Epson P-2000 observations

Hi all,

I bought an Epson P-2000 yesterday and just thought some people may be interested in my thoughts....

I absolutely love the screen, can't believe it's as good as it is when it's only 640x480. Amazingly good resolution. "The best LCD I have ever seen" has been the regular comment as I have been showing it off.

It's a little fatter than I'd figured (aren't we all), but not overly large.

It's fast downloading images from the CF card or via the USB cable.

The case sucks. I've got to buy a replacement. Anyone bought any of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com …egoryZ18872QQcm​dZViewItem

As I have seen in some reviews, it takes a reasonable time to build the thumbnails of the images. However, it doesn't seem to create an index, as subsequent views are far quicker. In addition to this, the first time you view an image it takes some time, but once done once is quicker.

Did I mention the great screen?

Trying to get video files from a PC to play is something I have yet been able to achieve. Any assistance would be appreciated! The sample is brilliant, but I am getting a sneaking feeling it was especially created.


The simple stand is great, nothing pretentious, but it looks good on your desk!

Oh, the screen is brilliant!

One major thing that gets me, when you copy files to an album, the files are renamed (BTW: Doesn't understand long file names, truncates to 8.3) and it doesn't seem to put them in any significant order (yes, I have played with the options) which is annoying.

It's a shame .RAW files can't be magnified or the histogram display for them, but so be it.

All in all, I am happy. Anyone in Perth wants one, I will let you know the store that has 2 left.

Oh, my first one had 2 stuck pixels. 1 (pale blue) of them I could live with, was in the middle of the screen, but the bright green one in the RHS was a visual pain as it was almost always visible, especially with portrait format images. However, my friendly dealer that got 3 in on my request replaced it for another one. Woohoo.

Simon....

I bought one of those cases for mine
still using the original
Nuff said

Ian

The files are not actually renamed unless you make an album - any files you transfer keep the original names but show as truncated. Yes the apparent random file listings can be a pain! IF you turn off the auto-rotate function it displays much quicker too - and you get bigger images of your rotated files!

Yes the screen is brilliant

No, I think the case is fine (it always stays in my bag unless I'm using it...

Interesting, Ian, thanks. Quality? I figured I couldn't go wrong for the price, but perhaps I can? Interested in your followup.

Simon....

Cool, will try that, thanks (BTW: I love P.O.T.N, 2 responses in seconds)

Hmmm, 2 out of 2... Thanks, won't push the "Buy Now" button just yet then!

Simon....

Well the case
Its hardish leather very hard to place the p2000 in to start with, lots of stretching of the case to get it to fit well so all the ports line up
the catch is magnetic....not very strong
it looks a little cheap ( it was cheap)
it has flaps to hold what i assume to be for CF cards...cant get one in never mind three and close the flap.
All in all a bit of a white elephant...
Ian

Can you insert a microdrive into the P-2000 or just CF cards?

If MDs are same thickness as CF cards then I guess yes!

i use a crumpler john thursday (i forget the size off the top of my head - take the p2k with you). the one i have fits it snugly, yet not too tight. i've been using it almost daily since december and it hasn't scratched the screen at all, so it's soft enough on the inside. it has nice strong velcro holding it in.

as has been suggested, don't make an album. the files are still viewable in their folders. you can always make one later by copying, etc.

Thanks Ian, appreciated. I was hoping to find a Vaja case, but it doesn't appear that they make one yet. I had one for my Sony Clie and it was a work of art itself.

Simon....

Thanks Blackviolet, will have a wander around the local places in Perth and see what I can find. Unfortunately, though, the range here isn't huge .

Simon....

Converting video -

I bought the DivX Converter from the DivX website for $29. It is very easy and works well. The movies look great on the P-2000. The one thing you have to do is change the name of the converted movie files from xxx.divx to xxx.avi and the P-2000 will recognize them. There are probably other ways to do this, ever for free, but I came across this and it works for me. I wish Epson would post more info about converting movies instead of letting consumers stumble around for solutions.

Enjoy your new P-2000

P.S. - did you notice how nice the screen is?

oh... movies. when you convert your movies to divx, make sure the bit rate is over 900bits/sec. they need to be less than about 1.1 gigs in size including audio. i encode my movies using mp3 audio and 1k divx video and they play great. there are free tools like dvd2divx and a few others that work well.

When I first got it I spent ages trying various (free) methods trying to get working video and gave up in frustration (some hints on dpreview forums). I am thinking of splashing out on buying divx converter - glad to hear it works!