A super light digital video recorder perfect to tuck in your purse!

I know I've said it before but I'm terrible about taking videos of Connor. At some point in his life he will scream at me for the lack of video coverage of his early days but its honestly just from the fact that never have my camcorder when I need it. I do have the perfect solution in my purse however!

The Vado is a great new digital camcorder from my friends over at Creative Labs. Its small.. its super super light.. and its actually really durable. We have done other digital camcorder reviews in the past and I expected it to be purse sized but I never in a million years expected it to be SOO light. I mean it weighs less than my smallest digital camera and its thinner too! Its seriously light enough that it goes head to head with my razor phone as to what I seem to dig for more as it just gets lost in the sea of junk I keep in my purse. Thank goodness its bright pink or I'd spend all day looking for it its soo thin.

I am really impressed not only is it small but it comes complete with a rechargeable battery that just charges by plugging it into a USB port. Actually the only two things that come in the box is the battery and the camera and all you do is pop in the battery and you are good to go. No cords, no charging bases, nothing to loose.. just the Vado. The built in USB adaptor just pops into your computer and tada your ready to upload videos as well. The software is all built in so again there is nothing to do but upload. The software itself allows you to watch the movies, copy them to hard drive, or upload them directly to YouTube or Photobucket.

The Vado boasts a really clear and crisp 2" screen which allows you to see exactly what your filming and its video quality is actually quite good. It does do fairly well in dim lighting though you will see some small diffrent in the quality of the video if the lighting is poor enough. But overall thats acceptable seeing as most digital video recorders i have used barely show up at all if you are not in natural or florescent light. As well as a 2x zoom is a rare treat.

Really.. honestly.. my only complaint is that there is no editing software included with the Vado. I'd really like to splice some of my videos together or add music and I'd rather not buy a separate video editing package. Call me cheap but I think a basic video editing software should be included. And as always when it comes to digital video recorders it would be fabulous if they would have a way to upgrade the memory with the use of a memory stick. The Vado has 2 gigs of storage space but I'm a firm believer in the more the merrier. Otherwise I am as happy as you can get with this digital video recorder and the fact that it comes in pink.. makes me one happy girl. Don't worry boys.. it comes in silver too.

We uploaded two of our videos for you guys to check out. The first one is a recent birthday party we attended for our cousin Noah. For those of you that didn't believe me when I told you Connor had A LOT of cousins.. here is some video proof though this isn't even remotely all of them. Can you spot Connor? A little hint he is the one with the shoes on his hands.. his favorite past time. The second video is of Melos and our second to newest puppy playing at night in the office. Its not that bright in here and the lighting is awful and the Vado still did a great job. Can I interest anyone in a puppy? heh.

The Vado is available from Amazon as well as on Creative Lab's website.

Sony Digital Cameras just never dissapoint me..

I've been a big fan of Sony Digital Cameras since the first T Series was introduced. My own beloved T Series camera was just retired recently and I have to admit I'm already feeling a bit lost without it. Seeing as I have been using a T series camera for what seems like an eternity I am lost without it. Actually I have not been without a T series camera since my first faithful T1 and then my most recent T5 so needles to say I'm a big fan of Sony.

So when we got the opportunity to get our hands on the new DSC-W120 I jumped at it. Though I have to admit I have never up till now laid my hands on anything in the SonyStyle line that was not a T Series camera, my previous Sony experience has always been wonderful. Actually up till the last three months every picture you've seen on this blog of Connor was thanks to that T5 and even though it was several years old you can't really complain can you? Ok, enough talk of the T series and on to the DSC-W120.

The first thing I did the moment I got the DSC-W120 out of the box was of course pop the battery in and turn it on. I have to admit I was a bit taken back, not only does the power button light up when you push it but the camera starts up with a very crisp and clear happy little tune that compeltely threw me off. I spent a good five minutes just investigating this glowing circle (which happens to be the power button) on the top of the camera. Ok, maybe I am just easily distracted but for some odd reason this power button still fascinates me.

If you are looking for a totally foolproof easy to use no directions needed camera, the DSC-W120 will not at all disappointed you with its insanely easy to use menu and settings. I am a point and click girl myself, I don't get caught up in all the settings and I have enough to do with my life than to tinker with a camera for three hours just to get one drop dead perfect shot. And if you have spent any time taking pictures of dogs or toddlers you will know that if you have to spend more than two seconds messing with a setting you might as well just pack it up and go home. I can't even tell you how many adorable pictures I have missed because I was sitting there trying to find where the flash setting was on someone else's camera. With the DSC-W120 all of the most commonly used settings are available at the spin of a dial on the back of the camera. Along with that there is an "easy" setting which basically does everything for you. Oh you know that mine is set on easy.. yep.. you caught me.

But honestly this may sound silly but my favorite part of the entire camera is the fact that the menu buttons are all separate and not part of the directional buttons. One big pet peeve I have with digital cameras is without fail someone in the family wants to see the pictures I've taken right after I have taken them and its always someone who has no clue about how to do anything on a digital camera. So I end up handing them the camera and show them quickly how to flip through the pictures and without fail.. every single time they end up pushing up instead of right (or whatever it is on that particular camera) and they get thrown out of the slide show and I am forced to stop what I am doing and walk over and reset the slide show for them and find where they were at in the 500 pictures I take at any given moment. *sigh* Well with the DSC-W120 the play button to review the pictures is a totally separate button from the directional buttons. This may seem trivial to some of you, but seriously they can push up, down, sideways, whatever they want and unless the touch a button outside the directional arrows that pesky family member or friend looking at your pictures will stay in the pictures. You can even set up a slide show that includes music and show it on the TV for everyone, how nifty is that?

If you do not have the steadiest hand you will also be glad to know that the DSC-W120 offers one of the best (in my opinion) stead shot features I have seen. As well the Sony DSC-W120 offers smile shutter and face detection. It also shoots incredibly well in low light situations which is great for indoors or evening shots.

Really the only thing I can say bad about the DSC-W120 is that its rather heavy compared to what I am used to. Though its still more than tiny enough to be comfortable shoved into your purse I would consider it a medium sized camera when it comes to digital cameras. There is a tiny advantage to that however, my old T5 was so tiny and light I had some trouble on occassion even finding it if it fell to the bottom of my purse. Though other than width this camera is not much bigger it does seem to weigh about twice as much. If it makes you feel any better its almost half the price of the newest T series as well.

The DSC-W120 is available in silver, pink, and blue and you can purchase it directly from SonyStyle or even on Amazon! If I was picking one up for myself I'd get that blue one it is too cute! The DSC-W120 would be the perfect gift for new moms or even grandparents!

The Crayola Digital Camera is preschooler friendly!

The Crayola Digital Camera makes for a great starter camera for children four and up!

I got the Crayola Digital Camera Scrapbooking Kit, which includes the camera itself as well as some great accessories to really get you going, putting that new camera to use.

The Crayola Digital Camera has two large handles on both sides of the camera which makes it super easy for small hands to hold. Those large handles also give the camera a bit more protection in case of falls (or drops). Though I wouldn't say its fully drop proof it certainly will fair better than your expensive compact camera in case of falls without a doubt.

The Crayola Digital Camera sports a 1.3 inch viewing screen which may seem small to those of you who have adult digital cameras, but my testers did not seem to mind at all, and you may find that small screen to your benefit as digital displays are fragile and the larger the display the higher the odds it will break during a fall. The maximum resolution on the camera is 640x480 which is not nearly what most adult digital cameras do these days, but it is enough that you can post web photos, and print up to a 4x6 without noticing it too much. It does have an internal flash which works fairly well. I only had issues with it when taking pictures close up. The buttons are VERY easy to figure out and honestly I think a child much younger than four could figure out how to take pictures with it very easily.

Really my only big complaint with the Crayola Digital Camera itself is that it does not have a slot for a memory card, so the 8mb that the camera comes with is all you get. Though at the resolution the camera is capable of that will give you enough room for plenty of pictures.

I honestly never used the software that came with the camera, though I did take a quick look at it and its very simplistic which would make it very usable for a young child. It does also have some fun features including a puppet maker which is pretty hillarious as you can make puppets out of the heads of people you took pictures of. It also includes some games including a jigsaw game (of photos you have taken) as well as a story maker.

I would classify the Crayola Digital Camera more in the toy relm other than a serious serious camera, but for the price ($59.99 retail though you can find it on Amazon routinely on sale much cheaper) just in its toddler durability factor it earns its price alone. I actually plan on giving one to Connor for Christmas this year and I am positive he will be able to figure out the buttons by then, though he may not get any use out of the software for some time I am so anxious to see what he takes his first pictures of! I will just make the picture books for him until he is a bit older and can do it himself.

The Crayola Digital Camera is available to purchase in the Crayola Store, as well as on Amazon. I also saw the Crayola Digital Scrapbooking Kit on sale on Amazon as well! I would highly recommend the kit vs the camera alone as it comes with the case and some extra goodies for basically the same price.

Connor's precious first steps captured on video!

We have a video camera... I actually won it when I was still pregnant with Connor and I almost went into early labor I was so incredibly excited about it... Its probley only seen the light of day possibly once or twice. I'm sorry when you have a child that moves incredibly fast and seems to magically stop doing whatever it was you wanted to video tape the moment you get the video camera out and ready.. its nearly impossible to use one.

I do however have a digital camera strapped to me at all times and up till now was always a bit disappointed at how dark the indoor videos came out so again I rarely end up taking the videos I'd love to capture.

The Casio Exlim EZ-Z80 is my new companion in capturing both videos and pictures of Connor on a daily basis. I actually captured the video of Connor trying to walk just a few days ago in minimual light and it came out really great.

Some very neat features of the Casio Exlim EZ-Z80 is its facial reconition and smile recognition capabilities. When the facial recognition is turned on it will automatically focus on any faces in the picture you can even set it to give priority to previously recorded family members. I have yet to test this feature as I usually am only taking pictures of Connor but the facial recognition is super helpful when attempting to focus a wiggly baby in the middle of the picture. The smile recognition ability allows you to set the shutter to automatically take the picture when your subject smiles. I honestly was a bit apprehensive of this feature but it works... I am still totally baffled by it or how it knows.. but it works! If your into taking pictures of yourself (or in my case pictures of myself with Connor) its incredibly helpful as it allows you to hold the camera with one hand and the baby in the other and not have to worry about pushing any extra buttons.

The Casio Exlim EZ-Z80 is the perfect camera for beginners but it will allow more veteran uses to tweak the settings. Personally I prefer it set in easy mode with auto flash so the camera automatically decides if it needs to use a flash or not, I spend enough time dealing with computers I honestly do not want to spend my off time fighting with a camera as well. The easy mode gives you just the basic function options of the camera which I find quick, easy, and especially helpful with a child who is usually crawling at full speed in the opposite direction so any pictures you want to take must be taken as fast as humanly possible.

If your looking to do videos nothing can be easier, just hit the record button and tada your taking movies. No need to flip between diffrent camera modes or turn any dials like some of the older digital cameras I have used all there is is one simple little red button at the top right corner of the back of the camera.. press it once to record.. press it again to stop recording. If your not looking to edit the videos you can then just use the included software to upload them directly to you tube from the camera itself if you'd like! Perfect if your in a hurry to get that special video off to the grandparents pronto.

If you would like to see the full stats of the Casio Exlim EZ-Z80 check out its website here. You can also see more examples of the pictures we have taken thus far with it by browsing Connor's birthday bash. All of the personal pictures shown of Connor on the blog from the birthday bash till now have been taken with the Exlim.

I have to say I really love the fact that it comes in multiple colors too! I personally have a blue one, but it comes in pink, hot pink, black, silver and green. How cool is that?

The Casio Exlim EZ-Z80 is available on Amazon!

Camera Review : Flip Video Ultra

I actually own a camcorder.. to make it even better I WON it just before Connor was born. I was so excited and I had all these plans about all these great videos I would take of him with it. Its been 9 months since Connor was born and I can count on one hand how many times Ive taken it out of the box and actually used it. A big reason for that is by the time I got it out and ready Connor was usually done doing whatever it was I wanted to video tape. I have on the other hand taken many short films with my digital camera but the quality is BAD. Not to mention I really want to upload my videos vs keep them on film as most of Connor's family lives in other locations and it would be nice to share... with at least my camcorder thats not so easy to do..

So I went looking for a better option... and I found there is a whole other family of digital camcorders, very compact in size, and in most cases USB built in!

The the Flip Video Ultra by Pure Digital is as small as a regular digital camera, super light weight, and your USB out is built right in. Within 5 minutes of getting the camera I took my first video literally I took it out of the box, installed batteries, turned it on, and pushed the red button on the back and tada your recording. Here are some specs :

• 2x Digital Zoom
• 1.46" Color LCD Display
• Records at 640x480 resolution
• Depending on the model either 1gb (30 min) or 2gb (60 min) capacity
• built in microphone
• easy USB port with video editing software built right into the camera so you can modify and upload your videos from any computer!
• TV output so you can watch your videos on your TV
• Depending on the model there are several cute color choices you can pick from!

The Flip has been my constant companion for almost two weeks now and its SUPER light (actually lighter than my super slim digital camera) so I barely notice it in my purse. I can record within seconds anywhere, anytime... which is great for those impromptu silly outbursts Connor has! The built in software and easy up editing-uploads is really great you can actually upload directly from your camera to you tube as well if you wish. I think the most attractive price on this camera is its under $200 actually the lower model is around $125 and the 2gb model runs around $150-$179 depending on where you buy it.

I did find a few things Id like to see improved but overall I love this camera, and for the price its well worth it. A few things I should mention : the memory is not upgradeable or interchangeable so depending on your model your stuck with 30 mins or 60 mins of recording time. Once thats full you have to find a computer to transfer off your video to start again, I hope in an upcoming model they put in some sort of memory stick option so you can just switch the cards. The picture quality is diminished if you try to record things too far away (see my zoo videos below), though still fine for uploaded videos I'm not sure I would recommend them for DVDs. Videos taken at short range however are actually fairly impressive for a low cost digital camcorder.

I'll note that I have now taken twice as many videos of Connor than I did the entire time before with my big camcorder! *bow*

You can see several videos in my last reviews (Svan, Jack Toys) of the camera being used close up and in normal home lighting.



Baby Rhino, taken at some distance using the 2x Zoom

Mama Rhino, taken no zoom. (*laugh* I am not responsible for laughing over this video)

Want one?

You can get the Flip Ultra (60min) or the Flip Ultra (30min) on Amazon!