Excellant product. The Mini Table Top Tripod is not compatible to the camcorder and carring case could be bigger. Otherwise excellant. Camera has been very easy to learn to use. I would highly recommend this product.
Samsung UN55EH6070 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED 3D HDTV with 3D
List Price: $1,649.99
Sale Price: $1,516.02
Today's Bonus: 8% Off
-August 2013 Update--
TV developed audio sync problem with latest firmware update but was able to reset and resolve it.
-------
Original review
Note, this TV uses "direct lit" technology from Samsung. To reduce cost the EH6070/6000 models use fewer LEDs than traditional full array backlit or edge lit displays of the higher end slim models. And it is 120Hz, not 240Hz. 240Hz CMR is just a Samsung marketing label. That does not really matter though since 120Hz is pretty good.
To my surprise and inconvenience it took me a few days to calibrate this screen. The options are limited but not too bad and certainly easy to work with. But I initially had a consistent problem fixing blown out yellows/limes/cheddar cheese colors. At first I was alarmed thinking that perhaps the new and cheaper direct lit technology sacrificed digital dynamic range. And I also had to deal with a seemingly old school 1990's overly red flesh tones problem. I tried multiple EH6000 calibration settings posted on avsforum and multiple review sites but was not satisfied. I was considering returning it.
So I pulled out my Disney WOW calibration Blu Ray. It seemed like I hardly changed a thing, but somehow that calibration did the trick. Everything looks pretty close to perfect now. In the past I never spent more than 10 to 15 minutes calibrating a new TV or projector.
Initial impressions are that our older Vizio SV472XVT has higher end components with full backlit array versus Samsung's new direct lit. However, despite something slightly inferior with the Samsung in overall screen micro-light management appearance, the Samsung beats the Vizio in depth of color rendition. The Vizio might win for watching standard TV dramas and news. But the Samsung wins clearly when watching high depth modern animation like Toy Story movies etc and video games.
The direct lit technology uses fewer LEDs to reduce cost by quite a bit. There is a small price to quality which I can see but is hard to describe. Less micro management of light I guess. More like the first LCD's. When you bring up the all white screen on the Disney WOW calibration tools you can clearly see each section of LED lighting with grey gaps between each section and slight grey blotches in the upper left and right corners about 4 inches from the edges on the 55 inch model. I did not try this on the Visio, so nothing to compare this to. Whatever I see in difference is small enough that I don't really care however because the overall image produced on the screen during normal viewing is quite beautiful. I probably would never have noticed all this had the EH6070 been better calibrated out of the box.
That is my only beef with this TV. It took me 15 or 20 minutes here and there over a few days tweaking settings to get it to look right. Kind of an inconvenience.
So in the interest of helping others, here are my hard earned current beloved EH6070 calibration settings.
Backlight 19
Contrast 100
Brightness 44
Sharpness 12
Color 47
Tint G51/R49
Advanced
Dynamic Contrast Off
Black Tone Off
Flesh Tone -1
RGB Only Mode Off
Color Space Auto
White Balance G-Gain 26, all others 25
Gamma 0
Motion Lighting Off
Picture Options
Color Tone Standard
Digital Noise Filter Off
MPEG Noise Filter Off
LED Motion Plus Off
By the way, the reason I bought this model (and you might) over ES6500, ES7100 or other?:
-No need for an edge lit slim TV since this is a corner installation in my family room. Also I can see the edge lit uniformity issues on the Costco showroom floor if I stand and stare long enough. The bleeding and torchlight problems with those higher end edge lit screens would not bug me very much, but I really do not feel the need to pay extra for it.
-The EH6000/6070 TV has a mostly (but not a pure) matte screen. Plasmas and edge lit screens are almost entirely glossy to improve black levels. Glossy creates strong reflections. I can't watch anything when there is a light reflection on the screen. I just stare at the light and lose focus of what I am watching. We have kitchen lights in the distance behind one sofa and my wife likes to keep a light on around the sofa. The matte screen on this TV works very well at avoiding reflections. The black levels on the EH6070 are great. Black is seriously black. So don't worry about that.
-3D for the kids! I had never before seen 3D on a TV. And while not a fan of 3D except for kids movies, I was impressed with Hugo and the Lorax. It's no more slightly distorted/weird than viewing in a movie theater. It is actually quite high quality and pretty cool in your home. Modern 3D is still for kids, or kids at heart. While I have nothing to compare to but movie theater 3D, this TV seems to do a good job with 3D. I also watched a quarter of NFL football in 2D to 3D conversion mode and it was kind of cool. You see the depth somewhat as if you were at the stadium so you can better tell the height and direction of movement of the players and the ball. But the you still have the slight weirdness of 3d and realistically you would want to watch your sports in 2D. For serious viewing I still classify 3D in the gimmick category. I would much rather watch a good non-kid's movie in 2D. The 3D glasses must go though. Glasses are annoying and inconvenient for making sandwiches in the kitchen and watching a movie at the same time!
Can't comment on sound quality. I have never used the TV speakers, in favor of my AV receiver and speakers.
Kodak Easyshare C530 5 MP Digital Camera and Easyshare Series 3
I bought this as a gift for my sister who is currently visiting me for the summer back in June, so we've had almost a month to test it out. She had seen the camera priced ranging from $119USD-$139USD, and the dock at $127USD, so getting this combo package for less than $180 was a fantastic!
The camera is extremely easy to use. Its simple features are perfect for anyone starting out in the world of digital cameras. Navigating through the menus does not even require you reading the manual; everything appears on the screen.
Since the camera does not come with an external memory card, you must get one ASAP, as you can only take about 15-20 pictures on the lowest setting possible using the camera's internal memory. We took pictures using 3.1MP and I must say, they turned out very well. So we then switched to 5MP setting and of course the pictures were sharper & larger; thus better. The view screen is a good size, and so is the digital zoom compared to my own digital camera. My sister has also recorded MPEGs of my cat. Once again, extremely easy to navigate, record, and playback.
The camera charges & prints from the Easyshare printer dock. The battery life is about 3 hours when fully charged, we've had no problems with the battery or the dock thus far. Everything you'll need ie. USB plugs, printer cartridge, cables, photo paper are all included in the package. Like I mentioned before, you'll need to get a memory card. We purchased a 512MB and on the 3.1MP setting, the camera says you should get over 500 pictures out of it.
This is an excellent purchase for anyone who is just starting out or who is not looking for anything complicated--just point & click.
The camera is extremely easy to use. Its simple features are perfect for anyone starting out in the world of digital cameras. Navigating through the menus does not even require you reading the manual; everything appears on the screen.
Since the camera does not come with an external memory card, you must get one ASAP, as you can only take about 15-20 pictures on the lowest setting possible using the camera's internal memory. We took pictures using 3.1MP and I must say, they turned out very well. So we then switched to 5MP setting and of course the pictures were sharper & larger; thus better. The view screen is a good size, and so is the digital zoom compared to my own digital camera. My sister has also recorded MPEGs of my cat. Once again, extremely easy to navigate, record, and playback.
The camera charges & prints from the Easyshare printer dock. The battery life is about 3 hours when fully charged, we've had no problems with the battery or the dock thus far. Everything you'll need ie. USB plugs, printer cartridge, cables, photo paper are all included in the package. Like I mentioned before, you'll need to get a memory card. We purchased a 512MB and on the 3.1MP setting, the camera says you should get over 500 pictures out of it.
This is an excellent purchase for anyone who is just starting out or who is not looking for anything complicated--just point & click.
Canon PowerShot G15 12MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black)
List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $349.00
Today's Bonus: 30% Off
I've long been a fan of my trusty Canon G12. Since it hasn't been upgraded in quite some time, I thought it was the end of the line for the series. When the G15 was announced, I immediately wanted one. Having had it for a couple of days now, I'm very happy with it. Out of the box, the biggest difference I noticed was that the G15 no longer has an articulated swivel screen. To a lot of people, this will be a huge disappointment. There is a positive to this though. Without it, the camera is thinner and lighter now. The screen is also larger and higher resolution. (3", 920K). The lens has the same focal length as the G12, but the new G15 lens has a wider aperture. f1.8 vs f2.8. My results show a nice improvement in low light situations. Canon has also improved the auto-focus speed. Megapixels have been increased from 10mp to 12mp. The G15 has a 1/1.7" CMOS sensor, which is larger than most compact style cameras. The DSLR style controls and menus are easy to navigate and understand. On my initial battery charge, I managed just over 300 shots, which I consider good. Now for the most important thing. Image quality. I took several hundred pictures in various conditions. Image quality was excellent under all circumstances. I shot in JPEG mode, using ISO 80-800. Images shot outdoors in good lighting conditions were almost DSLR quality. Images shot indoors were excellent too. Image noise up to ISO 400 was barely noticeable. At ISO 800, noise become more noticeable, but results were still much better than you'd expect from a compact camera. I only shot a minimal amount of video since I have little interest in using it, but what I did shoot does look good. The G15 can do 1080P at 24fps. All in all, the Canon G15 is just a great camera.
Pros:
Excellent image quality.
Fast 5x 28-140mm lens.
RAW image capture.
DSLR style manual controls.
Good battery life.
Fairly thin and lightweight.
3", 920K screen.
Optical viewfinder.
Cons:
No articulated screen.
Ergonomics might be awkward to some.
Tenergy 40-pack Propel CR123A Lithium Battery Ptc Protected
UPDATE -how good are these in actual use?
Just as good as the $8 cell!
I had to change out an alarm system that used 8 CR123 cells and was calling home to complain about its batteries being low. So I've used 1/4 box so far. Factory new they measure 3.23V and I've also run a set in a surefire E2D with equal runtime to the factory cellls. Have no fear cheap CR123's are here!
(review)
The cr-123 cell is an amazing primary (disposable) battery. It's high energy capacy, 3.0 v output, and compact size combined with 10 year shelf life have led to its design into alarms, flashlights, weapons systems, night vision, basically anything that needs dependable power for a long time or at a high rate.
The box comes with 4 strips of 10 cells shrink-wrapped for protection. They measure 3.23V open circuit out of the box indicating they are fresh manufacture (the ademco alarm components signal a low-battery indication at 2.8V so there is a narrow band of usefulness) I tested 2 of these in my surefire e2d on high and low without any problems.
Tenergy makes 2 versions of the CR-123 the 1300 mAh and the 1400 mAh, this is the 1400 mAh spec on their website.
When the CR-123 cell first came out it was a photographic cell and sold at drugstores for as much as $8 ea. Even the best pricing on Duracells CR-123 is 1.89 in large quantity. To get 40 batteries for under 40 dollars is a great feat. All of my ademco wireless sensors use the CR-123 and need to be changed about every 6 years, which is now so this was a great find at the right time.
While some people will swear by a brand (e.g. I always use surefire/duracell/xyz brand), I'm finding that the CR123 is much like gasoline yes there are subtle differences between arco and shell but both will run you car down the road. Do I want to spend another $36 dollars to get a different wrapper to replace all of my alarm sensors and load up my flashlight. Not now. If for some reason these go dead ahead of time I will update my review, but just getting them I can find no reason not to give them 5 stars as compared to other 5 star 1400 mAh cells on the market. Stay tuned it may take a while to find out how long they really last due to their long shelf life of 10 years.
Just as good as the $8 cell!
I had to change out an alarm system that used 8 CR123 cells and was calling home to complain about its batteries being low. So I've used 1/4 box so far. Factory new they measure 3.23V and I've also run a set in a surefire E2D with equal runtime to the factory cellls. Have no fear cheap CR123's are here!
(review)
The cr-123 cell is an amazing primary (disposable) battery. It's high energy capacy, 3.0 v output, and compact size combined with 10 year shelf life have led to its design into alarms, flashlights, weapons systems, night vision, basically anything that needs dependable power for a long time or at a high rate.
The box comes with 4 strips of 10 cells shrink-wrapped for protection. They measure 3.23V open circuit out of the box indicating they are fresh manufacture (the ademco alarm components signal a low-battery indication at 2.8V so there is a narrow band of usefulness) I tested 2 of these in my surefire e2d on high and low without any problems.
Tenergy makes 2 versions of the CR-123 the 1300 mAh and the 1400 mAh, this is the 1400 mAh spec on their website.
When the CR-123 cell first came out it was a photographic cell and sold at drugstores for as much as $8 ea. Even the best pricing on Duracells CR-123 is 1.89 in large quantity. To get 40 batteries for under 40 dollars is a great feat. All of my ademco wireless sensors use the CR-123 and need to be changed about every 6 years, which is now so this was a great find at the right time.
While some people will swear by a brand (e.g. I always use surefire/duracell/xyz brand), I'm finding that the CR123 is much like gasoline yes there are subtle differences between arco and shell but both will run you car down the road. Do I want to spend another $36 dollars to get a different wrapper to replace all of my alarm sensors and load up my flashlight. Not now. If for some reason these go dead ahead of time I will update my review, but just getting them I can find no reason not to give them 5 stars as compared to other 5 star 1400 mAh cells on the market. Stay tuned it may take a while to find out how long they really last due to their long shelf life of 10 years.
Acer Aspire V5-471P-6605 14-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky
List Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $499.99
Today's Bonus: 29% Off
I will keep this relatively short-you get what you pay for! For the current listed price there is no other 14" touchscreen on the market at this price point. I have now had this laptop for nearly a week and it is pretty fast. I ordered 4gb of ram along with the computer to upgrade to 8gb total. This makes all the difference and for roughly $25 you can get the most out of this computer with this simple upgrade that a child could install. Backlit keyboard is great and illuminates nicely without blinding you in very dark locations. As for the fit and finish-I personally like it. It really is silky in feel. The computer itself is solidly built and all parts fit well. Also, the speakers on this thing are great for a budget laptop. They get a lot louder than previous laptops I've had and with more body. They really sound the best when the laptop is sitting on a hard surface so they can reflect sound off of it since they are on the bottom. My only issues with this laptop are the wifi and the smallish battery. The wifi disconnects on a regular basis and has to be reset. Three hours on the internet and I will have to reset atleast twice. I will probably just get a nano usb wifi module to fix this situation. That being said, still a great purchase as long as I get 2 years out of this thing.
Brother MFC-9840CDW Laser Multifunction Center
I have waited many many years for the perfect all in one COLOR LASER....and this is it + more! I bought mine from a local store and have had it about a week. It comes in a huge box, but don't worry, this MFC is large but not too large compared to the other Brother mono laser all-in-ones (of which I have owned three over the years). The print quality is EXCELLENT and very fast for full color (21 pages per minute). My only initial concern was that it creased envelopes when printing on envelopes......but after consulting the manual there are fuser tension adjustment switches that solves that for perfect envelope printing (Settings, A, B and Envelope). I had compared many all-in-one color laser machines for many years (including recent ones from Xerox and HP). I was surprised that HP hadn't come out with a great, feature rich one yet. Brother beat HP to the punch and it is a knockout for sure. I am replacing a higher end Minolta color laser with flatbed scanner, a Brother MFC mono, and an HP mono workhorse with this ONE MFC-9840CDW!!! I am very very picky with print quality but this one is great! Bonus features are built-in duplex scanning, duplex printing, and wireless network capability! The replacement supply costs are also very reasonable and lower than most of the other color laser brands. Brother truly has a winner on its hand with the MFC-9840CDW!!! Thank you Brother....I LOVE IT!
Shure PG27-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone Bundle
List Price: $249.00
Sale Price: $209.00
Today's Bonus: 16% Off
Item delivered promptly as a Christmas gift, however, when opened a part was missing. The part missing is the stand swing arm! So, I'm disappointed about that. The quality of the mic is not bad but the headphones are somewhat cheese-y. I would have liked for all the parts to be in the box and a bit more explanation on setup and what to do if anything is missing.
Wii Black Console with New Super Mario Brothers Wii and Music CD
**Please note this particular console is not backward compatible with Gamecube. It only plays Wii games. For me this is a deal breaker. If you want a backward compatible console buy the Mario Kart Wii bundle, which is backward compatible and cheaper. Deciding between the Mario Kart Wii bundle and this bundle is a no-brainer in my opinion. Why pay more for this particular Wii that does less? UPDATE 11/7/2011 It appears Amazon is discontinuing sales of the Wii Mario bundle. It looks like Amazon will only directly sell the Wii console with Super Mario Bros. If you want the Wii Mario bundle you will have to buy from an authorized Amazon reseller and pay more money or you can go to another major retailer that is still stocking the Wii Mario bundle.**
The recent bundle releases are the Wii Console with Mario Kart Wii Bundle Black and the Console Black With New Super Mario Bros. The question you need to ask yourself is which of these bundles best fits you. I'll discuss what you get in each bundle and the differences/similarities below.
Included with the Mario Kart bundle for $146.98 (price fluctuates): a Wii console, Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel, nunchuk controller and Wii remote plus (black or white depending on the bundle you pick).
Included with the New Super Mario Bros bundle for $149.99: a Black Wii console, Black Wii remote plus, Black nunchuck, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and the Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack
SIMILARITIES:
Each bundle contains a Wii console, nunchuk controller and remote plus.
KEY DIFFERENCES:
The Super Mario Bros. Wii CANNOT play Gamecube games. The New Super Mario Bros. bundle only comes in black. The Mario Kart bundle comes in black OR white.
The Mario Kart bundle includes Mario Kart and a wheel ($45.52 if bought separately), whereas the New Super Mario Bros. bundle includes the New Super Mario Bros. game ($43.99 if bought separately).
CONCLUSION: The prices are similar enough, $146.98 (fluctuates and sometimes goes to the low $140s) vs. $149.99, that it is silly to pay the same amount for a console that doesn't offer backward compatibility. Buy the Mario Kart Wii console. I'd recommend picking up the Super Mario Bros. game separately. This game is incredible. A blast from the past with 2-d scrolling and multiplayer. One of my favorites and a perennial best-seller on Amazon.
The recent bundle releases are the Wii Console with Mario Kart Wii Bundle Black and the Console Black With New Super Mario Bros. The question you need to ask yourself is which of these bundles best fits you. I'll discuss what you get in each bundle and the differences/similarities below.
Included with the Mario Kart bundle for $146.98 (price fluctuates): a Wii console, Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel, nunchuk controller and Wii remote plus (black or white depending on the bundle you pick).
Included with the New Super Mario Bros bundle for $149.99: a Black Wii console, Black Wii remote plus, Black nunchuck, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and the Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack
SIMILARITIES:
Each bundle contains a Wii console, nunchuk controller and remote plus.
KEY DIFFERENCES:
The Super Mario Bros. Wii CANNOT play Gamecube games. The New Super Mario Bros. bundle only comes in black. The Mario Kart bundle comes in black OR white.
The Mario Kart bundle includes Mario Kart and a wheel ($45.52 if bought separately), whereas the New Super Mario Bros. bundle includes the New Super Mario Bros. game ($43.99 if bought separately).
CONCLUSION: The prices are similar enough, $146.98 (fluctuates and sometimes goes to the low $140s) vs. $149.99, that it is silly to pay the same amount for a console that doesn't offer backward compatibility. Buy the Mario Kart Wii console. I'd recommend picking up the Super Mario Bros. game separately. This game is incredible. A blast from the past with 2-d scrolling and multiplayer. One of my favorites and a perennial best-seller on Amazon.
Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR
I purchased this lens to shoot a wedding. The pictures are beautiful. Less money than the Canon lens. I read many reviews before I made my decision.
Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera Body & EF-S
Camera works wonderfully. I love the 75-300 mm III lens (it's my 1st). Every piece is in working order. The bag is tiny and can't fit the extra lens or cleaning kit but that was fairly obvious from the description and photo.
VISIONDRIVE VD3000 - HD Car Black Box w/Embedded GPS Module
This little device is exactly what I've been looking for. The Visiondrive begins recording as soon as I start the engine and does not quit until I turn off the car. I have a 50 mile commute each day (100 miles total) in the Atlanta area and the potential for being involved in an accident is very high. I once had a guy pull in front of me on the freeway and slam on his break intentionally trying to make me rear end him. Fortunately I had good breaks and a quick response time. This made me think about how I would have proved my innocence if he had succeeded since I was alone in the car. Now I have a record of everything that goes on and I feel a huge sense of relief. The camera has a fish-eye type lens that captures a wide range of view in front of you. It does not have a rear view camera so this might be a minus for some but I surmise what happens in the rear is a no brainer when it comes to proving who is at fault. The important thing is that it shows what the vehicle is doing (direction, speed, etc) at the time of impact. It also has a built-in mic to record sound which is great for calling out license plate numbers in a flash! The software for the recorder has been very well thought out; it constantly records, breaking up the recorded files into 5 minute segments (they are time stamp named accordingly). Plus it has a shock sensor that initiates an "event" recording which grabs 10 seconds of video prior to and up to 60 seconds (configurable) after the event. An "event" can also be forced by pushing a button on the unit in case you want to capture another accident that happens in front of you or for any other reason. You'll also get what I call, "pot-hole events" depending on how soft of a ride you have. Everything is recorded on an SD memory card and when the card reaches maximum capacity the software begins to write over the oldest files creating a constant loop of recording. One of the very first things you should do after getting the unit is to back up all the files that come on the SD card as it comes loaded with critical program files used by the device. I accidentally ejected the SD card while it was recording and this corrupted the card. Fortunately, I was able to reformat the card on my computer and just reinstall (copy) all of the files (which I had previously backed up). You will also need to copy these files onto another SD card if say you wanted a larger capacity card. It comes with a 4GB (class 4)SD card but I wanted more memory so I bought a 16GB (class 6) SD memory card which gives me about a weeks worth of data (the higher the class the faster it records). Installation was very quick and easy but for some strange reason I had to set the time zone for GMT -4 hours for my times to record properly as well as DST set to "off". I originally set it to EST (GMT -5 hours) with DST set to "on" and all my times were showing up 2 hours earlier than they actually occurred. The time is derived from the built in GPS which also provides constant location data which is continuously recorded. Software is included which allows you to play back the recorded data files on your PC. This shows the video and audio combined with a Google map of your route plus speed traveled and the time. This would be great for parents with teen drivers who want to monitor their kids driving habits and where they have been. The included software also allows you to create an AVI export of any portion of the video and audio which can then be played back in a media viewer such as Windows Media Player.
Samsung MV900F White 16.3-megapixel Digital Camera
List Price: $349.00
Sale Price: $195.85
Today's Bonus: 44% Off
If you want the bottom line right up front, it would be hard for me to believe a compact point-and-shoot camera could get any better than this Samsung MV900F, unless you spend way more money, and even then I'm not sure how it would get any better in any practical way. Maybe if you need an attachable speed-flash, or need even more than 5x optical zoom, and maybe, as I used to think, that I needed raw or uncompressed files ( the photos I got from this camera in super-fine quality mode (JPG) are so excellent and fully editable, that I now don't think I need raw or uncompressed files anymore).
Now for the more detailed: I've had many digital cameras, even more expensive ones from Nikon, Cannon, and Minolta, and a number of small Cannon 'Elfs'. This time, as usual, I first looked at all the Nikon and Canon models. but was having difficulty finding a highly-rated camera with a FAST lens and at least 3X optical zoom in a compact model without spending between $600 and $1000. Then I saw a review with the MV900F rated as 2nd best out of about 20 new point and shoot cameras. I was skeptical, but not only does this camera have the very fast 5X optical zoom lens, it also has what they call a Back-lit Sensor, which they say significantly helps in low-light, so it's no wonder reviews say it's really easy to take great looking photos, even in low light without flash. I have confirmed that every photo I've taken, without a tripod, with and without flash, without even trying all that hard, has been as perfect as I can see on a 1600 x 1200 computer screen. I just use the Auto Smart mode, the Super-Fine quality setting, and the 1920 x 1080 resolution, because seriousy why would anyone need more resolution than that? One complaint is that you have to first switch to Program Mode in order to see the setting for image Quality. I tried both Program Mode and Auto Smart mode for shooting, and both seem perfectly automatic in every way I noticed.
In my opinion, using the bright, high-resolution, 3.3" LCD Wide-Screen on this camera is not only effectively a single-lens (SLR), because what you see on the screen is through the same lens as the camera, but also you see in real time exactly how focused and light-balanced the photo you are going to take will be. I have not used it in direct sunlight with the sun behind me yet, but they say it is bright enough for that. I don't expect that to be a problem, but if it is I can go back to using my Minolta with a high-resolution peep-hole for those type of shots if necessary.
Rotating Screen! Not only for use looking at yourself, but when you rotate it out 45 degrees and flip the camera over above your head, like when you need to take pictures or video when standing behind a crowd, this camera automatically flips the image right-side-up for you.
So, lets see, with a super-fast 5x lens, perfect fast autofocus, minimal size and weight, 3.3 inch high-definition rotating wide-screen, and HD video just as starters, this camera already had me convinced at only $248, but then there's more...
Touch screen! This might be a negative in the sense that you don't get as many knobs and buttons to do things directly, but what they say in the reviews is true; after a little getting used to, you can get to what you need fast on the tough screen, so that's not a problem, and there just isn't any other way to get that large of a screen on that small of a camera (you need to get rid of all the extra knobs and buttons or make the camera bigger, and I think smaller is better).
Built-in WiFI! I haven't used that yet, but if you want it it's in there.
HDMI output! You do need to buy a cable with the smaller connector on the camera end.
Loads of built-in modes, options, editing abilities, etc, etc.
Like I wrote at the beginning, it would be hard for me to believe a compact point-and-shoot camera could get any better without spending way more money.
Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder
I've been waiting for this camera for a LOOOONG time. Canon got so many things right with this entry-level pro camcorder.
The menus work so much better than the XA10. Just the look and feel of the body speaks quality.
I love the built-in lens cap. And the Wifi is a dream come true. I'm a one-man band, shooting solo on a lot of three-camera events. Now, instead of locking down two cameras and operating the third, I can turn two of the cameras into a wifi hotspot and operate all three cameras from one location using my iPad and iPhone. I just wish the zooming function over wifi was continuous. Unfortunately, if you hold down the zoom for more than one second, the iPad thinks the zoom button is an image you want to copy and a popup interrupts your zoom control, breaking the flow of what could (should) be continuous zoom motion.
Oh, well. Next version, maybe?
Apart from that, I am thrilled with this new Canon camera. I was going to buy three XA20's and save the extra $500/camera by not purchasing the SDI out feature. Fortunately, a videomaker friend talked me into the idea of the XA25s, to afford myself the option of shooting live events (I shoot a lot of live events, and with the SDI/BNC port, you can hookup to a broadcast truck, or a switcher). I compromised... I purchased two new XA25's ($1000 more than I budgeted), but saved $1000 by purchasing an XA10 for my third camera. True, the XA10 does NOT offer the wifi feature, so I lose remote operation capability. But most of the live events I shoot require an anchor (fixed) camera angle. The XA10 is perfect for this. I set it on a nice, wide establishing shot, operate one of the XA25s manually, and remote-operate the other XA25 with my iPad. I also invested in a pan/tilt tripod head, which I can also operate remotely (cable, not wireless), and I have full control of that remote cam. Plus, I still have the ability to go two cameras with SDI outs for live events. All without spending one dime more than I budgeted for three XA20s!
Ideal setup for a live shooter!
When I can afford it, I'll purchase a third XA25 and use the XA10 as my backup camera.
Thanks, Canon! You have a hit on your hands with the XA25/20. Now, if you can fix the wifi continuous zoom issue, this camera will be a perfect 10!
The menus work so much better than the XA10. Just the look and feel of the body speaks quality.
I love the built-in lens cap. And the Wifi is a dream come true. I'm a one-man band, shooting solo on a lot of three-camera events. Now, instead of locking down two cameras and operating the third, I can turn two of the cameras into a wifi hotspot and operate all three cameras from one location using my iPad and iPhone. I just wish the zooming function over wifi was continuous. Unfortunately, if you hold down the zoom for more than one second, the iPad thinks the zoom button is an image you want to copy and a popup interrupts your zoom control, breaking the flow of what could (should) be continuous zoom motion.
Oh, well. Next version, maybe?
Apart from that, I am thrilled with this new Canon camera. I was going to buy three XA20's and save the extra $500/camera by not purchasing the SDI out feature. Fortunately, a videomaker friend talked me into the idea of the XA25s, to afford myself the option of shooting live events (I shoot a lot of live events, and with the SDI/BNC port, you can hookup to a broadcast truck, or a switcher). I compromised... I purchased two new XA25's ($1000 more than I budgeted), but saved $1000 by purchasing an XA10 for my third camera. True, the XA10 does NOT offer the wifi feature, so I lose remote operation capability. But most of the live events I shoot require an anchor (fixed) camera angle. The XA10 is perfect for this. I set it on a nice, wide establishing shot, operate one of the XA25s manually, and remote-operate the other XA25 with my iPad. I also invested in a pan/tilt tripod head, which I can also operate remotely (cable, not wireless), and I have full control of that remote cam. Plus, I still have the ability to go two cameras with SDI outs for live events. All without spending one dime more than I budgeted for three XA20s!
Ideal setup for a live shooter!
When I can afford it, I'll purchase a third XA25 and use the XA10 as my backup camera.
Thanks, Canon! You have a hit on your hands with the XA25/20. Now, if you can fix the wifi continuous zoom issue, this camera will be a perfect 10!
Samsung 32GB High Speed microSDHC Class 10 Memory Card
This card consistently transfers data on my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket at 10MBps, often reaching its maximum rate of 12MBps. I've never had a microsd card perform at its advertised class speed, much less at its maximum rate. Read speeds are consistent at it's max of 24MBps. Needless to say, performance (at least in my phone) is phenomenal and for the price is currently unbeatable. Do not hesitate if you can find it at $49 retail like I did. Simply do not pass it up for $70 or below.
Elmo MP-350 BOXi Mobile Projector
List Price: $659.00
Sale Price: $526.07
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
The Elmo name is well-known to teachers and attorneys, and has earned its respect over the years. The Boxi is a worthy addition to the Elmo lineup.
I met the company president in person at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas in January 2013 when the Boxi was first shown in the U.S. He is a very dignified gentlemen from Japan.
I was looking for a product exactly like this a projector for a small to mid-size conference room. Since CES, I have used the Boxi almost daily for several months, and offer the following report.
1. My conference room has a 3' by 4' whiteboard. I project on the whiteboard. I turn off the lights in the conference room, and the Boxi gives enough light for comfortable work.
2. I have an interior window into the conference room with no shade/screen, and I achieve full visibility for client presentations by simply turning off the lights in the conference room.
3. In other words, plenty of lumens for office use.
4. Very small footprint. Very low noise.
5. Best of all, almost no heat.
6. I connect the Boxi to my data source with an HDMI cable. I did not have good success with the Boxi app for iPad, however, the app is unnecessary. With an HDMI cable, you will have complete operating control and functionality via your source unit.
7. Which is to say, set the display percentage, etc., on the machine that provides your images, be it a laptop or an iPad. (I use both.)
8. When I use the laptop, I set the Boxi about 4' back from the white board. When I use the iPad, I set the Boxi about 2' back from the white board. You have to experiment a little to achieve optimal results.
9. Here comes a big tip. If you want to connect to an iPad, you need to purchase the HDMI-to-9-pin convertor from Apple. Costs about $35. Works perfectly.
10. Here comes another tip. Use Dropbox to move files from your computer to your iPad. I pull pdfs into my Dropbox account on my computer (Dropbox is free) and they wirelessly sync to my iPad. Assuming you have a WiFi connection, documents can be scanned and moved to your iPad invisibly right during a meeting. Client gives me a document, we scan to pdf, and upload to Dropbox. I can be showing the document on the screen in about the time it takes to scan it.
Conclusion Excellent product. Excellent company.
Nikon 1 J2 10.1 MP HD Digital Camera with 10-30mm VR Lens
List Price: $549.95
Sale Price: $399.00
Today's Bonus: 27% Off
portable compared to DSLR cameras;
take really good pictures ( the capture is amazing) and also the 10-30 mm lenses
easy to use
can adapt lenses from others manufactures (just in manual mode)
can switch lenses from nikon 1 type or use adapter for f-mount and keep all the automatic modes
make videos in 400 fps and 1200 fps that are amazing!