Guy Low Price Electronic

Thursday, 11 August 2011

high definition - high definition

Bottom line: A good value-oriented camera that works well with my Mac. It is easy to use with intuitive controls - although some of the advanced settings required me to read the instruction manual. For good quality home movies, it seems to be perfect; and the minor improvement in video quality available on higher-end models probably isn't worth the additional cost.

Opening the Box:

All items were packed securely in the box except the battery, which was just rattling around in the box; and the box was not taped shut. I don't know if this had to do with the seller or the manufacturer; but I wish that all manufacturers would get in the habit of sealing the boxes at the factory with security tape, so that there would be no question that the box remained sealed from factory to consumer. Maybe I am nit picking, but the lack of security tape on the box and the battery issue could signal larger quality control problems at Canon.

First Use:

My 16GB SDHC card did not arrive on time, so I popped in a Kingston 4GB (class 4) card that I had. I wanted to take a short test video first thing, so I ignored the instructions about charging the battery first. I just plugged the camera in and began to use it.

After I took my test video, I charged the battery as indicated in the instructions: the first time you use it you are supposed to charge it to full capacity, and then use it until completely drained.

Operation:

The camera's operations and controls seem very easy to me. I know that review sites like CNET give Canon low marks for hard to use LCD touchscreen menus, but I found them rather easy to navigate, even without reading the instructions. The exterior buttons and controls were intuitive.

I use a Mac computer, and it was easy to transfer video to iMovie for editing and uploading to YouTube. Instead of connecting the camera to the computer via the included USB cable, I just stuck the SD card into the card reader on the side of my MacBook Pro, opened iMovie and clicked the button that tells it to look for a camera ... and bingo, there was my movie. I did some quick editing and uploaded it to YouTube. I would say that the total time from plugging in the SD card to having the video on YouTube ready to go was no more than 10 minutes.

I have read other websites where people make a fuss about the software not working well with a Mac. The bottom line here is that the Mac recognizes the video shot with the camera and easily transfers it to the computer for editing and storage. Honestly, I can't think of a reason why anyone would need the software that comes with the camera. I'll probably never take it out of the package.

Complaints I have Read in Other Reviews:

1. Noise. I think I hear a very faint sound on playback that might be the noise people have talked about when shooting in very quiet locations. But it certainly is not anything I would ever worry about. The background noise from my computer equipment is louder than the faint noise I was hearing. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't read about it. It might be an issue with Canon's 2010 models, but not with this one.

2. Battery Life: Using the Advanced Zoom and the Dynamic Image Stabilization features (and other such things, which are "ON" by default) suck down the battery pretty quick. If you don't need these features, just turn them off, and the battery will last much longer. There is a convenient button on the side of the camera labeled "Auto." You can turn off all of that stuff and run the camera in manual mode, and then easily use the "Auto" button to activate the other features, and switch back and forth. With a tripod I would leave the IS turned off all the time. You can also dim the LCD screen if you are doing a lot of indoor shooting to get a few more minutes of battery life. I spent a couple of hours shooting test video, turning different features on and off, and using the included HDMI cable to watch playback on my TV, and I still have 75% battery life remaining. I used various recording settings, including highest quality MXP mode, and that didn't seem to make a difference in the battery life. The reviewers who say that battery lasted only an hour must mean that the battery lasts for 1 hour of actual video shooting time with the IS turned on. An hour of shooting video is a long time. Full-length feature films are only 90 minutes. When I spend all day at the park with the kids, I'll carry an extra battery.

3. Low Light Performance: I suppose that if you are doing a lot of indoor low light video, you might want to spend more money to get a camera that has an advanced sensor, like Canon's CMOS Pro. But the R200 has better low-light specs than some other brands; and it has a manual exposure setting. This comes in handy when you are shooting indoor scenes with bright windows in the background. The automatic exposure tends to "underexpose" in these situations, but it can be manually adjusted to compensate. The video does come out a little grainy in low light ... but our standards for acceptable quality have been raised as technology has improved. You won't be able to produce a video on this camera like you see on TV. Duh!

4. Software issues: Honestly, I don't get it. Camera companies make cameras. If you want video editing software, buy it from someone who makes software for a living. As I said above, iMovie works for me.

Conclusion:

I am glad that I did not spend more money on a more expensive camera! This camera is easy to use and will do everything I want it to do. As a casual user, I am mostly interesting in making home videos of the kids. If I find flaws after several months of use, I'll post an updated review. Canon VIXIA HF R200 Full HD Camcorder with Dual SDXC Card Slots

I previously (a week ago) purchased a Sony Handycam, standard definition digital camcorder and was extremely disappointed with the video quality when playing it back on my HDTV. I wasn't expecting HD quality; however, my old analog video tape recorder has equal or better playback than the Sony. This Canon is priced right and has a ton of cool features. With 5 levels of record quality to choose from (whether you want great clarity or long memory life), you can get exactly what you want. On only the middle quality setting, the playback on my HDTV is spectacular in high and medium to moderately low light levels. I haven't tried anything dark like nighttime or a school play or anything like that. Highly recommend this camcorder so far. I haven't had it long enough to speak to it's durability, but the ease of use, features and recording quality are awesome. The battery life it pretty short (only about an hour), so that might be an issue and a second battery is going to run about $50. I haven't messed with the software yet either. I'll update this when I try dumping the video to my PC and/or DVD and/or BlueRay. There is a "bundle" at BJs that include the camcorder, carry bag, 4G SDHC card and a $50 instant rebate. - High Definition'

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Outdoor Toys - scooter, radio flyer

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My husband bought this scooter for my daughter who will soon be two after seeing how much she wanted to ride the neighbor kids' razors. My daughter jumped up and down with joy after seeing the toy. As soon as she got on she knew what to do. This toy is so SAFE, in comparison to any other competition! The base for the foot is almost a foot wide. Also the two wheels in front help balance our child more so than the two wheel in back ones. It is also fun for her to sit down on the center portion and us to pull her around on it. It is made out of the same plastic material as the RadioFLyer wagons, so it is really durable. It did not break when I stood on it and I weigh 140. I am pretty sure it is not cleared for that heavy of a person..but I had to try it. Overall GREAT toy! Safer than a Trike too, since she is not having to climb over the middle section..she just steps off. Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter Red

I bought this for my son who just turned 2. He had been obsessed with his sister's Disney pink scooter that he never could really get going on. This is great for his age - it is really wide so he can balance fairly easily and can just take off and go!

I just got this scooter for my two year old boy. I was not that impressed with it. It is really cute and being a radio flyer I thought that it would be really great. It is really hard to turn the front wheels. He is really good on my daughters scooter that has the one wheel in the front and two in the back. He doesn't do as well on this one like I said it is hard for him to turn it. One feature that I do like is that you can fold it up.

I gave this to my youngest son after he watched his older siblings on a regular two wheeled scooter. The time it took from removing from the package to usage and familiarity was the time it took to carry it down the front steps and on to the driveway. Any child who has seen or attempeted a two wheel scooted will be able to use this instantly.

The product is solidly built, the only possible weak spot would be the fold down hinge for the handle. This is how it is shipped and it also comes in handy for taking it elsewhere (It has been to the playground, tennis courts, baseball field, parking lot, basically anywhere with a semi flat surface).

One caution: The three wheel design does give our son more confidence to go faster so the crashes, when they happen, are more spectacular. Buy some extra Band-aids.

This scooter is a great first scooter. Every time my daughter saw the older kids out on their scooters at the playground, she would follow them around and want to take a ride. So a few months after she turned 2, I started looking for a beginner scotter and found this one. She LOVES it! She knew exactly what to do and after only being on it 3x she rode on it for 1/2 a mile with me walking behind her. That's a long scooter ride for a little one! The scooter doesn't seem to glide very far without needing to push off, but that is ok, since at this age a lot of the challenge is learning to keep one foot steady while using that other foot to push and to just balance with that without necessarily having to glide or steer that well. We found the scooter for less money at Toys R Us, and then even cheaper at Walmart. They also have a pink one at both retail locations.

I was so irritated by thsi scooter that I posted thsi same review to the other scooter my son does have. My mother got my 4 year old the Mini Kick scooter and my 22 month old the Radio Flyer 3 wheel scooter. First of all, after receiving the RadioFlyer one, I can say it will be the LAST RF toy I ever buy!!! Garbage garbage garbage. I had debated buying that same one for my 4 year old after the reviews and was amazed it received such good reviews. Thanks to the anonymous review who recommended the mini kick scooter while I was reading reviews of the RF scooter. First of all, the two can't be compared, not unless you're comparing a rusty bike with a cannondale. One glides like silk, the other requires a lot of strength that my 22month old doesn't have. In order to steer the kick scooter, my 4 year old only has to lean his body to the side just a bit. In order to steer the RF, my younger son has to grab both handles and firmly rotate the handles. He lacks the upper body strength and even when I'm leaning over helping him, it's a nuisance because when it does rotate, the turning radius is a joke. For right now, my younger son understands the concept of one foot on the base of the scooter and using the other foot for pushing off. He just can't execute it because as soon as he puts weight on the RF, it stops. Plus the handle bar is 2 or 3 inches higher than the Kick Scooter Handle bars. It's a big difference. He can't both hold onto the handle AND lean down to push off with the other foot. My 22mo old is 31 inches. My 4 year old is 41 inches. When my younger son plays on the Kick scooter, he can do the "glide and push" method very easily. He doesn't quite have the balance to completely control the leaning and balance to stay on it but it's so easy to use that I can see him mastering it in a few months. My 4 year old mastered the kick within 30 minutes. Plus the wheels on the KICK scooter are huge but in a good way. You can tell it's made just the rubber roller blade wheels while the RF is just plastic wheels. In a few months, I will be selling the RF and buying a Kick for my younger son. On a side note, my flooring in my house is all tile. My older son doesn't even walk anymore. He uses his kick to glide from room to room. It's so tiny and thin that you hardly notice it while the RF is pretty bulky.

Honestly, my boys will ride it for a block (they are now 4), and then will be done with it. It's just too stiff. They try to turn the handles and the wheels won't turn more than an inch left or right. I think the reason is that the part are all plastic. I like that they fold up, but that's about it. I wish I would have bought one with two wheels and one in the front! I have seen that style made without all plastic and I think it would ride better. They are pretty slow. With that being said, my 2 year old can ride it by himself and likes it for a minute or two. But a boy that wants a real ride, I would look for something else. - Radio Flyer - Scooter - Toddler Scooter - Toddlers Scooter'

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Cordless Screwdriver

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This drill is a great value for someone who uses it twice a month or less.

I found this locally for about $20. It has great features for the price: cordless, 2-speed (325/650rpm), reversing (to drive screws) and a keyless chuck. The quality is quite good, considering the price. It's well balanced, and seems to have a good amount of power. It's stated capacity is a 1/2" in wood, and 3/8" in steel. The battery pack is built inside. It uses 4/5 sub-C ni-cd cells. The shelf life of rechargeables is about

3 months, so you will need to charge it occassionally. Black & Decker 9099KC 7.2-Volt Cordless Drill with Keyless Chuck

Good buy. Does not come with bits and drill heads. Luckily I had a set from my old drill.

I did find this one cheaper in Walmart later, but oh well.

I built all the furniture in my new apartment with this guy. Thank goodness I had it.

Powerful enough for the job w/o being too heavy to lug around. Charges just fine.

I received this BLACK & DECKER 7.2-VOLT CORDLESS DRILL for Christmas. I've been looking for a cordless drill for about nine months and had been looking at drills that were a bit larger and more powerful. However, even though this drill isn't quite what I was looking for, it's an exceptional drill. It has two speeds (325 & 650 rpm), can go in reverse, and the chuck is keyless. It's a very easy drill to use and is fairly light weight. The battery pack is built inside the drill and in order to charge it, you have to plug the charger into a socket on the drill. I've used this drill several times since receiving it and have not had any problems. In fact, the only criticism I have is that the drill doesn't include any drill bits or heads; you have to purchase a set of drill bits and heads separately. Overall, this is a great drill for someone who is a novice to beginning home repair type person. It'll also do a job for more experience handymen who are in the pinch.

Having worked in the construction trades for many years, I have a variety of professional quality corded and cordless drills, but my six year old wanted a "real" drill of his own. I found one of these on sale for under 20 bucks a couple of years ago and figured that for the price, I wouldn't be too bothered if he ruined it. It was perfect for him to use for drilling holes in scrap lumber as he learned to use tools, clamp down his work, wear appropriate safety gear, and become comfortable in the workshop.

I was impressed enough that I bought two more for my students to use for technology and engineering projects in the middle school science classroom (popsicle stick bridges, mousetrap cars), and then I bought one more to keep handy at the bench where I do electronics and hobby projects.

Frankly, it is a far better drill than I had expected for the price. In repetitive use, it comfortably drilled 20 consecutive 1/4 holes in a slab of 4/4 oak. The slower speed on the two speed trigger works nicely for driving screws or drilling up to 1/8" holes through aluminum bar stock and brass. It will effectively work for slow speed grinding and sanding with "dremel" type attachments in a pinch, although obviously the Dremel tool is much better for this.

The drills in my classroom get continuous use for a few days and then get packed away until the next project. The ones at home will get intensive use over a weekend and then will go for several weeks without being used at all. Surprisingly, I generally find that the batteries retain plenty of power for a casual hole or three even when put up without getting a full charge first.

Tip: To keep the drill handy at my workbench, I cut the top and bottom ends out of a tomato paste can and screwed it to the apron on one end of the bench. The chuck drops perfectly into the can and leaves the drill ready to hand when needed and well out of the way otherwise.

Remember that if you allow your kids to use power tools, be sure they ALWAYS wear safety glasses and hearing protection.

This drill does as advertised. It is very light weight, yet packs enough power for most household work. I am amazed at how long it works on a single charge. I like the fact that the batteries are built-in and don't have to be removed/replaced for charging. For the price, I highly recommend it for typical household drilling.

Nice drill for light to medium duty. Great for occasional household or apartment use. Good torque -- two speeds forward and reverse. Don't expect to be able to add an addition on your house with it (even though it does drive 4" screws). It's handy for hanging curtain rods, blinds, pictures and even hanging doors. There are no accessories or case included. It comes with a charger and built-in battery (non-replaceable). Even if the battery and drill last for only a couple years, it's still well worth the money.

Never a concern with B&D, this is a great drill with ONE fualt, it will fall over when in an upright position. (NO BALANCE) For the price, go for it, just watch were you set it, it will fall over...I am also going to write B&D about this problem..

I ordered this tool for lightweight jobs around the house. 7V is plenty of power for drilling holes and setting smaller screws. It's very lightweight with two speeds. The one complaint I have and it's no big thing in that it won't stand up straight on it's battery. I just have to get used to laying it down. I would recommend this tool to anyone requiring a lightweight cheap drill ($20). Packaging was excellent and delivery was very quick. I am a frequent Amazon customer.

farmer1ron'

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Ink Cartridge - kodak printer, toner

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Of course I have only inserted one black and one color cart in my Kodak ESP 3 Printer of the 4 total, but both carts are working just fine. The printer status monitor recognized the carts as full and my test prints on a black & white doc and a color photo looked as good as the printer using the Kodak brand ink cartridges.

Hopefully these non-brand carts will last as long and continue to print as well as they did on the test prints. Two Each of Kodak #10 Black and Color Remanufactured Ink Cartridges

I have been using this ink recently to print some pictures. While the quality is very good the ink only lasts for about 100 pictures and then the color ink needs replaced. This seems to me to be not very many print jobs done before it needs to be refilled. I have not tested the Kodak ink like this so perhaps it is similar in how long it lasts. Still I was surprised to have to replace the color ink after only 100 pictures printed.

Well, I bought this ink pack from Amazon 2 weeks ago for my old Kodak All-In-One 5300 printer.

Although the cartridges look different from Kodak brand cartridges (they appear to be refillable/recycled with holes in the top), they work just fine in my printer and seem to print fine as well. No idea yet if they last the same amount of time, but I am satisfied.

So they work. That's pretty much all you need from an off-brand ink pack.

The ink cartridges work fine. The quality of the ink is just as good as the Kodak originals that came with the printer. In this particular order, I did have a cartridge that stopped working after a short time. I contacted betaink, the seller, and with no questions, a new print cartridge was delivered. snd

These non-kodak ink cartridges have just as good of quality as the kodak cartridges and last about as long for me, printing invoices, envelopes, general office use and pictures. I give this one 10 stars********** and a big thumbs up.

I do a lot of printing homeschooling my preschooler. The ink worked great. I was quoted a longer then normal shipping time, but they came early. The color ink did get on my hands the first time I installed it. The next time I was more careful and did not have a problem. I will order again. - All In One Printer - Kodak Printer - Toner - Ink Cartridge'

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120 Hz Refresh Rate - 1080p, blu-ray

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I was skeptical at first especially since I had bought an $80 HDMI cable to go with my new 61" Samsung TV. I waited for this cable to arrive then compared the picture (didn't care about sound since I was using the optical input) by swapping the cable. I spent an about an hour comparing the two cables and could not tell between the cables. The cable appears to solidly built and of good quality. Its bandwidth rate of 10.2 Gbps is higher then most of the "High end" HDMI cables on the market. Needless to say the $80 HDMI cable was returned and I'm going to buy at least one more of these cables to go with the PS3 I'm about to buy. High Speed HDMI Cable (10 feet)

There are some less expensive choices than this cable, and many much more expensive. This one is better built than most, with a thicker cable. It also has larger grips for the plugs, so make sure you have about 3" clearance. The cool red accent color sets it apart.

CNET tested HDMI cables and found no performance differences. Basically, it is digital in, digital out. The "certified" cables are indeed tested, but maybe those not tested would perform the same.

These cables are thick (but not too thick) and they are well built. The Amazon picture is not 100% correct as these cables have ferrite cores (shielding for interference) on both ends of the cables. The cable connector ends aren't too thick as they fit into the back of my Samsung PN58B860 plasma screen which has a max allowable thickness of .55inch (14mm). I have uploaded a photo of this. This photo also shows two 6ft CrazyOnDigital HDMI cables. The 10ft cable is being used to show 1080p content from a TViX media processor and is working very nicely. One of the 6ft cables is used to show 1080i content from a Dish network 622 receiver. The other 6ft cable is used to show 1080p (upconverted 480p) content from an Oppo DVD player. Overall, I'm very happy with these cables and I would buy them again as needed from this vendor.

I was talked into getting a monster HDMI cable for my new TV from a major electronics store where I live for 10 times the price of this cable but when I pluged it in I saw no difference at all between this extreemly well built cable and the so called Monster cable none at all so I returned it for a full refund all you are paying for is the name (Monster)and in my opinion the name isn't worth anywhere near what they charge for Monster.

I bought 2 Mediabridge cables to connect my PS3 and cable box, and both broke within a month. Don't buy those things....they're terrible! Picture and sound quality was fine for a while but they're connectors are really flimsy where they connect to the wire. This cable was far superior in it's construction (at least from the outside). The connectors are far more flexible where they meet the cable itself and don't feel like they're going to start make crakling noises when they bend a little. That was the last sound I heard when those Mediabridge pieces of junk broke. Both the picture and sound quality with these cables is perfect, especially on BluRay. I cannot imagine that a $100 cable could possibly perform any better. We will see how these hold up, but I am very happy with the quality of this cable so far. One thing that isn't shown in the picture are two cylindrical clip-on things attached towards each end of the cable. I think they help avoid inteference, but I'm not sure. They must be good for something!

Affordable but I never got to use it. Plugged it into the TV and to test it and when I pulled it back out the whole metal end came off and stayed in the TV. I had to get pliers to pull the end out of the TV. There was no fixing it. It had to be trashed.

I purchase this cable to replace a 6 footer which works just fine. The new 10 foot cable, although it looks good, will not work. I get zero signal through it: contiplating doing a continuity test but not worth my time. The Fry's 6 footer is back in service, works well, and next time I go there I will buy a 10 footer from them for a few more dollars. - Hdmi - Hdtv - Blu-ray - 1080p'

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Boot Cut Jeans - levis 527, boot cut

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These are very good quality jeans, especially for the price here on Amazon. The cut was better than I expected, which is to say I was expecting a more traditional/conservative look. Unfortunately, with the fading and whiskers, these are not really good if you want something more conservative, say for work. There are much better looking cuts out there if you go the faded/worn-look route, which leaves these in the middle: not really conservative but not really that great of a cut either.

Also, these are listed as having a boot cut. They are really a straight leg that fits boots. I bought a 30x34, and here are some of the measurements:

Inseam: 34" (true to size)

Seat and thighs: moderately relaxed (not loose cut)

Knee: 9"

Calf: 9"

Opening: 9-1/4" (more just because the hemming is thicker, so it's really more of a straight cut that will fit boots)

Front Rise: 10-1/2", sort of a low-mid rise

Rear Rise: 14" Carhartt Men's Series 1889 Relaxed Fit Jean,Dark Retro,44W x 30L

My husband is tall and thin, and it can be very hard to find a comfortable jean that doesn't look 3 sizes too big. For years now he has turned to Carhartt's for the best fitting, longest lasting work pants on the market. Their jeans continue the legacy. The dark wash is sharp enough to wear out to dinner and durable enough to survive the construction site. I bought 3 pairs this purchase and when they wear out, I will be back to buy more!

Honestly I wondered what Carhartt was doing in the denim store to begin with. They do not make bad jeans, but usually not very stylish jeans. However these jeans look good. The light retro has a faded pattern along the front thighs. Pretty subtle but that combined with a good fit, especially in the behind and they are my wife's favorite jeans for me to wear. I also like that, to me the denim is the right amount of material. A little less material per square foot, but that is good for Texas hot weather. And still VERY sturdy. Recommended. - Boot Cut - Levis 527 - 29 Inch Inseam - Boot Cut Jeans'

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Afrojack  nayer Pitbull Feat Ne-yo - maroon 5, mp3 download

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From the first time I heard this song it has just made you want to strut your stuff like Mick. I am just sorry it is not on Maroon 5's latest cd. The only way I got it was a download from Amazon. I hope they don't come out with a special cd that has " Moves like Jagger " on it. If you know you are going to have other songs and release them put them on the cd..... Moves Like Jagger - Coldplay - Lmfao - Maroon 5 - Mp3 Download'

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