JVC GR-D390EK Mini DV Camcorder
Customer Review: Absoloutely Brilliant!
I bought this camcorder after looking at the Sony alternatives. I also asked my friend, who is an ITV presenter, and he says he woul use a DV tape camcorder over DVD camcoders any day. It has the ability to record in widescreen (useful for playback on widescreen television) and amazing optical and digital zoom.

The included remote control is a bonus as it enables you to film yourself. It has ports for USB (photos) and DV Firewire (video): it comes with a USB cable and photo memory card but not with a firewire cable which cost around ?[...]

It’s very simple to use and comes with photo transfer software.

I would definetly buy this product if you are looking for a cheap camcorder with lots of functions.

Customer Review: Best value for money around
I wanted an inexpensive, good quality camcorder mainly to take clips of my horses. I was delighted to find that this camera includes a sports mode, that takes clear frame by frame action shots. Perfect. The optical zoom is excellent, we got clear shots of one of our horses being worked from over 200 yards away.

What you need to know, and is not clear, is that if you want to copy videos to your PC, you need a firewire (IEEE1394) cable and the port on your PC. The cable is not supplied with the camera, and I spent several hours wondering why I couldn’t download via the supplied USB cable. (Duh). I phoned JVC technical support and got through immediately, very impressive, and problem solved.

Can’t fault this camera for quality, value and loads of good features that I will never use ……

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The Studio Movieboard offers you an all in one solution to allow you to make professional films and short home digital videos with your PC.The Studio Movieboard PCI card has audio and video inputs/outputs compatible with both analogue and digital sources.Multiple exportation formats are possible with the Studio Movieboard. You can create CDs, videos, DVDs and even transfer your creations to your iPod or PSP console.The Pinnacle Studio Titanium software is the genuine reference point for the digital video making sector and offers you a wide selection of effects and transitions to enhance your films!The Studio Movieboard will transform your PC into a professional digital recording studio!
List Price: ?69.99
Amazon Price: ?62.99
Customer Review: If only it would work properly…
Good features and easy to use - conceptually. But. But. But. It constantly freezes and crashes my PC despite having much more memory and disc space than the minimum specified. My CPU speed should also be more than adequate to do the job. The internet has many reports of people having similar trouble with this software. This is absolutely unacceptable for software which will be used for large time-consuming video editing work, where a failure can be highly irritating to say the least. Pinnacle try to hide behind various excuses, mainly blaming the heavy computational load of video editing. That is rubbish. Properly written software would just run more slowly - it would not, repeat, not crash. The software concept must be fatally flawed. After a week of struggling I gave up and bought Sony Vegas instead. I have been using Vegas every day for two weeks now without a single freeze or crash. However, note that Sony Vegas is more complex to use and so has a steeper initial learning curve.
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Amazon Price: ?699.99
Customer Review: blu ray camcorder
hi, i just bought the hitachi dzbd7he blu ray cam i cannot see how anyone can give this cam anything but 5 stars,ive tried every thing on it different light inside shops zoom burned to disc on cam and playback on tv is 1080p well pleased.i done what the other 2 done it is not the camcorders fault it is pixmania as they advertized wrong,the code was for hitachi 300 not the blu ray camcorder,as the 300 was ?245 the blu ray was ?835,it was a mix up on pixmania they was wrong.isent back 3 300 cams they would not send the blu ray i hope this clears up about the blu ray,again i am very pleased ps i dont work for hitachi thanks.
Customer Review: Amazing
I don’t see how anyone can give a bad rating because they had the wrong item delivered. What has that got to do with the camcorder? Anyway this is a great piece of kit, easy to use and takes good Blu Ray 1080 resolution. The menu is easy to navigate and instruction book easy to follow. Would thoroughly reccommend this item.
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Uniross VP30 Camcorder Battery to fit Panasonic 12V SLA
UNIROSS BATTERY:CAMCORDER 12V 2300mAh PANASONIC PHILIPS CANO N CHINON SLA/Pb BATTERY PANASONIC VWVBM7 VWVBM10 ETC.

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Amazon Price: ?199.99
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The Everio GZ-MG275 camcorder is a remarkably easy-to-use device. It’s equipped with a one-touch record-to-DVD button for quick and easy back ups. With the GZ-MG275 camcorder, you can record up to 50 hours of video onto the 40 GB in-built hard drive. Thanks to its 2-megapixel CCD sensor, this camcorder will give you full, rich details with bright, deep colours. The GZ-MG275 also comes with a Gigabrid processor and a wide-aperture lens for everyday filming, evenings with friends or those special occasions. Plus, the GZ-MG275 has a large 2.7? LCD screen and a directional control button for quick and easy access to all of the camcorder?s functions. You?ll be able to use several programmes and special effects included in the GZ-MG275?s features to add a personal touch to your video creations. In addition, this camcorder has a photo-to-memory-card mode (SD and SDHC compatible), as well as compatibility with Pictbridge for quick and easy photo printing. Featuring a USB 2.0 port and Firewire port on its docking station, you?ll be able to transfer your creations to your computer in a flash. High performance and user friendly, the GZ-MG275 camcorder and its docking station will let you discover digital video in all its simplicity.
Amazon Price: ?360.80
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Customer Review: Amazing
As a few comments above i was also apprehensive about buying this DV camera. But trust me, it is an amazing piece of kit, I haven’t had a problem with it yet. The image quality is great outdoors and the photo quality is excellent everywhere. I’ve bought a 2 gig memory chip for this camera and its great fun A recommended buy for the amateur film-maker
Customer Review: spend a bit more
what a waste of money. The instruction manual is about 3/4 thick but only 20 pages in English If you can get it to work and decide to record something,do not use the zoom feature, or move anything near the camera as the mic picks up the sound. You end up with a movie with clicking sounds from the zoom feature. The camera I have now is the second one as the first packed in at the first use. spend more to get something that is worthwhile pity we cannot give no star so a 1 will have to do. Even then the camera does not deserve it
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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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Ideal for creative photographers, the PowerShot A570 IS gives you complete control. Find the perfect shot with a 4x optical zoom with Image Stabilization and DIGIC III with Face Detection Technology. The PowerShot A570 IS?s 7.1 Megapixel sensor captures stunningly detailed images, enabling you to make high-quality crops and large-scale prints. A bright 4x optical zoom lens, gives you the flexibility to capture images at distance without sacrificing quality. Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake at slower shutter speeds and full zoom. It also allows for flash-free shooting indoors and in low light. Canon’s DIGIC III processor delivers high-speed performance and superior colour rendition, whilst advanced noise reduction ensures cleaner images at high ISO speeds. iSAPS uses shooting scene data to optimise camera settings before a shot is taken. Face Detection AF/AE/FE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting up to 9 faces in frame and setting the correct focus, exposure and flash settings. Face Detection Technology also enables Red-Eye Correction in playback mode. Fix red-eyes in the camera and make them look natural again. PowerShot A570 IS?s high ISO settings enable you to take excellent flash-free photographs in lowlight conditions such as museums or restaurants. High ISO Auto prioritises high ISO to enable faster shutter speeds, reducing the risk of blurred images. The A570 IS?s 19 shooting modes include a creative zone for manual control. Popular Special Scene modes - Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets and Indoor - are located on the shooting mode dial for easy access. Apply colour effects in camera with My Colors. Shoot VGA quality movies with full audio. View them on the camera’s LCD screen, or connect to a TV or PC for full screen playback. The bright 2.5″ LCD screen is ideal for easy group viewing. Night Display mode aids visibility in low light while a selectable Grid Line display helps with compos
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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.
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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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Battery for Canon Ixus 70 / Ixus 75, LiIon, Li-Ion, Lithium Ion Technology, 100% fits, properly matching, Batteries, Camcorder, Video, Digital Camera
NB-4L Battery for Canon IXUS 30 40 50 55 60 65 70 75 Compatible With Canon: Digital IXUS 30, Digital IXUS 40, Digital IXUS 50, Digital IXUS 55, Digital IXUS 60, Digital IXUS 65, Digital IXUS 70, Digital IXUS 75, Digital IXUS I ZOOM, IXUS i7, IXY 55, SD1000, SD200 / Digital IXUS 30 / IXY Digital 40, SD30, SD300 / Digital IXUS 40 / IXY Digital 50, SD40, SD400, SD430, SD450, SD600, SD630, SD750, TX1100% new high quality generic (non-OEM) Canon NB-4L Compatible Li-Ion Battery Quantity: 2 Never run out of battery power when you’re just about to capture the perfect moment! Time to get extra power for your digital video camera/camcorder. High capacity, rechargeable DC 3.7V Li-Ion Battery technology gives the best performance possible compared to other battery technologies such as Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH). Net weight: 1.0oz. Best replacement for the original NB-4L 9763A001AA battery pack.

Sony DCR-HC51E Mini DV Handycam with X40 Zoom
Sony brilliantly combines top quality performances and user-friendliness with the DCR-HC51! It’s incredibly easy to get great results with the DCR-HC51, because it comes with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens that captures contrast and colours for natural-looking images. Its Advanced HAD CCD sensor and 40x optical zoom allow you to get up close to your subjects without losing any quality, and its Easy Handycam function changes the camcorder?s settings to automatic mode, making it easy for beginners to use. All of the DCR-HC51?s features are directly accessible on its 2.5? screen. The DCR-HC51 is also equipped with a full range of connections, so you can watch your home videos on your computer or television, and video quality can be improved using its image stabiliser, windbreak filter and pre-set modes. Sony has certainly achieved its goal with flying colours with the DCR-HC51!
Amazon Price: ?149.99

PowerSmart 1300mAh Silver Digital Camera Battery replacement for CANON EOS Series / PowerShot G Series / PowerShot Pro Series. Compatible with BP-508, BP-511, BP-511A, BP-512, BP-514.
Compatible Part Numbers: BP-508, BP-511, BP-511A, BP-512, BP-514 CANON Canon IXY DVM, Canon PV130, Canon MV-30i, Canon MV-430IMC, Canon MV-X3i Canon DM-MV Series DM-MV30, DM-MV30i, DM-MV100Xi, DM-MV400, DM-MV400i, DM-MV430, DM-MV450, DM-MV450i, DM-MVX1i Canon FV Series FV2, FV10, F20, FV50, FV100, FV200, FV30, FV40, FV300, FV400 Canon FV KIT Series FV300 KIT, FV40 KIT Canon FVM Series FVM1, FVM10 Canon MV300 Series MV300, MV300i Canon MV400 Series MV400, MV400i, MV430i, MV450i Canon MV500 Series MV500, MV500i, MV530i, MV550i Canon MV600 Series MV600, MV600i, MV630i, MV650i Canon MV700 Series MV700, MV700i, MV730i, MV750i Canon MVX Series MVX100i, MVX150i, MVX2i Canon Optura Series Optura 10, Optura 20, Optura 50MC, Optura 100MC, Optura 200MC, Optura Pi, Optura Xi Canon ZR Series ZR-10, ZR-20, ZR-25, ZR-25MC, ZR-30, ZR-30MC, ZR-40, ZR-45MC, ZR-50MC, ZR-60, ZR-65MC, ZR-70MC, ZR-80, ZR-85, ZR-90 CANON Canon EOS Series EOS-5D, EOS-10D, EOS-20D, EOS-20Da, EOS-D30, EOS 30D, EOS-D60, EOS-300D, EOS-Digital Rebel, EOS Kiss Digital Canon PowerShot G Series PowerShot G1, PowerShot G2, PowerShot G3, PowerShot G5, Powershot G6 Canon PowerShot Pro Series PowerShot Pro 1, PowerShot Pro 90, PowerShot Pro 90 IS

Aiptek High Definition Pocket DV Z300HD (720P) Camcorder (5MP CMOS sensor, 2.4″ LCD Display, 3xOptical Zoom, SD card format)
Technical DataStorage Floppy Drive / TypeNoneTechnical DataDisplay (Projector) / TypeLCD displayTechnical DataDisplay (Projector) / Diagonal Sizein2.4Technical DataDisplay (Projector) / TechnologyTFT active matrixTechnical DataVideo Input / TypeCamcorderTechnical DataVideo Input / Digital Video FormatAVCHDTechnical DataAudio Input / TypeMicrophoneTechnical DataDimensions & Weight / Widthcm3.3Technical DataDimensions & Weight / Depthcm7Technical DataDimensions & Weight / Heightcm11.3Technical DataDimensions & Weight / Weightg172Technical DataVideo Input / Still Image FormatJPEGTechnical DataOptical Sensor / Optical Sensor TypeCMOSTechnical DataViewfinder / Viewfinder TypeLCD monitorTechnical DataHeader / Product LineAiptek High-Definition PocketDVTechnical DataHeader / ModelZ300HDTechnical DataHeader / ManufacturerAIPTEKTechnical DataHeader / Packaged Quantity1Technical DataViewfinder / Viewfinder Colour SupportColourTechnical DataLens System / TypeZoom lensTechnical DataLens System / Lens ApertureF/3.6-6.7Technical DataLens System / Min Focal Lengthmm7.5Technical DataLens System / Max Focal Lengthmm21.5Technical DataCamera Flash / TypeBuilt-in flashTechnical DataLens System / Optical Zoom3Technical DataVideo Input / Special EffectsBlack & WhiteTechnical DataCamcorder Features / Low Lux / Night ModeYesTechnical DataVideo Input / Shooting ModesDigital photo modeTechnical DataDisplay (Projector) / Display Form FactorRotatingTechnical DataBattery / Battery Form FactorManufacturer specificTechnical DataBattery / Manufacturer Battery NameAiptek NP-60Technical DataOptical Sensor / Camcorder Sensor ResolutionMpix5Technical DataCamcorder Features / High Definition Video Support720p

Customer Review: An eveyday star
OK it’s a toy - the optics are limited and the sound is mediocre- BUT it’s a lovely camera for carrying around and capturing the unplanned happenings of everyday life - great for parties, concerts, podcasts, youtube and sports- in fact the stuff that makes up 90% of what video recorders are used for.

I’ve got a Mac and with MOV files as the format, video clips are very quick to transfer to iMovie for editing.

The HD mode is very good for landscape- as long as you put it on a tripod. The D1 mode is responsive enough for most other situations.

If you want to make a ‘real’ movie then buy one of end-of-line DV cams- I think the limitations of the Aiptek give it some character and charm - and what do you expect at this price? (I got mine for ?117)

Customer Review: V HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!
I love this camcorder! I was thinking of buying one of these however reading some of the reviews put me off - don’t let them! - i got one for my birthday and have hardly put it down.

The recording quality is great - within minutes i can playback on my tv or pc using the supplied cables.

It has a camera built in with 5 megapixels which produces great quality pictures. The great thing is you don’t feel like your carrying around a big bag - its so compact i take it everywhere.

Even though I received it as a gift I knew how much it cost and I think its great value for money!

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio +DVD 6 (Platinum Edition) (PC)
Price: ?79.99
Customer Review: This is the one to buy!!!
Having spent many hours editing and the trying to render various pieces of video footage on to a Pinnacle software system (with no success what so ever) I decided to go on previous recommendations and buy the Sony Vageas Movie Studio +DVD 6 (Platinum Edition). After taking delivery, editing with it and rendereing a superb quality DVD at the first attempt, my thoughts were “why didn’t I but this one from the very start, instead of wasting my time with other feeble excuses of editing software?”. This software didn’t “hang up” the P.C. once during either the editing stage or the rendering stage. Previous software I’ve used was “hanging up” everytime I tried to do anything with it. If you are looking to buy some video editing software, without spending the amount the professionals do, then get this one. It is the only one I’ve found that actually works!!! Superb features and once you get the hang of how to do things through the use of the excellent tutorials, it’s a breeze to use and the results are great. Not that I have ever used “professional” software, but I would imagine it performs just as well on this version and at a fantastic price too!! What can I say except “Thanks Sony, you’ve made me believe that their are some companies that can at least get software to work. Forget Pinnacle and Roxio, this is the one to get!!!!
Customer Review: Value for money
This product cannot be beaten on value for money. It is overloaded with features and if you want great looking productions your search is probably over. Not all features are are straight forward but with a little time and a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, then most things you want will be manageable. If you get more serious a switch to Sony’s full blown package Vegas will be a breeze.

Sanyo Xacti HD2 High Definition Digital Movie Camera
You can film and take photographs whenever you like with the Xacti Digital Movie VPC-HD2 camcorder from Sanyo! This hybrid camcorder features a 7.8-megapixel CCD sensor and a pushdown flash behind its lens for clear, sharp results. It has a shutter speed of 1/15 sec and ISO sensitivity up to 3200 in video mode, to ensure that you capture even the tiniest details. You can save your videos and photos to an SD or SDHC memory card. Because it’s compatible with PictBridge and features a USB 2.0 connection, you can print your images. The Xacti Digital Movie VPC-HD2 camcorder from Sanyo also comes with a docking station and several video outputs including an HDMi socket, so you can connect your camcorder to a high-definition television or DVD player. Both practical and smart, the Xacti Digital Movie VPC-HD2 is a compact camera that?s perfect for sports and technology fans on the move!
Amazon Price: ?332.90
Used Price: ?265.00
Customer Review: Excellent machine.
I bought my camera from Singapore last year where it was ?50 cheaper. My requirement was to combine still camera with movie camera in a super-portable form - and this camera achieves that. The picture is lush… the colours vibrant and sharp. I happily take the camera everywhere….it’ll fit comfortably in a trouser pocket (or the wife’s handbag)… battery lasts for ages…The quick-start is a real plus - just take off the lens cap and it’s shooting. I love the way I can slot the memory card directly into my PC and download the files in seconds. Only complaint is the user manual, which isn’t great. I just don’t understand why other manufacturers have caught on to this design and functionality!
Customer Review: Great entry level hd
This is a great budget hd camcorder and has been unfairly judged on hd camcorders that are much more expensive. For general family stuff and holidays this is ideal better than tape for sure, ok its not great in low light like a lot of camcorders, but how often do you need it in low light? If so switch some friggin lights on and its ok. I have found that getting the right iso settings and choosing the right colour setting helps lots also.The size of it and gun style grip appeals and seems more natural than other designs. Also if you have a huge tv i.e around 50 inch then its going to push the boundaries and stretch a few pixels but on an average size tvs its great.I would have liked a wider angle lens but you carn’t have everything at this price.

Panasonic NV-GS230EB-S Mini DV Digital Camcorder Mini Dv (2.3MP Stills, 3 x CCD, 10 x Optical) 2.5″ LCD
With its 2.3 megapixel Tri CCD sensor, digital image stabiliser and photo-on-memory-card mode, the NV-GS230EF-S from Panasonic provides you with the very best technology for your video recordings. In fact, this camcorder records your most precious memories onto miniDV, while its SIS stabiliser corrects blur and image distortion. It comes complete with a 10x optical zoom, allowing you to record detailed and vibrant images even when subjects are far away, and a sensitivity of 1 lux, so you can film your family gatherings and parties with friends perfectly. The NV-GS230EF-S saves video images and fixed images onto memory cards at the same time, and replaces your digital camera by offering a host of practical and user-friendly scene modes for your photos. What’s more, the NV-GS230EF-S camcorder has an AV output, an S-video output, a FireWire port, a USB 2.0 port, an accessories shoe (for video lights, for example), a microphone socket so you can record in a professional manner, and a headphones socket to control sound. The NV-GS230EF-S is a great camcorder that can be used by all the family!
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 !!

Panasonic VDR-D250EB Digital Camcorder [3 x CCD, 2.3Megapixels, 2.7" LCD, Image Stabiliser]

Hitachi DZBD7HE Blu-Ray Disc Camcorder - 2.7″ Widescreen LCD
Customer Review: Ordered this item but pixmania delivered a different camera.
I ordered this camera at a much cheaper price, from this very page. Amazon confirmed my order for this camera. Pixmania on the other hand delivered a completely different inferior model - not the pictured, completely different spec. Trying to sort out with them what has happened is like wading through treacle. 3 emails in 48hrs and they have not replied to one yet. In the end Pixmania refused to supply the camera I had ordered at the price that had been displayed. They refused to honour the advertised price. They offered it at a much higher price - I chose to have my money back. To add insult to injury when I got the refund it said they were refunding me for this camera - lol - even though this is not the camera they sent. Not happy - i feel scammed. Amazon and Pixmania has messed up and the service from both is terrible. Go buy your item from a real shop.

Chris

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio +DVD 6 (PC)
Price: ?59.99
Customer Review: The best software for the everyday user
Excellent delivery time, Excellent software. Takes a little getting used to but thats only because i’m used to windows movie maker.
Customer Review: Vegas is about the best editing software around
Vegas does things a little differently to other video editors - but that’s because they’ve thought through what’s the quickest way to edit a video. Once you get to used to - you can edit a video very very quickly.

Canon DC21 Digital DVD Camcorder (2.0MP, 20xOptical) 2.7″ Colour LCD
The DC21 is Canon’s first camcorder that’s compatible with dual-layer DVDs! Tehis camcorder’s controls are on its back panel for optimal handling. The DC21 is very user-friendly, as you can do everything with just one hand. It allows you to record even more video: 36 minutes in professional quality, 54 minutes in standard mode and 108 minutes in maximum length. In addition, this product comes with a DIGIC DV processor that helps its CCD sensor to produce more detailed and beautiful images. The DC21 also boasts a 10x optical zoom that enables you to film subjects close up. Thanks to its 1 lux tolerance level, you can film at night without losing any image quality. What?s more, this camcorder has a USB 2.0 port for video capture. The DC21 is a compact camera that lets you capture life?s best moments on film!
Amazon Price: ?289.99

Sony DCR-VX2100 Digital Camcorder [Semi Professional, 12xoptical, 2.5" LCD, CCD]
Untitled Document Sony s flagship camcorder with a range of advanced features for professionals. 3CCD imaging system Exposure dial Powered zoom ring 25 Precision Colour LCD Memory Stick Slot Intelligent Accessory Shoe STAMINA 9h (with optional battery) 2 Lux Minimum Illumination 58 mm Lens 12x Optical Zoom / 48x Digital Zoom Optical Super SteadyShot 530 TV lines camera resolution Precision Colour Viewfinder iLINK (DV in/out) Analogue in/out  

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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The COOLPIX P5000 delivers the kind of advanced functions, ease of operation and outstanding image quality that enables you to capture images precisely as you intended. A remarkable 10.0 megapixels of resolution combine with a 3.5x Zoom-Nikkor lens equipped with an optical Lens shift Vibration Reduction image stabilization system to give you the power to shoot everything in stunningly sharp detail, and a newly designed mode dial provides fast and easy access to the unlimited creative possibilities offered by P, S, A and M exposure modes. Its advanced new image-processing engine optimizes performance and color reproduction and features enhanced noise reduction to preserve image quality when you shoot at the high end of its light sensitivity range, which extends up to ISO 3200*. Photographic versatility is further enhanced thanks to its optical viewfinder and the built-in accessory shoe that supports Nikons advanced i-TTL flash control for external flashes.
Amazon Price: ?251.18
Customer Review: Great Camera
Im pretty pleased with this camera after six months of owning it. I’m very much a happy snapper - I like to take decent shots but without much fuss or thinking about clever set-ups. I’ve stuck with Nikon just because all my previous digital cameras have been Nikon and I’m used to the software. But this is just so much better than its predecessors in all sorts of ways. I’ve bought a lens for it and a flash gun - it’s just like a ‘grown up camera’ with all the benefits of a neat little digital compact. It takes great photos - really good quality pictures - and has such a sensible selection of presets that I never really need the manual settings. Only two things I wish I could change - one, the viewfinder is sufficiently out of line with the lens that you have to do a good deal of guesswork to compensate when using it to take close-ups, and the frame cuts out a lot of the actual picture - but at least it has a viewfinder. Two, it’s slower than some of its top competitors - catching the kids or the dog in action can be a bit hit or miss. I knew that before I bought it and decided that I could live with it. Some of you may find that off-putting I know, but there are lots of compensations like the menus, the physical design - a good weight and shape making it easy to hold - the excellent picture quality, and so on. I think it easily lives up to all the good reviews I’ve read about it all over the web - not just on Amazon - and glad I decided to buy it.
Customer Review: Nikon P5000
I recently purchased this camera, after much investigation into the various makes and models available. I’ve used it to take over 400 photos since buying it, and can honestly say that I am impressed. This camera is packed full of features, and one of the attractions to me was that it could be used “fully automatic”, or could be set to “manual” mode which gives you many of the options that you would expect from an SLR. The quality of the pictures this camera takes is superb. I can point and shoot, and trust the camera to get it right. The only disappointment is the software that is supplied from Nikon. Firstly it is a lightweight application that seems pretty basic. Secondly, I found it would not run well on Windows Vista, but really this shouldn’t detract from the camera itself which is a great piece of kit. I would definitely recommend buying the camera, but I would also suggest purchasing a decent case, and different computer software for image manipulation/management.
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List Price: ?12.99
Amazon Price: ?8.57
Used Price: ?5.49
Customer Review: Good reference guide for D70 & D70s owners
The first 40% of the book is a more colourful, in-depth, helpful version of a Nikon manual. There are colour pictures and notes highlighting what the author is referring to. Owners of Nikon D70 and D70s can relate to this book well. The book is written more for the amateur or beginner photographer who has the D70. This is evident in the first couple of chapters. The first chapter is a quick guide on the functions & features of the camera and what these do and when to use them. The second chapter focuses more on settings of the camera. This is ideal for novices who want to explore the camera but don't know what each of the functions do. The writer provides tips on exposure, shutter, metering, focusing, flash, lens selection and flash selection. The other 60% of the book focuses on taking pictures. This is where the book becomes another photography book but the best thing is Nikon D70 users can relate to it. There are lots of example pictures taken by the author which he goes onto explain how he took them and what equipment he used. All this information is laid out in a clear table with set-up, lens, lighting, exposure & camera settings. These examples are useful for inspiration. The author also does a great job using 'kit' lenses with his example, this I thought was very sensible as most people will have a kit lens to start off. Overall the book is ideal for your camera bag as a reference and a quick guide to your Nikon and you will be able to relate to majority of the topics and examples covered.
Customer Review: Choose another book
I am an Englishman livng in France, so when I got my D70s the instruction book was in french, I bought the book thinking it was going to be as comprehensive as the manual, but was extremeley dissapointed. I found the whole book misleading,going off on tangents regarding external flash manual focus etc etc, over half the book is devoted to how to take very cheesey photographs, by a not very good photographer.
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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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Bratz Movie Making Set
Become a movie-maker with your very own Bratz Starz Movie Making Studio! Pose your Bratz Movie Stars (the most poseable Bratz ever!) and snap a picture with the real digital camera. Re-pose your Bratz and take more pictures, then use the movie function to turn your series of photos into a movie you can watch on your TV! You can also connect to your computer to print out photos for all your fans! Bratz Starz Movie Making Studio Features: - Age 6 - 9 years - Print photos from your computer

Sony DCR-HC47 Handycam Mini Dv Camcorder With 2.7” LCD Screen
Compact and easy to use, the DCR-HC47 camcorder will record all of your most special occasions to miniDV format! With its 2.7? LCD touch screen and easy to use functions, you can control every shot and enlarge images by up to 25x without losing in quality. It’s also fitted with an image stabiliser and a NightShot mode, ensuring your videos come out perfect in all circumstances, and has FireWire and USB ports so you can create video montages and send them to your friends over the Internet. Supplied with its very own remote control and docking station, the DCR-HC47 also has a host of scene modes and special effects for home videos that are sure to impress!
Used Price: ?199.99
Customer Review: Great Little Handycam
I love this camera. Bought as a replacement for my JVC which died suddenly I went for the HC47 on the basis of various reviews I’ve read. It’s easy to operate, a good selection of features and if you buy the infoLithium battery you have up to five hours recording time available. The only let-down is filming in low light conditions, but I was aware of this when I purchased it and that’s the only reason I have given it 4/5. I haven’t tried to use the i.LINK, i download the movies via a USB cable and edit the films using Sony Vegas Movie Studio which is a dream to work with. The only problem I have is that I can’t put it down, it’s just so much fun to use!
Customer Review: lovely camera but cant download films!!!!!
I bought this camera in May and again in August!!!! Why, because cant get the darn thing to download via IIlink to computer. Amazon first class service, refunded no probs, but I really want this camera, or one that does work. We tried it on our computer, my brothers 3 computers and none of them could find the camera on the Ilink. Reported it to Sony who advised us to download updates for software, which we had already done about 5 times all to no avail. So back it goes again. Fortunately my brother has made our films (daughters wedding!!) into DVD’s for us through his canon. What shall we do, do we persevere and try again or just try a different camera. Also have bought loads of tapes and 2 extra betteries for this model. Anyone else had this problem or know a solution?? Or recommend a different make and model . P.S. Have now bought another one from local Sony centre (different batch obviously) and it is fine. Lovely camera, cant do better for price and Amazon provides a top class service.

Tamron to offer 18-200, 17-50 and 70-300 in Nikon mount
PMA 2008: Tamron has three lenses in the pipeline suitable for Nikon camera bodies lacking in-body focus motors - namely the D40, D40x and D60. The 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 and 17-50 f/2.8 are for crop sensors only but the 70-300 f/4-5.6 will cover 24×36mm sensors. Click through for specs and compatibility information.

Sony NP-FT1 Camcorder Battery 710mAh 3.6v - CC131

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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

Read more..

20GB HDD Camcorder
Used Price: ?165.00
Customer Review: A VERY CHEAP HDD DIGITAL CAMCORDER.
I must confess that I was shocked to find such an advanced camcorder at such a low price. I have had two Sony video 8 camcorders over the past 15 or so years and there bulk means limited use. My old Video 8 now has problems so I never realised I could afford a HDD camera. The Jvc with it’s 20GB HDD gives a fantastic recording all of which can be edited on the P.C . I have yet to try this out so I can’t comment as yet but I can’t wait to give it a go. There are three issues that let this camera down however - one being the poor LCD screen that’s difficult to watch while recording due to it’s viewing range. The second being the poor battery life which is at best 50 minutes from the standard 7200 MHN. The third being the siting of the control joystick located on the flimsy LCD screen. I feel this is a stupid place to put this as the screen is liable to get broken. But overall this is still a great very compact camcorder for the price and well worth it.
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.
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

Read more..

Samsung VP-D375W/XEU MiniDV Widescreen Camcorder With 34 Opt. 1200 Dig. Zoom USB2.0 & Card Slot
Mini DV format.

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Canon MD-110 Digital Video Camcorder

Mustek DV-8200 Digital Video Camcorder/Digital Camera 8MP
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!
Customer Review: Nasty
in the flesh it looks even cheaper and nastier; its cheap plastic components are not well screwed together either. Buttons are floppy and have an unpleasant feel in use - you’d actually think it was a plastic 50p toy, or came as a gift with a happy meal - or possibly from a christmas cracker. My 12 year old daughter, for whom it was bought as a present, threw it back at me, saying she wouldnt be seen dead with it.

Mustek DV 9300 - Camcorder with digital player / voice recorder - 3.0 Mpix - supported memory: MMC, SD

Energizer UCK1 Universal Camcorder & Digital Camera Battery Charger
Amazon Price: ?34.89