Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G Better than I thought

My Nikon ownership goes back over 30 years to the days when cameras were made of metal and carrying one with a few lenses tested your stamina.

Times sure have changed. There's hardly a metal camera to be found and you can carry a bag full of equipment in one hand. The Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor is the latest lightweight from this heavyweight of the camera industry.

Plastic construction right down to its lens mount. This thing looks and feels like the label should say Fisher Price and not Nikon. However, looks can be deceiving as I soon found out.

My only reason for buying this lens was that I needed to fill a void in my kit until I saved up enough for a 70-200mm f2.8. I had no intention of keeping the 55-200 VR once the 70-200 arrived.

After shooting with the 55-200 for a few months I've come to appreciate what it can do. It's limited to use in good light as even VR can't change the laws of physics. In this case, it's not even the current VR-II but the original VR that Nikon developed a few years ago.

With sufficient light and good technique, the 55-200 is capable of very good performance. No, it's not as sharp and contrasty as the 70-200. It's also not going to survive the bad weather or a few solid knocks that professional use would expose it to.

Where the 55-200 excels is in its portability and above average performance. For travel or just walking around, it would be hard to beat this lens if it's used within its limits. I use mine on a D80 and have no problem getting excellent 13x19" prints.

As an added bonus, it works very well with the Nikon CL3T closeup lens and does double duty as a macro zoom. Again, it's not a substitute for a real macro zoom like the Nikon 70-180, but it's not intended to be.

Given my original opinion of this lens, I have to admit that I've gotten much more than my money's worth out of it. Instead of selling it, I'm going to keep it and use it when my 70-200 is just to big and heavy to carry around.

Incredible Bargain - Sharp Lens with VR for $250!

This lens is sharp even at wide apertures, the VR (image stabilization) works great, autofocus speed is more than acceptable, and it it is very light and compact. The fact that it costs $250 and has effective VR is pretty amazing - no other company offers a lens with this feature for anywhere near this price.

As for image quality, search the various internet photo sites, such as dpreview and nikonians for sample photos taken with this lens by real users. The results are impressive! My copy produces similar results. The previous reviewer must have a bad sample.

Of course, the lens is slow (like almost all consumer zoom lenses), in that its widest aperture is smaller than a professional zoom or prime lens, so it's not a good choice for action photography in lower light conditions (like indoor sports without flash or outside sports at dusk). But a fast telephoto zoom will cost at least three times as much and weigh a ton.

I give the lens 5 stars based on a combination of image quality, value, and compactness/lightness.

D70 Upgrade

I recently updated my DSLR collection to the Nikon D3100 from the Nikon D70. There are good

reviews out there that you should check out. However, I would like to share some of my first impressions.

Pro:

-Better image quality and lower noise at high ISO with the D3100

-MUCH MUCH lighter, which will be nice when traveling

-Larger LCD screen

-11 focus points, including 3D focus which tracks the motion of the subject or camera.

-1080p Video

-14 megapixels

-2nd Generation DSLR

-Quiet, quiet, quiet

Cons:

-No bracketing option. Not a huge deal since I only bracket once a year

-Cannot use my old 50mm 1.8 lens. I knew this before purchasing the camera.

-As of 10/1/2010, Camera RAW for the D3100 is not supported in Photoshop or Lightroom. Need to shoot .jpg + RAW or use Nikon Capture NX2 for RAW files. That should be updated soon, so not a big deal.

-Can hear the lens focusing when recording video.

-No depth of field preview.

-Can't use wireless remote

I'm an amateur photographer and this camera meets my needs. I love the fact that it's small and light, with great quality images. If I were a serious photographer and had more money to spare, I would wait and check out the D7000, which appears to have phenomenal specs. I'm happy with my purchase and I highly recommend this camera.

Nikon D3100 VS. D300 VS. D700

For the cost of this camera, I don't think you can get anything better. The low light performance is off the charts. As a wedding photographer I regularly shoot with Nikon's high end professional equipment and I was amazed how close this camera is to a pro camera. Now let me get specific. In order to compare I took a look at 100% files out of each camera I own.

Which camera excels Nikon D3100($Cheap) VS. D300($1600) VS. D700 ($2,700):

* Lens = The D3100 is the only camera that comes with a lens at it's normal price

* ISO Performance = Tie between D3100 and D700! (It could be Nikon's new processing but the JPEG looks fantastic I was shooting D3100 on 6400iso with very little noise at all)

* Low Light Focusing = D700

* Focus Speed = D700

* External Buttons & Controls for Pros = D700

* Menu Navigation = D3100

* Ease of Use = D3100

* Megapixel = D3100 (14.2)

* Sensor size = D700 (Much more important than megapixels but I won't get into this)

* Can use older lenses with functionality = D700 & D300

* Video = D3100 of course! 1080P video looks amazing.

* Frame Rate = D300 at 6 photos a second

* Weight = D3100 (light as a feather)

* Ergonomics = D700 (big enough for all my finger)

Lens:

The lens is a kit lens, it will work outside but not so great in low light. The Vibration Reduction will help indoors but Vibration Reduction can't stop a child or pet in motion indoors. Consider buying a 35mm 1.8dx AFS for around $200 and you will be super happy with this camera.

Video:

I purchased the 3100 specifically to shoot video, so I put on Nikon's brand new 85mm 1.4g Nano lens and shot video with it. The lens costs more than double the camera but I wanted to see how the 1080P video looked. It has the look of a cinematic movie. After the 85mm, I put on Nikon's 50 1.2 manual focus lens and was able to take very cinematic video in manual mode. In order to make it brighter or darker you either need to use a really old lens like the 50mm 1.2 and hit the AE-L (auto exposure lock) and twist the aperture to change exposure. Or you can hit the AE-L button when you get the exposure you like. Its not a perfect system but it works well for me. Inside the menu options you can change the AE-L button to hold the setting until you reset which is helpful.

Canon T3i - Best DSLR for Under $1,000?

Okay, now let's take a fresh look at the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) DSLR and compare it to the 60D and T2i. In this review I'll also talk about some "MUST HAVE" accessories for this camera.

The Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR was release in March of 2011 and has quickly become one of the most popular DSLRs available.

As if the Rebel line wasn't popular enough with budding photographers... The introduction of the T3i has captured the imagination of thousands of aspiring videographers... with it's ability to capture FULL HD video... bright, articulating 3 inch LCD screen (which comes in really handy when shooting video in the field), and the ability to select from a host of lenses... which is common to DSLRs in general.

Professionals prefer DSLRs because they allow for an accurate preview of what they are shooting, at the moment they push the shutter button. DSLRs also have larger sensors than compact point-and-shoot digital cameras (which means a better quality and high-resolution image)...

Full HD video and interchangeability of lenses are particularly attractive to wannbe videographers (especially in a sub-$1000 DSLR... like the T3i)... because NOW they can shoot amazing HD video footage for a fraction of the what it would have cost... just a few years ago... PLUS they end up with a great camera for still photography...

The Canon T3i (600D) ships with the body, battery, battery charger, USB interface cable, AV cable, EOS solution disk (that contains the really handy EOS utility - I'll talk about this a bit more later...) and a suitable strap (although I quickly replaced mine). AND if you desire... a kit lens...

The T3i is considered a compact DSLR at 5.2 inches wide, 3.9 inches high and 3.1 inches deep (not including a lens)... compared to the larger and more expensive 60D at 5.69 inches wide, 4.17 inches high and 3.09 inches deep.

The T3i is very similar in size, weight and features to the less expensive T2i. The T3i feels solid and well made and is comfortable in the hand...

But I do have smaller hands... So if your hands are larger you may want to look to the 60D OR grab the Zeikos battery, power grip... for your T3i...with an additional battery...

This battery grip doubles the amount of shooting you can do between battery changes AND provides a much large grip surface.

At the heart of the Canon T3i is an 18 megapixel CMOS digital sensor and the DIGIC 4 processor. This sensor and processor are also found in Canon's 60D and T2i.

Choosing between the T3i, T2i, 60D and 7D

If you are considering the Rebel T3i vs T2i, the Rebel T3i is replacing the T2i. Since both cameras share the same 18 megapixel sensor and Digic 4 processor, both the T2i and T3i will create images with exactly the same image quality, produce the same low light/ high ISO performance, shoot at 3.7 frames per second, and have nearly the same size and build quality. They are both offered with the same 18-55mm kit lens (with some minor cosmetic differences on the new T3i kit lens). The T3i is very slightly larger and heavier due to the addition of the rotating rear LCD monitor. And that is one of the biggest differences between the two cameras. Do you want and need a vari-angle rear screen or not? The other major difference is the ability of the T3i to remotely control multiple off-camera flashes. Like the 60D and 7D, you can use the built-in flash of the T3i to trigger other Canon Speedlites. Some other minor additions to the T3i include the Scene Intelligent Auto Mode, which is a feature borrowed from point and shoot cameras. When in Auto mode, the T3i will make a determination of what type of scene you are shooting - close-up, portrait, landscape, etc. - and automatically configure the camera settings accordingly. However, if you want to use a powerful and costly digital SLR as a point and shoot, you should probably save the money and just buy a nice, high quality point and shoot like the Canon S95. Other additional but not essential upgrades include the in-camera processing Creative Filters, and the ability to choose different image size ratios and to rate your images. (Helpful hint: press the Q Button while in image playback and you can access features like rating, rotating, and Creative Filters.) There is also a marginally helpful Feature Guide which gives brief descriptions of various settings and some additional video features like Video Snapshot, which you can use to shoot short video clips that are automatically joined together into a video, with music.

Canon Rebel T3i vs. 60D vs. 7D

Sensor and Image Quality: All three cameras share a very similar sensor and 18 megapixels, and so their image quality will be virtually the same. All are capable of taking professional quality images.

Exposure Metering: The three cameras all share the latest 63-zone, dual-layer exposure metering system

and 4 metering modes. That means they will all determine the exposure virtually identically and enable you to take properly exposed photos in most every situation, including difficult back-lit scenes. The size of the areas metered for Partial and Spot metering vary slightly between the cameras, but that isn't anything critical.

Autofocus: The T3i shares a similar autofocus system to the 60D, with 9 focus points and three auto focusing modes. However the 9 AF points of the 60D are more sensitive than those of the T3i: all are cross-type in the 60D, only the center is cross-type in the T3i. The 60D autofocus system is much less complex than the sophisticated AF system of the 7D with its 19 AF point system and its additional Zone, Spot, and Expansion focus modes. These various modes address how you want to deal with and group the numerous AF points. Plus the custom settings of the 7D allow one to customize how the AF system works - how it tracks subjects, how it deals with objects that come between you and your initial subject, how quickly it responds to these changes of possible subjects that are at different distances from you, etc. However, if you are not an avid sports photographer, a wildlife shooter, or someone who understands, needs, and will use the elaborate features of the 7D AF system, then this shouldn't sway you.

Construction: As you can probably figure out from the prices, each camera is not built the same. The T3i has relatively strong construction of a stainless steel frame with polycarbonate body. The 60D has a stronger and lighter aluminum frame and polycarbonate body, but not as strong as the 7D's magnesium alloy construction. The 60D also has some amount of weather sealing - more than the T3i, less than the 7D. But for most users, including even those using the camera daily or in travel situations, the construction of any of these cameras is far more than good enough, strong enough, and durable enough.

ISO: Since they all share a very similar sensor, the ISO sensitivity and performance at high ISO settings is virtually the same for these three cameras. But don't take my word for it, don't be swayed by pixel peepers on forums, instead check out the camera sensor tests at dxomark to verify this. As you can see, they all share the exact same overall score, and show very similar performance.

Worst product ever in the world

If i could give this -10000000000000 stars i would. this is one of the worst products that i have ever

had to use ever. In fact i would rather go through having a root canal and rince with rubbing alchahol before turning on my pc just so i wouldnt have to use windows 8, it would be less painful and fustrating. I dont own a tablet, my screen is not touch, my desktop is not mobile nor do i want to make it mobile. just finding the control panel or my pc functions is a pain, turning it off is a pain. why would MS want to attempt to make this steaming pile of an OS for desk tops is beyond me.

This os is not an upgrade its a downgrade, windows 7 had the best of all the worlds, secure, reliable, easy to use, business friendly. the company i work for has officially banned windows 8 from ever being introduced into its offices. they will use windows 7 untill all of the licencing runs out and hope that MS will wake up and see that companies and regular pc users do not want this type of operating system.

the only thing that would make windows 8 palatable is if you had a choice of running it as a windows 7 setup or a windows 8 setup. i dont like charms, metro or any of that garbage, all i want to do is turn on my pc, see the icon on the desktop and click and run. if i want to get out of it hit the X in the top right and close it. anything else is unproductive and wastefull.

Windows 8 is basically a surprise left behind by my dog after a good meal!

New Tech and New Look, for Hardware New and Old

The "System Builder" discs of Windows 8 are named this way because they are a full install and not an upgrade. The assumption is that you are building your own machine and looking to put Windows 8 on a from-scratch install, but this is still a multi-boot friendly OS and if your intention instead is to install a full copy of Windows 8 without upgrading your current system, well, that works too: you can put this on old hardware so long as your machine meets the system requirements. There has been some confusion at the lack of an 'OEM' SKU for Windows, so I suspect that until we hear otherwise, this is our 'OEM' substitute for those of us who like to tinker with hardware.

If you're considering Windows 8, there are benefits many small and large. The patchwork way in which the OS seems to meld old into new can be confusing, and it's clear the UI pays lip service to mice while eagerly awaiting your first touch-screen or touch-pad purchase. But to give credit where credit is due, there are benefits under the surface to go with the drawbacks you see before your eyes. Putting Windows 8 Pro on a new system is a good hedge against longevity, but will require experienced Windows 7 (and below) users to be patient with the newer parts of the UI.

This version of Windows 8 is different from Windows 8 Pro in that it does not allow you to use Remote Desktop or BitLocker hard drive encryption, nor can you join the machine to an Active Directory Domain. There are several native Windows 8 apps included with all versions of Windows 8: News, Stocks, Weather, Pictures, E-mail, Music, Xbox integration (to your XBox account, to view your stats or stream content to/from your PC), and Facebook. There is also support for Windows SkyDrive and a Windows Live account, to the point that your PC's user account can be fully integrated with your Windows Live account if that is what you wish. While Windows Media Center is listed as requiring a separate license, right now Microsoft is offering that license for free on the Windows 8 website (Amazon won't let me put external links here or I would).

The biggest change in Windows 8 is that the Start Menu that we have had since Windows 95 is no longer a menu. It is a full-screen splash of square tiles instead of icons, which vary in width from one to two tiles wide. Some of this makes sense in that some of today's programs are more like the Windows Desktop Gadgets we've seen in Vista and 7: they sit idle, stream information and need to be big enough to be readable. Although this is the biggest visual change, if you've used Windows Media Center, Office 2010, or an XBox 360, you've already been interacting with similar interfaces. This sort of UI has been slowly making its way into Microsoft's products for a while now.

That said, the transition from the familiar Start Menu to the full-screen splash takes some getting used to. It may take some arranging to get the tiles laid out conveniently, but Microsoft makes this easy to do. The rest of the Windows 8 OS spends its time hopping between the old and the new look. The desktop looks exactly like it did in Windows 7 and Vista, except there's no Start Button: you're expected to press the Windows key or move your mouse to the bottom corner of the screen to launch the tile dashboard. The desktop looks exactly as it did in 7, only without the Start Button. All programs can be launched directly off the tile screen, and while Windows 8 apps run one at a time in a full-screen view, older programs run from within the Desktop and can be resized. We have a version of Internet Explorer 10 accessible from the desktop that looks just like IE 9 did in Windows 7, then we have a version of Internet Explorer 10 in the tile screen that looks entirely different. Windows 8 applications don't really "close" any more: when you leave an application, it just disappears from view, like a smartphone OS would do. Some parts of the Control Panel have the tile look and feel and the options cascade left-to-right like the Home screen in Office 2010. Other parts of the Control Panel look exactly like they did in Windows 7 and before.

Good so far - easy to download and no problems

I've been comparing various services like dropbox and carbonite for some time to make it easier to access my documents from both home and work. I've also been looking at Office 365 because I've been using Office since it was first released and have upgraded each time a new version was released. I was hesitant to upgrade this time both because of the negative reviews that I've seen and because I really liked Office 2010 and was afraid that I'd lose the features that I rely on on a daily basis.

Because we have a number of devices that run Office and my need for access to documents from various locations and devices, I decided to try Office 365. Download was very fast on the three devices that I've set up so far. I did have a problem with one of the devices but it was my own error because I was logged into the wrong MS account so it didn't recognize that I had already purchased Office 365 and instead of downloading, took me to the store to buy again. Because the accounts are similar in name it took me a few minutes to realize what was going on. Again - my error, not Microsoft's. Once I changed ID download was as easy on that device as the other two (Two HP laptops and an Lenovo ideapad, all running Win8). If a document is updated on one device then opened on another, the changes are highlighted in green to make it easy to see what was changed.

The fact that Office 365 also offers Access was a major selling point for me as the other Office 2013 packages don't include Access or offer it for one PC per license and it's a product that I use frequently for work.

So far, I've pulled up existing documents (created in Office 2010 and 2003) in Word, Excel, and Access as well as creating new documents in each application. There are differences in the ribbon between 2010 and 2013 and, like Win8, the appearance is very flat but overall I like what I've seen. It's very easy to bring resources from various sources, both online and local, together into a single document.

I'm a little leery of the subscription model and wish that there was some guarantee that the price would not increase each year - or would at least include a cap on possible increases - but for now it gives me the software I need over multiple devices, 20G Skydrive storage, MS Access, and very easy access to documents from different devices in different locations.

Microsoft Office 365; To Rent or To Buy...?

For those that don't know Office 365 is basically a 1 year lease of "Office Professional", with some bonuses (80 Skype minutes, an additional 20G of sky drive space, and Office on Demand). They want people to go to a leased model - and who can blame them. It provides a steady stream of revenue, and they only have to maintain the "latest" version. If everyone is on the latest product, no one has to maintain security updates and patches for software that was released years ago.

Also by dangling the "5 license carrot" this product becomes very appealing - especially to those of us that want the additional software such as outlook / publisher / one note. This breaks down to less than $2 per month per computer - Giving "Free" a run for it's money.

If you are looking for the 'core' office items (Word / Excel / PowerPoint) to use on one or perhaps two PC's - Simply buy Office Home and Student.

PRO's of 365:

1. Price - If you are comparing 365 to the Office Professional then spending $100 VS $400 (or even

$219 for Office Home/Business) is tempting. What really adds to the temptation of 365 is that you can install it on 5 machines as opposed to one machine on the other platforms. So if you need office on your home computer, laptop, and the kids school computer - office 365 may be the route to take; And you would still have 2 licenses left. If you make full use of the 5 licenses you are only paying $1.66 per month per computer.

2. FULL office suite. Your get all 7 software pieces found in Office Pro - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access.

3. Virtual Office - If for whatever reason you don't have your computer with you, you can access 'office on demand'. This will stream a copy of office to any internet connected machine and you can access your files via sky drive. Nice if you are at someones house / public internet terminal.

4. No longer cloud only - In the past 365 was a cloud only app - the software had limited features and capabilities compared to the full desktop versions, and if you didn't have an Internet connection you didn't have Office. No more though, you run the real software on your machine locally - so if you are on a plane, or without internet you can still use the product.

5. "Free" Upgrades - With 365 you are leasing the latest version. So as long as you maintain your subscription, in a few years when the next version comes out you will be able to upgrade without having to 're-buy' office.

New Kindle Buyer? Thinking about Nook? Read on ...

I got my first Kindle. This is a nice ebook reader. I'm going to jump right in and tell you what I found to be its Pros and Cons. Then I'm going to tell how it compares to its biggest competitor, the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch.

Kindle's Pros:

Great Screen: Many people do not find LCDs hard to read on (e.g. smartphones, tablets, Kindle Fire,

Nook Color, etc.), but virtually everyone will find E-Ink easier to read, any time of day. Especially the newest E-Ink Pearl displays. They simply look like paper and ink. I have never experienced any eye strain reading E-Ink book readers, but I have with LCD based phone/tablet screens.

Thin and Lightweight: This Kindle is thinner than any paperback and lighter too. This makes it very easy to hold in a sitting position, and for long periods too. It also makes it easy to transport in a purse, backpack, or messenger bag (or in luggage for traveling). Many people like to take a few books when travelling, and this Kindle lets you take as many as you want and adds virtually nothing to your travel burden.

Good Value: Even without a touchscreen, the Kindle is a good value. It is a well-made product, it offers cloud storage of your books (and well it should, since it offers no ability to expand storage capacity with an add-in microSD card), the screen is excellent, Amazon is a dogged competitor in book pricing. The Kindle 4 is the best value of Amazon's E-Ink readers. Some may be tempted to get the version with the built-in light. If you can afford it, sure, go ahead. But let me point out you don't have to spend $20 for a fancy-schmancy book light. Your local dollar store has them for ... wait for it ... a buck. They work perfectly well to light the screen, don't suck down your Kindle's battery, and best of all, don't add $50 to the price of the Kindle.

Amazon Customer Support: I've dealt with Amazon for years, and they have always done the right thing in terms of customer service when I have had issues with products or deliveries.

Kindle Lending Library for Prime Members: Prime members get their own library. That's a great benefit to them. I'm an "adjunct" Prime member, though, so I don't get to benefit from it, but it's great for primary Prime members.

Library Support: I was happy to see Amazon join the program for Overdrive and public library ebook lending. This is such a huge benefit to everyone who has ebook readers. Especially people on fixed incomes, who like ebook readers for the ability to change font sizes, and love them for the ability to borrow library books.

MicroUSB Port for USB Charging: Good call for Amazon to support the universal USB standard for charging. You can charge from a computer USB port, an AC adapter, car charger, etc. Don't worry about buying one: if you have a smartphone (other than apple) or Bluetooth device that came with a microUSB cable charger, it will do the job.

Help is out there from Earths Design and Amazon

In the past four years, I have had some health issues (shoulder surgury and then a fractured foot) that restricted my ability to exercise and the medicaton caused a weight gain of about 15 pounds. I usually eat healthy with occasional splurges but have been unable to lose weight. Since starting Earths Design Garcinia Cambogia extract, I have lost four pounds with very little exercise because my foot is still bothering me. A side affect of the Garcinia Gambogia is that I am "regular" on a daily basis....something that I have never been before. I started with one bottle and my husband and I shared it. 

He has lost a few pounds as well but had not been as committed to taking them until the last two weeks. I immediately ordered two more bottles and he is now taking four a day. I am happy with the results so far and am hopeful that this might be the "magic pill" that combined with a little exercise and healthier eating will help us shed some weight. I only want to lose that 15 pounds and my husband would like to lose about 25. I have ordered three bottles so far and did so without getting a free bottle so that did not influence my choice to buy from Earths Design. I am an Amazon prime member and the product was shipped immediately so I could not be happier with the service and the Garcinia Gambogia. Even if I only took it to be "regular" I would be happy but I am also losing weight the correct way...a few pounds at a time.

Baby D800 ?

I had no plans to buy this camera, but eventually had to find a solution while waiting for my D800 to be delivered. I kind of felt, I could get some training by shooting high megapixel images on this entry level camera.

My first outing after the camera arrived was to some birdpark with absolutely no prior preparation. The manual is still in the box, only charged the battery overnight and brought a selection of lenses in addition to the kit lens.

First surprise, even the kit "plastic" lens performs really nicely on this camera. Due to the nature of the objects of interest, the remaining shoots were done on a 28-300mm.

I was accompanied by an experienced bird photographer and we took turns with the camera. Both made the following observations: From the angle of experienced Nikon users, this camera offers everything in terms of menus and dials to set the camera up the way one is used to from D90, D7000, D300s level cameras. This came as a surprise, as the D3200 does not have the front dial that we both were used to and familiar with. Nikon has done an surprisingly good job in making the menus very easy to access and after a short while, we where entirely concentrated on the shoot and only occasionally reminding ourself that this was "only" an entry-level DSLR.

At the same time, we were impressed how nice the software is tailored to the needs of a potential beginner, gently guiding him towards to goal of making better photos along the way.

The LCD screen on the back is a huge step forward from previous models, as it allowed to effortless pre-screen the shots taken. I was even carrying a laptop computer to better inspect the initial images, but after a short while we only resorted the the built-in screen.

The biggest surprise was however the image quality after we analyzed our initial >350 photos on a large monitor. The yield of usable photos was right out of the box very high, which reiterates the ease of use of this camera and the great auto-focus system (despite only 11 sensors). Also the smallish size of the body turned out to be less problematic, even with a bigger lens attached to it.

Amazing camera - D800 replacement?

Like many folks, I pre-ordered the D800 the same day it was available. Alas, Nikon totally blew the market analysis vs production vs. supply chain formula. After waiting 2 months, I had to leave the country before Nikon got it's D800 act together. I needed a beat-up D90 replacement camera, and the D3200 seemed like a decent place-holder. I quickly ordered one before they were back-ordered too! Sure, the D3200 is DX, not FX. Sure, it is not nearly as flexible. Sure, it can only AF with newer lenses. BUT, you can buy about 4-D3200's for the price of a D800, AND it comes with a decent kit lens for $699!

The tutoring graphical-based menu system is geared more to beginners, which I am not, so I find it maddening. Most will love it, since it is somewhat educational, and offers a great variety of pre-sets to take creative shots easily.

It is amazingly light weight - lighter than most lenses! It is very quiet. The AF could be faster, but it's plenty fast enough. When you dig deeper, you shockingly find that the D3200 has many advanced internal features from the highest-end cameras (D800 & F4). The high-res LCD rear screen, the EXPEED 3 image processing engine, and a new 24MP sensor. The EXPEED 3 image processing engine allows the D3200 to perform at an altitude unheard of for a so-called entry level camera. Nikon's Active-D dynamic range enhancement at 24MP at 4 frames per second requires substantial in-camera processing power.

I bought this camera primarily for still photography. With the proper lenses & technique, the results are stunning. Low-light/high ISO performance is far beyond what you should expect at this level camera. Candle-lit face images are noise-free, and look great. Still life's on a tripod at ISO 100, have more resolution that ANY DSLR I have ever used, with very little shadow noise. In short, I might not accept my D800 when it becomes available. I might use the D3200 longer than I thought, (waiting for the 24MP FX D600 for $1999 later this year -- my guesses on price & stats & date)...or, just keep using the D3200. If it breaks (I'm hard on cameras), I'll just buy a new one.

First 5 rating for this TV

I really love this TV. This is my first flat screen TV. I did a lot of homework before zeroing on this TV.

I purchased it based on the following features:

- It is a smart HDTV, LED - 60Hz and this year's model available at considerably better price as compared to even last year models with similar features. Though, I would have been very happy if I could have closed the deal at $ 650 :-p

I did see the earlier reviews for this TV but most seemed like user training issues.

The sound/picture quality is excellent. Picture quality will seem dull with the eco friendly setting of Standard. However, it is configurable per your liking and the user manual is very effective in identifying and setting up your needs. 3 HDMI + 2 USB available

Setting up Network/WI FI is also very easy.

Depending on Internet speed, the smart TV works good. Youtube videos does not stream so fast for me directly through the TV but when I connect to my laptop through HDMI, it just works fine.

Movies through Netflix are great. No 3D but I did not want it. The LED TV comparison chart that Amazon provides is very helpful in determining what features you need and what you do not need.

The Kids stories is very useful for my 3 yr old son. Recently saw our first 1080p HD movie "Journey to the center of the earth" and it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good, but not a significant step forward from Office 2010

As other reviewers have pointed out, the biggest changes to Office 2013 from Office 2010 are SkyDrive integration, touch gestures, and a flatter UI to match Windows 8. Since I don't use SkyDrive often, don't have a touchscreen, and am indifferent to the flatter look, I'll leave those aspects to other reviews. If you're like me and aren't particularly excited by SkyDrive (which still isn't as versatile as Google Docs for real-time collaboration), then Office 2013 is practically the same as Office 2010 in terms of how everything works - most of the time. This is not a bad thing, at least in my opinion, since I really liked Office 2010 and its improved Ribbon UI.

What I wanted to talk about here are the changes that Microsoft has made to Office 2013 from Office 2010 that I've noticed, changes that might impact daily workflow for users upgrading from previous Office versions.

OneNote 2013:

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I spend at least 4 hours a day in this program, so I'll start with this. As far as I can tell, there are no significant changes in terms of features. Buttons on the ribbon are shuffled around a bit, but the feature set is still the same, as is the file container (*.one) and notebook type ("OneNote 2010-2013").

However, there are 5 new issues that annoy me every single day.

(1) Full screen and pinning the ribbon. In 2013, going into full screen mode means that everything is hidden, except for a very short horizontal bar across the top of the screen. To access anything on the ribbon, I have to click on this bar to show the ribbon first. If I want to pin the ribbon so that tabs are visible at all times in full screen mode, I have to click on this bar, click a menu button near the minimize button (also hidden in full screen), and then click Show Tabs. However, OneNote does not remember this setting. Thus, every time I exit full screen mode or restart OneNote and then reenter full screen mode, I have to re-pin the ribbon again. On an ultrabook, I want more space for taking notes, but I also use the ribbon extensively and would prefer to have it available. This problem did not exist in OneNote 2010, which remembers the user's full-screen ribbon settings.

(2) Inserting multi-page printouts. The new default behavior in OneNote 2013 is to place each page of the printout on a separate "page" of the notebook. I prefer to put one entire lecture on each "notebook page", regardless of how many pages or slides the professor gives us. I've also never come across anyone who prefers to have only one printout page on each notebook page. So for instance, if I were inserting a 30-slide Powerpoint, OneNote 2013 would create 30 new notebook pages. There is an option to turn this off in the options, but OneNote then shows a dialog box asking me to choose between the two options every time I want to insert a printout. Since I insert several files a day, this gets annoying very quickly. Once again, OneNote 2010 did not have this problem.

(3) Inserting more than 1 multi-page printout on the same notebook page. If I try this, then the second printout is somehow inserted under the first printout, i.e. the first printout overlaps and covers up the second printout. It only happens when the printouts are both at least several pages long or if I've annotated the page already; the program disregards my cursor location. To work around this, I have to put the second printout on a new notebook page and then copy/paste the printout pages back to the first notebook page. This problem also did not exist in OneNote 2010.

(4) Zoom level changes when inserting printout: it always defaults back to 100%. I take notes at 115% on my ultrabook, so every time I insert a printout, I have to readjust the zoom level.

(5) Drawing tools. I have no idea how Microsoft managed to mess this up when going from 2010 to 2013, but half the time I try to draw an arrow, it ends up being a line with a V in the middle, or the arrowhead is completely detached from the line. In fact, I can't even draw a plain line properly sometimes. I haven't tried the other shapes much, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were problems there too. I've given up and resorted to drawing arrows freehand with the pen tool instead.

These issues may seem minor to some, but they affect me every day, so I wanted to give a heads-up to anyone else who uses OneNote the same way I do. I wish that Microsoft had spent more time implementing useful features (e.g. still can't rotate or crop a printout; search results are still clunky) or at least providing options to change these new behaviors in settings.

Fails to take advantage of Mac specific features

Okay, so this is a serious review of the features and functionality of this product. In order for this software to be successful (actually applicalble rules for any software, I think) these criteria need met;

1) Does Office 11 on my Mac work almost seamlessly with documents created on my or another's PC in that systems Office software?

2) does the software take advantage of the system coding and structure (in this case Mac OS X) to deliver functional, user friendly results?

3) all else failing, is the software customizable to a large enough degree that it will be able to accomplish the required tasks (tasks natively supported on other versions of the same software) essential for your or your business's/organization's needs?

4) and lastly, is the software accessible, i.e. is it easy enough to use or train yourself to use functionally.

Sadly, 1 & 2 are not universally true, 3 is a 'it depends' and 4 - well it has a ton of features and that requires work to get a handle on, and the structure is a little more Mac specific than Windows specific (which I can't argue with) so it takes some work and a little bit of relearning some tasks but this is just a necessity and there is good documentation out there, so I don't score any points against it for 4.

Some background on my uses of the program. I have a small business. Part of my taskings and services offer me up as a linguist where I use multiple languages, some in right-to-left Arabic and/or Asian scripting as well as standard European and Cyrilic writing styles. I often have to be able to transfer seamlessly between the different languages even within the same document, on occasion in the same sentence, and sometimes this means collaborating, proofing and editing a file worked on by a colleague on their system which may be running a Windows based version of Office.

My difficulties are that this is mind-numbingly tedious and cumbersome to do on the Mac Office 11 software. The documents I am reviewing often fail to carry over the language specificity of certain document sections so that when I create new text in the target language it often outputs incorrectly, illegibly or even uncomprehensively. I could open the same file on a Windows version of Office and not have this problem.

In fairness, iWork software isn't really functional in this area either. Arabic script often presents itself disjointed or incorrect. Sometimes certain Dari text is made illegible or whole sections are corrupted. Fortunately Office 11 preserves the structure and style of the original document keeping it legible. It's nearly when you begin revising that document, adding or modifying text, that the issues arise. Also, Apple's history of support for multi-language support is itself been very poor, but has dramatically improved in the last two major OS releases and is very strong (though not perfect) today. But, it isn't an excuse for this software to be buggy in this regard, especially since I've painstakingly configured my Mac to function seamlessly in all necessary languages.

Was worth skipping the GS3 bandwagon

First off, I upgraded from the HTC EVO 4G which I had from its release. Great phone, and in my opinion, this made for a great upgrade. So why only 4-stars and not 5? If everything got 5-stars then nothing would be exceptional would it? It is just that, a great smartphone, not an exceptional smartphone. That said, after owning it for a couple of weeks I thought I'd share my preliminary observations.

IN THE HAND:

Initially I was apprehensive about any phone with such a large display but I am WAY over that now.

For reference, I am a male and I wear Adult-Large sized gloves. Though I think my fingers are a little on the stubby side the phone fits well in my palm. As a righty I can reach the power button with my thumb and volume controls pretty easily with my index finger. I really like the flat sides as opposed to the smooth rounded/curved sides of my wife's GS3. In contrast, my wife does not like the flat, sharp edges of the OG and much prefers the feel of the GS3. To each his/her own. Her seat-of-the-pants observation is that the OG is bigger to her. I think because it has flat sides you have to curl your finger further around the phone to grasp it and maybe that is why she thinks it is bigger than her GS3. From a technical standpoint it has slightly smaller dimensions.

WEIGHT:

If anyone has been using the EVO 4G then you know it is a hefty phone. I liked that about it. It felt heavy in my hand and that gave it a quality feel you don't get from the featherweights they market these days. Don't get me wrong, I like that the OG is lighter than the EVO, but not nearly as light as the GS3 so it still feels substantial in my hands. Amazing what a difference a few tenths of an ounce can make. And the quality of the phone is not only noticeable in its feel but its visual appeal as well (you can Google OG reviews for more on that subject matter). I'll just say that this does not look like a cheap, `plasticky' phone. Not that it should matter, but I like that it has a very high quality, high end look to it.

SCREEN:

Earlier I mentioned it has flat sides and sharp edges. The four corners are well rounded but the front surface is at a right angle to the edge of the glass/case, and to a lesser degree the same on the back. It is finished with a nice chrome trimmed edge when viewed face on. This is not sharp in the sense that it can cut you, but it is definitely not a gently rounded and smooth surface transition like the GS3. This will be great for edge-to-edge screen protectors. The screen is very bright, and easy for me to read. So bright in fact I actually find it more comfortable when dialed down to the preset 63% brightness with auto-dim enabled. Outside in bright sunlight it is very viewable even at this setting. That is a pleasant upgrade from the EVO which always washed out in bright sunlight.

Awesome phone, incremental upgrade from Samsung Galaxy SIII

Galaxy S4 is an incredible phone. I have been using this unlocked S4 for past 2 days helping a friend to migrate from iPhone 4S. My friend has been on iPhone and it also gave me a unique perspective. I used iPhone for couple of years and been using Android for past 3+ years.

I have used Galaxy S3, Note II and for me S4 is more like a S3s :) If you have a Galaxy S3, it is perfect and there is no need to move to S4. The new features are more like minor upgrades for me. Just like Detroit rolls out new cars every year, phone manufacturers have found excellent way to make yearly upgrades.

Battery came for almost a day. The video playback was crisp and my friend was amazed at the customization options. It is heaven for a iphone user to come out of shackles and explores the wonderful world of Android. It sure sounds like it is for geeks, but Samsung has created lot of ways to simplify and make it less intimidating. The EASY mode is for one such reason. Samsung's addition of all those apps (commonly referred as crapware) is not as bad as HTC or LG. Android experience is classified as pure vanilla in phones like Nexus. Vendors like Samsung have added a whole lot of extra programs.

5" HD Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 display (441 ppi) is just plain gorgeous. 13 MP camera takes ginormous image sizes. I put a 64 GB microSDXC card SanDisk 64GB Mobile Ultra MicroSDXC Class 6 Memory Card with SD Adapter - Retail Packaging as my friend wants to take lot of movies (built-in 2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM). No stuttering, and very smooth playback of videos captured in varying light conditions (HD Playback; HD Recording). Compatible video types are AVI/DIVX, WMV/ASF, FLV, MKV, MP4/3GP, WEBM. HDR and Panaromic photos were incredibly sharp. Compatible audio types are: AAC, AMR, MP3, OGG, WMA/ASF, 3GA/M4A, FLAC, WAV. Google Music, PlayerPro Music player are producing excellent music. Audio/Video is one section where S4 has nudged S3. For a normal user, if you are not into lot of video processing this does not matter.

S4's infrared sensor is the same technology as TV remote control, so with WatchON you can change the TV channel from your phone. My friend was shocked to see this feature. Having used Android for a long time, I explored all new features one by one. My friend is still getting used to and feels this is too complicated. I broke down into lot of sub features and told my friend he may not use 50% of features, but told him to explore one feature at a time and focus on that.

Games were very buttery, this phones runs ARM®-based octa-core mobile CPU. This is apparently world's first! Inside this chip is Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX544MP3 GPU. I tried several car racing games and performance was phenomenal. People on the XDA-Developers forum report seeing smearing and ghosting when scrolling on the phone. This especially occurs to people when scrolling among darker colors, which begin showing up as purple. I tried hard to see if I could on the S4 I was testing with my friend and I could not see it. I am sure these can be upgraded with software over due course.

Say goodbye to an economical Microsoft Office

I have never been a Microsoft hater, as many are. But the love is certainly gone. Welcome to the beginning of the end of an economical Office purchase (with one exception, which I'll get to later).

Ready to get your new 2013 Home & Student with 3 licenses? Forget about it: they're gone forever. Pay Microsoft your $140 and they will give you a THIRD of what they used to give you for that price: 1 license, not 3.

It gets worse: Are you familiar with Microsoft's big push for "Office 365"? Get familiar with it because this is the last time you will even be able to "buy" Office: you RENT Office 365, you don't own it. It's a subscription service. And it is the future of Office. Don't like the fact that you now have to pay $280 for your desktop and notebook copies of Office (or $420 for 3 licenses)? Say hello to $100 PER YEAR for Office 365. And that will be at LEAST $400 if you use it for more than 3 years.

The one positive aspect of 365 is that it covers up to 5 PC's, so a family will probably save money on the deal. However, if you are single or a couple with 2 or 3 computers, you will pay at least $300 over the average 3-year lifespan of an Office edition. Go one day over 3 years (requiring a 4th-year subscription) and it's $400. For something you paid $125 or so for until now (Office 2010 H&S with 3 licenses was $125).

Yes, I'm giving Microsoft 1 star: Forget about the merits of Office 2013, it's the greed and manipulative practices of Microsoft that need to be exposed here. One day in the not-too-distant future Microsoft will make sure "owned" editions of Office (perpetual licenses) will not work with new editions of Windows (e.g., Windows 10) so that you MUST subscribe to 365. Worse, you will have to ALWAYS subscribe if you want to read and edit your Word or Excel docs, use OneNote, etc.: the apps are DISABLED the minute your subscription lapses. This IS their plan. So, I encourage others to give Office 2013 a 1-star review to voice your displeasure over this 200% price increase and Microsoft's nefarious plans on making Office an extortion racket (they will be able to demand higher and higher 365 fees because you can't say no - unless you're willing to lose years worth of documents).

P.S. One other reason to hate this change in Office: the one license you get is now machine-specific, tied to that machine ID upon install. If that computer dies or if you decide to get a new PC, you now must buy another copy of Office: no migrating/transfering allowed anymore. Another $140. Nice.

0 Stars from a Microsoft OEM system builder

As a Microsoft OEM system builder going all the way back...I'm looking at non-Microsoft solutions first from this point on.

As of this date, you cannot customize the installation. This means you cannot install JUST Word and Excel, or JUST Outlook. You can't use (say) an older Outlook version which is compatible with older Microsoft Exchange (Read 2003 or earlier) versions. It is a "one-click" installation which installs skydrive whether you want it or not.

This version will not work with Exchange servers prior to 2008.

NONE of these facts are displayed prominently in the marketing or packaging we received, and I will now incur out-of-pocket expenses in order to "make good" on these two most recent computers (which arrived with 2013 Office on them.)

1. No customized option for install

2. Won't work with Exchange servers prior to 2008.

3. Microsoft silently broke with their 15-20 year standard of customizable install options

4. For me, this is like picturing the Zune software (possibly the worst software ever designed) as an office suite.

This is a very sad day for me. Microsoft USED to build software which both worked well, AND was customizable to the needs of the companies I support. It looks like this is no longer the case.

I hate seeing Microsoft do this to themselves. It's like watching a junkie deteriorate, and there's nothing I can do to stop them.

The First Years Jet Stroller is a perfect for travel and occasional use

We bought the Jet to take with us when we travel by plane, after our Maclaren Quest's hood got pretty brutalized last time we flew with it (even with gate checking). A decent stroller bag is about the same price as this stroller, so it didn't make sense to use to buy a bag just to use our fancier stroller in the airport. This fits the bill. I tried out cheaper models in stores; but they weren't substantially cheaper in price, and they were much cheaper in quality.

This assembles quickly; is attractive; has a structured, non-scratchy fabric seat (rare at this price point); and it has a nifty little organizer that is perfect for holding drinks, snacks, boarding passes and IDs. It is easy to fold and open one-handed, steers nicely, and is very lightweight. It also has some sort of shock absorbing system for the wheels, which was unexpected and appreciated!

No, it's not a Maclaren. It's not plush, the shade is not really big enough to be of great help, and it doesn't recline a ton. But it's easy to use, attractive, sturdy, and well-appointed for the price. We have a 10 month old and a 4 year old. Each child fits (though the 4 year old is too tall for the harness and shade). I am tall, and the handles are great even for me, and I don't kick the wheels.

All in all, it's a great value. At this price, I won't worry about getting stroller-jacked at theme parks or this one getting gnarly in the cargo bay of an airplane. And at this level of features, I won't worry about the thing breaking, being outgrown in a year, or my kid being miserable while riding. It's not going to be my "daily driver" at home because I'm spoiled by the Maclaren's features, but it's a wonderful backup stroller for travel or Grandma's house.

[And just a footnote: we got the red one, and the seat is actually an off-white/pale beige with black space-age-looking squares, which was a relief for me! It appeared white in the photo, and I was concerned about it getting gross quickly. Not a concern now!]

Perfect Upgrade from D5100

This review is aimed at people who are relatively new to photography (~couple years), as I am in the same boat. There will be much more thorough reviews on Amazon for people who are already serious photographers, written by people who are actually serious photographers.

General Impression:

A wonderful upgrade from my D5100 after 2 years of heavy use. This camera is obviously aimed at a different person than the D3x00 or D5x00 series as it offers quick access to advanced features without having to go through tons of menus.

Construction/Feel:

This camera feels like a series camera. Coming from the all plastic D5100, this thing is built like a tank. It is noticeably larger than my old camera, which is due to the fact that it has more knobs and wheels.

Controls:

One of the main reasons I wanted to upgrade from an entry level dSLR was so I can quickly change

settings without having to hunt through menus to do so. This camera fits the bill very well and has a few major upgrades from my point of view. Fistly, the U1 and U2 settings are invaluable. Being able to have a group of settings stored such that I can revert back to them by turning one knob is major. Several times in the past I have been trying to compose one shot only to have a completely different shot appear that required different settings altogether. This takes a while to do on the more entry level camera and has been very annoying. Something that may not seem that important but I love already is the depth of field preview button. I enjoy being able to see what the aperture setting will actually look like without having to take a shot and review on the LCD. The final feature that I love are a collection of buttons/knobs/wheels that allow me to change things like shooting mode (continuous, timer, etc), AF mode, ISO setting, etc without having to get into a menu. I haven't quite committed their location to memory but once I do I won't even have to take the camera away from my face to make the changes. Again, this section here is really the reason I wanted to upgrade and I am not disappointed.

The new DX standard

While I'm hoping Nikon will release a D400, I couldn't resist trying out the new D7100. As a working pro who uses both FX and DX format cameras, my first impressions of the D7100 are very positive.

My simple summary is that this camera is a bargain and that those already inclined to own the best the DX camera Nikon sells should get one.

Having worked for years with the D300 and the D7000 bodies, my perspective on this one is influenced by what I think is good about those two popular cameras. I hoped that the D7100 would really improve in the areas of autofocus, shadow noise, and overall resolution/acuity. This camera has not disappointed me, and has even a few minor improvements I wasn't expecting.

Of first importance, shooters of the D7000 will appreciate the big improvements in AF (you probably know how sketchy that camera is to focus, especially compared to the 51-point standard set by most older/current pro bodies). It's fast, accurate, and doesn't get fooled into moving if you recompose. On single focus mode, it simply acquires and holds where you want. And the tracking AF is on par with Nikon's pro standard. This is huge for me, since I love the quality of images the D7000 gives but hate the unreliability of its AF. Acquiring focus in low light seems a bit snappier and more accurate than even the D300.

The resolving power of this sensor is unlike any DX camera before it. Because the D7100 doesn't have an anti-aliasing/low-pass filter on its 24 megapixel sensor, I knew it would be able to show a perceptible increase in resolving detail over the older D7000, and again I am glad to report it does - IF you use good glass, stopped down a bit, and process from the RAW files. My test shots captured with the Tokina 11-16 and Nikon 70-200 have blown me away. The acuity when zoomed in is night/day compared to the D7000. However, if you use mediocre glass then the only differences you'll notice are larger files and slightly better dynamic range.

In DX images, shadow noise has generally appeared too stippled even at lower ISO values, rendering a texture that the FX sensors don't have at the same ISO's. The D7100 has definitely improved this. The texture gradient is more uniform and it reminds me of the D600 in this way. Although I haven't done tests above ISO 1600, the shadow textures are more uniform and pleasant (natural?) on skin than the previous DX cameras.

Shooters familiar with Nikon's pro camera ergonomics will appreciate that the D7100 has added the quick magnification/zoom feature to the `OK' button on the rear thumbpad. It's great for snappy, quick inspections at defined zoom ratios to check for focus accuracy. This feature is nonexistent on the D7000 and the D600. I find it very handy and preferable to the +/- buttons.