Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera

Customer Ratings:

First, I didn't buy this from Amazon. I was walking around my local electronics store and played with it and bought it. Overall this is a good improvement from the HX9V. Few months ago, I purchased a Canon PowerShot SX260HS for $349.00 (you can get it for $299 now) and it's one of my favorites. How does the SX260 compare to this camera?

Resolution:

The Sony is an 18MP camera, Canon is 12MP.. besides the bigger JPG size, can't tell the difference both look decent when printing on 11x17..

Size/Weight:

Both are nearly identical. The Canon weigh 8.5oz, the Sony 8.8oz

Zoom:

Both have 20x optical zoom, but in comparing pictures, it looks like the Canon's optical "zoom" is closer. Canon has a combined 81x digital zoom, Sony's 40x. Canon's 81x combined digital zoom sounds nice, but there's so much noise that it may not be worth using. With the Sony, even at 40x the picture is still acceptable.

Flash Control:

With the Canon, you can adjust the flash power, with this, you can't....major disappointment especially for a camera that cost $399.00

Menu/Navigation/Ease of use:

This is more of a preference. I used Canon and I used Sony; personally I like the Canon because I think it's more logically ordered

Flash position:

Both are pop up flash. I know it's going to require people to change their grip but I kind of like the pop up flash.

AWB (Auto White Balance)

This is one area that I think Sony made a big improvement with this camera. The AWB on the HX9V was terrible and required manual tweaking. The Canon does a very good job with the AWB. I used this Sony for about a week and went through about 500 shots. The AWB has NOT missed it's mark; not even taking photos indoor with florescent lighting that can cause yellow tinting with improper AWB.

Speed:

One of the reasons why I got rid of the HX9V was because of the slow processing speed. This camera, the image processor performance has improved quite a bit. With the HX9V, it would take up to 6 seconds to save/process images. With this, I think the longest was 3 seconds. The speed is on par with the SX260.

Picture Quality:

In auto mode, the Sony does an excellent job reproducing accurate colors. The colors are more natural looking, but on occasion (especially in landscape mode) the blue and red looks amplified.

Manual Controls:

This camera DOES NOT have a "Shutter Priority" and DOES NOT have a "Aperture Priority" mode! The Sony's manual mode is practically useless. Sony what were you thinking!!! Canon has the Aperture and Shutter mode, and the Canon's manual mode give you more control although it doesn't compare it with a DSLR

ISO Speed:

This Sony goes up to 12800 AMAZING!!!... the Canon comes no where near this..

3D Feature:

I don't have a 3D TV so can't comment on it. I did try to take some 3D pictures (supposedly you can now view 3D pictures on the LCD screen; something the HX9V was not able to do) but I don't think it's working correctly, or maybe I just can't tell the difference. The Canon has no such feature.

Video Quality:

Sony's video quality hands down. This beast is fast capturing full HD. One of the thing I loved about the HX9V was the video quality. It was perfect for those quick moment. This Sony looks just as good if not better.

Memory Card:

The Sony has built in memory, it's not much but better than nothing. I used a Patriot SDXC and a SanDisk SDXC, performance identical. The SanDisk cost twice as much as the Patriot because it's suppose to be faster. I can't tell the difference, and neither can my cameras. Both camera recommends Class 6 of higher, but if you plan to record video, go for the Class 10. A 64GB card can capture close to 10,000 picture.

Battery Life/Charge:

With the Canon, I got about 250 shots before the battery indicator started flashing. The Sony was about the same based on mixed use. One thing about the Sony is that it DOES NOT come with a battery charger. But, you can charge it with a micro USB able. Call me old fashion but if you're going to charge $399 for a camera give me a battery charger! The Micro USB charge may not be a bad thing if they didn't put the port on the bottom of the camera. So when you're charging the camera has to lay on it's side. As others have commented, you can buy a decent aftermarket charger for under $5.00.

Live Mode:

The Canon has a dedicated "live mode" that allows you to adjust the color on the LCD screen before snapping a shot; kind of like a "what you see is what you get". Sony has this built into their auto mode. Press the down navigation wheel to activate this feature.

Scene Modes:

With the HX9V, the scene modes were terrible; the difference were so subtle. This Sony is a HUGE improvement. With the Sony, you can see there IS a difference now. I am especially impressed with the "food" scene. With this mode, when you take a picture of food, it's suppose to enhance the color to make it more appealing. With the HX9V, it's a gimmick, but with this it's a 180 degree improvement. My best description of this is when you see those professional pictures of food at restaurants, this Sony can produce that type of quality. Canon does a good job with most of the scenes, but I prefer the Sony now. The Auto and Super Auto mode works great. For the regular outdoor or well lit environment the Super Auto won't be much difference. For those complicated lighting situation, the Super Auto does a better job. But the Super Auto mode will take about three seconds to process the image. With the scene mode, just because its designated as a "food" mode does not mean you just use it to take pictures of food. I used the "food" mode to take other beautiful indoor pictures that are not food (without flash) at fancy steak houses, and they came out beautiful. The difference with this mode (and the ISO mode) is that the food mode enhances the colors a notch making them appear more vibrant.

Defcocus Mode:

One of the feature I like is the defocus feature. This is one feature that distinguish this camera from other Point and Shoot. With the more expensive DSLR camera, you can take a picture where the portrait is in sharp focus but the back landscape is blurred. Sony does a decent job with this (in fact, I haven't seen this feature on any other brand camera). This feature does not work with the flash because what the camera does is take two shots and combine them to create this effect. But do note that when you use this mode, the LCD screen will tell you how far the subject should be and if you ignore it and take a picture, the Defocus will not work (you still get a decent picture though)

LCD Screen:

Both units have a 3-inch LCD screen, but I think the Sony camera has a sharper, clearer display.

GPS:

Both units have GPS, I haven't used it on either units though.

Camera Body:

The Canon has a more solid feel to it. The HX9V had an "expensive" look and feel. With this Sony, it's just all black and nothing to distinguish this camera for others. The Canon has that expensive camera look and feel, but this Sony does not. It looks plain and boring.

Cost:

The Sony cost $399, Canon cost $299.00, $100 difference.. Is this camera worth $100 more than the Canon SX260HS? You decide...

Sony, if you want me to rate this 5-Star, please do the following:

1. Put the Shutter and Aperture mode back in this camera

2. Give me flash exposure control

3. Give me a battery charger

4. And, give it to me for no more than $349

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Denon DBT-1713UD 3D Ready Blu-ray disc, DVD, Super Audio CD

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $549.99
Sale Price: $499.00
Today's Bonus: 9% Off

Denons DBT-1713UD Blu-ray loads faster than their previous model. I had the DBT-1611UD and it was slow to go from placing the disc on the tray to actually playing the movie. Don't get me wrong, it was a great player. But it's not the DBT-1713UD. The DBT-1713UD has clean video and the audio is superb. The streaming of Netflix and Vudu is quick and painless. I'm not a big Hulu fan but it will stream it plus YouTube. If you like 3D, place Avatar Blu-ray in the player and you will be amazed at the clarity of the picture. If you have invested in a nice surround sound system you will reap the rewards. Is the cost of the player pricey, yes. But, if you want a audio visual experience that will leave you grinning from ear to ear, then this player is for you. The DBT-1713 doesn't have wireless capability to connect to the internet. So your going to have to hard wire it using an Ethernet cable. That's not a deal breaker for me. This player is not a miracle worker. If you are connecting this player to a lesser quality receiver and TV, well your wasting you money. Keep that in mind before you purchase this player. Am I happy with this player, you bet. Denon has done it again and kicked up their game. Thank you Denon!!!

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Nikon COOLPIX P310 16.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 4.2x Zoom

Customer Ratings:

First of all, this is not a full review (people already did great jobs in reviewing the older model P300) this is more like a comparison between p300 and p310 because I had a hard time until I've settled on this camera. The choices for me were (P310, Canon s100, Olympus XZ-1, and of course the older model P300)

I don't own and never used the Nikon p300, so I can't tell if the p310 worth the extra 70$ but am going to mention the added features to the p310 and you decide for yourself :

16.1 megapixels instead of 12.2. Some might say it will produce more noise, but in my case I didn't face any issues with the 16 megapixels, no noticeable noise at all. And with some added features such as noise control of 3 different levels (which is also not available in the P300), then I don't think you should be concerned at all trust me.

fn button (This is customizable, allowing you to assign a frequently used camera setting to it rather than having to dig through the camera menus.) I use it to give me access to ISO settings.

Vibration Reduction V2 (which is an enhanced version of the one available on p300) so far I didn't get any blurry pictures even when am driving a car.

one more mode has been added to the dial on top (which is `U' mode, you can for example go to manual settings and adjust the shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, etc and save them to the user mode for next use) It allows you to save only one preset, but you can always reset of course.

Manual focus (yes the p310 has manual focus, p300 doesn't) You can also use the manual focus during video recording.

ISO range (instead of 160 to 3200 in the p300, now it's 100 to 6400)

3D mode (this feature has been added to the "scenes mode" it allow you take 2 pictures from two different angels and then the camera will produce a 3D photo that is viewable on 3D TVs.

That's all I guess

The camera is really nice and takes sharp and crisp pictures, as you know most of the cameras take good photos in day light. However, the real challenge is when shooting in low light and when it comes to low light this camera is SICK!! I took some pictures in extremely dark places and the camera never let me down. I took some photos at night with ISO 1000+ and still no noticeable noise!

A small hint: never use `auto mode' when shooting at night, use either "landscape mode" if you want to shoot buildings, etc or "night portrait" scene if you want to shoot people at night with background (requires flash) or Aperture priority and of course there's always a manual mode.

To my experience so far, the best mode for night shots is "Night Landscape". When you choose it you'll be provided with two options:

1Handheld: In this scenario the camera will take 5 consecutive shots very quickly in just 1 second, actually you will hear the sound of the lens taking five shots. The output is nice but a little darker with no noticeable noise.

2Tripod: This is the second option and when you choose it the camera will first set the vibration reduction to off, and then it will increase the shutter speed to around 2 or 3 seconds I guess, depending on the situation. The output is tremendous. So when using a tripod with this mode YOU WILL NEVER miss a shot at night believe me.

Cons: I gave this camera 5 star because the Cons are not a deal breaker for me. So here we go:

1At first, it might be hard for you to hold the camera, turn it on, etc because the buttons are so close to each other. However, one day is enough for you to adapt.

2Zooming while recording video is EXTREMELY slow. I usually don't zoom while recording so it's not a big deal for me but it might be for others.

3Still no RAW like its predecessor.(probably all of you already know that)

4Charging cable like others mentioned is not a standard USB cable.

Hint: you can go to ebay and buy a wall charger with two extra batteries for 14 bucks.

Generally, for under 400$ this camera is a winner in its class, if you're willing to spend over 400$ you can look for the Canon S100 or Olympus XZ-1. (I've checked them both) The Olympus has some focusing issues + video quality is terrible, the S100 has a common lens error + the flash will pop up automatically and it's located exactly where you put your left finger, so I ended up buying the P310)

In conclusion, I've dealt with many P&S cameras and all I can say is that this Camera is meant for..well, like the title says "Photography in the Dark"

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 Digital Camera (White)

Customer Ratings:

I have had the Panasonic ZS30 about a week now. It is my 5th TZ/ZS Panasonic camera I've owned, including the excellent ZS20. However, the ZS30 is the best yet. I'm not a beginner. I've been making pictures since the 1960s or before with all kind of cameras, and I've sold a few pictures over the years too. Currently I have the ZS30, the ZS20, a couple of "enthusiast" compact cameras, and a fairly nice and complete DSLR set up one of several I've owned. The DSLR gathers dust for the most part too heavy with a bunch of lenses and other photographic "stuff."

Getting right to the heart of things: The ZS30 is a great little camera takes great pictures in good light and also in low light. It also has a plethora of fun and useful features, and a great Leica lens. You can shoot on full automatic or take control with aperture, shutter, or full manual priority. There are 14 or so "art filters, plus about 16 "scene" modes. For the younger generation there is WiFi, and NFC, and, of course there is GPS. The camera is easy to carry, excellent build quality and, did I mention, takes excellent pictures. I highly recommend it.

Some people may worry about the high pixel count (18 MP). Don't! The improvements in the sensor and the processor pretty much take care of that, and pictures are certainly as good as the ZS20, which I also have, and better than the other, older Panasonic super zooms that I have had. It is not a DSLR, but the pictures good light and low light are certainly very good for this type of camera up to about ISO 3200 (Yes, there is some noise, but pictures are certainly "usable" for what most people who buy this kind of camera will use them for.) Generally speaking though, I'd use a top end ISO 1600 and below for normal, everyday use. I usually have it set to ISO 200 works fine.

Everyone is worried about blurry pictures. Left to its own devices the ZS30 does not give blurry pictures. It is quite a capable little camera. That's not to say you can't take blurry pictures with the ZS30. You certainly can. Here are some ideas to minimize blurry pictures with the ZS 30 or any other camera for that matter: Most important of all Be sure the image stabilization is ALWAYS turned ON unless you are on a tripod then turn it off. Then: 1. Neither the ZS30 nor the subject should be moving when you take the shot i.e. hold the camera still, and shoot when the subject is not moving (some exceptions when using very high shutter speeds, the tracking focus mode, fireworks, moving water, and other "creative" stuff). 2. To hold the camera still, hold on to it like you own it and are proud of it, with BOTH hands, and not with just the thumb and forefinger only. 3. Keep your elbows tucked in to your sides. 4. Lean against a wall, a table, a chair, and/or look for something to rest the camera on. 5. Shoot with the reciprocal of the lens extension for a shutter speed, i.e. At full extension of 480 mm (in 35 mm terms) (You can estimate it if not at full extension.), keep the shutter speed no lower than 1/500 second OR 1/125 second (2 stops) if the image stabilization feature is turned on. If you have a REAL steady hand, maybe you can cheat down to 1/60 second. (You can adjust the aperture, the ISO, and/or the lens extension to achieve these shutter speeds, but anything less will almost undoubtedly result in a blurry picture.) 6. Wait for the camera to focus when you hear the beep (if turned on) or when the focus area boundary turns green on the LCD. It doesn't take long with the fast Panasonic focus speed, but I've seen some folks beat even a DSLR to focus. 7. Press the shutter button gently, don't "stab" at it. 8. Don't let the camera pick the focus point. Do it yourself. I mostly use the center point only smallest one unless using tracking focus mode. 9. Shoot on aperture priority and set the widest aperture available (ZS 30 will adjust it as you zoom.) or shoot in "sports" mode to assure the fastest shutter speed for the ISO set and the light available. 10. Don't shoot ANYTHING with a shutter speed of less than 1/30 sec unless the camera is "braced." 11. Walk closer to the subject if you can, and retract the lens to fill the frame at the new, shorter distance. Long lenses, fully extended are much harder to hold still than "shorter " ones. Note: The 30X Sony HX50 may not be such a bargain at full extension unless braced or on a tripod a 700 mm something lens, handheld REALLY?! and about that atmospheric haze... Note: You can easily have a 30X lens equivalent with th ZS30 either by slightly lowering the number of pixels used (best way all optical lens magnification) or by using the "extended" optical lens mode at full resolution. I like the first way pictures seem sharper, and there is still plenty of resolution for high quality prints. 12. If all else fails, use a tripod (Heaven forbid!).

Added November 22, 2013 13. Panasonic's "light speed" focusing is very fast and pretty much eliminates shutter lag. It is a FAST camera. Secondly To eliminate blur from pictures of moving subjects as in sports, if iA mode is not doing it for you, shoot in "Sports" mode, and the camera will set the fastest shutter speed for the settings you already have on your camera (i.e. ISO, aperture for the zoom extension you are at, etc.) If you still get blur, or if the exposure icons on the LCD are showing red, increase the ISO or shoot in "Shutter priority" mode and set a fast shutter speed up to 1/2000 sec. (Try 1/500 sec first.) Again, you may have to increase the ISO to get a properly exposed picture (green exposure icons) when you increase the shutter speed. Finally, in either case, set the focus mode to continuous/tracking, and shoot in burst mode. (Set these up before you go to sports or shutter priority) (I mostly use 5 fps burst speed allows for focus on each shot in the burst.)

Added July 6, 2013 One more little thing (OK,OK. I forgot it!) 14. Shoot within the focusing distances of the AF setting you have set or you WILL have blurry pictures. "Standard" AF mode at full lens extension is about 6 1/2 feet to infinity. Closer than 6 1/2 feet and the picture WILL be blurry. With AF mode set to "Macro Tele" you can focus from a little over 3 feet to infinity at full lens extension. At "Super Macro" AF mode your focus distance is limited from about 2 inches to about 3 feet, ans it will NOT focus to infinity. The macro modes are found at the "down" press of the rotary dial. Hey! it's easy, but if you are having trouble focusing, check that you are in the "correct" AF mode.

Flash is another "scary" thing for many people. First remember the flash is only "good" to about 10 feet, so "be within range." You cannot adjust the flash output on the ZS30, but the camera will do that for you if using "fill" flash mode (always on) or full auto, within certain parameters (Read the manual.) The "sync speed" about 1/200 sec will "freeze" most "portraits," but if the subject is moving, you may still get a blurry picture. For best results, use "slow sync" or night portrait mode, just watch that the shutter speed doesn't get below what you can comfortably handhold, AND tell your subject not to move for one full second after the flash goes off. You can use the flash in bright sunlight also to reduce the dark shadows that are characteristic of photos taken in bright sunlight. To get even better flash shots, use a diffuser two or three layers of facial tissue held over the flash will do wonders just make sure your fingers are not covering the flash. Another hint: Set the camera to "manual" mode, and set the correct exposure for the background. Turn the flash on normal or "always on" i.e. "fill" flash mode. In this case, NOT slow sync or you will overexpose the background). Then take your picture. The background will be nicely exposed, and most likely, so will your subject if in range of the flash. Use the diffuser trick, and things should be really good.

Back to the ZS30. The ZS20 and the ZS30 are fairly comparable, but the ZS30 has some significant improvements IMHO. Better LCD 920k dot resolution compared to 460k for the ZS20, and better touch screen capability. 18 MP compared to 14 MP for the ZS20 Yes, there is more detail in the ZS30 picts. Cancel playback mode and return to shooting mode with a touch of the shutter button something Panasonics' have needed for years. More movie choices. Added number of "art filters" These are kind of fun. High Speed video shooting. Easier access to panorama mode. Better image stabilization 3 way in stills, 5 way in video. "Starry Sky" scene mode back. good for shooting fireworks and other creative stuff. The ZS30 can take a 13.5 MP still picture during video, compared to a 3.5 MP one with the ZS20. Longer lasting battery. In short, the ZS30 is just a more "complete" camera, although the ZS20 takes wonderful pictures also.

Both the ZS20 and the ZS30 have Panasonic's "light speed" AF. Solves a MAJOR problem with earlier compact cameras. Both cameras have no purceptable shutter lag, and being able to adjust the size of the focus area, not just the focus points is a big plus. Of course there is face detection/face recognition, and tracking focus mode, now with up to 5 frames per second WITH focus for each frame or up to 60 fps with initial focus and lower megapixels. Both cameras have vastly improved white balance compared to earlier Panasonic cameras. Both have in-camera editing kind of hit and miss though, but fun. There are other neat things too many to mention. Handheld night shot works wonders on both cameras as does HDR scene mode. Build quality of both cameras is excellent.

Yes, you CAN blur the background with a compact set "macro telephoto" mode, largest aperature (smallest f/ number), extend the lens to maximun extension, move in as close as you can so that the camera still focuses, make sure the background is "some distance" behind the subject, etc. or shoot wide angle, lens fully retracted, f/3.3 (smallest numbered f/ stop largest lens opening), set super macro mode, and move in to where the camera will just focus, background again "some distance" behind the subject, etc.

For travel, easy carry, long lens, and good pictures, the ZS30 really can't be beat. ZS30 has LOTS of travel features.

Finally, the best camera, as always, is the one you have with you. The Panasonic ZS30 is idealy suited for that, and it takes very good pictures on its own settings, and even better ones if the photographer is knowledgeable enough to adjust some of the settings to suit the situation and light. (Hint: Read the manual.) Beware of putting much stock in the review of anyone who simply blasts away in full auto mode (the camera picks the focus points in full auto, and it can't read your mind YET as to what you really want in focus.), and then condemns the camera. What shutter speed was used? If it was 1/60 second or less at full extension (480 mm equivalent) and no bracing, pictures probably will be blurry with ANY camera, even a DSLR.

The Panasonic ZS30 is compact enough to carry easily, has an incredably long, compact Leica lens, more than enough low light capability for most people unless you are a pixel peeping nerd or a pro who has to make a living off of his/her talent as a photographer, and it has more neat features that most people will ever use. Is it a DSLR? NO. Is it a darned good compact camera? Yes. Is it an excellent, full-featured, long lens travel camera? Absolutely, yes! Remember, taking "good" pictures is a duel effort between the camera and the photographer. Don't always blame the camera. Figure it out! Read the manual. Get the most out of your camera. It has lots to "give." Relax, quit worrying, and enjoy your ZS 30. Thus ends the "War and Peace" review.

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Canon EOS-1D 4.15MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Customer Ratings:

I know it has only 4 MP sensor, but pro autofocus, 8.3 FPS, pro body with weather sealing, built in hand grip. Put a fast lens on it and I seriously doubt any of today's camera will focus any faster. Just a touch on the shutter button and 45 points come into action and in AI SERVO MODE it is impossible to loose your subject. A regular camera you just fun with, but this one you have fun but times 5.

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Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA

Customer Ratings:

Pros:

High quality (sturdy feeling)

Well designed

Superb Image quality

No pattern noise at high ISOs (looks more like film grain)

In body image stabilization

Cons:

No image orientation sensor (if you hold portrait style have to manually rotate)

No red focus confirmation dot (still has green dot in viewfinder at bottom)

Who should buy the K2000? Anyone also considering entry level Nikon or Canon DSLRs. This is fully competitive, but offers in body image stabilization that works with any lens (old and new). Nice feature set at a great value.

The auto focus of this camera is improved, focusing more precisely in low light than previous Pentax models, and also works with the new SDM lenses. Auto white balance is also improved. It does much better under tungsten light than some previous Pentax cameras.

The shake reduction is highly effective, as much so as most in lens systems. About 3 f-stops for me. This is a handy feature because it works with ALL lenses. You don't have to keep buying the same feature for $100 to $500 every time you buy a lens for which you want stabilization. Not to mention, when a new body comes out you get an improved stabilizer. With an in lens system, you have to replace your lenses to get improved stabilizers.

Even though this is a no frills system, it is very capable for those advanced amateurs or pro's looking for a compact body to use with the Pentax Limited prime lenses (compact lenses offering outstanding image quality). The big two haven't invested many resources in prime lenses suitable for APS-C sensors (by far the best selling dSLRs), Pentax has bucked the industry trend with their superb DA Limited series lenses.

Image quality is outstanding. I used it at a studio shoot recently, and had no issue. My only complaints were the lack of user selectable focus points (besides all or center only) and lack of orientation sensor. For the most part these were easy to work around. The picture results were stunning, even up to ISO 800. By 1600 there starts to be a fair amount of noise, but there is no pattern to it (my K20d has awful horizontal pattern noise). These photos are highly suitable for B&W conversion, and they resemble high speed film better than many digital cameras.

In conclusion, you get a lot of bang for you buck with this camera. The bundled AF200FG flash is very good compared to any built in flash offering much better range, better fill, and being off camera helps reduce red eye and shadowing from lenses. The kit lens is excellent at apertures 5.6 and up at any focal length (it is a tad soft at the corners at wide angles at apertures larger (smaller number) than f/5.6. I mounted it to the K20d and it had no problems resolving for the higher resolution sensor. I recommend this without many reservations (see my cons), and for a starter or enthusiast it is a great little camera. With my review title, it is the first time I can feel comfortable to recommend a Pentax to a non-DSLR user (previously they have been better enthusiast, non-beginner models).

Update One: First set of batteries that came with the camera have more than 1000 shots on them, many of these with the flash. This has truly amazing battery life, especially considering how much the back LCD is illuminated (no top information display). This would last many users a year!

The only other little things I have noticed is there is no slot for a cable remote and the back LCD can be bright. This camera wouldn't be the best for star trails for example, but this will only impact a small percentage of users.

I still love it!

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Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens + 72mm UV Haze Protector

Customer Ratings:

Excellent kit. Lens takes awesome photos. Best price on the internet for brand new 28-135mm lens, plus you get all the extras included. This lens does not come in original packaging. This was probably taken out of a camera/lens kit and sold separately. There website shows that it is not in box but it did not explain this on the Amazon website. Otherwise I would have given them 5 stars. However, it comes with all Canon warranty paperwork and is packaged very well. Fast shipping, too. I received it 5 days faster than it said I would when I ordered it. Only took about 1 week. I will purchase from them again.

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Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Customer Ratings:

This is a cheap lens old design, very plastic that can prove terribly useful for those on a budget who want a wider perspective, especially on 1.6x crop factor dSLRs.

I learned about "cheap" with this lens broke the focus ring the day after delivery. But I blame myself too, and the replacement's given me no trouble, though I think my first one was a bit sharper than the second. (Update: calibration of the replacement optimized my performance to match or exceed that first one that I broke. It now performs *very well* wide-open at f/2.8, and beyond belief at f/5.6.)

By many standards, this lens will match or exceed zoom lens of comparable price (as a prime lens should). Autofocus is a little buzzy, but the main time you'll notice is when it loses its bearing and suddenly lurches way off target. Mostly, focuses quickly enough and well. Some chromatic aberration in worst-case scenarios, but nothing awful or unexpected. Vignetting, even on a 1.6x crop, can be noticeable, mainly in sky shots, but gradual rather than sudden. (Might be unacceptably worse on a full-frame camera.) Undue distortion seems minimal haven't really checked but also haven't really noticed, if you see what I mean. Flare seems average, perhaps better than one would expect from such wide glass. (I've never had a shot blown out, even with the sun in the shot.) Bokeh is nonchalant, not dreamy but never intrusive.

But at the price, the positives make up for the negative and "average" tendencies. It's vibrantly colorful and contrasty almost to a fault. Hard light is a little more challenging with this lens, a little more tricky to balance exposure between highlights and shadows. It can be softish wide-open, but very unobjectionably have rarely regretted shooting at f/2.8. My main lens is a 50mm f/1.4, and switching back and forth on the same aperture setting is perfectly functional in practice. Lose a little crisp for taking in four times as much space, and that's a trade-off I can run with. (Their filter threads match too.)

Before calibration, my second sample got "plenty sharp" by f/4, and "stunning sharp" at f/5.6 or beyond. Now, I never find any complaint at f/2.8, and frequently get my breath taken away at f/5.6. However, other reviewers around the web have verified something I've noticed the focus is more consistently crisp when focused out to infinity (which isn't far) than when aimed at nearer subjects. For any kind of scenic photography, I recommend setting the focus to infinity and then flipping to manual focus to lock it out there, for easiest and most reliable results.

"Crop factor" over-simplifies the effect of mounting a wide-angle lens on a 1.6x camera. Yes, the field of view will match 40mm on a full-frame, but the perspective will not, because you'll be closer to your subjects. Shooting live subjects (like bands, models, or street life) will require a learning curve, so beware mission critical work before you've broken yourself in so you can anticipate its exagerations.

That said, I bought this lens primarily for "head-to-toe" model shooting in my modest studio, and it's been a real asset. Interestingly, it tends toward a very useful "slimming effect" that makes hippy girls look more slender and shorter girls more ambiguous in height. This happens if you're filling the frame with them and standing with your lens at about their head level relatively speaking, their hips are much further away so they narrow. Disconcerting at first but terribly useful once you've gotten the hang of it. (Beware chicken legs or the reverse from dramatic perspectives.)

I read every review I could find before purchase, and this lens seemed to be a magic middle between the higher cost clarity of the 20mm and the cheaper lesser sharpness of the 28mm. Near as I can tell, I nailed it. The build and buzz create an ongoing sense of cheapness, but the performance really pays off if you need an affordable wider angle that generally won't let you down.

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Canon EOS-7D Digital SLR Camera Body Kit, with 2 4GB CF Memory

Customer Ratings:

I traded up from the 40D and was able to continue to use EF-S lenses, take short videos (yeah!), and for less money than the 5D mark II. I've had the 7D for a month and still haven't explored all of the possibilities. The software and accessories included in the box makes it easy to take photos and publish in a short period of time.

The best part of this "kit" was the spare battery. It's my personality to always have a spare. In addition to the 7D, I purchased an extra fast Compact Flash memory card, and a DVD writer so I can save all the photos.

I am pleased with my purchase, speed of delivery by Adorama, and e-mail support from Canon.

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Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm f/2.8 ED IF SDM Telephoto Zoom

Customer Ratings:

After anxiously awaiting the new DA* series of lenses, I bought it the day it was released. I had to photograph the Ujena Bikini Jam in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and KNEW that I needed the benefits of a tightly sealed, weather proof lens because of the intense humidity. When I first mounted the lens to the body of my K10D (after updating the firmware of course) I was surprised at how incredibly quiet the motor is. I've never had this experience with any lens I've owned. I'm so used to the slight "whir" sound that lenses produced, it was hard for me at first to tell if it was working! The lens focuses quickly and accurately. The lens is nicely finished with nice rubber ribbing on the barrel. It accepts 67mm thread size filters. There may be a temptation to get a standard type Skylight filter. Spend the extra money for the Super Multicoated type. After all, if you spend nearly $1,000 for a lens, why would you skimp on a lower priced filter? The manual focusing mechanism turns freely after you reach the end of the focal length on either side. This is done so that you do not damage the focusing mechanism. For manual focus option, instead of setting your camera body to manual focus, the lens has a switch that allows you to switch between manual focus and auto focus without having to have your body set on manual focus. This is convenient. If the lens is hunting you can easily click over the switch with your thumb without having to remove the camera from your eye. There is no longer an aperture ring on the new digital series lenses. This is logical since all the f-stop settings are now done on the camera body. The stunning sharpness and contrast of this lens is amazing. Distortion is practically non existant and flare is tightly controlled. Make sure you have the lens hood attached to help make sure flare is not an issue. This lens makes the lower priced lenses seem inferior by comparison. This lens is made for professionals and it shows. If you are currently looking for a professional quality Pentax zoom lens, and need the high speed of a 2.8 lens for portrait or glamour photography, this is the one to get. This is an outstanding lens from Pentax. Rush out and get it!

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Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 50x Optical

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $534.99
Sale Price: $389.95
Today's Bonus: 27% Off

Main objection, other than soft photos, is that the control dial cannot be reliably used [as necessary in manual mode for selecting shutter speed and aperture, and for manual focusing] without inadvertently pressing, and thus actuating, one of the other functions on the wheel, typically the iso but sometimes the self timer, although there are two other functions that can be pressed as well, putting the camera into a different configuration. This poor design places this otherwise nice point-and-shoot superzoom camera in a class all by itself...a compromise at best. A redesign with a much stronger spring to actuate the four functions would probably fix this deficiency. Not sure of Canon's track record of installing kits to correct known problems. If the camera will not be used in manual mode and if soft photos are ok, the camera would be quite acceptable. The HD capability, slow motion, as well as numerous other features are cool, but not at the expense of manual mode. Oh, the battery is fantastic...made well over 400 shots on one charge. Beats rechargable AA batteries (that will not work in my other Canon or probably any other Canon).

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AmScope 40X-2000X Full-Size 17 Lbs Professional Trinocular Lab

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,700.00
Sale Price: $288.98
Today's Bonus: 83% Off

For a sub-$300 microscope, this is a very good value. But compared to Nikon or Olympus professional models that cost 10 times more, it would be an unfair comparison. Simply put, optical and mechanical quality and performance fall well short of professional models. For students and hobbyists, this is more than adequate.

I also bought the Phase Contrast Kit (Model PCT) directly from Amscope for $684. When I was purchasing it, I thought it was a bit strange that Amscope priced the contrast kit so high since the microscopes it was designed to be used with cost only a fraction. I thought maybe the quality of the contrast kit might be high. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It was not really useable so I ended up returning it.

The reason why I mention the Phase Contrast kit is this. For anyone considering buying anything from Amscope, buy from Amazon if you can. Returning anything to Amazon is exceptionally easy. That's not the case if you buy directly from Amscope. I had to call 3 times to get an RMA number, then call 3 times to get a refund processed. They eventually refunded the full price less shipping cost but it took too much effort to make that happen. Their technical support is non-existent.

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Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera 32GB Package 6

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,399.99
Sale Price: $429.00
Today's Bonus: 69% Off

I have only ever taken pictures with my cell phone and those cardboard wind up cameras from the drugstore. I am the historian of a local club, and this camera was purchased because of that. I have been wanting to get a digital camera for some time, and was a little hesistant to make this much of an investment, but I took a chance and ended up loving it. I haven't been able to give it a real go 'round, but so far, it takes crystal clear photos (IMO, but I'm no pro, lol) and the interface, while a little confusing at first, is really easy to navigate. Believe it or not, I read the get started manual AND the Advanced manual on the disc included from beginning to end, and it's very informative. It does assume you already know what some terms mean, though, so be prepared to look outside the manual if you are a true beginner with anything but a simple point-and-shoot.

As far as the bundle, I've not tried everything out yet, but the extra battery was an awesome inclusion. I'm thinking I'll probably go through battery life fairly quickly when I pull it out for meetups. The full size tripod seems sturdy and it's easy to use. The table top tripod is super cute. The little tripod, screen protectors, swabs and lens fluid come in a little separate package (like a kit) and the lens fluid leaked all over the inside of the bag. Thank goodness everything in there was wrapped in plastic. The bottle was only half full out of the box, but I'm not all that upset by it since it didn't get out of the bag the little kit came in. The wallet is neat-o, and the memory card does the trick. The bag is just about the perfect size, but don't expect to put anything in the main compartment except the camera and strap, especially if you are going to be adding a lens hood or filters to the camera that stay on all the time. The side compartments fit the memory card reader, microfiber cloth, swabs, extra battery (while stored in the wall charger) and the back mesh pocket holds my mini tripod. I might have to get a bigger bag, but for now it holds everything. I might even just use it for my accessories and keep the camera in the case I got from Mega Gear: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y68R0Q/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Overall a great product and I would buy again from Cardinal Camera. (they even include a coupon for prints from their shop!)

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eMachines E725-4520 Laptop Win7 Pentium T4400 2.2G 15.6″

Customer Ratings:

I bought this about two weeks ago when it was on sale for under three hundred bucks. I have been using a Macbook Pro for the last 4 years, which is great but which is also my wife's computer. With the kids and I also trying to use her computer I figured it was time to pony up for a second laptop.

Pluses:

1. Price

2. functions just fine for internet, watching DVDs, You Tube, Itunes, etc. no noticable difference in quality of images or streaming from my high end Mac.

3. Costs less than a netbook, has a dvd player/recorder.

4. Battery life is actually very good 4+ hours so far for regular surfing. video knows it down to about 3 hours.

Fairly solid feel to it for being a hunk of plastic

Back has all sorts of access panels for people that want to change out the hard drive or add more RAM

My Age of Mythology game works just fine on it.

Minuses:

#1 gripe no HDMI port. Bummer. HAs some cheesy aavi port but I haven't bothered to figure out if I can convert that to HDMI. Whoops on their part, but then agin, this thing cost me less than most netbooks.

Speakers are lousy. If you mess with the EQ and SRS Wow you can get it to an aceptable level, but out of the box they sound like they are tin cans. Fine with headphones.

Keyboard is okay does not have a high quality feel to it. easier to type mistakes than on my Mac.

Windows 7 is...... nothing more than XP with a couple of the bugs fixed and an interface that makes it harder to find things if you are used to XP or 2000.

Boot of programs is a bit slow. I think this could be a WIndows issue more than a hardware issue.

Ovberall works just fine for a cheap laptop. don't need to pay twice as much if all you do is surf the net and watch TV on it.

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Canon EOS-1Ds 11.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Customer Ratings:

After years of being a very faithful Sony user (I still like Sony and their products) I finally did the big leap, as in my mind the technology is finally there ... I bought a Canon EOS-1Ds 11.1 Megapixel camera body. Out of necessity I had to buy a set of EF lenses as well. I spent this years toy budget on just one purchase, but then THIS IS NOT TOY!

My last Sony was a F828 and before that a P10. The F828 is a great consumer product for the price, but it actually made me do the leap as good as it is, as it brought back my spirit for creating a REALLY good picture. I started to spend so much time to get to the right photo spot at the right time, that I did not want to have a lack of functionality then. I used to do a lot of photography 20 years ago on film, but returned as a point and shoot fotographer when digital came about. To say it with fellow countryman 'Arnie' "I'm back."

First I need to say that all Amazon partnershops performed and delivered flawlessly, my special mention goes to Adorama Camera. I would usually be worried to spend so much money on the web, but Amazon takes that away.

Now to the 'beast' itself the EOS-1Ds body. I will not go into all the functional details, as to my mind they are all correct as stated. The camera is great to hold and work with total confidence. But at first big disappointment. I was unable to concentrate on working with a professional camera. I was too used to point and shoot and expected the camera to do it all for me. Well, it does not. You need to know or learn photography for this one. It is now four weeks and 2500 pictures later and finally there is only one reason for a photo not to be perfect ME!

Biggest difference to other products is the film-size 24x36 CCD and the ability to set the ASA film sensitivity up to 1250 on the fly rather than having to change film. Not always is a tripod at hand or the photo subject would wait until you set it up and then hold still for a 2 second exposure. I could not ask the helicopter pilot to stop the vibration during a dawn flight over the Las Vegas Strip. Setting to ASA1250 shortened exposure time to s/50. The picture noise that you get as a consequence is dramatically reduced by the noise reduction feature and much less than the grain of a high-sensitivity film.

Cautions and recommendations: Learning how to clean the sensor from dust and dirt without damaging it is essential. This camera is VERY heavy you will need a strong tripod to hold it. Buy a second battery, even so the charging is quick and it usually lasts for two normal days of use. Using a CF card reader is easier than buying a Firwire attachment for your PC. Use 2GB high-speed Compactflash for convenience, it will give you 400 pictures in JPG. Feel free to send me questions, which I will answer as much as I can.

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Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K Home Theater ES Projector

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $24,999.99
Sale Price: $24,998.00
Today's Bonus: $1.99 Off

I experienced this during a private demonstration at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) this year. Sony gave a very nice pitch that since most movies are filmed in 4k or higher, getting content to a 4k media server is going to be coming "very soon". Sony demonstrated two forms of content. The first format was a James Bond trailer for their upcoming movie, directly from a 4k server. It was flawless, and in fact if you pay too close attention to the details, you really can see too much with the picture. Regardless, the action on the movie trailer was almost straight out from the theater.

The second format presented was a clip from a Tony Bennett concert on Blu Ray up-scaled to 4k. I did not see much of a difference between the up-scaled version and watching it on a regular 1080p projector. I currently have a Sony VPLHW30ES projecting on a 170" diagonal screen.

My major disappointment? CONTENT. It's very nice that we're embarking on the Ultra HD / 4K avenue of television, but it would be hard for the average consumer to justify spending this price unless you are creating your own content. Apple did not release the iPod without content to go along with it -so unless you are shooting, editing, or doing private screenings of your own 4k content, I say wait it out until the prices drop below $5k.

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Energizer Watch/Electronic Batteries, 3 Volts, 2032, 2 batteries

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $5.99
Sale Price: $1.79
Today's Bonus: 70% Off

I ordered directly from Amazon and not a third party because I didn't want to risk receiving a counterfeit battery.

I ended up receiving a counterfeit battery that provides zero power. My uploaded customer image shows how I could tell it was counterfeit.

I'm buying my batteries directly from brick and mortar stores from now on.

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