Canon BG-E11 Battery Grip for Canon SLR Cameras (Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $490.00
Sale Price: $272.00
Today's Bonus: 44% Off

First off, this is the first Canon made battery grip I've purchased, all my previous grips have been knock offs made by Zeikos, which I feel offered a better value than the canon grip. So what made me change my mind this time and shell out the bucks for Canon's priciest grip to date? Two things first, the construction this grip is made of the same magnesium alloy as the 5D's body where the previous ones were made of plastic. Second, Canon changed the orientation of the batteries to load from the side instead of the rear. So now the palm of your hand rests on the solid metal portion of the grip vs. the battery door on the older models. This brings a much more solid, one-piece feel to the grip and brings it in line with the MarkIII's upgrade in construction over the MarkII It's nice not having the battery door creaking under your palm as you squeeze.

The side loading batteries *should* have allowed Canon to improve the ergonomics of the grip to be more like the 1D series cameras too, but this is where I think they missed the mark. The old, rear loading grips were always a bit thick because they had to be as wide as the batteies are long. Because of this, the rear the grip where your palm would rest, would protrude in addition to the forward grip area. This made the grip thicker feeling than a 1D and was a bit much for those with small hands. So now with the batteries loading from the side, just like a 1D, the grip should now be able to be dimensioned just like a 1D grip but it's not. This version still protrudes as much in the rear as the old models. I absolutely love the vertical grip on my 1D and was really hoping this new grip design would bring my 5D to the same level but it doesn't.

So is this a bad product absolutely not. Extra battery life and improved vertical shooting ergonomics and controls are still there and the much improved quality of construction has made me comfortable with the decision to go with the Canon branded version. Most should be very happy with this grip.

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Apple Macbook Air MD231ll/A 13.3-inch Laptop

Customer Ratings:

I purchased both the newly updated 13" MacBook Air and the updated 13" MacBook Pro the day they were announced at WWDC and released for sale in June 2012. After using the two machines side-by-side for a couple weeks now, I can say that the MacBook Air offers superior performance in virtually every respect to such a degree that I've pretty much stopped using my brand new MacBook Pro. Of course the Air (which I got factory upgraded to the 2.0 GHz i7 processor and 8GB of RAM) is lighter, slimmer, and sleeker than the Pro, and yes, it does have a much higher resolution display, but I was surprised just how much faster the MacBook Air is compared to the Pro is despite the Air's slower CPU clock speed. The SSD hard drive on the MacBook Air makes an enormous difference in everything from casual web browsing to video editing.

Speed and Performance: Advantage MacBook Air

Apart from the hard drives and port configurations, the technology inside the machines is virtually identical in both the newly refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Both Pros and Airs come with either i5 or i7 Intel "Ivy Bridge" processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000, USB 3.0, and lightning-fast Thunderbolt ports. While the MacBook Air models are at a disadvantage to the MacBook Pro models in terms of CPU clock speeds, any performance disadvantage from the processor speed is more than made up for by the lightning fast performance of the Air's SSD hard drive, which Apple markets as "Flash" storage. In everyday tasks from gaming to web browsing to watching Flash movies and editing video, the MacBook Air is faster significantly faster in virtually every task. The Air boots up in less than 12 seconds while the Pro takes upwards of one minute.

Screen: Advantage MacBook Air

Once you get used to the super high resolution 1440 x 900 LED display on the MacBook Air, the 1280 x 800 back-lit LED display on the MacBook Pro looks downright grainy and primitive. Simply put, once you get used to a higher resolution display, the 1280 x 800 display on the 13" MacBook Pro just isn't acceptable. Even for simple tasks like email or word processing where you wouldn't think the resolution would matter, the graphics look grainy and pixelated, which just isn't acceptable for a pro-level laptop in 2012.

Upgradability: Advantage MacBook Pro

One major difference that's important to consider between the Air and the Pro is that the Pro is more flexible and adaptable in terms of upgradability. With only a screw driver and about 10 minutes of your time, you can add more memory to the Pro, replace the hard drive, and even add a second hard drive in place of the optical disc drive. The Air, on the other hand, is stuck in the configuration you purchase it in except that you can opt to replace the SSD "Flash" hard drive with a higher capacity drive. However, both the Air and Pro have USB 3.0 (which is five times faster than USB 2.0 and backward compatible) and Thunderbolt (which is ten times faster than USB 2.0), I see no reason to replace the Air's hard drive any time soon given how cheap external hard drives are and how fast the connection has become.

Design, Weight, Portability, Battery Life, and Form Factor: Advantage MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is the most beautiful computer ever produced by man. The aluminum case is impeccably designed, almost tailored to accommodate the necessary internal components, while maintaining practical ergonomics. It's an incredibly thin, svelte, sexy little notebook. The aluminum case seems sturdy and durable, and its mechanics are very similar to the time-test unibody construction of the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is a bit of a dinosaur in its bulky circa 2006 unibody. The Pro is heavier than a half gallon of milk at 4.5 lbs, while the MacBook Air weighs in at less than 2.9 lbs. Battery life is roughly even on both machines at anywhere from 4 to 7 hours depending on workload and settings.

Summary Judgement: Buy the MacBook Air

Simply put, the guts of the two machines are basically the same, but the Air's SSD hard drive gives it a tremendously significant boost in performance. Sadly, the MacBook Pro's 5400-rpm hard drive leaves the machine unable to capitalize on the newest, most expensive Intel "Ivy Bridge" i5 and i7 processors that you're paying a $300 premium for in the newly updated Pros. If you are going to buy a Pro, invest the extra money and get it upgraded with a SSD hard drive and get an extra external hard drive if you need additional cheap storage space for multimedia files. When you also consider the superior display, lighter weight, increased portability, and lower price of the MacBook Air, it's hard to find a reason to justify purchasing the current 13" MacBook Pro, which to me looks like a dinosaur rapidly headed for extinction.

Specs on the models compared:

13" MacBook Air (mid 2012) factory upgraded to the 2.0 GHz dual core i7 processor and factory upgraded to 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM) with standard 256 GB SSD ("Flash") hard drive

13" MacBook Pro (mid 2012) with 2.9 GHz dual core i7 processor, 8 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM), and 750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Both feature Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 3.0 USB, Thunderbolt, 802.11n, etc.

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Sony A390 Digital SLR Camera - Black

Customer Ratings:

Years ago I used to use a Nikon F SLR with an assortment of wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. I would buy my film in bulk, load it into casettes, shoot, then develop and print in my home darkroom. Those days are long gone. Once digital arrived I used a variety of compact cameras whose main virtue was portability and convenience, which sometimes did not provide the sharpest pictures.

With the birth of a grandchild on the way, my wife decided to look for a "really good" camera. She bought this camera at a one day sale at Electronics Expo as part of a kit that also included a 75-300mm lens, tripod, cleaning kit, 4GB SD card, and Bower camera bag--all for $600. After she brought it home the "photo bug" that had been dormant for so many years bit me again. I absolutely love this camera. Here is why.

1. Picture quality is stunning. Don't be overly impressed with the 14.2 megapixels because unless you regularly make 16 x 20 pictures or larger, you won't really notice a difference from a camera with say 10 megapixels. The whole emphasis on megapixels is really just a marketing ploy. The thing to focus on are the lenses, and both lenses that came with our kit take amazing pictures--clear, sharp, vivid colors. I use one of the pictures that I took as a screensaver on my 22 inch monitor, and the detail is incredible. Also, my cousin who is an avid photographer has a much more expensive Nikon DSLR, and because the Sony lenses are so good, there is no noticeable difference in our picture quality.

2. The lenses are easy to remove and put on, and the autofocus and automatic light metering features work very well.

3. The included flash is compact but powerful. No it is not a substitute for an external flash if you do lots of flash photography, but for ordinary use it works just fine.

4. If you are a beginner or just don't want to be bothered with lots of technical details, just set the main control dial to Auto, and the camera will take care of all of your settings for you. If you want to start playing with settings to adjust aperture, shutter, depth of field, ISO settings etc. you can do so. In short, you can simply point and shoot or else start making all kinds of adjustments to become more creative.

5. The manual that comes with the camera is adequate. If you want a book that clearly and concisely explains everything about using this camera with lots of tips for being creative, buy David Busch's book on Sony DSLR A390. I already have his book on the Sony A380, which I used to own and is essentially the same as the A390 (see paragraph 10 below), and can tell you that nobody explains things more clearly. He takes nothing for granted if you are a rank beginner, but at the same time provides tips for more seasoned photographers.

6. The Bower Camera Bag (which I have reviewed on Amazon) is superb for holding all of the equipment, and was part of the package that my wife got. Even with the camera bag loaded with everything, it is not that heavy, and is about the size of an average pocketbook.

7. Lens caps on any DSLR have a way of popping off and getting lost, so I suggest you buy an inexpensive lens cap keeper. I use the one made by Bower (I have reviewed it on Amazon).

8. I suggest buying an extra battery. Battery life is pretty good, but an extra battery is always a good idea. I bought one made by Lenmar that works just as well as the Sony battery, but is half the price (I have reviewed it on Amazon).

9. Although there is no video on this camera, I don't consider that a problem. I have always preferred using a separate video camera because taking videos is much different from taking still photos, and video cameras have a different set of controls that are missing on a DSLR. For the time being I have settled on the latest Flip Ultra HD 8GB 3rd Generation (which I have reviewed on Amazon).

10. Except for the handle grip and a few other minor differences, this camera is basically identical to the Sony A380. Both work equally well, so buy whichever one you can get the best deal on (my wife first bought an A380 package, which we gave to our daughter once our granddaughter arrived, and next bought the A390 package because that was then the best deal).

Bottom Line: Whether you use this camera as a simple point and shoot or start experimenting with the different settings, you can take great pictures. I recommend this. Shop for price.

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Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 SL-II Aspherical Compact Pancake

Customer Ratings:

First of all, this lens is manual focus only, so, unless you're super experienced with manual focus cameras, you don't want to shoot portraits, wedding or pets with this lens. But if lack of AF doesn't turn you off, this lens is actually amazing.

EF35mm f/2.0 (the non-USM version) is an okay lens on full frame. It's not particularly sharp. it has rather poor chromatic aberration of magnification, so you get color in high contrast edges. The autofocus is slow, noisy and inaccurate. EF35mm f/1.4L is better in many regards, but it's not particularly sharp between 1.4 and 2.2. Chromatic aberration is also visible, though not as badly as the f/2 version.

You know what, Ultron 40mm is very sharp, shows almost no chromatic aberration, and produces nice smooth images in or out of focus. It is not perfect in the sense that it has some vignetting, some corner softness, some flare/ghost with strong light source, but it's pretty good for five hundred bucks. With no strong light in the view, the image is not very highly contrasty due to slight to mild flare, but it's not too bad.

These days, you can find 35mm f/1.4 manual-only lens from third party. They are reputed to be very high quality, but they suffer from the same shortcomings from EF35mm f/1.4L, namely, somewhat soft image. Ultron is sharper, yet produces soft out of focus blur. Another thing about Ultron is that it works with E-TTL metering. This is particularly useful for me, since I occasionally use a couple of 580EXII and 600EX flash units with pocket wizard. The other third party 35mm f/1.4 lenses do not have a microprocessor in the lens to allow E-TTL.

One suggestion. You have to manual focus with this lens, so I strongly recommend getting Ee-S or Eg-S super precision mat focusing screen for your 5D/5DII/6D. I would not recommend using this lens on 7D or 5D3 because the viewfinder screen is not interchangeable and it's not as nice to work with manual focus. There are third party screens that you can install in 7D, although it requires using some jeweler's screwdrivers. If you are okay with that, it'd be a fantastic lens on 7D as well. You can't really enjoy using manual focus lens using stock viewfinder screen! (This is true for TS-E 24/45/90mm lenses as well.)

The lens hood is kinda lousy. It does the job of protecting the front element, but not so good job of cutting stray light. Get a rubber hood with 52mm thread.

I didn't test the close up attachment. To me, that's kinda silly. If I had to do close up work, I'd use a different lens. But, I got excellent image quality at the minimum focusing distance without using the attachment.

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Sony VAIO Tap All-in-One Touchscreen SVJ20215CXB 20-Inch Desktop

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $999.99
Sale Price: $819.99
Today's Bonus: 18% Off

First: The hardware

I have been in computing for my entire career (35+ years) outside a stint in the military. I have watched as computers continually shrunk while their power has continually increased. I still clung to the notion of a minitower as the basic unit of computing until this arrived i was able to clear a mid size tower out of my bedroom and take up less space with this unit than my previous monitor.

It is every bit as functional indeed it is speedier than the older tower was. Very solid build not something you would normally disconnect and trek with you through your house but with a built in battery (that supposedly lasts 2-3 hours) this unit can be picked up and transported to show visitors or other people things you want them to see without their need to trek into my bedroom. Very solid build, and very snappy performance although serious gamers might not be satisfied needing that millisecond advantage on their opponents.

Sony provided usb ports, etc. that are eminently useable and this unit can be expanded with peripherals (not quite to the extent of a minitower with expansion slots) but certainly more expandable than most people would want or need. Five stars for build quality and performance. Five stars to amazon fast delivery and decent price.

2. Windows 8

Regarding Windows 8, I honestly didn't think I'd like it much but I really, really like the new interface it's so easy to jump from desktop to metro to desktop app to metro app i am going to sell my ipad2 it really is a clunker compared to Windows 8 of course one has to have a basic windows experience behind them to appreciate the integration of metro/ipad style apps with a windows desktop but I guess I qualify there. Corner hovers with mouse or side/top swipes allow the easiest navigation that I could imagine. For experienced windows users there are a few irritating moments when you know exactly what you want to do but haven't a clue how to do it usually corner hovers with a mouse or taps bring up menus that contain the items you're searching for such as task manager. Use google liberally at first to find how to do what you want within 30 60 minutes you will have mastered the vast majority of those things you tended to do on windows in the past and the metro apps are such a bonus, cheap ( I haven't spent a cent yet ) and in the case of the included mail app so much nicer than a traditional windows experience. well done Microsoft!

3. Response to Other reviews:

Regarding slow response (unit vs Windows 8) in prior review I have not experienced this myself the unit is crisp and responds quickly to swipes or mouse clicks and app processing is normal one possibility might be using wireless in a weak spot but I quit using wireless after configuring my machine and moving it to the bedroom where it has a gigabit wired connection.

Regarding hang-ups losing apps / data as stated by another reviewer. I have not experienced this at all it is solid and runs perfectly haven't needed to reboot since I finished configuration about two weeks ago. Perhaps a defective unit that needs replacement? Amazon will accomodate this quickly also if done right after a purchase (I think within 30 days).

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Sony MSXM8GS 8 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Retail Package)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $29.53
Today's Bonus: 70% Off

So I ordered the 8GB memory card from a retailer on Amazon. It came in, and everything looked as it should. Then as I started to use it in my Video camera, I was getting error messages and data corruption issues. I did some searching around on the internet and I found that the error is usually do to counterfeit memory cards. So I looked on the page and they gave a great list of things to look for. Biggest giveaway that mine was not really from Sony:

* There was no product information paper on the inside in several languages

* The UPC had MSX-M8GST/X, the valid UPC does not have the "T/X" at the end, and the actual number under the UPC was for a 1GB memory card.

* Obviously the bad performance of the card.

I talked with Amazon, and got the seller to refund my money and I ordered it directly from Amazon. When I looked at the two packages side by side, there was an obvious difference. On the card, the print was very faded (and incorrect) versus the legit card.

So the card itself is great, but buyer beware of the fakes. Here is a good article that talks about spotting fakes:

-Matt

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Rokinon 28FE8MBK-FX 8mm f/2.8 Ultra Wide Angle Fisheye Lens

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $299.00
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This lens is small and well built, on part with all other extremely well built Rokinon lenses. Rokinon 14mm wide angle lens had sample variation, mostly problem with focusing labels, I did not encounter such problems with my copy of this fisheye lens. At the time of this review, I have 60mm Fuji and 35mm Fuji lenses, and this is the widest lens, and I have been using it exclusively for landscape photography (I know it is not a landscape lens for most part), since there is no other wide angle lens with Fuji X mount.

From what I know, fisheye can be very controversial lens. Many photographers use fisheye without even looking through their viewfinder, and manage to nail the composition. That means, composing with this lens is a piece of cake. This is the reason why many photographers discount this lens as less artistic lens (everyone can get good pictures with this). For the very reason, photographers on the other camp consider it a mush have in the arsenal. I personally find a middle ground between the two. I have seen beautiful landscapes and even portrait with fisheye lens, when used carefully and also have seen plethora of interesting photographs without any photographic merit but interesting just because of the distortion.

On my trip to Zion National Park and Bruce National Park, I used this lens 90% of the time, the 35 being the rest. I shot at f/8 or greater almost all the time with focus close to infinity, and the pictures came out sharp, even at 100% zoom level. I personally found it sharper than the 14mm Rokinon that I used with my 5d Mark II, and the images are usable. However, with 1500 fisheye landscape shots, I now am sick with the fisheye effect. I do not use any lens dedicated lens correction application to de-fish the picture, but have used lightroom lens correction to correct some, without much success. My intention was not to de-fish the images at the time of the purchase.

Although fun and interesting lens, the lens has severe limitation. I have heard people using it everyday for the first two weeks or month and then storing it and never getting back to it. If your work requires a fisheye (skateboard, selective landscape shots etc.), this is worth every penny. If you, like me, think it can be a wide angle substitute for the time being, then I discourage to go that route or wait for 14mm Fuji. I have since acquired a Voigtlander 15mm lens (have not got a chance to use it till now), and although it is nowhere wide to the fisheye, I am planning to unburden myself with the lens.

I have uploaded a few sample pictures, and in the Salt Lake Marina picture, you can see how the distortion of the fisheye adds to the landscape, but this trick cannot be applied to all landscapes. It was a mix of naiveté and confidence that I used this 90% of the time when I visited those beautiful places on earth. I read a few articles about 'how to shoot landscape with fisheye' and thought I would get many stunning images and took this lens with me, my shots are not terrible, but would be better with a non-fish wide angle for sure.

Since, I have used it in all occasions, where 35mm is not wide enough, this being my only alternative. I feel it is time for me to graduate to less distorted wide angles. I also cannot comment of using the lens at 2.8 or similar apertures, because I never used it that way, although it can focus pretty close.

Overall I really like this lens. Here is a summary why?

+f2.8 means you can handhold it is poor lightning conditions.

+you don't have to see through the viewfinder/lcd to take a picture

+some landscapes can benefit from the distortion

+small, well-built, reasonably price (I got mine for $280 new in box sheer luck), goes well with Fuji X pro 1. I like the red line as well (do not confuse this with L lens)

+great depth of field, f/8 and above focused to infinity produces sharp pictures.

+the most mundane things will look interesting (also a drawback).

What I dislike about this lens

-Nothing really. It is a wonderful fisheys. It doesn't have autofocus, but it doesn't advertise as a AF lens either, so not a lens disadvantage. You cannot use any filters with this lens.

-the must mundane things will look interesting (also a benefit)

Happy shooting.

Qualification: Amateur photographer

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Samsung Galaxy S4, Brown (Verizon Wireless)

Customer Ratings:

This phone is amazing. Far better than any iPhone. Amazing display, fast responses, and cool gesture movements and voice commands. Would recommend this phone to anyone.

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Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x

Customer Ratings:

I purchased this camera because I thought it would be perfect for my website and blog use. So far, it has lived up to its expectations. It is not a hefty camera, but do not ber deceived by a lack of weight. I do a lot of interior available light shooting so I use the low light feature in the SCN mode. It produces excellent photos at varying high ISO settings which it selects automatically. I have used the other modes and am equally pleased with them. The image stabilization is excellent but you must remember to turn it off if you are using a tripod or you may get some strange results. The video mode was more than satisfactory in 720 HD. Is it as good as a digital SLR? No. But for the size, cost, and what it is capable of, it will be a camera that will get many uses in the years to come

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DNP DS-SL10 SnapLab Portable Digital Dye-Sub Photo Printer

Customer Ratings:

This has been a perfect solution to being able to provide 4x6 or 5x7 photos on site quickly. I have used it for 2 years at work for proms, graduations etc. selling both photos and key chains. Fast, great color and makes me lots of money. Purchased one for my own studio when I opened it and it continues to impress me. I highly recommend this printer to anyone looking for a fast, dependable printer. The only con is the LCD screen faces up on the top of the printer when stored in its bag. This makes it very vulnerable to being cracked. I protect it with bubble wrap and a towel. So far no problems.

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100M2/B RX100M2 RX100M II RX100MII 20.2MP

Customer Ratings:

My son, who is a pro bought this package first, he came over to show me, and I just had to get one too. Great camera and package included everything I needed to use for compact camera use when not carrying my Nikon SLR. Focus Camera offered this very complete package. Very pleased.

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Apple iPod nano 8 GB Pink (6th Generation) (Discontinued

Customer Ratings:

Got this thing for my wife for her birthday and it completely died the 2nd day she had it. The Apple store would not exchange it for a new one but they would let me make an appointment to come back and have someone look at it to tell me what I already knew it wouldn't turn on. They still would not give us a new one but would offer us a refurbished one..... when they got one in stock.....??? So they told us they would call us when 1 came in so we could come back a third time to get a refurb (one that has already been defective and hopefully repaired) for a unit that died on day 2.

Btw, read the news, you'll see Apple is now the #1 most valuable company in the world. Now that they are the big dog instead of the underdog, I'm sure they can get away with this kind of attitude and people will still buy their pretty, overpriced junk.

Thumbs up to Amazon though, they always do their customers right when it comes to returns!

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Sony Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo 32Gb (MS-HX32A)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $124.23
Sale Price: $64.99
Today's Bonus: 48% Off

I purchased this item because of price. They (amazon) list two of the Sony cards in this size and I purchased the less expensive one thinking they were the same. Later I notice the two cards had different letters at the end. This one is A and the other is G. I couldn't find much difference in the description and have been meaning to call Sony to find out what the difference is. Evidently I haven't done this yet but will tell you when I find out. This card seems to work just fine though.

Later. I called Sony and asked them what the difference was between the MSHX32A which amazon sells for $111 and the MSHX32G which sells for $193 on amazon's site. They said the one that ends in G is "Transfer Jet" compatible. He said that what that means is that the G card can transfer data wirelessly to other peripherals that are also "Transfer Jet" compatible. I've never heard of "Transfer Jet" and since I don't have anything that is "Transfer Jet" I guess I saved $80.

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Nikon D5200 Digital SLR Camera & 18-55mm G VR DX AF-S Zoom Lens

Customer Ratings:

Had seen this same camera and lens kit at big box stores for the same price but without all of the extra accessories in this kit. Fast shipping, easy registration with Nikon and I also got a Squaretrade warranty on the camera and lenses as I always do on more expensive electronics.

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Nikon D3200 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,149.99
Sale Price: $715.59
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

The d3200 is an awesome camera, the nikor lenses are a great deal. The accessories are crap. The tripod fell apart upon removing it from the box, it wont even support the camera without tilting or collapsing the legs.

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Canon XF100 Professional Camcorder with 10x HD Video lens

Customer Ratings:

Having had an XA10 briefly before buying the XF100 I was able to make some direct comparisons.

Bottom line is that the XF100 offers more hard BUTTONS, a huge advantage to any semi-pro user or above, because digging through the menu on site is tedious and time consuming. The codec is also MPEG2 50mbs 4:2:2 color, which means the color accuracy is MUCH better than the XA10 and editing will be much faster and easier to render. It actually meets minimum broadcast specs for the BBC which is pretty amazing for the price range. A more flexible but finicky image. At each shoot, you'll be spending a little more time getting white balance, lighting and picture settings just right vs the XA10's simpler use.

OUT OF THE BOX SHOOTING: No, don't do that. You'll want to do 2 things right away. Google "Custom Picture Profiles" and use the ones called XF1MOJO, HI-GAIN and TRUVID to start. They alter many different aspects of the picture to allow for great looking footage. If you don't do this, you're likely to get grainy footage even in good light and night shots will be unusable. You'll also want to set the LCD screen to BRIGHT if you want to see in in the sunlight while shooting.

LOW LIGHT/NIGHT SHOTS: Use a custom picture profile setup for this and most importantly DO NOT go above 9db GAIN. Auto mode will rocket up to 24db instantly and produce one of the grainiest pictures you can imagine. Keep it below 9 and you'll be pleased. I hooked my camera up to our HDTV and lowered the light while toying with different settings, this was very effective for me to learn what worked and how in that setting.

EDITING: Using both XA10 footage (H264) and XF100 (MPEG2), Adobe CS6, W7x64 still lagged badly and took roughly 2-3x as long for any renders using an 8 core system. The XF100 footage flowed easily and smoothly and rendered faster than realtime in HD on my system while the the H264 not only took longer but caused some odd glitches in Adobe from time to time.

SMALL POINTS: The build quality feels more solid than the XA10, which is also pretty good. The XF100 is very light and while that's nice, it also means you'll be relying on the image stabilization a bit more, which for the most part works well. Full size HDMI out. New firmware (which you probably won't need is out so make sure yours is up to date, do this 1st as it erases all presets). It adds some useful features and is worth doing at canon's website.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE: 60p in 1080 mode, as it is, you can get there but only in 1280x720, which is still a pretty good resolution, no other camera in the class offers it either at the present time. How about a wireless remote that doesn't require pressing TWO buttons to use, I couldn't believe it, absolutely useless in the field, buying a LANC remote for this need is pretty much required due to this. More Custom Picture Profiles would have been nice, they offer three hard presets, which I've yet to find a use for. SDcard options, currently no internal memory and you must buy the pricey Compact Flash Memory. The x400 Transcend works fine BTW, it's the cheapest so far. Adapters for SD cards don't work so don't bother.

WHY STILL GET AN XA10? If you're in need of XLR audio and don't want to step up to the XF100, I guess it makes sense. For my money, I'd just get the Vixia for $700 less and you'll have almost the same thing minus the inputs. If you are an AUTO type of shooter, the XA10 will please you, but if you need to adjust lots of settings, it WILL be a little frustrating. The OUT OF THE BOX experience with the XA10 is pretty good, the presets it offers are very usable and produced excellent quality with little fiddling, while the XF100 will require more setup and fine tuning.

I've spent only a week with each camera at this point so keep that in mind as you consider what I had to say about these cameras. Overall, they're both excellent, but just serve different needs. I make a living with my cameras, so what's important to me might not matter much to others.

UPDATE: Dec 7 2012: After a few months using the camera and shooting a half dozen commercial shoots with it, I can say it's produced very nice footage. Outdoor shoots on sunny days I've been able to go full auto and get outstanding results with absolutely beautiful color reproduction. Low light still requires the settings above but have also been very very good. Auto focus works fine but I've had a few instances where it wanders, can't fault the camera really but manual focus with the MAG button makes this a breeze in the field (thank you Canon).

I've since gotten a x600 card to go with x400s and they work together but you have make sure to set them up properly in the menu and that they have "green" lights on both or it won't automatically start recording on the 2nd card when you need it Pay attention the first time and you'll know what I mean and avoid losing any shots. I've learned the x600 is really only necessary for overcranking as I've had not a single error with any of the x400s @ 1920x1080 30fps, at double the price it's something to consider.

AUDIO: I use a non XLR Rode mic 99% of the time but the onboard audio is usable in a pinch under the right conditions. XLR is the way to go so if you're getting new gear look into it.

Finally, I picked up a 2nd battery, a larger Wasabi and it's been fantastic, I know some people said they didn't get accurate remaining times, but I had no problems at all and at a fraction of the price of Canon batteries, you just can't beat them. No little lights on the back of the battery but other than that you get a lot more juice for your money.

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Toshiba 29L1350U 29-Inch 720p 60Hz LED HDTV

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $329.99
Sale Price: $219.00
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

We purchased this TV, after deciding that we weren't interested in having our "smart" TV built in. We have an Apple Smart TV, and can always consider upgrades to this (developing and fairly inexpensive) technology. Our Sony dvd player handles our streaming needs quite well; so, otherwise what we wanted was a quality TV with a beautiful picture, as well as enough inputs/outputs to give us flexibility with our needs.

This Toshiba (32L1350U) is truly a beautiful set especially for the price! (I went ahead and took Amazon's credit card and received the $50 gift certificate so that came off the price.) This TV has true stereo analog outputs (full size not a single, mini-"headphone" jack, audio output), so you can easily go through a stereo receiver to quality speakers. Otherwise, 3 HDMI jacks (cable box, dvd player, etc.); as well as a PC port, and a USB, if you must use it as a computer monitor.

It has absolutely beautiful color definition, a small frame so a maximum viewing area, and the built-in speakers are really quite good! We were happy that we could still get full analog stereo, output capability and all the features of a current HD television.

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