Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS30 18.1MP 20x Wifi Digital Camera (Silver)

Customer Ratings:

I bought this camera to use on a 1 month trip to visit family in Scandinavia.

The Zoom is great, the Panorama feature is easy to use. The WiFi enabled me to transfer pictures to my i-Pad to screen, e-mail or delete. This came in handy for sharing photos with family and friends back in the US.

I only took a couple of videos, both indoors in low light. They came out OK but I expect to get better videos outdoors.

The only problem I've had this far is dealing with the sensitive touch screen feature which has caused me to take several pictures I had to delete. I'm sure I'll figure out how to turn this setting off, just need to study the features better.

My only complaint is the lack of a decent guide book, had to look this up on the net.

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Lensbaby Portrait Kit for Nikon Digital SLRs

Customer Ratings:

I have always wanted a Lensbaby, but am still working on my L lens collection so couldn't justify buying a creative lens. Now with this lens kit and the holiday discount I had to jump at the option. So I got this kit for Christmas. Let me say wow! First off I am impressed with the quality of the build and the optics. Also the amount of fun that can be had with the kit. I have been playing with it non stop since Christmas and I can't put my camera down. I have already ordered the complimentary fisheye lens and am contemplating getting the scout (rigid body) for use with macro and video work.

I will say that I had a small problem with one of the accessories, a lid for a small case was being funky. But I contacted lensbaby customer support and the problem was remedied the same day! and its the week between Christmas and New Years so I will give them kudos for that. I will be happy to order from Lensbaby any time in the future and I look forward to seeing what new products and attachments for my Lensbaby come out.

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Logitech USB Desktop Microphone (Black/Silver)

Customer Ratings:

Hey guys,

I figured this would help you to see the difference in audio quality between the USB Microphone, a Logitech C910 Webcam Microphone, and a built in laptop microphone.

The USB microphone is far superior. Be sure to watch the video below, and if this review was helpful, THUMBS it up so other people can see it.

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Custom Brackets Digital PRO M Rotating Camera Bracket

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $379.95
Sale Price: $366.00
Today's Bonus: 4% Off

There have been dozens of flash brackets on the market. To maintain the flash above the lens in both horizontal and vertical shots, some awkwardly flip the flash, and (to me) better ones smoothly rotate the camera. There's perhaps 8 main bracket vendors now.

Every wedding type or PR event I went to, I chat with the photog when they were on break, and I got to hold, if not try most of their flash brackets. People quickly get used to the quirks of whatever model they buy. Cost and size can be a main concern for amateurs and semi-pros alike. I quickly realized I didn't like the constant flipping of the flash. It distracted me and my subjects, too. Rotating the camera requires a more expensive mechanism. It can be a faster technique than taking my eye from the viewfinder, and flipping the flash. (Rotating the camera, instead of flipping the flash, looks just a touch more professional, to me!)

The Custom Brackets Pro M kit, which rotates the camera and has several necessary plates comprising the "kit", is the best for me. Someone really really thought things out on this one, from the quality of the grip, the host of accessories, to the padded support in front that supports your left hand as it zooms the lens in and out. There are many adjustments possible, to solidly fit any 35 mm camera and flash. If you are gonna shoot weddings and similar events, this model is worth the upgrade, quality, and cost over competitor's models. Cost? You're talking perhaps $100 more-not much at all if you shoot a few events a year, and really profit from the bracket's quality! My main concern was its weight, and I learned how to "cradle it" when not shooting.

Pro's:

-Superb workmanship and one year warranty

-Easy and quick camera rotation, and angle of flash adjustment

-Camera position can be moved forward or back (it cleard the cord from hitting my hand)

-Quick release camera plate available

-Many fine adjustments to customize the fit of camera and flash

-Support bar in front (on newer models) is well thought out

-It's easy to raise and lower the flash height

-I never take my eye from the viewfinder, as needed with many flip flashes, and miss a shot

-Little feet swing out to let it sit solidly upright on a surface

-It's a good fit for my size 7-8 hands.

Cons:

-It's definitely heavier than smaller brackets-I recommend using it wth vibration reduction/image stabilizing lenses, if you hands get fatigued.

-It clicks somewhat loudly as it locks securely at full horizontal and full vertical (not a big problem, as you can: 1. not rotate it during times of silence, 2. learn to not rotate it fully till it clicks, or 3. if it bothers you,drill and place a removable "stop" to keep it from clicking and locking.

-It's bigger than other brackets, (they all look a bit intimidating to your subject!)

-Cost! If the price was lower, they would have way more buyers, and profits. I thought long and hard on this purchase.

Bottom line, our hands our camera rigs, and our strength vary! Like buying a car, catcher's mitt, or camera, hold and test a few brackets, for at least a few minutes, to see how it fits you. There's no "best one" that will please everyone.

Only you know what feels best for you-a flipping of the flash or rotation of the camera; a tiny bracket or a full size one.

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Bower SLY288FXB Ultra-Wide 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens for Fuji X

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $349.99
Sale Price: $279.00
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I have a passion for finding the utimate Fisheye lens for both Photo & Video recording and up until now have experimented with add on lenses with usually the same results of having to zoom in for proper compensation.

This lens when used with my Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera is the ultimate Fisheye lens.

It's only $299.00 which is less then half price of the automatic Panasonic lens and does the job at 180 degrees.

Although the focus and aperture settings are not automatic it was still easy to use the lens.

Most of the time the focus is set at infinidty and everything from about 5 feet remains in focus.

I used the lens outside or with a light inside and it's just amazing.

You don't see that much distortion unless your close up on a subject. Otherwise you are able to fit so much more in your photos and Videos.

I like the fact that everything appears sharp and clear and the distortion of the Fisheye is available when I want it in my Videos.

I will probably keep this lens on my camera permantely until I find the need to use a zoom lens.

Since there are at least 2 of these lenses available on Amazon be sure to search for other 7.5mm lenses as the price varies even thought they're manfactured by the same company.

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

Customer Ratings:

Received before promised date, packed well, nice looking and very versitle. I also had the opportunity to look at a D5200 kit at Costco. It did not have as many accessories as the one I purchase from you but is was a $100.00 more. I am more than satisfied.

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Lowepro DryZone 200 Camera Backpack (Yellow)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $219.99
Today's Bonus: 45% Off

This is a fantastic idea! I carry digital camera gear, hard drives and LOTS of rechargeable batteries onto boats to take photographs underwater. It has all become much easier with a waterproof backpack... and it seems to be accepted as hand luggage by airlines. This big version carries a lot, two cameras, two flashguns and two lenses and an aluminium camera housing. A wildlife photographer could get almost anything into the pack, and sling a tripod on the outside, with lunch in the pocket.

The waterproof layer has a zip that would not look out of place on a drysuit, and seems just as efficient at keeping water out.

The backpack looks bulky, but it's comfortable when it's adjusted. My only reservation is that the pack is bright yellow, and stands out in a crowd, which isn't ideal when it's filled with $$000s of gear. It would be easy to find if you dropped it in the sea, though, and Lowe claim that it would float, protecting the gear inside!

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Pentax K-5 Weatherproof Digital SLR Digital Camera Body Silver

Customer Ratings:

This is a superb version of the already famous K-5 DSLR, with handlimg and rear screen improved for better comfort and durability.Altogether with the silver "native"(not just a paint cover)

component colours of the body hardcore, this Limited version will bring some vintage touch to your camera, making nice combinations with FA* and silver limited lenses

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Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

Customer Ratings:

Put this lens to the test the day I bought it.

Ended up taking 1500 photos in Colorado. It

worked great. Even shots that had movement in

them came out really clear. I'm very pleased

with it so far.

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Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX7V 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still

Customer Ratings:

I have to first tell you that I own two cameras right now. I own a Nikon P90 (great zoom, great picture) which I thought was a step up from my old Olympus Tough, I had previously owned a Kodak and a Casio which I dreaded. (picture quality was really poor on both of them). The last camera I bought was a Panasonic ZS6 which is a phenomenal camera due to it's Lecia lens. After buying this camera I told myself that my next camera will either be a DSLR or a Lecia. (Both costs a lot of money)

I first saw the camera at Costco which is selling it for less than $280 with an 4gb SD card and a Sony bag. I picked up the camera and spent about 20 minutes going over everything. It was awesome...

* 10 shots in burst mode at the full 16.2 Megapixels due to it's "Exmor R" CMOS Image Sensor (not the slow CCD sensor/ processor that Kodak invented that everyone else uses.) It also takes awesome pictures at night like an DSLR without the flash.

* 3 different Sweep Panorama modes, 1 standard , 1 wide, 1 high resolution. (up, down, left, and right)

* GPS and Compass works great and syncs up with google maps and tells you where you are. (remember to turn it off before you turn the camera off or it may drain your battery)

* Smile mode~~ three different setting for different types of smiles, depending how big your smile is.

* Face Detection has 3 different modes one mode gives you priority over who you are taking a picture of, either child over adult or adult over child.(up to 8 people)

* HD Video~~AVCHD at (1920 x 1080 @ 60i)24Mbs, (1920 x 1080 @ 60i)17Mbs, (1440 x 1080 @ 60i)9Mbs (face detection and zoom works while taking a movie). The movie mode also has 2 different stabilizer usually only found in camcorders making this camera dual purpose.

* Zoom 10x Optical plus digital multiplies this up to 1000mm or 40x zoom.

* 3D Still Image and 3D Sweep untested needed a 3D camera and HDMI cable.

* Advanced Manual and Priority setting where you can select the Aperture and the shutter speed. Within the camera you can also select the ISO which is needed in order to get the right exposure.

* works with mac and pc

some of the other features it has are background defocus, 25mm wide lens, Shutter Speeds : iAuto (2" 1/1,600) / Program Auto (1" 1/1,600) / Manual (30"-1/1600), Scene Mode(s) : High Sensitivity / Soft snap / Landscape / Twilight Portrait / Twilight / Gourmet / Beach / Snow / Fireworks/ Pet / Soft Skin / Handheld Twilight / Anti Motion Blur, ISO : Auto / 125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200

I personally LOVE this camera. It is small and easy to put into a pocket or a purse, it has the shutter speed of a DSLR and the zoom of a lens that works while taking HD 1080 @60i videos. The biggest debate is what is better 1920 x 1080 @ 60i or 30P which is better? (they are the same?) It can zoom in as close as 1000mm and can take Sweep Panorama which is awesome!!!

I went to Orlando 2 years and took over 1000 pictures 5 of them using panorama assist

to take a picture of the Lake at Epcot. I to this day have not used the software in my computer to stitch them together. who has time to do this? This is why I love Sweep Panorama, it does all the work for you..

I can't believe it takes 16mp shots at 10 shots per second, It's smaller than a Micro 4/3's and and as fast as a Professional grade DSLR for a tiny fraction of the price.

Don't believe me try it yourself, Costco has a 90 day return policy with no restocking fee, ever!!!

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Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 Digital Camera (Black) with 32GB Card

Customer Ratings:

My photography experience extends to buying my cell phones based on the onboard camera specs. I enjoy taking pictures, but I'm no professional. With that in mind, this review should come in handy for those with needs similar to mine, but people expecting a technique/tech savvy write up will want to look elsewhere.

I decided that I needed to upgrade to a physical camera in order to take product shots for a company I'm starting. At first, I looked into a range of professional-grade digital cameras. A random web link (touting the rx100's high video quality) put me on the path toward this camera. After additional research, I determined that I probably didn't need a bulky $2k camera to get the results I wanted. The rx100 has been described as "the professional's point-and-shoot," and that pretty much says it all; this small camera can produce images on par with professional tools, in an easy-to-use format.

First of all, the camera takes incredible pictures right out of the box. There are essentially two layers to its operation: a for-dummies top layer, and a more serious lower level. The average non-professional will find that the basic layer of preset functions allows them to take excellent photos, 99% of the time. I have only started to play around with the deeper settings, but I suspect that more seasoned/demanding users will find that this secondary level of adjustment will get them very close to what they are used to in a full-on pro camera. You can tweak pretty much any camera setting I've ever heard of, and your favorites can be saved to a memory recall function that resides in the top menu layer for quick access.

The "auto" settings adjust very well -and quite quickly -to the demands of the moment. For instance, I've only needed to manually activate the "cloudy" setting once, in a month of ownership. Colors are accurate and focus is usually precise. The 20.2 available mexapixels provide crisp details. Video is very high quality, with surprisingly good sound. Although quite small, the camera body has a solid feel in the hand. And, unlike its larger relatives, it can be stored in a jacket or pants pocket, rather than an inconvenient bag. If you want a "starter" high-end digital camera, this is one that you'll actually USE.

I have only refrained from rating this product "five stars" because some of the included kit items were of poor quality. In particular, the tripod feels cheap and -at least in this case -does not actually allow a level horizontal position due to sloppy construction. That said, this bundle cost about the same as the camera alone, both on Amazon and on numerous other sites. So I'm not terribly surprised or disappointed that the peripherals aren't top grade.

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Samsung UN40C6300 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED TV, Graphite

Customer Ratings:

I purchased this Samsung after returning a 2010 46" Sony EX500. Sony was always a standard in quality for me, but something has really gone amis in the past few years. The television just lacked the deep black levels and crisp whites that make an impressive picture. That aside, this model Samsung was a downgrade in screen size, but a big increase in quality.

The picture is amazing. Although there are some issues with extremely fast movement, creating "artifacts", the picture quality is superb. The LED back-lighting is new in my household, so we weren't sure what to expect. The blacks are inky, and the brights could sear eyeballs if you turn the brightness to maximum. Compared to the Sony, changing channels is super quick and the remote control feels lighter and has a more intuitive layout. What's interesting to me is that the picture this Samsung produces is much smoother than what I've witnessed on any other TV. Whatever the difference their video-processing provides, I like it. This may sounds strange, but if you stare at this Samsung, versus almost any other maker, you'll be able to recall more of what you saw in the picture. Maybe the picture is easier on your eyes, but in the end it "just works".

Don't expect everything to be perfect though. In extremely fast scenes, the "artifact" issues are noticeable. There is also a screen uniformity issue on my unit where the bottom right and left tend to bloom with light when the screen should be deep black and the LED back-light is on. (Dear Samsung: if you can fix my unit, I'll up my score from FOUR stars to FIVE).

Overall, I would recommend this television for consumers looking for a 3-5 year television investment. 3-D televisions are going to be the next big thing, but if you don't want to spend a fortune paying off 3-D TV makers development costs, this is the TV for you.

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Samsung NX1000 White Digital Camera with 20-50mm & 16mm Lens

Customer Ratings:

I just got this product!!

I ordered last thursday but the shipping is really fast!! i really love it

all thing dont have disadvantage. great!!

I didnt use yet but the picture is taken so awesome!!

Go order!!

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Canon PowerShot SD3500IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch

Customer Ratings:

Alright, so the basic features of this camera (minus the tilt shift and fish eye, and the resolution) are pretty much the same as a previous model i owned.

I knew what to expect from this camera but with only a few slight improvements. It was the exact same cost as the model I had before (which thoroughly impressed me), so I had no problem switching it out for this one.

The full touch screen made two-handed menu navigation much easier to get through versus having to use buttons with the right and thumb on the left. basically you can safely hold the camera and use both thumbs (or even fingers depending on how you hold it) to use the screen. I dig the fluff features like tapping the side to navigate the photos and clicking (think iphone/ipod touch).

One piece that I will touch on here is the quality of the presets. While there are certain scene settings you would use for certain situations (snow fireworks, etc) they do not do a thorough or specific enough job explaining when you'd want to use this versus the "P" (program). The low light scene setting is the most disappointing. You can't simply flip it on and expect fantastic pictures as if you had a good natural light source. The flash is a default with this, so if you're trying to get something close-up in a darker setting, beware. Otherwise, the setting is OK with a flash, so long as you are not right up on the subject or trying to capture something reflective. I simply have personal presets that I picked out to avoid using the flash at all. Generally for low light settings, I opted to program my own so I can choose the ISO that fits it the best. Just know that the higher you set the ISO, the grainer you pictures will become. This is something that is a universal thing, not just specific to this camera. The same goes with digital zoom. This is a point/shoot camera so it DOES have limitations; I'm well aware of that, so if I need something i know it can't do, I just use my highzoom Fuji or DSLR NikonD3000.

You can't have a single camera that is going to be able to do everything perfectly. But I will say that unlike some other reviewers I found the quality that comes from this model in generalized scene settings or even auto is actually quite good compared to other cameras i've used over the years.

As for the HD video. I have to agree on that point. There was more that could have been done with it. But you know what? People forget this is a still-shot camera FIRST, and a VIDEO camera SECOND. Video recording is an feature, not a function. You will have less options and control with it. same goes for video cameras that take still shots. Often the MPs are lower, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. The only exceptions are some of the DSLRs with video features, but smooth zooming is often a problem for most people with those. Solution? If you want great HD video recording, get a video camera. There's nothing easier than that.

Battery life is acceptable and about average compared to other model cameras, but if you plan on taking out for an entire day, I suggest picking up a second battery as a back-up. Being forced to use the LCD screen for everything drains the battery fast, but it does have an auto shut-off to conserve energy. While some people don't use it, i will would have liked to have had a view finder, however the lack of one in now way kept me from buying this camera.

Be weary of putting a screen protector on the back. Unless you get one from Canon meant for this model camera, or from an authorized Canon dealer, you can damage the screen. Having a screen protector can interfere with the touch-screen interface.

This isn't the Magic Hat of cameras. Everyone is going to have their own personal view on it and find things they love or hate. My suggestion is if you can find a retail store with a working display, go look at it in person first. That's the best way to judge if its going to suit your needs or not. Or if you know someone who happens to have one, even better. I've already gotten some beautiful 16x20 prints, and 18x24 is pretty good too (however at this size, you need to make sure your picture quality is top notch).

If you're using a high ISO setting, or a longer shutter speed, use a tripodthe slightest shake in your shake WILL blur/ghost the image; again, that is something that happens to all cameras. They sell a variety of smaller tripod (the grypton ones are fun and versatile).

Perhaps in the future these limitations will be eliminated, but that remains to be seen.

All in all, I knew what I was getting from this camera. The price is exceptionally reasonable considering all you get.

I'm not disappointed by any means, because I figured out very quickly how to manipulate the settings to get better picture than the scene settings could produce. It definitely suits my needs for this category of camera; I really just needed this guy to take around the town and on nights out, because who really wants to tote a DSLR with telephoto lenses or a clunky highzoom to a bar ;)

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Apple MacBook Pro MC723LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,999.00
Sale Price: $1,945.00
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

First, a little background. Aside from a TI-99 we had when I was a kid and the Apple IIc computers at my middle school, I've always been a Windows guy. I feel very comfortable in the Windows environment and have been building my own PCs for about 15 years. I don't hate Microsoft. But when the need for another laptop became clear, I decided to focus my search on the higher end machines. I wanted good horsepower, but I especially wanted a nicer form factor than the creaky Dells I had become accustomed to. As I had fallen in love with the interface on my iPhone, I decided it was time to give MacBooks a try. I kept my Windows desktop in case I ran into compatibility problems.

The short version of that story is that I quickly dismantled my PC and now use this laptop as my only machine. I am fortunate to be able to do so because my work as an attorney requires only Word, Excel, and an internet browser. As a bonus, my copy of Lightroom 3 also installed on the MacBook. I'm trying not to sound like a Mac zealot, so let's have a list:

-Aluminum unibody is no marketing gimmick. It's sturdy and feels great with no flex and no creaking. Looks nice, too.

-Keyboard is well-engineered. The key travel and spacing between keys feel just right for my taste. There is no flex here, either, which I often find disconcerting on other laptops.

-Trackpad is a marvel. It really is. It's very large, but I've yet to feel like it's in the way. And the finger movements are intuitive and work very well.

-The screen is bright, clear and has great color. The reflectivity is sometimes an issue in bright locations, but I find tilting it a little solves most problems. Otherwise, you can custom order the anti-glare screen direct from Apple.

-The lid closes with a magnet, so there's nothing to break.

-It is very fast. In my experience, Mac OS X starts up and shuts down far faster than a comparably spec'ed Windows machine. I have yet to feel a need for 8 GB of RAM, but an upgrade would only cost $90 if you know how to do it yourself. Otherwise, I have no issues running lots of standard programs at once.

-Comes with Time Machine. As an attorney and amateur photographer, I have lots of stuff that needs to be backed up regularly and reliably. Time Machine works so well and so seamlessly that I can't imagine how I survived before.

-Spotlight is brilliant. Type in any word, and Spotlight almost instantly gives you results from your entire hard drive, including INSIDE your searchable documents, preferences, web results, and even definitions of words.

-Seven hours of battery life is very possible, even on wireless. I can sit in Starbucks for hours unplugged and still have plenty of life left. The caveat is that you really can only surf and use programs like Word. I also have Flash installed, which is a huge battery drainer, so I grabbed a Flash-blocking program that let's me choose which Flash files to activate. Nice solution.

-HD webcam. Nice quality, though I haven't really done more than messed around with it.

-The magnetic power cable is slick.

-As a former Windows user, I find the Mac OS X interface to be really nice and intuitive. There's obviously a learning curve, though I've found it be surprisingly short. Lion is anticipated to be a nice upgrade, too.

-PRICE! Well, a lot of people complain about the Apple premium, and it definitely exists. I found this laptop to be a few hundred dollars higher than the really nice Windows laptops with mostly similar specs, although I don't think comparing raw horsepower between two different operating systems is always an accurate benchmark. I live on my computer, so I'm willing to pay a little more to get what I want. It's like buying a BMW because you have to spend three or four hours a day in your car. Whether that value equation works for you or not is up to you and your checkbook.

-Anything I dislike? Not really. I'd like maybe one more USB port and a CF card reader. I'd love to start seeing cheaper SSDs in these things, but that's really not Apple's fault. Decent SSDs with any size are still expensive for everyone. I was a little nervous about having a 5400 RPM HDD. I think transferring large NEF files from the card reader might be fractionally slower. The tradeoff in battery life is probably worth it. Will Thunderbolt be worth it? Who knows? I don't care just yet, but ask me next year.

I know there's more to say, but I'm running out of steam. I'm happy to discuss anything in the comments.

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Pentax K30 Digital Camera with 18-135mm Lens Kit (Crystal Blue)

Customer Ratings:

This K30 was an upgrade for my K10d which I've had for several years. Produces great photos in lower light on Auto. Pix taken with the 18-135 lens are very sharp. Easy to handle, nice big text on the screen easily read in all but direct sun light. Only shot a few seconds of video, but it seems pretty nice. Glad I bought it!

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Casio Exilim EX-FS10 9MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image

Customer Ratings:

I've had my EX-FS10 for a couple of weeks now and feel qualified to make an initial review of it.

The overall feature set is very impressive, considering its size and shape. The actual implementation of some features is a bit off though.

PRO's:

* Very small -smaller than I expected, and I was expecting small. I like to carry a camera with me 24/7 and insist on one that takes full motion video, etc. The small size, HD video features, and rapid shoot features of the FS10 make it perfect for me.

* The slow-motion features are VERY cool. I have been having a lot of fun, often with my young niece & nephew, videoing all kinds of simple things and watching their slo-mo details in playback. Granted, you lose resolution the slower you go but considering this feature isn't available at all in most (any?) other pocket cameras, I'm willing to accept this.

CON's:

* Images captured under even moderately low light conditions are very grainy and noisy. This is looking to be a big problem! You've got 9MP but when you look at them even a little bit closely you'll see a LOT of multi-color sensor noise/grain. Using the flash helps but I don't always want to use the flash. My MUCH older and cheaper digital cameras seem to do better in these same dark conditions! Perhaps I need to explore the custom settings some more BUT, per my next note, all of your custom settings seem to revert back to defaults every time you turn the camera off.

* The camera forgets all(?) of your custom settings when it is turned off and returns to default settings when turned back on. I think most of the problems I am reporting here could be minimized by tuning the camera's settings to my particular likings and personal shooting styles. But having to customize my settings, and remembering to even DO this, every time I turn the camera on is a MAJOR hassle. Example: I prefer to disable the flash/auto-flash and manage lighting myself, but every time I turn the camera back on, the flash will go off if the lighting conditions are even slightly darkish unless I remember to explicitly disable the flash again (and again and again).

* Auto-focus for video is sloppy. It goes in and out of focus even when videoing environments which are pretty much totally "at infinity". I have resorted to always manually focusing to infinity if my subject is more than about 4' away; perhaps I need to try some of the other auto-focusing schemes -unfortunately the fact that the camera forgets custom settings every time it is turned off makes the use of other focusing schemes or using fixed focus very inconvenient.

* Battery charging requires the battery to be removed and inserted into a separate charger. My other, older/simpler/cheaper cameras generally let me charge via the USB port -I would often simply leave these old cameras plugged in after downloading images to "top off" the battery. Having to pop the battery out is a total hassle! Also, the hardware associated with this battery access seems a bit flimsy to me...

* The cover over the USB port is poorly implemented. Rather than popping out the SD card, I prefer to download pix/vid from the camera via the USB port. Note first of all that the camera's jack is NOT the standard small USB port that you usually (always?) see -it is a slightly smaller version that I'd never seen before. I don't know if it is custom to the Casio brand or what -I hope not. The plastic cover over the camera's USB port is on a thin plastic leash but this leash is SOOO short that it is EXTREMELY difficult to hold the cover out of the way and get the USB cable plugged in. It is such a struggle to plug in the cable that I suspect/fear that it won't be long before the little plastic leash for the USB port cover breaks.

Over all I have mixed feelings about this camera. This is my first Casio camera. So far I am less than thrilled with some problems I've discovered. Under OPTIMAL conditions, the automated settings seem to work well and produce great pictures and HD video. If you deviate from OPTIMAL conditions at all, the automated settings produce mediocre results at best; and any custom settings are consistently forgotten between power-up's.

I'm HOPING that I'll either learn/discover some methods on this new camera to address my problems OR that a firmware upgrade will be released that fixes them. Fingers crossed.

***UPDATE*** Nov. 15, 2010 -The 4-digit part of the image name on my Casio Exilim camera has rolled over. I have apparently taken over 10,000 pix/vid's on it over the last 1 year, 8 months. That works out to an AVERAGE of 16+ pictures/videos EACH AND EVERY DAY. Unfortunately, despite all the constant use, I have decided that I really dislike this camera -it simply has too many ergonomic, design, and workflow problems. My frugality compels me to keep it until I wear it out; it has taken a beating (including being dropped) during my ownership and it still works just fine -I have to give it props for being sturdy.

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