Canon Optura S1 2.2MP MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

Product Description

With the Optura S1, you get the perfect fusion of today's style with uncompromising performance. The S1's sleek, compact design makes a fashion statement and looks right at home with the rest of your gear. Plus, its advanced digital features, superior optics and 2.2 Megapixel CCD performance deliver brilliant video and photos. It's the camcorder you've always wanted with the cool you crave.

Customer Reviews:

Good video, bad audio.......2006-07-11

I will not repeat all positive other reviewer have said about the camera's video quality. It is noticably better than 1/6" cameras I compared this camera with (JVC, Panasonic) in both dark an lighted conditions.

However I have the same problem many other people had with other models of Canon camcorder - motor noise. Honestly, it is not very loud itself - about the same as in other cameras, but Optura's michrophones tend to record the engine noise much louder than other cameras. You can hear annoying high-pitch sound all the time during playing back. Using a graphic equalizer I figured out that the noise was aroung 8000 Hz, and theoretically it can be efficiently removed using software without harming voices too much. This approach won't work if you recoded a music concert though.

BTW, a word of advice. If you have the same problem, switching the michrophone from A (automatic mode) to M somewhat helps to reduce the noise because in automatic mode the system increases the ambient noises including the motor noise when there is no other (louder) sound signal.

So, in my oppinion, if picture quality prevails over the sound, or you don't mind spending time and fixing sound with all kinds of software - this is a very good camera for you.

There is very little not to like about this videocamera..........2006-06-07

This camera produces excellent image quality for the price, it's very compact, and ergonomic. It's packed with features. If you are a mainstream user, it is more than adequate. There are those who will compare it to $1000-$2000 videocams and it will naturally fall short. But the fact is, it's reasonably priced, has sufficient features for most users, and can be taken anywhere because of its size. I would recommend getting an extra battery since you will only get 45 minutes - 1 hour energy if you use the LCD display and do a lot of zooming, etc. Speaking of zoom, some people think that a 10x optical zoom is less than ideal, but face it -- if you are trying to zoom much beyond that level, you are going to need a tripod. Overall, this is an excellent item, and delivers the quality I would expect from Canon.

Canon Optura S-1 makes the day!.......2006-05-28

I purchased this through an online wholesale membership site for $399.99 plus tax and shipping (total $459.00) and couldn't be any happier.

As soon as I had the battery charged up I started shooting in and out of the house. While there is remarkable difference between lit and dark background, the S1 did take good videos inside the house. I set the camera to SCN (screen mode) and chose NIGHT mode and it did the trick: less graininess compared to shooting in AUTO mode and video was bright. My PC has firewire and it picked up on the S1 right away as soon as it was plugged in.

I didn't care too much for the bundled software on the driver disc but it worked pretty good as well. My wife and I have been looking for a quality camcorder at a non-exorbitant price tag and we found it all in the S1.

Yes, there is a 10-SECOND DATE STAMP on the Optura S1. Set your camra mode to "P," press menu , press Display, choose lcd and tv....voila!

One other drawback I found, by surprise, was that the S1 takes mini-SD, not the standard size. Oh well, I guess I'd have to fork out another $50 to upgrade the 16 MB that came with it to 1 GB.

Now we can document our kids' growing years.

A bit dissapointed.......2005-12-03

I don't usually purchase things sight unseen, but this camera was an exception. I had only my past experiences with Canon to go by, which I had been satisfied with.

I wanted something compact, so the size is perfect for me. I like the widescreen mode. And the camera is fairly intuitive, although I've had to reference the manual on a couple occasions.

The boxey shape reminded me of an elph still camera I purchased sometime back, so I naturally assumed it was encased in metal as well. Nope. Cheap plastic feel that I'm concerned I'll end up breaking.

But my biggest gripe is the video quality when shot indoors. Even with the light on the picture is really grainy. I'm going to put it up against my old Sony Video8 camera as a test, but I swear the old camera took a brighter picture.

We purchased this to take shots of our new baby girl. I've been really dissapointed with the indoor shooting since that's where new parents spend a great deal of time.

Excellent device, but only for its market target.......2005-11-30

I'm not a professional videographer. Still I might well be the pickiest man in the world when it comes to video quality. I'm the one who keeps noticing MPEG artifacts in TV transmissions all the time, because I've been doing my own DVDs for 5 years. In short, I can judge video quality at first sight.

This said, you'll never see me with a big professional camera over my shoulder, because I don't film for a living in the first place and also because I already had many experiences where I had to leave my camcorder behind because it was too bulky to carry. And I'm not talking about big VHS cams, I'm referring to the "small" Hi-8 cameras from Sony: great image, excellent sound, yet too bulky to carry to many wild adventures or long trekkings.

At this point in my life, I came to the conclusion that comfortableness proved to be more important than top-notch quality, especially for a backpacker like me who can't afford to choose between carrying a camcorder or two extra bottles of water. This mini DV camera the size of a digital still camera was worth a try.

So this is the reason why I bought the Canon Optura S1 in the first place: the smaller available camcorder in the market in October 2005 ( FBI/CIA gadgets don't count here ;) and manufactured by my favorite still camera brand. So I bought it with all this in mind. As you will see (and I really knew this before purchasing, so I'm not complaining) such small size has its trade-offs limitations, and it's up to you to decide whether it's worth to buy it or not. What follows is my personal opinion on the camera.

Pro's

* Small as hell, that's my baby!!! Can fit in a still-photo case and attach to the belt.

* Colors are *in-cre-di-bly* accurate. Now, this is a tough one when dealing with NTSC!! By far the best color-matching camcorder that I ever owned.

* Excellent image quality in daylight, and I mean it.

These 3 things said, the camera paid itself and that's enough to make me happy with my purchase. But for the sake of this review, let's move on:

Could be improved's:

* The device can act as a 2 Megapixel still camera as well, but do not expect "Canon quality" at all (and this has nothing to do with the 2 Mpx limitation). The still shots are maybe acceptable for the occasional user, probably could compete side by side with many generic brand 2 Mpx still cameras, but nowhere near a 2 Mpx Canon point&shot still cam.

* There's an included light for night filming. This certainly isn't an halogen lamp, but for something that looks pretty much like a "led", it gives a decent ammount of light, useful to illuminate faces no farther than 1.5 meters (45 feet) and that's about it.

* 10x Zoom: Actually, it's a miracle that such a small device can accommodate as much zoom as 10x. Sure, that's low compared to today's standards, but each of us knows the weight (importance) that assigns to this feature. My Hi-8 Sony TRV-66 has 20x and unless you put it on a tripod it's quite a challenge to obtain a steady frame at the full 20x. For the few occasions that you may be using the full zoom, 10x is fairly enough.

Con's

* Quality degradation is too noticeable when light gets dimmer. I'm not speaking about a dark room illuminated by a birthday candle, I'm referring to an average room at night illuminated by regular bulbs: The picture won't necessarily be dark, but the noise (video noise, for those who dominate the matter) is more noticeable than I would like.

* The "wide" angle is too narrow. Again, a consequence of the small size and lens diameter. To capture an entire scenario in the frame I would have to walk a couple of meters back that otherwise wouldn't be necessary with other camcorders.

* And this last one is really unforgivable: It doesn't include an option to stamp date/time in the frame during recording time. So you either do this during edition time in your PC (most people don't edit their videos BTW) or you have to keep saying e.g. "today is November 29th..." if you want your videos to keep some historical reference 10 years from now.

Well, I tried to be fair enough in my review. As I said, I'm very happy with this purchase because it exceeded what I expected in some aspects, but I also added the not-so-good things for you to judge objectively if this is the right camera for you.
Happy filming!

Product Description

Economical inkjet cartridges are designed for use with Stylus Color 62. 087486111819 8748611181 NUK415 NUK-415 NUKNUK415 NUK-NUK415

Product Description

This 9-pin impact printer is blazing new trails in productivity. Engineered for dedicated printing in the most demanding warehouse and point-of-sale applications, the ML320/321 Turbo can easily run twice as long as most printers in its class! It can simplify any job on virtually any stock, and it's economical enough to put wherever you need data on the spot. The ML320/321 Turbo puts the "work" in workstations for wholesale or retail sales counters, even for service or manufacturing environments. Its relentless performance comes from the rugged printhead design that keeps your print images sharp for a 200-million character life. A lighter, stronger, more efficient motor reduces friction, heat build-up and wear. The long-lasting rack and pinion drive system ensures print quality longer than belt or cable systems. Plus, an impact-resistant chassis protects the entire mechanism, even in the harshest environments. For precisely formed output, a patented optical sensor accurately positions the printhead on the page, first time and every time. And the auto-tear feature accurately positions continuous forms for a clean tear at the perforation - eliminating wasted forms. This reliable, flexible 9-pin impact printer can meet your needs today and in the future.

Product Description

Nu-kote International produces more than 3, 000 products for use in over 30, 000 types of imaging devices. As the world shrinks and printing technology expands, count on Nu-kote to keep its edge. The company will do it through a commitment to quality, value, innovation, financial strength and superior service.This ribbon is designed for Citizen 120D.

Product Description

Panasonic's vision of the digital future is driven by the needs and aspirations of Panasonic's business customers and millions of consumers around the world who use their products every day. Panasonic shares their dream to live a fuller life by providing ways of working smarter and enjoying the rewards of technological advances.Panasonic introduces its CT-20D12D 20" diagonal stereo television with PanaBlack Picture Tube that assures a picture with high contrast and accurate color reproduction. The CT-20D12D is equipped with two sets of A/V input jacks for connecting to outside sources and has stereo/SAP reception with dbx noise reduction for a clear, crisp sound. The television also features a built-in closed caption decoder, two speakers, an auto programmable scan and a clock and sleep timer. A wireless remote control is included.

Customer Reviews:

Panasonic CT-20D12D 20" TV NOT GOOD.......2003-04-28

This Panasonic model TV disappoints. While feature packed with s-video inputs in back, RCA inputs in front and audio outputs to pump sound through an amplified sound system, the quality of my set is bad bad bad. I first noticed that the picture would jump when playing back some tapes recorded from cable TV, whereas my other cheaper sets worked fine. By far the worst problem became noticeable later.

The scan lines at the lower right corner are distorted upwards (as if curved around the corner of the CRT somewhat). As the picture emerges from behind the besel horizontal lines gradually flatten (lose the curveiness)about 1 1/2 inches above this 'starting point'. This distortion begins about two inches from the right side and curves up about 1/4 inches. Examining the entire picture, the image is rotated counter-clockwise as measured by a square message box shown against a white background. Message crawls show the warped image very clearly as they 'come down a slide' and flatten out as they continue their down tilted journey toward the left side of the screen which is 1/4 inch lower still. Now this may be a defective unit or just one not set up properly. However, it is likely that an expensive component like the tube or electron gun is bad and I'll be stuck with a giant brick or huge charges to ship it in for repair. As a side note, the image can have some jaggies and the FM radio is practically worthless when it comes to station reception.

... I cannot reccommend this model to anyone unless you see one ... and can confirm the picture is defect free.

Slight hiccup with digital cable.......2003-02-14

The picture is sharp and the colors vibrant, when the brightness behaves that is (I'll explain in a minute). I don't really hear the stereo quality like stereo separation or bass, maybe the the speakers are too small or too close together or something? It's hooked up to a digital cable box through the coaxial jack, do any techies know if coaxial is only mono?

Now about that brightness problem...

Less than amazing sound aside, I would have gave it 5 stars if the picture didn't have this annoying brightness fluctuation when turning on the set 80% of the time. The whole picture fades normal-dark-normal-dark, pulsing at a rate of half a second, really resembling those old movie projectors. This smooth flicker is most noticeable in the dark areas of the picture.

This rhythmic brightness problem only occurs when watching cable (Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2100 box). It doesn't occur when watching videos on the VCR or playing videogames. So it might be an incompatibility with digital cable. I had this cable box hooked up to an old Emerson TV previously, and it displayed the picture fine. My other boxes are attached to Zenith and JVC sets and have no problems.

Turning the TV off and then on again, gets rid of most of this pulsing effect when it's real bad, but you can always notice a trace of flicker in black or dark areas of the picture.

They should stop it with the "2-line digital comb filter", "black picture tube" features ect. Keep it simple, the less there is, the less that can go wrong or conflict with something. : P

Customer Reviews:

very fun, but not perfect........2001-07-22

The steering wheel is pretty good. It has 3 mondes. One makes the pedals do the "a" and "b" buttons, another lets them do the same as pushing the joystick foward or backward, and I dont know what the other does. The built in rumble feature is really fun for when you hit something. The only problem is the stickshift. Using it is like pushing farward or backwardon the + (d) pad. Other than that, it is real fun and a must-have for all racing game fans.

Not so good.......2001-05-11

When I had this item, the pedals wouldn't work.Sometimes they would for a while, but the they would quit.The brake doesn't work, after I let go of the gas , it immediatly goes into a brake. I wouldn't get this item , I would find a better one.

Fun!.......2000-07-28

The wheel was a lot of fun! I use it with Destruction Derby 64, and Beetle Racing. It works great. The only problem with it was the "Built in Force Pak", it stunk, you could hardly feel it. It's definately worth the money though.

Disappointed.......2000-06-06

I ordered this product to use with Mario Kart and was very disappointed. The delay between turning the steering wheel and the on screen reaction was so slow that it was useless. I would not recommend the product for use with this game.

This is a great wheel!.......2000-05-08

The wheel is awesome. The pedals have a nice feel to them. The wheel has great handling when placed on a table.

Average customer rating:

UNIV STEERING WHEEL

Manufacturer: MADCATZ
ProductGroup: CE

Product Description

mfr: MADCATZ MADCATZ MCB6320 Universal Steering Wheel Compatible with PlayStation(R) 2, PS one(R), ;PSX(R), Xbox(R) & GameCube(TM) systems; Double-injected steering wheel with rubber coating provides optimal vibration feedback ; 10 high-performance action buttons provide superior control ; Vertical vector design means when user throttles up, pedals won't take off;

Product Description

LG Flatron TFT-LCD monitors represent the cutting edge in technology and style. As one of the largest manufacturers of monitors, LG brings Flatron TFT-LCD to the market with ultimate efficiencies in design, performance, reliability and value. Flatron TFT-LCD monitors provide bright, sharp and vivid images ensuring stunning displays.

LG ELECTRONICS L2320A MONITOR LG ELECT. L2320A 23 LCD

Average customer rating:

LG ELECTRONICS L2320A MONITOR LG ELECT. L2320A 23 LCD

Manufacturer: LG ELECTRONICS
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Kitchen

TVs | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics

By Size | TVs & HDTVs | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics

23
Maximum(Native) Resolution 1920 x 1200(16:10 HD Format)
Smart Design with Finished Back
One Cable Media Station Minimizes Wire Clutter
Lightview Function

ASIN: B000CDHXEQ

Product Description

* 23.0" Diagonal Viewable Image * Maximum(Native) Resolution 1920 x 1200(16:10 HD Format) * Smart Design with Finished Back * One Cable Media Station Minimizes Wire Clutter * Lightview Function * Zoom, Picture in Picture & Split Picture Modes * Multi-Input: A/V, S-Video, DVIx2, DTV, PC VGA, HD Component Video * Powered USB Hub with 1 Upstream & 2 Downstream Ports * VESA Mounting Capable, Remote Control Model: L2320A

Product Description

Metrobility's 10/100 AutoTwister provides versatile connectivity for evolving network infrastructures being upgraded from existing 10Mbps copper-based networks to 100Mbps fiber networks.The AutoTwister provides media conversion and 10/100 rate adoption in a single unit, extending copper-based networks up to 100km over singlemode fiber.

Lancast 10M MM ST TO 100M FX ST-CONVRT MOD ( 2642-55-01 )

Average customer rating:

Lancast 10M MM ST TO 100M FX ST-CONVRT MOD ( 2642-55-01 )

Manufacturer: Lancast Inc.
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Product Description

Product Description

Premium Articulating Arm and Platform for keyboards reduces reach and adjusts to your preferences. Fully articulating arm pulls out, rotates, tilts and adjusts. Platform combines wrist support, keyboard and mouse pad.

Customer Reviews:

good but a little shakey.......2007-03-09

The size and ability to have the mouse on the keyboard tray (rather than a fold out platform or on the desktop)is a plus, and there is alot of flexibility in adjusting the position. The tray is a little shakey when typing though, I think due to the center bracket design for adjsutments. It's a trade-off but a good value for the cost.

Functional, but not robustly designed. Worth half the money!.......2006-05-24

In this price range, and with the usage of the word "premium" I honesly expected better. As I type this review, the keyboard bounces up and down about a quarter of an inch; and the adjuster lever is tight as can be... It's just the sheet metal is too thin to offer much rigidity. Also, the tolerances in the sliding mechanism are overly loose, so that when fully tightened, I can still swing the tray side to side by about 3/4 of an inch. On the plus side, this platform IS large and does easily adjust for height and angle, and also slides easily out of the way.

Works Great.......2000-12-17

It was easy to install, that anyone can do it, on my custom desk top. I really enjoy the fact that it is easily adjustable so I can move it around to gain maxium comfort. The price was pretty good too.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics