Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $849.00
Sale Price: $659.00
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

I regretted I purchased this package deal. I should have asked questions first before making the purchase. Being a novice in photography not knowing much about cameras, I was teased by the package. Now I need to replace those accessories that are inferior and I am not buying from the same merchant.

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Foscam FI8909W-NA Wireless/Wired IP/Network Camera with 7 Meter

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $54.00
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

I bought 4 of these to monitor a farm for a friend of ours. They all work fine in temperatures from 20-90 Degrees F, and dusty dirty conditions.

The software runs in internet explorer as an active-x so the cameras be used with standard web-cam type software. Well I couldn't figure out how anyway.

Using IE just adds to the memory load and reduces the reliability of the system. Also the Active-X and Internet explorer combination gets to be a real CPU hog when running 4 cameras with motion detect on, so use a decent PC if that is your plan. The software has a bunch of features, but also is buggy sometimes, which is one more reason I would love to use stand alone web-cam software....

The night vision is good for close monitoring, as is the lens of the cameras, but far away isn't great so don't think your going to make out a face from 50' away.

Bottom-line: They do what they say, are inexpensive and they have been out in a barn for 6 months running with no problems other than needing to reboot the PC every few days...

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Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:

Before purchasing E2 I was torn between E1 and E2 but decided to go with a new model. There were no reviews on E2 other than a single one for Euro/Japanese/Canadian version of E2 called CA8 and that review blasted the camera's new sensor. Nevertheless, with Amazon's liberal return policy, I decided to take my chance and to get E2 instead of E1. After all, it is a second generation of this waterproof camera, and I thought the second generation is typically better.

If you are trying to decide between E1 and E2, here are the major differences:

The most obvious is a change of sensor.

E1 uses 6MP CCD 1/2.5 sensor

E2 uses 8MP CMOS 1/2.5 sensor.

E2 adds a 60 frames per second movie option (E1 was limited to 30 frames per second)

E2 adds face recognition mode. E1 has no such face detection mode

E2 adds a dedicated 'underwater' mode among several others. E1 did not have a specific 'underwater' mode.

First, I tried both the new 60 frames per second mode and the old 30 frames per second mode and I decided that I will be using 30 frames per second, I actually like the quality of 30fps mode better.

I then tried the photography mode. I took most photographs inside in tricky low-light incandescent and florescent light conditions, because I know these give ANY camera, including DSLRs such as my Canon 40D $1300 camera, the most problems. I upped the ISO to 200 and then to 400. You can see samples I posted here. BTW the macro mode on this baby goes to 1 cm!!!! I don't know if E1 had such super-macro to 1 cm. I found the photo quality acceptable and similar to that of other point-and-shoots using the same 1/2.5 and similar sensors. I felt that ISO400 was acceptable. I have not tried ISO 800 and 1600 yet.

E2 has following ISO range: in photo mode 50-1600

in video mode: 100-3200 in high sensitivity mode (3200 I don't believe you can select, but it does it).

The image stabilization feature is tricky, it is EIS, Electronic Image Stabilization, not Optical Image Stabilization, so when you use it, it crops a little bit on sides of your video and photographs, depending on which mode of EIS you use.

The sound is stereo and the quality is acceptable. The camera is tiny btw, I fit mine in case logic case I had from my Canon A75 camera.

I tried this camera underwater in my pool, both video and photographs. All worked fine, even shoots photographs with flash underwater, which makes for very freaky results.

---

Finally, some people complained that Sanyo has their own unique USB cable which is a pain if you lose it or don't have it with you, and cannot read it in ordinary card reader. WRONG. I did not even bother taking the proprietary Sanyo USB cable from camera packaging. The card works easily in my HP (windows vista) desktop's card reader. I downloaded PICASA 3 which I recommend. Picasa 3 will find, download, and play all photos and every video you shoot with this camera easily and quickly, just take the SD card, put it in your card reader and Picasa will do the rest. Very easy, so don't need to bother with this cable that comes with it.

Problems: Battery life is not impressive. Battery is tiny. I am used to Fuji F30's 500 shots per charge. This battery sucks. I charged the battery fully. I then took 80 photographs (some with flash), 4 or 5 2-minute videos and my battery showed 70% gone. You need a second battery, and hopefully there are some with more juice in it that the Sanyo one that comes with the camera.

I also wish the lens would start at 28mm and not 38mm as it would make easier to take pictures/videos of oneself without need to stretch your body away from the camera. Also my belief is that the flash only operates in photo mode and not in video mode. However, it is much better than its only competitor, Panasonic SW20, which does not have any flash at all

I will add more photos later.

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Sony NEX6L/B2BDL 16.1 MP Compact System Camera with 16-50mm

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,349.98
Sale Price: $996.00
Today's Bonus: 26% Off

In 1973 I bought a Rollei 35 a 35mm camera with a collapsible 40 mm f/3.5 lens. It cost $200, equal to about $1,000 today. It was fully manual no autoanything. There was an optical viewfinder but no rangefinder. It took great pictures and fit in a coat pocket. Now we have the Sony NEX-6, only marginally larger than the Rollei, effectively for the same price when you adjust for inflation.

Even though I have a Canon 5D Mark II, a wonderful DSLR, its size and weight are a big deterrent to taking it with me routinely. So I wanted a camera designed in the spirit of the Rollei 35 to fit in a coat pocket, have a sensor big enough to make 11 x 14 enlargements, have a zoom lens with a 24mm field of view, and a have a built-in viewfinder, not an add-on, and not just an LCD. Until now (11/2012) the options were the Sony NEX-7, upcoming Fuji X-E1 and the larger Olympus OM-D, all at $1300 or more.

I have now taken about 500 shots and the NEX-6 is close to perfect for my purposes a digital reincarnation of the Rollei 35. But it won't be right for everyone.

The heart of the NEX-6 is an APS-C size sensor, the size in the vast majority of DSLRs. It's 1.5 times the size of a the "4/3rds" sensor found in similar Olympus and Panasonic cameras and 3 times the size of the sensor in Nikon 1 cameras. As a result, the image quality is excellent up to ISO 1600 and not bad up to ISO 6400. A new Sony kit lens gives a field of view equal to 24-75mm on a 35mm camera. The lens focuses quickly and collapses to a small size, so the camera fits in a coat pocket or the corner of a backpack. There are some complaints on Internet forums about the lens vignetting and about distortion at the wide end. The camera corrects distortion in JPEGs by itself (unless you turn that feature off). Although the raw images are not corrected, they're easily correctable in Photoshop etc. Adobe and Aperture both have offered the usual downloadable updates to interpret NEX-6 raw files, so if you prefer to edit raw files you can make distortion corrections with standard software tools.

All shooting parameters are readily adjustable. There's a standard "PASM" dial for selecting the shooting mode. The initial setup menu is complicated and not entirely logical but you can configure the controls very flexibly. Most notably, you can program the Fn button to call up the six parameters you change most frequently ISO, drive mode, metering mode... There are 16 parameters to choose from. The LCD can display a full set of shooting parameters and you can adjust each one with the control dial on the back, so you after initial setup don't have to go into the menu to change settings.

The viewfinder is electronic, not optical as with a DSLR. It's like a little LCD with 2.1 million dots. It's sharp and very responsive, but not as good as an optical viewfinder in low light. (To get the full value of the viewfinder, be sure to adjust the diopter wheel to suit your eye.) The LCD screen folds up or down so you can hold the camera at your waist or above your head. The LCD is not touch-sensitive. Oddly, Sony's NEX-5N and the new NEX-5R cameras have that feature, A touch-sensitive LCD would be helpful for entering WiFi passwords and selecting menu options, but if you buy the Sony NEX-5R, you give up the NEX-6's PASM control dial and other control features as well as the excellent built-in viewfinder (though you can buy a clip-on accessory EVF).

You charge the battery via a USB cable, not a charger that plugs into the wall, which means you can charge it from a computer or in many cars, but there's no way to charge a spare battery. (There are inexpensive aftermarket charges on Amazon & elsewhere; it's probably best to buy a "genuine" Sony if you want a spare battery.) Battery life is just fair. The camera tries to autofocus continuously, which eats battery life. Supposedly Sony is going to fix that with a firmware update. The camera also has WiFi, which reduces battery life. WiFi lets you control the camera remotely with a smart phone and upload photos. Using it is non-intuitive and badly integrated with the rest of the menu system. Sony's instructions for WiFi setup are useless. Error messages appear to be literal translations from Japanese, like reading something from a 1960 made-in-Japan radio. The LCD does not have a touch screen, so entering WiFi SSIDs and passwords is done using a QWERTY soft keyboard that is a bit clumsy to navigate. Worse, your Sony password for downloading apps is entered using a soft version of a phone keypad, even though the QWERTY keyboard is available for entering WiFi access point info. Although WiFi setup is very clumsy, once it's done it does open up some interesting options. Example: with the remote control app you can see the image from the camera on you phone or tablet and use it for precise focusing, and trip the shutter, of course. But you can't adjust aperture or shutter speed, at least in the current version of the app. (Edit added 3/15/2013: There are aftermarket products that let you use an iPad/iPhone to do that.)

The positives especially the excellent image quality and the ease of setting a wide range of shooting parameters -greatly outweigh the negatives. If you already have a small DSLR like a Canon Rebel or Nikon 3200 or similar, the size advantage from an NEX-6 is marginal. But if you have a "pro-sumer" or full-frame DSLR and you want a highly capable camera you can easily take almost everywhere, the NEX-6 is a worthwhile choice, If you don't have a DSLR and you're think about getting one, the NEX-6 is a good alternative a DSLR near-equivalent you can put in a coat pocket.

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Canon Powershot SX120 IS ~ 10MP Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:

I had this camera since 3 years ago and had recorded so many good memories with it, unfortunately I lost it in the water way. I am very happy I could find a used one in very good condition with reasonable price.

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Mamiya 7 II Black Camera Body

Customer Ratings:

I usually shoot large format, either 4x5 or 8x10 (Usually 4x5). As anyone who has ever shot large format knows, its labor intensive. You have to pull out the camera, set it up on the tripod, Select the proper lens, go under the dark cloth and compose the picture, pull out a torpedo level and level out the camera, bring out your light meter and meter the scene for the proper exposure, and finally pull out your film holders and expose the picture. I have actually gotten pretty fast at doing all of this, when I want to be, but its still labor intensive any way you look at it.

With that being said there are times when I like to shoot without it being so labor intensive. When I am in these shoot quick and fast mood's I go with my Mamiya 7. The Mamiya 7 is a 6x7 medium format rangefinder camera with interchangeable leaf shutter lenses. Shutter speeds range from 4 sec. to 1/500 sec. and it has a Bulb setting which allows any length of exposure necessary by keeping the button pressed down. It has double exposure capability, X synchronization at all speeds, Film speed settings from ISO 25 to ISO 1600, Exposure Corrections +/2EV in 1/3 step, an Automatic parallax compensating viewfinder, weighs 2.6 pounds with the standard 80 mm lens and last but not least comes in 2 different colors, Champagne and Black. This camera also has some great add-ons including a Polaroid back and a 35mm Panoramic Adapter Kit which yields spectacular 24x65mm images, an aspect ratio of 1:2.7.

Its an extremely comfortable camera to shoot with as it basically mimics a 35mm body, its just a bit bigger body wise. Overall there are 6 lenses available for the Mamiya 7.

Ultra-Wide Angle 43mm f/4.5

Super Wide Angle 50mm f/4.5

65mm f/4.0

Standard 80mm f/4.0

Telephoto 150mm f/4.5

Telephoto 210mm f/8

In all honesty the lenses for this system are STUNNING and I do mean STUNNING!! I am used to Schneider MC XL 4x5 lenses so I am not easily impressed in this regard and I was simply blown away the first time I saw the quality of pictures these lenses produce. They are just razor sharp. On top of that this camera has a fabulous metering system. In fact its one of the best metering systems I have ever seen for a camera. I never bracket my shots on AE and I always get negatives that are either dead on or very close to being dead on. Some of the best negs I have ever shot have come from this camera. Of course it does have a manual mode but I rarely ever have to use it as again the meter is just outstanding in this camera.

Another great thing about this system is how small and light it is. The lenses are actually quite small, especially compared to 35mm glass or even other medium format camera's. You can pack this entire system, the body and all 6 lenses, into a relatively small bag. you would be lucky to get a 35 body and 2 normal sized lenses into a similar sized bag. This is actually one of my favorite aspects to this system.

This camera is basically the exact opposite of shooting 4x5. While shooting 4x5 is slow and labor intensive, the Mamiya 7 is just super fast with almost no work to do whatsoever except composing the frame and shooting. Again this camera does have a manual mode so you can slow things down if you want to but I like just being able to shoot without worrying about anything. Its just a nice break from shooting 4x5. The whole size issue is just another aspect of this system that is basically like the exact opposite of shooting 4x5. Shooting 4x5 requires multiple large sized cases and shooting with a 100% complete Mamiya 7 system requires just 1 small to mid sized bag.

The bottom line The Mamiya 7 is easily one of the best camera systems I have ever used or owned. Its lightweight, super fast, is small enough to carry the whole system around in a small bag, has outstanding metering, and has super super sharp lenses. In regards to medium format, it is easily my camera of choice when I am shooting portraiture, documentary or snapshot style shots. This is a system that I hope Mamiya continues to support for many years to come.

5 Stars and then some!!

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Leica 35mm f/1.4 ASPH Summilux-M for Leica M Series Cameras

Customer Ratings:

I broke down and bought a Leica M-E when I realized my photo printer was much sharper than my point-and-shoot camera. The reason for the Leica was to get the sharpest images with THIS world-class lens. I have only been playing for a week, but this lens is awesome!! I'm sure my photos will get better as I learn the Leica's quirks, but after a half hour with the manual, I have been shooting images with mind-blowing contrast range and sharpness that allows fairly tightly cropped images to be printed at 8x10 inches and still look stunning.

I know this lens is ridiculously expensive, but it so far exceeds my expectations (which were high due to the on-line hype) that if razor sharp images, especially in low light, are important to you, I'd suggest saving your pennies and putting this lens on your wish list. It delivers on every ounce of hype!

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 12 MP Micro Four-Thirds Interchangeable

Customer Ratings:

Having used different 35mm film camera from Leicaflex and R4, to Contax G2, to Canon EOS DSLR, this is a nice comfortable small camera with almost all the features of the aforementioned cameras. I can use almost ALL my Leica lenses, as there are practically adapters for all the popular mounts (in manual modes only, of course). I don't miss my SLR anymore (okay, i still like my Leica!). In fact, with a full-size SLR lens, it actually feels comfortable with a hefty lens and the light camera body.

The 12MP imager is much sharper than the 8MP in the EOS I was used to; and i always like the warm and vibrant color balance/tone of the Lumix processor. The pop-up flash is neat, and you can tug it to point it upward with you finger for bounce-flash (actually I learned this from an Olympus tech at a demonstration of the EPL2!) The 3-inch LCD is big and bright but if you have vision issue, manual focusing can still be a problem (same with any camera without a diopter-corrected viewfinder); but the Lumix electronic viewfinder may be helpful. The touch-screen is sensitive and menu selections are fairly intuitive (but i think the Sony NEX is even better in that department). The mechanical button to the right of the screen is well laid out and back up almost all the touch screen functions. There is, however, a tendency (especially when holding the camera with a heavier lens) to unintentionally press some of the buttons with your palm and pull up menus which then you have to get rid off before shooting maybe a "lock-out" option to disable the mechanical buttons would be helpful (there is one to disable the touch screen, I think but the manual is pretty skimpy on the options (i haven't checked the CDs that came with the kit to see if there is a more detailed digital version yet).

The camera is solidly built and the battery life is good (so far). The kit zoom is decent and versatile. All-in-all, the camera kit is a solid buy, especially @$499!

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Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - 8 Pack

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $26.99
Sale Price: $17.24
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

[IMPORTANT NOTE]

My original review below was written back in 2007, when the Sanyo eneloop first became available

through Amazon.com. Part of my initial estimation about eneloop's self-discharge rate turns out to be inaccurate. Please see my other Amazon spotlight review for updated information.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3TU586FEKG57A/

[Original Review follows]

According to Sanyo, the new eneloop LSD (low self-discharge) NiMH batteries can maintain 85% of its original charge after 1 year of storage. This claim is slightly misleading, because it is based on simulation test at 20 degree C. At higher temperature, the self-discharge rate is likely to be much higher.

I have tested five of those AA cells (details are given in my review for the eneloop 4-pack). The average energy loss is about 26% after less than 6 months of storage, based on manufacturer date codes. This self-discharge rate is about 3 times higher than what Sanyo claimed. However, it is still 6 times lower than that of ordinary NiMH batteries. Therefore I'm in the process of replacing most of my existing rechargeable cells to the Sanyo eneloop.

Thanks to lower self-discharge rate, you'll discover a lot more applications for eneloop cells in your house, such as in clocks and remote controls. Do NOT use those cell in smoke detectors, since their discharge voltage profile is very different from that of alkaline cells. Also, don't use them as emergency flash lights batteries in your car, because the higher temperature during summer time will probably nullify the advantage of LSD.

[Update on Jan 13, 2007]

I have tested six new eneloop AAA cells, dated "2006-06'. The average residue charge is 589mAh, and the freshly charged capacity is 827mAh. This implies a self-discharge rate of 29% in 7 months, which is consistent with the rate for AA cells (26% loss in 6 months).

[Update on Jan 29, 2007]

The Rayovac "Hybrid" rechargeable NiMH batteries are now available at Walmart, priced at only $ for 4-pack of AA or AAA cells. It is also advertised to have low self-discharge rate, but not as low as that for eneloop. The eneloop is supposed to retain 85% charge in 12 months (when stored at 20 degree C), whereas Hybrid is supposed to retain 80% charge in 6 months (no mention of temperature).

[Update on June 3, 2007]

In my 2-month self-discharge test using four different brands of NiMH cells. Hybrid and eneloop came up neck-and-neck!

Room temperature: 60-62 degree F (16-17 degree C). All capacities measured are average of 2-cells.

Sanyo eneloop 2000, purchased Jan 2007.

Initial capacity measured: 2070mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1796mAh (-13.2%)

(Note: my previous result for eneloop showed -18%, but I repeated the test and it did better this time)

Rayovac Hybrid 2100, purchased Jan 2007.

Initial capacity measured: 2155mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1859mAh (-13.8%)

LaCrosse 2000, purchased Jan 2006.

Initial capacity measured: 1902mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1417mAh (-26%)

SONY 2300, purchased Sep 2004.

Initial capacity measured: 2210mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1309mAh (-41%)

So neither eneloop nor Hybrid did as well as advertised, but they are still significantly better than previous generation of NiMH cells. So you can't go wrong with either brand.

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Infant Optics Infant Optics Dxr-8 Pan/Tilt/Zoom 3.5" Video Baby

Customer Ratings:

We procrastinated on getting a monitor. After looking in the stores and online nothing really stood out. Lots of units were questionable for reliability and riddled by reviews of the camera or sound cutting out within the first 3-6 months. Infant optics stood out in their simple design and reliability. However, when we first looked the DXR-8 didn't exist. We picked it from Amazon while their website still said "Coming soon" (it apparently still does 6 weeks later).

Maybe the best selling point is the customer service others talked about with their dxr-5. Samsung, Sony and summer were at best 50/50 in reviews on customer service. Infant optics was always spot on. That was our major selling point.

We've been using the camera for 6 weeks (not long but she's only 7 weeks old so...) and it's been phenomenal. It's much better than our friends unit's (Samsung, Sony, Summer) and two switched theirs out for the infant optics.

Pros:

Menu is intuitive and user friendly

Very Clear picture

Range From the front of a 3rd story condo we can go downstairs and outfront to let the dog do her business with a clear picture. Once we put 2-3 brick walls between us the signal starts to go.

Changeable lenses. We just moved from a condo to a townhouse and being able to change the setup is fantastic.

LED sound level Shows the baby's sound level when ambient noises are louder than her (laundry room, shower, vacuuming)

Adjustable Pan/Tilt/Zoom is quick and easy to use from the control.

Night mode is crystal clear

Great battery life.

Long powercords (10 feet for the monitor, 8.5 for the camera)

Talk back feature is phenomenal when the wife is downstairs and forgets to tell me something (one trip up is appreciated versus 4)

Cons:

If the video is off, you first have to turn the video on to turn the whole monitor off.

Temperature gauge is 2-3 degrees off (is that a real con?)

Sound isn't sensitive enough to get all her newborn sounds. It only shows on the sound sensor when she's really crying.

So far we haven't needed the wide angle lens but I'm digging the option. If I'm missing anything on any of these throw up the resolution in the comments and I'll update.

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Sony 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 E-Mount Lens

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $849.99
Sale Price: $748.00
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

I received the LE (Light Edition??) today. I previously owned both the Tamron E-mount 18-200 and the original Sony 18-200.

Even though the lens appears to be manufactured by Tamron which is in part owned by Sony, I find the focus speed on the LE to surpass the Tamron. Others have said the OSS is also better. It looks like Sony tweeked the internal programming. The zoom ring is smooth. The size of the lens is much better for the Nex 7 than the original. I think it is worth the premium over the Tamron.

UPDATE 2/5/2013. Sony has announced a firmware update for this lens to make it compatible with the new PDAF autofocusing. The update will require that existing lenses be sent back to Sony to apply the update. If you are buying a new lens, make sure you ask if the firmware has been updated.

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P50ST60 50-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Smart Plasma

Customer Ratings:

I will keep this as brief as I can and will not get too technical. I have done a lot of the research and visited the HDTV enthusiast forums and looked high and low for the right TV in my price range. The TV I was told to buy from several sources was the Panasonic ST50. That TV was discontinued to make way for it's replacement (2013) model the ST60, so I got it. I have been nothing but pleased with this TV and it's features.

If you want a superior quality pictures with all the right blacks and vivid colors, look no further. If you just want a great TV for the money, look no further. How this TV gets this quality at this price range is a mystery to me. It is a plasma TV, and there are some advantages and dis-advantages to that. Mostly advantages, but not for everyone. Disadvantages that might disqualify this TV to someone could be the weight, since plasma TVs are a bit heavier... so if you plan on hanging this somewhere that the weight might be an issue, get an LCD. Also if you view TV in the daytime in a room with a ton of windows for some reason (your likely watching soaps), you might want an LCD that handles highly lit rooms a little better. It is also a bit more fragile than an LCD and the glass is more likely to break if something hits it (kids toy, wii remote etc), you can buy a screen protector to solve that issue, but you will spend an extra $140 or so.

Anyhow, I have compared this TV to the ST50 and the quality of the image is the same. They use identical boards and screen tech. The only noticeable changes has been updates to the Smart TV interface and options and the slight difference in appearance (ST50 had transparent plastic rim along the frame of the TV, the ST60 has a small silver rim. The remote is also slightly different, the new one is not backlit and the 4-way controller around the "ok" button is now 5 buttons and not one connected pad. The ST60 comes with two pairs of 3D glasses, the ST50 came with none. The ST60 can also use the new Panasonic Pen (does not come with the pen) that can be used to draw on the screen to alter photos, draw pictures and play games (seems like a useless feature, I would not let my kids advance on my TV screen with a pen). In every other way the same TV.

Note: You should break in new Plasma screen TVs by allowing them roughly 100 hours of viewing before you watch too much TV with sidebars, Netflix interface and games with static HUD elements. They can potentially cause burn in if left on screen too long. Modern Plasma has mostly eliminated these issues, but it is a good idea to break in the phosphorus at the same rate if for nothing else to give your TV the best chance at a long life of use. Some people run color slides like a photo slideshow to break in their new plasma TVs... while this is not really necessary, it is common practice and I did it myself. It is just a good way to control the break-in process and it makes you feel like videophile (even if pointless).

There you have it, my bloated review of an awesome TV.

If you read nothing else, read this. This TV is a great buy. Amazon is a great place to buy this TV, so if you can afford it, and don't need the bleeding edge $4k TV... get this one it's just as good.

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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $899.00
Sale Price: $649.95
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

There's nothing else this wide for use on a full-frame 35mm camera or digital such as the Canon 5D. It's so wide on a full-frame that you can almost see behind you (well not quite, but close to 180 degree field of view). It is not a fisheye, so straight lines stay straight. There is some minor vignetting at 12mm but less than the Canon 17-40 L-lens I had at 17mm. This lens is pushing the limits of physics so it is not as sharp as some lenses but it takes in so much more of the view and provides a crisp image all the way to the corners.

For use on a cropped sensor camera, such as the XT, 20D or 30D a better choice may be the Canon 10-22mm which is uber-sharp in the middle of the frame. The Canon, however, gives fuzzy images on the sides when wide open but sharpens up when stopped down to f8 or more. My third copy of the Sigma lens is less sharp than the Canon in the center of the frame but is sharper starting about halfway to the edge when both lenses are wide open. Near the edges of the frame the Canon gives a dark and mushy image when wide open at 12mm while the Sigma is only slightly less sharp than at the center truly amazing!

Unfortunately, Sigma lenses are seemingly sold "as-is" with wide sample variations. The autofocus died on my first copy of the lens after less than 30 pictures. The second copy had poor optics with soft and fuzzy pictures even when manually focused. The third copy is sharp at 12mm, even wide open, all the way to the edges, but only if manually focused. At 12mm the lens autofocuses too far away when an object is close and too close for distant objects. At 24mm it autofocuses right on but is softer than at 12mm. I've decided to keep it since it is easy to manually focus. The depth of focus is large at 12mm. For objects further than a few meters away when using 12mm just set the lens to infinity and everything from a few feet to infinity is in focus even at the edges of the frame and in the corners. The lens has a 4-year warranty so I may send it in to Sigma for calibration later.

Pros: (1) Unique ultra-wide angle perspective on a full-frame camera. (2) A good copy will be optically sharp all the way across a full frame, even wide open. Further, there's virtually no purple chromatic aberation near the edges of dark objects with bright backgrounds. (3) Nice build quality with good finish and large smooth focus ring. (4) Straight lines stay straight so no defishing needed (defishing uses interpolation which lowers resolution away from the center). (5) Lens comes with a case and has a small built-in hood (serves mainly to protect the front element). (6) 4-year USA warranty if purchased from an authorized dealer like Amazon or B&H. Otherwise you get a 1-year International Warranty.

Cons: (1) Wide sample variation getting a good copy takes luck or persistence while trying multiple copies. (2) The bulbous front element (this lens is nicknamed "Popeye") is exposed and no standard filter can be used for protection so be very careful. (3) Flares easily. The sun does not need to be in the picture just anywhere not behind you. This is a result of the ultra-wide design and not a fault of Sigma. (4) Photos sometimes come out too bright, giving the appearance of low contrast. Photoshop or other software easily fixes.

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Cam Caddie Scorpion

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.95
Sale Price: $32.95
Today's Bonus: 45% Off

I do a lot of home video recording of my 2 year old daughter. I realized running after her and circling around to get a nice shot was causing a lot of shakes in the video which is pretty annoying once you watch your clips on your computer. So I started looking for a cheap and easy to use camera stabilizer but all the stuff I was finding were expensive and/or really big and odd in shape. I found a Cam Caddie review on someone's blog which was raving this little tool so I ordered one.

After using Cam Caddie for a few hours, I find it easy to use but it doesn't do an excellent job of stabilizing the camera. It's been more comfortable recording my daughter run around the house with my camera attached to Cam Caddie because it allows you to handle and rotate the camera much much easily. In that sense I love Cam Caddie. When it came to stabilizing the camera, I could still see my hand shakes in the video clips but it's not as bad as before. I think Cam Caddie is too light to be able to provide good stabilization. It really feels like it needs to have some weight discs attached to the bottom. I'm planning to find a way to do this which I think will improve camera stabilization.

Installation was pretty easy; you place your camcorder as shown in product images here and then attach the camcorder to Cam Caddie using the provided screw. The installation took me maybe 30 secs or less.

I think I read this in another review and I agree that depending on your brand/mode of camcorder, Cam Caddie's base will block your battery if you need to remove it to charge or replace it with another one. For me this is not a big issue really because I can always unscrew the whole thing in seconds.

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SanDisk 2GB MicroSD / TransFlash Card w/SD Adapter camcorder

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $5.05
Today's Bonus: 87% Off

As described at the top of this page, this is a "bulk package" card, meaning it doesn't come in a pretty package. All you get is the carrying case with the Micro SD card and SD adapter inside. Who need the packaging anyway? You're just going to throw it away as soon as you get your card out ;) Rest assured, it is in fact a brand new, official card (well... at least the one I got from the seller "a-depot" was).

FWIW, I chose the seller "a-depot" because, if you include shipping costs, they were the cheapest seller period. 2gb transflash for $30.39 shipped. Just wow.

Use:

I plugged in into my card reader and it mounted instantly. Actual usable space on the card showed up as 1.89 GB. I did a couple tests with a 30MB file and found that the transfer rates over USB2 (on my system at least) are consistently 1mb/s for both read AND write.

After copying over a few MP3's, I moved the card into my Verizon Motorola Krzr. Everything showed up right away. Not much more to say.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Unlocked GSM Camera / Smartphone

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $799.99
Sale Price: $419.99
Today's Bonus: 48% Off

For those that are leaving reviews based on what you've read or watched, please purchase the item first, use it for at least a couple weeks, and then give us your "user experience." We appreciate the help that you may be trying to accomplish, but if you haven't used the product how can you rate it? Anyway, below is my review of the product.

I'm sure you can find all the specs and un-boxing videos as well as picture quality reviews and so on all over the internet, so I won't waste your time typing about that. Instead I'll talk about my personal user experience and you can relate to it or not.

I took the GS4-Z (or "Ph-amera") for a spin when my wife decided to take us on a mini 5 day vacation. I have to say, this thing is pretty useful. It takes quality photos and at the same time, you can share the pictures with your personal network without having to upload it to a computer or swapping micro SD cards (Although swapping can preserve image quality). If you share images on Whatsapp or other messenger, the quality of the photos will decrease due to their file size limitation. Instead, I chose to send them through email, and they turned out very good. The 10x's optical zoom is great, just be sure to keep your hand steady or place the gadget on a tripod. NOTE: Don't plan on standing this on it's side like a common compact camera to take timed shots, as the curves make it impossible to position it like so without some type of assistance.

The camera is heavier and thicker than your average modern smartphone, so be prepared to have this brick swinging in your pocket should you decide to run. I'd say it's just about as heavy as the Galaxy Note 2. I wore the S4 Zoom around my neck with a metal camera lanyard (wrapped in clear rubber), and it worked out very nicely. I hear people complain about the plastic body, but the weight gives it a "quality" feel. Battery life is great when using it as a phone. You will however notice a drain if the back facing camera is used a lot. I'm planning to purchase a 2nd removable battery as a backup, so I'm not too worried.

If you're planning on using this on a car dash/window mount as a GPS or small viewing screen, start planning on doing heavy modifications or forget it at all. The lens on the phone (as thick as about 3 s4 minis) makes it really hard to fit on standard mounts. Again, I just used my neck lanyard (If you don't mind the occasional swing) on the rear view mirror, and it was fine. Just adjust it a bit shorter, or it'll crash into your window if you happen to slam on the brakes.

This device is definitely for a target audience. Currently the GS4 Zoom only comes in white, and although I enjoy the screen quality, many will not be pleased with the resolution provided. If you like thin light phones, this is definitely not it. There are many people that say this device is ugly, but I've handed this over to people to take our photo and they were intrigued! I've heard comments like sleek, nice, different, and very useful to name a few.

I'd recommend this camera to anyone on a budget,who no longer wants to carry a compact camera and a smartphone at the same time. You could get the Nokia Lumia 1020 ($700-$1000 No contract/Unlocked price estimate as of 8/2013), but for $400, the GS4 Zoom is a great quality buy at about half the price of the Lumia 1020.

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Billingham 225 SLR Camera Shoulder Bag - FiberNyteSage

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $469.00
Sale Price: $398.95
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

Expensive but you can load it up, not zip it up, and no matter how you handle it your gear will never roll out. If you have expensive gear this is he bag to use.

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