Samsung VP-D371W/XEU MiniDV Camcorder With 34 Optical 1200 Digital Zoom
Reviews. Mini DV format. Voice+ audio dubbing system.

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.

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Canon DC19 Digital DVD Camcorder [2.2MP, 10 x Optical, 2.7" Colour LCD]
DC19 HIGH RES 2.2MP 10X OPTICAL LENS 2.7 LCD UK
Amazon Price: ?318.37
Customer Review: Great product for a great price
The main reason for this purchase was because of the price. It is being sold at a ?200 reduction from Jessops. So that is quite good. The build quality is good as it feels sturdy and reliable. I also bought it because of the DVD capability. It is quite easy to use but needs DVD-RW if you really want to erase and do it again. The operations of the camcorder are good because it is easy to navigate. However you will be needing quite alot (3 to 4) batteries if you want to take loads of videos, because the batteries go quite quickly. This is the only down side to this camcorder. All in all a good all rounded camcorder for a good price. Hope it helps

Sony DCR-DVD306 Handycam DVD Camcorder
Easy to use 1 Megapixel DVD Handycam with Carl Zeiss lens, compact design, powerful 25x optical zoom, a 2.7″ widescreen touch panelLCD screen and 5.1 channel surround sound creator.
Amazon Price: ?252.40
Used Price: ?224.99
Customer Review: Easy to use Camcorder
I have owned a Camcorder for the past 10 years and decided it was time to upgrade to a new model / type to take advantage of the new smaller units now available. Before deciding what type of Camcorder to buy ( Tape / DVD / Hard Drive ) I decided to use the Amazon site for feedback and re search. I finally decided to buy the Sony DCR-DVD306 Handycam DVD Camcorder. I have now owned the Camcorder for 1 month and have been pleased with the all round performance. The camcorder is easy to operate, small and light to carry and produces good results in both good and low light conditions. The quality of still pictures is not particularly great if taken in ‘zoom’ mode. I was concerned over comments about the controls being difficult to operate, I have not found any difficulty, I have also found transfering the recordings by either PC or through the TV fairly straight forward although it took me some time to set up the transfer the first time. The Camcorder is not supplied with a very powerfull battery or a seperate charger, these are available from Sony after registration at a 25% discount, you will need a more powerfull battery if not a fast charger, accessories are a bit pricy even after the discount ! Overall I am pleased with the product, functions, quality and performance.
Customer Review: Sony DVD306E review.
This is my first DVD camcorder replacing my old Canon MV400i and I have found it a pleasure to use. It is copmpact in your hand and the touch screen is a great feature. The picture and sound quality are excellent and conncecting to my computer was a doodle whether it was via the supplied USB cable or simply inserting the 8cm DVD.

Vivitar DVR-540 Digital Video Camera
Customer Review: flutter
great, but could use more info on what kind of memory card i can use

Panasonic NV-GS320EB-S Mini DV Digital Camcorder (3 x CCD, 10 x Optical ,3.1 MP Stills, SD Slot) 2.7″ LCD

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Amazon Price: ?178.80
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30GB Hard Disc Drive. 0.8 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?287.50
Used Price: ?239.99
Customer Review: OK for laptops but watch out for mpeg2
I was prompted to write a review as Tillie’s remarks about the camcorder not being compatible with laptops nearly stopped me buying it. But I thought that surely was incorrect and went ahead. It is of course fine when working with laptops. The drawback that I have found is that it produces MPEG2 video files which will not play on Windows Media Player without non-free add-ons. Very annoying. You may also find that you cannot edit them in Windows Movie Maker either. If you go to Tool/Options/Compatibility and unclick all the filters it seems to work. The camcorder itself seems fine, very light and compact. I hope that constantly poking at the screen in order to select menu items wont damage it eventually. And a special thank you to Amazon: I placed the order at 11:00pm on Sunday night and it was waiting for me when I arrived at work on Tuesday morning. 35 hours delivery: Is this a record. Amazing..
Customer Review: Avoid this camera like the plague!
We bought this camera, at the end of August, after much deliberation and research to take on a special holiday. After our return we loaded the Sony software onto our brand new - less than 7 days old - purpose bought laptop and bingo! - It won’t work. Having spent a week on the helpline to Sony, de-installation and re-installation of our laptop software, getting through 25 discs, (by this time severe headaches) Sony software on and off, Sony have informed us that their software is not guarenteed to work once it leaves their factory, that - even though the laptop has the spec required on their ads and leaflets - that it is not powerful enough for their software and shouldn’t be on a laptop any way - it should only be on a P.C! Never accept Sony products at face value or you’ll be sorely disappointed and end up with a product you cannot use. Thumbs down for this one.
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HIGH DEF. 1080I 2.7 W/S T/PNLV/S T*LNS 4 M/PX1/3 NS
Amazon Price: ?500.19
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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 EOS Digital Rebel XT/EOS 350D (Magic Lantern Guides) (Magic Lantern Guides)
List Price: ?14.95
Amazon Price: ?8.97
Used Price: ?5.29
Customer Review: canon 350 mamual
only buy this book if you have bought the 350 without a manual, otherwise your wasting your money only found about 4 things in this book that the 350’s manual didn’t tell me about. so prints a bit bigger so easier to read but thats about the only benefit.
Customer Review: Everybody is right - this is a must for 350D owners
Having used Canon film SLR’s my leap into digital was also going to be down the Canon road, and I am very pleased indeed with the 350D. However, as is the case nowadays with anything and everything electronic you purchase, even software (such as Corel or Adobe), 3rd party manuals always seem to be better, and this book is no execption. It’s small format makes it easy to ready anywhere and not so daunting either. I do have a couple of books that you really need to sit down and prepare to read - this is informative and easy to read. Got a 350D… Get this.

Mini Digital Camera Keyring

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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Customer Review: Great Little Camera
This is a great little camera. I got it as a birthday present for my younest sister. She is very happy, and keep emailing me her pictures. My parents are much happier because they can feel their youngest daughter more close now (because they stay with me).
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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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