Battery Charger - eneloop, battery charger

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[Updated Oct 24, 2008]

My original review on the Sanyo eneloop NiMH cells was written nearly two years ago. Since then, I have learned a lot more about the characteristics about eneloop and other low-self-discharge cells. So it is time to clear up some inaccurate information I wrote about eneloop's self-discharge rate.



1. I was told that the Sanyo eneloop cells were not 100% fully charged when they leave factory. This makes sense because new cells are fast-charged in the factory to save time. In order to avoid problem with heat and gas built-up, they cannot be charged to 100%. I have tested some eneloop cells that were manufactured 20 months ago, and they still maintained about 70% charge. On the other hand, cells manufactured 6 months ago contain about 75% charge. This confirmed that the discharge rate is much lower than I previously estimated.



2. The self-discharge rate of eneloop (and other LSD cells) is not linear! My own testing showed that a fully charged eneloop may lose 10% of its initial charge during the first month of storage, but in the second months it may lose just 2-3%. The rate becomes even slower after three months. In fact, my 5-month self-discharge test using various brands of LSD cells gave nearly identical results as my previous 3-month test.



3. When an eneloop cell is freshly charged, its capacity actually measures at about 5% higher than its rated capacity (2100mAh vs. 2000mAh). In my previous tests, I used measured capacity as base to calculate the percentage loss. This results in apparently higher percentage loss. Had I used the rated capacity as base value, the self-discharge rate would be about 5% lower.



Based on the above revelation, I believe Sanyo's claim about eneloop (maintain 85% charge after one year, 80% after two year) to be accurate. Therefore the title of my previous review ("The News of LSD Has Been Slightly Exaggerated") has to be replaced.



Over the past two years, I have tested several different brands of LSD cells available from Amazon.com, including Rayovac Hybrid, Kodak Pre-Charged, and Duracell Pre Charged. They have all performed very well - practically no difference from the Sanyo eneloop. So the bottom line is: just pick which ever brand of LSD cell is on sale, and you can't go wrong.





[Update on April 21, 2011]

- After testing and using various brands of LSD cells over the past four years, Sanyo eneloop cells have proven to be the most reliable and consistent of them all. I now have to recommend Sanyo eneloop over all others brands.



- Recently Amazon started to offer the SANYO NEW 1500 eneloop cells, at around 25% higher price. In my testing, the improvement of the new eneloop over the original is hardly noticeable. So you'll have to decide whether it is worthwhile to pay the extra cost. Sanyo Eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries w/ Charger

[IMPORTANT NOTE]

My original review below was written back in 2007, when the Sanyo eneloop first became available

through Amazon.com. Part of my initial estimation about eneloop's self-discharge rate turns out to be inaccurate. Please see my other Amazon spotlight review for updated information.



[Original Review follows]



According to Sanyo, the new eneloop LSD (low self-discharge) NiMH batteries can maintain 85% of its original charge after 1 year of storage. This claim is slightly misleading, because it is based on simulation test at 20 degree C. At higher temperature, the self-discharge rate is likely to be much higher.



I have tested five of those AA cells (details are given in my review for the eneloop 4-pack). The average energy loss is about 26% after less than 6 months of storage, based on manufacturer date codes. This self-discharge rate is about 3 times higher than what Sanyo claimed. However, it is still 6 times lower than that of ordinary NiMH batteries. Therefore I'm in the process of replacing most of my existing rechargeable cells to the Sanyo eneloop.



Thanks to lower self-discharge rate, you'll discover a lot more applications for eneloop cells in your house, such as in clocks and remote controls. Do NOT use those cell in smoke detectors, since their discharge voltage profile is very different from that of alkaline cells. Also, don't use them as emergency flash lights batteries in your car, because the higher temperature during summer time will probably nullify the advantage of LSD.



[Update on Jan 13, 2007]

I have tested six new eneloop AAA cells, dated "2006-06'. The average residue charge is 589mAh, and the freshly charged capacity is 827mAh. This implies a self-discharge rate of 29% in 7 months, which is consistent with the rate for AA cells (26% loss in 6 months).



[Update on Jan 29, 2007]

The Rayovac "Hybrid" rechargeable NiMH batteries are now available at Walmart, priced at only $[...] for 4-pack of AA or AAA cells. It is also advertised to have low self-discharge rate, but not as low as that for eneloop. The eneloop is supposed to retain 85% charge in 12 months (when stored at 20 degree C), whereas Hybrid is supposed to retain 80% charge in 6 months (no mention of temperature).



[Update on June 3, 2007]

In my 2-month self-discharge test using four different brands of NiMH cells. Hybrid and eneloop came up neck-and-neck!



Room temperature: 60-62 degree F (16-17 degree C). All capacities measured are average of 2-cells.



- Sanyo eneloop 2000, purchased Jan 2007.

Initial capacity measured: 2070mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1796mAh (-13.2%)

(Note: my previous result for eneloop showed -18%, but I repeated the test and it did better this time)



- Rayovac Hybrid 2100, purchased Jan 2007.

Initial capacity measured: 2155mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1859mAh (-13.8%)



- LaCrosse 2000, purchased Jan 2006.

Initial capacity measured: 1902mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1417mAh (-26%)



- SONY 2300, purchased Sep 2004.

Initial capacity measured: 2210mAh

Capacity after 62 days: 1309mAh (-41%)



So neither eneloop nor Hybrid did as well as advertised, but they are still significantly better than previous generation of NiMH cells. So you can't go wrong with either brand. - Eneloop - Battery Charger - Battery - Nimh'

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Wireless Accessories - touch screen phone, wireless accessories

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I bought what was supposed to be an unlocked blackberry storm 2 from Mojos Closet. When the phone arrived and on inspection the phone was not new, it had a verison number and was defective and no manual. I spent over $400 USD and I am without a proper phone. This was my worst experience and I intend to take this matter to Amazon for a resolution. I contacted Mojos Closet all I received was a rude and disrespectful feedback. I will not recommend Mojos Closet ever again if this is the service granted. Blackberry Storm2 9550 Unlocked Phone with Touch Screen, Wi-Fi, 3.2MP Camera and GPS - Unlocked Phone - No Warranty - Black

After experiencing problems with the original Blackberry Storm, Verizon eventually upgraded me to the Storm 2. I have to say that, for the most part, I have been satisfied with this phone. The touchscreen keyboard is only functional for me when it is in the wider landscape mode. When I try to type in the portrait mode, my fingers cannot hit the correct keys simply from the standpoint of spacing. The keys are just too close together. The one issue I experience consistently is when I try to hit the "a" button I instead get a "q" which I do find frustrating. From the standpoint of overall ease of use, this phone is pretty simple to operate. A good number of apps are available including internet based radio from Slacker, Pandora, and i-Heart radio. You can use an aux cable to connect the phone to your car's radio and play these stations through your sound system. The calendar function, contacts, and e-mail all work extremely well on this phone. Occasionally, the phone does freeze which requires a soft reset by removing the battery. For whatever reason, these issues seem to have been minimized over the past six months or so. After a somewhat rough start with the Storm line of phones, I would now have to say that I do enjoy the Storm 2.

First of all, for a long time blackberry user coming from a hardware keyboard to a touch screen, I find it miserable dealing with blackberry storm 2 touch screen keyboard. My confident level of typing correct words is lower than 50%. I own a ipad, tried iphone, no comparison there. RIM, this is something that really needs to be improved on.



Orientation response is also slow, Pinch and swipe are slow too. It makes me feel like I'm using a 386 PC or a 56K dial up if you know what i meant. Picture rendering is also slow.



Overall, a thumb down.

Given the usability and power of the Blackberries I have used so far, I was having high expectations when I bought this Phone. But it lasted only until I got the phone. Setting up the phone was not so straight forward. Not because of the UI or anything, but RIM's much touted implementation of touch screen. While every other touch screen implementation is a "touch screen", RIM's implementation is a combination of touch and click. So if you want to click a button, the touch will select the button and pressing again to click will trigger a real press on the button. While in theory this can save the user from unwanted clicks, the main issue with this is that the click doesn't work really well in every part of the screen. Especially when you have a button on top left corner, clicking that will take all the energy you have. I almost felt like I will break the screen. The clicks on the center of the screen as smooth enough so its not a big deal for most buttons. Except when you use keyboard. I really dont know how a company like RIM is allowing such a product to be released to the market when such a big usability issue exists.



the next big problem with the phone is with the network service. While it supports data via Wifi and 2g/3g networks, I dont see an option to force the phone to use only the Wifi network for data. ( Or at least this is not so intuitive if such an option exist).



Installing and using apps also was not so simple. I downloaded and installed Google Talk, and on trying to login, it keeps giving me a message that The service is not enabled for this phone. I am not sure what this means at all. For comparison, I have done this on an Andriod phone and that was pretty straight forward. No issues at all..





In short, If you are a techie who wants some adventure ( really?? There are so many better ways to get the thrill than setting up and using a phone). Stay away from this.

Or if you need enterprise email etc and have an IT department to help you setup this for you, then you may consider this. Or else never even think of it. Android is way better for the common man.

I've been using an iphone then a Blackberry 8520, so:



PROS:

-it came with 16GB micro sd card from blue electronics. thats great!

-camera photos and video quality.

-BB software stuffs: messengers, browsers, etc.



CONS:

-would be hard to write on the touchscreen virtual keyboard if you've ever used a normal qwerty keyboard. In general, iphone touchscreen much better than 9550 touchscreen.

-when you click something you really need to click it pressing down the screen like a button, that's weird. its the first touchscreen that really meant the click action.

-this smartphone has 3G SINGLE BAND 2100.... too bad - Blackberry Storm - Touch Screen Phone - Cell Phone - Wireless Accessories'

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Extension Cable - usb cable, droid charger

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I guess you really do get what you pay for! Not only was I charged double for shipping when both cables were shipped in the same package, but not one but both cables stopped working after a little over a week of use! One actually came apart in my hands when I went to unplug it from my phone. USB 2.0 Cable, Type A Male to Micro USB Male Cable (10 Feet)

I wanted an extra charger for work so I tried to be cheap and get something inexpensive. While I CAN use this to charge my phone (Moto Droid) sometimes, I can never get a good enough connection to transfer files with it. I ended up going to Radio Shack and spending more for one that I knew would work. Spend a few more bucks and get a better quality one.

Got this for my Nexus One. The connection (both power and data) is pretty finicky. I tried the cable on multiple machines on every USB port and had the same result. The cord that came with the Nexus has no problems. For $1.82 I guess you can't expect too much.

I was wanting to use these cables to connect my Sprint EVO phone to the computer USB port, or charge using the USB power adapter. These cables won't stay connected. Physically, they stayed plugged in, but the computer wouldn't see the EVO, and the EVO's charge indicator (which starts charging when connected to a USB port) kept turning off, indicating no power was being detected. Tried multiple different PC's and USB power adapters. My other cables work fine, but the 2 of these cables I ordered failed. Too expensive shipping to return, for the small amount of net refund I'd get for the purchase price. Guess I'll learn not to buy any more GTMax products. Not the first time that brand has failed me.

This micro USB cable worked great for desktop charging and data transfer my Motorola droid (A855 model). The cable was long enough to reach to my PC on the floor, allowing me to keep the cable nicely hidden at my desk all the time. The cable itself is pretty thin (not as nice as the OEM cable), but just fine as a permanent backup cable. The cable also fits other micro USB phones in our family (LG enV 3 and Motorola Adventure V750. Cable measured about 118" (just under 10 foot long).



Very good value for what I needed.

Good cable much better than the one i previously bought for 30 bucks.

Even better price.

Wasnt expecting too much. Just needed a temporary cheap cable until i was ready to buy a high quality expensive one but i no longer see the need for the expensive one

My Droid X came with a little short 3' cable for the USB wall charger. It was a bit too short. I decided to look for a 6' cable but most were expensive. Came across this low cost 10' cable and decided to try it. A little longer than I needed but it works great. I can plug the phone in and sit farther away from the plug and still use the phone. I took the short wire and use it on my desk top to upload pictures from the phone. - Droid - Usb Cable - Droid Charger - Data Cables'

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Hewlett-packard - printer ink, hp cartridges

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When I was looking into ordering this item, I used the Amazon "will this work with your printer" tool. While the Amazon tool said these inks would not work with my Officejet 7210 All-in-One, some research online led me to believe that this ink would work with my printer (even with it being vivera ink).



This isn't a slam against Amazon, as I know that innocent mistakes are bound to happen when a company tries to list the compatibility of inks with almost all printers. Nonetheless, I wanted to let fellow 7210 owners know that on the side of the ink box, the 7210 is specifically listed as compatible (and indeed, when I installed the inks into my 7210, the printer loaded right up and printed perfectly).



If you are wondering if this ink is right for you, I would suggest you make note of the "96/97" ink numbers seen in the product image, and go to HP's website. On their site you can find the model number of your printer, as well as what "number" inks should work with it. HP 96/97 Ink Cartridges, Combo Pack

This is the second time I have purchased HP 96/97 Twin Pack Inkjet Cartridges from Infinite-Surplus, through Amazon. I have always been satisfied with their prompt service, excellent quality, and terrific prices. Purchasing Inkjet Cartridges through Amazon, or one of it's member companies is far more cost effective, and offers better service than any retail store or membership warehouse.

I've bought refilled ink cartridges in the past, NOW I buy the real thing. I've found out the refilled ink cartridges don't last as long as the real HP, that's why I'm back to H.P. ink cartridges. Do yourself a favor you're thinking you're getting a bargain w/ the cheaper refills you're NOT believe me I've found out. - Hp Ink - Printer Ink - Hp Cartridges - Inkjet Cartridges'

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Inkjet Printer - home office, printer ink

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I myself am having the same problem that alot of other reviewers are having with this product! While I am happy with the HP Printer itself, this #21 cartridge doesnt hold enough ink and runs out VERY FAST(mine ran out in two weeks). Keep in Mind that I only use the ink to print postage and I always use the fast draft which uses less ink and I STILL have to replace the cartridge frequently. I can only imagine if I used the normal print mode, I would be running to the store every other day to replace the cartridge. Of course most of us know that these companies dont make money on the actually printers, they make money on the ink! Anyway, I am going to try one of those refill kits and see if that cuts down on the cost! HP 21 Black Ink Cartridge (C9351AN#140)

I have to disagree with people that think they aren't getting their money's worth on ink. I have an Officejet 4315 that I use to print several pages per week for school. I also own an Inkjet 697C. Yes, the 697 cartridges have twice as much ink, but they are also twice as expensive at around $25-30 each. I simply changed my default print setting to Draft, which prints 300 dpi, and it prints B&W text just as nicely as the Normal setting (600 dpi). You may not want to do this if you print work/professional graphics all the time, but I used the Draft setting on color for printouts for my Anatomy & Physiology II class last semester, which worked just fine. 1 black ink cartridge (HP 21) on the Draft setting will last me most of a school semester, printing 10 - 20 pages per week (of mostly text with a few graphics). I used 1 plus a partial color cartridge (HP 22) last semester.

As a computer consultant, this is such a pet peeve. Printer companies selling printers at megacheap prices so you can be gouged with ink. This has 5 mL of ink in this cartridge. Now, check out the HP 56 cartridge -- 19 mL for about the same price. Remember, it's the same product inside -- ink.



Think about it, if you buy this cartridge, you are getting $6 worth of ink for $20ish. Each new cartridge would be $14 you could have spent on a better printer.

My printer takes this cartridge and I go through ink like crazy. I don't print pictures or anything like that -- I'm talking just regular documents printed 99% of the time in fast draft mode. This cartridge just isn't worth the money. If anything, buy yourself a refill kit... it's a lot cheaper that way.

Not enough bang for the buck. Each year I pay as much for the printer ink as I did for the printer. The cartridges are small; so it's not surprising that they do not last long. The quality of the printing is okay, but I think the price should be at least half of what it is.

This HP 21 inkjet cartridge is very light, easy to install and allows the printer to print out very good quality, durable black ink on the page. It stores for about a year after you buy it so if you want to stock up for your office or personal printing needs that's great! (It even comes with an expiration date!) HP also packs it well so that it is difficult for the cartridge to become damaged during transit.



One thing that I didn't like, however, is that the ink can go quickly. If you print a lot, you might even need to replace this cartridge every ten days or so. My needs are about 15 pages per week and I have to change the cartridge roughly every five to six weeks. That's not good; although to be fair to this HP ink cartridge I am printing graphics.



Four stars for being great ink in an easy to manage and install cartridge. It loses a point for not lasting longer.

My older HP 845C has bigger cartridge, they are making these smaller, from 25ml to 5ml is a big difference! But at least they promise that modern printers use ink more efficiently (I bought an HP F380 today and it uses Hp 21 & 22 cartridge, black and tri-color, both are 5ml). - Home Office - Hp Printer - Hewlett-packard - Printer Ink'

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Computer Backback - computer backback, swissgear

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I chose this backpack to carry my new laptop and to replace a regular old backpack that I carry my things to work in every day. My decision was based primarily on it selling for 67% off and that it seemed like it would be big enough for my laptop. I've got a 17.3" Asus gaming laptop so it's really long and also pretty thick. This is a great bag, especially for the price and the only reason I gave only 4 stars is because it is a very tight fit for my laptop. Due to the side-access design, inserting/removing the computer is much harder than it might be if it just slid in from the top or opened up all the way. Once the computer is inside it is hard to zip up and I have to pull and stretch the edge as I bring the zipper around the corner of the laptop or the zipper pull will drag against it. Once zipped up the top corner of the laptop really pushes out hard against the zipper and I hope that after a lot of use it doesn't bust through and ruin the zipper in that spot. If I'm lucky the bag itself may stretch a little and give a little more slack. Don't get me wrong this is still a pretty large bag; if it was even just 1/2 inch taller it would be perfect.



Once the laptop is inside, the whole bag can open up like a clamshell and there is a "ScanSmart" plastic window that looks into the laptop compartment. This is supposed to be a feature that makes it easy for TSA screeners to screen your laptop at the airport. Since nothing else sits behind the laptop, by opening the bag like a clamshell it leaves the laptop side all alone without your other pockets full of stuff obscuring the x-ray image. However, as far as I knew the TSA requires all laptops to be completely removed anyway so your mileage may vary with this feature. There are several other pockets with a lot of good storage space for things like folders, pens, keys or other computer accessories. There is a dedicated MP3 player pocket inside with a little hole to push headphones through that I think will come in really handy. The TWO water bottle holders on the sides are stretchy elastic and my extra wide 32oz. bottle fits in easily. The back of the pack and the shoulder straps are both pretty cushy and there is a small elastic band on the back of the strap to hold your sunglasses if you want. The materials throughout all appear very sturdy and feel substantial. There's also a sturdy handle on the top of the bag to pick it up by or carry that way if you choose.



TL;DR version:

Should easily fit mainstream 17-inch laptops but is pretty tight for larger gaming type laptops. If you have an 18-inch don't even bother. This is probably the best laptop backpack on Amazon at this time especially for the low price. Tons of sweet storage options and well constructed; not cheaply made. Looks cool too. SwissGear SA1908 ScanSmart Backpack in Black

This bag is perfect for 17.4" laptops. Actually it reduces weight on your shoulder due it's air-flow technology. This bag is big enough to put college books or business documens. I also keep cooling hub and external hard drive in it. This is perfect for great deal. Thanks amazon.

I own a 16.4" Sony VAIO FW Series and it fits snugly into the laptop section of the backpack. It should fit most 17" laptops as advertised, but I can't guarantee that because my VAIO has 16:9 aspect ratio display, which makes the laptop dimensions a little narrower and longer. Comes with a strap that holds the laptop in place. It's made of strong material on the outside; however, the material used to separate the different sections of the backpack could be stronger. The color is totally black, unlike the picture shown on Amazon's page which seems a little lighter. Zippers used are pretty strong, would be great if the front zippers were the same. Back portion has lots of padding. However, it would be nice if the shoulder straps had a little more cushion. The backpack is very light, which is a good thing as most laptops add a lot of weight to the backpack. Has an interesting window design that shows the laptop when the backpack's laid open. I would've taken one star away for the material used to partition the different section of the backpack, if not for the 5 year limited warranty it comes with. For the price I'm paying for ($39.99), it's a great buy. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a laptop backpack that supports larger laptops.

Even at full price, this backpack is worth the money. It's great for students, with a high textbook capacity, and the padded shoulder straps and back make it so comfortable to carry. Best backpack I've ever seen.

I was a little worried I'd have a hard time finding a practical bag that fit my somewhat unwieldy 17" MacBook Pro, but it fits perfectly in this wonderfully constructed backpack. I wanted a bag that could double as a travel and gym bag and decided on this one based on the great reviews and price ($59.99 a few weeks before Christmas). Even after reading so many good reviews, it has surpassed my expectations.



When I first got it, I thought it would only be good for carrying my laptop and a few accessories in the front pockets since the main part of the bag is the "Scan Smart" section, which is meant to be completely unzipped and laid out flat for airport scanners (which means you can't put much in that section aside from a few small accessories in the pouch. See the above pictures.) However, I was really impressed with the amount of stuff I could fit in the other three pockets! I can easily carry a pair of running shoes, gym clothes, travel toiletries (a quart-sized Ziploc bag full of 3oz travel toiletries fits perfectly in the smallest pocket), a bag of groceries and more without it looking like it's about to explode. The bag distributes the weight beautifully (the 17" MacBook Pro isn't light) and the cushions and "Airflow" section on the back give it a great feel. The iPod pouch in the third pocket with the headphone hole is a cool touch as well as the sunglasses hook on the left strap and side pockets--perfect for cords and phone chargers.



It's got a great look to it too. At 26, I began to feel a little self-conscious wearing the same Jansport backpack I had in high school so this is a welcome replacement. Highly recommended! - Computer Backback - 17 Inch Laptop Backpack - Swissgear - Backpacking'

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Point And Shoot - powershot, canon digital camera

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In short, this is a great camera in a very small package that produces good results! I wanted a small portable camera with HD video capabilities that I could take with me when I did not want to lug around my DSLR (Canon 40D + lenses) and this little gem fits the bill perfectly.



This camera replaced a Canon PowerShot SD780IS (Black) that I returned due to constant audio noise (hum) while recording video. Rather than risk getting another defective SD780IS with the same issue (many seem to report hearing the noise/hum), I decided to upgrade to the latest Canon PowerShot SD1400IS (Black). I am happy to report that this camera has no such issue with audio when video is being recorded.



The picture quality of the SD780IS and SD1400IS is roughly the same and on par with what one should expect from such a small ultra-portable camera. Going from 12MP to 14MP is a wash as the sensor is the same size and results are very similar. I have posted several shots of flowers under the "customer images" section of the Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP (Black) and also uploaded several 100% crops of each image so pixel peepers can see the detail that this camera produces.



Let me be clear, anyone that thinks this camera is going to produce anything close to the quality of a DSLR is fooling himself or herself. There is no way that this small of a package (3.6 x 0.7 x 2.2 inches ; 4.6 ounces) can produce the same image quality as a DSLR. If image quality if paramount, one would be better off considering the Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera, but you will lose the HD video capability, some portability and spend more money. When I want extreme quality, I simply take my Canon 40D + lenses with me and shoot in RAW.



The Auto mode is smart and I think there is more happening behind the scenes than one would expect. If one takes the same image (same ISO settings, lighting, shutter etc.) in Auto and then in Program mode, the results are similar, but I think the Auto mode wins nearly every time. I have no way to confirm this, but the Auto mode seems to have different compression algorithms depending on the subject and can produce a less noisy image at higher ISO than Program mode can. Inside shots are good but I wish I could set an ISO range to force the Auto mode not to exceed 400 ISO.



Tip: If you are getting blurry images, remember that the minimum focal length is much less 5cm when at 28mm and significantly more 50cm when zoomed in to 112mm. So, if you are trying to get the camera close to your subject, be sure to gauge your zoom/subject distances properly otherwise your subject will be out of focus. Perhaps this would have helped the 1 star reviewer.



Final items of note:

1. There is no viewfinder and quite honestly, the small viewfinder on the SD780IS was useless so I do not miss having one. The LCD is bright and works great even on bright days.

2. There is no optical zoom while recording video, only digital zoom, so one has to decide on a zoom length before starting to record. This is a non-issue for me as many people overuse zoom and usually would have been better off just recording a static shot rather than making me dizzy with shaky-cam + zooming at the same time.



Bottom line: This is a fantastic pocket camera capable of decent images with HD video recording as a bonus. It is small enough that it will get taken everywhere enabling capturing of all those special moments. I would highly recommend it to anyone, so long as they realize the limitations inherent to ultra compact cameras. I hope this is review is helpful.



Update: I forgot to mention that one should be sure to get no less than a "Class 4" SD card (Class 6 would be even better) to prevent any video recording issues (missed frames etc.)



Update 2: Still loving this camera after six weeks of use, I particularly like HD video capabilities and use it all the time. The .mov video files make for easy import into Apple iMovie for editing and produces great results. At a recent event, I was able to get some very nice pictures in low light without using a flash in AUTO mode. I was really surprised at the quality achieved in such hard shooting conditions. Best results are had by not zooming too much as there is less light available (f-stop changes when zoomed). If you are noticing blurry shots, try to zoom less and get closer to your subject.



Update 3: I just ran across the recent announcement of the Canon PowerShot SD4000IS (Black) 10MP, it was just released and the list price is currently more than the SD1400IS but the new 10MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor looks very promising for decreasing the noise that is common in sub-compact cameras. The SD4000IS also has HD video capabilities with the addition of stereo sound and can be zoomed while recording video along with a new "Super Slow Motion" video function and a faster f/2.0 lens. It will be interesting to see what users think of this new camera in the coming months. I hope this update is helpful. Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) - Digital Camera - Powershot - Canon Digital Camera - Compact Camera'

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