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Comment on Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) by Happy

Happy — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:03:05 +0000

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Replacement for my 6yr old Nikon Coolpix..., March 24, 2011

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This review is from: Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 2.7-Inch LCD (Yellow) (Electronics)

The Nikon Coolpix S3100 is great FOR THE PRICE! Perfect size to tote around; functions are extremely user friendly to toggle thru; just point and shoot; love the fact that you don't need to remove the battery to recharge; and it takes a great PICTURE!

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Comment on Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) by Valeri

Valeri — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:48:50 +0000

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

If you simply want more of your memories caught on film..., May 3, 2011

Valeri (Indiana, USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Nikon COOLPIX S3100 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 2.7-Inch LCD (Red) (Electronics)

this camera is for you. This camera does have some great features, some of which I have not even had time to use yet. The main draw, however, (other than the size) is that it is simple and easy to use. There are tons of point and shoot cameras out there, and there is no use being snobby over which one you buy, because they all do pretty much the same thing. This one is great for the price. You could get a nicer camera, but for 90% of the people in the market for a digital camera, this will do what you need and want it to, and more.

I use mine mainly for snapshots and spontaneous pictures with friends and the like. However, I do enjoy photography, and I have experience with SLR cameras as well (and I own one). Therefore, I also sometimes take artistic shots. This camera does it all unless you are a professional photographer, in which case, you already know you need a different camera.

The size is perfect. This will even fit in small pockets on skinny jeans or whatever. The case I bought with the camera adds some bulk, but the camera is so slim, even the case fits in my pockets comfortably.

I use Amazon Student Prime, so shipping is never a hassle. I can't really comment on other shipping speeds. The package was simple, but the camera box protects the camera with styrofoam and cardboard, and the shipping box used inflated plastic bags to keep the camera box safe. Someone would really have to try to damage the camera to manage it.

Amazon lists plenty of features of this camera, but here is my list:

RECHARGEABLE!
Records HD movies with one button
Big LCD screen on back to help compose pictures in a size you can actually see
19 scenes to choose from to assist in getting a better picture
Pet Focus will find your pet's face and once focused, will shoot the picture
There are several cool filters like selective coloring, a miniature effect and a fisheye effect
Is tiny and lightweight
Comes in cool colors
This camera will even warn you if it thinks someone blinked.

Bottom line: This camera is what you want. I search for weeks or longer before deciding to buy something, and I chose this camera. For a point and shoot, it has everything you need, and so many things you didn't even know you wanted. Unless you don't actually know what you're looking for, you won't regret buying this camera.

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Comment on ++Best Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) by Michael P. Gallagher

Michael P. Gallagher — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:53:10 +0000

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Great Little Camera and Cheaper Here Than Fry's, April 8, 2011

Michael P. Gallagher (Houston, TX) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) (Electronics)

I finally took the plunge and upgraded from having to find blank discs for video recording to this lightweight and compact recorder. I really like the feature of being able to put it all on a HD, and the zoom is pretty incredible at 42x: I tested one in a Fry's store before purchasing here on Amazon, and was able to pick off small text words on a sign halfway across the store.

The picture equality to me is crystal clear, and transferred over to my computer for ripping to a DVD without any issues at all. Piece of cake.

While it does come with 16 gig of memory, I went ahead and paid extra for a 32 GB SD memory card: the last thing I wanted to have happen is run out of space right in the middle of whatever I might be recording.

I didn't purchase an upgraded battery with the initial purchase, as I thought I would see what type of performance I would get with the one that came with it: I'm getting about 2.5 to 3 hours, but your results may vary depending upon usage. For me, that is more than enough for one session of whatever I might be recording, but I will more likely than not buy a larger capacity battery, as I have been caught before ready to go to some event and realizing I hadn't charged the battery. With the USB-compatible charger (included), for this one I will be able to plug into my USB-compatible cigarette adapter, but I'd rather have the piece of mind of a larger battery and will order one.

The only "negative" I have is I have larger hands, and it will take some getting used to this size camera. That doesn't affect performance of the camera.
All in all, at $498 here on Amazon it is a great buy, and saved me $40+ bucks from buying the same thing at Fry's.

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Comment on ++Best Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) by Trunk "Mark 'Trunk' Kirschenbaum"

Trunk "Mark 'Trunk' Kirschenbaum" — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:15:18 +0000

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

Sony HDR-CX160 great ground camcorder, March 26, 2011

Trunk "Mark 'Trunk' Kirschenbaum" (Chandler, AZ) -

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) (Electronics)

I've owned and tested a new Sony CX series camcorder each year since the CX7. I'm extremely impressed with the Sony CX160 for ground footage. Testing it the other night when my friends rode bulls for the first time ("Dysfunctional Bull Riding" on youtube) I was impressed on the active steadyshot being able to minimize my hand held shaking while the camera was heavily zoomed in. The low lux made the above video super bright even in a dark arena. The external mic is nice to have back on a consumer level CX series camera. I personally don't like the built in USB cable since I tend to mount my cameras in boxes and helmets but for the average joe, it's nice not to look for a USB cable. The other plus with this camera is you can now charge through this cable. Therefore a standard USB charger port in your car or computer can charge the camera. This takes longer than the standard Sony charger but nice in a pinch. I've noticed the USB downloading speeds are extremely slow in this camera. It takes a minute or so to download a 200mb clip from internal memory. You also can not run the footage straight off the camera like you could with the 150.

Speaking of footage. The quality out of this camera is awesome! I'm super impressed by the image quality.

I dropped this down by a point since I use these cameras for skydiving and the optical stabilization (OIS) causes flutter when the camera is in a vacuum caused by certain body positions. I could see this being an issue with people mounting these in certain positions on motorcycles or other fast moving vehicles where there is not laminar airflow around the camera. (youtube "Sony HDR-CX160 Tests"). Sony needs to lock the stabilization optics when the stabilization is turned off!

Overall I'm going to keep this camera for ground footage but going back to my EIS based Sony HDR-CX150 camera for extreme sports.

Thx,
Trunk
HYPOXIC Extreme Electronics

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Comment on ++Best Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) by AJ

AJ — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:39:03 +0000

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Amazing little HD camcorder, May 2, 2011

AJ (NJ) -

This review is from: Sony HDR-CX160 High Definition Handycam Camcorder (Black) (Electronics)

My new Sony CX160 HD HandyCam. The more I use it, the more I am loving it.
It is very convenient to use with a perfect size for my medium sized palm, and the zoom & record buttons conveniently placed on the camera body as well as on the touch screen. The touch screen is pretty good. I would recommend using a scratch guard which makes it easier to clean since it is prone to finger prints. The touch screen interface is very intuitive (one cant go wrong with the interface with Sony) and takes only couple of mins to get used to. I started shooting right after unboxing it. Coming to the most important aspect - the picture. The picture quality of the videos is absolutely stunning. Even under low light (indoors), the picture quality is quite good when shot at FX mode. I generally prefer FX mode (60i) which is actually the second best mode in terms of picture clarity but gives you that extra shooting time with negligible picture degradation as compared to PS mode (60p @ 28Mbps). PS mode is as close to a professional camera that an under $500 camera can get.
With a built in 16Gb memory one can shoot about 90 mins of HD videos in FX mode. I got a Transcend 16Gb class 10 for little less than 30 bucks to make the total to 3 hrs of videos at one go, which imho is quite a decent amount of video. The battery (Sony NP-FV50 V series) that came with it has a back up of little over 2 hours with a mix of record and play back times. I am very happy with these times though. For back up I did buy a NP FV 70 replacement (Vivitar brand); however, it did not work well and I used to get an error message after about 4 mins. I returned it and bought another Sony NP FV 50. I would recommend buying another Sony NP FV 50 battery only if you ever need a back up power (NOT EVEN origniaL Sony NP FV 70).
The sound recording quality is also pretty good. With about 3 hours of recordings so far, although I haven't really noticed the sound recordings in too much detail, I can say that the sound is just perfect. We have enjoyed the picture as well as sound quality of all the videos that we had shot with it.
The small (about 5-7 cms only) USB is fixed on the camera body. I find this feature quite cool since you dont have to remember to carry the USB cable as such (of course, the extension cable definitely helps), as also it is sort of hidden in the camera strap so its not visible and does not cause an hindrance while recording.
Coming to the still pictures, I would say I was a quite disappointed with it in that the pictures are virtually useless. Due to this I have disabled the auto smile shutter which takes a picture automatically when it detects a smile, even when the video recording is in progress. The feature is good, but the pictures are not.
The software that came with it - Sony PMB - is a just about okay kinda software; in that it does what it is meant to do - manage and burn DVDs. You can create DVSs pretty easily with it. However, the number of screen layouts is very limited (only about 5 to be precise), and it does need a decent processing power. However, with HD videos, a decent processing power is anyways a must.
I would have given it a 4.5, but it certainly doesn't deserve a 4; So, I gave it a full 5. If you ignore the still picture quality, imho is not what it is meant for, the other features such as golf shot, slow-mo shot, one touch focus in which the camera focus on an object you touch in the lcd screen and keeps in focus all through the shooting by following it, the more than decent battery back up, you won't be disappointed with this one. I got mine from Costco for $490 bucks with taxes, inclusive of a decent pouch enough to carry its USB extension cable, an additional battery, along with the camera, of course.

5/23 Update on spare battery: Purchased a 'High Voltage' brand NP-FV 70 battery from Digi Acc seller. I am glad that it worked with my Sony CX-160. Initially, I was disappointed since even the Original Sony NP FV 50 did not work with it and I used to get an error message after every 3-4 mins. Digi Acc was prompt to send me a battery that worked.

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Comment on Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) by Angela "biograd1"

Angela "biograd1" — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:40:59 +0000

103 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

Nikon CoolPix S3000, August 16, 2010

Angela "biograd1" (Marietta, GA, United States) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)

Before I bought this camera I did a lot of research on digital cameras. I narrowed it down to three brands. Canon, Nikon, and Sony. It took a very long time to make a decision since I didn't want to buy crap. I eventually settled in the Nikon brand because I am very familiar with its features and camera functions. I was replacing a cheaper older model of a Nikon Coolpix L10. So, I was definitely going spend a little over $100 for this camera, but then again cameras have come a long way since the 2007. Even if I didnt buy the S3000 I knew I would get something better than my older camera due to the advancement of the compact camera technology.

This camera is great for everyday/events picture taking. After having the camera for a few days, I tested it out when I went to a family reunion. I got many compliments and inquiries about where i got the camera from. I believe I took about 100 pics in the two days spanning the family reunion.

Camera Features:

I took pics using a wide variety of the camera's features. The micro mode was pretty cool, the camera was able to focus on the subject and the picture did not come out blurry.

It was pretty easy to take a pic in panorama mode. At first when I took the pics that would make up the panorama pic, I wasnt sure how the whole pic would come out, but the panorama maker software that comes with the did wonders. Once you out the pieces of the panorama pic in the correct order the software makes the panorama picture for you. Now that I know that I made a great panorama photo I will be using this feature very much in the future.

This camera definitely tells you if someone blinked in the photo after the photo has been taken and you can always opt to take another pic. Continuous shot selecter is also a nice feature. You can choose to take 3 continuous shots or 16 continuous. Pics in low-light or darkness are excellent and always give light exposure buy the flash and orange light on the front of the camera. I took a picture in my room with the only source of light in the room being light from a television and the picture came out as if a ceiling light was on.

Other features that are nice are skin-softening, smart portrait(recognizes faces), 17 scene modes including panorama, subject tracking

Video:
For a compact camera, the video quality was great. The sound quality was also excellent inside the video too. Playback on my laptop was seamless. You could hear words and sentences very well in the background of the video. It's NOT HD, but I could make out everyone in the video and nothing at all was blurry.

Battery is a plus since you can charge it, as oppose to change AA batteries all the time. The charge is very short as well.
Definitely get a case for this camera, it is very compact, slim, and small. I have a case logic compact digital camera case. I bought my case at Walmart for $7 and cents. I feel like my camera is very well protected.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase of the Nikon Coolpix s3000. Its a great everyday camera for the busy college student or for someone who just wants to capture life's moments.
Definitely buy this camera, it well worth your money and you will not be disappointed.

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Comment on Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) by jenny

jenny — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:45:12 +0000

166 of 169 people found the following review helpful:

Nikon Coolpix, July 27, 2010

jenny -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Green) (Electronics)

What a GREAT camera. I had been cursed with the kodak easy share (older model) for years now and no matter what, I could only take about 10 pics before the battery died. I love the Nikon its small- light weight and perfect fit for me! Im not a professional photographer but I can take some great pics with this camera. The options that the menue gives you for photos is amazing! I would highley recomend this camera above kodak! They made everything VERY easy for inital set up also! Once I opend the package, did the camera set up, I was ready to take pictures within 3 minutes (once I charged the battery fully which only took about 30 minutes). I bought this camera because I was going on vacation and was tired of going places with an unreliable heavy camera and now feel so lucky to have this one! Ive never taken so many pictures before that its like a whole new world for me. This camera will also give you and option for "blink protection", "auto correct", and so MANY other options. Great camera, great price compaired to Walmart, Target, and other store/web-sites. Also Amazon was the only place I could get this cool green color. Stores werent carrying this color yet (only the purple, black, and some of them had the orange). One last thing I want to mention is the speed of taking the pictures. What I was used to was press the button wait about3-4 seconds then wait about 8 more seconds before you could shoot your next one-not so with the Nikon. I can practically take pic after pic with it - its great!

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Comment on Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) by John Cesarone

John Cesarone — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:33:38 +0000

379 of 384 people found the following review helpful:

Great little Point-and-shooter, April 1, 2010

John Cesarone (Chicago, USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Nikon Coolpix S3000 12.0 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Plum) (Electronics)

I was initially hesitant to buy this camera since there were ZERO reviews to be found, either here at Amazon, or elsewhere on the internet. But, since I've owned two previous Nikon Coolpix cameras (an old 4 MP camera, and a really old 2 MP camera) and both were great, I wasn't too worried. And I was right to buy it: it is working great and taking great photos, after several days of playing around with it.

First of all, it is very user-friendly. The menus and controls are completely intuitive, and make sense even if you have not cracked open the manual. ("cracked open" being a bit of a misnomer, since the manual is electronic only; the paper manual that comes with it is just a "quick start guide")

Second of all, it is a gorgeous piece of machinery; cute and cuddly and shiny and impressive. I'm afraid my girlfriend is going to try to steal it, it is so cute. I may have to buy her one to preemptively stop that from happening.

But, most of all, it takes great pictures. I walked all over town the first day, putting it through its paces, and scrutinized the photos on my computer when I got back home. If I was going to have to return it, I wanted to do so quickly, but I don't need to. The photos are great.

It is a point-and-shoot, which means that you don't have direct control over shutter speed, aperture, etc. But, you do have a dozen or so "scene modes" including Beach, Museum, Sunset, Panorama, Action, etc. These are very handy. I haven't tried them all yet, but they seem to be well designed.

The second day, I put the camera through its paces inside the house. No problems; it takes great indoor shots, providing excellent exposures both with natural light and with the flash. The wide-angle 4.9 mm lens (equivalent angle of view to a 27 mm lens in a 35mm format camera) was especially nice: you can stand in a corner of a room, and get the entire room into the photo! Nothing left out. That is pretty unusual in an inexpensive fixed-lens camera.

My third day test was to take the camera to the beach on a bright, contrasty day. It performed admirably, maintaining both shadow and highlight details, and rendering the deep blues of the sky and water, as well as the bright sand, equally well. This one's a keeper, folks!

Another nice plus: there is a "16x9" mode available in the "shooting mode" options. This doesn't quite use all 4000x3000 pixels; it only uses 3968x2232 of them. But the images are perfect "HD" format, and completely fill up a typical wide-screen monitor without any stretching. Somehow, they look all the more impressive on a computer screen than the typical 4x3 ratio.

Final tidbit: I bought the camera from Amazon, which was $10 cheaper than the local big-box store, had no sales tax, AND allowed me a 30 day return period with no restocking fee (which would have been 14 days AND a restocking fee at the local store; they need to get a clue).

Anyway, as an overall impression, five stars easily for the Nikon Coolpix S3000........JC

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Comment on ++Best Flip UltraHD Video Camera – White, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL by Jeff "Jeff"

Jeff "Jeff" — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:29:17 +0000

1,679 of 1,729 people found the following review helpful:

Flip Ultra HD vs. Flip MinoHD, May 7, 2009

Jeff "Jeff" (Minneapolis, MN) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Flip UltraHD Video Camera - Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL (Electronics)

I previously owned the Flip MinoHD so this review is based on a comparison between the Flip MinoHD and the new Flip UltraHD.

After reading about the Flip UltraHD's addition of an HDMI output, larger screen, and longer battery life I decided to sell my 4 month old Flip MinoHD and purchase the Flip UltraHD. Since the MinoHD is very sleek and diminutive in size, my first reaction to the UltraHD was that it was quite a bit larger and bulkier to hold, and has taken some time to get used to. However, unless you've used a MinoHD the larger size of the UlraHD will probably be less noticeable. I found the camera controls on the UltraHD to be slightly easier to operate vs. the touch sensitive buttons on the MinoHD. As far as video quality between the two, I compared two different videos and both are about the same, however, the colors appear to be slightly more vibrant with the UltraHD.

If you are trying to decide which one to purchase, if maximum portability is important to you than the MinoHD is the better choice. Otherwise, if you're looking compact camcorder with more features (HDMI output, replaceable batteries, longer record time) then you can't go wrong with the UltraHD.

My ultimate wish is for Pure Digital/Cisco to introduce a MinoHD with all of same functionality as the UltraHD. Until then, the UltraHD is the all-around better choice.

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Comment on ++Best Flip UltraHD Video Camera – White, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL by VideoInFocus

VideoInFocus — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:21:08 +0000

1,713 of 1,744 people found the following review helpful:

Larger, but better than Flip MinoHD, October 3, 2009

VideoInFocus (Dunstable, MA) -

This review is from: Flip UltraHD Video Camera - Black, 8 GB, 2 Hours (2nd Generation) OLD MODEL (Electronics)

Customer Video Review Length:: 4:45 Mins

This video shows you what you get, and how it compares to the Flip MinoHD. Why should you buy one over the other, when they are similarly priced? Shows a side-by-side comparison of the video, and a feature comparison table.

Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (White)Flip Video Battery Pack for 2nd Generation Ultra & UltraHD

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