Best Camcorder & Camera Lenses
The AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G optical design allows a different look and feel to images taken with zoom lenses, and its dimensions are ideal for discrete snapshots and landscape shooting with a picture angle that approximates that of the human eye. When mounted on a DX-format SLR, the picture angle is the 35mm equivalent focal length of 50mm.what's in the box: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens, HB-46 Bayonet Lens Hood for AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G, 52mm Snap-On Lens Cap, LF-1 Rear Lens Cap for F Mount Lenses, CL-0913 Soft Lens Case and 5-Year Warranty (1-Year International + 4-Year USA Extension). Fast, f/1.8 prime lens is perfect for low-light conditions, travel, environmental portrait and general photography Engineered for Nikon DX-format D-SLRS, the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens renders a picture angle approximating the classic normal angle of view of a 50mm lens on a Nikon FXformat digital SLR or 35mm film camera Aspherical lens element minimizes coma and other types of lens aberrations, further improving image integrity Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) enhances light transmission efficiency and offers color consistency and reduced flare Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) enables fast, accurate and quiet autofocus Close focusing to 1 foot for creative perspectives and versatility Rounded 7-blade diaphragm opening makes out-of-focus elements appear more natural Accepts 52mm filter attachments. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The fact is that a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and the same lens on a crop sensor camera do not shoot the same way. Pros: - Feels well built. - Comes packaged with carrying case, good cap, bayonet style lens hood. - Can fit more in the frame. - Fast. - Captures crisp images with lots of detail. - Great in low light, maybe even better than the now older 50mm 1.8D (which by the way does not autofocus unless you have a camera with a focus motor built in). - If I had a camera that did not have a focus motor built in, no problem, this lens has a focus motor built into it. - Focusing is SILENT - unlike the 50mm 1.8D, which hunts for focus and is noisy as hell. - Manual focus override: a switch on the side of the lens allows you to either manually focus the lens, or to allow for M/A, manual and autofocus. That said, I may use this lens more as a street photo / on the go / all around lens and keep the 50mm 1.8D for portrait work or product shots exclusively. - There is some barrel distortion with this lens (which is when there is slight curve to the image from the center point to all edges) the effect is very slight and can very easily be corrected in photo editing software. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. The shots are to show how much can fit in the frame using the 50mm lens (on a cropped sensor camera) in comparison to this 35mm 1.8G. I love the 50mm lens, I really do, but I needed more versatility and this 35mm lens gives me just that, the freedom to have a quasi-portrait lens as well as a great, fast, and sharp all around shooter."
"I've had the camera for almost a year and have been disappointed my the photos I was taking (been using the lens kit that came with my camera). Before I got this lens I had essentially stopped using my DSLR because the lens kit was so slow that I was always miss his smile."
"came brand spanking new great condition, box was safe and secure."
"Overall I think this is a great first lens after a kit lens."
50mm focal length and maximum aperture of f/1.8 Great for portraits, action, and nighttime photography Minimum focusing distance of 1.15 ft. (0.35m) and a maximum magnification of 0.21x Stepping motor (STM) delivers near silent, continuous Move Servo AF for movies and smooth AF for stills 80mm effective focal-length on APS-C cameras, 50mm on full-frame cameras. Canon's most compact 50mm lens, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has a rugged metal mount, plus an improved minimum focusing distance of 1.15 ft. (0.35m) and a maximum magnification of 0.21x. Specifications Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 50mm f/1.8 Lens Construction: 6 elements in 5 groups Diagonal Angle of View: 46° Focus Adjustment: AF with full-time manual Closest Focusing Distance: 1.15 ft. / 0.35m Filter Size: 49mm Max. Stepping motor (STM) delivers near silent, continous Move Servo AF for movies and smooth AF for stills.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"HIGHLIGHTS: excellent image quality, compact form factor and affordable pricing, but with few concessions in build and AF performance. CONSTRUCTION: Slightly smaller and heavier than the prior model, EF 50 1.8 II, aka nifty-fifty, but with significantly better build quality. Improvements include metal mount, sturdier barrel and AF/MF switch, larger focus ring, grippy matte finish and stepping motor (STM). Like USM lenses, it has Full-Time Manual (FTM), allowing AF override without flipping a switch: simply turn the MF ring. FINAL BLURB: The natural perspective and fast aperture make the EF 50 1.8 STM ideal for low light, travel and street photography with a full frame camera (6D). Canon got everything right with this redesign: accurate and snappy AF, sturdy build and, most significantly, vivid and sharp images wide open."
"Not only that, but it’s now also full time focus which means no more breaking the lens when you forget to take it out of Autofocus. And paired up with a crop sensor body like the Canon 70d, you can really get some nice close up shots with lens before investing in a dedicated macro solution. BOKEH: Now even though the nifty fifty was a cheap lens, it still produced some fantastic images with a very shallow depth of field. On the new 50 stm this has now been upgraded to 7 rounded aperture blade and I’ve found that it produces some lovely bokeh. Now to me it’s not a huge deal because I didn’t mind the old 50’s bokeh shapes, but I guess it is a nice upgrade. AUTOFOCUS: Of course one of the biggest new changes to this lens is the inclusion of an STM or stepping motor. The bokeh looks fantastic, chromatic aberation has been greatly reduced compared to the old version, and vignetting if almost no existent."
"I just ordered this lens and I tried it out right away!!"
"Some people don't like the build quality on this lens because it's plastic with a metal mount, but that means that it's also lightweight. The one drawback I have with this lens combined with my crop sensor is that I have to back up a ways to fit what I want I the picture. If I'm in a small room I have to get creative to make an interesting composition rather then having the luxury of getting everything in and maybe cropping later."
Style: Lens Only. Newly developed optical system with Aspherical lens element, Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Purchased locally due to wanting to take for niece's son's 3rd b-day party today."
"This was my first lens. It is very sharp and super quick."
"Review of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G AF-S versus other Nikkor 50mm AF lenses. This quick review is based on my use of this lens for almost 3-weeks. It is intended for those already familiar with Nikkor's line of 50mm prime lenses but are wondering how this lens compare with the other Nikkor 50mm autofocusing lenses that I also own. AGAINST THE NIKKOR f/1.8D. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D and a bit heavier but by a mere 31 grams, hardly noticeable at all. Unlike the 50mm f/1.8D which has a maximum aperture of f/22, the maximum aperture of this lens is f/16 (as do the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D and 1/4G). The aspherical element in the new Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G has further improved the acuity of this lens specially noticeable at the corners even at its wide-open setting. Priced very reasonably, this 50mm f/1.8G lens also now focuses on Nikon bodies without built-in focusing motors such as the Nikon D3000, D3100, D5000, D5100, D40, and D60. Considering that the 50mm f/1.8G has better optical performance (sharper, better bokeh, improvement on color and contrast), has an included hood, lens pouch, plus the flexibility of being able to use this lens with all of Nikon's dSLR, I strongly recommend anyone looking for a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens to choose this Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G over the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. AGAINST THE NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D but is lighter by 63 grams. AGAINST THE NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G. In terms of size, this lens is about equal with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G and also uses the same 58mm filter. The aperture ring remains handy and useful for manual control of aperture in video more so as the current video-enabled Nikon dSLRs do not allow the changing of aperture settings when video recording has started. ADDITIONAL NOTES OWNERS OF THE NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger and slightly heavier than the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G but the weight difference is not really noticeable. If you own a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G and need the field of view of this lens, getting this lens would be a no-brainer. SUMMARY. In sum, this lens is currently the best Nikkor 50mm lens for general still photography when shooting from f/2.0 and above. The Nikkor f/1.4D with its aperture ring is particularly useful for video with its ability to change the aperture setting through the aperture ring even after video recording has started. This prime lens is a safe, inexpensive, and exceptional route to trying out how good a prime lens can be as against zoom lens."
"The only down-point is that sometimes 50 mm is too close for some shots, even if you step back, sometimes you screw with your composition, but this only happens if you want to take a picture of a large subject or a landscape, which is not the purpose of this lens for me."
"I can say this lens is amazing especially for beginners, it is crazy how fast this lens will focus and take a picture its like no joke 3x faster then the default 35mm-55mm lens you get with a d3300 so I would really recommend."
"I currently also own the 18-55 kit lens and a 55-300 lens."
"This is the most important first lens to buy beyond the kit lens."
"I hope to master this style, before I officially start taking clients."
Best Camcorder Lenses
Fisheye lens: ● Angle: 180°. Wide Angle lens: ● Angle: 140°. ● Magnification: 0.4X. Macro lens: ● Magnification: 10X. ● Min Object distance: 10-15mm. ● Max Diameter: 20mm How to Use: ▲ Macro Lens and the fisheye Lens are attached together while you receive them. 1 X super wide lens. 1 X fisheye lens + macro lens (attached together). 1 X lens clip. 2 X lens caps for both ends. 1 X microfiber lens cleaning cloth bag. 0.4X Super Wide Angle Lens + 180° Fisheye Lens & 10X Macro Lens, Meet all of your demand! When you use the Fisheye lens, please DO not detach the Fisheye lens from the Macro lens.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The fisheye is super cool, but expect a small black ring around the picture. The order is. 1: wide. 2: macro. 3: fish eye. I also have a screen protector on my iPhone 6 and this product has a clear image with both cameras."
"I was very excited to try the lenses."
"I loved the idea of these but when we took them on our trip to Europe we discovered the caps come off the lenses very easily when traveling which caused the lenses to get a little scratched and the pictures to came out blurry when using the wide angle lense."
"I tried a really cheap set (from another vendor) that was blurry. All in all a nice product for the price, and adds some fun functionality to my phone camera."
"The lenses are a great deal for the price."
"I reviewed them lower initially but I realized that I didn't give the product a fair shot because I hadn't experimented with them enough."
"The macro lens by itself has an extremely shallow depth of field which makes it tricky to get your subject in focus. The large wide angle lens does work a little better, but there's still quite a bit of barrel distortion and the corners of the image are very soft. Amir: If you want a 5 star review from me you should improve the way the lens mounts to the clip. A twist lock similar to how SLR lenses work would be so much nicer. After a day or two of rolling around in my backpack the lenses have all fallen out of the bag. Update #2: Dropping to 2 stars after using the product some more and receiving 10 separate emails about this review, all clearly generated by a script."
"Box was crushed with only 2 lens inside."
Best Camera & Camcorder Lens Bundles
Style: Lens Only. Newly developed optical system with Aspherical lens element, Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Purchased locally due to wanting to take for niece's son's 3rd b-day party today."
"Review of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G AF-S versus other Nikkor 50mm AF lenses. This quick review is based on my use of this lens for almost 3-weeks. It is intended for those already familiar with Nikkor's line of 50mm prime lenses but are wondering how this lens compare with the other Nikkor 50mm autofocusing lenses that I also own. AGAINST THE NIKKOR f/1.8D. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D and a bit heavier but by a mere 31 grams, hardly noticeable at all. Unlike the 50mm f/1.8D which has a maximum aperture of f/22, the maximum aperture of this lens is f/16 (as do the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D and 1/4G). The aspherical element in the new Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G has further improved the acuity of this lens specially noticeable at the corners even at its wide-open setting. Priced very reasonably, this 50mm f/1.8G lens also now focuses on Nikon bodies without built-in focusing motors such as the Nikon D3000, D3100, D5000, D5100, D40, and D60. Considering that the 50mm f/1.8G has better optical performance (sharper, better bokeh, improvement on color and contrast), has an included hood, lens pouch, plus the flexibility of being able to use this lens with all of Nikon's dSLR, I strongly recommend anyone looking for a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens to choose this Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G over the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. AGAINST THE NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D but is lighter by 63 grams. AGAINST THE NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G. In terms of size, this lens is about equal with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G and also uses the same 58mm filter. The aperture ring remains handy and useful for manual control of aperture in video more so as the current video-enabled Nikon dSLRs do not allow the changing of aperture settings when video recording has started. ADDITIONAL NOTES OWNERS OF THE NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is slightly bigger and slightly heavier than the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G but the weight difference is not really noticeable. If you own a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G and need the field of view of this lens, getting this lens would be a no-brainer. SUMMARY. In sum, this lens is currently the best Nikkor 50mm lens for general still photography when shooting from f/2.0 and above. The Nikkor f/1.4D with its aperture ring is particularly useful for video with its ability to change the aperture setting through the aperture ring even after video recording has started. This prime lens is a safe, inexpensive, and exceptional route to trying out how good a prime lens can be as against zoom lens."
"This was my first lens. It is very sharp and super quick."
"The only down-point is that sometimes 50 mm is too close for some shots, even if you step back, sometimes you screw with your composition, but this only happens if you want to take a picture of a large subject or a landscape, which is not the purpose of this lens for me."
"--UPDATED REVIEW--. After a good deal of time using the 50mm f/1.4D, I decided that I wanted to pick up a quieter auto-focus lens so I decided to give the 50mm f/1.8G another shot. Overall, this lens has been a joy to use this second time around which makes me wonder what was going on with that first copy. Either way, after experiencing what this lens is capable of offering, I felt compelled to come and update this review because it really is a great lens for the beginner and enthusiast alike that's offered a very reasonable price. -- OLD REVIEW --. Given all of the positive reviews, I probably just got a bad copy, but the lens was just unacceptably soft for me which I didn't expect since it flies in the face of most of the reviews I've read about this."
Best Camera Lenses
The AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G optical design allows a different look and feel to images taken with zoom lenses, and its dimensions are ideal for discrete snapshots and landscape shooting with a picture angle that approximates that of the human eye. When mounted on a DX-format SLR, the picture angle is the 35mm equivalent focal length of 50mm.what's in the box: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens, HB-46 Bayonet Lens Hood for AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G, 52mm Snap-On Lens Cap, LF-1 Rear Lens Cap for F Mount Lenses, CL-0913 Soft Lens Case and 5-Year Warranty (1-Year International + 4-Year USA Extension). Fast, f/1.8 prime lens is perfect for low-light conditions, travel, environmental portrait and general photography Engineered for Nikon DX-format D-SLRS, the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens renders a picture angle approximating the classic normal angle of view of a 50mm lens on a Nikon FXformat digital SLR or 35mm film camera Aspherical lens element minimizes coma and other types of lens aberrations, further improving image integrity Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) enhances light transmission efficiency and offers color consistency and reduced flare Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) enables fast, accurate and quiet autofocus Close focusing to 1 foot for creative perspectives and versatility Rounded 7-blade diaphragm opening makes out-of-focus elements appear more natural Accepts 52mm filter attachments. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The fact is that a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and the same lens on a crop sensor camera do not shoot the same way. Pros: - Feels well built. - Comes packaged with carrying case, good cap, bayonet style lens hood. - Can fit more in the frame. - Fast. - Captures crisp images with lots of detail. - Great in low light, maybe even better than the now older 50mm 1.8D (which by the way does not autofocus unless you have a camera with a focus motor built in). - If I had a camera that did not have a focus motor built in, no problem, this lens has a focus motor built into it. - Focusing is SILENT - unlike the 50mm 1.8D, which hunts for focus and is noisy as hell. - Manual focus override: a switch on the side of the lens allows you to either manually focus the lens, or to allow for M/A, manual and autofocus. That said, I may use this lens more as a street photo / on the go / all around lens and keep the 50mm 1.8D for portrait work or product shots exclusively. - There is some barrel distortion with this lens (which is when there is slight curve to the image from the center point to all edges) the effect is very slight and can very easily be corrected in photo editing software. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. The shots are to show how much can fit in the frame using the 50mm lens (on a cropped sensor camera) in comparison to this 35mm 1.8G. I love the 50mm lens, I really do, but I needed more versatility and this 35mm lens gives me just that, the freedom to have a quasi-portrait lens as well as a great, fast, and sharp all around shooter."
"I've had the camera for almost a year and have been disappointed my the photos I was taking (been using the lens kit that came with my camera). Before I got this lens I had essentially stopped using my DSLR because the lens kit was so slow that I was always miss his smile."
"came brand spanking new great condition, box was safe and secure."
"Overall I think this is a great first lens after a kit lens."
Best Digital Cameras
• Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR Camera. • Canon 18-55mm Lens. • High Definition Wide Angle Lens. • 58mm 2x Professional Telephoto Lens. • Transcend 32GB SDHC Memory Card. • Transcend 16GB SDHC Memory Card. • Vivitar SLR DC59 Large Gadget Bag. • Quality Tripod. • 3 Piece UV Filter Kit. • USB Card Reader. • Auto Power Slave Flash. • UV Filter 58mm. • RS-60 Remote Switch for Canon. • Memory Card Wallet. • LCD Screen Protectors. • Table Top Tripod. • Lens Cap Holder. • Cleaning Kit. Digital DSLR Auto Power Slave Flash - RS-60 Remote Switch for Canon - 3 Piece UV Filter Kit (UV-CPL-FLD) 58mm - Hi-Speed SD USB Card Reader - 58mm Ultraviolet UV Protector Filter - Memory Card Wallet - LCD Screen Protectors (Clear) - Table Top Tripod - 3 Piece Cleaning Kit - Lens Cap Holder.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you are looking for a great entry level camera and kit for photography look no further!"
"This is my first camera, this bundle has everything you need if you're into photography."
"An average point and shoot camera takes higher quality pictures than you will get through these lenses. All of the components are cheap, but will give you an idea if those are things you will use and should replace with better versions. All the included components are as follows: $10.69 xit macro lens xt58wab. $8.93 xit telephoto lens xt2x58. $19.75 vivitar large gadget bag. $22.46 xit tripod xt60trb. $4.50 vivitar 4in pocket tripod. $9.16 transcend 16gb flash card. $16.99 transcend 32gb flash card. $8.68 xit remote shutter release. $4.93 xit SD/microSD card reader. $7.46 pro series digital filter set. $3.95 lens cap keeper (stick on). $2.94 xit universal screen protector. $3.99 xit digital ultraviolet filter. $3.00 vivitar cleaning kit and card wallet. $14.95 slave flash. Total accessories: $142.38. $449 Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens (Black)."
"I am no pro when it comes to photography, but I do want my own slr and want to learn!"
"Great camera and the bundle is truly amazing."
"We love this camera."
"I just got this today and can't really say much about the camera except that it's very nice and surprisingly lighter than I had expected (which is good) everything else you get with it is ok. My favorite is the large tripod."
"Other than the accessories, this is a great camera."
Best Photo Printers & Scanners
— The Epson Perfection V600 Photo delivers outstanding quality scans from photos, film, slides and everyday documents. Featuring DIGITAL ICE for both film and prints, one-touch color restoration and. Arcsoft Photostudio. , this scanner provides a complete photo restoration solution. 6400 x 9600 dpi for film Enlargements up to 17” x 22” Built-in Transparency Unit (TPU) For slides, negatives and medium-format film. up to 6 x 22 cm Scan everything you need Film, photos, documents, invoices, receipts, books, magazines and 3D objects Complete photo restoration solution. Before. After. Before. After. Before. After. DIGITAL ICE for Prints Remove the appearance of tears. and creases from damaged photos DIGITAL ICE for Film Remove the appearance of dust and. scratches from film Easy Photo Fix For one-touch color restoration Increased productivity. ReadyScan LED technology Fast scanning and no warm-up time Optical Character Recognition (OCR) For converting scanned documents into editable text Four customizable buttons Instantly copy, scan-to-email and create PDF’s Features/Benefits Create extraordinary enlargements from film — 6400 x 9600 dpi for enlargements up to 17" x 22" Scan slides, negatives and medium–format panoramic film — built-in Transparency Unit Remove the appearance of tears and creases from damaged photos — DIGITAL ICE for Prints Remove the appearance of dust and scratches from film — DIGITAL ICE for Film Restore faded color photos with one touch — Epson Easy Photo Fix included Achieve greater productivity — convert scanned documents into editable text with ABBYY FineReader Sprint Plus OCR Quickly complete any task — instantly scan, copy, scan-to-email and create PDFs with four customizable buttons Energy-efficient LED for fast scans — exclusive ReadyScan LED light source means no warmup time, faster scans and lower power consumption Take your photos further — Arcsoft Photostudio included, to help edit and enhance your digital images Weight and Dimensions (W x D x H) — Weight: 9.0 lb, Dimensions: 11" x 19" x 4.6". What's in the Box Perfection V600 Photo color scanner Transparency unit (built into lid) Film holders for: 35mm film and mounted slides & 6 x 22 cm medium-format film Scanner software CD-Rom Arcsoft Photostudio DVD Start Here poster Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable AC adapter and power cable. Remove the appearance of dust and scratches from film — DIGITAL ICE for Film.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"11th Day Update: all 5400 slide transparencies (35mm mounted slides) have been scanned (at 2400dpi) and burned to DVDs. That was with only selective use of Color Restoration, which doesn't add anytime to the scan. We would look at each set of 4 preview images and click and highlight the ones we wanted to color restore (click on the slide, do NOT click on the checkbox...leave the checkbox on each preview CHECKED ON...that's what lets the scanner know you want to scan all 4 slides that you just previewed). Background: BFA in Art with concentration in Darkroom Photography; Own my own darkroom for 25 years; Decade as an Imaging Specialist/Scanner Operator (you can skip the next few paragraphs and get to the settings which worked well for us while scanning a bunch of old slides). Every day for a decade, 8 hours a day I used PhotoShop 3.0+, flatbed scanners, image setters and even a Nikon Coolscan slide scanner with an automatic slide-feeder. As I recall the slide feeder could hold about 40 mounted slides and took about 8 minutes per slide to scan. I wanted to set up a new, easy scan station for my father to scan his old slides: 54 slide projector carousels (round thingies) filled with a maximum 100 slides each. SETTINGS FOR SLIDE SCANNING. I installed the CD software, then plugged in the machine, and finally I turned it on with the ON/OFF button HIDDEN on the right side of the machine. So, for decent slide scans here is a nice setting list: Mode = Professional. Document type = Positive film. Image Type = 48-bit. Resolution = 2400 dpi. CHECK the unsharp mask box to turn it on, set level to LOW. CHECK the Color Restoration box to turn it on. Click preview, select and flip any upside-down slides with the options. Click Scan and sit back and wait while all 4 slides are scanned (a little under 4 minutes to scan and auto-name and auto-save). ACTUAL PROJECT: Each slide takes 1 minute to scan, auto-name and auto-save. 54 boxes of slides x 100 slides each = 5400 slides. Yes, at about 1 minute per slide it's a little slower (at 2400dpi) but you can save a little time and scan at 1200dpi, or even go down to 100dpi, lol. A minute per slide is a lot slower than 1 second per slide. I'd rather spend two weeks getting 5,400 great scans then spend 5 hours getting crappy scans that look terrible and I'll end up deleting. WHAT DIDN'T WORK WELL (FOR US) AND WHAT DID. First off, use the professional mode for slides. The automatic easy mode has drawbacks: it only allows 1200dpi scans at the highest setting; even though it's only 1200dpi it seems to take longer than the professional mode at 2400dpi; even though in the manual it says you can skip the preview...it actually does one preview at a time and shows that to you while it scans, which means the preview portion takes FOUR times as long. Also, when you select the color restoration option: the little preview is color restored, but the scan isn't! So: it takes 2x-4x as long and doesn't actually apply color restoration to the scan that is autosaved to your computer. Thus: if you want to scan, color restore and sharpen you have to use the professional mode (and re-check the color restoration box after selection "all" 4 previews with the blue frame highlighting them AFTER EVERY PREVIEW!!!!). I fiddled a little with the grain removal setting, but it just kind of blurred my test slides. There are other settings were you want to: UNcheck the write over files with the same name (why would you want to overwrite your previous scans? TIFFs are still a tad bigger, but if you're scanning once and then throwing away your slides then scan huge and save as TIFF for that once in a lifetime chance of archiving. Somewhere in the advanced settings option when you first open Epson Scan you can also uncheck the "include color profiles" box. Unless you're sending your files to a professional printing press that needs specific color profiles THIS JUST BLOATS THE SIZE OF EACH OF YOUR SCANS! I don't care about LAB COLOR vs CMYK vs Srgb ICC profiles and when I was a professional our printers (and by printers I mean the humans who ran huge color printing presses that are about 40' long) would set their prepress to strip out/ignore any color profiles accidentally left attached to image files we sent them...because THEY wanted to control the color, not some random file that nobody on our end looked at or modified or fixed or cared about. UNLESS YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER SENDING SCANS TO A COLOR PRINT PUBLICATION THAT REQUIRES YOU TO SEND ALONG COLOR PROFILES uncheck the box and save space on your computer. Click on Epson Scan. Select "Professional" and "Current Settings". 2400dpi. Check color restoration box on. Check unsharp max on / Medium. Dust spray and put in 4 slides. ****VERY IMPORTANT STEP RIGHT HERE: Click the "ALL" button the highlight all four previews with blue frames and then click "RESTORE COLOR CHECKBOX TO ON"/ (The color restoration feature shuts itself off after every preview, and if you turn it back on it only applies to the previews with blue frames around them!). This is for "pros" who only color restore 1 out of every 4 slides or whatever. Computer (we have a 2/3 year old Dell with i5 core processor and Windows 10, regular non-solid state hard drive). This Scanner. Dust-off Sprayer. USB Thumbdrive (archive 1). Blank DVDs (archive 2 or more if you burn multiple copies to send to various relatives). External HD (archive 3). Time: 1 minute per slide. This thing is heavier than my 25 year old Umax PowerLook III scanner which was used in by my at my job in a multi-million dollar publishing empire. I don't know who got to take home the Nikon CoolScan slide scanner (w/auto-feeder), LOL! Do you have only a month to scan 50,000 slides? Well, then contract a vendor to do them for 60 cents per slide and then sell you an external hard drive with your scans on it...plus shipping...plus expedited service...plus insurance which will give you a few dollars if the shipper looses all your slides so instead of your photos you'll have like $300 and the horror of loosing priceless, irreplaceable pictures. By the way: for my 5,400 slides it would cost at least $3,240 to have them scanned (plus shipping, plus hard drive they return the scans on, etc.). If anything I gave you: a template to plan your project/setup/costs & some easy start-up settings to get great slide scans. UPDATE: It's the second day of ownership, and even with our time spent testing settings, setting up a light box, unpacking and dusting off 54 boxes of 100-slide carousel wheels we managed to scan 2 entire boxes out of the 54! The ONLY THING THAT SUCKS ABOUT IT IS: after every 4 slide batch is previewed the "Color Restoration" box UNchecks itself. So you have to select all four previews and ONLY THEN click to check the color restoration box, and then scan. I can spend 5-15 minutes trying to color correct an RGB color image, and even longer for a CMYK image for print (textbook, magazine, book cover, etc.). After you do a few dozen you won't even have to think: your hand will just click ALL and Color Correct and SCAN. Good luck, have fun, spend a day or two scanning and rescanning a few documents to get the perfect settings and physical workflow that works for you!"
"While that sounds like an over whelming task, it has changed my approach to working with my family archives. Rather than simply copy them forward to digital in their original condition, I am being handed an opportunity to improve them. But, with the right mindset you can enjoy the experience of enhancing those photographic captures that you have kept and treasured, but seldom viewed. While in LR, as the last enhancement, edit the photo in a separate software, Noiseless CK. While the process takes time, it is enjoyable and rewarding to see the old memories once again before you in Kodak Carousel brightness and color -- and better. I doubt this machine is up to professional application either in terms of endurance or image quality."
"The second picture was scanned with Digital ICE and you can see how it removed all the dust and imperfections that were left on the slide even though I cleaned it using canned air."
"I got rid of all my darkroom equipment years ago along with all my film cameras, but still had a lot of 6x6 and 35mm negatives and Kodachrome slides. Also, when working with negatives and slides, just like you were working in darkroom, dust is a real PITA at these levels of enlargement."
Best Underwater Photography Products
With 12MP Burst photos at a blistering 30 frames per second, AKASO EK7000 Camera helps you capture the moments. you don't want to miss. Be able to captures the 170 degree wide angle perspective, AKASO EK7000 features built-in Wi-Fi, allowing you to connect. to the smart phone, tablet, computer and more to sharing via text, email, Facebook, Twitter, and more to your friends, family or followers . Note: Micro SD Card of Class 10 is Highly Recommended for 4K Action Camera. 1x AKASO EK7000 Camera. 1x 2.4G Remote Control. 2x 1050mAh Battery. 1x Waterproof Case. 1x Bicycle Stand. 7x Mount. 2x Clip. 1x Helmet Mounts. 1x Bandages. 5x Tethers. 1 x Protective Backdoor. 1x USB Cable. 1x AC Charger. 1x Lens Cloth. 1x Manual. Professional 4K 25fps & 2.7K 30fps video with 12MP photos at up to 30 frames per second for incredible photos, which is 4 times the resolution of traditional HD cameras. AKASO EK7000 is designed to withstand extreme environments, together with durable waterproof case. With the accessories, transform it for indoor and outdoor activities.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Upon my return to the US, I went to use the camera in my pool with the non-waterproof back and guess what - the camera got wet, the screen went white, and I thought I had ruined the camera leaving me with a bag of bits that I would never use again. However, I quickly removed camera from the case, removed the battery and memory card, put camera into a bag of rice and left in a warm place for 48 hours. I am happy to report that the camera appears to be working just fine - only time will tell."
"- Photos and videos sometimes show up out of order on the app, which can make it hard to figure out which ones you have already downloaded vs. which are new. - WiFi functionality for this is similar to what other things like headsets or speakers use Bluetooth for, but since it connects over WiFi, you will not be connected to other WiFi networks during that time."
"So what I did is I seach on Google and Youtube on how I can connect my Rode mic to it and I found plenty of them online. I bought a 3.5mm mount here in Amazon as well, had to tap into the Mic terminals positive and negative then drill a hole to lock in the mic port."
"It comes with a ton of accessories, and the quality is just about as good as the Gopro costing more than 4 times as much. To see the video type in, "photojunky drone zone" , and there is a full review with a lot of footage. The image is more contrasty than the Gopro so in shadows you lose some detail. and the LCD screen on the back makes everything a lot easier such as settings and actually being able to see what you are filming."
"Nice camera."
Best Video Equipment
Length: 6 Feet |. Style: 1-Pack. Meets the latest HDMI standards (4K Video at 60 Hz, 2160p, 48 bit/px color depth) that supports bandwidth up to 18Gbps and backwards compatible with earlier versions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While I cannot speak for the configurations of other users, I can confirm the following: Using this cable on a Samsung KS8500, I can confirm that this cable supports: UHD 4K HDR Content. 4K 30Hz 4:4:4. 4K 60Hz 4:4:4. I am attaching a picture of the chroma test as well."
"Please do not waste your hard earned money on overpriced HDMI cables in the name of picture or sound improvements. In order for a HDMI cable to have a "High-speed" moniker, it must be capable of showing resolutions up to 4K --> 3840 x 2160 at 30fps (or 4,096 x 2160 at 24fps). And as the highest resolution any 4K TV currently on the market can produce is 3840 x 2160 at 30fps, even if you found a $100 cable at your local BestBuy that claims it can transmit much more than that, it doesn't matter as you are limited by your source (i.e your cable box, Xbox, PS4 e.t.c) and your TV's hardware capabilities. Hence, if you do happen to own a TV and another device that both have HDMI 2.0 ports, any AmazonBasics High-speed rated cable will work perfectly fine with it."
"I don't know that I could tell the difference in performance of a basic vs some kind of "superior" HDMI cable but there is one thing about this product you might need to know.. the insulation makes these really thick.. maybe about double size of other HDMI cables."
"I needed to run an HDMI cable from a conference table to a wall outlet and it needed to run across the floor, inside of the rubber conduit cable keeper."
"With HDMI cables, you don't have to spring for the $200 diamond plated cables or whatever like other companies would have you believe to get the best picture."
"These cables work perfectly for my Roku ultra and my Samsung 4K TV."
"My old one supplied by cable company was causing picture issues and they suggested a new HDMI cable."
"I have a Vizio M65-E0 4K HDR TV and an LG UP970 UHD Blu-Ray player, which worked fine with other HDMI cables I had."
Best Video Surveillance Equipment
The Nest Cam Indoor is the perfect addition to any home. And the coolest part is that the Nest Cam can tell the difference between movement from say a hand getting into a cookie jar, and a person entering a room. SET IT UP ANYWHERE: The compact size of the Nest Cam makes installation a breeze. Nest Cam Indoor’s stand works in all kinds of homes, on all types of surfaces. Or you can unscrew the camera from the base and attach it to any standard tripod mount. Your Nest Secure can use your smart light bulbs to help get your attention in the event of an emergency; your smart washer and dryer can take the data from Nest and run the next load of laundry when energy demand is low.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The original review was made prior to the new app update, which really does an amazing job in increasing overall functionality of the camera as a whole. As you can see in my original review of the product, I was not happy with using the camera as a baby monitor. The previous version didn't make it conducive to having it in a baby's room due to limited notifications. I'd also mention that I really appreciate that Nest took the time to update a previous gen product. There's no load time / buffering when going back, I don't know how the engineers at Nest were able to do this, but their video compression algorithm is really top notch. --ORIGINAL REVIEW--. While the nest cam is "cool" and works as it should, I simply can't give it 5 stars. We purchased 2 thermostats, the smoke alarms and the nest cam. Small, attractive and website and app are very well designed and work great! Through the app, setup was done very quickly, and it starts working fast as well."
"I purchased the Nest Cam Security Camera 3-pack. Unfortunately, Nest only associated two of the licenses with two of my cameras, leaving the third camera without a storage ability, despite paying for it. The third license, according to my account, will be applied to my next camera purchase, essentially rendering one of my three cameras useless. Despite buying three cameras and three licenses, I have one camera which i useless one license which Nest are trying to get me to buy a fourth camera to use it."
"The reason for the 1 star review is that if you don't subscribe to their Nest aware that starts at $10 a month you will have to stare at a banner ad on all of your devices that you have the Nest app installed on nagging you to subscribe to it. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Nest support this morning and was even transferred to a senior level tech who told me the only way to get rid of the banner ad was to subscribe to Nest aware."
Best Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics
PowerSeeker 127 EQ Telescope (item #21049) PowerSeeker 127 EQ - General Features Quick and easy no-tool setup Slow motion controls for smooth tracking Erect image optics - Ideal for terrestrial and astronomical use Fully coated glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity 3x Barlow lens triples the magnifying power of each eyepiece Accessory tray for convenient storage of accessories "The Sky" Level 1 planetarium software with 10,000 object database and enhanced images. No tools are required for assembly! PowerSeekers are designed and manufactured using all fully coated glass optical components with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity. Optical Design: Newtonian Reflector Aperture: 127 mm (5 in) Focal Length: 1000 mm (39.37 in) Focal Ratio: 7.87 Eyepiece 1: 20 mm (0.79 in) Magnification 1: 50 x Eyepiece 2: 4 mm (0.16 in) Magnification 2: 250 x Barlow Lens: 3 x Finderscope: 5x24 Mount: German Equatorial Tripod: Aluminum Accessory Tray: No-Tool Tray with Eyepiece holder CD ROM: "The Sky" Level 1 Weight: 17 lb (7.71 kg) Limiting Stellar Magnitude: 13 Resolution (Rayleigh): 1.1 arcsec Resolution (Dawes): 0.91 arcsec Photographic Resolution: 254 line/mm Light Gathering Power: 329 x Angular Field of View: 0.8 ° Linear Field of View (@1000 yds): 43 ft (13.11 m) Optical Coatings: Aluminum Secondary Mirror Obstruction: 1.6 in (40.64 mm) Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Area: 10.2 % Secondary Mirror Obstruction by Diameter: 32 % Optical Tube Length: 20 in (508 mm). B. All returns must be accompanied by a written statement setting forth the name, address, and daytime telephone number of the owner, together with a brief description of any claimed defects. (310) 328-9560. Fax. Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM PST. Comes with aluminum tripod and accessory tray.Focal Length of Eyepiece 1 (mm) 20 mm (0.79 in).Focal Length of Eyepiece 2 (mm) 4 mm (0.16 in).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"1) Collimation. This telescope can be collimated easily by eye, if you want to collimate with a laser, you'll have to remove the corrective lens in the focuser tube. 2) The finder scope is unusable. While I agree, it's not the best finder scope out there and lining it up with the telescope can take a long time but, it is possible with time and patients. (note: it is a scope and not a finder, the image is reversed in the finder). 3) I can't see anything out of this thing. You need to collimate the scope and line up the finder scope, the instructions are in the manual for eye collimation (tip: back the focuser tube all the way out when you collimate, doing this will let you see both the secondary mirror and the primary, also note, this went through shipping and if it arrived with all the mirrors aligned and ready to go, get a power ball ticket because you'd be the luckiest person on the planet. 4) The Barlow is useless. Please google and youtube what a barlow is and how to use them, it's not a true lens and once you find out its true purpose, it'll make more sense. 5) The 4mm lens is useless. See my comment on the barlow, using the barlow with the 4mm will tame things a bit, also, get a lens and filter kit with a 15mm and a 9mm lens. One last comment on this issue is, do not try to push the telescope into position with the clutches locked, use the controls on the tripod to position the scope, if you need to make big adjustments, loosen the clutches (should be OK because your telescope is balanced) position the scope to the general area of viewing, lock the clutches and use the controls to fine tune."
"I later bought the Celestron 24mm to 8mm zoom eyepiece, which allows me to zoom in without changing eyepiece, and it works very well on the smaller 76mm telescope, but again blurry images on this one. I decided to order a Celestron 1.25" collimation eyepiece ($30), which can be useful in aligning the optics (the two mirrors) in reflectors like this one. The reason is that Polaris is faint, and every time you move a mirror by a tiny bit (as explained in the Celestron instruction) the star just darts out of view in the eyepiece. Lastly, I ditched all the Celestron recommendations on day and night collimation (using either the celestron collimation eyepiece or the "ring pattern" for out of focus point sources) and did instead the "EYE-DOCTOR TEST" : I wanted to see how sharp I can get this one, when there is no wind, no shake, no atmospherics, no moving planet, no mist etc. With this method (which I seemingly invented, as it is not described anywhere in the instructions nor on the Celestron site) I was finally able to adjust (by very small increments) the three screws on the secondary mirror till I FINALLY got a nice sharp picture of the writing on the letter. To avoid any further issues due to my previous messing around, I first screwed in the secondary mirror (by loosening up the three alignment screws, and pulling in the secondary mirror all the way in until it barely touches the mount), and later pulled out the primary mirror as well(by pulling out all six screws until the whole unit comes out, then reinserting the mirror after making sure the secondary was pointing the right way, straight to the back). Then, using the Celestron collimation eyepiece with its crosshair, I carefully adjusted the secondary and primary orientations (three screws for each mirror) until all the crosshairs overlapped perfectly. In other words, the crosshair in the eyepiece has to overlap perfectly with its reflection through mirrors 1 and 2, and back to the eyepiece. I found (April 2014) that the best way to collimate this (Bird-Jones or catadioptric design)telescope and get nice sharp images is to remove the focusing lens at the bottom of the focusing tube (takes 10 mins), align the secondary and primary mirrors with an inexpensive LASER collimator (mine is an LK1 $30 from seben dot com, takes another 10 mins to do this part), put the corrector lens back in and reinsert the focusing tube (don't touch the lens with your hands, takes around 5 mins). The secondary (smaller, flat) mirror is oval-shape and mounted right under the focusing tube, held in place by three (outside)-plus-one (center) screws. Now put a focusing cap (just an eyepiece cap with a small 1mm hole in the center) at the (top) end of the focusing tube. Then make absolutely sure (after you take again very carefully the correcting lens out of the focusing tube) that the inside of the focusing tube and the secondary mirror, as viewed through the focuser, are perfectly concentric when you view them through the hole in the cap. That is, the secondary mirror has to be perfectly centered when viewed from the top of the focusing tube. After this is done, make also sure that the tilt on the secondary mirror is such that you can see the center of the primary mirror (on mine I put a black pen mark at the dead center). Now re-align the secondary and primary mirrors with a laser (in my case), with the cap with a hole, or a cheshire eyepiece."
"The instruction manual is weak in this regard and Celestron really should update it to help getting this telescope aligned. If you visit various astronomy forums and ask about this scope, most people will tell you to avoid it because of the time you will be spending collimating it. After you spent time collimating it, then the views are pretty good for the price you pay. I could see the 2 main bands on Jupiter and the moons, the rings of Saturn, but struggled to see the Cassini division. This is the benefits with using an EQ mount where you will only need to turn one knob to keep your object in view."
Best Photo Projectors
Thank to the most reasonable price, high fidelity images, focusing function and superior quality, DBPOWER 1800-lumen mini video projector is the best choice. Upgraded LED light technology - more bright than other projectors Updated fan Sound and System - the fan noise is lower than other basic LED projectors Large Screen - relax your eyes from TV Keystone Function - adjust the image size to be normal. Specifications: Imaging technology: TFT LCD, Brightness: 1800 lumens Contrast: 1000:1 Aspect ratio: 16:10 Projection ratio: 1.4:1 Native resolution: 800X480 pixels Supported resolution: 1920X1080 pixels Keystone: Manual correction 15¡ã Throw distance: 1.5-5M Screen size: 32-176 inches 3. By placing the projector at the optimum distance of about 2 to 2.5m, it will display a super-clear and bright 130” image, giving you a superior private home theater experience.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I plugged in the flash drive with the digital images I wanted to run - it worked perfectly right off the bat. :D. I've included two very short video that shows the projection of the digital files onto uncarved pumpkins - as you can see - this projector did a wonderful job!"
"------ end of original review -------. Added 2/9/2017: One More Thing... they have excellent customer service. When they saw my original "Three Star" review they immediately reached out to me via e-mail and wanted to know if they could do anything for me to fix my issue, they even offered me a discount to the price I paid to make it up to me or return the unit for a full refund. The following is my response to their e-mail, sent on 2/8/2017. ------------. 2/8/2017. "Thank you for your e-mail and your concern. I tried to express my experience in my review that my expectations might have been too high, beyond the units performance level, which directly lead to my disappointment. ------------ End of e-mail response dated 2/8/2017 ------------. My experience with their customer service department was exceptional which in turn I came back and willingly change my review rating to a strong "Four Stars"."
"I've since connected my Ruko stick with the provided HDMI cable and streamed Netflix through the projector, attached my JBL bluetooth speaker with an AUX cable, and even used the HDMI to connect my MacBook so we could watch old home movies and flip through photos through the projector."
Best Film Photography
Fujifilm Instax Mini Instant Film (3 Twin Packs, 60 Total Pictures) [International Version product - No warranty]. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When you put on your film on the camera for the first time, and take a pic for the first time with that cartridge, the first thing that is gonna come out is a black cover that was protecting the film."
"Purchased for my baby shower and used with a Polaroid camera."
"My daughter loves he camera and this is a great deal on the film."
"Can't live without it!"
"Our pictures are pinned up and rotated throughout the year."
"It’s great for my instax and it’s an amazing deal for so much film."
"Greal listing!"
"Only received 1/3 of my order, pretty disappointed.."