Camera-Accessories Reviews

I think it's a bit of a rip-off to make you buy this separate from the cameras. The case is attractive and well-made, but all it holds is the camera and maybe some extra batteries, although I suspect 4 extra AA's will be a tight fit in the one pocket in front, or in lieu of batteries, an extra compact flash card. My A70 came with 4 rechargeable AA's. They should really just put the case in with the camera and either include the charger too, or let people fend for themselves with buying some other manufacturer's battery recharger. Seems like a ploy to sell battery chargers to me. I could have bought a charger with batteries for the same price as this kit. I only bought this to get the case.

I bought this bundle for my A75 and it's a great product overall. It has all you need to carry and power you canon A-series digital camera. The batteries are great and you can shoot for couple of days with them without needing to be recharged. The charger is nice and very portable, though I wish it had a power cord instead of connecting directly to the outlet.
I didn't give five start because, as someone already has pointed it out, I think at least the batteries and charger should come with the camera. However, at this price it's a good value and a must for canon A-series digital camera owners.

The litmus test of a good product (typically) is it's availability (not always, but in this case, for certain!). Well, as I attempted to find the A Series accessory kit, I became incredibly frustrated with the following messages: "Out of Stock," "Backordered," "Arriving Soon." Whether my theory of "everyone with an A Series wants one" or whether Canon just doesn't produce enough of these these kits is really irrelevant; if you own an A Series, this kit is a must.

First, the compact case is a streamlined and perfect fit; not a bulky case. And, every camera, particularly these expensive digitals, must have some kind of protection. Okay, preliminaries out of the way, the case is just the cherry. The real beef to this kit is the charger and NiMH rechargeable batteries.

Depending on your use of your camera (and disregarding its powersaving features), AA batteries do not have abundant life. My solution is to have an extra set of non-rechargable AAs with me at all times (which can be conveniently stored in the front pouch of the accompanying case) while using the rechargables. By using this scheme, I'll always be prepared when taking photos. After I get home, I pop the rechargables in the charger, which is very compact and can be plugged in nearly any convenient outlet, and use the non-rechargables. To recharge all four batteries is something less than 4 hours; not bad, all-in-all.

At the price, this is an accessory kit that all A Series owners should strongly consider.

I have been used this webcam almost two years. First of all, I want to say it's much better than Creative Labs' which I had used before. Second of all, it's work perfectly either image or voice. There is a new driver for update built-in microphone. After that it has very nice quality on voice, which saves lots of international phone fee for me. The benefits of image as other people said. I have nice time chat with my family and friends via it. Then, it's very easy to install. No useless and complicated software which Creative usually does. Moreover, it's save the desk space. Just hang on top of the screen, which also good looking for laptop. Finally, I HIGHLY RECOMMAND this for people who going to buy webcam, especially for laptop using. There is already a new model in the market which is PCGA-UVC11.

I just don't understand why stores like Best Buy and CompUSA and even most stores online don't seem to carry this Sony webcam. It's like somebody woke up one day and said that anything that is not shaped like a stupid egg is not worthy of being called a webcam and we should not carry it in our stores. So now stores are are all obsessed with anything made by Logitech, Creative Labs or some brand no one has ever heard of. I am able to use my Sony webcam and I bought one for my dad and mom who live overseas and it is INCREDIBLE! We use it for Netmeeting and Yahoo! and it's great. Especially when we can use Supermode. Anyone who uses any other camera is wasting good money and is not truly experiencing what today's web conferencing technology has to offer. I am also very disappointed in Sony for not promoting their own product more effectively and actually writing on the front of the box "For Sony Vaio Computers Only". I mean how stupid is that? Do you not want more customers to purchase your product?

I just bought a SONY Visual Communication Camera after trying several more expensive webcams. It works perfectly in low light and daylight conditions thanks to True Color Technology and Flicker Canceling Function.

The lens are very good. If you compare this Sony webcam with other Sony Digital HandyCam camcorders used as webcams, this small webcam does the job better with larger capturing angle and flicker control. Of cause, I do not want you to compare this Sony webcam with other webcams at its price in the market, because this Webcam does far more better. The picture is clear with vivid colors. Its focus system is realy powerful thanks to SONY professional quality lens. Very good Laptop mounting mechanism is a big plus for this webcam.

I do not know why other reviewer gave it such a bad review. May be, he/she used this webcam with slow Pentium II laptops or so. I have a SONY NV190 Pentium IV 1.7Ghz, it works with the webcam perfectly.

Overall, This webcam can give you more than what you ask for.

I own a Pentax Optio S and am shopping for a spare D-LI8 battery for it. I don't think the battery pictured above is correct. It isn't even the same shape. A real D-LI8 is almost square and the metal contacts are offset to one side. Might want to look elsewhere just in case more than the picture is wrong.

I purchased the Pentax DL18 battery from Amazon...which was fulfilled through JR Music and Computer World. A few items of note:

1) It is the Genuine and Authentic Pentax battery which was shipped with the Pentax S4i.

2) I would always suggest purchasing the genuine branded Pentax battery so you know what you are getting. You just don't want to mess with possible mismatches or where a generic is made to fit multiple applications.

3) If purchasing online from others...make sure you get the true thing. Know what you are buying.

4) Yes....the picture on Amazon is not accurate. It is not black...rather grey. I can assure you I received the genuine battery.

This is a well-constructed generic equivalent (made by PowerSmart in Japan) to the Pentax DL18 Lithium Ion battery for the Pentax Optio S camera. Depending on which vendor you choose, the generic brand may vary. One of the reviewers for this battery is correct about the illustration above; it is not the battery. The battery you will get is gray. It measures 40.5mm x 35.4mm x 6mm. The three terminals are at the edge of the battery, recessed and offset to one side. It is also interesting to note that this DL18 is equivalent to the Fujifilm NP-40 battery. The battery fits snug but not tight inside the camera, so that if you accidentally undo the spring latch, it won't fall out. Functionally, it works great and lasts just as long as the original battery.

We bought this camera as an upgrade from our Canon A40. The big feature for us (after the fabulously quick shutter speed) was the ability to take unlimited videos. (Most other cameras limit the video length because they must buffer the image, whereas Sony cameras can write directly to their memory cards.)

However, we've decided to return the camera. There are 3 movie modes. With a 256 MB memory stick (about $100), you get about 3 minutes of video on the best setting. On the medium setting, you get 10 minutes of video. The third setting does give you 2 hours of video, but is completely unusable. The audio is very poor and the image is blurry and pixelated.

We're disappointed that Sony didn't offer a movie mode in between the terrible 160 mode and the Standard 640 mode. A friend's Sony, now over 4 years old, has such an inbetween setting, and we figured this would be an example of the quality of this Cybershot's lowest setting. Not so!

This is our first digital camera and so far we love it. It feels very solid and the pictures are really great. The camera is very easy to use for pictures and for video. I have not used any of the different picture settings but I did read the manual and they seem easy to use.
The camera comes with batteries and a charger but no AC adapter. This is the only reason (no AC adapter) I gave the camera 4 stars instead of 5. I would recommend buying the AC adapter so you don't use the batteries too fast or an extra set of batteries so you always have a charged pair of batteries.

My husband & I wanted a good digital camera but did not want to spend a bundle. We own other Sony products and know the products are usually high end. We are pleased again with another Sony product. The camera is a little bulky, but the pictures look wonderful and the capability is amazing. More than enough to keep us non-techies amazed!

The book is missing something rather important..."Now that I've captured an image, how do I get the color to match what I see, what's on my monitor and on my printer?"

The section on page 100, Color Accuracy, is incorrect. The author needs to develop an understanding of image color management. An image can be printed out of any number of applications and the color will be the same. The print driver menus can cause the color to change...not the application. Also, a properly color managed image will look similar in RGB and CMYK, not as shown in this book.

This is a good book for hobbyists who are not concerned with accurate color, which is fine as long as the book buyer understands this. Those who are concerned with color calibration and management should spend their money elsewhere.

Printed in full color, this about 140 page-long book suggest a lot of ideas what pictures can be taken with a digital camera. It has a small section on the principles of digital photography and necessary computer equipment, a couple of chapters on photography in general (lighting, background, etc.), and finally gives many examples of what can be done with the pictures by editing them in Adobe Photoshop. After all, the major fun of digital photography is that you can edit an image before printing it! The only problem is that you need to have Photoshop (along with a vector drawing program) and should know how to use them to take full advantage of this book's advice. My overall impression is that although one can find a more detailed and serious books on digital photography and image processing, this one may be a good gift to a person who just got his/her digital camera and needs to read somewhere how to start with it.

I was shopping for a digital camera to use for studio still-life photography. It's a confusing world full of technospeak and options. I bought this book and it was clear as day what I needed to buy and my camera ended up costing me a lot less than I would have guessed. I realized I didn't need most of the features on the higher-end cameras. This book also clarified "flash" on digitals and lighting requirements which had previously been mysterious to me. It's easier than you think.

Since getting my camera this month, I have used the camera to create large high-resolution images for 3 projects: a tradeshow booth, an ad slick, and a product spec sheet. I wouldn't have attempted these projects without reading this book.

This book also helps one see how Photoshop and digital cameras go hand in hand to create profession images. Opened my eyes.

The CB2LT is the charger that comes standard with the Canon Powershot S-series cameras (S30/40/45/50) and charges the proprietary NB-2L battery. Thus, you MUST buy the NB-2L (see my review of the Canon NB-2L) for your camera and MUST use a CB-2LT charger. This review is almost moot b/c there is only one other charger I've found, other than the one manufactured by Canon, but maybe you are checking out the charger as part of the decision whether to buy the Powershot, so I'll say a few words...

The design is perfectly fine: very lightweight, compact enough to fit into a modest size camera bag and it charges the NB-2L battery in about an hour give or take (charge time is mostly a function of the charger). It has flip out plugs (2-pin, non-polarized if that matters to you, and it may if you live in a real old building or outside the US) that fold back into the body - there is no cord, it plus directly into the wall socket. And thus, the only potential for design improvement. Most outlets are placed low to the ground, so to recharge your batteries, you must either stoop down or hook it up to an extension cord, but then it won't sit too well on a desktop. There is one other manufacturer, and the only one I've found, that makes a CB2LT compatible charger that is a desktop charger - it comes w/ an A/C adapter and sits nicely on the desktop. I'll be nice and not mention where to get it but look around on the web, you'll probably find it.

If you go with the Canon charger, amazon's price is pretty competitive (as of this writing).

After exhaustive research, I settled on a Canon S40 digital camera and have been extremely satisfied thus far. I originally considered upgrading to add an AC connection for the camera while uploading images, but have found this compact and lightweight charging mechanism well thought out and executed. The electric plugs fold neatly into the main body of the charger, and there's little weight or bulk for packing. Might be a worthwhile purchase for a spare.

I may be a little naive, but I was expecting an actual battery with my battery charger. Other than that, it's fine. It works and it charges the battery in the stated time.

They offer a battery charger, then you receive that. The product is good, it's little, you could carry it wherever you go. It charges the battery in only two hours.

When faced with buying a telephoto lens of this price, one natually looks to cut corners.

I can tell you from experience, don't. The cut-rate brands sold on Ebay (Phoenix, Opteka etc..)and elsewhere are simply junk. It's not that the photos taken with the the off-brands lenes are just bad and corectable via Photoshop, it's that they SO bad, that the autofocus on my Sony 717 simply can't self-correct enough to make the lenes even usable.

The VCL-HGD1758 works perfectly with very little/no loss of quality. I ended up buying one after trial and error. Learn from my mistake!

Your other options for a fine lens at about half the price are are the Olympus TCON-14B, Olympus TCON-17, Olympus B-300 and the Olympus A-200. They all work equally well on the Sony 707,717 or 828 but any of these non-Sony lens will require an adapter or step-ring to compensate for their non-58mm threads.

This is a great, albiet costly product. I sometimes question my own wisdom in buying a lens that is about 1/3 the price of the camera for only a 1.7X improvement in zoom (from 5 to 8.5 zoom) but I can't fault the quality.

Having owned a Sony DSC-f707 for a year now, I was looking to increase the optical zoom capability. This new lens fullfilled my objective. On the plus side, the images are clear with no detectable distortion. On the minus side, this lens is BIG. Not only does it take up alot of room, it's weight is significant. I found myself having to be very aware of my hand hold to prevent motion artifact.

I received my Canon 1EG bag today, and, after packing my gear into it, I had a few thoughts to share. I think that Canon made a mistake by raising expectation about capacity and purpose of this bag.
First, there is no way to fit "two SLR bodies, seven to ten lenses, flashes, etc, etc" into this bag. Let me tell you what I was able to fit into the bag comfortably (i.e., without squeezing anything and being able to retrieve the gear reasonably fast):
- Canon D10 camera with Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM AF lens,
- Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM AF lens in protective bag,
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM AF lens in protective bag and with hood and mounting ring,
- Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM AF lens in protective bag,
- Canon Speedlite 420EX,
- Small Slave flash,
- Polaris Flash meter,
- Quick-release tripod head,
- Small table-top tripod,
- batteries, lens-cleaning stuff, remote switch for the SLR and a few other small items.
There was room left for one (maximum two) medium size lenses, and that was it.
Second, as one of the reviewers had commented, this is not a fast bag - all the loops, and velcros, and zippers won't allow you to use it as a piece of professional gear, but it is great for keeping your photo equipment safe and accessible for casual "weekend-shooting" use.
The bag is well-built and well-padded. The only obvious design flaw (for which I give this bag only 4 stars) that I noticed right away was absence of side loops to support the flap when you are using the handle on top of the bag. It causes the weight of the bag to be distributed on the zipper, which, at some point, may break. My bag, by the way, weighed about 15lb with all the aforementioned equipment. If you want to protect the zipper, you should use mostly the shoulder strap.
Overall, this is a good bag, worth the money. If you consider its price and capacity, this bag is well-suited for a serious amateur photographer.

This is a solid bag, well designed and assembled. Very flexible interior comparment components. Easy to access external pockets with solid zipper action. Quick release clips for main flap are secure but easy to open and close with one hand. Strap is comfortable and configured in a way that keeps the bag upright when open, even while you wear it. The bottom is rugged - I'm always confident that my gear is well protected. Details like zipper pulls, contoured shoulder pad, and handle grip are not overlooked.

However, I'm not sure what lenses they had in mind when they rated the capacity. I carry a single body, three zoom lenses (with hoods reversed), a flash, a doubler, and a few accessories on the inside. Granted, one of them is a fairly large 70-200 2.8 with tripod ring on. I can't imagine putting much more in unless I was going to pack it for long-term storage.

The outside pockets are very useful and make extra batteries, memory cards (film), filters, and other accessories easy to access without compromising security. There are also two handy removeable zipper pouches that attach to the inside top with velcro.

Plenty of bag for me. For situations where you want to carry a similar set of gear, it could be a great bag for you.

I received this bag as a gift. I have two camera bodies and several lens and other accessories. The bag holds quite a bit. However it is kind of difficult to carry more than one camera body without compromising room for other accessories. The bag is more than enoough for those serious photographers with one camera and accessories. However, if you have more than one camera it is more difficult to carry other accessories. The bag is tough and durable and not too overwhelming. Overall a great bag for the serious photographer.

The AS-E900 synch cord works well with my Coolpix 995. Unfortunately, it is very short and the sych terminal is awkwardly placed on the bottom of the 995. This means you must also buy the SK-E900 bracket for the camera. I found that I could not mount the camera on my favorite Stroboframe bracket with the synch cord attached. I've ended up just using a straight bracket and keeping both my hands on the camera and flash. Nikon should have thought this through. I love the camera except for this.

I use this little adapter for flash on my Coolpix 990 and 995.
It is necessary to have it for these cameras.
Because, without AS-E900 one cannot use an external flash.
This makes the Coolpix cameras so much more versatile than without.
...~(My Only Beef)~...
Is that: I wish the cable were a little longer.
Nevertheless, it is worth every penny as is.
In addition, you will not find it cheaper than... Amazon.com

If you use the AS-E900 with a good flash bracket, like the Magic Bracket or Roll Bar, you are going to get great flash results with your Coolpix camera.
http://www.magicbracket.com
http://www.therollbar.com

I agree that it would have been good if Nikon had made the cable a bit longer, but with a good bracket that has been designed for use with the AS-E900, you will get great results!

This setup will work on the Coolpix 950, 990, 995, and 4500.

I have rated the AS-E900 as 5 stars, since it is really the only way to connect an external flash to your Coolpix camera (models listed above), and if used with a good bracket (not the Nikon one) you should be very happy with it.

Other extras to look at (so you can use the flash off camera at a distance of up to 10 feet) are Nikon's...
AS-10,
SC-18,
SC-19,
SC-17,
AS-15

Hope this helps you to make your buying decision.

Michael Offe.