Showing posts with label canon digital slr digital cameras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canon digital slr digital cameras. Show all posts

Vanguard Skyborne 53 Digital SLR Camera & Laptop Backpack Case

Vanguard Skyborne 53 Digital SLR Camera & Laptop Backpack Case
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $369.99
Sale Price: $289.99
Today's Bonus: 22% Off
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Recent purchase of Vanguard Skyborne 53 backpack. Am amazed at how complete the unit is and how well it sits on my back. Ease of access to all items, which I also feel are very well protected. Fully waterproof and once again I believe that TIPA got it right with their award. This will now be my primary backpack and I shall have a smaller unit for shorter trips, when I do not require as much equipment. Although I have to admit that it is extraordinary to just pick and chose lenses at random, because I have them with me and they suit the situation. It has made me a more perceptive photographer and occasionally I am trying the same shot, but with different lenses to expand the potential of my Olympus E5. Incidentally another TIPA award winner. Cannot stress how wonderful it is to have my tripod with me at all times attached to my backpack. Once again it makes for a much more satisfying photographic excursion. I live on the East Coast of Vancouver Island and the photographic opportunities are endless. Thank you Vanguard for a wonderful item.

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Zeiss ZE Planar T* 50mm F/1.4 Lens for Canon EOS Cameras

Zeiss ZE Planar T* 50mm F/1.4 Lens for Canon EOS Cameras
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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I fell in love with the lens on my old Rolleiflex camera, a 75mm Zeiss planar, which on a medium-format camera is about the same field of view as this 50mm planar on my 5D Mark II. It has that magical, hard-to-describe 3D look. Super-sharp in the middle, softer on the edges. Wait, is it softer in the corners, or is the contrast just lower? Beyond my technical expertise. But it looks fabulous.

Some say it is soft / not as sharp as one would expect. My bet is that they just didn't nail the focus (more on that below). I don't shoot architecture or other technical work, I mostly do environmental portraits. I want it soft in the corners. So I'm not even looking for edge sharpness.

Also, you can really fine tune the focus more spin of the wheel to change the focal point compared to a standard Canon lens. Which should make it great for video, although I've only done a little with that.

I suspect that some people try these and then don't keep using them; they do pop up on ebay and other places used quite often. There is nothing wrong with the glass. Zeiss has mastered that. But if you want to shoot wide open, or close, you have to be very good at manual focus. I have 20/10 or even 20/5 vision in my right eye and I still usually take 3 images to make sure my subject is in focus when shooting at f2 or wider. Or that was the case until...

They say the lens "out-resolves" the focusing screen in your camera. That means on a standard Canon 5D Mark II for example, the focusing screen is only capable of displaying f/2.0 or narrower in the viewfinder. You can't see the depth of field of f/1.4. So you really can't manually focus, visually anyway, without changing focusing screens. I installed the Canon EgS focusing screen in my 5D2, a roughly $40 and 2 minute process, and that does make accurate focusing, quickly, much easier. The EgS will show you f/1.0. I recommend trying this screen with a lens like this.

Also, keep in mind that although the camera can't drive the lens to autofocus, the AF points in your viewfinder will still light up when the image is sharp. Pick a focal point, press the shutter button down half way, spin the focus on the lens, and when the AF point lights up, you know you have accurate focusing. This is called Autofocus-assist. Since some cameras, including the Canon 5D Mark III, don't have interchangeable focusing screens, this is the method to rely upon for shooting with a very wide aperture on manual focus lenses.

There is pretty heavy vignetting at f1.4. By f2 its not that noticeable. But wide open you lose almost a stop of light due to vignetting. I think it looks great, but it is surprising at first. I doubt you'll have that effect with a less than full frame sensor.

Bottom line I love it. The contrast, sharpness, bokeh, and color rendition are amazing. I use this and a 70-200 IS II to cover most scenarios. Both incredible. This Zeiss just takes a little more time, but the results are worth it. I'm in medium format quality territory with the Zeiss the images are that fine. If I am walking out the door to take photos of I don't know what, this is my favorite lens.

If you are looking at a 50mm I guess the question is which one to buy. This is better build quality and better glass than the Canon 1.4, and obviously more money. I admit, most casual viewers won't know the difference between an image taken with a $350 Canon lens and a $700 Zeiss lens. The Canon 50mm 1.2 (L) is incredible, but I'm not sure it's better in image quality than the Zeiss maybe, I haven't done a head-on test but you pay a TON more for the Canon, which admittedly gets you autofocus (a big deal), and from 1.4 to 1.2. $ aside, I like the Zeiss, unless autofocus is a must.

No Canon-branded lens I have tried feels this good in the hand. Zeiss has solid metal everything, weighty, excellent construction.

p.s. I also rented both the 28mm Zeiss and 21mm Zeiss for a few days, and had the same reaction.

Follow Up -

The (all-metal) lens hood has a tension ring of sorts and mine got out of place, making it impossible to keep the hood on. I contacted Zeiss support and they emailed me back in 2 hours with instructions on how to fix it. A small screwdriver and 20 seconds and it was fine again. I would have preferred the problem never happened, but the service and serviceability of the Zeiss product still leaves me very satisfied.

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Sony DVPFX980 9-Inch Screen DVD Portable

Sony DVPFX980 9-Inch Screen DVD Portable
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $129.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 23% Off
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I was a little skeptical about ordering this at first because of the other 2 bad reviews, but then I realized the reviews didn't really talk about the product quality, just that they didn't get what they thought they were getting. So, here is what I was hoping I was getting: 1. 9-inch screen 2. 4 hours of battery life 3. A clear screen 4. Good sound quality 5. An easy to use portable DVD player

That's it! It has what I was looking for at an excellent price! I don't think I could have been more pleased. The sound quality is great if you use halfway decent headphones. My son's only cost $20 and it sounds great with them. Just bear in mind that a portable DVD player isn't going to have the sound quality of a large TV. Although, it's still pretty good in my opinion.

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Sony 28-75mm f/2.8 Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) Full Frame Lens

Sony 28-75mm f/2.8 Smooth Autofocus Motor Full Frame Lens for Sony Mount Digital SLR Cameras
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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I have this lens for a year now and I simply love it. I have used it with my DSLR-A300 & DSLR-A580.

A ideal lens for low light situation and great for portraits if you want to isolate your subject while adding a beautiful bokeh.

The built of this zoom lens feels pretty solid, and is quite compact, which makes it a delight to take it with me while travelling.

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Canon PowerShot G15 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image

Canon PowerShot G15 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom + TTL Flash for Canon Cameras + NB-10L Battery + 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $589.00
Sale Price: $499.95
Today's Bonus: 15% Off
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The camera is great for someone who wants the option of independent control of functions such as shutter speed and aperture, remarkable for a camera that can fit into a large breast pocket. But taking advantage of all the options requires wading through a 315 page instruction manual that could be clearer. Features not used frequently will probably be lost to one's memory as nested menus and icons can only do so much. Many of the accessories packaged for the G15 such as the tripod were small and made a flimsy impression -in hindsight it might have been better to take the time to buy quality accessories individually. The promised memory card was missing.

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ContourROAM Waterproof HD 1080P Hands-free HD Camcorder

ContourROAM Waterproof HD 1080P Hands-free HD Camcorder Watersport Kit
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $129.00
Today's Bonus: 48% Off
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This is a good camera for the price I paid, I got it on sale and so far I am pleased with the camera's performance. I would have given a five star rating if the camera came with better instructions. The printed material that came with the camera is sparse at best although the camera is easy to operate I had to learn some things the hard way. For example, I purchased a helmet mount bracket for mountain biking. The camera slides into the bracket via the grooves along either side of the camera (so the camera is lying on its side.)

Going for my first ride the camera worked very well however the film was sideways and I was unable to rotate the movie and ended up deleting it. The camera has a lens that rotates but there were no instructions regarding this feature and how to use it. On my next ride I rotated the lens and my film came out very nice.

Another example of poor instruction is the use of the waterproof case. Although the case works very well I had a difficult time mounting the camera and case to my helmet mount. After much consternation I finally located the small black plastic lock tabs that were preventing mounting. Had there been adequate instruction I would have been much happier.

In the minimal instructions provided there is information about downloading Storyteller" a program for uploading video etc. Storyteller takes a lot of time to upload your video. Additionally, in Storyteller is where you can make adjustments to your camera such as 720, 960 or 1080 filming and sound sensitivity. There was no information provided with the camera that explained this feature in Storyteller, I found it by looking around within the download. Camera does not come with any SD card, you need a micro SD card, shop around I found a micro SDHC (High Capacity) chip at a big box store that was 32GB for $24.99.

Otherwise I am delighted at the performance of the camera the waterproof case was put to the test in recent heavy rain and rough trail uses. The only drawback for the waterproof case is that it dampens the sound pick-up. The camera comes set with a 720 HD default and the pictures are very good. The 720 setting provides the longest film time and least battery depletion. The 720 is so good I do not have a need for anything higher for the way I use the camera. The only other issue I have found is that there is considerable sound distortion in high winds or at high speeds (high wind). I realize this is an issue with all cameras I have encountered especially in outdoor sporting activities.

My first trail ride was 46 minutes and the camera battery was fine for the entire time. I charged the battery after that ride and it took only about a half an hour. The camera charges via a USB plug. I recommend the camera if you can catch it on sale, the instruction provided is lacking but the camera appears sturdy, well-built and delivers very good video. The helmet mount is an extra that costs about 15 dollars.

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Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens + UV Filter + ET-67B Hood

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens + UV Filter + ET-67B Hood + Kit for EOS 60D, 7D, Rebel T3, T3i, T4i Digital SLR Cameras
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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A great lens that really preforms. It really takes great shots and preforms flawlessly in Micro settings. Everybody should have this lens in their bag.

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Samsung NX1000 Mirrorless Wi-Fi Digital Camera with 20-50mm Lens

Samsung NX1000 Mirrorless Wi-Fi Digital Camera with 20-50mm Lens Kit. Includes 8GB Memory Card, Card Reader, Extedned Life Replacement Battery, Tripod, Case & More
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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Love Love my Samasung Nx1000 Couldn't have asked for a better product. Syncs awesome with my facebook and dropbox. Would like to see a faster processor though.

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Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 (Silver) for Olympus and Panasonic

Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8 for Olympus and Panasonic Micro 4/3 Cameras
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $499.99
Sale Price: $498.95
Today's Bonus: $1.04 Off
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There's a lot of comparisons between this and the cheaper 20mm f1.7 Lumix, and I while I have both, I'll list a few reason you why you want this lens instead of the Lumix (especially on the OM-D, or Olympus bodies).

1.) Much faster auto-focus. It's got to be more than several times faster, and rarely hunts. This makes it useable for quick, on-the-moment snapshots that you would never get with the Lumix. This is extraordinarily frustrating, as the camera gets in the way of your picture taking, instead of being a quick and easy instrument that just works. By far the primary reason for my purchase of the Olympus 17mm f1.8.

2.) Greatly reduced purple fringing (on Olympus bodies). Panasonic bodies will auto-correct for this, but if you're using an OM-D like me, this is a huge difference. Even with chromatic aberration correction in Adobe Lightroom 4, there's noticeable band of grey as the software removes the purple, particularly in the corners with the Lumix, where the fringing can be severe in certain situations. The Olympus 17mm f1.8 naturally works without creating excessive fringing.

3.) No more banding on the OM-D. The 20mm Lumix has a particularly nasty habit of creating horizontal or vertical bands that show up in the shadows, which becomes more and more visible the higher the ISO rises. I don't know who's fault it is that the issue exists, but changing to any other lens removes the problem. You would usually love using a large aperture lens in dim lighting, but not the Lumix/OM-D combo.

Those are the top reasons, but there's some (somewhat negligible) nitpicks notes that go either way.

1.) The 20mm Lumix has a cool color shift, towards a very slight blue-green tint, while the Olympus 17mm tends to be a little warmer, which I prefer.

2.) Much is made about the the Lumix being a sharper lens, but the Olympus is still acceptable. Noticeably better than the usual kit lenses for any similarly priced manufacturer, much less a regular point and shoot. Honestly I haven't been able to tell much difference unless I zoom in on small text in the far corners.

3.) Vignetting is noticeable on either lens, especially used wide open. The Olympus is slightly, but noticeably darker.

4.) The metal housing is very nice, as is the general look to the Olympus in my opinion. The painted gunmetal colored plastic on the Lumix is a little off-putting (wish it was just black).

5.) Both are pretty expensive relative to cheap things (you can buy whole cameras for the price of either lens), both are relatively cheap compared to expensive things (other lenses of similar performance from other manufacturers can cost much more). Price is a really difficult to thing to agree on.

6.) Neither lens is very big or heavy, but the Lumix takes the cake for being more stow-able as the flatter dimensions are naturally even more compact, and a bit lighter.

7.) The Olympus is super quiet to focus (I can't hear it), great for video recording. The Lumix has that typical grinding sound from cheaper lenses.

8. Bokeh is a toss up to me. Neither one is has any terrible misgivings from what I've seen.

9.) If you normally shoot 35mm equivalent, the 20mm Lumix (40mm equivalent) can feel awkward, especially in close quarters.

10.) If you have a Panasonic body the choice is a lot harder. If you have an Olympus body, the Olympus lens makes more sense, assuming the price doesn't bother you.

Overall, I think the Olympus 17mm f1.8 has its own spot nicely settled. Unfortunately it's not particularly outstanding in performance to it's other prime siblings at 12mm f2.0 and the 75mm f1.8. But then again, it's about 60% of the price. I feel a lot of the cost went to the metal housing, and it probably would have cut US$100-150 if they just used the plastic housing of the 45mm f1.8, which would have made it a no-brainer against the 20mm Lumix of Olympus body owners. But since that's not reality, the best I can give is 4 stars, probably 3.5 if you own a Panasonic body.

Other people may feel differently, but this is my opinion.

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Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (16GB)

Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $154.95
Today's Bonus: 69% Off
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A bit about me first I am a techno-nerd. I LOVE gadgets. Large, small, you name it. After eyeballing many tablets, including the iPad, Xoom, Samsung and others I chose the 64GB Blackberry Playbook. Why? For one, because it is the right size. I can put it in my purse and carry it about with me. More reasons it has spectacular graphics true 1080p HD and it supports flash. It has a camera and an HD camcorder. It has a solid feel in your hands, the touch screen is very responsive and intuitive. After playing with it for a short span of time I now zoom from app to app. One of the (many) things I find amazing is that the tablet does not lag while running many concurrent apps I'm not talking small apps, but processor intensive ones. The battery life is pretty good too I've played for over 10 hours before I had to recharge it. The screen is spectacular I said that already didn't I?

One thing I have read on various sites is that there aren't "many apps" available. HELLO it is new just released actually. How many apps were there for the iPad when it first came out? New apps appear daily and this summer it will run Android apps. That just exponentially increased the quantity of fodder for app hounds like me. The Android apps will be available through Blackberry App World. Read more about this on Android Central. Angry Birds anyone? It's also a boss gaming tablet for you gamers out there.

I have a huge iTunes library. One of the reasons I purchased the 64GB version was for the music. RIM made it so easy to import tunes from iTunes. First download Desktop manager and install. Plug in the Playbook. It installs the drivers and voila! It sniffs the installed iTunes and asks you what you would like to sync to the Playbook. I also read a lot of technical magazines I get electronically. I have these saved off to a folder on my PC. Now I copy them to my Playbook and read them where ever I am.

I can connect to the internet a few ways with the wireless ability it has, or tethering to my mobile phone or, if you have a Blackberry running version 5 or above you can use the Bridge to gain access to the internet while about. I have scratched just the surface of this amazing tablet. It has so much more I could talk about.

I love my Playbook. I am so glad I waited for its release. WOW

Update 7.01.2011

I've had the Playbook for over two months, use daily and have taken it with me everywhere I go. As such, I have more information and thoughts to share.

My Playbook recently traveled to Universal Studios and Disney's Magic Kingdom. Beautiful pictures and video were captured. I am a camera fiend my Nikon D80 was left at home by an oversight and panic (withdrawal is more like it) set in. I must say that my Playbook saved the day. Would this completely replace my Nikon? For me, no. I am a lover of SLR/DSLR's. However it does a very nice job rendering photographs in a pinch. I shot beautiful 1080p video as well.

Apps I have 183 apps so far on my Playbook and the choices available increases daily.

The browser is something to behold on this thing. It is fast, renders pages beautifully and the flash content looks incredible. As the Playbook supports flash, a great deal of things can be had directly via the browser without the requirement of an app.

RE: the noise about the 'too small' power button non-issue really. You turn the Playbook on by swiping the screen from top to bottom. If the timeout is too long, you can alter this through the settings. About the only time you ever have to touch the button is to turn it on from a total power down. It's more an issue of a habit to use a button than anything else. Once you drop the button desire, the puny size is perfect.

RE: the noise regarding it wasn't ready I've used my tablet daily for well over two months and I haven't encountered a single issue. No freezing, nothing at all. Ask me how many times I've had to reset my iPod or my PC/laptop?

RE: the noise regarding the immediate OS update as a software engineer I appreciated the fact RIM had an update issued right after the tablet shipped. That means they fixed/added new features that the initial install didn't contain. This doesn't mean the OS wasn't ready it was. They just were able to roll out an update soon after the release. How often is iTunes updated??? How often is Windows OS updated? Why is RIM bashed for a standard process? Ah, the Bizarro World we live in...

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Sony BDP-S470 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (2010 Model)

Sony BDP-S470 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
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I was excited to get this player. I had been waiting a long time for one that had a good set of features and a reasonable price. Overall, in the 2 weeks I've had it, I've really loved it. I'll go over the good and the bad of this Blu-ray player.

First the bad:

The remote, like all Sony remotes, are very basic. It handles the Blu-ray player functions fine. It also has built in TV remote functions as well. I have a Sony Bravia TV that is about 2 years old. However the remote doesn't work for about half of the functions, making this remote useless for controlling the TV. The remote can be set to a handful of TV brands. You would think that it could at least handle a Sony TV properly.

NOTE: When registering the device on the Sony site, this model is not listed (as of this review). I selected the model S570 instead and that worked for me.

When playing a Netflix movie, one time the movie locked up the player. It didn't respond to the remote, then completely restarted itself. Of course it didn't remember where it had stopped in the movie and I had to search to find where I was to finish the movie. Hopefully this doesn't happen often.

At the time of this review DLNA has not been included with the player and will be available later, so I could not test this out. Being that it isn't relly a new thing, you would think that they'd have this already included.

AVI file playback is only avalable to Canada players.

The buttons on this box are tiny and the labelling is just as small and hard to read. Pale white print on black is always hard to read. In a dark area it is nearly impossible, even with the little light that it shines on the lower button panel, so using the remote is the way to go. Don't forget it when you go to load a disc. You'll probably end up memorizing button locations if you like to use the buttons on the player itself.

If you are playing a disc and decide to stop play for any reason, it exits disc mode entirely, connects you to Gracenote, and returns to the Xross menu. Forget about returning to where you stopped. You have to go back to the very beginning of the disc loading process.

You have to point the remote directly at the player to get it to do anything. It's very picky about this.

The good:

This is a very nice machine. It oozes high-tech. It is small and lightweight and no bigger than the slim Sony upconverting DVD player it had replaced. They could have used the exact same case for it.

Load times are excellent. There is a setting that can have it load even faster if you don't mind keeping it powered in standby mode.

The Sony Xross menu system makes sense and is easy to navigate. The menu is in 1080p, so it looks smooth and not cheap like other older players have done.

Setup was a breeze. Plug in your connections and power it on. You're ready to go. You just have to register the device with Sony and Netflix and Amazon if you use those services. Simple and quick. Sony already had a software update for the player, so I had it do the update and it was done after a few minutes.

There are a number of on-line sites you can visit for music, music videos, a handful of movies and other misc. on-line video content. Assuming that the original on-line content is in good quality, the video picture quality is very nice.

You can use your DVDs to play your own content. You aren't restricted to using the USB connection. If you have a supported video or audio format stored on a disc, you can play it on this player. Really awesome.

I look forward to the DLNA support coming later. I'll be able to connect to my PC where I have my own video and photos stored there.

Standard DVD playback is excellent. This is not just upconverted playback. It also puts it in 24p and it also appears to have cleaned up the DVD picture quality, so it's seriously close to Blu-ray quality. For your regular movie you'll start to ask yourself if you really need those Blu-ray discs after all.

Blu-ray disc playback is, of course, excellent. If you haven't had one before, you'll see colors and depth that you've not seen before on a TV screen. Details are sharp and it's performed without the slightest hesitation in this area.

3D support is coming later for this player. I probably won't use this, but it's good to know that it's going to be there if I do decide to go that route.

Overall, this is something that I've thoroughly enjoyed and I expect I'll be using for years to come. Some of the issues can be overlooked and some can be fixed with software updates if Sony decides to do so. A universal remote is in my near future. I'm very happy with this purchase.

Update: April 12, 2010

Sony has sent out a firmware update for this player. It mainly gives you some enhancements to Gracenote and for the photo slideshow feature. Still no DLNA.

I have a SanDisk Cruzer 8GB USB device where I have some video. I tried using this in the front USB input in order to play my video. However I got a message that the USB device is not compatible. Apparently you can't use just any USB storage with this player. The manual says nothing about limitations in this area. My old 2GB drive works fine.

Update: June 11, 2010

Sony has now added an update to play 3D discs! You may turn the 3D it on or off or keep it in auto mode.

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Samsung NX1100 Smart Wi-Fi Digital Camera Body & 20-50mm Lens

Samsung NX1100 Smart Wi-Fi Digital Camera Body & 20-50mm Lens
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $444.19
Today's Bonus: 26% Off
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This is a superb camera and an outstanding value at the current low prices! It is listed multiple times on Amazon, so be sure to search for the model, color, and price you want.

This is drawn from my review of the NX1000 which is the identical camera without the bundled Adobe Lightroom 4 software and Autoshare Wifi feature (but that feature was added to the NX1000 in the latest firmware update). If you already have Adobe LR 4 as I do, the NX1000 may be a better choice and save you some money. Same sensor, lens, body, etc. so you decide.

Samsung NX1000/NX1100 Review

The main things that drew my interest with this camera were the Wifi features (I have a Samsung WB150F and the Wifi features have worked well. I find them useful and convenient, especially the PC-Autobackup which transfers movies and images to your PC), the large APS-C sensor (more image detail), the compact, mirror-less design, and the recent price drops.

The NX1100 will debut with a MSP of $599 (vs. $699 for the NX1000) and comes bundled with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 and some new Wifi features namely Autoshare. But guess what? Autoshare is available for the NX1000 in the 1.13 firmware update! I already own Adobe Photoshop LR 4, and even with the lower NX1100 price, the NX1000 (basically the same camera) at current prices (340-360) is a great value. Compared to models like the 200/210 it offers the exact same APS-C sensor and is almost identical in image quality and handling. what you are giving up is the AMOLED display, metal body and a few other minor things. (The LCD display on the 1000/1100 is fine, if not quite as good as far as contrast, deep blacks, it is still very usable.)

So...how does the pudding taste? Well, I will admit my overwhelming first impression was "plastic!" though the build quality seems very good, there is an overall "plasticky" feel to the NX1000. (Thankfully, the tripod thread is metal!) The shutter and other bits are metal as well, including the lens mounts.

I use Panasonic and Olympus cameras, mostly, and even those in this price range have a bit nicer "feel" in that sense But, it's a very high quality plastic and I soon got over it except for the fact that I find the grip a bit slick and could see myself dropping this camera, so I immediately attached the strap. Not a big fan of the strap. It's OK, but I do not like the ring attachments used versus the more usual cloth through metal guides on my other cameras. I find the strap interfering with my grip due to where the attachment rings are located and this is quite annoying. I will probably remove this strap for that reason once I find a case I like. You can work around it, but I just don't like it. (Update: I'm adjusting to this and not as irritating as before.)

While we're quibbling, I'm also not a big fan of the way the Zoom lens "locks" when not in use. It does give a lower profile, but it takes some getting used to, as I've never experienced this design before. Again, a minor thing. Overall appearance is good, it looks like a serious camera. I got the white model and like the "Elvis vibe" it gives off. Also the markings are easy to read, it's comfortable to hold (with the 20-50mm lens) and the recessed mode dial is a nice touch. (It's even better with the awesome 16mm wide angle pancake lens! Much slimmer profile and very easy to hold and shoot with.)

In general, as far as controls, the design is well thought out and Samsung offers some unique and original twists such as the "Fn" and "iFn" control buttons which allow easy access to the main things you'd want to "tweak" when shooting. The controls work well and the "ring/wheel" control works very well. I was a bit skeptical, but in use I really liked it. For example, when flipping through your shots in playback mode it works very well and you can scroll through the images very quickly.

Nice to have the hotshoe, though I have not tried the flash unit supplied yet will report back on that. Videographers might note that there is an external mike that works with the hotshoe and uses no cables at all, nice!

In general, I find the NX1000 easy to use, the manual focus works well, the Smart mode seems to do fairly well, there are a great many scene modes and other (somewhat gimmicky) features (Magic filters/frames, etc.). I enjoyed playing with those on the WB150F, but they seem out of place here. There are a superb number of image adjustments, exposure tweaks, and controls of a more serious nature as well. When you want to get serious, this camera is ready. Also, some of the fun things, like the Panorama mode, do work well if you understand their limitations and keep your expectations reasonable.

As expected, the APS-C sensor renders a lot of good image detail. This is the big plus for this camera. I was very pleased with the results under good lighting conditions. I shoot a lot of landscape and street stuff, and this camera seems well suited for that. The noise reduction seems to work well up to about 1600 or so (maybe 800 for purists). Colors are accurate and not over-saturated like on many consumer cameras. If you like the "boost" many cameras give by default, there is a "Vivid" mode which will do this for you. Personally, I prefer the more realistic colors (one of the things I like about Olympus and (most) Panasonics as well). Sharpness is good in JPEGs (I have not shot RAW yet) and tones are nice and smooth (think large expanses of blue sky and clouds). I'm sure with experience my results will improve over these initial test shots, so that bodes well. If you like to print big, 16x20, even 20x30 possibly, you will be able to do so, which is very nice.

The 20-50mm kit lens is nice enough, but has a very limited range compared to what I am used to. (I am considering getting the 30mm lens which I think would make a nice compact package for everyday use.) However, the images look good, sharp, detailed, so I am happy with it. Video worked well and the zoom worked fine in video mode and was silent. In casual use, there is no need to switch the dial to video mode, you can just press the Video button on the back and after a slight pause you're in action. This is nice. Of course, dialing to full video mode gives you more options.

Wifi features worked fine, I was able to easily connect and save pics using the autobackup mode. Skydrive and others worked fine. Have not tried the mobile link and remote view finder apps yet. (Update: I tried these apps out and they worked OK for the most part. A bit flaky at times. There is a new "Smart Camera app" to replace these, but it only works with the new firmware. Since I have not yet upgraded the firmware, have not tried it.) The PC_Autobackup mode works very well for transferring pics and movies to your PC. It remembers what has been transferred and only transfers new items. Best to transfer frequently, since slower than reading from a card, but all automatic and very convenient. [You can also transfer photos to your mobile devices (phone/tablet) using the other apps (Mobile Link/Smart Camera).]

Example: You get back from shooting, you activate the PC-Autobackup on the camera (your laptop/PC and network must be on, of course), and the camera will connect and begin transferring your content. When done the camera will turn-off (unless you press a control button within 30 seconds) and you can set the PC to shutdown as well if you like. Or you can select the "open folder" choice on the PC/notenook popup dialog and view your pics and movies. All very easy and convenient.

There is a "Smart Range" feature to extend dynamic range and preserve highlights. It seems to work well, but you lose shadow detail. Might want to turn off by default, I think. (You can also shoot RAW and tweak things yourself, of course.)

JPEGS look very good to me with a lot of detail and sharpness. So good that I think shooting JEPG only is feasible with the NX1000. (You can always switch to RAW or RAW+Jpeg when needed, of course.) I think many will find the Jpegs entirely adequate for most purposes. (If you shoot a lot at high ISO's you would definitely want to shoot RAW.) You have a range of aspect ratios including 1:1, 3:2, and 16:9. This is nice and gives you flexibility in camera versus cropping later.

The 8fps burst mode worked very well, though as has been noted everywhere, there is a lag as the camera processes the shots before you can shoot again. I am a fairly deliberate photographer and don't shoot much action/sports, so the NX1000 is fine for me. The occasional lags when switching modes and after bursts or RAW shots are not an issue for me, but could be for some. It's all covered in many of the excellent online reviews, so I won't dwell on it here. Overall, I found the camera responsive and adequate for my needs.

The LCD screen is bright, colorful and has good resolution. I was pleased with it. I generally favor optical view finders (sorry, I admit to being old school here, you can't beat a good optical VF IMHO) and even EVF in a pinch, but I am getting used to the non-VF style of shooting and the NX1000 LCD is very good in this respect.

In general, I am very pleased with the image quality and the feature set and think this camera is an excellent value at current prices. Many of the features are unique, the Wifi modes are the best I've seen to date, and the APS-C sensor seems to be a good one. It's fairly compact with the 20-50mm kit lens (and would be even more so with the 30mm pancake lens), easy to carry (not heavy), and has all the controls you could ever want. The images are very good and that's the main thing.

I think it's an easy 4 stars for overall quality and especially value for the price paid.

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

Update: I recently purchased the Samsung f2.4 16mm wide angle "pancake" lens (Samsung 16mm f/2.4 NX Ultra Wide Pancake Lens (Black)) and it's a great addition to this camera. Wonderful for landscapes and walk-about/street photography. It's the lens I keep on the camera by default now. Quicker auto-focus, faster optics(f2.4 vs f3.5), and a more compact profile. When I have the 16mm lens on the body, I feel this is a 5 star combo. (I am leaving the rating at 4 stars with the kit lens, which is an excellent lens. I just find the 16mm to be the "magic" lens with this body. Very subjective, of course.)

Update: I did not cover video very well above, suffice to say the quality of the video is excellent for a camera in this price range and superior to many, I would guess. It is full HD 30/60 fps. You can Zoom during video shooting and it supports external microphones and stereo sound. All the basics are here and a few pluses as well. You can even use many of the special effects in video mode should you wish to do so. There is a dedicated video button for instant access, and a dial selection for more options. Videos take longer to transfer over wifi due to their size, but do transfer fine. Sound quality id pretty good for a camera of this type, in my opinion. So, if you are traveling, you have both stills and video covered. (I still feel a dedicated video camera and full fledged DSLR are optimal. But I must say, the combo capabilities here are quite fine.)

Video Format: MP4 (H.264), Compression: Movie H.264, Sound AAC

Frame Rate: 60fps (1280 x 720 Only), 30fps (1920 x 1080), 24fps (1920 x 810)

Image Sizes: 1920 x 1080, 1920 x 810, 1280 x 720 , 640 x 480, 320x240 for Sharing (Default: 1920 x 1080)

Movie Editing: Still Image Capture, Time Trimming

Update: I did not mention that the kit lens (20-50mm) does not have image stabilization, nor does the body. Has not been a problem for me (I shoot old school, bracing, etc.), but it was a consideration in buying the low cost and excellent 16mm wide angle for this body (very compact and little worries about image stabilization, larger sensor works in favor here) and dedicating this to camera to the wide end, while using my Panasonic G1 for the mid/telephoto range (as I already have excellent lenses for my G1 in this range). I still have the 20-50mm (an excellent lens) in the bag and can switch when needed. The lenses I have already for my G1 are superb, so this works out well for me.

You can buy image stabilized Samsung lenses (like the 18-55mm) if that is a concern. Shooting with the 20-50mm kit lens, I never once had any issues. However, in low light situations, it might come into play. Again, in my case, my G1 and f1.7 20mm would be my preferred choice, but I could get by with the NX1000. It has good image quality at high ISO and even ISO 3200 is usable many times. ISO 1600 is very good and ISO 800 is very clean.

For quick "grab and go" shooting, I continue to enjoy this camera very much.

2013 August 3rd update: I have had a chance to try the 18-55mm lens (good) on the Samsung 210 model and the 210 is very nice, it's the 200 + wifi features (like the Nx1000/1100). The 200/210 is heavier, all metal and has the AMOLED screen. The screen is better in bright subnlight than the LCD on the NX1000/1100. However, overall, the differences are not great, as mentioned above. The image quality is very close, no discernible quality difference that I can see in my quick tests. The NX1000/1100 then stands as an excellent low-price entry point to get this excellent APS-C sensor, with the bonus of the same excellent image quality as the more expensive models. The lighter weight is a plus, too. I have been shooting extensively with the 16mm on my NX1000 and continue to be very pleased with the results. Great image detail and color. This camera is an outstanding bargain at current prices and delivers image quality equal to models selling for 2-3 times as much. The market has not quite caught on to the value here, yet...initial prices for these cameras were double current prices. But that just means you can snag one of these at an incredible low price and be happy! Shush...don't tell anyone! ;)

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Samsung UN32F5500 32-Inch 1080p 60Hz Slim Smart LED HDTV

Samsung UN32F5500 32-Inch 1080p 60Hz Slim Smart LED HDTV
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $579.00
Sale Price: $347.99
Today's Bonus: 40% Off
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This TV was released in February as Samsung's "budget" 32-inch As of this writing it's going for around $475, so about $200 more than the budget Smart TV's from Vizio. First my review of the TV, then I'll compare it to Vizio's product VIZIO E320i-A0 32-inch 720p 60Hz LED Smart HDTV, which I have also purchased and decided to return in favor of this unit. As you would expect, the TV has a great picture. Smooth, no pixelation, even sports look great on here. It's advertised as a 60hz -but then the box refers to "120 Tru Motion" so I'm not sure what to make of that, but suffice it to say that refresh rates are good. The remote control is decent lights up at night and has good sized buttons, but I'd like dedicated buttons for Netflix and Amazon VOD. This TV begins to blur the line between TV and computer... the internet browser is competent, but pretty frustrating to use without a keyboard. You can hook up a USB keyboard through the TV's slot. This TV does NOT accommodate bluetooth keyboards, so wireless is out of the picture. I believe the next model up of Samsung (the 6000 series) accommodates Bluetooth as that is referenced in the manual. The "Smart Apps" section reveals many apps (Pandora, Picasa, etc) that you would find on your Smartphone. Due to the dual core of the TV's processor, apps load quickly and the TV starts immediately. As for the sound, it's really decent to good. You're not ever going to get good base etc without an external sound source on any HDTV... but this provides a good viewing experience. Figuring out the DLNA networking (to watch videos and pictures stored on my computer) was unnecessarily complex (very simple on the Vizio). The TV couldn't "see" other devices on the home network until I clicked "Play to" on the computer in the right click context menu and selected the Samsung. The Samsung asked for permission to link to the computer and then I was able to browse. I'm sure this will be fixed in a future software update. By the way, Netflix, Amazon, every app I have tried works great.

I think the software on these "smart TV's" is still overly complex to navigate... At some point a company like Apple is going to figure this out and make a truly seamless intuitive experience. For example, to get to my media on my computer, I have to click "smart apps" then scroll to video, click that, then select a source, then start scrolling through files on the computer. There has to be a better way. Having said that, it's not terrible, and the dual core makes for gorgeous animated menus and really nice response time.

Comparing it to the Vizio... if you are thinking "Should I spend the $200 more for the Samsung?" here's why I ended up returning the Vizio in comparison to this unit. First off the positives: The Vizio had a gorgeous picture also, comparable to the Samsung. So it's a draw between the devices. But in every other aspect, Samsung wins. Setup on the Samsung was a breeze -it scanned all of my Comcast digital channels WITHOUT a converter box, and then automatically subtracted out the scrambled channels. Vizio couldn't/didn't do this. Samsung also has an interactive/nice guide much like the guide you'd see on digital TV/satellite... grid format that tells you what's on all the channels. Vizio didn't have that. The Vizio TV took 5-9 seconds to start. That's a long time when you're trying to catch the end of a show. Samsung starts up instantaneously. The Vizio had TERRIBLE sound -everyone sounded like they had a lisp when watching TV... the Samsung has a million sound options including even an equalizer. Great sound. There are many more apps on Samsung's unit, and there's also the Samsung version of video on demand where you can download and watch movies. Vizio has placed a button for this on their remote control but it is still a "coming attraction."

If all you care about is a nice picture, get the Vizio. But if you care about sound and the internet apps, as well as platform stability, get the Samsung. They are both energy efficient the Samsung is $6/year according to the Energy Wise label on the set and the Vizio is $8.

This TV actually begins to blue the line between TV, computer and tablet. You can attach a keyboard. You can also attach a webcam and have Skype video calls. There's also a social app integration that I don't plan to use where you can link everything to Facebook and other social sites, sharing comments on TV shows etc with your friends. Not my style but some might like that. As I use more of the functions on this TV I will update this review, but for now, hope this helps!

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Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 Digital Camera, 6.0 MP, with 60fps High

Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 Digital Camera, 6.0 MP, with 60fps High Speed Burst Mode, Full HD Movies, 12x Optical, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.8' HP LCD Screen
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $2,999.95
Sale Price: $2,799.99
Today's Bonus: 7% Off
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I bought this camera mainly for the high speed video capability, and I have not been disappointed. This camera's high speed video capabilities are far and away the best you can buy in this price range. In fact, I don't think there is anything on the market right now that can match these abilities even if you were willing to pay 2 or 3 times the price of the EX-F1.

High speed video

The closest competitors to the EX-F1 (besides Casio's other high speed video camera, the EX-FH20) are Sony's HD camcorders that can record 240 frames per second (although not in HD) for a whopping three seconds. I've never used one of these cameras, but I have to imagine the 3-second clip length limitation is quite cumbersome to work with. The EX-F1, by contrast, is limited only by a 4 GB file size cap. High speed video (at all three speeds) takes up about 2MB/sec of recording, meaning you can record for about 30 minutes in high speed mode before you reach that 4GB file size limit. Of course, it would take 300 minutes, or 5 hours, to watch back the whole clip if you were shooting 300 fps. That's a limitation I can live with.

The 1200 fps resolution is pretty small and pixilated, but I'm still glad to see that speed is available. I use it sometimes and the results can be quite interesting even if they are thumbnail-size.

One thing you may or may not be aware of is the amount of light required to shoot high speed video. High speed video, by definition, requires very fast shutter speeds. You must use at least 1/300th, 1/600th, or 1/1200th shutter speed to shoot 300, 600, or 1200 frames per second, respectively. Basically that means you need very bright lights or daylight. I can shoot 300 fps indoors with the aperture wide open at ISO 400 using 600W of light pointed directly on the subject. Anything less than that and your video will come out dark and/or grainy. See my youtube video on the subject called "Casio EX-F1 noise level test":

High speed video downsides

I use this camera to shoot high speed video of things like skateboarding. I'll set up the camera on a tripod, start recording, and go try a trick. Often it takes lots of tries to land it, and if it takes me five minutes to land my trick, then I want to play it back to see how it looks. But the only way to get to the end of a video clip is to fast forward through the whole thing, and when you shoot at 300 fps, "fast forward" means about half real speed. That means I'd have to literally sit for ten minutes waiting for the camera to fast forward to the end of the clip so I can see what I just recorded. It would be really handy if there was some way to quickly skip to the part of the video you want to see, like if you could roll the dial and each click would jump 2.5% of the way though the clip, so 40 clicks would get you to the end of a video of any length. But there is no feature like that. Is someone from Casio reading this? Please add this feature or something like it.

Overall, though, I'd say this is an outstanding camera for high speed video and you won't find anything even close to it in a consumer level price range.

HD video

The high definition video looks great, but the problem is I can't edit the highest resolution (1080P) video. Sony Vegas will read 1080P AVCHD files from Sony and Panasonic cameras, but not Casio. I just discovered today that Sony Vegas 6.0a will, however, read 720P HD video from this camera. Since before today I didn't know of any way to edit my HD videos, I have shot very few. I have noticed that the focusing tends to "hunt" a little bit even when shooting in broad daylight. For me, HD video is a bonus because my primary usage of the camera is for high speed video.

Photos:

It may sound strange, but I have taken very few photos with this camera. I have a Canon 350D DSLR and also a Canon 5D DSLR, so I didn't buy the Casio for photos. And it's a good thing, because if your primary interest is photos, you can do better for $1,000 (try a Canon digital rebel). Of course, if you think you will have a lot of usage for the rapid-fire full resolution stills, you won't find another camera that can match that. It looks like a pretty cool feature, and I've tried it out just to see how it works, but I haven't had any real usage for that feature yet.

The macro capability is decent, but it captures the closest photos when the zoom is at its widest angle and you put the camera about an inch from your subject. Needless to say, it is quite difficult to light the subject when the camera lens is looming an inch away. You can move back a bit and zoom in, but the closest focus distance quickly increases as you zoom in, meaning you can't get as close of a macro shot.

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SANOXY® Hdmi to Vga Cable Adapter for Pc Laptop Power-free

SANOXY® Hdmi to Vga Cable Adapter for Pc Laptop Power-free, Raspberry Pi, MHL Support
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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We used this to connect the Raspberry Pi to a brand new HP 19" VGA only monitor. It didn't work at first, but there is a simple setting on your Pi that will make it work. There is a "config.txt" file inside the /boot folder that needs the line "#hdmi_safe=1" uncommented. Once you uncomment that line and reboot, this adapter will work fine.

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Zmodo 8CH DVR Security Surveillance CCTV Camera System With 8

Zmodo 8CH DVR Security Surveillance CCTV Camera System With 8 Outdoor Night Vision IR Cameras 1TB Hard Drive Pre-installed
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $469.99
Sale Price: $303.00
Today's Bonus: 36% Off
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Great Price,

Great Quality

Great Quantity of Cameras

Great Size of Harddrive

Great Design

Works like a security guard on duty!

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Digital DSLR Shoulder Mount Rig with COUNTER WEIGHT and Follow

Digital DSLR Shoulder Mount Rig with COUNTER WEIGHT and Follow Focus for Camcorder Steady DSLR Video Cam Camera WYRL02SET
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 68% Off
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When I first saw this pop up on amazon I was very skeptical, I know you usually get what you pay for. After getting this I realized when you spend $500-$1000+ on a rig and follow focus you pay for the brand name (red rock, zaucto, etc).

This rig/follow focus seems very sturdy. When I took it out of the box I was expecting a very light cheap set up, but the whole thing has a very high quality feel. The only thing that I could see maybe breaking years down the road are the blue thumb tightening screws since they are plastic.

The follow focus is very nice, the whole system has no play. The final gear to the lens has a SMALL amount of play nothing I am concerned about. The gear for the lens stays in place and I have not had any issues, I just need one for each lens now. I trimmed about an inch off the end so I didn't have as much hanging off the end and I can still get around all the lenses I have.

The mounting block has 4 tripod mounting holes and is made of nice solid metal. All the rails are very high quality and seem very sturdy.

The only part of this that is not amazing is the shoulder mount, I didn't expect it to be amazing from the pictures. It really needs the shoulder and either a mono pod or a 2nd support for the torso.

Overall if you are an indie HD DSLR film maker or are looking for a cheap non DIY follow focus rig this is a nice high quality rig that I will be shooting with for years to come. I would highly recommend this to a friend.

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