Computer Reviews

I bought Leica C3 five months ago and the rubber ring from viewfinder came out. It took a lot of time to receive the part and to find the Leica service. Leica does not cover the cost of transportation of cameras even for a camera in warranty.
Other problem: unexplained mid-roll broken film inside the camera!

For the photos the quality is very good even in the low-light conditions, sharp and natural colours.
A good camera, easy to use, very nice design, but having problems with the camera body so soon and unpleasant experience with the Leica service is quite disappointing.

It seems everyone that is contemplating buying a new camera these days (particularly in the novice and point/shoot market place), will automatically go for the digital option, and pay a lot of money and get a camera that on the service of it, appears to offer every option under the sun, but in reality takes disappointing photos! But the thought of going back to a good old 35mm point and shoot camera, is just to socially hard to except! So why should the Leica C3 change your mind about 35mm compact point and shoot cameras!
Well to start off....Its a Leica, probably the most prestigious camera maker in the world, built designed and bread in Germany. Only the best material, best optics. and best styling go into making every model, so which ever one you go for (C1,C2,C3), you can be pretty sure its way up there on the list in its class. Even before you find out what the C3 has under that solid stainless steel casing, you won't want to put it down. It feels, looks and handles beautifully. The C3 is built to last with a real retro feel and every part of the camera oozes quality. The buttons and display are very simple, clean and very well laid out, making the camera so simple to use a child would be able to pick it up and take pictures.
The C3 features a 28mm - 80mm lens, the same as a standard lens for many an SLR. What's sets this lens apart from other brands of camera is its build (only genuine optical glass not plastic), its incredible speed for a compact camera (making pictures in less than adequate lighting a breeze and worry free) and its sharpness/depth of colour. Infact the colour reproduction is breath taking, reproducing deep rich smooth colour within pin sharp focus! I have had friends amazed by what the C3 can achieve!! The 28mm wide angle lens is also great for capturing landscapes and architecture, whilst the 80mm top end will aid you with portraits and macro work.
So with the C3 you really are getting value/quality for money and obviously a great looking camera, wearing that exclusive Leica label.
Sure this camera may not be a 5 mega pixel, movie making piece of stainless steel the size of a stock cube (although the 35mm pictures it takes cover as much, if not more detail than a 13.5 mega pixel camera, something digital lovers like to leave out), but you are getting a solid camera that takes amazing photos every time. My advise before buying any camera would be to think carefully about what you are buying it for! And If your looking for a camera that feels great, looks the part, takes breath taking photos in almost any lighting condition, that is simple to use and that can fit into your pocket, the Leica C3 is the one for you. The Leica C3 also comes with a 7 year warranty and a hard as nails plastic transparent case, making this product almost indestructible.

This is a really great camera which has a really wonderful lens for this type of camera - the colours and the details are quite stunning when compared to previous high end compacts I've used (£200 ish category). The lens is f3.6 at 28mm, very fast for a zoom compact.

It's also unusual in design which makes it quite interesting to my mind. For example it has a T mode for long exposures of up to 90 seconds (great for night scenes in cities or traffic trails). It also has a stepped zoom at 28,42,50,60,70,80mm, which I find quite handy when composing, and you can zoom right through it you want to.

Metering is excellent, I've tried a number of different films from 100-400 asa including 2 slide films, which have been perfectly exposed.

the flash is very powerful, perhaps a bit too much so, but if you focus on the nearest subject, it closes the aperture and this lessens the blast as well as giving good depth of field. It does give red-eye, but most on camera flash will - just get a red eye pen and sort it that way.

But overall it's the lens which is the real selling point. OK it's expensive, but you can't really value the difference it could make.

A tip - and this is obvious - get your photos developed somewhere pretty good as it makes all the difference when you have a good lens.

UPDATE: Thanks to "alabamaargiope from Madison, AL USA" for pointing out that it is indeed the charger that's the problem here. The batteries do infact recharge fine if I leave them in my "dumb" recharger for two "sessions", ie for a total of 30hrs. It would have been useful if Lenmar had addressed this problem on their packaging rather than letting us find out afterwards that we should really upgrade our charger to a more "intelligent" unit before buying these batteries.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: These Lenmar NiMH rechargeable AA batteries are rated at 2000mAh, which means a higher current than from most other rechargeables available, which is why I bought them. However, using an Energizer ACCU recharger that automatically times out after 15hrs, these batteries last only half as long as other NiMH batteries I use, even though these other batteries don't look nearly as good on paper as the Lenmar brand (namely Energizer rated 1600mAh, Energizer rated 1850mAh and Kodak rated 1850mAh). So I am not sure if these Lenmar batteries are just no good, or if I should be using a more sophisticated recharger (perhaps one sold by Lenmar), but I'm going to avoid this brand in the future. Why buy batteries that cannot be fully recharged by any NiMH recharger?

This battery is pretty good. It lasts longer than I expected for 10 bucks. To me, I see nothing different between this $10 Lenmar and $25 Kodak.

These are fine batteries that deliver great bang for the buck, which is true of all high-quality NiMH batteries I've tried. The problem a previous reviewer reports with low capacity is indeed with his charger, not the batteries themselves. The charger he mentions delivers a fixed amount of current per hour for fifteen hours and shuts off. It has no "intelligence" about the capacity of the battery in it, about its current charge state, or anything else. Using these batteries in a good, intelligent charger, such as a Maha MH-C401FS or the smart Lenmar charger he mentions, yields great results, as the charger recognizes the capacity of the battery and doesn't stop charging until it reaches it.

Use these batteries with a good charger and they'll please you over and over again.

It's hard to find a camera with this camera's specs at this camera's price. It takes great pictures and looks great doing it. Another plus is that it takes memory sticks AND secure digital media, so it'll talk to all your Sony devices like a PDA or laptop.
Two gripes:
Battery life is a little short... but since this is my first digital camera, I don't know if this is a prolem in general with all digital cameras or just this one.
Flash is a little too close to the lens -- you get some red eye which you can fix with photoshop elements, which it comes with.

I have owned this little gem for about 6 weeks. Boy do I love it! This is my first digital camera and it has far exceeded my expectations! I took it on a recent golf trip and I was amazed at the results. I bought this camera because of its small size (as of purchase time, Konica claimed it to be the smallest 3+ megapixel camera) and solid construction (stainless steel) but it is so much more than that. I am an amateur photographer for sure, but this camera makes me look like a pro. It is very easy to use and requires virtually no knowledge of photography beyond the ability to aim and shoot. The automatic settings works extremely well, which make it great when you want to pull out the camera quickly and take a photo before a special moment is gone. It's about as idiot proof as a camera could be. Before buying the Konica, I also considered the Canon S330 Elph. Even though the S330 is only 2 megapixels, I really struggled with my decision because I really liked the idea of going with a proven camera manufacturer like Canon. In the end though, I decided to take a chance on the Konica because I could get 3 megapixels in the same size package at about the same price as the Canon. Additionally, this Konica accepts both Smart Media AND Sony Memory Stick cards, which it great because I own a Sony digital camcorder and I can use the same cards. I'm sure Canon's cameras are very good, but you pay a price for that brand name. You won't be disappointed if you choose to go with this slick little Konica...

Here's my summary of pros and cons:

Pros:
3 Megapixels
Compact size
Great photo quality
Rugged construction (stainless steel)

Slide-open lens protector
Very easy to use
Accepts Smart Media AND Sony Memory Stick cards
Decent battery life

Cons:
No video-out port
Cannot charge battery in-camera

Happy shopping!

Ok, if u're planning to buy this camera, buy it for the size, picture quality, even though its decent, is sub par of that of a bigger nikon camera. But then again, if size is important such as lugging it around in your pocket when going out partying, then this thing is perfect.

So far, its been pretty rugged, (even though I haven't dropped it yet) but it feels solid. Its a little bit smaller than the Digital Elph. Picture quality in the day can match that of any camera, at night, is where it shows its weaknesses, but then again its comparable to any of the other smaller size cameras such as the canon digital elph series.

Battery life is about 100+ pictures. A second battery would be useful if u plan on shooting more than 100 pictures in a day.

Oh like all other comments, red-eye reduction is useless, i keep it off since the second flash usually throw off my subjects and use a software base red-eye reduction after I uploaded my pictures, such as Kai's Power Goo.

After I purchased this item I found that the battery is not rechargeable and you have to buy a new one at a cost of $45.00. This is very bad as the battery does not last that long...Other than that the camera seems to be great...

We've only had this camera for a few days and we are thrilled with it. I say "only" because we can't review the battery life yet. It is so lightweight it is incredible. The resolution is great and the lcd screen is wonderful. The manual is written for techno dummies like us and so far we haven't had a problem downloading the pictures to our PC (we have windows xp home edition) and erasing the pictures from the card. Our cell phone is a Kyocera and we figured, "what the heck? If the phone works as well as the camera, we should be ok". OK is an understatement. If you are not professional photographers, we recommend this product.

Excellent resolution, giant LCD makes everything easier with this camers.

Has a multitude of features and 4 megapixels also.

You should be aware that memory cards w/ Write Accelerated Technology (like this one) only perform faster in Write Accelerated enabled cameras.

The following is directly from Lexarmedia.com:

"Current cameras supporting Write Acceleration Technology

All Kodak Professional cameras and pro camera backs, such as the DCS Pro Back 645, DCS Pro Back Plus, DCS 720x, DCS 760, DCS 760m and DCS 14n
Nikon D1x, D1h, D-100 (Requires camera firmware upgrade by Nikon. See Nikon's web page for more details) and D2h
Sanyo DSC-MZ3
Sigma SD-9
Pentax *ist D
Olympus E1"

I purchased the 40x 256MB Lexar CompactFlash and it works no faster than the 8x 16MB Lexar CF which came w/ my Nikon 4300. I only found out about needing a WA-enabled camera after reading the back of the CF package. I find it very misleading that this information is not included in the product description at any of the online stores i shopped.

I'm sure the Write-Accelerated cards are great, as long as you have the right camera.

I've been using the Lexar 24x card for a few months now and have no problems whatsoever to date. The difference between this card and the cheapo 4x cards is really noticeable when saving images to the card - and with the guarantee, it's well worth the extra money. I felt even better too when I saw a professional photographer changing cards - and saw the same brand (but instead a 1GB card - a little out of my price range :) )!

I bought a Lexar 256MB 24x CompactFlash card to use with a new Nikon CoolPix 4500 for a recent trip to Bulgaria and Istanbul. In addition to the 24x card, I also used a Lexar 80MB 8x and a SanDisk 64MB standard card. In 3 weeks, I shot nearly 2000 4 megapixel images and noticed TWO major advantages and strengths with the 24x card.

1.) Images are saved faster.
2.) Battery life improves as a result.

I am extremely happy with this card and am buying a second to replace a pile of smaller, slower cards.

I've been waiting for an affordable MP3 player with at least 128mb of RAM, and when I discovered the Lexar I jumped on it. I've been playing with it for several days now, and the experience has been entirely positive!

As a Mac user, I've seen a lot of players that needed Windows software or drivers. Not the Lexar - it needs no drivers or special software. You just plug in to a USB port, then drag music files in and out. Simple!

I wasn't too sure about the single "joystick" control, but have since come to the conclusion that it's an elegant way of handling things. With that single control, you can easily and intuitively move between different songs, play modes, EQ settings and more.

The sound quality is absolutely great, though the ear buds were useless for me (a side note: was I sick from school the day they taught people how to jam ear buds into your ears? I can't make them stay in!) which is the only reason I've given the product 4 stars instead of 5. I've substituted the very inexpensive & lightweight SONY MDR-WO8 headphones, and it's a great combination.

A side note: I've got tinnitus (a condition in which you have constant ringing/whistling in the ears), and frequently need to have "white noise" to mask the unpleasant sounds. I've put several sound effects tracks on this player - white noise, rainstorm, babbling brook - and can use the player anytime and anywhere I need. Dedicated in-the-ear systems for tinnitus sufferers run hundreds of dollars, so the Lexar is a bargain (plus, there's still room for plenty of my favorite music!). Highly recommended.

I've been happy with my Lexar Media Jumpdrive. As a USB flash drive that will store any files you drop on it, as well as play about 2 hours of audio in MP3 and WMA format.

Transfering music is as easy as plugging it in. It is automatically picked up by the operating system as a removable drive - no drivers, no CD, works on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, you name it.

The case is durable and fits in my hand well, but could be a bit more substancial. Navigation is fairly intuitive with one joystick that controls all functions.

Sound quality is great... I can't complain about the earbud headphones that it comes with. The backlit screen is easy on the eyes and battery life is pretty decent off of 1 AAA battery (included).

Room for improvement: I'd love a belt clip... the lanyard doesn't do much for me when working out.

This is an excellent mp3 player and jump drive. With plenty of features to boot, a VERY easy to use interface and no setup or software installation ready to go, just hook it up and it's ready!

Pros:
-Ease of use, no installation of software
-Great volume varience
-One button control works quite well
-Even though it is USB 1.1, files trasfer very fast, at about 3 seconds for a 4 mb song.
-Good sound quality
-Back-lit display can be seen perfectly in the dark
-Scrolling text display, songs can be played in random order, displays battery life, and more!

Cons:
-Doesn't seem like the sturdiest thing in the world; I wouldn't drop it
-Slightly bulky, but it will still fit easily in your pocket

Conclusion: A great product! You perhaps could get more than 128mb for the price, but this unit seems to be on sale quite often. 128mb seems to be the threshold for a good mp3 player, as I have this baby filled with about 29 songs.

So far, I really like this cordless keyboard/mouse combo. It was a little bit of a pain to set up (I had to install the software first before connecting) but so far, so good. In case anyone was wondering, the mouse is not an optical mouse, but it moves smoothly on my mousepad. If you're not looking to spend a lot on a cordless keyboard/mouse combo, this would be worth getting-another fine Logitech product!

This is a good set for those looking for a regular keyboard or mouse, but those who are looking for a tool for playing games might want to look for a cordless optical mouse. Also it is recomended to buy the ergonomic keyboards for those who spend lots of time on the computer typing.

The keys are very comfortable to press. The Insert, Delete, etc are in the correct standard position which I have become used to over many years unlike the Microsoft wireless keyboards.
Also, the function keys function as they should by default, unlike the confusing Microsoft wireless keyboards.
If you don't have the latest drivers then you can download them to allow the extra buttons to perform your own keystroke combinations. Drivers for the extra buttons work on Windows 98 and up, unlike the Microsoft one that only work on Windows 2000 and up.
Basically I returned the Microsoft and got the Logitech instead and am very glad I did.

I got this cordless keyboard and mouse at the same time as I bought my Compaq laptop, which uses Windows XP. I immediately fell in love with the cordless keyboard and especially the mouse. The mouse works from any direction and you can even place the mouse behind your back and click and it still works.

A cordless keyboard and mouse are not connected to your computer, but you do have to connect the receiver to your computer (to receive the signal from the mouse and keyboard.) I was concerned that since I could not place the receiver in the same line of sight (or same plane) as my mouse and keyboard, that it would not work. But this was not a problem. The keyboard and mouse will work from just about anywhere in the room.

There is one BIG ANNOYANCE with this product, though. At least once a day, the mouse and keyboard just freeze up. Fortunately, with a laptop, you can use the laptop's keyboard as a backup while you save your work and try to straighten things out. Although the cordless mouse and KB have reset buttons, they don't correct this problem. The only way to fix it is to do a cold re-boot, which can take about 5 minutes. I was quite disappointed that after 6 months of using this product, that Logitech still has not listed any downloads on their website to fix this problem.

While I still like this product, I'm afraid that someday I'll just get so frustrated when it freezes up that I'll just trash it. If you have Windows XP, be warned.

...At first i was skeptical in purchasing a cordless keyboard system. My keyboard was old, and some of the keys were sticking, so i thought i would give it a try. I have a few other Logitech brand items that I am happy with, so when I saw this keyboard, i thought I would try it...WOWOWOW!! Am I happy I did!! It is very easy to set up and install, and the battery life is wonderful!! I have owned this product for over 3 months and have just recently installed a new mouse battery, which is great with 3 kids always using it! The mouse and keyboard are very precise! No lagging, or dragging with the mouse...It is very acurate!
..I am so happy with this I just purchased another one as a Christmas gift for a friend!..I would highly recommend this product! No tangled or "too short" cords & cables, and the range is a really good ten feet!!..not to mention the price! which I thought to very good for the value of the product!!

I have owned one of these sets for over a year and cannot say enough about them. The mouse and keyboard are the ultimate in convience and adaptability. I have changed the batteries in the mouse once and not at all in the keyboard and I use them both everyday. I also find the use range to be greater than 6 feet and have been 8 to 10 feet away from the base and have not had any trouble with either unit. I am running Window's ME and have also run W95 with the same results. Due to space restrictions my monitor sits on a angle on my desk and being able to move the mouse and keyboard without any restrictions or tangling of wires is great. This is a great product and I could never see going back to a wired mouse or keyboard.

When I first stumbled upon this Macally product, I was a little suspicious, since my Macally iStick was one of the worst peripherals I had ever used. But I gave it a chance anyway. It's a good thing I did! Though it is kind of small, you won't find a larger one at THIS price. It was easy to set up (though that might just be because I have Mac OS X) and to use. Its sleek design makes me want to never take it off my desk, and it has smooth control over the cursor. Having Apple's Inkwell handwriting recognition software, I can input text through the tablet to a computer that learns to recognize my handwriting! I was going to give this product five stars, but then I remembered that the handwriting recognition didn't come with the tablet. ;-)

Good: It is the cheapest USB tablet I could find ever since Wacom and Apple decided to make my $300 6X8 ADB tablet incompatible with OSX. The cheapest Wacom tablet is about $200.

Bad:
It is also WAY too small. Long fingers will cramp up trying to use this.

Ugly:
None really, its kinda cute.

If you have the money then stick with a wacom 4x5 or 6x8, but if you need something cheaply for your one-monitor USB machine, (and have small hands) it's not a bad alternative.

This Icecad writing tablet is worth more than it's tiny price, or size for that matter! I have had in the past the Aiptek 6000U, and after 1 month it died... with no support from the MFR. Do not let Icecad's small size fool you! This tablet is GREAT for those wanting to try out the graphics tablet scene, and the price is even better. I have had better response from Icecad's tablet than any other. Working with Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, it is a life-saver! Once you get one of these little tablets you'll never look back! The small footprint is also nice, so that you can move it out of sight when not working with it. I give the Icecad a HUGE thumbs up!! Highly recommended!!

I decided to write and tell everyone about this card. You might be wondering why I only gave the card 3 stars. Although the card installed fine with Windows 2000, I had problems installing under Windows XP. I was forced to install Windows XP using my standard ATA controller. Once in XP I found that infact there was a MAX Blast III CD that would have solved my problems in the first place had I been using those new drivers instead of the ones on my MAX Blast II CD.

Summary, The card works as expected with the new drivers! Do not trust the drivers on the CD! Three stars for an above average card, but not perfect.

This card made by Promise is a very heavy duty one, why? I've been using this card for some time now with no trouble. I used this card for Gaming, AV Editing (Pro Editing), Server, etc.

It is very easy to install, the instructions are easy to follow if you are new in installing PCI Cards.

Over all, a good investment for anyone looking stability and speed.

At First I installed the Maxtor 60 G, HD, 7200 rpm, ATA 133 and felt the system was slower, folks said it would replace the ATA 100, with no problems, but it was well worth installing the Ultra PCI - 133 Card, the system came to life, much - much faster

The need for speed is exactly as Described, and great service too.