Digital Cameras Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘Camera Lens’

Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac Black

To deliver image-perfect detail and clarity, the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam combines Logitech’s premium autofocus technology with Carl Zeiss optics. The Logitech webcam uses a voice coil motor for its autofocus system, instead of a stepper motor. Focusing is fast and fluid – crisp even in extreme close-ups only 10 cm from the camera lens. Logitech’s autofocus system compensates for changes in image-edge sharpness and refocuses images in less than three seconds. And through its exclusive collaboration with Carl Zeiss, Logitech ensures that the lens meets the world-renowned Zeiss standards for design and manufacturing to achieve superior sharpness in a compact, lightweight design.The 2-megapixel sensor helps the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam capture video images in high resolution. It is assisted by Logitech’s RightLight 2 technology, which enables the webcam to adjust intelligently in dim or harshly backlighted situations.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Plug and play
This is the fifth video cam I have had, all the rest were Logitech that worked ok but I thouht because I have an HP laptop I would go with an HP web cam. The install was very easy, I Skype and the only thing I have to do is make sure the web-cam is on and it connects with Skype and I am free to video conference. It has many cute features that I have not yet used but I am sure I will in time. The face tracking so you can have different disguises is remarkable no set up needed like on Logitech.

4 Stars Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac
First time writing a review, so hopefully this helps someone. I was looking for a webcam for the sole purpose of communicating with 2 of my sons in college. I am using a MacMini and anyone with a Mac clearly needs to know that most of the web cams out there are not compatible with a Mac. The Vision Pro for Mac was a snap to install and is very easy to use with iChat. Sound is excellent. I really don’t think this is the fault of the Vision Pro, but the picture quality is not the best, very grainy. I have a cable modem through Time-Warner (Roadrunner). Some people I’ve spoke with believe it may be a band width issue, not camera. Well I can’t do much about the band width but it is a great alternate to a plain old phone call, and it’s free. I have not tried the Logitech software that can be downloaded from the internet.

4 Stars Good complement to isight
I defintely recommend this camera to anyone looking for either a replacement webcam or compliment to the built in sight camera. Its quality is amazing and but better than apples built in camera. It just works. I use it with skype and yahoo and is simple and easy to use. However I haven’t yet been able to work with photo booth, which I would have loved.

Unlike the built in isight I can move this around and expect focus and good quality. I would buy it again if needed and surely recommend to family and friends.

4 Stars Good, could be better
This is an excellent webcam for the price. It does not, however, live up to its hype. For example, it does not directly support iMovie. QuickTime Player 10 can capture video from it, at 1600×1200 pixels and between 6 and 10 fps. There is a Java-based program available on the web, BTV ([...]shareware at [...]), updated to Carbon in 2002 — not designed for Intel but at least it runs. It can also be accessed by Apple’s PhotoBooth, but only at 640×480 resolution.

The advertising I saw for this camera said it could collect 720p HD video. WIth BTV Pro, it can collect 1280×720 frames, but at <10 fps (true 720p is 60 fps). It also said that the webcam could take 8.0 MP images (1706x1280) -- but it doesn't mention that, to do this, you need to take around 10 frames with little motion and then combine them using a program such as PhotoAcute ([...]). The good news is that it is not difficult to do so.

The lens is excellent, and the camera responds accurately and rapidly to available light. The microphone is quite good (if you’re using this for videoconferencing). And, despite my complaints, this camera (not counting software) compares well to small video cameras costing four times as much. It’s really beyond the webcam category; how many people videoconference from a 30-inch monitor? (The native resolution is too high for a 23-inch monitor, part of the window falls off the screen.) It just barely misses by not having access to good software that can control it using modern (Intel) Macs.

4 Stars Love the video; no audio
The picture is very clear. I don’t see how I can take pictures with this camera which I miss from my old Logitech. There is NO audio, and I have no idea why. I see the speaker on the right side but no noise comes through it. I wanted this product for both audio and visual.

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Giottos AA1900 Large Rocket Blaster

The rocket-shaped air-blowers are made of silical gel. They are very powerful and easy to use. Made from non-toxic, environmentally friendly material, these Super rocket-air blowers are resistant to both high and low temperatures while tear-proof. It has an air valve to prevent it from breathing in dust and blows out a powerful stream of air to blow dust away to make cleaning lenses, cameras or filters a breeze. Unique rocket-shaped design can stand upright and its nozzle can be removed. Rocket-Air blows off dust particles, even those clinging to items from static electricity Dimensions – 7.5 x 2.4 inch Weight – 3.2 ounces

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Rocket Blaster is a Blast
The rocket blaster is perfect for removing dust on the sensor. It took two tries to finally get all the dust but it did what it was designed to do very well. The blast is just the right amount of pressure to dislodge all dust and make for a clean job. Well worth the purchase.

5 Stars Works fine
I bought this air blaster to clean the dust that was on my camera lens. This product was inexpensive, and it did the job very well.

The natural rubber is quite soft. It also has a bit of a smell, but I think that shouldn’t be a problem. I wonder if the rubber will degrade in a matter of 5 to 10 years.

I’m not sure why the nozzle needs to be so long. But I can’t really complain, since it gets the job done.

I highly recommend people to carry one of these in their camera bag, because as we know, dust is everywhere!

5 Stars Simple and Perfect
Puts out enough air to blow off loose dust. The greatest little feature of this thing is the fact it sucks in air from the rear. It’s a one way system. Great product to throw in your bag!

5 Stars Must have product for anyone with a digital SLR
I got one of these last year for blowing dust off my sensors and lenses. This is a great solution that can be used any time to blow away dust with no worries about hurting sensors or lens elements. Definitely a must have product for any pro or amateur photographer with a digital SLR camera.

5 Stars Must have
I use this for my Pentax K110 to clean the sensor. It is easy to use, really clean the dusk, worth your money.

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Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

The Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II may be one of the cheapest lenses currently on the market, but its optics belie its lowly price. As befits a classic standard prime lens, it’s very sharp when stopped down (especially in the centre), shows minimal chromatic aberration, and has relatively low distortion; APS-C users will also benefit from extremely low vegetating. In most regards it comes very close indeed to its much more expensive bigger brother, the EF 50mm F1.4 USM, lagging marginally behind in corner sharpness at any specific aperture. The only real blight in imaging terms is the lens’s bloke, or rendition of out-of-focus backgrounds, which is anything but smooth with a distinct tendency to render bright highlights as obvious pentagons (it’s a pity Canon didn’t choose to use a diaphragm with 7 or 8 blades instead of 5).

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Light, fast, but not useful focal length on cropped-sensors
Chances are you’re looking at this lens as an inexpensive first prime to go with your non-pro DSLR, like I did.

I tried it on my Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, and loved its size and speed, but the crop-factor made it not very useful.

What’s important to know is that many DSLRs use a cropped sensor (check wikipedia for “Crop Factor” for details). On Canon Rebels (and 40/50D), the crop factor is 1.6, meaning a 50mm lens gets cropped down to the equivalent of an 80mm (50mm x 1.6). 80mm is a medium telephoto, which I almost never want to use. 80mm is not enough telephoto for detail shots at distance, but you’d have to stand across the room to get a portrait of more than a face. Since I primarily wanted a portrait lens, this didn’t work for me, though I did use it to take some very nice landscapes.

I found the lens very fast. Its AF is a bit louder than the T1i’s kit lens (18-55 f/3.5-5.6), but the resulting images were notably crisper than the kit lens. Images are soft at f/1.8 end of the range but looked great at f/2 and narrower. Using Av and a wide aperture worked very well for low-light nighttime shots, although there was still blur for moving subjects.

I don’t think it’s fair or useful to compare it to L-glass lenses 5-15x the price like many reviews did. It’s very lightweight, barely adding any weight to my camera. The fast lens with a big aperture provides lot of flexibility when it comes to variable lighting. And it’s cheap. If anything, I wish Canon made more inexpensive prime lenses for those of us who don’t need or can’t afford L-series glass.

Since I needed something closer to 50mm in actual use, I returned this one and am going to try the Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras.

I rate this 4 stars for doing what it’s supposed to do, and doing so very well, but being a less useful effective focal length on cropped-sensor cameras.

3 Stars Ok for $100, but I should have waited and gotten the F1.4
This lens is OK, considering the price. The main problem I have with it is the focus. Sometimes it doesn’t focus on the point that its supposed to. It also seems like it needs a lot of light to actually focus. Also it looks cheap, but then again it was only $100. If I were to do it again, I’d wait/save a little more and get the Canon 50mm F1.4 instead. It has a bigger aperture, and the USM so I’m assuming the focus would be MUCH better.

5 Stars Incredible lens for the money
If you are looking for great quality shots at an affordable price, this is the lens for you. No its not the “Prime” so to speak with the quality being on the weak side, but the technology is on the “Prime” side. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a fixed lens and superb quality shots. I do shoot with Prime “L” lenses and purchased this to test before purchasing the 50 mm f/1.4 and can say I am very pleased with it and will be shooting with it for quite some time.

4 Stars Sharp, beautiful photographs
I picked this up a couple of years ago for Rebel when I wanted to try fixed lenses. I still pull it out from time to time. I am not a professional by any stretch, but I really do like this lens. It’s great for when you want to get a crisp, clear photograph and have time to set up the shot without using zoom.

I still grab my standard zoom lens more often, but this makes a great hobby lens for taking portrait types of shots.

5 Stars Great, with a caveat
This is a great lens, allowing you to take sharp pictures without having to carry around big zoom lenses. If you have a cropped-frame body (e.g., XTi, 50D), though, it does become an awkward telephoto lens; so consider the 35mm or 28mm as well.

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