Lense Reviews

This lens is great!! I used it to photograph the giant pandas at the National Zoo and I got so many good close-ups. I strongly suggest this lens!!!!

This lens is great for outdoor and travel photography, when you don't have space to bring a lot of gear. The zoom works, sliding the outer barrel forward and back, and the autofocus works well in outdoors, at day, with enough light, and I can assure that works very well at Tv mode shooting dolphins in motion, the pictures were very sharp. It has a little problem with low light situations, but it possibly be a camera concern (Rebel 2000) and not a lens trouble. So it's a very good option for a cheap lens. If you are an amateur you will not notice any difference between a picture taken with this lens and another taken with lenses over the $300 Range.

i took a beginning b&w photo class in college a year ago and this was the camera they had in the lab to lend out to people who didnt own a slr of their own. at first i was scared on how to use the thing, it seems complicated but its really not. once you get the hang of it, i loved it. its all manual which is great for control purposes. now that ive got some cash, im gonna buy the nikon fm10 slr for myself to use.

This is the best camera ever, when compared to others the FM10 blew it away, the FM was much more durable and takes better pictures (my friend has one of the competitors) and now that she's seen mine, she is very jealous! The pictures are outstanding. Built to last and if you're a beginner to a pro I think you'll be pleased! I was just starting out as a photographer and now after 2 years I still can't put it down. If you're thinking about buying this camera, don't, just get it!!

this is an excellent phone. it is basic, but works extremely well.

I'm just writing to add a few extra quality points this accessory kit offers. All the filters are stackable except for the moon filter. I checked to make sure all the elements were fully multi-coated and everything checked out as stated. I'm not checking these eyepieces based on what they say but rather by a technique acquired from an astronomy book. The accessory kit took two months to get but like earlier reviews its a decent kit for the price and wait.

The eyepieces are of good quality, though the Barlow is a bit on the dark side. The 4mm eyepiece that comes with the set will be seldom used, as most scopes of less than 12", will not handle the magnification. The quality of the filters is outstanding, and come with an instruction sheet on which filters are used for various viewing preferences. The case is of excellent quality, comes with locks and keys so you can secure your eyepieces. Be aware if your collumation is off, these eyepieces will exaggerate poor collumation.

I tested the eyepieces looking at trees over a half mile away during the day, and using an 8" Newt, was able to discern nobs on pine cones. The images were clear, but not as bright as televue eyepieces would be. In the evening, I viewed Jupiter, and a few of the messier catalog galaxies/nebulas, and found the eyepieces to work pretty well.

All in all, given the quality of the eyepieces, the price, and the extras (case, filters, barlow), you can't go wrong with this kit. On the negative side, the eyepieces will slightly darken your image, so don't expect televue, or nagler quality glass.

Most of the stores offer it for around $199 here for 100$, isn't it great?! Well it is a good kit for the price.
It is a good kit for the beginner. You'll get excellent quality case and average (closer to low) quality eyepieces, so later when you get rid of "bad" eyepieces you'll have a case to put good ones. The 32mm one has something about 40 degrees of view filed, wish is so-so, other ones below 15 mm it's just a joke.
I'll advice you to get Celestron X-Cel or Omni, if you want to spend more money and get better stuff try Ultima or Axiom, and if you are really serious about your hobby, get TeleVue.
Average price for a good eyepiece is from $79-$350
Amazon offers most of them.

A very good buy, got about 3 months back for my sister. sturdy camera, very good results. Not too compact but the picture quality makes up for it. This one is certainly worth it!

I've used this lens before with Minolta SLRs and it's awesome. Pictures come out clean, crisp, and clear. Price isn't bad either.

Hey everyone! Guess what? The best camera you can get is right here for only 140.00 dollars. Get the best camera and have snappy fun!

I bought the XTsi camera 1 year ago. This camera takes excellent pictures for both indoor and outdoor. It has most of the features I need as an amature photographer. The best thing is that the camera body is very light to carry.

I have been doing photography since 10 years (non-professional). I did a lot of research on Internet as well as Physically in Shops before I bought my Minolta XTSi QD (Panaroma Date) Camera with 28-80mm & 75-300mm Zoom Lenses and this Camera was the ONLY one with Value for Money. I bought this camera in October 2000 & did a Lot of Photography during the Fall Season, Family Marriage Photographs, Sceneries, Special Effects ... untill now in Feb 2001. I rate this Camera as Excellent Quality Pictures. The Auto SLR Function is good and for Professional photographers can get excellent photographs for Low Light (Night Photography), Special Effects with Shutter speeds (rest auto), without Flash, BackLight ... etc. I have tried them all with good results. I have taken many 'Fall' Photographs with Excellent Zoom.

The Camera Flash is not so powerfull & I bought an additional Flash (with Remote features) for better light. For special photography I also recommend the Remote Cord & Stand.

As with any Camera, the Lens needs Protection and I STRONGLY recommend buying a basic UV Filter for both the Zoom Lens.

If you have not done any Amateur Photography, you will love to explore it's various options & features for a Long time.

Tip : Shop around on various Internet Sites & also see the Camera Physically in hand in a Shop. Then buy it on Internet.

NetNet : Camera with Excellent Quality Photos & Value for Money.

I bought this camera a year ago (from Wolf Camera in Charlotte). I love it! It is easy to use and produces sharp, clear photos. I have to turn off the autofocus sometimes, but I think that would be true of any autofocus camera. Cameras aren't as smart as the human eye. I like how I can have complete control over the aperture and shutter speed (as well as focus), or I can let the camera control any or all of these functions. There are lots of other configurable features as well. I initially bought a 28-105 Sigma lens and just added a 70-300. I'm cooking with gas now! This is a pretty good price for 2 lenses and the body.

Love the product, but a little disapointed in finding out both
lens are different mm, one is 55mm the other is 49mm.
how is a person to use filters interchangably between the two?

wish they both would have been 55mm

Having only used this camera for a short time I have found it to be excellent. The one thing keeping this package from getting a five star rating from me, is that the telephoto lense is quite slow, requiring well lit subjects. While this is not debilitating, depending on your uses of the camera it may come in to play. Also the auto flash is very underwelming, although the automatic adjustments of the flash (with apature ect)are executed extremely well for subjects in a close range. These are the only complaints I have with this camera. I have to say that I am very impressed with the panorama mode, and the image quality I have achieved in both automatic and manual modes. The automatic modes are easy enough to hand to anyone, and they could get a nice picture. I am extremely happy with the options I have with this camera, to double exposures, framing, sutter control, and timer, all work very well, and after some practice allow for some very intresting shots. The automatic film loading is also very easy to use and can save quite a few headaches. An excellent midrange camera.

I was initially overwhelmed with all the bells and whistles on this camera, but the instruction book is well written and I'm catching on to the countless features.

I bought this camera to replace a Canon AE-1. I am an amateur photographer with an introductory college level photography class. There is absolutely no comparison to the quality of pictures I've taken with the Minolta vs. Canon.

I took a couple of test rolls initially on the automatic mode without any expectation of the results. I was amazed how terrific ALL of my pictures turned out---even the ones I took in the park with one hand holding the camera and the other holding onto the leash of an impatient 80 pound dog. This led me to believe the camera is all but idiot proof on the automatic mode.

I am still learning how to use many of the features, but I'm having the time of my life learning the joy of using a camera that works with me vs. against me. Now I can focus more on creativity. I love the automatic focus because manually achieving perfect focus has always been one of my weaker points. Using a 75-300mm lens is new to me and I'm in awe of the versatility it offers from close ups to distance shots such as wildlife or sports. One of my favorite 'surprise,it turn out' shots from my first test roll of film was a pot of calla lilies shot from half a greenhouse away. Post card gorgeous!

I bought this camera about a year ago and LOVE it. I now have three lenses for it (just added a wide-angle) and the picture quality is still as sharp as day one.

If you are a novice/amateur, just turn it on and shoot away while letting the camera do all the work. But if you are a little more advanced, you can play with the settings for aperture, exposure, etc. as much as you want. This is THE BEST Minolta on the market, as far as I am concerned!

I am always crazy about Minolta Cameras and lenses as they are THE BEST. Earlier I had a Minolta Freedom Zoom and I was looking for the SLR camera which is a dream for evry1 who loves photography. When I looked into XTSI, I felt that evrything I want in a SLR is there.And that too with a Silver Zoom lens.

Last long week end We all went to LA and believe me I shot 9 film rolls. Especially Fire works at disney land and Dolphin show at Sandiego were too good. (...)

It is a camera which is affordable but with excellant features. Just Dont MISS it.

I love this camera. It is easy to use, the photo quality is outstanding, and the telephoto lens is a Blessing for taking shots of wild animals. I bought this camera 2 months ago and have never been disappointed. I've also owned a canon rebel g, and a samsung 4000 SLR. But this camera is the best!

The Vivitar V4000 camera is a modern-day entry-level SLR. The K-mount lens mount was developed by Pentax and incorporated in the extremely popular Pentax K-1000 released in the 1970s and sold as new until being discontinued by Pentax recently. The K-mount is pretty much THE lens mount for manual focus lenses and is shared across several manufacturer's lines. What could have been better would be an aperture setting below 3.5-- the fact that the lowest aperture is so high makes it difficult to get good exposures in all types of weather without lowering the shutter spead or using a tripod, something that's not always handy. I found this camera easy to learn and operate. It has a great choice of shutter speed and also has a light meter that will help create great exposures, its light-weight makes it easy to handle, and it's fairly inexpensive.

If you are just getting into cameras, get something else...but if you have been with cameras for a while, even if you are a novice, this is a good buy. Good camera for on the go people. Hope this review was helpful. Ciao,

Use this camera for learning photography or for shooting as an amateur especially if you want to go into manual mode for more creative photographic effects. The solidly constructed body and 35-70 macro zoom lens are both made in Japan. The camera accepts standard/widely-available K-mount lenses and Vivitar flashes. The focusing is very easy and the zoom mechanism is very smooth. This enabled me to take high quality photos without the need for expensive lithium batteries.

So there I was... a college guy who wanted to do photography of the world around him and become the next (insert famous photographer) but had failed a class in high school and wasn't ready to drop a ton of cash on something he would be sick of in the next week.

At first, I thought this was a piece of junk. It's lightweight (almost plastic body) and didn't look like it would hold up in my klutzy lifestyle. I WAS WRONG.

This camera has traveled accross the country, been in rain and snow storms and still held up with the best cameras out there.

The only drawback is that it's a manual camera. Which means, you need to know what you are doing to take good shots. I had no idea what was going on when I first started and now I am shooting pictures that hang in galleries and have won all sorts of awards.

I will tell you that I did buy more lenses for it - and you know what! They were darn cheap on those auction websites.

This is the best camera you are gonna get for the amount of money you are spending. Don't be fooled by it's low price either. I love mine, and am hesitant to trade it in for anything else.

...

I moved to this camera from an APS autofocus camera... what a difference! Not only is the film processing much less expensive (the price never came down on processing) but the photos are stunning. I am excited about learning how to get even better photos with the right filters.

creo que es una buena camara y especialmente el desempeño de la misma me fascino.

I love this camera since the first day I purchased it. It takes pictures that are breathtaking. I've done wedding pictures, which have came out better than the photographer who they hired!