Electronics Gadget Reviews

Canon 2591B002 DM 100 Directional Stereo Microphone for HF HG Series Camcorders

DM-100 Directional Stereo Microphone for the VIXIA HF10 and VIXIA HF100 Camcorders. Compatible with the: VIXIA HF S10 Dual Flash Memory, VIXIA HF20 Dual Flash Memory, VIXIA HF100 Flash Memory, VIXIA HG20 Hard Disk Drive

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars This thing is huge
functionally this work well , but the size of it is huge its as big as the camera and just about needs a seperate case to carry it in

5 Stars GREAT Mic for Cheap Indie Filmmakers!
I’ve only had this mic for a little under a month and have been completely satisfied by my purchase. The sound quality (compared to the built-in mic) is unparalleled and the fuzzy “dead cat” wind sock eliminates any wind rumble that has previously plagued productions. The ultimate test that I have done thus far has been recording in a moving car going down the highway with the windows rolled down and music blaring. The recording came out clear and concise. In all, I would recommend this mic to anyone who has a tight wallet and needs a good mic for the money.

3 Stars This is supposed to be better than the built in?
Okay, so, I know that once again, I am buying the cheapest product and getting frustrated, so let me start out with that. I bought this in hopes that I could take my video camera to our church camp this year and record the kids for a video for our camp. I’ve done some experimenting with it on our local sports field during some of our church extracurricular activities (ultimate frisbee and football). I think the only thing I can really say is that the microphone does help offset wind noise when used, but aside from that, I can’t say I’m much impressed by the quality of the recorded sound. I will say that I am pretty much an amateur at this and will probably experiment more to see if I can get any better performance, but my hopes are not high. Wind noise is still there, audio quality is nothing to write home about, and even in shotgun mode I still get a lot of ambient background noise from around the target. Overall, I’m not impressed, but it IS better than the built-in mike … a little.

5 Stars Canon DM-100 Microphone does block the wind plus….
This Canon DM-100 Microphone does block wind noise and it’s directional feature works well, too. I’ve found it works best in the camera’s “EASY” shooting mode. Overall, I’d say it exceeds my expectations. Didn’t notice any reduction in sound quality. It may even be somewhat better. Expensive, but since I couldn’t find or make a wind screen to just fit over the camera’s built-in mic, I’m pleased with it. Very happy to get rid of that wind noise. Plus, I perceive a reduction in the volume of the camerman’s recorded voice when coming from the area behind the camera, which, to me, seems to be too loud when using the built-in mic. Probably, due to the effect of the ’shotgun’ mode.? Overpriced, probably, but I bit the bullet on this one.

5 Stars So much better than I thought
The sound quality of this mike for all purposes is so much better than the built in mike I use it all the time. There is good suppression of noises to the side and back but if someone is talking right behind you it will still drown out the people you really want to hear in front. The wind suppression is good.

Buy/More Info

Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation 120 Minutes Black

With the new Flip Ultra TM Camcorder, it’s easier than ever to shoot and share video. Simply power on and press record – you’ll be capturing memories in seconds. And with 120 Minutes of record time, you’ll never miss another minute again. When its time to share your video, flip out the USB arm and connect to any PC or Mac to launch the built-in FlipShare editing and video-sharing software.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars FLIP and dip
TO THE POINT:

1- Came with 2 AA duracells.

2- You turn it on with the push of a recessed button on the right side of the unit. The button is cool because it does’nt stick out at all so you do not have to worry about the FLIP turning on while its in your pocket.

3- The first time you power it on, you set the time and the date and you can choose to have the red “recording” light in the front OFF or ON.

4- Captures 118 minutes of full-VGA-quality video on 4GB of built-in memory. For some people VGA quality is more useful than HG. Reason-being is that HG quality video will not play smoothly on older computers. And VGA videos use less space so it will be faster to download them into emails, youtube, and such.

5- The flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac. There you upload all your videos and empty the FLIP so you can go back out there and take more videos. Oh, and you can also take sills from video with the included software.

6- A very nice 2″ color LCD screen. This is a very sharp anti-glare screen. I was suprised by the clarity of it.

7- There is a connector cable included so you can watch the videos on your TV. But I wont be using that alot as all my videos go into my hard drive after I shoot and review them right on the FLIP itself.

8- Push up or down on control pad for volume recording control. Playback audio is superb as well. Great sound from the built-in speaker. Am not kidding.

9- Video capability is also pretty good in low light levels. It’s 30 frames per second and recorded as MP4 files.

All this in a sturdy non-slip body (don’t know about the texture of the white one).

It is the size of a compact camera but not half as delicate. So you can take it along everywhere you go, cause you never know when you might need it. I carry it daily, ie: wallet, keys, cellphone, FLIP.

5 Stars Flipped over Flip Video
I love my new Flip Video! If you want to video the grandkids and don’t want to lug around a camcorder, just get one of these. You will be glad you did. Easy to use, doesn’t requiere a degree in electronics to operate. Get one and save the fun!

5 Stars Easiest to use video recorder ever
I purchased this recorder to take on my crusie. It was so cute and small enough to fit in my bag without a bunch of attachements,etc. I just pressed the button to record and pressed the button to stop. I love it and I love the color.

4 Stars Good performance for low cost camcorder
The Flip Ultra is a inexpensive camcorder that’s very good for specific uses. I’ve tried the camera out in various environments, and I’ve found that it provides an excellent video when the general illumination is consistent (no deep shadows next to bright, sunlit spots), and the subject is between 2 and 15 feet or so away. The sound pickup is also good, but if you plan on talking you’ll want to hold the camcorder away from you so that all sound is picked up equally.

I tried the zoom feature and found that is problematical. The zoom is the reason I dropped the review by one star, and came close to dropping the rating to 3 stars. If you’re in a low light situation and holding the camcorder by hand, the zoomed in video is basically unwatchable–too broken up and blurry. However, it does a better job if the lighting is brighter, more even, and you’re using a stable surface for the camcorder. Regardless, you will lose some detail when using the zoom, so use it sparingly. You’d be better off moving closer to your subject, if possible.

The camera is exceptionally easy to use, and you can be taking your first video five minutes after opening the box. The software provided on the camera is nice, especially if you’re sending the video directly to YouTube to share with friends and family. However, you’ll want software such as iMovie or Quicktime Pro to create more sophisticated videos and podcasts.

Speaking of podcasting, you’re not going to get London Landscape TV (my favorite amateur podcast) quality podcasts out of the Flip Utra, but you’re not spending $3,000 for a camera either. In other words, set your expectations on the price and you won’t be disappointed.

This camera would be very good for self-podcasts, filming birthdays, celebrations, kids playing on the slide, that office get together, even something like a cooking or other podcast or video. You can use it at the zoo, especially when you’re closer to the animals (think petting zoo).

It does a nice job on street scenes and wide open natural areas, but is not good with “cluttered scenes” such as within a forest under bright sunshine. I found it does surprisingly well indoors, with even, natural lighting.

I haven’t tried TV playback yet, but I have uploaded the videos to my AppleTV, and the playback is very good.

The Flip Ultra is small enough to toss into a purse, pocket, or backback and keep with you, for that unexpected event. It’s a superior video to what you get with cellphones. It’s also easy enough to use that even the reluctant technophobe will enjoy using the device.

5 Stars Terrific little video camea. Worth the $$$$
This is my second Flip Video camera. The first recorded a shorter amount of time. Liked it enough that this second one was a welcome addition. I’ve never needed to record more than 60 minutes at a time so this 120 is more than enough and nice to have just in case I do ever reach that limit.

The camera records well and clearly. The color and clarity is good. I LOVE that I can carry this in my purse or in the car glove compartment. I bought the little tripod to use and it’s a handy grip too when not using it as aa true tripod. I would hold it above the crowd to capture video and the tripod helped get some more height.

The zoom is okay. Not the best but for the price there’s no other mini camcorder that beats this one from what I’ve seen. I have bigger cameras and they have their place for sure but there’s no comparing the ease of use (direct USB plug-in!), convenient size, with the balance of video quality. Terrific.

Buy/More Info

Canon BP 827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20 21 HF11 10 and 100 Camcorders

Canon Battery Pack BP-827 for the HG20 and HG21 Camcorder. Also works with VIXIA HF S10 Dual Flash Memory and the VIXIA HG20 Hard Disk Drive

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars awesome battery
i’ve been bumping up my canon HF10 and its strange but this battery is one of my favorite things in my camera bag because this thing last forever. i was using my camera from 8am till 6pm, on and off. but it lasted all day.

5 Stars Everything as it is supposed to be
Fine battery, works well and everything is as it is supposed to be. Love it.

5 Stars Great Battery Life
This battery is a must have if you have a video camcorder. It has about 4-hrs of usage time and so I don’t have to worry about a dead battery. Plus you can review videos and keep the camcorder on pause rather than having to turn off the power all the time.

The original equipment battery is now a spare/backup.

5 Stars Battery Pack for Canon of great benefit
During extensive filming, this battery pack provided reliable use of the Vixia HG20 for many hours. While the battery pack extends beyond the end of the camera when attached, it does not cause a problem in handling the camera nor does it look objectionable. The battery that comes with the HG20 is very short lived and the camera would be of limited value without this option.

5 Stars Must have item!!!!
This battery is great and a must have if you plan to record long sporting events.

Buy/More Info

Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation 120 Minutes Pink

With the new Flip Ultra TM Camcorder, it’s easier than ever to shoot and share video. Simply power on and press record – you’ll be capturing memories in seconds. And with 120 Minutes of record time, you’ll never miss another minute again. When its time to share your video, flip out the USB arm and connect to any PC or Mac to launch the built-in FlipShare editing and video-sharing software

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars FLIP and dip
TO THE POINT:

1- Came with 2 AA duracells.

2- You turn it on with the push of a recessed button on the right side of the unit. The button is cool because it does’nt stick out at all so you do not have to worry about the FLIP turning on while its in your pocket.

3- The first time you power it on, you set the time and the date and you can choose to have the red “recording” light in the front OFF or ON.

4- Captures 118 minutes of full-VGA-quality video on 4GB of built-in memory. For some people VGA quality is more useful than HG. Reason-being is that HG quality video will not play smoothly on older computers. And VGA videos use less space so it will be faster to download them into emails, youtube, and such.

5- The flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac. There you upload all your videos and empty the FLIP so you can go back out there and take more videos. Oh, and you can also take sills from video with the included software.

6- A very nice 2″ color LCD screen. This is a very sharp anti-glare screen. I was suprised by the clarity of it.

7- There is a connector cable included so you can watch the videos on your TV. But I wont be using that alot as all my videos go into my hard drive after I shoot and review them right on the FLIP itself.

8- Push up or down on control pad for volume recording control. Playback audio is superb as well. Great sound from the built-in speaker. Am not kidding.

9- Video capability is also pretty good in low light levels. It’s 30 frames per second and recorded as MP4 files.

All this in a sturdy non-slip body (don’t know about the texture of the white one).

It is the size of a compact camera but not half as delicate. So you can take it along everywhere you go, cause you never know when you might need it. I carry it daily, ie: wallet, keys, cellphone, FLIP.

5 Stars Flipped over Flip Video
I love my new Flip Video! If you want to video the grandkids and don’t want to lug around a camcorder, just get one of these. You will be glad you did. Easy to use, doesn’t requiere a degree in electronics to operate. Get one and save the fun!

5 Stars Easiest to use video recorder ever
I purchased this recorder to take on my crusie. It was so cute and small enough to fit in my bag without a bunch of attachements,etc. I just pressed the button to record and pressed the button to stop. I love it and I love the color.

4 Stars Good performance for low cost camcorder
The Flip Ultra is a inexpensive camcorder that’s very good for specific uses. I’ve tried the camera out in various environments, and I’ve found that it provides an excellent video when the general illumination is consistent (no deep shadows next to bright, sunlit spots), and the subject is between 2 and 15 feet or so away. The sound pickup is also good, but if you plan on talking you’ll want to hold the camcorder away from you so that all sound is picked up equally.

I tried the zoom feature and found that is problematical. The zoom is the reason I dropped the review by one star, and came close to dropping the rating to 3 stars. If you’re in a low light situation and holding the camcorder by hand, the zoomed in video is basically unwatchable–too broken up and blurry. However, it does a better job if the lighting is brighter, more even, and you’re using a stable surface for the camcorder. Regardless, you will lose some detail when using the zoom, so use it sparingly. You’d be better off moving closer to your subject, if possible.

The camera is exceptionally easy to use, and you can be taking your first video five minutes after opening the box. The software provided on the camera is nice, especially if you’re sending the video directly to YouTube to share with friends and family. However, you’ll want software such as iMovie or Quicktime Pro to create more sophisticated videos and podcasts.

Speaking of podcasting, you’re not going to get London Landscape TV (my favorite amateur podcast) quality podcasts out of the Flip Utra, but you’re not spending $3,000 for a camera either. In other words, set your expectations on the price and you won’t be disappointed.

This camera would be very good for self-podcasts, filming birthdays, celebrations, kids playing on the slide, that office get together, even something like a cooking or other podcast or video. You can use it at the zoo, especially when you’re closer to the animals (think petting zoo).

It does a nice job on street scenes and wide open natural areas, but is not good with “cluttered scenes” such as within a forest under bright sunshine. I found it does surprisingly well indoors, with even, natural lighting.

I haven’t tried TV playback yet, but I have uploaded the videos to my AppleTV, and the playback is very good.

The Flip Ultra is small enough to toss into a purse, pocket, or backback and keep with you, for that unexpected event. It’s a superior video to what you get with cellphones. It’s also easy enough to use that even the reluctant technophobe will enjoy using the device.

5 Stars Terrific little video camea. Worth the $$$$
This is my second Flip Video camera. The first recorded a shorter amount of time. Liked it enough that this second one was a welcome addition. I’ve never needed to record more than 60 minutes at a time so this 120 is more than enough and nice to have just in case I do ever reach that limit.

The camera records well and clearly. The color and clarity is good. I LOVE that I can carry this in my purse or in the car glove compartment. I bought the little tripod to use and it’s a handy grip too when not using it as aa true tripod. I would hold it above the crowd to capture video and the tripod helped get some more height.

The zoom is okay. Not the best but for the price there’s no other mini camcorder that beats this one from what I’ve seen. I have bigger cameras and they have their place for sure but there’s no comparing the ease of use (direct USB plug-in!), convenient size, with the balance of video quality. Terrific.

Buy/More Info

Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation 120 Minutes Yellow

With the new Flip Ultra TM Camcorder, it’s easier than ever to shoot and share video. Simply power on and press record – you’ll be capturing memories in seconds. And with 120 Minutes of record time, you’ll never miss another minute again. When its time to share your video, flip out the USB arm and connect to any PC or Mac to launch the built-in FlipShare editing and video-sharing software.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars FLIP and dip
TO THE POINT:

1- Came with 2 AA duracells.

2- You turn it on with the push of a recessed button on the right side of the unit. The button is cool because it does’nt stick out at all so you do not have to worry about the FLIP turning on while its in your pocket.

3- The first time you power it on, you set the time and the date and you can choose to have the red “recording” light in the front OFF or ON.

4- Captures 118 minutes of full-VGA-quality video on 4GB of built-in memory. For some people VGA quality is more useful than HG. Reason-being is that HG quality video will not play smoothly on older computers. And VGA videos use less space so it will be faster to download them into emails, youtube, and such.

5- The flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac. There you upload all your videos and empty the FLIP so you can go back out there and take more videos. Oh, and you can also take sills from video with the included software.

6- A very nice 2″ color LCD screen. This is a very sharp anti-glare screen. I was suprised by the clarity of it.

7- There is a connector cable included so you can watch the videos on your TV. But I wont be using that alot as all my videos go into my hard drive after I shoot and review them right on the FLIP itself.

8- Push up or down on control pad for volume recording control. Playback audio is superb as well. Great sound from the built-in speaker. Am not kidding.

9- Video capability is also pretty good in low light levels. It’s 30 frames per second and recorded as MP4 files.

All this in a sturdy non-slip body (don’t know about the texture of the white one).

It is the size of a compact camera but not half as delicate. So you can take it along everywhere you go, cause you never know when you might need it. I carry it daily, ie: wallet, keys, cellphone, FLIP.

5 Stars Flipped over Flip Video
I love my new Flip Video! If you want to video the grandkids and don’t want to lug around a camcorder, just get one of these. You will be glad you did. Easy to use, doesn’t requiere a degree in electronics to operate. Get one and save the fun!

5 Stars Easiest to use video recorder ever
I purchased this recorder to take on my crusie. It was so cute and small enough to fit in my bag without a bunch of attachements,etc. I just pressed the button to record and pressed the button to stop. I love it and I love the color.

4 Stars Good performance for low cost camcorder
The Flip Ultra is a inexpensive camcorder that’s very good for specific uses. I’ve tried the camera out in various environments, and I’ve found that it provides an excellent video when the general illumination is consistent (no deep shadows next to bright, sunlit spots), and the subject is between 2 and 15 feet or so away. The sound pickup is also good, but if you plan on talking you’ll want to hold the camcorder away from you so that all sound is picked up equally.

I tried the zoom feature and found that is problematical. The zoom is the reason I dropped the review by one star, and came close to dropping the rating to 3 stars. If you’re in a low light situation and holding the camcorder by hand, the zoomed in video is basically unwatchable–too broken up and blurry. However, it does a better job if the lighting is brighter, more even, and you’re using a stable surface for the camcorder. Regardless, you will lose some detail when using the zoom, so use it sparingly. You’d be better off moving closer to your subject, if possible.

The camera is exceptionally easy to use, and you can be taking your first video five minutes after opening the box. The software provided on the camera is nice, especially if you’re sending the video directly to YouTube to share with friends and family. However, you’ll want software such as iMovie or Quicktime Pro to create more sophisticated videos and podcasts.

Speaking of podcasting, you’re not going to get London Landscape TV (my favorite amateur podcast) quality podcasts out of the Flip Utra, but you’re not spending $3,000 for a camera either. In other words, set your expectations on the price and you won’t be disappointed.

This camera would be very good for self-podcasts, filming birthdays, celebrations, kids playing on the slide, that office get together, even something like a cooking or other podcast or video. You can use it at the zoo, especially when you’re closer to the animals (think petting zoo).

It does a nice job on street scenes and wide open natural areas, but is not good with “cluttered scenes” such as within a forest under bright sunshine. I found it does surprisingly well indoors, with even, natural lighting.

I haven’t tried TV playback yet, but I have uploaded the videos to my AppleTV, and the playback is very good.

The Flip Ultra is small enough to toss into a purse, pocket, or backback and keep with you, for that unexpected event. It’s a superior video to what you get with cellphones. It’s also easy enough to use that even the reluctant technophobe will enjoy using the device.

5 Stars Terrific little video camea. Worth the $$$$
This is my second Flip Video camera. The first recorded a shorter amount of time. Liked it enough that this second one was a welcome addition. I’ve never needed to record more than 60 minutes at a time so this 120 is more than enough and nice to have just in case I do ever reach that limit.

The camera records well and clearly. The color and clarity is good. I LOVE that I can carry this in my purse or in the car glove compartment. I bought the little tripod to use and it’s a handy grip too when not using it as aa true tripod. I would hold it above the crowd to capture video and the tripod helped get some more height.

The zoom is okay. Not the best but for the price there’s no other mini camcorder that beats this one from what I’ve seen. I have bigger cameras and they have their place for sure but there’s no comparing the ease of use (direct USB plug-in!), convenient size, with the balance of video quality. Terrific.

Buy/More Info