FujiFilm FinePix A205 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom Review

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(More customer reviews)Since I'm on a college budget, I needed to get an inexpensive camera so I could take pictures during the Thanksgiving Break. My requirments were at least 2 megapixals and decent image quality. I read a number of digial camera reviews and decided to pick up the Fuji Finepix A205. My first thoughts of the camera was the bulk; it's quite thick but it is light weight. Not something you would want to stick in your pants or shirt pocket though. The buttons on the camera do feel cheap, but it was only $150 so what?
Other than those small gripes, the camera takes excellent pictures but only in well lit environments. Outdoor pictures are really nice. Indoor shots can end up grainy if there isn't alot of light and I mean A LOT OF LIGHT. The flash is only effective in close range (at least 5ft to 6ft) Anything beyond that, make sure the environment is well lit or your subject is close.
Macro mode just takes a press of the button and it works really well. There is also a movie mode, but forget about using it unless the room is very very very very well lit.
Comparing indoor shots taken with the A205 and a 3MP Sony digital camera, the A205 images were less grainy than the Sony's, but the Sony's pictures were brighter because of the better flash.
In conclusion, the Fuji Finepix A205 takes very excellent pictures outdoors and indoors in bright light or when the subject is close to the camera with the flash. I could only give it 3 stars for the poor flash performance.

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FUJIFujifilm FinePix A205 Zoom 2.0 Megapixel Digital CameraModel: a205Image Sensor 1/2.7" 2.11 million pixel CCD (2.0 million effective pixels) Color Depth 24 Bit RGB Internal Memory None Memory Card xD Picture Card Viewfinder Type Real Image Optical Viewfinder LCD Display 1.5" TFT color LCD Lens Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens, 3.2x digital zoom Focal Length 36mm - 108mm equivalent Focus Type Automatic Focus Range Normal: 30.5" (80cm) - Infinity Macro: 3.6" (10 cm) - 39" (1 m) Filter Size None Sensitivity ISO 100 equivalent Exposure Modes Auto Exposure Aperture f/3.0-4.8 to f/7-10.8 Shutter 1/2 - 1/2000 sec. White Balance 5 Modes (Auto, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent (Daylight, Warm White, Cool White), Incandescent) Self Timer Yes; 10 second delay Burst Mode No Built-in Flash Yes; 6 Modes (Auto, Red-Eye reduction, On, Off, Slow Sync, Red-Eye reduction with Slow Sync) Effective Flash Distance 2.6' (0.8m) - 11.5' (3.5 m) External Flash Sync No Date & Time Stamp Yes Video Mode AVI (Motion JPEG)320x240 @ 10 fps (no sound, 60 sec. max)160x120 @ 10 fps (no sound, 4 min. max) Audio Annotation No Power Source 2x AA batteries (Alkaline, NiMH) AC adapter (optional) Interface USB 1.1 (direct or thorugh optional cradle) Video Out Yes (NTSC & PAL) Dimensions 3.9" x 2.6" x 2.1" (99 x 65 x 53mm) Refurbished by Fuji with 90 warranty

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Tasco Essentials 7x35 Zip Binocular (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is simply the best tiny binocular that you can buy for under $20. Images are crispy, it is very easy to focus. You can also compensate the difference of vision between your eyes because you can rotate the right eyepiece. Although diameter is only 21mm, I've got better images than those that I get with another more expensive binos I have (they are 10x25). Because they are 8x21, images are very stable (when magnification goes higher, for example 10x or 12x it is very easy that with a little movement of your hands the image shakes). The material is also very comfortable and provides a very good grip. With daylight, it performs as well as my 8x42 does, this last being heavier. With less light, images are very acceptable, considering the small objective (21mm). They are also extremely light so you can take them always with you. Very good binoculars. 100% recommended.

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The Tasco® Essentials® line of roof-prism binoculars are tough, weather resistant and, most importantly, affordable. So whether you're big-game hunting or stopping off to see the world's largest prairie dog colony, there's an Essentials binocular just right for the occasion.

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Sunpak Platinum Plus 48-Inch Compact Travel Tripod with 3-way Panhead for Digital Cameras and Camcorders Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very wellmade and lightweight tripod. This is NOT a 'fluid' panhead. The panhead CANNOT be removed. I own one and I like it, but for the things I noted.

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Keep your camera steady and take crystal clear photos with this super-lightweight, compact tripod. Constructed from tough, light aluminum, this tripod offers many features typically found on much larger, more expensive tripods. This particular tripod can be extended to an impressive 48 inches (123cm) tall, and can stand as low as 14.6 inches (37cm). Folded, it is under 15 inches long, and it weighs a mere 1.5 pounds (680g) for easy portability. Despite its small size, this tripod can easily support 2.6 pounds (1.2kg) for use with digital SLR equipment.

In addition to its sturdy construction, this tripod also features a 3-way adjustable panhead that allows for smooth panning and tilting when shooting video, and easy adjustments during still photography. A quick-release plate -- complete with non-slip cork pad and video indexing pin -- makes it easy to remove your camera and shoot handheld with the flick of a lever.

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Hoya HMC Haze UV(0) - Filter - UV - 52 mm Review

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(More customer reviews)Looking through it with the naked eye reveals no distortions or imperfections. This is a genuine multi-coated UV filter (test this by looking at a reflection of a light source on its surface: a perfect reflection indicates no coating, a dim reflection indicates a single coating, and a green reflection indicates multiple coatings). Multiple coatings yield greater light transmission through the glass, and less glare, but (and this affects all multi-coated filters from all companies) also pick up dust, fingerprints, and condensation very easily (just holding it on the metal ring with your fingers causes condensation from your perspiration).

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Absorbs the ultraviolet rays which often makes outdoor photographs hazy and indistinct. A muliti-purpose fine-weather filter for color as well as black and white films. Also serves as a permanent lens protector. HMC (Hoya Multi-Coating) These popular filters are renowned for their ability to minimise reflection at the filter surfaces which reduces flare and ghosting. The result is an average light transmission of over 97%, giving sharp contrast and well balanced color. HOYA HMC filters are recommended for enhancing the performance of today's multicoated lenses.

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Fotodiox Lens Hood for Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II as Nikon HB-48 Review

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(More customer reviews)I lost my OEM Nikon shield and just could not justify paying $40 for this shield so I purchased this after-market version. I'm very pleased with the quality and I'm not sure I could tell any difference when compared to the Nikon OEM version. I highly recommend this product, especially considering the price difference.

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Opteka 800mm f/8 Telephoto Mirror Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very disappointed in this lens the first week or so I used it. It seemed to wash out images with every stray bit of ambient light, and the effective resolution seemed quite poor. After hundreds of exposures the patterns started to emerge, however, that helped me figure out how to maximize the strengths of the lens and minimize the weaknesses.
First of all, overcoming the confusion caused by full manual settings on my D90 was a big step. The manuals and guidebooks for the D90 don't give much useful info on these settings, so a lot of trial and error are involved. To be fair I was also learning the D90 at the same time. I also was putting the shutter mode into remote control when I was using the external Opteka wired interval timer/remote trigger. It should have been in single shot mode. (You need to turn off autofocus on the camera body.)
Secondly, there are times when the D90 genuinely will shut down because it thinks there is no lens, and you get the F-- error message, but these are far fewer than I thought given my other setting issues. It is easily remedied by slight wiggle of the lens in its t-mount. I have only had to unseat and reseat the lens twice to clear the error and continue. That isn't bad for a manual lens, and I have had to do it many times for the kit lens that came with the D90.
I learned that you have to use live view mode and enlarge the focus area to focus. Period. I certainly can't focus on the internal focus screen or in live view without enlargement. Part of the problem is that any touching of the lens at all, even on a tripod, causes severe movment of the image you are trying to focus. There is amazingly shallow depth of field on this lens on a D90 chip at any distance. Your past experience with most telephoto lenses will not prepare you for this extreme.
When I shot Nikon F series I always put the ground glass focus screen in place of the split image screen, and learned some tricks about over and under focussing every time I was setting up a shot. I have had to use these tricks on the Opteka, and even then I am surprised by the focus in the final image at least a third of the time, but it is getting better with experience. I have begun to get acceptable focus in some rare hand held situations, but it has taken a lot of getting used to.
For steadyness, I have found that there are few places where even a tripod is really rock solid. This requires developing a light touch on the focussing, use of some kind of remote shutter trigger, and staying very still during exposure. There is a shutter delay setting that raises the mirror, pauses to damp motion, then fires the shutter. It is a very subtle aid under some circumstances. Under most conditions it isn't really noticeable...but you should know about it and use it when appropriate.
Synching with a flash was a revelation. The first time I used a flash and saw the results I began to realize how clean and sharp an image this lens was capable of. Of course there are very few situations where you can use a flash with an effective focal length of 1200 mm and closest focus over 11 feet...but it is an useful exercise to learn the abilities of the lens, or if you like to extremely flatten your portrait or still life visual space.
Would I prefer a giant autofocus Nikon DX VR AF etc lens? I am not so sure now that I am gaining control over the various parameters of quality on this lens. The photographers who use the multi thousand dollar lenses love the image quality of course, but they are a beast to lug around and set up. I find this compact mirror reflex pretty easy to wrangle, and am delighted with the super telephoto option it gives me for the price.
See my moon shot above. I have a 4" reflector telescope with nikon adapters, and this lens gives me better results than the reflector.

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The Opteka mirror lens is incredibly compact and lightweight. Using an advanced reflex design, this is a mirror lens that is ideally suited for wildlife and sports photography. It has a fixed aperture of f/8. Opteka mirror lenses incorporates advanced computer designed optics and the latest in multi-coating techniques. The process of multi-coating assures virtually flare free photographs even under adverse lighting conditions resulting in crisp high contrast pictures with full color fidelity. Advances in high-index / low-dispersion optical glasses, new barrel materials, and exotic anti-reflection coatings, along with the latest in computer-aided-design / computer-aided-manufacturing, are combined to produce lenses of unprecedented quality. Diamond-cut from crystal-clear, water-white optical glass, Opteka lenses are ground and polished to a precise precision.

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Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this lens along with the Nikon D50 kit that included the 18-55mm lens.
It does Macro (200-300mm) down to about .95m (3 ft). It does tend to hunt for focus quite a bit using the camera's AF-A setting, but does not when in AF-S, however focus is lost quickly when hand-holding. In this situation I end up using an indoor studio with the camera on a tripod, so I set the focus manually anyway.
The Macro setting allows up to a 1:2 magnification at 300, and about 1:3 at 200mm. This is done by allowing closer focusing than the normal 1.5m (5 ft).
When using Macro, the lens is locked to 200-300mm, and you must focus to the normal range before you can flip the switch and zoom back to under 200mm. This can be a slight problem as the lens DOES NOT have a M/A focusing switch. You must go to manual focusing via the camera, focus to normal range, flip lens macro switch, then you can go back down below 200mm and/or re-engage your autofocus.
I have not had any major problems with this lens, and actually enjoy the pictures that I get from it during sports and other telephoto needed activities. It does need a steady hand at the extreme end during lower light levels because it does not have VR, but for what it is made for I have not had any trouble getting sharp pictures. Just don't use it in low light without a tripod.
Focusing is smooth in the normal mode from 1.5m (5 ft) to infinity and it just under 1/4 turn from lock to lock. (Macro is 1/2 turn)
Zooming is smooth from 70mm to about 200mm, and then bunches up (gets slightly harder to turn) from 200 to 300. It zooms back down smoothly the entire way. It is not internally focusing, so at minimum (70mm at infinity) it is about 5" out from the camera, and at maximum (300mm at 3 ft) it is about 8" long.
It has a manual aperture ring at the base, but for autofocus cameras it recommends leaving it locked at max (f/22). [Since it is a D-model lens, it is made for the DX-sized sensor which is smaller than 35mm, and will have vignetting on 35mm, but all DSLRs are autofocus so why they included this is confusing. Just leave it locked at f/22]
The filter ring is 58mm in size. Includes caps, and cylindrical hood that fits nicely, and stores backward on the lens covering the body during storage. Mine has a matte-black finish, but I've seen regular semi-gloss plastic as well.
If you are on a budget, and want to get into telephoto or Macro photography, this lens is great. It does take a bit to get used to, but for the price, I have been satisfied.

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The Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras features a 1:2 maximum close-up magnification at the 300 millimeter focal length. An excellent cost performance telephoto zoom lens for digital and 35mm SLR cameras, this lens also has a switch for changeover to macro photography at focal lengths between 200 millimeters and 300 millimeters. The minimum focusing distance 59.1 inches at all zoom settings. Optimized for digital photography, the lens features SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass for excellent correction of chromatic aberration.

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