Other than that, I think the camera has excellent video quality and a nice compact body yet still large enough for larger hands to operate without problem.

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I found that Sharp VLz7u is good enough for me. I normally use it for record the activity around my house. I chose this model because of its swivel grip. It gives me convenient in many recording angle (e.g. over the head and low angle view).

The thing I like about this camcorder are:

1.3MP photo shot

built in flash (for camera mode)

terminal for Zoom mic (though I cannot find Sharp's Zoom mic available anywhere at this time)

and other features that should be available in other camcorder (e.g. 10x zoom, digital effect, stabilizer, etc)

The things I want to have in the camcorder (though it's not a big deal to me) are:

Microphone input

night shot mode

Since this is my first camcorder, I don't know if other camcorder have better picture quality or not. But it looks good to me both on TV and after captured onto computer.

For home movie, outdoor/indoor activity, events, you will love this camcorder. For those who look for high quality picture, or professional movie, you probably should go for other model.

Read Best Reviews of Sharp VLZ7U MiniDV CCD Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, Memory Slot and 8MB Card Here

very satisfied. that is how i would describe my experience up to this point with the sharp vlz7u. i bought mine for [$$$] in may of 03 and for the price i am very satisfied. no where else will one get the still picture quality in a camcorder for a comparable price. the recessed mic is nice and the swivel action is priceless. who hasn't had to hold their arm, elbow and wrist in that uncomfortable vertical position for extended amonts of time in order to capture that killer shot? you know, that shot that in retrospect [was bad] due to fatigue. the flash is a flash for picture mode, not a light like i thought but it is still a handy option. TWO downsides. night mode [is not good] because there is none. you can shoot in low light but the low light mode is only for low light, not no light. and the worst part about it is that it turns itself off the second you pan across light, so you have to keep turning it on when your in a low light room lit by a single light. the other down side is that the battery is recessed in the body of the camera which equates to a somewhat limited battery life. don't expect any upgrades either says the sharp rep i spoke with. so buy 2 or 3 spares. that's it. enjoy because i really do.

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I had high hopes about this camcorder. It was cute, lightweight, the 1.3Megapixel CCD and everything appeared to be great. But once I shot the video and reviewed it on my TV. ***TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT***. What can be more important than video quality? It just sucks big time. My old Panasonic VHS camcorder has better video quality. Also, the camera picked up extremely high motor noise when ambient sound level was low or silent. NOT a good design. I read several reaviews prior to buying to camcorder and I must agree that WAIT for the next revision. Video is extremely NOT SHARP!!!