Sony DCR-SR190E Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

Sony DCR-SR190E Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen
HDD HANDYCAM 40GB H/DR 1/3 CLEARVID 4 M/PXL STL REC G NS

Customer Review: Works with PC and Apple computers
This is an excellent camera for both still and moving images. I edit using an Apple Computer. Although it isn’t compatible with iMovie 6, a simple upgrade to iMovie 08 solved all my problems. You plug the camera into the computer and stand back, the Apple recognises the camera, launched iMovie, asks to import the movies then creates movies already filed by date. Look no hands !

Customer Review: Dont buy Sony in America
Very good camera which I bought in St Maarten in the Carribean. Could not register it in the UK as I did not have a European registation code and Sony UK were most unhelpful. Dont buy it abroad if you can’t register it in Europe.

Different number for camera in the USA to europe same camera.

List Price: ?35.00
Amazon Price: ?25.93
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Samung DVC Camcorder in White
Amazon Price: ?156.31
Read more..

You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

This high capacity rechargeable battery definitely disposes of more power than the original rechargeable battery included in delivery of the unit. This rechargeable battery can be used instead of the original rechargeable battery without any problems and can be recharged with the available standard power supply. The rechargeable battery is protected and secured against overcharge and short-circuits.

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

Canon DC230 Digital DVD Camcorder [35x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

Canon DC230 Digital DVD Camcorder [35x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]
Powerful Canon 35x optical zoom lens (1000x digital zoom)True widescreen with wide 2.7″ LCD and 0.27″ 16:9 colour EVF1.07 Megapixel CCD and DIGIC DV II image processor delivers superior resultsFrom Standby mode, you can be ready to start shooting instantly with a single press of the Quick Start buttonAn Electronic Image Stabilizer (EIS) cuts out camera shake, most noticeable at the upper range of the zoomTransfer photos to a computer via a USB 2.0 connection10 Seconds self-timerPhoto Capture with 9-point AiAF to mini SD card, with PictBridge share technologyNight Mode LED & Wireless Remote ControlContoured design with easy operation with joystick for navigation of smart features and rear button accessSupport for Dual Layer DVDs, offering greater recording capacity of up to 108 minutes1 year warrantyDimensions: (WxHxD) 54×90x128mmWeight: 405g

Small and light enough to slip into your pocket or purse, the Sanyo VPC-CG6 is built for active lifestyles. Sanyo VPC-CG6 improved from the highly-praised Sanyo C6 by way of the higher capacity SDHC card support, optical image stabilization, improved low-light capabilities, bigger 2.5-inch LCD, AAC audio recording, and a reduction in size from a tall and slim 68 x 23 x 108mm to a short and fat 67.7 x 34.5 x 100.3mm including about 10-grams of added heft
Read more..

You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

sony msx-m2gs

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras | Comments(0)

Removing a Textured Pattern from a Scanned Photo - 5 Minute Digital Fix

One of the most common problems when dealing with scanned photographs as part of a digital restoration activity is that after scanning, the digital image appears to have a textured pattern to it.

This is often caused by the fact that the photograph in question has been printed on textured photographic paper.

This article will show you how to remove the un-desirable pattern effect without significantly loosing any of the important image detail.

The problematic photo may well be an old black and white, sepia, or even a more modern colour photograph.

(I remember Kodak introducing their “Silk finish” prints many years ago printed on a silky sheen textured paper!).

The example image on our web-site is an old black and white wedding photograph that has been printed on a textured paper.

If you look closely at the white cornice behind the bride and groom you can clearly see that the textured pattern of the photographic paper has been faithfully re-produced during the scanning of the photo.

Before we commence any major restoration work we would like to remove as much of the un-desirable textured pattern as is possible.

Step 1

Open the image up in Adobe Photoshop and the first step is to create a duplicate (copy) layer of the original image by selecting Layer-> Duplicate Layer .. and give the new layer an appropriate name.

Zoom in close enough to get an appreciation of how severe the textured pattern is, but keep some picture detail visible (especially people’s faces) so that you can easily judge how well the texture removal is proceeding without loosing too much important picture detail.

Step 2

With the duplicate layer active apply a Gaussian Blur by selecting Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur …

A pop-up option box will allow you to set the amount of Gaussian blur to apply to the image.

I generally start with a Radius = 1.5 and work up from there, constantly looking at the image to see the affect as I increase the blur radius.

Anything over a Radius = 5.0 will usually be far too harsh, so in the example on the web-site the required outcome is to “minimise” the texture pattern effect without compromising the important detail in the photo.

For our web-site example image I found I was able to set Radius = 3.5 without any significant loss of detail.

The example image is starting to “soften”, but the textured pattern has clearly diminished.

Step 3

Zooming out to have a look at the complete photo reveals that the un-desirable textured pattern has all but vanished with only minor softening of the important image detail.

Each photo you work on will have to be judged on its own merits when determining the amount of blur to apply.

But all is not lost on retaining that important image detail!!

Step 4

Remember … the Gaussian blur has been applied to the duplicate layer we created at the start of the exercise.

The original image, complete with texture, is sitting under the duplicate layer.

By using Photoshop’s Layer Blending Modes and Layer Opacity we can produce an image made up of a combination of both layers with some of the detail from the lower original layer showing through.

Again, each photo will be judged on its own merits and the setting I finalised on for our example image on the web-site may not be the same as you will find most suitable for your own images.

Try experimenting with the different blending modes and layer opacity settings.

I finally settled on a blending mode of “Luminosity” and Opacity of 85% for the Gaussian Blur layer.

Step 5

To finalise the image I then “flattened” the two layers into a single image layer by selecting Layer->Flatten Image.

Step 6

I then checked the tonal range of our combined layered image using the Levels command by selecting Image->Adjustment->Levels … and fine tuned the black, white and grey points.

Step 7

And last but not least, we can still bring a little bit more “sharpness” out of the image by finally applying a small amount of Unsharp Mask by selecting Filter->Sharpen->Unsharp Mask …

Experimenting with the various settings, I was able to settle upon Amount = 185%; Radius = 2.5 pixels; and Threshold = 50 levels.

And there you have it … the removal of an un-desirable textured pattern without significantly sacrificing important image detail.

If you find the steps being taken are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.

You can see this method complete with example images at Removing a textured pattern from a scanned photo

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.

Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business. He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
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You dont even need a computer as you can play back your recordings through your television.This blockbusting mobile video camera features high quality 4.1 Mega Pixels, 4x digital zoom for photo capture, 64MB memory card (Upgradable to 256MB), TV playback, easy USB transfer and a 1.5 inch colour photo preview LCD screen ensuring that you dont miss a second of the action! a roatating viewing screen!. DV-7000 Professional Digital Video Camera guarantees clear images using the AVI video format and auto or manual exposure, sharpness and white balance ensuring the camera automatically adjusts picture quality so that images can be captured quickly and in razor-sharp detail. A high specification digital video camera at an amazing never before seen price! PC compatible, the lightweight camcorder can also take digital images in jpeg format, act as a voice recorder, web cam and SD card reader.
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DSCW200 12.1MPIXEL 2.5 LCD 31MB MEMORY IN
Amazon Price: ?185.00
Customer Review: wow 12 megapixels
i bought a sony cybershot DSC P1 about 7 years ago 3.3megapixels. i decided to upgrade: i read countless reviews got a lot of advice- “you dont need any more than 7mp: need 6x zoom at least; get a canon” blah blah….. ignored all the advice and went for size- 12mp. and boy am i glad i did the images are stunning especially when printed on my canon selphy printer. the difference between 3.3 and 12mp is amazing, you can see every freckle on my daughters face, every curl… truly amazing. granted the zoom is only 3x optical but that is irrelevant with 12mp as the software provided in the camera and on the sony disc provided means you can edit to give images that look like they have been taken with a more poweful zoom. i got it on amazon for ?193.19 after a 10% discount, coupled with a sony textile soft case for the w series, great case the right size exactly. i also got a sony VMC-MHC1 high definition output cable for viewing images on an HD tv, yet again amazing images. got two 4GB memory sticks. go for it 12mp ask the wife size does matter every time.
Customer Review: Sony Cybershot DSC-W200 Review
I had had a Sony Cybershot 3.1 mpx for some years which had given fine performance but I wanted an upgrage. Wanting to future proof myself for a few years a 12.1 mpx seemed a bit cutting edge and over the top but what the heck! I read the few reviews I could find and looked at the info about the camera on the Sony site and Amazons site and decided this camera seemed perfect for my needs. So new was it in May 2007 that I had to wait 4 weeks for Amazons first stock to arrive from Sony. At last my new camera arrived and after a few weeks of use I can tell you it is FANTASTIC. I wanted it as a family camera holidays and stuff but beware…..some digital cameras now do not have an eye-piece view finder they rely on the screen only…..this sony camera still has a viewfinder you can look through. This is a big bonus when you are trying to take pictures in the sun on holiday, you just cannot see the screen in bright sun - the viewfinder allows you to perfectly frame your shot even in places like Egypt where refections from sand etc make it impossible to see the screen. My wife also prefers to use the eyepiece viewfinder rather then the screen so again a bonus. The camera is very slim, you can slip it in your pocket or bag no problem, the screen is massive and crystal clear - its just brilliant. The 12.1 mpx setting means you can blow your pictures up to A3 size and have them crystal clear but after trying out the setting for a few weeks you will want to adjust back to something more normal - I am using the 5 mpx setting for general holiday shots. Remember the memory used per shot is now megabytes. The camera has its own memory but you will need to buy a memory stick on top. A 4 gig memory stick duo pro these days costs circa ?20 so really cheap. Get a couple. With high memory such as above you dont have to worry about using the video part of the camera, you can shoot hundreds of photos too and just delete any poor ones. The camera is festooned with built in bits and bobs. You can go to manual settings as well if you want. One thing that’s great is the macro settings. I took some close up shots of flowers in the garden using the macro setttings - with the camera built in slide show and music generation you can then link to your TV and play back straight away a professional movie where each photo fades into the next via your selected choices. With the software provided you can edit on your PC or just transfer the images easily or burn to CD/DVD etc. You can even playback your slide show on the camera screen immediately and show your family/friends. You can also add your own music etc via the software provided. There are all sorts of different modes eg landscape, night, snow etc and all just a rotation of a small dial away. You can even select a rapid take feature where suppose you are taking a pic of your boy playing football, select rapid shot, click - and the camera will take a pic every second or so. In a minute you can have a whole stream of pics and just select the best/clear ones. Greaat for rapid action capture. I really have enjoyed this camera so far, although I have only had it a few weeks it is packed with goodies and OK a lot you will seldom use but there is loads that will add benefit to your photo taking experience. You can make it as complicated or as easy as you like. Last few words - remember the camera does not come with a memory stick so as stated about get a couple of 4 gig memory sticks, dont go for 1’s or 2’s you will want to use the video function sometime. I would also recommend you get another battery which again costs about ?22. The battery pack can only be charged by removing it to the charger supplied. So if you are out and the battery goes - you are done for unless you have a charged up spare. The big screens on these digital cameras are great remember but they eat up your power. The acid test, would I recommend this camera to a friend despite the fact it is not the cheapest out there….YES - DEFFO - Go for it.!!!! You will love it - All the best, Colin.
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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Removing Spot Scratches

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras | Comments(0)

Removing Spot Scratches in Your Treasured Photos - 5 Minute Digital Fix

Probably one of the most common problems you will be faced with in doing any type of digital photo restoration work will be to do with spot scratches on your old photos.

When we first look at those old black and white or early colour photos they often have small scratch marks and spots on them from being stored incorrectly.

These small spot scratches are easily perceived by your eye when you are looking at the photo, detracting from the overall subject matter.

Here is a very easy quick fix using Adobe Photoshop’s History Brush tool.

Our example “before” image on our web-site has numerous small spot scratches on the old sepia toned photograph.

The basic removal method described here can quickly and effortlessly bring those scratched photos back to (almost) their former glory using the History Brush Tool found in Photoshop.

This basic technique works extremely well for those types of images that have spot scratches in areas of the photo that do not contain a lot of detail.

As you can see in our example image on the web-site, the spots tend to be primarily on the background of the photo, making it ideal for this correction method.

Step - 1

Having opened up the image in Photoshop we will first apply the Dust and Scratches filter by selecting Filter->Noise->Dust & Scratches …

Set the Threshold to between 1 and 4 (I generally start with 1) and then increase the Radius until you see the spot scratches disappear.

Our example image on the web-site finally made the largest spot scratch on the left hand side of the photo disappear at a Threshold of 3 and Radius of 10.

All well and good but our image is now totally blurred!! Not really what we wanted to see is it?

This is where the History Brush tool comes into play.

Step - 2

Open up the History Palette by selecting Window->History if you cannot see the window already open.

We are going to create a “Snapshot” of the current state of the image in question by clicking on what looks like a little image of a camera at the bottom of the History Palette window (see the red arrow on the web-site image).

After clicking you will notice that the History Palette now shows an extra image icon called “Snapshot 1″.

This is a snapshot of the image that includes the effect of apply the Dust & Scratches Filter in Step 1.

Now click on the little square box to the left of Snapshot 1.

You will see a little “brush” icon appear which is now telling us that the “Snapshot 1″ image will be used as our “source” when we paint with the History Brush.

Remember … this snapshot image actually has none of the spot scratches on it because we made them disappear by applying the Dust & Scratches filter in Step 1.

Step - 3

Make the original (un-touched) history snapshot active by clicking on it (in the case of our example image this is “Restore-Before-Image.jpg”).

Select the History Brush from the main toolbar (this has the same icon as the little “brush” icon that appeared in the History Palette window).

We are now ready to “paint away” those spot scratches!!

Step - 4

I’m going to zoom in on the largest scratch on the left hand side of the photo to show you how we use the History Brush.

We selected the History Brush in Step 3.

Select an appropriate brush size and soft edges.

We now need to decide how to apply the brush to the scratches in question.

You will notice that the scratches in our example image are “lighter” than the surrounding image.

Step - 5

We need to paint “darker” pixels and as such we set the History Brush Mode: to “Darken” (Top Menu Bar option when you have the History Brush as the active tool).

This has the effect of “telling the History Brush” to only replace pixels on the original image with pixels from our snapshot if the snapshot pixel is darker.

Start to paint over the scratches and see what happens.

The scratches start to miraculously disappear as you paint over them.

They are being replaced with the underlying snapshot image pixels you created in Step 1.

The benefit of using this techniques is that you have complete control over which parts of the original image you “paint over” so as not to blur important details of the image had you just applied a Dust & Scratches filter to the whole image.

Now what if your scratches are darker than the surrounding image, I hear you ask?

Easy!! … just use a History Brush Mode: of “Lighten” instead of “Darken”.

You can experiment with all of the History Brush options - Mode, Opacity and Flow until you get the desired result.

The resulting “After” image has had all of the spot scratches removed easily without compromising on the photographic detail of the image.

And there you have it!!Less than five minutes of digital image manipulation to remove those unwanted spot scratches.

If you find the steps taking are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.

You can see this removal method complete with example images at Basic removal of Spot Scratches in Photos

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.

Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business.

He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
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Sony NPBG1.CE Rechargeable Battery For Most N / T & W Series Cybershot Digital Camera
Make sure your Cyber-shot? digital camera always has the power to shoot with the NP-BG1 rechargeable battery pack. The NP-BG1 features lithium-ion technology which ensures maximum battery life and maximum power. It’s also quick charging, so you’ll spend less time waiting and more time taking pictures. •Chemical Consistence- Li-ion •Battery Series Name- “LITHIUM-ION G ” Type •Maximum Output Voltage- DC4.2V •Mean Output Voltage- DC3.6V •Capacity- 3.4Wh
Amazon Price: ?23.96
Customer Review: Sony NP-BG1 Battery for N/T/W Series Cybershot Camera
There is not a lot you can review about a battery really. Its exactly the same as the one that came with the digital camera I bought from Amazon. I wanted a second battery as a spare - the camera can only work with this type of battery and if you need to replace while out and about you do need that luxury of an extra battery. The delivery time was great and the price was spot on. The battery works perfectly well and charges very fast - see the new charger info reviewed elsewhere - all in all a great item that will add security and piece of mind to my photo shooting around the planet. Hope this helped a little bit - All the best - Colin.
Customer Review: Reliability - of Sony and Amazon
I bought my Sony Cybershot DSC-N1 from Amazon on 22 June last year. It’s a brilliant camera. The NP-BG1 rechargeable battery failed catastrophically on 20 June 2007 - just under the 12 month guarentee - a very poor battery life. Sony seems to be dogged with poor battery quality for PCs and now cameras. Amazon was unwilling to provide a replacement battery though it was initially willing to refund the cost of my camera if I returned it. However, this brilliant camera is no longer available. Catch 22. In a second e-mail exchange Amazon (a week after the failure) claimed that the camera was now out of warranty ie the 12 months guarentee doesn’t apply to when an item fails, but when you report and return it. You can’t do always report the same day when you are away. Amazon has succeeded and worn me down. I paid for another battery.

Casio EX-V7BKDDB Digital Camera - Black (7.2MP, 7 x Optical Zoom)
The 7.2-megapixel EXILIM Hi-ZOOM EX-V7 is the most powerful zoom in the stylish EXILIM? series of compact digital cameras. This new model is the world?s slimmest digital camera with a 7? optical zoom lens. Thinness is a defining quality in the EXILIM line, and the EX-V7 is no different as it easily fits in a shirt pocket or small purse. The new camera also introduces an innovative function for reducing photo blur, made possible by Casio?s mechanical CCD shift technology. It also combines Casio?s well-received Anti Shake DSP, which reduces blur due to shaky hands or a moving subject by using higher ISO sensitivity and faster shutter speeds, with new motion analysis technology that uses the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed to capture a moving photo subject. Even at high zoom settings, the EX-V7 reduces most occurrences of image blur. Everyone from first-time photographers to seasoned professionals will love this latest photographic marvel from Casio.
Amazon Price: ?131.87
Used Price: ?125.99
Customer Review: Simply Superb
Having read all the other reviews before buying this product, I tried it out at a wedding recently with some trepidation. The results were simply wonderful. the resolution is sharp without being contrasty and the interface is simple and so flexible. The modes provided give the simplicity of auto (or even a “simple” mode!!!) and the in depth control of a fully manual mode allowing you to control the aperture, the shutter speed, the ISO, the flash intensity and even focus manually. The macro mode and the “best shot” mode stood out as well. Macro shots were sharp and well defined and the colour depth was maintained even at such a short focal length. “Best Shot” mode is just something special. Choose your scenario (from over 30) and the camera will adjust it’s settings accordingly for your convenience. On a more basic level; it has a great megapixel rating, an insane zoom and a really long life battery. The SDHC compatibility means I no longer have to worry about running out of space and the dock just compliments the camera perfectly. It comes with all the relevant cables and so on… Even the packaging and box look cool. To sum up; a wonderful camera and a beautiful piece of engineering I can find no fault with. I hereby award this camera 10 cookies out of a potential 10
Customer Review: Image stabiliser failure
Having bought the camera for 15 days and 40 snaps down the line, I suddenly received the message “Camera stabiliser not available”. It appears to be a commom problem with this model. Awaiting a reply from Casio Customer Service….

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony DCR-SR290 Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

Sony DCR-SR290 Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen
HDD HANDYCAM 40GB H/DR 1/3 CLEARVID 6.1 M/PXL STL REC NS

Customer Review: Excellent camera but only in daylight
When I read the review by Phil Latham below I couldn’t believe the coincidence, I am also replacing an old Sony TRV65 which has served me well for 10 years.

I bought the Sony DCR-SR290 camcorder based on the specifications and the other reviews here but I am sorry to say that after owning it for less than 24 hours I have sent it back, due to absolutely dreadful performance in artificial light e.g. in the house with all the lights on, I am not referring just to low light. The only way to get a focussed picture is to leave the camcorder completely still pointing at something that isn’t moving. If you point at a moving target e.g. a person walking across the frame, or pan the camcorder horizontally or vertically at anything more than a snail’s pace there is just so much jitter and picture instability I could not believe my eyes.

The problem isn’t noticeable on the LCD screen, it’s only when you plug the camcorder into a TV to monitor the shots live or to play-back a recording that it becomes obvious (my Grundig CRT TV is not at fault - I plugged-in my old Hi-8 TRV65 and the images from this in the same room and light levels are perfect - it’s no contest).

Outside in natural light the SR290 is truly outstanding and the auto focus is very quick indeed. Thinking that there must be some sort of fault with it I got a demo of another identical unit in a Sony Centre shop, only to discover that this had the same problem. The salesman was also very surprised.

In addition to the picture problem there is an issue with connecting to the PC via USB2. With the enclosed software installed, my PC will recognise the camcorder as a USB mass storage device, and I can browse the SR290’s internal drive and copy short video files across or use the Sony application software to do the same. But the camcorder does not recognise that it has successfully connected to the PC and will time-out and disconnect after a few minutes, meaning that it would not be possible to copy larger video files across which take more time. My PC is not at fault here, I experienced the same when trying it with my laptop.

You must also not touch (or even breathe near) the camcorder when it is on the docking station as the gravity-reliant connection between the two items is very ’slight’. If you touch the camcorder even lightly this will interrupt the connection, this could possibly corrupt the drive if a file is transferring at the time.

I am so disappointed as there is no other camcorder on the market with similar specifications at this price. If you only intend to use it in daylight then I would recommend it for it’s picture quality, image stabiliser, comfortable weight, handling and ease of use, though the docking station and USB issues could prove very frustrating.

Try again Sony….

Customer Review: Sony have produced another brilliant product!
Last month I decided to buy a camcorder and in order to make my life easier I went for an HDD model to avoid the need of using tapes/discs. I do have to admit here that I am a big Sony fan! Hence, I didn’t have to spend too much time before I narrowed down my choices to 3-4 models. Important criteria for me included: 1) disk space, 2) good image quality and stabilisation and 3) functionality.

Finally, it was down to the DCR-SR190 and DCR-SR290 models. One major difference between them was the type of image stabiliser (digital for the 190 and optical for the 290). And because the optical image stabiliser is better than the digital one (according to the experts!) meant that in the end I opted to invest a bit more money and go for the DCR-SR290.

What a great decision I made! All the previous reviews on this camera posted on the site are spot-on when it comes to the positive points. Personally, I cannot see anything wrong with the camcorder at all! So easy to use, small, light, fantastic LCD screen with great touch-screen menus, plenty of intuitive menus and choices of formats and shooting modes etc. The videos are of excellent clarity and quality, even indoors and under low light conditions, and the night shot is really good, too. The image stabilisation is great and that is so useful when you zoom in a lot.

As for the sound… now that is as amazing as the image quality! Surround sound you’re promised, surround sound you get! The microphone is really good and sensitive. When you play your videos with your home cinema speakers on you can appreciate how good it is! The battery seems to last for a good length of time - as promised by the manufacturer. I also bought a case, my suggestions is don’t go for the recommended case, it looks too big and my guess is one would end up carrying a big case for a small camera! I bought the LSC-VAC Compact Camcorder Soft Carrying Case and it fits nicely, I would definitely recommend it.

Finally, the only fear I had before I bought the camera was whether the software that came with it would be good or not, one of the (few admittedly!) Sony weaknesses sometimes. The software is actually quite good, easy to edit videos and burn them to DVD (you can create menus, thumbnails etc and make some nice compilations…). The camera connected to my laptop (Windows XP) very easily, down-loading the videos is straight forward - I didn’t bother spending too much time reading the manual on this, it’s really easy to do. And speaking of the manual, the full pdf version is 132 pages, but don’t let that scare you! You really don’t need to read much of it, you get the hang of using the camera really quickly.

Overall impression, just three words: well done Sony!!!

Panasonic NV-GS17B MiniDV Digital Camcorder [24x Optical, 2.5" LCD, DV out]
Used Price: ?244.99
Customer Review: GREAT LITTLE CAMCORDER
very impressed with the picture & sound quality of this entry level camcorder from panasonic.Not always brilliant indoors,but just use your common sense and make sure there is as much light as possible.Also quite impressed with the standard battery supplied,even using the viewfinder,i was supprised how much filming you can do.All in all,brilliant value for money.
Customer Review: Such a shame
I agree that this little camera is great. it’s so easy to use, nice and small to carry about with you and the picture quality is all you could want it to be. But I can’t understand why Panasonic don’t supply any software with this little gem. Frankly it’s stupid. If like me your PC doesnt have firewire then you’re stuck. Yes i can go and buy a firewire card; but when you’re buying a good product from a well established brand you dont expect to have to go and add bits to your PC to make it work. Dissapointing.

JVC GZ-MG36EK Everio Digital Media Camcorder
Customer Review: Ignore this at your peril!
You may be seduced, as I was, at low prices being offered for this item. DO NOT BUY IT!!! As other reviewers have pointed out, the low light image quality is very poor. The bundled software supplied (Cyberlink) is truly appalling. I have had the machine for over a month, tried it out and it worked OK - very small and light and easy to use. In fact the thing is a joy to use. But there it ends. I took mine on honeymoon, took 2 hours of video, only to find when I got it home that one of the files had corrupted (through no fault of mine) and messed up the hard disk. Took hours (literally) to eventually coax the thing to send the video files via USB, then when it finally decided to play ball the crappy Cyberlink software couldn’t write to disk. Nor could I use another programme, as the .mod files produced by the camera are not recognisable to most normal video editing software (and I tried renaming the files to mpeg, but that didn’t work). My advice would be to pay a litle more and buy Sony. JVC are not up to the mark, despite their clever advertising, and the supplied software is rubbish. You will end up tearing your hair out. Bottom line is that I regret not following my instincts to buy Sony. I will never buy another JVC product - ever. DO NOT BUY THIS CAMCORDER - IT IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY. Mine is going straight back to JVC.
Customer Review: Good points,bad points
Size is excellent with easy touch/press controls Yes its not the greatest for indoor videoing when dark however still works pretty good with reasonable lighting so this isn’t to be over emphasised. I’m not too impressed so far with the still shots and quality produced afterwards.I don’t know if this early days as I haven’t played around with it but the photo’s that I have taken and played back on my tv are of a poor standard. Definitely needs longer battery! Overall an excellent price for what you get.

Panasonic VDR-D220EB9S Digital DVD Camcorder (32 x Optical, Multiformat) 2.7″ LCD
Amazon Price: ?231.77

Filed under: Digital Camcorder

Canon DC201 Digital DVD Camcorder [30x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

Canon DC201 Digital DVD Camcorder [30x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]
DC201 CAMCORDER 30XOPT.ZOOM UK

JVC GRD200 Digital Camcorder

Ex-Pro Digital Camera Charger Sony Camcorder charges NP-FA50, NP-FA70 for camera model :- DCR-PC55E, DCR-PC55ES, DCR-PC1000E
Ex-Pro Battery charger - Ultra Pro Travel Charger - Simple design including In-Car Adatper, European and UK Plug. Charges in an average of 2 hours ! Automatic Cut-Off on completion of charge, Charge indication lights. Works on 110-240v, Travel anywhere and use with ease ! 1 Year Warranty.

Power Battery for Sony Cybershot DSC-T7, LiIon, Li-Ion, Lithium Ion Technology, 100% fits, properly matching, Batteries, Camcorder, Video, Digital Camera
You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

Hama Digital Video Camcorder & Accessories Soft Case Black/Red DFV80

Filed under: Digital Camcorder

JVC GZ-MG575EK Hard Disk Camcorder

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

JVC GZ-MG575EK Hard Disk Camcorder
JVC 40GB HDD Camcorder

Customer Review: Great piece of kit but
I brought this for my holiday, as we were going to be away for month, we wanted something with great features and a hard drive and we found this. It’s fantastic, easy to use and the sound quality is excellant. However when you download the video clips on to your hard drive it saves it as .mod not .MPEG which most software system uses. Wish life was simple, it took me days to find converters, so if you now how to change the format then this is great, if not then you will be having a hardtime.

Customer Review: good improvement
ive owned 2 everios and bought this one as i like the improvements to handling over the previous models.

5mp photos sounds great but reality is in good light they are v good but become noisy in low light unless you are in flash range.

The battery lasts 10mins longer than old model and the lens cover is handy too although manual.

No complaints on video quality but dont expect a professional camera as this is an excellent everyday camera with good 6×4 photos.

Manual control is excellent and also has a mic shoe and input with a small light too.

see reviews on usa gz555 version on camcorderinfo.net.

Im happy with this product.

JVC GZ-MG21EK Everio Digital Media Camcorder
The Everio MG21 hard disk camcorder gives you up to 25 hours of recording. The large capacity internal hard disk drive means you can record a high amount of video without a second thought. You can record 7 hours of DVD-quality video on a 20GB hard disk. Additional modes let you extend recording time even further. This clever camcorder is able to carry out high-quality photos and superb video recordings thanks to its sensor CCD of 800.000 pixels combined with the exceptional optical zoom of 32x. The GZMG-21 boasts a sleek ergonomic design, as compared to traditional digital camcorders. The raised compactness and introduction of a broad anti-reflecting 2.5 inch LCD screen makes for comfort and irreproachable use. Equipped with an automatic light and a connection audio/video it allows you to watch and transfer your recordings to an external source. The GZ-MG21 is also provided with a remote control. Adapted perfectly for intensive use, the Everio GZ-MG21 will enable you to film all moments in your life with out having to worry about the quality of recording. Document those precious moments and preserve them with technological genius!
Used Price: ?235.00
Customer Review: Oh deary me.
When I first saw this camera on Amazon I honestly thought I’d found the dream camera. The price was good for the features that were offered. However, I soon realised that the JHV GZ-M21E was far from a dream-like… As you’ll have read in other reviews, Amazon messed up and like many other customers I was sent a European version. The plug didn’t fit with any of the voltage converters I tried, but luckily I had access to a shaver socket and used that to charge. We did call them, but - long story short; Amazon’s customer service is pathetic. This is Amazon’s fault so I won’t base the product rating on my bad experience, but unfortunately for JVC, this small piece of awful machinery hardly does itself justice as it is. The video quality isn’t great, but I only used it for YouTube videos so I didn’t complain. The focus was awful - when holding the camera perfectly still it would spontaneously blur, ruining many movies. I’m not sure what gave JVC the fantastic idea of making the camera record into some obscene unique JHV-created format which is only compatible with their FOUL and PESTILENT software, but I can only assume copius amounts of crack. The worst thing about this camera? The battery life. It was awful. I got about 2-3 hours of battery life at a time, even if I just left it on without recording. Conveniently, there was a catalogue of JVC products in the box which included ludicrously priced battery upgrades. And hence, I plan to shout at Amazon until I get a refund, and then buy myself a Sony HD Handycam, the likes of which I’ve heard endless streams of positivity about.
Customer Review: great point and shoot.but grainy photos
i just use it generally on auto mode and just film away and it copes well with most lighting conditions. As a camera it produces pretty poor photos though but then i dont think many camcorders do. The battery life isnt too good but you can easily buy a bigger battery to solve that. Overall i would recommend it as a no fuss camcorder with no tapes or discs to remember.

Panasonic NV-GS230EB-S Mini DV Digital Camcorder Mini Dv (2.3MP Stills, 3 x CCD, 10 x Optical) 2.5″ LCD
Customer Review: Caveat Emptor
Whether this product is great or rubbish I have no idea. It was purchased from Pixmania (a non-UK company) via the Amazon marketplace. It arrived poorly packaged but on time. It showed clear signs of having been used - opened box, crumpled packaging, loose items etc. All of the instructions were in French and German but then again they would be - the item was an NV-GS230EF not the NV-GS230EB as advertised - never intended for the UK market. Pixmania insist that their own website makes it clear that the instructions are not in English (indeed if you look hard enough at their massive site you will find this somewhere). I remember buying it through Amazon though, where there is no such mention of non-english documentation. Certainly, there was no mention of second hand goods on either website. Pixmania insist (on their national rate phoneline) that they do not sell second-hand goods but offer no rational explanation as to why the product had clearly been used despite the transit box being sealed. Do I keep it and find out whether it works once I’ve found a download site for the instructions? Do I pay to have it sent back to Pixmania and hope for a refund? Perhaps Pixmania will collect it at their expense and make more effort to let buyers know they are buying goods never intended for the UK market.(!). I’m sure this product is great but I’m going to have to wait to find out. The service has definitely NOT being worth the small savings - buy from the UK or USA !!

Power Battery for HP Photosmart R967, LiIon, Li-Ion, Lithium Ion Technology, 100% fits, properly matching, Batteries, Camcorder, Video, Digital Camera
You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

Mustek USB Digital Video Camcorder DV5200, Model Number: DV5200
Customer Review: DV5200
Thought it was about time that I entered the digital age. On seeing this I thought why not get something that does more than just take pictures. It is excellent fun and easy to use. The only down side is that it doesn’t have a flash (it would have got 5 stars if it had) but apart from that I would recommend it. The time between pressing the shutter and taking the picturte isn’t too bad and I quickly got used to it. Well worth the money.

Filed under: Digital Camcorder

Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Black

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Camcorder | Comments(0)

Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Black
Customer Review: Perfect for my Fujifilm S9600
I purchased this bag online so was unable to test the fit with my Fujifilm S9600. Luckily it fits like a glove. I was looking at the Apex 110AW also but the 120 is a little longer which means it’ll take the camera with the lens hood in place. I can fit in a all the associated cables, spare batteries and the battery charger without it all rattling around like they would in a much bigger bag.

The build quality is superb, padding seems good and there is a microfibre cloth built in to protect delicate lcd displays on the back of your camera. The easily deployed (and easy to stash) rain cover will protect your camera and case from the elements.

All in all I am very impressed. Size was important to me as I wanted all my stuff in one place but I wanted a bag small enough I wouldn’t be put off taking it to places. Although the S9600 isn’t a digital SLR it is very similar in size so I can see this bag being perfect for your EOS 400D, or similar, with a reasonably sized zoom lense attached.

You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

Continue …

The super-stylish, ultra-slim 2.2 Megapixel DC20 shoots superb digital stills and impressive video direct-to-DVD, with a mini video light and stills flash to keep you shooting well into the night. At just 47mm wide, the DC20 is delightfully slim. The casi
Customer Review: Too many pauses
I recently bought a DC20 and am very impressed with the video performance. The picture is sharp, and the colours very natural, unlike some camcorders which produce unnaturally bright colours. Unfortunately playback is more of an issue. In the small print in the manual, Canon state that playback on some DVD players may result in the picture freezing between scenes. I have been unable to find a DVD player which this does not happen on. The only way to have a seamless playback apperas to be to play back on the camera itself. To sum up, my rating would move from 2 stars to 5 if the playback performance were adequate. As it is, playback on anything other than the camcorder itself is totally unsatisfactory.
Continue …

List Price: ?28.00
Amazon Price: ?16.94
Continue …

You will receive one Power Rechargeable Battery. This Rechargeable Battery 100% fits and is properly matching !

Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery (originally packaged factory-new merchandise)

Features of this rechargeable battery:

safety due to heat and overcharge protection
real lithium-ion rechargeable battery, more power than the original rechargeable battery
no memory effect recharge your battery whenever you like
excellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessory
the standard battery charger can still be used

Continue …

Filed under: Digital Camcorder

Optimize Your Photos for the Web

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras | Comments(0)

Optimize Your Photos for the Web

It doesn’t matter if your emailing photos of your grandson or putting images of your latest product on your online store. Too many people don’t consider optimizing their photos for the web. We’ve all been on too many web pages where it seemed that the photos would never load, and sometimes they didn’t. So here are some steps to make sure that your photos show up on your site.

1. Always have a back up original format copy of your image. Never alter the original. Believe me you will regret it.

2. Crop to size. Make sure that you crop out any extra information that isn’t needed. Remember the larger the photo the longer it takes to load or send.

3. Resize to reduce pixels. There should be an option to resize according to pixels. You’re going to want the largest size to be no more than 250 pixels or you can reduce the dpi to no more than 96.

4.Reduce the color palette. Many images have millions of colors so the first thing that you need to do is reduce the colors to 256. You will lose some depth with this.

5. Save the file in a standard format. JPEG is the most common for photos and you can compress the image with a JPEG for further reduction in file size. It’s not unusual to see GIF or PNG as well.

Remember that with a 56k connection a 150k file will take 20 seconds to load. If you’re creating a web page every photo that you add will add to the time it takes to download all of the images. If you keep the images small in size the smaller resolution will not be as obvious.

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Canon EOS 5D IS Double Zoom Kit - (incl. EOS 5D + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM + EF100-400mm 4.5-5.6 L IS USM)
Eos 5D IS Double Zoom Kit The full frame 12.8 Megapixel EOS 5D. Discreet enough to avoid attention with resolution enough to keep the toughest picture editors happy. Travel light without compromise. Image Resolution: 12.8 Megapixel Lens Construction: N/A Digital Zoom: N/A Optical Zoom: N/A Maximum f/number N/A Movie Mode: N/A Internal Memory: N/A Memory Card Compatibility: CompactFlash Type I / II (Microdrive compatible) LCD Size: 2.5 Power Options: BP-511A battery supplied Power adapter ACK-E2. Interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (Mini-B PTP) Video output (PAL/ NTSC). Pictbridge Enabled: Yes Box Contents: Camera Body EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens (w /case and hood) EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens (w / case and hood) Battery Charger Battery Pack Wide Strap. Warranty: 1 Year.
Amazon Price: ?3,549.93

Samsung Battery for NV10, Digital Camera, SLB-0837(B)
Amazon Price: ?7.77

Sumnique Canon-NB-5H Battery Pack 6.0v 650mAH NI-MH
Only the most modern battery technology is used in Sumnique Lithium Ion batteries. They are environmentally friendly, feature a very high energy density and have no memory effect. The batteries are much smaller and lighter than any other rechargeable battery with similar capacity. All batteries are produced to the highest quality standards. A built-in microprocessor safeguards the cells by limiting maximum voltage and by protecting against deep discharge, short circuit and overload

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Getting Your Photos Ready for Sharing

October 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras | Comments(0)

Getting Your Photos Ready for Sharing

One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is so they can share their photos with others. Even if you are just going to print your photos for yourself, you will want them to look their best. Here are some tips on getting your images ready for sharing or printing.

1. ORGANIZE YOUR PHOTOS

Delete the ones you don’t like or those that are near duplicates of others. No sense in clogging up your hard drive or CDs with junk. Use a good photo management software program like ACDSEE 7, Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 or Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 to view, organize and name your images. These programs also let you batch rename so you can give more descriptive file names to a group of photos at the same time. You can add key words and tags to make finding your photos easier. Be detailed in your photo descriptions, not just “John and Laurie.” You’ll probably have hundreds of photos of your kids and it will be harder to find the one you’re looking for. Better to say “John and Laurie waterskiing on Lake Powell, May 2004.”

2. BACK UP YOUR ORIGINALS

Mistakes can happen. It is a good idea to back up all your images to a CD before you start editing or changing them. That way you always have the original to go back to if you accidentally save over an image or made changes to a photo that you later decide you don’t like. CDs hold lots of photos, making it cheap insurance.

3. ROTATE IMAGES

Trying to look at a sideways photo is annoying. Use your photo management or editing software to rotate photos as needed. And if you have any images that are a little crooked, you can fix that using your editing software. Most photo editors have an automatic “straighten” function, or you can manually rotate the image a few degrees to straighten the horizon line.

4. REMOVE RED-EYE

Even with your digital camera’s auto red-eye reduction function, your subject’s eyes may still have red-eye. Use your photo editing software to remove it. Zoom in on the eyes and it will be easier for you to correct the red-eye. I’ve tried a number of red-eye correction tools and find that the one that comes with ACDSEE 7’s photo editor is among the best. It zeros in just on the red eye and doesn’t darken the surrounding eye area like some other software does.

5. CROP YOUR PHOTOS

Crop out unnecessary or distracting backgrounds and focus in on your subject. Most photo editing programs will keep the aspect ratio, so when you draw a box around the area you want to focus on it will crop it as 4×6 or whatever you have specified. That way you won’t end up with an odd size photo. Kodak EasyShare Gallery also has a very good cropping tool for maintaining the proper print size. It comes with its free photo editor.

6. ADJUST LIGHTING AND CONTRAST

Some of your photos may have come out washed out or too dark. You can automatically adjust the color, brightness and contrast of your photos. The better programs like Photoshop Album 2.0, Jasc and ACDSEE also have tools for making manual adjustments for fine-tuning. Be careful not to overdo it, though, or your picture could come out grainy.

7. PREPARE TO SHARE

There are a number of ways to share your images. Several programs, like Roxio Photo Suite 7, ACDSEE7, Photoshop Album and Paint Shop Photo Album allow you to create digital photo albums or slide shows, complete with music, transitions and captions. You can burn them to CD or resize and optimize for emailing directly from the program.

Online photo services such as PhotoWorks, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Kodak EasyShare Gallery also let you share your photos on line, for free. You simply upload your images to their server into your own photo albums and add captions if you wish. Then email your friends with a link to your albums. With most of the online services your photos stay on their servers as long as you have an account with them, for free. Signing up for an account is free, you only pay for photos you choose to purchase.

For hardcore photo sharers, there are also dedicated photo sharing applications such as PiXPO v1.5.0, which lets you share photos right off your hard drive. This is a peer to peer software application that allows you to connect directly with your friends and family to share and view pictures online with no uploads. Unlike traditional photo sharing services, you have unlimited storage and you don’t have to upload your photos to a distant server or wait for friends to log onto some photo sharing site. The application is easy to install and use and it’s inexpensive, around $30. PC Magazine rated it an Editor’s Choice in their January 3, 2005 issue.

Valerie Goettsch publishes the digital photography website http://www.digitalphotos101.com featuring reviews of photo editing and album software and digital photo printing services.
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PMA releases 2008 exhibitor list
The Photo Marketing Association (PMA) has released an initial list of exhibitors for PMA 2008, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 next year. With over 600 exhibitors occupying a floor area in excess of 12 acres, the show promises to be as hard on the feet as ever. Click through for the concise list with links to the full line-up.

UK recall for Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Canon UK has apparently informed dealers that it has temporarily stopped shipments of its EOS-1D Mark III and is asking that unsold units be returned pending an official announcement due over the next few days. The state of play seems to be that Canon will repair affected cameras but is not offering refunds or exchanging for alternative models. We shall of course keep you updated with further details as they become available.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony DCR-SR190E Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen

Canon DC230 Digital DVD Camcorder [35x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]

sony msx-m2gs

Removing Spot Scratches

Sony DCR-SR290 Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen

Canon DC201 Digital DVD Camcorder [30x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]

JVC GZ-MG575EK Hard Disk Camcorder

Lowepro Apex 120AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Black

Optimize Your Photos for the Web

Getting Your Photos Ready for Sharing

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