Canon HV20 High Definition (1080i) Camcorder
HV20 BODY DIG CAMCORDER CINEMA PROMO UK

Customer Review: Good picture, but ergonomics not so hot
I bought this after reading the warm reviews and seeing a friend’s footage. And no complaints there — in the right conditions results are superb.

However, the HV20 has controls all over, making adjustments in the field hit-and-miss to say the least, and the image stabiliser doesn’t seem to do much!

General advice (as for all HDV) is use a solid tripod or monopod where possible, and use higher shutter speeds for pans.

Customer Review: top camcorder
I have only had the camera for 24hrs but is enough time to know that its something special. i did my homework before buying and saw some of the fantastic clips on the web filmed with this camera. I know a lot of the new camcorders record on memory card etc but HDV still gives the best quality. The canon records a fantastic pictures and colurs are vivid and bright. It is easy to use both for recording and playback on your HD set. the only downside is that there is no HDMI cable included. thoroughly recommended

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Zennox Jupiter Digital Video Camera 2.0″” TFT Display. Features Digital Video Camera - Video Recording with Sound MPEG4 Video Format 10 Mega Pixel Output Digital Still Camera with 3.1 Mega Pixel CMOS Sensor 16MB Internal Memory MP3 Recorder / Player Web Camera Macro Mode 8x Digital Zoom SD/ MMC Card Compatible TV/ VCR Output with Sound Flash with Red Eye Reduction Inbuilt Microphone and Speaker Self Timer - 10 Sec Delay Colour TFT 2.0″ TFT Screen USB 1.1Plug-in-Play Performance Calendar Power - Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Contents in Box Jupiter Digital Camera CD-ROM USB / TV-OUT Cable Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Wrist Strap User’s Manual Earphone AC Adaptor Also Includes: Zennox Digital Imaging Disc. PC-CDROM. Technical Details photo studio, photo printer, panarama maker collage creator, greeting card creator photo montage, make presentations, make cds & dvds Edit videos
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60GB Hard Disc Drive. 1.7 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?354.20
Used Price: ?289.99
Customer Review: DCR-SR72
Ordered the camera on Sunday arrived at my home on Tuesday. Easy to order and good service from Amazon. Have taken some videos and photos and plyed them back on TV. They are good quality and setup is very easy. I’m having difficulties with viewing the videos on the computer, the photos are visible but the video clips dont seem to be playing on Microsoft media player. It probably something I’m doing wrong but if anyone can help, id appreciatr it.
Customer Review: Seems a decent camcorder
Easy to use, compact, excellent image quality. My only problem is that i can’t figure out how to get it to work on windows movie maker. I would recommend and amazon was cheapest when i bought it a few weeks ago.
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Widescreen Megapixel camcorder with powerful optical zoom and DV-in for editing. 35x optical zoom camcorder ready for true widescreen video. While DV input is provided for video editing, user friendly controls include Canon’s Quick start and a joystick interface.
Amazon Price: ?198.80
Customer Review: cannot download video without a firewire connection
Is it just me then that didn’t realise this!? I’ve had a sony dv camcorder for a number of years but when it went wrong, I decided to change to this highly recommended camcorder.I read all the reviews and it sounded great BUT when I tried to download my first tape using the included usb cable-nothing. Tried my sony firewire cable connected my sony laptop-bingo. But my laptop has too small a screen to edit movies. Got in touch with Canon support to be told the usb cable is for downloading stills and movies from the memory card only. I have no firewire connection on my pc, so I will now have to go and buy a pci card. I know that the firewire will give me faster transfer speeds but I just think more emphasis should be given to the fact that this is a camcorder that will not work out of the box for downloading a movie without-1.buying a firewire and 2.-making sure your pc has a firewire connection. Anyway, still rated it 4* because what I have seen so far, the results are very good. Oh and sorry Amazon-that camcorder I sent you back the other day-I don’t think it has a problem!! But very good customer support in getting me another one delivered so quickly.
Customer Review: KNOCKS THE HELL OUT OF A SONY I HAD
Frikkin A is all i can say ,just superb in every way. Initially bought a Sony like because of the name i guess and a previous fantastic camcorder they made but wait, the latest ones are useless compared to this machine very very recommended don`t get the Sony DCR-HC45 ?200 camcorder what ever you do, it sucks and had to send it back well not up to the job or just plain faulty i don`t know . By the way can`t beat Amazon for Customer Services very professional THANKS!
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30GB Hard Disc Drive. 1.7 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?302.20
Used Price: ?260.99
Customer Review: Terrible software and user docs
Camcorder looks Ok and it’s easy enough to record footage to the camcorders HDD. The problems start when you want to transfer the files to computer. As seems to be the norm these days: The software is poor, the user documentation even poorer. It doesn’t work straight out of the box and so you are left hunting through numerous web sites and forums looking for support. I run Windows Vista and still haven’t got the Camcorder working. It will be going back if I have to waste much more time on it.
Customer Review: poor tech support
The camera itself is superb and i cannot fault it…however the software is a different matter. As soon as i loaded it onto my desktop it wouldnt work, so i loaded it onto my laptop.(both running windows xp home edition(genuine))..on my laptop it worked perfect so i knew it was a set-up problem.When iu eventually got through to sony technical support i explained everything to them and was told that the problem was “your desktop computer isnt a manufadtured model, the problem is because it is a custom build”…..What a load of rubbish, but they would not change their opinion and offered no more assistance. i eventually had to take my computer to local pc shop where it was established that the sony software will not work if you have samsung mobile phone software installed as well…simple as that.. I have also now notices aproblem with my nero software since installing the sony software..
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JVC GZ-MG130EK Hard Disk Camcorder
JVC 30GB Hard Disk Camcorder

Customer Review: Let down by poor software and wierd file extensions
All is fine with the camera until you copy the video files to your computer. They are not recognized by any video editing software and won’t even play in windows media player. It’s all to do with the unique file extention .MOD. It’s supposed to be an MPEG2, but nothing recognizes it. When I changed the file extention manually, windows media player played the audio only. A quick surf of the net showed that almost everybody else seems to have the same problem. I downloaded several conversion programs and although they did convert the files to mpeg, the quality was awful. The supplied software is by a firm called Cyberlink when I registered my purchase with them online I qualified for a free download of their VCD burning software - Guess what! It does not recognise .MOD files!!!

That said it is a really nice machine and easy to use.

Customer Review: Tidy piece of kit
My old Panasonic VHS-C had been in need of replacement for some time but I’d procrastinated and deferred the decision while I pondered which format to get, HDD or DVD. I decided to plump for HDD because a hard disk is a little more future-proof than a consumable media format. Even DVD’s I’m sure won’t be around for that much longer.

Anyway, on to the camera.

Good points: It’s tiny, weighs nothing, is well priced, a doddle to operate and just as easy to get the footage onto a computer where you can then have your way with it.

Bad points: Battery life not great (bigger capacity battery upgrade worth getting) and shady-looking people will eye it up enviously, everytime you take it out. That’s about it.

I recommend.

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New AVCHD camcorder. Records High Definition on a 30GB Hard Disk Drive with a ClearVid CMOS Sensor, Carl Zeiss(R) Vario-Sonnar T* lens and a HDMI connection.
Amazon Price: ?599.99
Used Price: ?556.99
Customer Review: HD Editing
Great camera with some nice features, including TV on-screen zoom facility via handset - easy to use and no problems encountered yet. Don’t know if it’s relevant but Serif’s MoviePlus5 software supports HD video format (is this the same as AVCHD?) and DVD Authoring. I have not purchased or tried it!
Customer Review: SR1 - You CAN edit - Options
The SR1 is a great camcorder and a quick way to get your own HD footage onto your HDTV via an HDMI cable. But as other reviewers have pointed out - editing is not so simple - AVCHD (.m2t files) is quite new and is not supported yet by the common NLEs (non linear editor programs) Options are: 1. Supplied software will enable you to burn footage to a DVD (-R) which will play as HD in a PS3 (it will NOT play in a normal DVD player which is only SD - standard definition) 2. Elecard sell HD conversion software which converts from AVCHD to HDV which can be edited (most NLEs - Premiere Pro etc) 3. Sony Vegas (version 7e only) and Pinnacle v11 supports AVCHD which will allow you to edit on the PC and (theoretically at least) move the edited footage back to the SR1 for viewing in HD on a HDTV You could of course get a blu-ray burner too!! I think the options will grow as more AVCHD camcorders ship - although anything that edits AVCHD is going to be very processor and memory intensive
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How to take Great Photos of Your Pet

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen. Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really good one.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

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.

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The Nikon D50 is easy to take with you anywhere you go! From its inviting body contours to its easily accessible controls, this is a camera that makes picture taking satisfying and fun! 2 Inch Color LCD screen Self-Timer - Electronically controlled timer with 2 to 20 seconds duration Storage (Number of frames per 256MB SD Memory Card, image size L) - RAW approx. 33, FINE approx. 70NORMAL approx. 137BASIC approx. 258, RAW&BASIC approx. 29 **We suggest getting a 512MB memory card or larger for more flexible use.** Video Output - Can be selected from NTSC and PAL Interface - USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) Shutter - Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter,30 to 1/4000 sec. in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV, bulb Flash Control - 1) TTL - TTL flash control by 420-pixel RGB sensorBuilt-in Speedlight - i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering) SB-800 or 600 - i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering)) Auto aperture - Available with SB-800 with CPU lens) Non-TTL Auto - Available with Speedlights such as SB-800, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27, and 22s4) Distance-priority manual available with SB-800 Unit Dimension (WxHxD) - Approx. 5.2 x 4.0 x 3.0 inches / Weight - About 1 pound without battery or lens Tripod socket
Used Price: $600.00
Customer Review: Wonderful Camera
I don’t know why this is considered a beginners DSLR — sure it has a few less features, but it is capable of wonderful results with a minimum of work. I wish I had bought this first instead of the Olympus E510 I used to own. The D50 simply gets the job done! I bought the camera used but in good shape. I use the 70-300mm VR zoom lens with it and get great results. The images come out true to life with few anomolies or distortions. The shutter release is positive and professional feeling. Focus is accurate and fast (of course the lens is important here). The D50 fills an important gap between old world DSLR and modern: It has an iternal focus motor so older style lenses work perfectly. It uses an SD card instead of the clunky old CF. And while the D70 is considered more professional, the D50 corrects for sensor anomilies the D70 doesn’t. Some things you may want consider: The LCD is only 2″, compared to 2.5″ on most newer models. It is somewhat slower in processing, formating, direct downloads, etc. The number of sensor pixels is low (6.1MP) compared with newer models (8-10MP). The viewfinder doesn’t see the entire frame. However, the viewfinder is bright enough for manual focusing, and a green light indicates optimum focus in the viewfinder when manual focusing. The lowest ISO is 200 (instead of 100 on most models). However, noise at higher ISOs is low compared with many cameras, and I regularly use 400 and even 800. The D50 feels solid! I can’t imagine a better feeling body. Compared with pro models it is a bit smaller, however it is full-sized and fits any hand well. With a good lens it’s hard to imagine anyone being disapointed with this camera. Even with the many features newer cameras offer, none will produce better pictures (bigger, but not better).
Customer Review: Very nearly perfect camera!
My first digital camera was the Nikon 4300. Switching to the Nikon D50 was like going from a horse and buggy to a Ferrari! There are cameras now with higher pixel resolution, but I have found the 6.1 still is plenty for my purposes. The interface is very nice, with quick access buttons around the camera. The battery lasts a long time, compared to my old 4300. The quality of the images is wonderful!! The only down-side is the plastic lens, otherwise I would give this camera a 5 out of 5. While I enjoy the light-weight aspect of the lens, I felt from the beginning that it seemed cheap, even fragile? Good thing I got the extended warranty because the lens broke after exactly 2 years of much use. Over all this is a fantastic camera, but make sure to get the extended warranty!
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Customer Review: Not recommended
I have bought two Sony Cybershot digital cameras within the past three years, and was very very disappointed. At first everything seemed great, but the first one just stopped working within about eighteen months for no discernable reason, and refused to function any more. There was no point sending it off to Sony as they’d charge for repairs and for that cost I might as well buy a replacement which is why I bought the second one. About fifteen months later exactly the same thing happened, it just stopped working. Now, I am extremely careful with my electrical goods and proof of that is that I still have electrical items from twenty-five years ago in perfect condition, so I knew the problem wasn’t me but Sony. I’ll never buy their cameras again.
Customer Review: Does everything!
The Sony DSC-S40 Cyber-shot Digital Camera is perfect, small, easy to use and great for movies too! By far the best digital camera I have used and seen. Highly recommended!
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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.

? Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved

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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Canon PowerShot A460 Digital Camera - Red (5.0MP, 4xoptical zoom)
POWERSHOT A460 RED 5MP 4XOPTZOOM DIGIC II UK
Amazon Price: ?68.40
Customer Review: It’s not Red!
A cracking little camera for the money, but be aware, it isn’t just the lighting on the photo. The “red” A460 is pink. Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink. Hot pink. Quite fetching, but not exactly manly. Be aware!
Customer Review: Competent entry level camera
Does everything you want a cheapish digital camera to do. Only downsides are - battery life - you’ll have to get yourself some rechargeables or you’ll forever be buying and replacing AA’s; and build quality - some of the plastics used on the casing feel a little cheap - I don’t know how likely this is to stand up to physical abuse by children, but I guess we’re about to find out… Photos produced are great - good colours, and using the SCN feature with child/ pet mode means that smaller photographers who are learning to squeeze the shutter rather than press it and generate camera shake can take slightly crisper photos… A good range of manual and automatic modes, with an easy flash / fill in flash / no flash button….

CASE: BLACK LEATHER SONY DSC-T 7 DIGITAL CAMERA
SONLCSTHEBAE SONLCSTHEBAE CASE: BLACK LEATHER SONY DSC-T 7 DIGITAL CAMERA CYBERSHOT_1 DSC_1 DSCT_1 DSCT7_1 LCS_1 LCS-_1 LCST_1 LCS-T_1 LCSTH_1 LCS-TH_1 LCSTHE_1 LCS-THE_1 PMWEB_35 SNYCYBERSHOT_1 SON_10 SON_9 SONC_1 SONCA_1 SONCAM_1 SONCAME_1 SONCAMER_1 SONCAMERA_1 SONCAS_1 SONCASE_1 SOND_1 SONDS_1 SONDSC_1 SONDSCT_1 SONDSCT7_1 SONT_1 SONT7_1 SONY_12 SONYC_1 SONYCA_1 SONYCAS_1 SONYCASE_1 SONYD_1 SONYDS_1 SONYDSC_1 SONYDSCT_1 SONYDSCT7_1 ARDO MERLONI ARISTON ARIS ASEM AUTHENTIC ARISTON BLAUPUNKT CAMBRIDGE CASIO CASTOR COLSTON EBAC EBAC LTD INDESIT INDISIT MERLONI NECOLA NEW WORLD OCEANIC SCHOLTES SONY

Sony HDR-SR7E 60GB High Definition Camcorder
The ultra-compact, stylishly-designed HDR-SR7 Handycam comes with ClearVid CMOS Sensor, x.v.Colour and a Carl Zeiss? Vario-Sonnar?T* lens. Also featuring 60GB HDD that allows you to record 1080i HD movie for up to 22 hours.

Customer Review: I didn’t think I would buy a SONY
I just bought the camcorder from Amazon for my honeymoon trip next august

and it’s so cool….I love it even though its expensive but worth it because it will

live longer with you due to its new technology … usually I am not satisfied with Sony products

because of its lack of features but I liked this one …

you should buy a big battery with this one if you want to have more free time

and what I did is bought a charger coz if you charge it in the camcorder

it will take all day but with the charger it will take 4 hours or less depending on the size

of the battery…also try to get the wide angel lens and the tele lens if you want to take

nice shots …

Upsides: small, elegant, manual focus, high quality still images, HD or SD recording modes, HDMI output ready for hd TVs

Downsides: price, batteries is 90 mins only, lack of mini HDMI cable, in HD recording mode you only

can see the clips in the camera, PC, and a blue-ray hd dvd players

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JVC GZ-MG36EK Everio Digital Media Camcorder
Customer Review: The ruination of a potentially good product
This camera has all the attributes of a ‘rushed job’ product. I can’t believe JVC made any attempt to road test it before releasing it onto the market, otherwise they would have seen how terribly flawed it was. Mechanically it seems quite robust, is pretty easy to use, has the advantage of both 4:3 and 16:9 capability together with a vary useful ‘thumbnail’ index and the 30GB drive represents what would be a very large cardboard box of tapes . Agreed, the low-light performance is poor, even with the puny built-in movie light, and having to rely on the screen (there is no view-finder) to compose pictures in very bright sunlight becomes something of a challenge, but these points do not lose it four stars. It’s trying to enjoy the fruits of your videographic labours that is the problem. What does the damage is, first, the peculiar .mod file structure (a JVC unique?) and then the truly appalling Cyberlink software that comes with the camera. Even the simple transfer of files to the PC is not foolproof (loss of ’scenes’) and subsequent DVD production is both tedious and again innaccurate - i.e. I have frequently ‘lost’ anything up to 15 mins of data on a 90 minute composition. And seemingly no other video editing software can cope with that .mod file structure, so you’re stuck with what JVC have given you. No - sorry, JVC, but as it stands at the moment, this potentially great idea is a frustrating dud. Perhaps for the time being we will have to revert to the cardboard box of tapes. I am about to.
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.

Samsung VP-D371W/XEU MiniDV Camcorder With 34 Optical 1200 Digital Zoom
Mini DV format.
Used Price: ?106.99
Customer Review: Low Quality Camcorder
I bought the Camcorder from Amazon because I previously had a Hi8 Samsung camcorder, which died. The functionalities of this DV version is very basic and it is made from cheap plastic. It feels like it is going to break anytime soon. I tried it for 10mins and sent it back and I bought the DCR-HC27 sony dv camcorder from Amazon which is excellent. You get what you pay for, u decide. And it did not come with firewire cable or editing software
Customer Review: Marvel camera
I had the good fortune to buy this camera yesterday and am absolutely amazed with it, the video quality is incredible, the zoom is fantastic, and the different modes are likewise. The one problem I have with it is it doesn’t have a PC cable.

The 2007-2012 Outlook for Digital Camcorders in Greater China

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
Amazon Price: ?510.00
Used Price: ?420.00
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!!!

JVC GR-D720 Mini DV Digital Camcorder
Compact easy-to-use DVC with amazing 28x Optical zoom and 16:9 Widescreen LCD

Customer Review: A no-brainer for your career.
Camcorders are highly underrated. Nowadays people think you can use your phone or digital camera to do the job, but nothing much compares to recording on a tool made for the job. Over the years I’ve recommended that people use a camera like this one to practice making speeches and presentations - this one is just the job - inexpensive, easy to use, and records onto DVDs, so you can watch the playback on your TV. Making presentations and being good on your feet is just so important nowadays. Practise making your speech or presentation on your feet in front of this camera, then review the results. Nothing will give you better, honest feedback than a camcorder - at this price it’s a no-brainer for advancing your career.

Customer Review: Absolutely Fantasic - No Other Way To Describe It
I got this camcorder today although not from amazon i went and got it from currys digital where it was ?149.58 which is cheaper than amazon was at the time and i have to say just how superb it really is! I havent had a camcorder in the past so i cant really compare it to another one but it really is fantastic and i can assure you that you will not get as good value for money with any other camcorder than you get with this it really is superb. Hope this has helped!!

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zennox dv566 5.1 mega pixel dvc.
zennox dv566 5.1 mega pixel dvc a great product that fits in the palm of your hand. At the press of a button you can start filming your surroundings, but with a 5.1 mega pixel sensor it also makes for some great photos too. The lithium-ion battery means you can recharge it time and time again saving money by not purchasing new batteries. The large screen also means you can easily view what you record, preview what you have recorded, and with the easy navigated menu system delete what you dislike. 1. The market averages out at 5mp for top-end models. A high mega pixel level results in very high resolution of captured movie and pictures. 2. 8x is the highest dvc’s tend to go with digital zoom, so you know you are able to capture your surroundings that would normally be too small to see.. 3. A large screen makes it easy for you to see what you are filming, but great for playing back videos and photos you have stored on your memory card (sold separate). 4. The internal memory of 32mb is again the highest standard for dvc. This enables you to record onto an internal memory. However using an sd Card you can expand this to an enormous 1gb or 2gb. 5. A lithium-ion battery is also known as a rechargeable battery. Charge whenever you wish to save replacing batteries all the time. Charger included with kit.

The 2007-2012 Outlook for Digital Camcorders in the United States

Sony DCR-VX2100 Digital Camcorder [Semi Professional, 12xoptical, 2.5" LCD, CCD]
Take Control of Sound and Vision with the DCR-VX2100 series, offering the brightest video results of all Sony MiniDV models. With its Advanced HAD progressive scan CCD technology, illumination is improved dramatically, delivering superior low-light perfor
Amazon Price: ?1,439.97

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.

? Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved

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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Colour: Clear Frost - Made for i-nique Stylish silicone skin for your Canon Ixus Camera The cover has a secret anti-dust/static coating to ensure it keeps foreign agents to a minimum. Screen protection included
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100% waterproof up to 15 feet / 5 metres. Use your camera safely in all conditions.All-round ultra-clear polymer lens allows pictures to be taken through the case. Floats with camera inside. Silica gel pack included.Length: 16.5cm Width 13.5cm Maximum circumference of camera that will fit in: 35.5cm.
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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

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

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.

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The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50 is an ideal camera for starting out right in digital photography, combining the quality of 6.0 megapixels and Carl Zeiss 3X Optical zoom, the performance of High Sensitivity mode for great low-light shots, the simplicity of on-
Used Price: ?93.99
Customer Review: Excellent Value for Money !!!
Recently bought this camera (June 2007) to take on holiday to Spain. (?127 through Amazon from Pix Mania - and I see it has gone up in price (bargain) - excellent price.) Bought a 4Gb (Official) Sony Memory Stick for approx. ?40. - Can take 1,334 pictures at 6meg (Over 5,000 pictues at 2meg) and up to 3 hours of VGA Movie. One full charge lasted me 7 days on holiday without the need for a recharge. (Although I did only take about 400 photos and a few videos). Previous reviews said that the opening slot for the battery and card was flimsy and could come off. I have had no problem with it up to now. Processing speed is excellent (even with the flash, which is also excellent). Burst and Multi Burst option is brilliant, particularly ‘burst’, when taking shots of the family it takes 3 pictures a split second apart. (Stops the normal blinking, and throat shots just as the shutter opens). Optical Zoom (x3) is really good. Macro is excellent if required. (I pictured some close ups of ‘bugs’ just to see the effect). The scroll wheel to take differing shots is unique - no need to open up the menu options and mess about). 2.5 inch LCD screen is a must. I’m not a semi-pro photographer so ISO speeds and white images mean nothing to me….but if you want a good priced camera, Sony at that, Carl Zeiss lens (unbeatable allegedly) and quick processing speed (so your subjects aren’t hanging around for that second shot) then this is the camera for you.
Customer Review: You honestly can’t go wrong with this
Bought this camera around a month ago, and I couldn’t fault it in any way. Slim, stylish, superb pictures, really easy to use…I could go on! A word of advise though, Red Eye Reduction is off as a default so make sure you check the manual and turn it on as my first hundred pics or so were spoiled by the most outrageously red eyes! Unlike the other reviewer I had no problem with my battery pack, has lasted weeks despite frequent use and has not needed recharging yet (which is extremely straightforward anyway). You’ll also must buy a new memory card but that’s the same for all cameras. Just buy it you wont regret it!
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Used Price: ?84.99
Customer Review: A simple & easy to use camera with great results!
I’ve owned the SONY DSC-P72 for well over a year now and I’ve been nothing but happy with it. The functions and options are easy to use in the well displayed menu options on the camera. The quality of picture is fantastic. Even the “motion picture” option gives a clear picture with good recorded sound. I highly recommend purchasing an additional memory stick, as the camera only comes with a 16MB stick included. This is not much space at all, especially if you plan to use the “movie” function. As the camera supports Pro Memory Stick’s, this allows you to purchase a stick that holds huge amounts of storage space for very little extra money. I think it’s something about compressing the information, but however it works, there is no loss of quality at all. I bought a 512MB stick for the camera and never ran out of space on a two week holiday where I went photo and filming crazy. The camera’s zoom function is good, but be warned that you can not use the zoom whilst filming. No huge hassle but worth pointing out! When the camera is fully charged the batteries seem to last for ages. But charging the cameras batteries to their limit does take a while. The charger and batteries are all included with the camera by the way! The batteries are just rechargeable AA batteries so in the case of a camera ‘emergency’ you can just use standard AA batteries. This can be very handy when you’re on holiday etc. Putting the photos on your home computer and/or printing them off couldn’t be simpler! The whole process is explained simply from start to finish, and the camera comes with all the software you need for the photos. All in all, I thought the camera was a fantastic buy and does exactly what I want it to do. I’m no professional photographer, but for everyday use, the SONY DSC-P72 is a simple and easy to use camera that delivers great looking results. Highly recommended!
Customer Review: Not So Good
I bought the Sony DSC P72 digital camera in July 2003. At the time it had rave reviews and was supposedly one of the best mid range digital cameras to buy. I am not a great photographic buff, but it produces perfectly good quality still photos. The only problem with this camera is that if you want to take photos of any moving objects (Such as children) the camera will take the photo long after the subject has moved on to something more interesting. It still delays taking the photo even if you hold the shutter release so all the computation is done before fully releasing it. In comparison with my old Canon 35mm SLR it is just too slow. I understand this is a general problem of digital photography and that new cameras are faster. If you’ve got children or want to take any other quick snaps, get a newer (or better) camera, not the Cybershot DSC P72.
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Sony HDR-SR5E 40GB High Definition Camcorder
The ultra-compact stylishly-designed AVCHD HDD Handycam with ClearVid CMOS Sensor x.v.Colour and Carl Zeiss? Vario-Sonnar?T* lens. Featuring 40GB HDD it records 1080i HD movie for up to 15 hours. Number of Pixels Gross (K): 4.0 Megapixel still image recording and 2.3 Megapixel Dual Rec while recording movies Built in Microphone: Dolby Digital 5.1ch Creator for Surround sound recording with built in microphone LCD: Size (inch): 2.7 Wide Clear photo LCD plus screen with touch panel Minimum Focusing Distance: 5.1-51 USB Streaming: TBC 16:9 Wide (Full): 16:9 Mode ; 41.3-485 / 4:3 Mode ; 50.5-594 Optical Zoom: 20x Digital Zoom: 80x SteadyShot: Super SteadyShot Flash (Automatic Pop Up): No Memory Stick Compatibility: Memory Stick Duo Supplied Accessories: AC Adaptor AV Cable Rechargeable Battery Pack Handycam Station USB Cable USB Driver Editing Software Battery Life (Mins): STAMINA up to 6 hours 45 minutes (with optional battery LCD backlight off) Warranty: 1 Year

Customer Review: Superb in every way
This is another superb camera from Sony. As soon as you take it out the box you know it’s something special just by the way it feels, looks and sits in the palm of your hand. The build quality is superb, on many cameras you’d just get a normal resolution LCD screen to watch while you record but Sony have even installed a 2.7″ HD screen. The docking station makes it easy to backup or transfer files and everything feels sturdy and made to last.

The video quality is just unbelievable, it is the highest quality you could imagine and looks even better than ?2,000 TV studio cameras - no joking. Due to the x.v system the colours are lifelike, sharp and very bright. There’s no ghosting, blurring or shaking at all thanks to the super steady shot, it’s hard to see how this kind of quality could ever be improved upon. I filmed a cat walking on a fence which was a good 50 metres away, I had it on full zoom filming through a glass window and even then it was so clear you could see every whisker on his face. I have used it on a 40″ and a 19″ TV, it looks stunning on both. Thanks to super nightshot It’s equally as good in total darkness for all those of you who do ghost hunts or film nightlife, you can see up to 20 metres away and the quality remains as stunning and clear as if it were day. With up to 28 hours of “film” in standard definition and 5 hours at the top quality I doubt you’ll ever run out of room and it’s so much easier than carrying round spare tapes with you everywhere you go.

There’re lots of super features like the “old film” effect where you can make it look as though you’re recording on an old black and white camera from the 1930’s. There’s steadyshot to get rid of shaking caused by your hand. You can use the camcorder as a normal digital camera too and get 9999 pictures on the hard drive and there’s memory stick slot you can use too. The camera even has a flash, you can take them while still recording videos and the photos are as good as on a still camera thanks to the 4 megapixels. You can record in 5.1 surround sound which can really add a new dimension to your films and if all this sounds too much for you then just hit the “easy” button and the camera makes all the decisions for you! There’s a cool slow motion feature so you can record live action at about half the speed, great fun!The list of features goes on and on.

Editing is a slight problem although it is getting easier as time goes by. In High definition mode it records in a new format called AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition). AVCHD is not very editing friendly, it won’t load into about 90% of editing programs such as windows movie maker so I thoroughly recommend buying Sony Vegas 8 platinum for about ?50 at the same time as this camera so you can edit footage. You’ll need a powerful PC to edit HD footage (minimum 3.0 GHZ with 512mb ram and a 256mb graphics card) and even with that it takes 30 hours to publish a 1 hour film in 1080i. You could always just film in normal resolution though and you can easily edit that straight into any program.

Overall this is a top-notch camera.There are higher spec models in the range such as the SR7 and SR8 but they just have bigger hard drives and a very slightly better lens so this seems the pick of the bunch for me. I tried several hard drive high definition cameras before i bought this including JVC and Aiptek but this Sony model just blows everything else out the water.

Customer Review: Superb HD Camcorder from Sony
I’d been looking into purchasing a HD (High Definition) camcorder in order to take away on holiday and capture all of those memorable moments in stunning HD. I heavily researched the few HD models which are currently on the market and took an interest in Sony’s new HDD (Hard Disk Drive) camcorders which were released in June/July of 2007.

Sony have released three HD models which record to HDD in the new AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) format: the HDR-SR5E, HDR-SR7E and HDR-SR8E. The HDR-SR5E is the cheapest of the three.

I purchased the HDR-SR5E a few weeks ago, shortly after the release date, based on my research and my own personal requirements. At the time (and even now) there were very few reviews on this model, which is mainly why I am writing this, for the benefit of others!

Upon receipt of the camcorder, my first impression was ‘WOW!’. I had seen in a Sony Store a few days before-hand and so wasn’t too shocked at the size, but others could be. The device is fairly small, considering its capabilities, but feels strong and is of the typical high build quality from Sony.

All of the required cables etc were included in the box, along with a Handycam Docking Station and remote control. Be aware though, that the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cable needed for a HDMI connection is not bundled with the device. However, the camcorder can be connected to a HDTV using the supplied component cables.

I put the camcorder to test on a recent trip to Norway, capturing approximately one hour of footage at high quality (HD-XP). To my surprise, I used just under 7GB of the 40GB hard drive and did not even have to charge the supplied battery during the trip (takes approx. 2hr 20 min to charge). The touchscreen LCD is a joy to work with and the camcorder itself is easy to hold when filming for long periods of time.

Now for the real stuff…picture quality. In my opinion, the picture quality produced by this camcorder is superb. When viewed on a HDTV, footage is sharp and clear, and colours are strikingly accurate. The focus of the camera is accurate exposure adjusts automatically to produce some stunning shots. The camcorder has 10x optical zoom which is excellent, especially for capturing those shots a little bit further away. Moreover, the camcorder records in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, which is extremely good quality.

Footage can be uploaded to a computer for editing and playback using the supplied USB cable. However, be aware! This new AVCHD format requires quite a lot of processing for playback alone, never mind editing. If your computer is more than 18 months old, I wouldn’t recommend trying to edit such footage. The supplied Picture Motion Browser software will play the footage but editing options are limited. The software will, however, allow you to burn the AVCHD footage to DVD for playback in a PlayStation 3 or convert the footage to MPEG-2 for standard DVD players. Obviously, this loses the HD quality, but having tested this option myself, I can confirm that the quality is still relatively good. At present, support for the .m2ts format (which the camcorder records in) is also limited. However, if you have a Sony VAIO computer released from 2006 onwards, you should have no problem importing the .m2ts files into Adobe Premiere Elements for editing, as the VAIO Edit Components software (v6.2) provides AVCHD support.

Differences between this cheaper model and the other two models (SR7E and SR8E) are, in my opinion, very little. As far as I am aware, both the SR7E and SR8E offer a viewfinder, larger hard drives (60GB and 100GB respectively) and the inclusion of ‘Super SteadyShot’ as opposed to just ‘SteadyShot’ which IS included in the SR5E. Unless you have an extremely shakey hand, I can’t see there being much difference with the addition of Super SteadyShot. Obviously the larger hard disk drives and viewfinder do support the higher prices of these two models, but the SR5E is much cheaper and still offers approx. 5 hours and 20 minutes of high quality HD recording to its 40GB HDD.

Overall, this is an all-round winner. I would definately recommend this camcorder to anyone who is looking for a new model to capture memories in HD. Build quality is very good, both picture and sound quality are superb, and the unit is very easy to use. All of which you would expect from a Sony product.

As a final note…..a suitable bag for this camcorder is the LCS-VA20 which I purchased from Amazon. I would also recommend a larger battery, such as the NPF-H70, to compliment the supplied battery, should you be going on a longer trip with the camcorder.

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Take Control of Sound and Vision with the DCR-VX2100 series, offering the brightest video results of all Sony MiniDV models. With its Advanced HAD progressive scan CCD technology, illumination is improved dramatically, delivering superior low-light perfor
Amazon Price: ?1,439.97
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60GB Hard Disc Drive. 1.7 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?354.20
Used Price: ?289.99
Customer Review: DCR-SR72
Ordered the camera on Sunday arrived at my home on Tuesday. Easy to order and good service from Amazon. Have taken some videos and photos and plyed them back on TV. They are good quality and setup is very easy. I’m having difficulties with viewing the videos on the computer, the photos are visible but the video clips dont seem to be playing on Microsoft media player. It probably something I’m doing wrong but if anyone can help, id appreciatr it.
Customer Review: Seems a decent camcorder
Easy to use, compact, excellent image quality. My only problem is that i can’t figure out how to get it to work on windows movie maker. I would recommend and amazon was cheapest when i bought it a few weeks ago.
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Hama Compact Camcorder Case
The Hama TrackPack II DFV42 photo-video case is made from canvas, finished in black with grey trim and features an inner lining for added protection.

Customer Review: Brilliant Camcorder Case
I received this bag yesterday and am very happy with it. I have a Sony DCR-HC27E and the bag is a perfect size for it. There are handy pockets which provide ample space for at least 3 or 4 spare tapes plus instruction book etc. Highly recommended.

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Mustek DV8200
Mustek DV-8200 Digital Camcorder/Camera is an ideal gift for novice/casual photographers. It takes still picture, record high quality movies (with sound), and playback music!

Sony DCR-SR52 Hard Disc Drive Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen
30GB Hard Disc Drive. 1.7 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?302.20
Used Price: ?260.99
Customer Review: Terrible software and user docs
Camcorder looks Ok and it’s easy enough to record footage to the camcorders HDD. The problems start when you want to transfer the files to computer. As seems to be the norm these days: The software is poor, the user documentation even poorer. It doesn’t work straight out of the box and so you are left hunting through numerous web sites and forums looking for support. I run Windows Vista and still haven’t got the Camcorder working. It will be going back if I have to waste much more time on it.
Customer Review: poor tech support
The camera itself is superb and i cannot fault it…however the software is a different matter. As soon as i loaded it onto my desktop it wouldnt work, so i loaded it onto my laptop.(both running windows xp home edition(genuine))..on my laptop it worked perfect so i knew it was a set-up problem.When iu eventually got through to sony technical support i explained everything to them and was told that the problem was “your desktop computer isnt a manufadtured model, the problem is because it is a custom build”…..What a load of rubbish, but they would not change their opinion and offered no more assistance. i eventually had to take my computer to local pc shop where it was established that the sony software will not work if you have samsung mobile phone software installed as well…simple as that.. I have also now notices aproblem with my nero software since installing the sony software..

Digital Camcorder/Camera Bag With Shoulder Strap