I wanted a no frills led back lit tv. The picture is very good to excellent. I have had it about a mounth, no problems. I purchased it at walmart for 795.00. I would recomend the 3 year extended warranty for 89.00 dollars. That gives you 4 years of peace of mind.Being a new product with out any real life users to review it is not the most comforting feeling.I left it on for quite awhile and still often leave it on all night, no problems. I looked at a lot of tvs in all price ranges,I dont think you can find a better 58 inch led, no3d, no frills tv for the money.If you demand a better picture be prepared to spend at least twice as much. Everyone thinks this Sanyos dazzling.
Ricoh CX5 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 10.7x Optical Zoom
This camera came up on offer at $150 well below the MRRSP. Ok. It was pink after all and that would put off most buyers anyway. I didn't give a damn about the color, I thought, but upon receiving it I will admit to some relief to find that it was more pleasing bronze tone with only a hint of pink. All in perfect condition in original box etc, etc just as the seller promised. Hoorah!
Please note that I have owned Ricoh cameras since 1980 (Ricoh AD-1 was 35 mm film)so when the digital age arrived I was in boots and all I purchased the Ricoh R-V1a(traded in), the R4 (stolen), R6 (left in airport toilet) and the lastly the Ricoh R8 (now my wife's proud possession) The first 3 suffered from delicate mechanics that would jam up the lens. However, the R8 and all subsequent models have all lost this unfortunate trait.
The CX-5 has a different type of sensor which improves low light performance and is jam-packed with more options than you can shake a stick at and (for me) most importantly, like all the Ricoh "R" and "CX" series, it has first class macro performance, focussing down to 10mm. A highly improved camera easy to use camera that I usually grab as first option from my choice of many more expensive cameras.
Please note that I have owned Ricoh cameras since 1980 (Ricoh AD-1 was 35 mm film)so when the digital age arrived I was in boots and all I purchased the Ricoh R-V1a(traded in), the R4 (stolen), R6 (left in airport toilet) and the lastly the Ricoh R8 (now my wife's proud possession) The first 3 suffered from delicate mechanics that would jam up the lens. However, the R8 and all subsequent models have all lost this unfortunate trait.
The CX-5 has a different type of sensor which improves low light performance and is jam-packed with more options than you can shake a stick at and (for me) most importantly, like all the Ricoh "R" and "CX" series, it has first class macro performance, focussing down to 10mm. A highly improved camera easy to use camera that I usually grab as first option from my choice of many more expensive cameras.
PNY Attache III 64 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (P-FD64GATT03-GE)
List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $27.99
Today's Bonus: 60% Off
Well I've been a loyal PNY product user for over 10 years, and I can honestly say, that their products have been reliable, functional, and have lasted the test of time. So as both of my 32GB flash drives approached maximum capacity, I found myself sifting through the web, in search of two 64GB replacements, at a reasonable price.
The price of memory is such a fickle thing theses days.... Much like buying a new car, what costs a fortune today, is worth just pennies tomorrow. Not wanting to pay a king's ransom, I managed to locate a distributer that was selling PNY 64GB Attaché USB Flash Drives for approximately $74 each. I bought two flash drives, from the merchant, and anxiously awaited their arrival.
When they showed up at my door, I found that PNY had made a few changes to their Attaché USB Flash Drive product line, since my last purchase.
1. The 64GB Flash Drives no longer have a LED activity indicator of any sort on the drive. I'm not quite sure how they expect anyone to know when their flash drive is being accessed. I, like many other users have come to expect, utilize, and some even require an activity light of some sort on their external devices. This omission was a major disappointment.
2. Over the years, I've found it necessary to reformat external storage devices, such as flash drives, and start fresh. This worked fine with both of my PNY 32GB Flash Drives, going all the way back to my first 256MB Flash Drive. Well this functionality has got an added rub with the 64GB Flash Drive. Apparently, the 64GB Flash Drive utilizes the exFAT system, which requires a patch/driver from Microsoft, before your Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 machine can `handle' the drive properly. Sort of pain, and no mention of this added requirement on the documentation or packaging the flash drive came in.
3. Lastly is the cheaper case & USB dust sleeve. The case is noticeably cheaper in heft. Seems like PNY elected to go with a cheaper grade of plastic, while at the same time updated their design to incorporate a capless dust sleeve. I say sleeve, since it clearly only protects the sides of the USB plug, but not the connections on the end the most important part of the drive! They undoubtedly chose this course, like many other manufacturers, to eliminate the problem of lost flash drive caps. A capless system would be fine, if the connections of the USB Plug were afforded some degree of protection.
While it may sound like I've blasted the PNY 64GB Flash Drive, it still has its place. However, the short comings of the new design no LED activity indicator, cheaper case, and only partial protection for the USB Plug do affect its versatility & reliability; especially if it's used as a daily worker.
A decent Case Logic case, would be a good & highly recommended compliment, to the transport & integrity of this flash drive. At the very least, it would give the USB Plug some much needed protection, while prolonging the life of the flash drive.
Sony Alpha NEX E-Mount 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS Zoom Lens with 3
A really nice lens great for capturing peoples faces when they are not posing
The lens is large and you may find yourself walking backwards a lot to get the full image but then etc.
The set of filter etc also added to the value.
The lens is large and you may find yourself walking backwards a lot to get the full image but then etc.
The set of filter etc also added to the value.
Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide
I've been waiting for this camera ever since I found out about it a month ago and flew down to the camera shop as soon as they told me it had arrived. I had read all the specs and seen the pics of the camera, and wanted to find out if it was all style and no substance, or if there really was a heart inside the beast. The shop owners opened the box for me to inspect, attached the screen protector, strap and lens cap string, and I took it for a spin before I even left the shop.
Before I say anything more, I'd better let you know my digital camera background. I've been using them ever since they first came out about 10 years ago. Sony DSC-30, Kyocera SL300 (world's first 3.3 fps limited only by size of memory card), Nikon S4, Canon 350D, Nikon s10, Nikon P90, Pentax k-x. In addition, I have always used mobile phones with camerasxcute (world's first 3 mpxl mobile phone camera), SE k810, k850, Motorola ZN5, Samsung Innov8, SE Satio. So i've used a wide range of digital cameras.
Initial feeling:
1. Camera felt lighter than I expected, even with the 4 AA batteries in place.
2. Solid plastic, yet at the same time a little hollow.
3. Great gripright side hand grip is deep and rubberised for gripping.
4. Thankfully the lens cap has a string attaching it to the shoulder strapno chance of losing it or wondering where to put the cap when you take it off.
5. Lots of buttons at the back. Going to have to refer to the manual quite a bit.
6. The "chrome" ring on the bottom right feels a bit cheap. Though I guess use of plastic helps reduce the weight.
7. It's amazing how friendly store people can be once you buy something from them. I was dripping sweathot day, so they gave me a cup of water :)
8. The screen is beautiful. I can't say it enough. It's very clear and bright, even with screen protector on.
9. The lens has an INCREDIBLE zoom range24mm to 720mm (35mm format) and feels very smooth when you manually zoom.
10. Zooming ring has good grip, but the pattern isn't attractive.
11. Shop owner told me the lens is 58mm diameterthat's good because I can use my IR and UV filters.
12. Electronic view finder is ok, but I find for "bridge" cameras they tend to be small in size. Only the dslr's have eyepieces which are a good size which is comfortable for your eye. Ignoring the size, the EVF quality is good, and you may have read about the sensor next to it, which activates the EVF when you bring your eye to it. So the 3 inch LCD screen turns off and the EVF turns on when you bring your eye to the EVF.
What about the photos?
13. Really good. I've taken about 100 photos so far, mostly at night. You have to be quite steady, even with the shake reduction function on (there are 4 options for shake reduction!!!), especially at the maximum zoom. But if you are, then the photo is very very good and sharp. Not quite as sharp as the Pentax k-x, which is known for it's low light performance, but it's pretty damn good. It's certainly good enough for me. Colours seem accurate and bright. Focusing in good light was pretty fast. Focusing in low level light was slower. In poor light it might even hunt for 2-4 seconds and flash a focusing light. It takes about 1 to 3 seconds to save a photo, so it's not high speed unless you use that function.
14. The focusing is active. That is on auto, it will focus on faces, and even if those people are moving around, you can see the focus square remain glued to their face. My friends had to move side to side pretty fast for the HS-10 to lose the lock.
There are so many fancy functions on this camera that I have really only just scratched the surface of what this baby can do. But I'm very glad to say there is substance in the HS-10. If you are in the market for a bridge camera, the HS-10 should definitely be on your shopping list.
Added 15th April 2010.
----------------------
Despite the overcast and rainy conditions which plague me whereever I go, I've taken another 120 odd photos during the periods of "only" cloudiness and intermittant sunshine.
15. The photos are 24mm and at 720mm have differing sharpness. Colour is good for both though.
At 24mm, you can see the whole photo, but you quickly see grainy outlines when you try to zoom in.
At 720mm, the photo remains surprisingly sharp when you enlarge or zoom in on the photo. Not quite the same sharpness as my Pentax k-x, but much better than I expected.
16. I've always had high zoom cameras and each time I buy up, I get surprised by how much closer I can get to a subject. This time though, I noticed something new. Usually, if I take a photo at the widest angle and then one at max zoom, you can see how much closer you can zoom in because you can usually see the surroundings around the object to compare with.
This time however, you can zoom in on something that looks like a little dot in the 24mm photo and it's so close that you literally can't tell it's a zoomed up photo because it looks like a totally different photo.
eg: I was on an overhead walkway and took a 24mm photo of the road. A traffic light was about 400 metres ahead. I zoomed in and I got a clear photo of the back of 2 cars and the licence plates. You'd think I had been standing just 5 metres away with a normal camera it was so good.
In another example, I took a 24mm pic of an outside wall of a very colourful shopping centre. It's about 6 storeys high, so ground floor shop windows look like dots. When I zoomed to 720mm through the window, I got a very clear photo of the inside of the shop, with no reference to the outside of the building wall at all.
This zoom is POWERFUL.
I have no idea what the next generation of zoom lenses will allow us to do when they go to, say 850mm, 1000mm plus!
17. f stops seems pretty good.I can take close ups of flowers and have both foreground and background nicely out of focus.
18. Do keep a steady hand. Brace yourself against a pole or solid object if you can. It really helps in taking a sharp photo. It has good image stabilisation, but it's not a miracle worker.
Thanks again all for reading :)
Update 1st May 2010
-------------------
19. I've taken a few more photos and can say the following. The daytime photos are good. Not quite as good as my Pentax kx, but good. Sharpness, colour, detail are all more than acceptable. The lens is great for portraits, and the zoom speaks for itself. The tiltable screen makes the camera much more versatile than a fixed screen camera too.
20. There are two areas that I find the camera disappointing.
The first is the time needed to save each photo2 to 3 seconds. It's pretty slow. In comparison, my Pentax kx is just take the photo and instant save. Granted, most non dslr cameras are also non instant picture saving, but it seems even slower than my Nikon s10 and Kyocera sl300r, or even my Motorola ZN5 mobile phone.
The second is photo viewing software. Firstly, it's not so easy to view multiple photos because it enlarges the picture you have the cursor on, so it covers the photos next to it. Secondly, as has already be noted by some disappointed reviewers, deleting a photo takes you right back to the end. If you've got hundreds or thousands of photos, that's a real irritant. It's true that holding down a direction on the chrome ring will very very quickly flick through the photos to get you back to where you were, but it's a real hassle.
At least on the other hand, when you connect to the computer, there is only 1 folder for the photos, unlike my nikons, which have numerous folders "100dscn", 200dscn" etc.
21. Finally, I've taken a few videos and I've found the HD vids all look smooth on the camera LCD, but very jerky, kind of frame by frame, when i play on my computer. I don't have this problem if I record in 640 x 480 (320?) format though. It's probably my computer being old, but I wonder if anyone else has this problem?
Thanks again for reading :)
Edit 19th April 2011
--------------------
I ended up selling my HS10 last year for two main reasons. Writing times were too slow, and the software for reviewing photos was poor. I meandeleting a photo and taking you to the very end again is pretty bad when you've got hundreds or thousands of photos on your card.
But the reason I'm adding a bit here is that I've been following the reviews of the Fujifilm HS20, which was released recently. It seems to have taken care of most of the problems I mentionedquicker writing speed, and viewing and deletion of photos, and added a new problem insteadoverheating of some part of the camera, which causes the camera to cease working. I can say that for all the hundreds of photos I took with the HS10, I never had overheating for a problem.
Such a pity that Fujifilm can't get such a fantastic camera right.
Before I say anything more, I'd better let you know my digital camera background. I've been using them ever since they first came out about 10 years ago. Sony DSC-30, Kyocera SL300 (world's first 3.3 fps limited only by size of memory card), Nikon S4, Canon 350D, Nikon s10, Nikon P90, Pentax k-x. In addition, I have always used mobile phones with camerasxcute (world's first 3 mpxl mobile phone camera), SE k810, k850, Motorola ZN5, Samsung Innov8, SE Satio. So i've used a wide range of digital cameras.
Initial feeling:
1. Camera felt lighter than I expected, even with the 4 AA batteries in place.
2. Solid plastic, yet at the same time a little hollow.
3. Great gripright side hand grip is deep and rubberised for gripping.
4. Thankfully the lens cap has a string attaching it to the shoulder strapno chance of losing it or wondering where to put the cap when you take it off.
5. Lots of buttons at the back. Going to have to refer to the manual quite a bit.
6. The "chrome" ring on the bottom right feels a bit cheap. Though I guess use of plastic helps reduce the weight.
7. It's amazing how friendly store people can be once you buy something from them. I was dripping sweathot day, so they gave me a cup of water :)
8. The screen is beautiful. I can't say it enough. It's very clear and bright, even with screen protector on.
9. The lens has an INCREDIBLE zoom range24mm to 720mm (35mm format) and feels very smooth when you manually zoom.
10. Zooming ring has good grip, but the pattern isn't attractive.
11. Shop owner told me the lens is 58mm diameterthat's good because I can use my IR and UV filters.
12. Electronic view finder is ok, but I find for "bridge" cameras they tend to be small in size. Only the dslr's have eyepieces which are a good size which is comfortable for your eye. Ignoring the size, the EVF quality is good, and you may have read about the sensor next to it, which activates the EVF when you bring your eye to it. So the 3 inch LCD screen turns off and the EVF turns on when you bring your eye to the EVF.
What about the photos?
13. Really good. I've taken about 100 photos so far, mostly at night. You have to be quite steady, even with the shake reduction function on (there are 4 options for shake reduction!!!), especially at the maximum zoom. But if you are, then the photo is very very good and sharp. Not quite as sharp as the Pentax k-x, which is known for it's low light performance, but it's pretty damn good. It's certainly good enough for me. Colours seem accurate and bright. Focusing in good light was pretty fast. Focusing in low level light was slower. In poor light it might even hunt for 2-4 seconds and flash a focusing light. It takes about 1 to 3 seconds to save a photo, so it's not high speed unless you use that function.
14. The focusing is active. That is on auto, it will focus on faces, and even if those people are moving around, you can see the focus square remain glued to their face. My friends had to move side to side pretty fast for the HS-10 to lose the lock.
There are so many fancy functions on this camera that I have really only just scratched the surface of what this baby can do. But I'm very glad to say there is substance in the HS-10. If you are in the market for a bridge camera, the HS-10 should definitely be on your shopping list.
Added 15th April 2010.
----------------------
Despite the overcast and rainy conditions which plague me whereever I go, I've taken another 120 odd photos during the periods of "only" cloudiness and intermittant sunshine.
15. The photos are 24mm and at 720mm have differing sharpness. Colour is good for both though.
At 24mm, you can see the whole photo, but you quickly see grainy outlines when you try to zoom in.
At 720mm, the photo remains surprisingly sharp when you enlarge or zoom in on the photo. Not quite the same sharpness as my Pentax k-x, but much better than I expected.
16. I've always had high zoom cameras and each time I buy up, I get surprised by how much closer I can get to a subject. This time though, I noticed something new. Usually, if I take a photo at the widest angle and then one at max zoom, you can see how much closer you can zoom in because you can usually see the surroundings around the object to compare with.
This time however, you can zoom in on something that looks like a little dot in the 24mm photo and it's so close that you literally can't tell it's a zoomed up photo because it looks like a totally different photo.
eg: I was on an overhead walkway and took a 24mm photo of the road. A traffic light was about 400 metres ahead. I zoomed in and I got a clear photo of the back of 2 cars and the licence plates. You'd think I had been standing just 5 metres away with a normal camera it was so good.
In another example, I took a 24mm pic of an outside wall of a very colourful shopping centre. It's about 6 storeys high, so ground floor shop windows look like dots. When I zoomed to 720mm through the window, I got a very clear photo of the inside of the shop, with no reference to the outside of the building wall at all.
This zoom is POWERFUL.
I have no idea what the next generation of zoom lenses will allow us to do when they go to, say 850mm, 1000mm plus!
17. f stops seems pretty good.I can take close ups of flowers and have both foreground and background nicely out of focus.
18. Do keep a steady hand. Brace yourself against a pole or solid object if you can. It really helps in taking a sharp photo. It has good image stabilisation, but it's not a miracle worker.
Thanks again all for reading :)
Update 1st May 2010
-------------------
19. I've taken a few more photos and can say the following. The daytime photos are good. Not quite as good as my Pentax kx, but good. Sharpness, colour, detail are all more than acceptable. The lens is great for portraits, and the zoom speaks for itself. The tiltable screen makes the camera much more versatile than a fixed screen camera too.
20. There are two areas that I find the camera disappointing.
The first is the time needed to save each photo2 to 3 seconds. It's pretty slow. In comparison, my Pentax kx is just take the photo and instant save. Granted, most non dslr cameras are also non instant picture saving, but it seems even slower than my Nikon s10 and Kyocera sl300r, or even my Motorola ZN5 mobile phone.
The second is photo viewing software. Firstly, it's not so easy to view multiple photos because it enlarges the picture you have the cursor on, so it covers the photos next to it. Secondly, as has already be noted by some disappointed reviewers, deleting a photo takes you right back to the end. If you've got hundreds or thousands of photos, that's a real irritant. It's true that holding down a direction on the chrome ring will very very quickly flick through the photos to get you back to where you were, but it's a real hassle.
At least on the other hand, when you connect to the computer, there is only 1 folder for the photos, unlike my nikons, which have numerous folders "100dscn", 200dscn" etc.
21. Finally, I've taken a few videos and I've found the HD vids all look smooth on the camera LCD, but very jerky, kind of frame by frame, when i play on my computer. I don't have this problem if I record in 640 x 480 (320?) format though. It's probably my computer being old, but I wonder if anyone else has this problem?
Thanks again for reading :)
Edit 19th April 2011
--------------------
I ended up selling my HS10 last year for two main reasons. Writing times were too slow, and the software for reviewing photos was poor. I meandeleting a photo and taking you to the very end again is pretty bad when you've got hundreds or thousands of photos on your card.
But the reason I'm adding a bit here is that I've been following the reviews of the Fujifilm HS20, which was released recently. It seems to have taken care of most of the problems I mentionedquicker writing speed, and viewing and deletion of photos, and added a new problem insteadoverheating of some part of the camera, which causes the camera to cease working. I can say that for all the hundreds of photos I took with the HS10, I never had overheating for a problem.
Such a pity that Fujifilm can't get such a fantastic camera right.
Tamrac 691 Big Wheels Rolling StrongBox LP1 Camera Rolling Case
List Price: $549.95
Sale Price: $401.95
Today's Bonus: 27% Off
I was very impressed with this case. It is very sturdy but not heavy. It feels like a quality item. For those who travel but do not go hiking or off into the rough. The wheels are "BIG" and very smooth. The retractable handle has a different type of release, the release is at the base and not in the handle, I think that I like it this way better. Pockets are all very convenient, deep enough for most items to lie vertical and with very good padding, however, I was disappointed with the lower level storage, under the camera bodies. Try to store here items that you do not use very often. It is cumbersome to get to. You have to release the velcro attachments (all of them) that are set between the camera bodies so that you can lift the cover to the lower level. The other item that I was not happy about was the computer pocket. It is the only area that does not have enough pading. Fortunately I have a pad from a previous computer bag that fits in nicely. A sheet of foam rubber could provide the needed padding also. There is enough room for it. It is hard to understand why it was not placed there by the manufacturer.
Clover 7-Inch Digital Wireless Observation System With 2 Color
List Price: $499.95
Sale Price: $469.95
Today's Bonus: 6% Off
I gave this item 3 stars ONLY because I read reviews that said it is okay "if you can get it installed." I am pretty competent with installations (with or without most instructions.) I researched and read the description and thought this unit would meet my needs. The instructions that come with the unit covers what is in the box, the controls, and how to work the unit. It said NOTHING about how to connect it. I probably could have figured it out but when I saw that everything needed to be plugged in, I loss interest. The description stated "simple security solution with no wires." Silly me, I expected no wires. Okay, I didn't put much thought into how these units would be powered but when it said "no wires", I was thinking batteries not an electrical cord.
If you are fortunate to have an outlet near where you want to put a camera, this may be the unit for you. All of of my outlets are near the ground.