Sony Alpha A700 12.24MP Digital SLR Camera with 16-105mm Lens

Customer Ratings:

NOTES: I still Own this camera in Dec 2010. There are a lot of new cameras with exciting new features. But in my opion this is the LAST GREAT APS format still image DSLRs. And looking at Sony's unfornunate need to copy Nikon with things like cluttering the Shutter Button with a power switch on all new models the A700, A900 (which I have used) and A850 may be the last cameras that fit the hand and quick clean shooting experience. Since I wrote this review Sony did a major Firmware upgrade that improved image quality related to high ISO noise and allows users to show RAW with no noise reduction. On top of that Lightroom 3 fixes the problems Adobe had dealing with Sony RAW files. Both of these upgrades were for me were like getting a new camera. There are moments video would be nice, I would like the improvements in focusing Sony and others have created in the past 3 years. But I have to say.. there are cars with features and classic cars people love to drive.. The A700 is a camera that makes photography a joy and all the new features seem to only clutter that experience so someday I will add a new camera to my gear. I will never "upgrade the A700" I think it as a moment of magic for still photography before Video and more technology transformed the experience forever. There is a reason USED and NEW UNSOLD STOCK have held their price so well. If you own Sony / Minolta lenses this is a great camera to own even though it is one of the last cameras without Live View on LCD etc. If you want a photograpy tool that doesn't get in the way of your art with features.. think about this camera. It will be a classic.

Original Review Soon after Buying A700 in 2007 -----------------

For years I shot Canon SLRs and for a while I moved to Nikon and Canon smaller digicams. When I jumped back to the SLR format in digital I ended up with the Konica-Minolta 5D over the Canon and Nikon cameras in my budget because of great image quality and in camera stabilization which works very well.

I recently upgraded my KM 5D to an A700. WOW!! This is by far the easiest camera I have ever used. Head and shoulders above traditional menus and tiny LCD Icons. The rear LCD shows you all the important settings at one time in a large easy to read format, sometimes with colors to alert you to what might be an unusual setting.

When you need to change anything from Shutter Speed to White Balance you do it right on the settings screen either by pressing one of the several dedicate buttons or using the easy thumb joystick. For shooting I almost never have to go into a menu except to format the memory card.

Auto Focus and Shutter:

It is fast and quiet. The AF has been tested faster than the new Canon in most lighting situations, though lenses on both systems will affect speed.

Both Sony and Now Sigma are coming out with quite focusing lenses that have built in motors so, Sony users will have lots new lens choices.

KEY FEATURES I LIKE:

Stabilization:

The in body stabilization works well With my 18-250 I have pulled off some shots even at 1/10s while at 250mm That is over 5 stops of stabilization, Sony only claims 3.5 stops. This stabilization works on all Sony And Minolta format auto-focus lenses. Some systems like Canon do not offer stabilized lenses in key formats like primes(non zooms) that are used for close-up macro shots or portrait work. It also adds cost and weight to each lens, with this system if you can find a bargain on a lower cost lens or a used lens it is still stabalized.

Example: Minolta made a 70-210 f4 lens often called a "beercan" that is legend in sharpness and image quality. It is often seen used here and on auction sites for $125-$175. It like all Sony compatible lenses becomes stabilized and would be like getting a $600 plus lens for $150.

ISO:

The Sony A700 offers ISO 100-3200 and up to 6400 as "extended ISO" but all ISO ranges are available at all times, no menu settings will enable or disable them like on the Canon 40D. It offers the ISO in 1/3 stop increments, but using the the front control wheel lets you jump a full stop at a time.

Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO):

Sony has several levels of DRO that do what used to take shooting in RAW format and working in tools like Photoshop. It automatically recovers overly bright areas and areas hidden in the shadows so your pictures look more like what your eye can see. Unlike some other cameras that just apply shadow recovery settings to the whole image, Sony has DRO levels that analyze and adjust the image by area to make the effect more natural and keep noise down.

Wireless Flash:

The built in flash is also a wireless trigger for the Sony Flashes and others including the old KM 5600hs and 3600HS, and some Sigma and Metz models. On some systems this is a $150 to $200 add on.

Remote abilities included:

For taking family shots etc. Sony has free wireless remote that lets you take trigger the camera or a 2 second delay then shoot. Plus tons of controls for showing and reviewing your images on a TV. If you hook up the camera to an HDMI TV and to a printer at the same time you can do a family slide show and tell it to print picture from the remote as people ask for copies.

It also has remote control software for the computer so you can set it up like a studio and shoot and review images from the attached PC. Great for doing lots of portraits at events without more expensive software or accessories.

It supports both Standard Video and HDMI output so you can see the images on your new HD TV.

Memory Card Support:

Unlike the 40D it supports the new UDMA 300x CF cards and memory stick pro HG so that you can take 25+ cRAW shots a 5 FPS before it needs to pause or an unlimited number of JPGS in any size. You can have both a CF card and Memory stick installed at the same time and switch over when one fills without stopping to open your bag and change memory cards.

Body Seals:

Its not splash proof but Sony has sealed all the doors and controls so dust and stray moisture will not hurt the camera. Some makers like Canon reserve full seals for more expensive cameras.

IT JUST FEELS GOOD IN MY HAND:

It was love at first touch.. a camera designed to fit in the hand.

Unless there is a specific lens or very special accessory that you need on another camera brand, this camera should be #1 or near the top of the list for cameras you consider.

Sony may be new to DSLRs, but they make sensors for lots other DSLRs like Nikon and when they bought the camera business they got most of the designers with years of experience from Minolta. Sony is building cameras for people who love photography and with features for people who like a camera to work with new technology like HD TVs. That makes it a fun camera to own.

I looked at the Canon 30D, 40D, Pentax K10D and Nikon D300 before choosing this camera.

BTW the Nikon D300, would be my second choice, but would cost much more, and still would have limited options on which lenses are stabalized.

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Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* ZE Series Lens for Canon EOS

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,495.00
Sale Price: $1,395.00
Today's Bonus: 7% Off

I purchased this lens a few months ago and it is amazing. I slapped this beast on my Canon 5D Mark III and it is now my go-to. The image quality is astonishing.

I did a ton of research on wide angle glass for over a year before going for this. I was considering the Canon 24mm TS II, but I couldn't justify it considering I already have a 24-105L. The 24mm TS II is much better in terms of image quality, but it isn't wide enough. I noticed a difference in quality with the first photo I took using this lens.

There is some distortion, so it's not particularly great for architectural work, but it's fantastic for landscape work. This is the smartest purchase I've made since getting the Mark III.

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Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth Action Camera with HD Recording

Customer Ratings:

I've had a chance to play around with the new Drift HD170 Stealth camera for a few weeks now and made a quick video just to show a few things I've tried with it. What makes it "stealth," I guess, is the new sleek black design (the casing of the unit is made from a durable black rubberized plastic). The bright orange face of the older model did likely call some attention to itself, and for some uses (i.e. stealth uses) that's a drawback. While the older model's bright colored face made it look fun, I think I do prefer the solid black and can see why they opted for it. The feature that makes this camera really stand out from other similar POV or "extreme sports" cameras, though, is the onboard LCD screen, that allows you to see what you are going to be capturing on the spot, so you can arrange the camera just as you like; it also allows you to go through the menu on the spot and adjust options depending on your needs at the moment. (You can set things up in the menu so that the LCD turns off after a minute of being unused so as to prolong the life of the battery).

What's struck me is that the real value of this camcorder is its combination of a rugged and durable design with its versatility. It's emphasized for use with extreme sports but it's useful pretty much anywhere you wouldn't risk another more fragile camera. It's water and weather resistant not water proof so you could use it in light rain, maybe even during a hurricane if it was securely mounted, but certainly in extreme conditions where you'd be worried about a standard camcorder. (I've heard that Drift Innovation the company that makes these will be coming out with a fully waterproof case for the Stealth some time soon so that you can add cliff diving and snorkeling to the list of extreme sports you can capture subjectively with the Stealth) The camera comes with three different mounts one that you can secure to any kind of narrow belt (and it comes with an elastic belt), one that you can put on a handlebar, and one that you can secure to a helmet with the included velcro adhesives. It's easy to orient the camera, even if you've got it mounted in an odd spot the shooting orientation can be changed simply by rotating the lens manually, and the quick release mount can also be rotated so that the unit can be oriented however you like with respect to the mount.

I'm not much of an extreme sports guy but I can see where this would come in handy for various types of video projects other than extreme sports, and I tried to illustrate a few possible uses in the video. You can mount it on a bike, a motorcycle, a skateboard, or on a 12-foot-long paint pole elevated over a car (as I did in the attached video, using the handlebar mount attached to the end of the pole). Obviously, I wouldn't want to put my Canon VIXIA HFS10 on top of a long pole like that because if it dropped or bumped into something it would almost certainly be damaged. While the Stealth is not damage proof it's a lot more rugged than a standard camera, and so it works great in lots of precarious situations. I used to think that when I needed an extreme shot the best option would be a relatively inexpensive camera like my Flip, that I could more afford to have damaged than my nicer camera but with this one the risk of serious damage is significantly diminished.

You can shoot decent photos (5 megapixels and they look fine, but as you'd expect on a device that's tailored for video capture they don't really compare to the images you'd capture on a compact camera in this price range expect a few notches up from the quality you'd capture on a phone and you won't be disappointed), and very cool time lapse sequences (with shooting intervals from 3 to 30 seconds apart), plus it takes surprisingly good HD video for such a small camera. It's not as nice or as versatile as my Canon, but the video is at least as good or better than what I can capture on my Flip Mino HD plus it's got a much wider lens, which is ideal for "point of view" shooting. At 720p it captures a 170 degree view, and it's got a bit of a fisheye effect which is kind of nice, it looks very cool with POV sports footage but could be effective in other applications as well. At 1080p it captures a slightly narrower range of 120 degrees, and there's less distortion, but not as many options for frame rates. At 720p you can shoot at frame rates from 25fps to 60, and shooting at 60fps allows you to slow the footage down in an editing program without things looking jerky as they would if you'd shot at a standard 30fps and then played back at an effective 15 frames per second. At 1080p you can shoot either 25 or 30fps. (You can also shoot standard definition video if you like). The video is encoded with H.264 in a Quicktime (.mov) wrapper so it's easy to import and play or edit in a variety of applications.

One other nice feature is that the set comes with a remote control "watch" you can wear it on your wrist (it's got a velcro band) and it has two buttons: for record and stop. There's a bit of a time lag on the stop function it takes a couple seconds and sometimes I've found I've had to press the button twice to get it to respond, but otherwise it works quite well. The weak element on the camera is the onboard mike it doesn't capture clear sound at all. It's noisy and would really only work as reference and not playback. In other words if you spoke into the mike or near the mike you would be able to hear what you'd said assuming you weren't on a motorcycle, or free falling from high altitudes and it might help you to remember something but you wouldn't want to even consider including the audio in a completed video. The main reason for the weakness of the mike seems to be that its input is protected by a rubber seal in order to ensure the water resistance of the unit. The real value of this camera is in capturing video you wouldn't be able (or willing) to capture in other ways. There is another option with this camera that not all cameras of this type allow, which is to plug in an external microphone but I'm pretty sure the input is proprietary, which means you either have to buy the mike from Drift or you have to buy one of the input cables for your mike from them. When you do use an external mike you have to keep the rear hatch of the camera open and Drift sells a kind of silicon boot to help keep things sealed and protected when the mike is connected and the door is open.

The Stealth is not a one-size-fits-all camcorder that will meet every need and wouldn't by any stretch replace a standard camcorder for ordinary shooting, especially given its fixed, extremely wide lens and its substandard onboard mike but it can capture images you'd never dream of trying to capture with your standard camcorder. If all you want to do is capture extreme sports from the point of view of the athlete, or other extreme images that would put an ordinary camera at risk, this would be a very good option. For someone like me, who only rarely has a need for "extreme sports footage," I know I won't use this all the time, but I'm very happy to have it in my "bag of tricks" because, as I think my little video shows, it's a very versatile camera that can capture some very cool and fairly good quality images and video that could fit nicely into a wide range of different kinds of video projects.

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Nikon D800E 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $3,299.95
Sale Price: $2,999.00
Today's Bonus: 9% Off

Like others, I debated on whether or not to choose the D800E or the D800. I'm primarily a nature photographer, so my inclination was to get the D800E. The one potential problem situation was with moire on bird feathers. I ultimately chose the D800E based on the logic that birds have so many feathers at different angles and proportions that significant moire would be very unlikely.

Well I received my D800E two days before a planned trip to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. After more than 2500 images under all conditions, I have to rate the camera as spectacular a step beyond excellent. Image quality and detail are stunning. I was using a Nikon 200-400 f/4 VR and a Nikon 600 f/4 VR for most of my images. The level of detail is simply stunning. There is detail that I have never before seen from any camera. I'm seeing resolution at 100% (1/7th the image) that is suitable for a web post or small print. And noise is completely absent at lower ISO levels and minimal even at ISO 6400.

You know going in that the D800E only has a frame rate of 4 fps. That's enough for a quick burst at critical action. With birds I'm shooting at 1/1000 second or faster so I am already trying to capture critical action and a catchlight in just a few frames. At burst rates it does take a little time to write to the card, but I never came close to filling the buffer.

One of the things that has been underappreciated is the new AF system. The new AF system of the D800 is excellent very quick and accurate. There have been some reports of AF errors with the D800 especially using the widest sensor and a wide angle lens. I have not seen that issue on my copy of the D800E.

The ergonomics and controls are very intuitive. This is a camera you can immediately pick up and use just like other Nikons. The one adjustment I had to make was with exposure compensation. The direction of the exposure comp has been reversed, but can be customized in the camera menu settings.

While there have been reports of the need for a tripod or special technique, I shot the D800E just as I would have used earlier cameras. If you miss focus the image is still soft, but there is no problem using the camera handheld or on a gimbal head.

File sizes are large and as expected the large files put greater demand on your computer. Large files understandably take longer to open and to save. But this is to be expected.

Colors and dynamic range at ISO 200 are spectacular. Even at high ISO levels, colors are very acceptable.

Overall, I am very pleased with the D800E and highly recommend it for advanced amateur and pro nature photographers. This is not a camera for a beginner or someone who is not skilled. This is a camera for someone who is skilled, understands the tradeoffs involved, and wants the best image quality possible in a DSLR.

EDIT June 16, 2012

I've continued to use the D800E and my opinion has not changed. It's a great camera. One thing to be aware of is the depth of field. Because the in focus area is so extremely sharp, your specific focus point and depth of field require a little more thought. Your choice of what parts of the image should be in sharpest focus will be rewarded, but if you make the wrong choice you can really tell the difference.

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1080p HD Infrared Night Vision and Full Spectrum Camcorder

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $288.94
Sale Price: $219.00
Today's Bonus: 24% Off

Our paranormal group was in dire need of a new Camcorder with IR capability and if possible, Full Spectrum capability. I was hesitant to start my search for several reasons. First, many pieces of paranormal equipment are expensive, and frankly, our experience has shown that quality is average to poor. Second, I have my reservations about spending a lot of money on something we can only use for paranormal investigations. We sometimes have periods of poor case loads so the equipment is sitting unused, and at some point, we may decide to retire from the hobby. That would leave us with a case of equipment we paid a lot of money for, but could not use.

With that in mind I started to look and search to see what was available. A search for IR Camcorder typically brought up the Bell and Howell model. This has full IR Capability with built in IR illumination. But the reviews were average at best due to focusing issues while using the IR mode. The average price for these models was around $250 US. Besides the Bell and Howell, there were a few slim models that appeared to be cheap and small. In my research I found that there used to be a great camcorder produced by Sony called the Night Shot and Super Night Shot. These are no longer made by Sony. These were and still are very popular camcorders. Sony produced a quality product, and with a little searching you can still find some on the secondary market as used/remanufactured etc. The prices are generally north of $300 if you can find one. I had reservations about spending $300 on up for a used camcorder with old technology. That was another issue I discovered during my search. Many older camcorders featured older technology. No HD, low resolution. Some Ghost Supply outlets are selling a more recent version of a Sony camcorder that is modified for all time IR use. These cannot ever be used as a regular camcorder, they are not High Def, and resolution is low, all for $340 US. I was not exactly happy with that, and was not jumping to buy anything.

I eventually found this camcorder here on Amazon. I was liking very much what I was reading. High Def, 1080P resolution, regular camcorder use, manual switching to or from IR and Full Spectrum. Two SD card slots, built in IR light, still shot capabilities and more. I was not familiar with this camcorder and the information here does not list the manufacturer. I Googled Cleveland Paranormal Supply and was able to review more information regarding the specifications on this camcorder. It had everything everyone was asking for but could not find and then some. I loved the idea that it was essentially a regular camcorder by day and a paranormal investigating tool by night. I could pick this unit up and run out to a friends wedding and record the happy event, then come home, swap the battery and head off into the night for some paranormal investigating. The next day I could grab the recorder again and head off to a birthday party and record just like with a regular camcorder, and that night be out again trolling for spirits in Full Spectrum. Also a consideration was what would happen if I decided to retire from paranormal investigating, no problem here, the camcorder can be used just like any regular camcorder so I did not end up with a $300 paper weight.

I still had questions, so I dropped Cliff the founder of Cleveland Paranormal Supply an e-mail and loaded it with questions. I wanted to know who made this camcorder, and how was the quality, and if it had a hot shoe for mounting an IR light. Cliff was very prompt in responding and answered all of my questions. The camcorder is made by a company named Ordro. This name is not familiar here in the US because they do not make camcorders for the US market, only Europe and Asia. We could not find out exactly if this was a company owned and operated by Samsung or Sony, but the few reviews I was able to find hinted at one of those two companies as the possible manufacturer. The camcorder was consistently compared to the old Sony Night Shot camcorders for functionality and reliability. The camcorder has all of the features that the old Sony Night Shot and Super Night Shot camcorders used to have but with lots of upgrades. I did find those few reviews were positive. I did see a place or two over in Europe who was selling these, and the price as right on the $200 mark plus or minus, so Cliff has a very fair price on these given that he needed to have them tweeked for the Full Spectrum feature.

This camcorder as described above is a regular camcorder, and can be used for regular every day events like birthdays, weddings etc. But just like the old Sony Night Shots you can manually remove the IR filter for IR video recording, and you can go one step farther and remove the Full Spectrum filter for total Full Spectrum video recording. It is done via the menu as opposed to having a physical switch like the old Sony models. It also features a built in IR light which is good enough to illuminate a small room such as a powder room or similar 10 X 10 or smaller room. The camcorder also features High Def, and 1080P which are both sought after improvements by paranormal investigators. It also records audio as your recording. Another fantastic feature with this camcorder is the ability to take high def digital still images. You can take a limited number of stills while video recording which is a great feature in case you spot something you can try to capture a still saving you the time of clipping it out of the video stream later. You can take as many still photos as your memory will hold while not recording video. Just aim, and press the photo button, it's that simple. You can fire off a dozen sharp stills in seconds. There is a nice sized viewing screen for you to use as your walking around in the dark, and of course to aim and shoot your video subjects. To turn the camcorder on, simply open the screen clam shell and she powers right up, close the screen clam shell and she powers down and reverts to normal mode from IR or Full Spectrum. Switching to IR or Full Spectrum is super easy. Touch the screen to activate the menu, swipe left or right until you see the IR options, and select. The IR filter is removed and the built in IR light is activated. To get to Full Spectrum, touch the screen again and enter the menu, swipe to the special color wheel options page and select the color wheel. The last filter is then removed and your in Full Spectrum mode.

The only short comings that I could find were the lack of an accessory shoe on the top of the unit. You will not be able to mount an extra IR light directly to the top of the camcorder. The camcorder has a tripod mounting hole on the bottom for attaching an accessory bracket or for mounting to a tripod. Some have said the built in IR light is weak. It is not the best, but no worse than the one used in the old Sony Night Shot or the current Bell and Howell. It is recommended that you buy the accessory bracket, and one of the two IR illuminator's that Cliff offers. He has a 50 foot range IR illuminator, and an 80 foot range IR Floodlight. Both mount right on the accessory bracket and use a 9V battery for operation so they are not eating up the camcorder battery. Cliff does offer a Full Spectrum illuminator, but be aware that it will fill the area with some visible light which may not be desirable in full black darkness situations during a paranormal investigation. The IR light contains enough of the Full Spectrum to be effective and will not emit any visible light at all. Something for consideration in the future by the people who design and build these illuminating devices, how about a light with Full Spectrum OR IR lighting capability in one unit?

We had an opportunity to use this camcorder this past weekend during a paranormal investigation. We had purchased the 80 foot IR Floodlight and accessory bracket from Cliff along with an extra battery. The camcorder comes in a soft storage case and has an external charger, one battery, and a set of different cables so you can hook the camcorder up to your TV or PC. So it is a complete package. The battery on a single charge is reported to last up to 2 or 3 hours of continuous recording. Sometimes our investigations run over that time so we purchased the extra battery. The battery will take about 2 1/2 hours to charge from dead using the external charger which can be used at your command center during an investigation, and while the camcorder is in use with your other battery. Hooking up the accessory bracket is simple and easy and mounting the IR Flood Light was a snap, just simple thumb screws for each. The camcorder is a little smaller in real life that what it looks like in the photo. It is light and compact. Its easy to carry around even with the accessory bracket and IR Flood Light attached. We used the Full Spectrum mode, and did a few video sessions, and snapped off a few photos while recording video then switched to camera only mode and fired off a few dozen still photos. Using the camera feature was super easy and I liked this feature a lot. My only gripe is that the record button is flush with the case of the camcorder on the back, and its very hard to feel for it in the dark so you can press record.

On reviewing the video footage I was super impressed at the clarity and quality of the video. Smooth clean crisp Full Spectrum video with no focusing issues. We recorded in a smaller area in a basement, and a larger area in a big attic, and the camcorder recorded high quality clear video. I also snapped off still photos. I did this both while recording video and with video recording off. I got good well lit clear digital photos all around. We took photo still in the basement area, and the attic which were the two extremes at this location and the images were well lit and clear. Very happy. The digital photo stills come out as JPG and the video as MP4 so you will not have to do any conversion of files. There is no internal memory in the camcorder. You will need to purchase SD cards. The camcorder has two slots for SD Cards, one for a standard SD Card and one for a mini-SD Card. We purchased two 32GB SD Cards and installed both. We should not ever have an issue with memory. To get your recordings and images off the camcorder is also a snap. You can use the USB cable that was supplied with the camcorder and hook directly to your PC, use the HDMI cable also supplied to hook up to your TV, or you can pop the SD Cards out and use the SD slots on your PC if you have them, and use windows explorer to grab them and paste them into a case folder on your hard drive.

Over all we are super pleased with this camcorder. It is versatile, it is loaded with features all paranormal groups want and need, the quality seems above average so far, and the price is right. The camcorder worked flawlessly and produced top quality video and stills in IR and Full Spectrum. The 80 foot IR Flood Light worked great and illuminated large rooms with no problem what so ever. At this time I have to highly recommend this unit for any paranormal group looking to upgrade or expand their equipment roster. It has all of the features you could ever ask for. Cliff has hit the ball out of the park with this high quality versatile camcorder at an excellent mid range price. Now if he can come up with a nice quality IR/Full Spectrum digital camera that can be used for regular picture taking during the day at a reasonable price, we would definitely be buyers. We'll be putting the camcorder to the test again in two weeks and again in four weeks. We'll post back if anything changes.

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HTC One, Black (Sprint)

Customer Ratings:

If you are reading this, chances are that you have heard about the galaxy s4 and that it is a very real possibility for your next phone. I will go in depth into the features of this phone and I will compare it to the S4.

Design: this is the reason why I chose this phone. The industrial design is second to none. It is beautiful, smooth and cool to the touch. The "chamfered" edges and curved back allow you to have a good grip on the phone while also allowing it to nestle into your palm. The phone has an aluminum unibody, but requires plastic so that the radios can get reception. To mold this plastic into the unibody, HTC uses a gapless manufacturing process that molds it perfectly into the aluminum. Let me say this: the time that was spent designing this phone and the manufacturing detail that went into crafting it is absolutely marvelous and shows when you hold and use the phone. The lines are clean and the phone has a premium feel in your hand. The only little issue I have with the design is that the home button placement and power button are kind of awkward to hit in normal use. You have to move your hand up and down the phone in order to reach them, but you do get used to this quickly. A small thing about the design: Sprint did not place any carrier branding on this phone making it look much more clean. Bravo Sprint! The Galaxy S4 uses a polycarbonate body. I personally don't have anything against plastic. However, the S4 has a smooth finish that makes the phone feel greasy when you hold it from the oils that accumulate on the surface. My last phone was a Galaxy S2 (with textured plastic so the oils didn't accumulate) and I loved it because I never worried about damaging it. I can't say the same for the One. I always fear that if I drop it, the phone will dent or scratch which will be very noticeable. However, my love for the gorgeous aluminum body and precise manufacturing far outweighs the fears that linger in the back of my mind of damage.

10/10

Display: the HTC one features an LCD 3 1080p display. What does that mean? It has as many pixels as your HDTV crammed into a 4.7-inch screen. The colors on this phone are accurate and pleasant to look at. Coming from an AMOLED screen (what is on the s4) to an LCD was a very big change. An AMOLED screen has much more vibrant and saturated colors, whereas the LCD has more true-to-life colors. Honestly to me, I really like the accuracy in colors and sharpness that the One provides. The S4 will provide the same sharpness, just with more vibrant colors. Truth is, more people like the AMOLED than the LCD, but it is all person preference. Here is what I can say: like the design, I believe that this screen is incredible and second to none. The color reproduction and sharpness just cannot be matched by other display technologies.

10/10

Camera: Here is where I begin to get mixed feelings about the phone. People argue "it's not 4 megapixels, it's 4 ULTRApixels.." Here is the truth: yes it is ultra pixels, but ultra is just a marketing term used to make people not look down on the fact that it is 4 megapixels and a megapixel is a megapixel. The fact is that the megapixel is the only metric that a consumer has ever been taught to gauge a camera by and more megapixels does not mean better images. In fact, a 4 megapixel camera takes a 2240 x 1680 picture. That is a good deal larger than a 1080p display. So what is the advantage of an ultrapixel over a megapixel? The answer is light. I won't bore you with the science of it all, but basically each pixel allows 300% more photons to be absorbed by the sensor, which leads to crisper images. Every pixel on the HTC one gets a more accurate snapshot of what it is photographing. Another advantage of the ultrapixel is since it lets in more light, it takes incredible lowlight shots. Where other cameras see darkness, the One can get a clear image. If you want to just use your phone to capture images for Facebook, instagram, snapchat, or even to show on a 1080p screen, the HTC will perform better than almost any phone on the market. However, if you want to edit your photos in something like photoshop or zoom in really far on them, this isn't the best camera. So the advantages of the One's camera: excellent image quality for the pixels that it has, phenomenal low light performance, rapid snapshots and fast storage. The disadvantages: it is only 4 megapixels. I have really mixed feelings about it. It is certainly a great camera, but I really wish that it could capture higher resolution. I cannot ignore, however, the amazing technological feat that is the ultrapixel and I applaud HTC for taking the phone in this unique direction. This camera at 8 megapixels would be the best smartphone camera to ever exist, but as it stands now, it is only good.

7/10

Reception, radios, and call quality: I have to be fair, my last phone, the S2, held onto a signal like no other phone. Maybe it is just the stark contrast of going from a phone that did such an excellent job to an average phone, but I have to say I am really underwhelmed by reception. I still can get reception almost anywhere, and this truly is not a large problem. This phone has a plethora of radios within: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, wifi a/c (newest standard that I am impressed was included; makes this phone future proof for wifi), an IR blaster to control your TV, GSM (yes, GSM!) radios for global roaming, standard sprint CDMA radios, and 1900mhz LTE radios. I am really let down that sprint and HTC only have 1900mhz radios inside of this phone for LTE, and let me explain why. As Sprint builds out their 4G LTE network, they will be deploying in two frequencies: 1900 and 800. 1900 has its own set of advantages, but one disadvantage is that it doesn't have the best building penetration, 800 on the other hand does. By not including a networking technology that they will be deploying next year, HTC one buyers will have to "enjoy" a poorer network experience inside of buildings in comparison to those with 800mhz radios in their phones. This isn't a deal breaker, and 95% of the people with this phone wont even know the difference. Call quality is superb. What makes it so great is the noise cancelation that this phone has. I was in a crowded concrete stairwell and was practically shouting into my phone to overcome the perceived noise around me. The person on the other end asked why I was doing that. The noise cancellation was so good that they could hear me, even when I was talking in a normal voice. Props for that HTC. So for this lengthy section here is the rundown: lots of good radios, many future proof, but no 800mhz LTE, reception is acceptable but not exceptional, and call quality is superb.

8/10

Performance: This phone is seriously overpowered. It has a 1.7ghz quad core processor, that is more processing power than most computers have. Couple that with 2 gb of ram and you have a powerhouse. Combined with the very well optimized software, there is no hint of lag anywhere.

10/10

Software: HTC sense. Well it is sense. Some like it, some don't. I will probably root my phone and put on a stock rom. For those who don't though, this software is very clean and modern looking and also very optimized for the hardware so the system shows no lag. One thing is for sure: it is much better than touch wiz (samsung's software). My one minor quibble: the one is not running the most recent version of android, but that truly isn't a big deal as it has almost all of the same software features as 4.2.

9/10

Battery life: This phone has been regularly lasting me all day and I will plug it in when I get home at night or go to bed. I haven't really had any trouble with it, although others complain that they do.

9/10

Marketed specs: what's a gimmick and what is useful?

Ultrapixels: Useful. They capture incredibly crisp photos even though the megapixel count is low.

Zoe: Gimmick. I have yet to find a good use for this. If I want a bunch of high-resolution photos, I would just do the rapid capture and choose my best shot.

Blinkfeed: A useful gimmick. There are times when I go to blink feed to quickly get a look at news, but should it be your default home screen? No.

Boom Sound: USEFUL. This is one of my favorite features of the phone. Let me start by saying, I HATE beats. Beats in and of itself is the larges gimmick of all, it is just a customized audio filter. However, on the One HTC optimized the speakers and beats to work very well together. The result: The BEST phone speakers that you have ever heard. Is this a viable substitute for a good pair of headphones? Of course not. Will this sound FAR better, louder, and more dynamic that any other phone on the market? Hell yes.

IR Blaster: Useful. You can use this as a remote with your TV. I have mine set up and it is really useful when I cannot find the remote or when I am using my phone while watching TV.

Sense voice: Useful. The noise cancelation is really useful when on the phone.

Summary: The HTC one has quite a few competitors: the Nexus 4, iPhone 5, and Galaxy S4. For people looking into an android phone today it will probably come down to the S4 vs the One. Here are MY PERSONAL thoughts on it. The HTC One delivers many useful features with only a few gimmicks. Samsung on the other hand also has many useful features, but they also have many others that are gimmicks. Many of them make for a good sales pitch in a store but are impractical in day-to-day usage. The one area where the Galaxy S4 does win however, is on specs. It has a marginally better processor, slightly more modern ram, some additional sensors, and a larger battery. However, and this is my personal opinion, where the phone does not excel is in design. And this is why I chose the HTC one. Both have more than adequate power to get you through a two-year contract, but the One has the look and premium feel that you will enjoy for that contract. Will you like a Galaxy S4 if you get it? You probably will, but when compared to the superb design of this phone, I just think that it falls short. My honest advice? If you know what the difference between DDR3 Ram and DDR2 Ram, go ahead and get the Galaxy S4. If you have no idea what that it and enjoy a beautiful, clean device that is packed with features but not gimmicky, spring for the HTC One. I'm sure glad that I did.

Averaged score: 9/10 (rounds up to 5 stars)

Update 7/27/13: After 3 months of ownership, I have found my major quibbles with this phone. The one thing that I REALLY dislike about this phone is how loud the vibration is. Vibration is supposed to be a subtle thing, not something that is as loud as your ringtone (slightly exaggerated, but not by much). My other quibble is that the chamfered edge of this phone is incredibly prone to scratching. I have my phone in hand a lot, so often I will accidentally hit it on something. Those hits have translated into scratches. They aren't major scratches, but I am obsessive about the appearance of my device, so it really bothers me. Just figured I would let you guys know. I still feel the same about everything else about this phone and would highly recommend it!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

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Toshiba Thrive 10.1-Inch 32 GB Android Tablet AT105-T1032 Black

Customer Ratings:

*UPDATE 8* Now Up: See the addendum at the end of this review.

I pre-ordered the 32gb Thrive here on Amazon, but got impatient and went to a local retailer just to check them out. We loved this tab so much, we got a 2nd for my husband in 16gb.

Toshiba Brand

First off -No -I do not work for Toshiba. But I fell in love with the brand a little over a year ago when I bought a new Qosmio laptop, and it's BY FAR the best computer I have ever owned. I love it as much today as the day I got it, so when I found out Toshiba had an Android Tab, I had to take a serious look.

Galaxy & Iconia in Brief

Prior to learning about Thrive, I was seriously considering the new 10" Galaxy Tab. I had been coveting the 8" model for some time, but just wasn't ready to take the leap. So when the 10" came along, I just had to stop by a local retailer to try one out hands-on. And I must say, I really fell in love with it -the screen is vivid and stunning, the interface is clean and responsive. And it's super thin for sure. But, the first thing I noticed was there's no inputs of any kind; no SD slot, no USB, no nada. The sales rep said that's because everything is trending toward the "cloud." Well, that's all well and good, but I like products that I control, not products that control me (hence why I'm no fan of Apple's line of iShackle products. I'm all for "the cloud" and have one here on Amazon for my music, but I'm also the type that prefers to have my own stuff stored locally. I also like to get into the nuts and bolts of my peripherals and use them my way, so having no inputs on the Galaxy was a huge letdown for me. I left the store feeling underwhelmed, and like it wasn't the right time to buy a tablet. But I was bitten by the bug so I went home and started researching other tabs.

Reviews here on Amazon had me convinced Acer Iconia was better than Asus Transformer. And the Acer had USB inputs, so I was happy with that. But I've never been a big fan of Acer, so I still wasn't feeling the itch just yet. But then I stumbled upon the Toshiba Thrive, and still being so highly impressed with their laptop, I immediately felt a connection to the Thrive.

Every Input I'll Ever Need

Thrive has SD card, USB, mini-USB and full size HDMI ports. And for me, this is where Thrive clobbers the competition -Toshiba just "gets it;" they make products that keep the end user in control and offer a truly freeing experience. I have a full size HDMI port on my Toshiba laptop too, and let me tell you, it completely changed my computing experience! My laptop is connected to a 50" plasma TV and I use a wireless keyboard and gyration remote for a mouse. Let me tell you, once you use a computer that way, there's just no going back. So all those inputs on the Thrive was a big clincher for me -and once again, Toshiba stands head and shoulders above the rest in this department. I fully expect to connect my tablet to my HDTV as well. And the on-board SD and USB ports assure I'll have all the computing freedom and control I've come to expect.

Vibrant Screen and Color

When I first saw the Thrive at my local electronics store, I was a bit concerned the screen wasn't as vibrant as the Galaxy. But then I remembered Thrive has an auto brightness feature, so I was wondering if that was limiting the saturation in some way. I was easily able to find and navigate the setup menus right there in the store, turned off auto-brightness -and voila! -the Thrive's screen was every bit as vibrant and rich as the Galaxy! The colors and clarity are nothing short of stunning. I hate to say it, but the screen is probably better than my 50" plasma (it's only a couple years old, which already makes it a relic in tech world.)

Ease of Use

For me, the truest test of any piece of tech, is the ability to use it straight out of the box with NO help from user manuals. I got a new printer recently and had to fiddle with it for days because the install didn't set it up properly -and in my book -that's a sure sign of a piece of junk. This Thrive, however, was very simple and easy to get the hang of within minutes right there in the store. Naturally, that's as much a testament to Android 3.1 as it is to Toshiba Thrive. Either way, I was doing everything from surfing the net, to customizing the entire interface and settings in minutes, all right there in the store -no user manuals, no nothing. I even tethered it to my cell phone just for fun. The interface is so smooth and responsive, and the Tegra CPU is clearly a beast; no hangs, locking or delays of any kind. Everything was fast, smooth and clean; just the way it should be. In fact, Thrive loaded and buffered YouTube videos better than the Galaxy, though there could be many reasons for that given all the devices on the store's WiFi network.

Rubberized Back

Some might not think much of this, but believe me, it's pretty awesome and makes the Thrive feel like velvet in my hands! It also gives me confidence in the tablet's durability and build quality. By contrast, both the Galaxy and Iconia have a hard, slick back, and as a result, I personally found them both harder to hang on to. I'm disabled and easily drop things, so I never felt fully confident holding either the Galaxy or Iconia. All of these tabs are just a few weeks old, and it's worth pointing out that the backs of both the Galaxy and Iconia were scuffed and scratched to the point of making them look junky. Granted, they're both display models in a high traffic store, but the physical condition of both these tabs after only a couple weeks on display suggests one can expect the same blemishes from personal use over time. By contrast, the Thrive's rubber backing assures there'll be no scuffs or scratches on my tab or anything I set it down on. And if it does wear out, I can just buy a new backing in one of 6 cool colors.

Thickness

Yes, the Thrive is probably twice as thick as the Galaxy, but I'm ok with that. Especially since it isn't all that much heavier. I think the added thickness is due to the USB and HDMI inputs the Galaxy is lacking. Personally, I'd rather have a slightly thicker tab with all the inputs I want, than a wafer thin tab that has a USB dongle dangling from it that I always have to remember to carry. Smaller and thinner isn't always better, at least not for my taste. I don't want a 10" wafer thin screen that I'm scared to drop or set down anywhere, or that will easily get scratched or cracked. The Galaxy just doesn't feel very durable, nor did the Iconia. While the added thickness and rubberized back make the Thrive feel more durable; like it could survive being accidentally dropped, or if placed on a table, the rubber backing would help it survive minor spills. Being disabled, I need something durable, and to that end, the Thrive feels like it will easily outlast both the Galaxy and Iconia. And we're not talking a super thick tablet here; it's still plenty thin. It's also very light; if not, my hands would cramp up and I wouldn't be able to grasp it to begin with.

Wider Body More To Get My Paws On!

The Thrive is a bit wider than both the Galaxy and the Iconia -the screen size is the same on all 3, but the Thrive's casing is about half an inch wider, which is great because it gives me a little more edge to hang on to without my fingers covering part of the screen. I have big hands, so this all adds up to a good thing for me. Overall, the Thrive just feels better in my hands, and more sturdy and durable.

Screen Protectors

I'm a fan of those "helicopter blade" screen protectors and have been using them on all my touch screen devices for years. I went ahead and ordered a full body protector for my 32gb Thrive pre-order. But after getting my hands on my husband's 16gb Thrive, I'm realizing I don't want to cover the velvety rubber back of my Thrive with a screen protector. They haven't arrived yet, but I'm hoping we can use the back of the screen protector on the front of our 16gb Thrive (both pieces appear to be the same shape and size. If not, no biggie, we'll just order another screen protector. I'm a big believer in screen protection and they've saved me from accidental scratches more than once.

Entertainment Hub

I've read that Tablets are trying to edge themselves into being the conduit that connects all your devices -TV, cell phone, computer, etc. And after getting this Thrive in my hands, I can see how tablets can easily fill that void. I love my Qosmio laptop, but prefer not to take it away from home. And my smartphone is great, but the screen is just too small to enjoy surfing the net on it. But now with the Thrive, I can stay connected and still enjoy a full-fledged experience on the go, or even at home, all in the palm of my hands. I've never been much into social networking, but I'm realizing that for someone with limited mobility, this might be my conduit to the outside world. I can totally see how using this tab in a social aspect while watching TV would broaden and enhance my experience. I just may get into Twitter too, and all that thanks to this Thrive! Duh -I'm starting to get why they named it that to begin with!

Replaceable Battery

Some people might find this meaningless. But I just had to replace the battery in my expensive Harmony remote and it's only 2 years old. So for me, having a replaceable battery in an expensive tablet its HUGE! No other brand offers this but Thrive.

Bottom Line -my head is reeling a bit from the thought of owning 2 tablets. It's really not an expense we can afford and I should probably cancel my 32gb pre-order here at Amazon or return this 16gb. But we love it so much... I guess we'll see what happens. Either way, I really love this tablet and am VERY happy with it. Every once in a while, a product comes along that fits my life like a glove. Last time, it was Toshiba's Qosmio laptop. This time, it's their Thrive tablet. These are the first 2 Toshiba products I've owned, and I must say, I think Toshiba has won me over for life. The quality, ease of use, superior construction and forward thinking innovation -I'm sold; hands down. There are plenty of tablets out there to choose from. Just do your research and find the one that fits you. For me, that's Toshiba Thrive. I LOVE this tablet!!

7/22/11 UPDATE -Tips & Tricks:

After using both 16gb and 32gb Thrive's for a couple weeks, I thought I'd add this addendum to my review:

HDMI DUAL VIEW

Hook up the Thrive to your HDTV and the screen will display simultaneously on Thrive and your TV; Angry Birds on a 50" plasma FUN! I got a 25' HDMI cable, but am looking into wireless. Picture is stunning. BTW -there's a reason why HDTVs _don't_ use mini or micro HDMI -because the signal isn't as good as full-size HDMI, and only Thrive has that capability.

DON'T USE A USB HUB

I've had spotty results transferring files to Thrive when plugged into a hub. But when I plug the Thrive directly into my laptop's USB port, I've had no issues and transfers are quite fast. (Win 7 Pro 64bit)

FIREWALLS CAN BLOCK APPS

I was initially having problems downloading apps from the Market while on my home WiFi, but then I realized my router's firewall was blocking some of Thrive's inbound traffic. So I set up 2 simple Port Forwarding rules, and voila, problem solved.

BATTERY LIFE

Thrive charges in a about 1 hour; slightly longer if you're using it while charging. So far, I've been getting 14-26 hours per charge while using Thrive on and off throughout the day. My screen is set to 50% brightness with auto-brightness turned off. I leave WiFi on and just let Thrive go into sleep mode when not in use; naturally, the battery lasts even longer if I completely shut down at night. Yesterday, I started the day with 50% battery life left -I played Angry Birds for 4 hrs straight, watched YouTube for an hour, surfed the net and checked email for another hour, and read a book for 90min -all that before the battery finally died and needed a recharge. There's nothing scientific about my tally, but Thrive is giving me great battery life, IMO.

ADOBE FLASH, FAST SURFING & PAGE LOADS

Surfing the net is NOTHING like on my phone. Web pages load as fast as my laptop and I can have several tabs open at the same time. Fast, smooth and responsive. Flash works great. Haven't run into a website yet that doesn't work.

EXTERNAL USB & FLASH DRIVES

Make sure they are formatted with FAT (not NTFS) and you'll have no problems. I even hooked up an external 500gb Western Digital My Passport drive with no issues.

WHY 32gb IS BETTER THAN 16 or 8gb

Thrive comes pre-loaded with many apps; some useful, like Toshiba File Manager and Service Station; some not so useful, and they can't be deleted. Point being -I've never heard anyone complain about having too much HD space. So do yourself a favor and get the largest GB you can afford. SD cards, IMO, are for convenience, NOT for extending your storage capacity and running apps off it. I use mine to view and transfer pics off my digital camera.

FUN & HELPFUL APPS

>Advanced WiFi Lock Free -this solves the dreaded wake from sleep issue. Go into the app's settings and UN-check "Enable Timeout." Prior to this, I experienced the issue twice, but since installing this app, the wake from sleep issue has disappeared. I do sometimes have to push the power button twice to get it to wake from sleep. But other than that, I don't have any complaints about how the buttons work.

>Talking Panda Free -fun for kids of all ages!

>Amazon Kindle -read your digital books on Thrive. Just wish it had text-to-speech.

>DirecTV -program your DVR(s) on the go and never miss a fave TV program.

>Angry Birds -I never thought I'd get into this game, but it really is fun. Rio is my favorite edition.

>Paint Joy -finger painting on your tablet. Save, share and even watch a time-lapsed rendition of your creations; kinda fun! Let loose your inner artist!

THRIVE PORTFOLIO CASE

I got this case for outings away from home. But at home, I prefer using Thrive without the case. The Thrive is thicker than Galaxy, but I probably would have left Galaxy in it's case, because I didn't like how slick it felt. So Thrive without a case is about the same thickness as with Galaxy with a case.

ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

Thrive has already become another component of my home entertainment system. I use it simultaneously while watching TV or even surfing the net on my laptop, which is hooked up to my 50" plasma. The Thrive has become an addition and a natural extension of my home entertainment center.

That's it for now; I'll add more in time, if I think of anything.

9/5/2011 UPDATE 2 over 2 months and still loving my Thrive. Here's a couple extra helpful tips:

HDTV VIA THRIVE

We took our Thrive on vacation with us for our anniversary (happy 21st to us!) and hooked it up to the hotel's 42" HDTV. Thanks to Thrive's full-sized HDMI port, we easily ran a 25' cable right to our bed and watched our fave TV shows right off the TV network's websites while connected to the hotel's free WiFi.

THRIVE DOCK

Do yourself a favor and get one if the expense fits your budget. It's a tad overpriced at $50 with no power supply (it uses the one that came with Thrive) but it doubles as a great lap stand and makes charging the Thrive much more convenient; just slip it in and out of the cradle. Don't like how the adapter fits into the Thrive itself and the dock solves that problem. Also, Thrive looks great on display in the dock too. I suppose if you don't mind changing the screen timeout a lot, you could even use it as a digital picture frame (just be careful with that if running off the battery. I have a review for the Toshiba Thrive Multi-Dock with HDMI too if you're interested.

PORT FORWARDING

I was going to post specifics in my last update, but thought it might be different for everyone and didn't want to misinform. But in case it helps anyone, here's how I fixed the problem I had with downloading apps from the Market on my home WiFi:

I have my router's firewall set to high, and when I played around with the different security levels, I noticed the 2 that were blocking my Thrive were Real A/V port 7070 and T120 port 1503. I set 2 specific rules and opened those ports for my Thrive, and then the Market apps downloaded without issue. (these were both inbound traffic. You have to know a little about port forwarding for this to make sense, but it's not that hard to do; a quick Google search never hurts. :-)

MORE GREAT APPS

> Scrabble is interesting because you can play online over time. I have 30 games going any given week. The app is a bit buggy, but it's still fun and I'm sure they'll improve on it.

> Documents To Go is half off @ $7.99 in the Amazon AppStore

> Twitter works well but I'm still learning and don't tweet much, mostly follow.

> Gmail comes standard with the tab. GDocs and all of Google's stuff is awesome.

> GOOGLE SKY helped us find Jupiter, Mars, all the planets and stars in our solar system last night!! CQQL!!

> The Kroger app lets me add digital coupons to my grocery store club card.

> DirecTV Remote controls my TV's DVR; kinda neat.

> Weather Bug for Honeycomb has a neat widget where you can flick up or down to change the temperature amongst your saved locations

> Cloudy is a fun paper airplane game

> PhotoShop Express is free and always good to have.

> MXvideo Player has neat swipe controls that make it easy to forward, pause and reverse vids while they are playing.

> the Bookmarks widget that comes standard with the tab lets you scroll through thumbnails of each web page.

> Vevo and TV.com apps have some good content

> Fruit Ninja is surprisingly fun; I like Zen Mode. It speaks to my inner samurai.

> and don't forget my all time fave: Lily The Talking Panda

> All of these apps have free versions; the only one I've paid for so far is Paint Joy Pro at $1.99.

> & Remember 1 FREE PAID APP A DAY here on Amazon!

That's all for now folks!

;oD

UPDATE 3 9/27/2011

Over 3 months and I still L-O-V-E my Thrive! It's a cornerstone of my entertainment experience. I do take it with me when I venture out, but home is my primary use. It is ALWAYS in my lap. Instant fit in my life and fills a void no other device can. Perfect!

Here's the latest Helpful Tips I'd like to share:

Project Your Thrive

I recently discovered that Thrive can be hooked up to an Epson Projector, which can be invaluable for those doing business presentations. Just plug in a standard HDMI cable from Thrive to the projector, and it will project your Android tablet onto any surface. Sure, you could do this with another tab, and HDMI dongle, or micro connection, but I never like being caught in the lurch with nonstandard cables. I've been caught more than once with a proprietary cable that's failed. I much prefer the convenience and reliability of Thrive's full size onboard ports. I have a review for the Epson Multimedia Projector on that page as well.

Tablets Are Touchy-Feely

For me, a tablet is a tactile experience, hence, external keyboards and mice are not required. I've tried them both and found them counterintuitive. If I want to use those things, I've got a great laptop for that. A tablet is a device that stands on its own like no other. It is a personal item, hence, it should feel good to hold. It's not a cell phone. It's not a computer. It doesn't play by the same rules. Quite simply, it's the most personal and indispensable component of all my tech items and fills a void no other device can.

More Fun Apps:

> Weather Bug for Honeycomb has changed its name to AccuWeather for Honeycomb. It's still the best weather app I found; the widget is great.

> Days Left -has a neat widget that goes on your desktop and can countdown the days to special events and occasions.

> Amazon AppStore has a great app that makes it easy to shop for apps and get their Free App of the Day.

> Airport Mania 2 -has become one of my favorite games. Think Chevron Toy Cars with wings! The object is to land planes at your airport, wash, paint, load & unload packages and passengers, maintain and fuel up all the planes visiting your airport, and safely send them on their way. It's like being an Air Traffic Controller, but fun!

> Word Mix -a unique word scramble game that is addictive. You can play against the clock or Puzzle Mode.

> WiFi Finder -will find free WiFi Hot Spots in a Google Earth-type layout. It finds everything in your vicinity and maps it. Be sure to download the offline database within the app, so you can use it without a WiFi connection.

> Rocket Bunnies -If you read that title without a smile on your face, then you won't have any fun playing this game!

> Prize Claw -why waste money at a stupid machine, when you can play this for free! The teddy bears are cute, too!

> Paradise Island -think Sim City

> Flying Penguin -slide on your tummy, away from the polar bear, before he eats you up!

> Fat Booth -ever wonder what you'd look like chubby?! (or people you know or stars & celebrities)

> Guinea Pig Getaway -yes, it's as adorable as the title. Tilt and move your tablet to help guide their boat and escape the big meanie chasing them.

> Foto Tiles Slideshow -turn your desktop into a collage of personal photos that change on a timer; think digital mosaic, only it's a live desktop, not a screen saver.

And last, but not least, I'd like to share a post written by Pie Grrrl, in the discussion section of this review she had a VERY interesting conversation with some techies over at Best Buy, who gave their candid impressions about Thrive and other tablets. The direct link to her post is below. In brief, here's the just of what she learned:

> All of them highly coveted the Thrive; the feel, the look and the full size ports.

> All of them are gamers and mostly used their tablets at home; like I said in the review, these fill a void in everyone's home entertainment experience. Personally, I live in a bit of a bubble, and my Thrive has been a natural fit in my life and a conduit to the world. It's indispensable.

> 20+ tablets coming out, including a newer, thinner Thrive. Personally, I'm excited to see what Amazon's got up their sleeve with their upcoming new tab. I'm hoping for a slide-out keyboard, not that I'm in the market or could even afford to buy! I just like drooling over new tech.

> Sales are tied between the Xoom and Thrive. The Xoomer's aren't interested in the ports; the Thriver's are.

> the guys loved the Android platform vs. Apple's because they loved tinkering with the tablets and rooting them. Personally, rooting is nothing to be afraid of, and gives custom access and features to any Android tablet or phone. Just be aware it voids your warranty. I'll probably be rooting my Thrive once it's a little older.

Looks like Amazon removed the link, so if you're interested, just look for Pie Grrrl's post in this review's discussion section: Posted on Sep 27, 2011 3:51:40 PM PDT.

And lastly, and this time I mean it, a word about NetFlix -I've cancelled my account, but some people have found a workaround until the official app is released. Point being, it will work, but just do a Google search, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of info. Having said that, Amazon VOD works perfectly, no tinkering required.

BTW -there's a post in this review's discussion thread, where on September 7, 2011 2:48:15 PM PDT -where U. Shelat says explains how to get NetFlix working; As I no longer have NetFlix, I cannot verify if this works or not.

Okay, I lied, I have to leave you with 1 last suggestion... get the Kindle app and read Jermaine Jackson's book about his brother Michael -it's riveting. Yes, I have a review there, too. Love reading Kindle books on m Thrive. The book is called You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother's Eyes

That's all for now, folks!

Go forth all, and "Androidify" your Life!

(Believe it or not, I didn't just coin that, it's actually an app)

:oD

UPDATE 4 10-18-2011

Had an interesting experience with an iPad today...

Ran into someone who was trying to get photos transferred to their iPad -they fumbled with hooking it up to their laptop, syncing to iTunes, then futzed another 30 minutes unable to make anything happen. I just smiled. Told the person how much I genuinely admire Mr. Jobs' genius, but wouldn't it be easier to just have onboard ports like on my Thrive -?you'd be 30 seconds away from being done. :oD

>MORE GREAT APPS:

>Webroot Security FREE anti-virus, secure web browsing and rogue app scans. Paid version includes ability to wipe a lost device clean on command.

>Thumb Keyboard Split your tablet's keyboard to the left and right corners of the screen -makes typing and texting just as fast as a cell phone.

>Circle Launcher A nifty launcher widget that you place on your homescreen. Choose from a circle, a horizontal or a vertical line.

>ADA Disabled Service Members Free Americans With Disabilities Act info for Returning Service Members.

Androidify all!

:oD

UPDATE 5 10-21-11

Thrive just got an update adding Google Video support; basically movies on demand for a small fee. Between that, and Amazon VOD playing so well on Honeycomb and the Upcoming Kindle Fire, I'm beginning to think Netflix not working on Android Tabs is no accident. Either way, Netflix's time may well have come and gone, by their own doing as much as anything else.

No word on Honeycomb 3.2, though at this point, I'm more interested in Ice Cream Sandwich! (Android 4.0) I saw a video and it looks yummy! :o)

UPDATE 6 10-24-11

NETFLIX -User ID "Visa Citi" just posted in the discussion thread for this review that NetFlix is now working. I downloaded the app, but was unable to log in, because I cancelled my NetFlix account several months back. I'm not interested in rejoining, but I checked another forum and confirmed that it is working.

Android 3.2 -is due shortly. And 3 weeks tardy in my humble opinion.

Android 4.0 -is the one we all want; no word on if or when.

And it just goes without saying that I have to recommend more apps. Or as I like to call this portion of the review...

KAIO'S ESSENTIAL ANDROID APPS:

> AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner -Great recipe app.

> Iris Alpha -A prototype app that mimics Siri iPhone 4s.

> Circle Launcher -One of my new faves and recent Amazon Free App o' The Day -Unclutter your desktop with this nifty launcher widget that you place on your homescreen. Choose from a circle, a horizontal or a vertical line. The widget contracts to a small icon that, when touched, expands to display all the icons you've enclosed within it. Can be completely customized to your preferences.

Th-th-that's all folks!

Enjoy and Androidify!

;^D

UPDATE 7 11/27/2011

Skype is officially working. I don't use it myself but several users have verified it.

Android 3.2 click the Service Station icon to update. No meaningful cosmetic changes; most likely bug fixes. No word on when 4.0 will be ready.

A word about memory, by Jeffrey Peterman:

"If you look at the memory on the tablet, you'll find it split into 4:

1. "Normal" internal memory, the same as the base memory on a phone.

2. Internal SD memory, which is internal memory allocated for storage.

3. External SD memory (an inserted microSD or SD, depending on the model.)

4. USB memory.

The system dynamically allocated memory between 1&2, without needing any user intervention, and this memory makes up the 8, 16, or 32 GB in the tablet. The other two "spaces" (inserted memory cards and USB memory) can ONLY be used for media storage you can't run any program from an inserted card or a thumb drive, but you can open videos or documents that are on those removable spaces."

Comment posted: Nov 27/11 3:30pm

Thanks Jeffrey

The question about memory comes up a lot; how much to get? Do I need 8, 16 or 32gb? To me, it's not a matter of the cost of a 32gb v.s. a 16gb + SDcard. That comparison isn't equivalent, because having all the internal memory I need is far more valuable to me than an SDcard. I'm not a fan of splitting critical and personal files that way. I use my SDcard to float between several devices, but it always comes down to personal preference.

Here's how it approximately breaks down:

> an 8gb Thrive will have about 2.5gb available

> a 16gb Thrive will have about 10gb available &

> a 32gb Thrive will have about 25gb available.

I've tried to write & update this review so it would answer an array of basic questions that come up often. This is new technology to everyone, and it's the beginning of an exciting, new frontier.

Androidify All

Kaio

:oD

UPDATE 8 -3/17/2012

Durability: Well it's been 9 months with our Thrive, and still going strong. The chrome finish near the camera is showing slight signs of wear. And the lock on my SD card slot gave out just the other day. It still reads SD cards, but I guess I'll have to tape them down, so the spring doesn't shoot it across the room. Other than that, it's physically holding up quite well.

Cool Volume Boost App: I found a cool app called Volume+ that boosts the audio up to 20X on the Thrive's speakers, and I even installed it on my new LG Marquee cell phone. The app boosts the volume nicely on both devices, and can even boost bluetooth headsets and call volume as well.

WiFi Tethering: When I got my new cell phone I had to figure out all over again how to root it and configure the hotspot so I could tether my Thrive to it, but I got it working, and have a tutorial on how I did it posted on my blog. Just check my Amazon profile for a link to my blog if you're interested, or check my post on March 7th in the Comments of this review for more details on tethering to a cell phone.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich: According to Toshiba's Twitter page, the Thrive will be getting this new version of Android by the end of Spring. FINALLY!

Android Green Back Cover: I got the green back cover for my Thrive awhile back and it looks really cool.

New Kid On The Block: Toshiba Excite came out a couple of weeks back. It's much thinner than the Thrive, so just decide if you need Thrive's ports and exchangeable battery. If not, take a look at the Excite; it's currently the thinnest tablet on the market.

More than likely this is my final update for the Thrive. It's been fun seeing just how long this review can get, and how many comments we can all generate!! Thanks to Everyone for all the fun.

Keep Thriving & Androidify!

;oD

Kaio

... Still just visiting Earth!

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Pioneer AVH-X2500BT 2-DIN Multimedia DVD Receiver with 6.1" WVGA

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $308.00
Sale Price: $244.72
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

First, for the money... This receiver is going to be exceptionally hard to beat.

Installation: The installation was very straight forward, as long as you have the appropriate Metra/Scosche mounting kit and wiring harness specific to your vehicle year/make/model. I did notice that the wiring harness for the receiver was very chincy and the wire gauge was smaller than what I have seen in other car audio receivers. I actually broke the plug on the harness when trying to disconnect the harness from the receiver. It didn't affect the receiver itself, but I was unable to unplug the harness, so I worked around it. Not a huge deal and not something I would dock a star for.

Sound: The sound quality of this unit is great. I love the graphic EQ for tuning. Much easier than previous units where I would have to +1 or -1 on things like Bass/Mid/Trebble. It's a lot easier to adjust the frequencies visually, from one screen. The sound field adjuster made it easy to find the vehicle's sweet spot as well. Overall, the sound is better than an older Alpine I had previously.

Video: I recommend getting the MicroBypass parking-brake bypass for use with video. After paying the $20 for the bypass and following the straight forward instructions, I inserted a DVD. The sound was good, the video was decent. I didn't buy the unit for its video capabilities... I bought it for its connectivity to my iPhone..... This is where it starts getting docked.

Iphone Functionality: I have an iPhone 5 with iOS6.1. This stereo is new for 2013, but doesn't cater very well to the newest Apple technology. The Lightning adapter was an afterthought. You cannot simply connect your USB/Lightning cable to this unit. It will not work. You have to purchase the Lightning/30pin adapter. STUPID. See here for the compatibility chart:

Even after purchasing the lightning adapter, you still cannot make use of the AppRadio functionality, unless you buy the $120 Pioneer CD-IV202AV adapter and the $50 Apple Lightning to VGA Adapter. That's another $170 to use the AppRadio functionality that allows you to interface with your iPhone with the receiver.

*IF* you have an iPhone 4, you can simply plug your phone into the USB cable and you're good to go!

WTF? How can a receiver that has come out in 2013, not support the iPhone5 functionality that the iPhone 4 does right out of the box? I understand perhaps, having to buy the lightning/30pin adapter, but to have to pay $170 for the Pioneer/Apple VGA adapters is ridiculous. If this is important to you (which many will be) you're $400+ at that point and I'd be willing to bet there were better options at that price-point.

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Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 3-Inch LCD (Black Body Only)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,099.00
Sale Price: $660.00
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

When the Kx arrived, K7 owners who were more than content with their current bodies coveted the superior high-ISO (low light performance) capability of the Kx. At least I did. And while the K7 was a capable tool, I often found myself compensating for its weaknesses (which were limited to high ISO and autofocus continuous (AF.C) performance). Not so with the K5.

I won't go into the specifications since those can be found elsewhere but I'll give my overall impression what I like and what could be better:

+ Great ergonomics. Love the compact, solid body which is identical to the K7 save for a heightened knob and elongated AF lever. I was even able to use the same split prism focus screen I had purchased for the K7.

+ Fantastic high-ISO performance clean and offering far more flexibility than the K7. I'd try never to breach ISO 800 on the K7 whereas the K5 is routinely pushed past ISO 3200. While I wouldn't give it equal footing to a full frame camera, it's arguably the best APS-C out there in this application.

+ Outstanding dynamic range -shoot in RAW and leave your graduated ND filters at home.

-+ Improved auto-focus, especially AF-C compared to the K7, but not quite on par with either the D300s or 7D in AF-C.

+ User-friendly, easy to navigate menu system white balance adjustments are a breeze.

+ Good WB and JPEGs "out of the box"

-+ Yes, 1080p video but at 25FPS vs. 24 -surely a firmware update in the future

Audio records at 32KHz sample rate

Only has a single SD/SDHC slot would prefer dual with Compact Flash

Limited to 1/180 X-Sync speed but this is ample in most scenarios

Images shot in portrait don't autorotate on playback but did on the K7(?) again, a likely firmware update

+ Blissful near-silent shutter

+ Compatibility with all those great manual K-mount lenses of yore.

Although I'm a long time Pentax user, I considered and evaluated both the Canon 7D and Nikon D300s without bias. While both are outstanding DSLRs, I preferred the Pentax K5.

An all-around excellent camera and a joy to use. A noteworthy upgrade.

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Nikon Coolpix L110 12.1MP Digital Camera with 15x Optical

Customer Ratings:

(#1 REVIEWER)UPDATE: 1/11/2011 Because there are so many comments asking the same question I decided I should add this to the beginning to save you agony. This camera is poor in low-light and not the greatest for taking shots of kids running around or in situations where you need to quickly take multiple shots. Having said that, this camera has an absolutely amazing zoom, optics are top notch, macro mode is incredible and great video recording is possible as well. I've taken thousands of beautiful photos with this camera. You need to work with this camera and it will reward you handsomely. But read through as many comments as you can because there is a lot of discussion that may interest you. And now on to my original review...

I have two types of cameras that I generally use, small point & shoots, like the Canon Canon PowerShot SD600 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom for "take anywhere" convenience and DSLR's which for me currently is the Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

If you have any questions about the camera, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer you. Please note that I have updated my review with some additional observations on 3/29/2010 based on my continued experiences with the camera.

I wanted to get a camera that was SDHC compatible (the SD600 is not SDHC compatible, while the D300 uses CF cards) so that I could use the Eye-Fi wireless card Eye-Fi 4GB Share Video SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-4SV with it. I've had excellent results with small Canon point & shoot cameras over the years but the Nikon L110 caught my eye and I decided to buy it. It is substantially larger than the svelte Canon SD600, yet much smaller and lighter than my D300. It's called a "bridge" camera by some people since it has some qualities reminiscent of a DSLR at the expense of being as small and pocketable as a typical "point & shoot" camera. Consequently, depending on where you are on the scale of novice to professional photographer and how pocketable you need your camera to be, this camera may either thrill you or leave you wanting something else. I'm somewhere in the middle.

There is a lot to like about this camera. It has a very nice feel in the hand and the rubberized grip makes you feel secure holding the camera. The large 3" LCD display is gorgeous... it is bright, sharp and has excellent dpi not normally found in a camera of this price range. It also works quite well outdoors due to the fact that it has an anti-reflective coating on it. However the camera lacks an optical viewfinder which I do miss as I am more accustomed to using a viewfinder than not. The lack of a viewfinder is not a deal-breaker for me though. 12.1 megapixels gives you ample file size to make huge enlargements or lots of room for cropping. And the awesome zoom, from the 35mm equivalent of 28mm-420mm gives you an amazing range. It's not normally even possible to hand-hold a camera and expect a very sharp image if you are zoomed to 420mm, or even 300mm, but with the great VR and Motion Detection incorporated into the camera, you can actually hand-hold at that extreme and get usable images. I was impressed with that. If you use a tripod at those extremes, then be sure to turn off the VR or you will get poor pictures. This is always the case with electronic VR... you never want to use it when also using a tripod since it is intended to compensate for your hand shake and when you're on a tripod, there is no hand shake to correct so it is not necessary or desirable to have VR on.

The L110 has a minimal number of buttons and control pads which makes it a very approachable camera to use. Of course, the downside to that is you need to delve into the menu to get to some other features or controls that you may want to fiddle with. Again, coming from the D300, I found this a bit frustrating but someone more used to a point & shoot might not mind or even think about that as much.

What I like specifically about the camera is that I can take stunning photographs with little thought. Using the default "easy auto mode" lets you get started taking photos with little to worry about. Just frame your subject and press the shutter button. But you may not want to keep the camera in that mode all the time because it does come with some limitations that you need to be aware of. Easy Auto Mode automatically determines what you are trying to accomplish then sets the "scene" to what the camera thinks is the appropriate setting... it may not always be correct. And I noticed that auto-focus may not always work correctly especially when trying to shoot closeup images in easy auto mode. So in those cases you can switch to "auto mode" or manually select the "scene" to the mode you specifically want, such as "close-up, portrait, landscape, backlight, etc"

The macro mode on this camera is excellent. You can get as close as .4 inches from your subject and this is fantastic if you are into macro photography. I will post some sample photos in the customers images area for you to see.

I like that the camera can be turned on directly in playback mode simply by pressing the playback button instead of the on/off button. The advantage to doing this is that if you just want to view photos/videos on the camera, the lens remains retracted. Otherwise if you turn the camera on using the on/off button, then press the playback button, the lens first extends then goes into playback mode.

The flash does not automatically flip up when needed like some cameras of this style. That's not a bad thing, just something you need to know. If the camera determines that flash is necessary, it does display a message on the LCD screen informing you to "Raise The Flash."

The buttons on the back of the camera only require a very light touch. At first this annoyed me a little bit as they felt overly "touchy". But I quickly grew accustomed to the lighter touch and now must say I like it.

Video quality is very very good, especially in outdoors and well-lit situations. Low light results in more grain than I would like to see, but since this is not a dedicated video camera, nor expensive, it is acceptable. The audio recorded in video mode (stereo by the way) is very good too.

UPDATE: I've been using the movie mode more extensively since my original review and have changed my opinion of the audio and video quality. The low light performance of video recording is not very good at all and results in -verynoisy (grainy) video. I've also noticed a significant muffled quality to the sound that is especially noticeable when just a persons voice is recorded. Recording where the ambient noise levels are high, such as when outside, masks this somewhat. But when recording video in more quiet surroundings, a single sound source such as voice will present the distortion, hiss or whatever you want to call it, at much more noticeable levels and is not what I would call good quality at all. On a scale of 1-10 I'd have to rate the audio quality about a 4. There is no capability to attach an external mic, nor would I expect that for a camera in this price range. The audio quality is quite disappointing to me now though, especially when compared to my Canon SD600 that has extremely clear, distortion free (mono) audio. Finally, I also heard some zoom induced mechanism noise while zooming and recording video.

One feature that really appeals to me is the "small picture" option. If you take a lot of photos that eventually end up on the web, you can have the camera make a smaller sized copy of any photo that you have taken... either 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120. I find this really helpful because if you take your original photo at a lower resolution, then that's what you're stuck with forever. But with this feature you can take your photos at the highest resolution then have the camera make a re-sized copy of the photo at the resolution you specify. I build websites so this is very helpful for me as I don't have to spend as much time in Photoshop resizing photos destined for the web.

There are a slew of other features, such as "blink warning", automatic red-eye fixing, smart-portrait mode, sport continuous mode (pretty cool feature that will take up to 20 continuous photos at 11.1 fps) and even more. Regarding the Sports Continuous Mode; this mode reduces the image quality/size to a maximum of 3Megapixels and is not going to give you razor sharp images that you would get in other modes. But consider it's purpose... to get a shot that would otherwise be nearly impossible using this level of camera. It takes a burst of photos to enable you to hopefully get a decent action shot out of a series of shots taken at a moment in time. The ISO is also increased to 640 in this mode which does inject more noise into the final image. This is common to small sensor cameras such as this. You really want to keep the ISO at as low a value as possible to reduce "noise" in the photo. Increasing the ISO increases the sensitivity of the sensor and this is what causes the increased noise... think of it as distortion when you turn the volume up to high.

I'd have to write a book to cover all the features in detail. But one more feature that I'll mention is Panorama Assist which is handy when composing a series of shots intended to be a panorama. It provides a ghost image of the previous shot to help you align the next shot you want to take in your series of photos destined to be a panorama.

Nikon includes several software titles including Panorama Maker Pro by ArcSoft. I was happy with the results that Panorama Maker Pro produced; it was easy to use and flexible in what you can do with it.

Battery life is quite good. The camera uses 4-AA batteries, either alkaline, Ni-MH, or lithium. That makes it convenient if you have dead batteries since AA batteries can be purchased anywhere. Proprietary batteries often provide longer life, but once they're dead, so are you if you don't have a charger or second charged battery with you.

A few issues for me with the camera is that I am frequently wanting to manually focus the camera and that is not possible. Another issue is that other than setting ISO and exposure compensation, there is little else you can manually do to control the camera. You cannot manually set the shutter speed or aperture. Concerning ISO, when it is set to 3200 or 6400 the image mode settings are limited to 3 megapixels 2048x1536, PC 1024,768 or VGA 640x480.

Overall I like the Nikon L110 quite a bit. The photos are excellent and HD video is a nice extra although you won't be too happy with lower light video quality and the audio capabilities are not the best. It strikes a nice balance between a simple point & shoot camera and a larger and substantially more expensive DSLR. It's a product that because of it's price point, will not meet everyone's expectations. If you desire excellent video from this camera, you'd be better off spending more and getting something that is video-centric. If you view this as predominantly a camera that also has the ability to take video, then you'll probably be OK with this. If you are expecting this under $300 camera to also excel at taking movies with awesome audio, you will not be happy. Concessions will have to made at this price point.

UPDATE: 4/4/2010Just a brief update regarding battery life using plain old Alkaline batteries. I took over 300 photos plus 20-30 movies of varying length and did quite a bit of viewing before the batteries died. That's not bad for regular Alkaline batteries. Consider also that I am also using the Eye-Fi wireless SDHC card in the camera that automatically uploads any photos or movies through my wireless network so that is also putting a drain on the batteries. Without the card, I would expect even better battery life than what I've reported. You'd get much longer life with Lithium and of course rechargeable NiMH batteries would probably be the best long-term bang for the buck.

UPDATE: 4/22/2010I've uploaded a few video snippets from the L110 on YouTube. Just search for "Nikon L110 Video Sample". They will not win any Academy Awards for cinematography but just a really quick indication of video quality. Sorry for the wind noise, but it was quite breezy outside.

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Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Ultra Compact Lens for Pentax and Samsung

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.95
Sale Price: $375.00
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

After using the old Pentax-M 40mm pancake for a while, I decided to get this DA Limited version. 40mm on a Pentax dSLR is a great focal length for portraits and for regular walk-around use. The 1.5x multiplier of Pentax dSLRs makes the focal length work out to the equivalent of 60mm on a 35mm film camera.

The f/2.8 aperture is nice and fast, especially if you're coming from the kit lenses. It's fast enough to take pictures indoors (shake reduction doesn't hurt either) and creates a pretty narrow depth of field for portraits.

The super compact size makes my K100D feel very light and easy to carry around. It's perfect for outings where you'll end up taking pictures of people and close objects.

The autofocusing is super fast and I haven't seen it hunt around like my DA 18-55mm and 50-200mm lenses.

Pros:

Very fast autofocus. Doesn't seem to hunt around like the kit lenses.

f/2.8 makes it pretty fast and very usable, especially with shake reduction. The sharpness is decent at f/2.8.

Super compact and light. It makes my K100D a lot easier to carry around all day.

Great focal length for portraits.

"Limited" means that it's all metal in construction, which definitely helps this diminutive lens feel nice and solid.

Works great on some film bodies! See below.

Cons:

The lens is so small that there's nothing to hold on to. I often find myself gripping the focus ring while the lens is trying to autofocus.

I've seen a good amount of purple fringing with this lens wide open. Stopping down a bit quickly clears it up though.

Overall, this is a great lens for traveling. The cons that I listed can easily be fixed with some practice and good technique.

Edit 11/27/07: One interesting thing to note is that this lens works on film bodies without vignetting. However, keep in mind that this is a DA lens so there is no aperture ring! Cameras like the ZX/MZ-5n, ZX-10, etc. don't have a dial to control the aperture so this lens is really only useful in full auto or Tv modes. This lens works perfectly on the *ist film, ZX-L/MZ-6, MZ/ZX-7, PZ-1(P) or any other Pentax film body that has a dial for aperture control.

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