Camera-Accessories Reviews

Prepare to replace the batteries(3AAA) every 2 weeks !

I liked this mouse a lot when I first got it, but it consumes batteries about every two weeks or so. It's getting expensive to maintain and recently (I've had it about six months) it's been sticking and acting up, even after cleaning and I have to pick it up and move it around it a lot to "unstick" it. I also have the keyboard, which has been fine - not a single problem, and I think I've only needed to change those batteries once or twice, but the mouse consumes A LOT of batteries. I am going to move on to an optical wireless mouse.

Stops working in a matter of minutes. Gets very hot. Extension cable is nice but not worth $20.

I read with concern the large number of reviews in which users have problenms with flash drives including this Olympus MAUSB100.
Could these user failures be related to misuse or improper shutdown?? Am using it with Win98 and it works just as advertised. I download my photos and then follow the disconnect procedure. Have also uploaded and downloaded mp3 files...again with 100% success. The unit does get very warm and this does concern me, however, being aware of this issue forces me to not leave it active any longer than the task requires. Afterall, it isn't a true hard drive and should be treated with care. Fuji also has a very reliable unit with similar features. I do like this product and will most likely purchase a 2nd one....

I owned a DSC-S75 camera prior to selling it and then getting a DSC-S85 instead. This case is designed to fit both cameras and it does that. It forces you to store the camera in one direction, due to the lens housing on the camera and the case's design. The case lid is then secured with a velcro closure that you can't see in the picture but is right behind the label on the case. The velcro is not tremendously strong. The case's design also makes it top heavy with a camera inside. I had the case turn upside down at least twice while carrying on my shoulder (with the strap) and those times, the velcro did not hold it closed, thereby dumping my camera on the ground. Once was indoors, however the other was outside and while riding a bicycle. That incident severely damaged the camera body and I had to have Sony repair it. When I took the case and camera to the Sony repair station, they were sympathetic and understanding to the design flaw and did not charge me for the repair - they covered it under the factory warranty! In addition to both of those camera models no longer being in production by Sony, this case isn't either. I would not recommend this case for any camera, much less kleenex. The list price was also excessive compared to other cases available. There are also no other pockets or pouches besides the battery/memory stick pouch on the strap. The only real plus I would give this case is that it is somewhat hard or sturdy.

Nice Case. but, a little pricey for what it is. It's tiny! so is the camera, though.. too bad the memory stick offered by Tech Depot didnt show up. They told me I could go pound salt instead of getting the stick. Not very stoked about the whole sit'. First prob I've had with Amazon.com beside their slow saver shipping. know what you're getting here. u might get it for cheaper elsewhere.

this is a complete waste of money. i charged EXACTLY according to instructions, then went out for a day of picture taking, and the batteries died after 6 shots w/flash. So I charged again. 5-6 shots max. Don't even think about reviewing the photos with the screen on. Dont waste your money. Buy a lithium battery (about 12 bux)--these last a long time. Get a second for backup. but just forget about these LOUSY batteries. SHAME ON NIKON!!! GREAT CAMERAS, BUT HORRIBLE UNDERPERFORMING BATTERIES!!!!!

2.5 hours is a fast recharge. Ok, we all know that NiMH batteries need to be completely charged and used a couple of times before they perform their best potential. They need to be charged *before* you use them for the first time, and they lose their charge if they sit around for a long time, esp. in cold places - don't store them in the fridge! Also, the CRV3 (non-recharge) lasts almost twice as long as the NiMH. Having said that, I really think this kit is an excellent value. The recharger is compact, the case is sleek, and the price is right. GET THIS KIT if you own a CoolPix 2100. There is nothing wrong with the NiMH battery here. If you used some other battery that happened to leak and wreck your camera, your warranty will not cover the damage! The Nikon guys will laugh and tell you to go take a hike.

I don't know what these other guys are talking about! I have had no problems with the batteries. These batteries have lasted A LOT longer then regular AAs. The case is pretty nice also. This is definitely worth the money and a MUST HAVE!

Let's go through the few pros before discussing the cons:
•It's small.
•It's an ergonomically sound shape, all things considered.
•It has a microphone.
•You can record to your iPod directly.
•I got it for really cheap.
•Useful when it works.
•Does not mess up on long recordings(22 minutes I have done without breaking a sweat, i.e. having to reset the 'pod).

Cons:
•Picks up a significant amount of sound when the iPod's hard disk spins. (Inevitable, but a bother.)
•Very low definition/low quality recordings.
•Freezes the iPod constantly, requiring a reset.
•Occasionally the iPod must be reset for it to turn on after using the recorder.
•High MSRP/SRP for what you get.
•Records to WAV.
•Distorted recording if it is sitting on my desk and I talk loudly into it(about two feet away).
•Does not do well with background noise(it picks up all of it and sounds terrible).
•Belkin cannot justify it being a bad quality device(phone support tells me that the only stipulation of the device is that it requires iPod firmware 2.1 or higher).
•Sometimes does not record.
•Sometimes says it's recording but actually isn't.
•Sometimes illuminates recording light when it isn't actually recording.

Okay, so WAV format I can deal with, but crappy recording quality I cannot deal with. Belkin, you have failed. Maybe it's just that it's difficult to make a functional, integrated voice recorder that's good quality... for the iPod. I don't hear great raves about the iTalk by Griffin, so maybe this is the case.

I bought this to use for recordings of my chorus rehearsal.
It froze the iPod.
It lacks the most basic automatic gain control, and clip-distorts anything above a quiet speaking voice.
Alas, I had it longer than 30 days to before I could fully test it.

Some useful lore, if you're one of the unfortunate souls stuck with this device:
Put a piece of cellophane tape over the condenser mike hole (not the speaker holes, the microphone hole.) That attenuates the sound so it's actually useful.

While you're using the device, keep poking at the menus so the iPod NEVER goes to sleep. That seems to prevent the hangups.

Belkin, if you're listening, this device is crap.

Although I experienced problems, I made several recordings that I am happy with before the Belkin iPod Voice Recorder finally broke. Along the way, however, it caused my iPod to freeze, necessitating frequent restarts. One particularly frustrating problem was it occasionally seemed to record fine while actually failing to record anything. Again, only a restart would solve this problem. Of course those problems might be software issues that Apple is responsible for. Nevertheless, Belkin are to blame for the worst problem of all. Finally, I had it attached to my iPod in my pocket, and when I took it out the voice recorder had broken off at the microphone plug. It is so fragile it can break just by simply inserting or removing it from an iPod. It seems Belkin are aware of how fragile it is since they include a protective plastic cover. But that's really a poor solution. The plastic cover only protects it when it's unplugged. And there's no reason it has to be so fragile to begin with. Ironically, since I was in China when it broke, I can't help but think the Belkin iPod Voice Recorder is like one of those cheap Chairman Mao watches that stops working soon after you buy it.

I'm returning mine in the morning. Image quality is terrible in normal indoor light. In low light it's useless. Even the slightest movement is a blur on the screen. It looks cool and has a nice travel case, but if you want a functional camera, this isn't it. I'll stick with Intel.

Its been two days I've had this web-cam. Very dissapointing... I literally need to sit under a table lamp to to be able to see any pictures clearly. Under normal light, the recording is too dark -- to be visible.

I'm dumping this and buying a logitech tomorrow... Its not even worth 10 bucks.

I've owned this cam for some months, and its perfect for me because I travel constantly. Yes, it struggles in low light (interior light, which is where one ususally is) like a digital camera, but if one turns on an additional lamp, the image is acceptable. It has a great, rugged little carrying case, and the whole cam is tiny; perfect for mobility. And, it's best characteristic...it is easy to use and very reliable. For lest than $50, I have not been tempted to return it.

Even after an upgrade to the newest firmware, the wireless connection was buggy. The included "IP configuration" tool never found the camera even after it had obtained an IP address from my router. I had to use the DHCP table from my router to find the camera's IP address. I eventually got it connected to my wireless network (40b WEP, DHCP), but after about 10min it killed all of my wireless connections. Worked ok when connected to wired ethernet network (except that the config util couldn't find the camera). Returning it ASAP.

I am an experienced IT guy, but this camera has me tearing my hair out! First, a major warning: the spec sheet states that the camera can take 640x480 pics. This is NOT TRUE - the maximum available resolution is 320x240.

The wireless interface is buggy and cumbersome to work with, and when I tried to set it up it not only crashed the camera several times, it crashed my entire wireless network. Thinking that a D-link 624+ WLAN router might work better with it than my Netgear, I tried that too and got the same crashes. I even saw the radio communication from the camera forcing the router to reset itself - how's that for interoperability?

Finally, after fiddling with every possible setting (few of which are explained in the manual) and trying various WLAN channels (no, the camera does not auto-detect, you have to set the channel manually which also often causes a crash) I got it to work, just about. Now the brand-new D-link router is acting up instead *sigh* and loses connection to the net.

Further, the camera can send images by ftp or e-mail, but not both at the same time.

I highly recommend going with some other brand, and using a standard network camera together with an ethernet-WLAN dongle instead of a combined product. That way you can also test WLAN connectivity with a computer before setting up your camera.

First, I'm a computer guy. They pay me to do this kind of thing. Except I write software, I don't configure LANs. So I needed to call tech support because the camera was on a different subnet by default and their documentation, though long, was very lacking in advanced configuration. I had to call in three times to get the IP conflict resolved. The first two people didn't have a clue how to use the camera. The third guy knew it all and finished the job. Two of the three were Indian sounding and I had trouble communicating, but got the job done.

Then, the scheduler wouldn't work. I would set the schedule for 1 o'clock, and 1 o'clock would come and go without recording. I called tech support again and talked to 3 more people. Without admitting that the old software was buggy, they insisted that I upgrade by downloading the new stuff. The new updated software didn't work at all.

Now I have spent 18 full-time hours on this, 3 days and nights, I've talked to 12 different tech support people and here is where I am.

The camera is now an artificial reef because they had me flash it with the latest firmware which totally killed it. The application on my Windows XP PC is their newest beta version because all of their old software is buggy. And that version is buggy too. They say it's ready to be released.

So basically nothing works. Nothing. And nobody at D-LINK appears to give a crapola. Not one manager I've talked to has given me a call-back to see if this is resolved to my satisfaction. In fact, they go out of their way to explain to me that they don't have direct phone numbers that I can get back to them with. Each time I have to call in and start over from scratch.

Additionally I have a feeling they don't have a Q/A (quality assurance) group that tests their software before releasing it, but I'm not sure. It sure seems that way.

I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because the camera itself was somewhat impressive at first when that worked. It has its own address that can be seen from anywhere on the internet. Pretty cool. The application on the PC side is where most of their problems are.

V.

Monster Cable makes a lot of great cables. I think they are most known for their stereo cabling which is of much higher gauge than generic speaker cables, and they have great cables for the RCA in and out jacks as well. These are all ANALOG signals, and the extra quality can (and does) make a huge difference.

On a digital connection, ambient interference is automatically filtered out. I don't own this item, but had to say I did in order to write a review. Cheap IEEE1394 cables are just as good. If you want to line the pockets of Monster Cable, replace that junky speaker cable you bought at Radio Shack!

I have just returned the Monster IEEE cable [...] after comparing it side by side with an inexpensive [...] cable. It is all marketing hype as far as IEEE link is concerned. {The less expensive} cable worked as good as the Monster Low Noise, Gas injected etc. cable. So do yourself a favor save some money.

Do not be fool by marketing and pay 4x more for the same result. Monster Cables are great for all ANALOG signals. You do not need gold connectors for DIGITAL data. A $10 cable will do exactly the same. Do not worry about noise on a 6-foot wire unless you are planning to loop this on a high voltage power wire. Technology is moving away from Monster Cable.

The camera case in the kit does not fit the Dimage Z2 as indicated by the description. The camera is much to large for this case. I bought this kit at the same time as the camera with recommendations from Amazom for accessories. Didn't even open the charger. Can't use the case so $40 for a battery charger? Don't thing so, I'm sending it back!

I bought a Minolta Dimage s414, a superb camera, and my first digital camera also. But made the mistake of ordering the minolta accesory kit, this included:
a) the cheapest carrying case
b) the cheapest batteries and charger

You can buy a better carrying case, batteries and charger for half the price somewhere else.

You know what would be, like, really helpful in deciding whether to get this kit to go with the camera I just ordered? It would be helpful if the listing said what came in the kit! Is that too much to ask?

I own a fuji602 and am very happy with the results I get from it.You know how it is,there's always something else that you want to add to what you already have.Well this 'starters kit' is obviously a total waste of time and money.They don't even want to tell you what is in the box !
Take it from me that whatever it is you can do without it !
Carry case ? Extra memory ? Batteries? Charger? Mains adapter ?
These are all available form other sources and probably at a better price.Have a look around your local store and take your pick.
Sorry Fuji but you have shot yourselves in the foot with this product.
BTW How come we in the UK pay a good 50% more for any digital camera?

I have yet to stumble across a listing for anything comparable to this FP-SO1 thingy that says what on earth is _in_ the kit.

The picture of the green box doesn't enlarge enough for me to be able to hazard a guess beyond bag, maybe a memory disk, and maybe a battery charger.

So I can't tell what this pig in a poke is; and I can't tell if the kit includes things I might need that aren't included with the camera itself, or things that I might want like a USB cable; and I can't comparison-shop between the mystery kit and an a la carte selection.

Maybe I've missed the right button to click, but it sure seems like there ought to be a way- without making a trip to an Office Depot, for instance- to know what is in this accessory kit.

The accessory kit contains a soft case, 4 rechargeable batteries, a battery charger, and a 1 gigabyte IBM micro-drive memory card. Just the memory card alone makes the kit worth purchasing.