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Comment on Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom by Sy

Sy — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:26:36 +0000

74 of 82 people found the following review helpful

Auto mode and user interface needs work, November 14, 2008

Sy -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

Just got this camera recently but here is my initial take. Ideally I'd like to have a camera that can take intelligent pictures without much guess when in auto mode. Some of my pictures in auto mode will come out nice and others will come out blurry, even in good light conditions. Any settings saved in auto mode or scn mode are reset just by changing modes or turning off the camera. So if you don't want to use iESP and want to use spot focus instead, you have to keep resetting it each time. Settings will only be saved in P, A, S, M or video modes. Macros come out really nice. Zoom is great, but can loose focus in auto mode especially if zoomed to the max. The evf switches to lcd screen after each shot, so you have to watch it on the screen after each shot and not on the evf. When switching between scene modes, you have to go through lots of buttons and you cant see how the image looks through the lens, instead you see the built in images representing each mode and then it switches to a text description for each mode. I miss having the scenes on the dial and to be able to see the images as they appear while going through each scene. The feel and the construction of the camera is excellent. If Olympus can just work on their user interface and the auto intelligent mode, this camera can rock. Sometimes when you have to take a quick shot, you want to rely on the auto mode.

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Comment on Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom by lordhoot "lordhoot"

lordhoot "lordhoot" — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:34:55 +0000

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful

SP570UZ done right!, December 10, 2008

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) -

This review is from: Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

After playing around with this camera for a week, I can cheerfully say that this is what Olympus SP570UZ should have been in the first place. The Olympus SP565UZ (I am cutting out the SP and UZ from this point on) is not only smaller and lighter then 570 but it also got auto focus and AUTO-ZOOM feature. How surprising that turned out to be.

In essence, 565 is an physical makeover of the 570. It is in fact, 570 in all its capabilities but better. Its better because it was able to maintained most of the features of the 570 while improving on its deficits. Outside of putting back in the auto zoom that was my biggest and major complaint about the 570, they also managed to fixed my second complaint, the viewfinder that is far more easier to use then 570. Only the video remain the same but I can live with that shortcoming.

On the downside, this camera still uses Olympus xD card, one of the most inferior media cards in the market. I don't know why Olympus just bite the bullet and take one for their camera industry and do away with the xD card. Thus, unless you are in one of those burst modes, the recycle speed of this camera will NOT be breaking any records. Another minor downside for me at least is that their self timer mode is still at 2 seconds and 12 seconds. I was kind of hoping that they might have an custom self-timer like Canon ultra-zoom cameras got.

This camera do take a micro-SD card. Inside the box, there is an adapter for the micro SD card. Its in the shape of a xD card of course. I supposed this was added on so you can download easier to your phone or IPod or whatever. Of course, they could be like Fuji and add a second slot for SD card. But who is whining anyway??

As Amazon stated, this camera have more of a point and shoot feel then the 570. Anyone who have handled the old 550 and 560 can easily handled this 565 without much adjustments. The menu has been changed to streamlined thing. Back of the camera has definitely changed. But its still one of the best cameras to use in comfort. On the 570, there were four buttons on the left side of the LCD screen, now all these buttons are located around the cursor button like the old 550 and 560. One button on the 570 that is missing on the 565 is the auto exposure lock button. That function is now served by a custom button, a slight downgrade for some. This camera however, managed to keep all the manual features of the 570. In fact, if you put this camera into the "manual mode", it is almost like having a small version of 570 in your hands. The rubberized grip on the lens appears to be a carry over from the 570.

Overall, if you enjoyed the 550 and 560, then you will have no problem enjoying 565 series. The 20x zoom is fantastic, all the frills like shadow adjustments and face detections worked just fine. They also add another feature I haven't use much but sound promising. They called it "pre capture" and you have to use a lower resolution but when you half press the shutter, it take ten photos at once and you get pick which one you like the best after you finished it off by pushing the shutter button all the way down. Weird but if you got the card space and the time to review all ten shots, then its pretty neat.

Hope this review been helpful in some ways.

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Comment on Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom by Jeri J. Steele "Jeri J Steele, Pioneer Inform...

Jeri J. Steele "Jeri J Steele, Pioneer Inform... — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:20:11 +0000

111 of 117 people found the following review helpful

SP-565UZ is a dream camera for me! Great for Genealogy!, November 3, 2008

Jeri J. Steele "Jeri J Steele, Pioneer Inform... (Bowling Green, KY USA) -

This review is from: Olympus SP-565UZ 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom (Electronics)

I owned an 550UZ for 18 months and decided to upgrade to the 565UZ for the extra mega-pixels and other feature differences. I'm an amateur photographer but married to a professional. We originally purchased the 550UZ so that I had a camera that was easy for me to use yet if I wanted to I could override the settings while I learned more about photography from him. First, I have used both cameras extensively for copying pages from books, copying photographs, and snapping microfilm screens in libraries for my genealogical research. With the document mode the camera is in almost the perfect settings. I always use a custom white balance so that I don't have to do ANYTHING to the book photos. I have taught several other genealogists who are not techies to use this camera and set the white balance! The same camera goes immediately outside for tourist pictures with stunning results. Like all AF cameras you have to be aware of where the camera is focusing and make sure you press the shutter button down half way and give the camera time to focus. Many times I get as good shots as my husband's (his still has more pixels!). The extra 2X zoom helps get nicer long shots in focus. My favorite part of working with this camera is being able to swap between outside landscape mode to available light shots to documents within seconds!

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Comment on Panasonic KX-TG6511B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone, Black, 1 Handset by Tammy

Tammy — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:10:43 +0000

167 of 169 people found the following review helpful

Nice cordless phones for the price, July 6, 2010

Tammy (MARS, PA USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Panasonic KX-TG6512B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone System, Black, 2 Handsets (Office Product)

These phones are a great value. I purchased this phone because it does not have an answering machine. I use voicemail, and didn't want to pay for a function or deal with a more complicated phone than I needed. The sound quality is excellent! I love the big caller ID - very easy to see the caller list with names & phone numbers. The voicemail shortcut button is a nice feature. This phone has prominent Speaker Phone and Flash (call waiting) buttons. While you're on a call, a Mute button becomes available, which is very important in my household with all of the kids and dogs! I use this phone in my big backyard, and it has a very long range. The only feature that I'd like to see added is a "Do not Disturb" button to turn the ringer off and send all calls directly to voicemail. However, I can access this feature through my phone company's voicemail system online. Overall, this phone sounds great, has a very long range, and all of the features that I need without an answering machine. It's a great value, and highly recommend it.

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Comment on Panasonic KX-TG6511B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone, Black, 1 Handset by D. Matheny

D. Matheny — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:14:16 +0000

280 of 282 people found the following review helpful

Excellent phones, July 19, 2010

D. Matheny (Austin, TX) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Panasonic KX-TG6513B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Cordless Phone System, Black, 3 Handsets (Office Product)

I know that a lot of people are using their home phones less and less these days because of cell phones - but we still use ours a lot. Believe it or not, my wife was interviewed to be on the Oprah show a few years ago because of the amount of time she spends on the phone:). With her and the three kids competing for the phones, these end up getting a lot of hard use.

Anyway, the main problems we run into with phones are typically sound quality and durability.

With these DECT 6.0+ phones from Panasonic, the sound quality is truly as good as a corded phone. We live in a 3000 square foot, 2-story house and these phones easily cover that space as well as the yard. We never really take the handsets past the yard boundaries, so I don't know what the maximum range is before these start breaking up. I'm also an early-adopter tech person; so our house is probably one of the most challenging environments a wireless phone could exist in.

This is the second set of DECT 6.0 phones we've had from Panasonic and the sound quality is head and shoulders above the wireless phones we've had from other manufacturers.

When it comes to features, here are the things we like about these:
1) The handsets have pocket clips that work well and stay attached to the phone for walking around.
2) There is a headset jack on the handsets, which is also great for walking around.
3) Panasonic has improved the caller ID and redial features from their previous generations - both features are now much easier to access.
4) I like that the lights on the handset tend to stay off in the base unit so we can sleep with the phone in its base.
5) These phones use standard NiMH AAA batteries, so they are easy to replace, or even to charge outside the phone if you want.
6) We use voicemail anyway, so I like that this particular phone does NOT include an answering machine. (I hate paying for a feature that we'll never use.)
7) I love that we can pick up any handset and immediately join the call without having to do anything special to let a new caller join.
8) The handsets are a great size and shape - so they're very easy to use. I can't imagine wanting a home phone that is the size of a cell phone...

As far as durability goes, we've only had these for a couple of weeks now so it's hard to know how long they will last. They do feel solid; and, based on the longevity of our last Panasonic phones, I'm expecting that they will last quite a while. In fact, the last Panasonic DECT 6.0 cordless phones we owned are the first phones we've ever had that have made it past a year without breaking - and they lasted more than two years! I've come to the conclusion that Panasonic phones are the only phones available that can be dropped repeatedly (including an occasional dunk in the sink or bounce off the tile) without completely dying.

Overall, if you're looking for a high-quality phone that doesn't have an answering machine, I think this phone should be at the top of your list. I won't claim to have used every phone that is currently on the market; but we are extremely pleased with these!

[*** UPDATE 8/11/2011 ***]

Well, it looks like Panasonic did it again! We've had these phones for over a year now and they're still going strong. Before you know it, we're going to be expecting our phones to last longer than a year... :)

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Comment on Panasonic KX-TG6511B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone, Black, 1 Handset by D. Dawson

D. Dawson — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:33:47 +0000

825 of 840 people found the following review helpful

May be the perfect cordless phone, June 2, 2010

D. Dawson (Maplewood, MN United States) -

This review is from: Panasonic KX-TG6512B DECT 6.0 PLUS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone System, Black, 2 Handsets (Office Product)

We picked up the KX-TG6512B the other day to try before taking the plunge on a larger system with 6 handsets. Our old Uniden 5.8 GHz system was great, but the batteries on all the handsets are losing their ability to hold a charge and it interferes with our wireless network. I started looking for a DECT 6.0 replacement system but never found one that had all the features we were looking for, but now that I virtually stumbled across the 6500 series from Panasonic it looks like I've found our perfect phones. Here's what I like:

- You can customize the banner on each handset. This may seem like a minor feature, but we had gotten used to it on the Uniden and liked it.

- You can check the Caller ID on one handset after someone else has already answered a call on another handset. We actually end up doing this quite a bit with our old Uniden phones, but I had read a review of the older Panasonic 6440 phones that said this wasn't possible. I was very pleasantly surprised to see this now works, since I was about ready to live without that feature.

- The handsets have jacks for wired headsets. My wife and I both work in the technical field and often end up working on the computer while on a call, and a headset is a better option than a speaker phone. This was a must-have feature for us, and many of the Uniden phones don't have it.

- The speaker phone quality is very good. We were always very happy with the sound of the Uniden speaker phone on the handsets, but the new Panasonic sound quality is at least as good.

- The batteries in the handset are standard NiMH AAA rechargeables rather than the proprietary (and expensive) battery used in the Uniden. Should we ever need to replace them it will be trivial and cheap.

- There are belt clips for the handsets. We don't use this a lot, but we do every once in a while, especially when using a headset. Some of the other models I looked at didn't have this. Note that if you put the belt clip on the headset it covers up the little grippy patch on the back that's there to help you hold the handset between your shoulder and ear, so if you like to hold your phone on your shoulder you may want to skip the belt clip.

- The buttons on the phone are back-lit and easy to find and push. On some of the new Uniden handsets the three buttons in an individual row are all run together and I heard that they can be less easy to find.

- The display on the handset is black-on-white and very easy to read.

- The phone will set its time and date from the Caller ID information.

- The message waiting indicator light on the phones can be manually turned off simply by pushing and holding the "#" key. Our old Uniden phone would sometimes miss the signal from the phone company to turn off the light, so it's nice that there's an option to manually do it easily on the Panasonic if the need arises.

There are many other features related to address books, etc. that are less important to us so I haven't bothered to learn about them or try them. However, based on the above I'm extremely happy with this new Panasonic phone. We've only used it a very short time, but I was impressed enough to order the KX-TG6545B with 5 included handsets to be our replacement for our old Uniden system. This adds a base speakerphone with keypad, as well as an answering system we'll never use (we have voice mail from the phone company).

So, to summarize, I really like this phone (love is too strong a word for a cordless phone). We've not used it enough to know how well it'll work down the road, but based on reviews of other Panasonic phones I'm optimistic about that.

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Comment on DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras by Bill

Bill — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:31:44 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Decent design and build quality but beware of sizing, March 15, 2012

Bill (Chicago) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras (Accessory)

Very reasonable build quality for price. Better design than some other low cost alternatives I checked out as you can work zoom and some camera controls with finger pocket. The reason I gave it 3 stars is it is a VERY tight fit for the Nikon D7000 although this is the recommended size on the manufacturer's website. For even the smallest lenses you have to put the body only into the bag (and it barely fits), then attach the lens through the front opening. The overall quality and design is good enough that I've order the larger version of the product to try and will post a full review once I've actually used the product underwater (I only put the camera in and snapped a few pics at the house before deciding it was too cramped and I would try the larger size).

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Comment on DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras by LasVegasMetsFan

LasVegasMetsFan — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:10:20 +0000

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Works, but so will you!, January 29, 2012

LasVegasMetsFan -

This review is from: DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras (Accessory)

Bought this for my family Trip to Hawaii (Jan 18-25, 2012). I would highly recommend using this before you REALLY need to. It takes some user knowledge to get right. I used by Canon T2i and wide angle lens (10-22mm). The first thing I noticed is that zoomed all the way out, I'd get the front end of the bag enclosure in the shot. I learned I had to use both hands to take a shot, One for pressing the floppy tube like ending snug against the lens, the other to snap the photo through the small finger sleeve made to reach the trigger. This means you can't swim and shoot. (float and shoot, yes). I set all my camera settings before inserting in the bag (I went with aperture priority) and let the camera figure out exposure. I wanted a larger field of focus, so shot around F8. I did get some good photos of my boys playing in the water and have attached them to review. I also recommend getting out as much air as possible before sealing up the bag, otherwise it's a floating buoy and very cumbersome. All in all, I got some shots that are really cool, completely unique perspectives of the sky above and water below the surface. It'll depend on the users skill and practice. It was worth the money to me. (Real camera shells cost around 1,200 bucks!)

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Comment on DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras by dave matthews

dave matthews — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:55:01 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Not bad considering the cost of the alternative, January 13, 2012

dave matthews -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: DiCAPac WP-S5 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR Cameras (Accessory)

I have had a small DiCAPac for a few years and have used it a lot so I decided to get the WP-S5 when I bought a digital SLR. Now I just got back from a trip to Brazil where I used the WP-S5 in some crystal clear rivers. First of all it is far less expensive than the hard shell option. It seals up very well and didn't leak at all. It is a little cumbersome as the lens tube is floppy and the camera is loose inside the envelope. I found that if I filled it with air until it was firm it was a little easier to handle however I did have to prop up the lens inside the tube to avoid taking photos of the front ring. The optics of the front window are roughly that of an 19th century farmhouse window. Looking at a reflection you can see that the whole external surface is rippled. I wanted to give DiCAPac an opportunity to correct the problem before I wrote a review as I thought it was possible that I received a defective lens so I contacted and sent them photos of the ripples and they did not respond. I then noticed that my small DiCAPac also has the ripples but to a lesser degree. Looking through the lens you can see the distortion that the ripples cause but they are on the exterior surface so once in the water they don't seem to affect the image. The only other complaint is that some of my photos taken near or on the surface have a reflection of light off the inside surface of the front window. In the end I got about 50% good photos and deleted the others. My camera struggled to focus well using the DiCAPac but that may be the camera and not the DiCAPac.

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Comment on Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras – Old Version by M. Wells

M. Wells — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:20:05 +0000

102 of 104 people found the following review helpful

Perfect Flash, December 27, 2004

M. Wells -

This review is from: Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - Old Version (Electronics)

I bought this flash to use with my Nikon D70. I wanted a flash with plenty of power and flexibility, but smart enough to handle caluation of exposure when I just wanted to shoot. I was not disappointed.

This flash works hand-in-glove with other elements of the Nikon system. When connected to the hot-shoe of my D70 the camera and flash instantly recognize each other. The default "TTL" mode (Through The Lens) gives consistantly well-exposed photos. If anything, the camera and flash tend to want to underexpose just a bit, but you can easily use the flash compensation to fix this. It appears that the Nikon folks are going for a more natural-light exposure, while I prefer a brighter picture. I usually set the flash to +2/3 and am always happy with the results.

The SB-800 has many flash modes that can be used by the creative photographer for different situations. They include 2 TTL modes, auto-aperature mode, manual mode, and a repeating flash mode. The RPT mode lets you set the flash power and frequency in Hz and the flash repeatedly fires during the exposure. Great for experimentation.

The flash head tilts to 90 degrees straight up, and swings completely around to 180 degrees - backwards. It has a red focus-assist lamp which works wonderfully.

The SB-800 comes with a number of accessories that come at an additional price for many other flashes. An extra battery attachment is included, which decreases the flash recycle time. A flash diffuser dome is also included to give a softer lighting effect. Two light filters are included to match the flash to background lighting for more natural white balance settings. They even include a nice padded case.

The Sb-800 takes 4 AA batteries, and you can use the optional battery case to add a fifth to decrease recycle time. The batteries last a long time - see the manual for the battery life that Nikon documents. I can go all day without recharging my 2300 ma AA's.

This flash also has a number of wireless modes. When using the D70's internal flash as the "Commander" I can trigger the SB-800 and the camera and flash will communicate the exposure information back and forth with a series of brief flashes, then fire the exposure flash. It really works, and works well. The SB800 can also use a SU-4 remote mode, which will trigger the flash when it "sees" any other flash fire, so any camera could trigger it.

This flash is not inexpensive, but it works wonders for the photographer who wants flexibility and good exposures. I now find myself wanting another one, to use in a wireless group and expand the flexibility. I recommend it without reservation.

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