Daily deal – Canon 7 Megapixel digital camera for $89.99

by Scott Carmichael on

You’d better not still be in the middle of your Christmas shopping! If you are, then I suggest getting dressed and braving the crowds of fellow procrastinators. My daily deal for today is for the Canon PowerShot A470 digital camera.

This 7.1 Megapixel camera features a 3.4x optical zoom, and runs off regular AA batteries. The A470 is a pretty basic camera, and you won’t find any of the more upscale bells and whistles on it. But it is still a Canon, and Canon is one of those brands you can’t really go wrong with. Despite the low price, Canon still managed to add face and smile detection, as well as video recording.

The A470 normally retails for about $120, but Newegg.com has it on sale for just 89.99. Included in the package is the camera, 2 AA batteries, USB and video cables as well as a wrist strap. You also get a CD with some Canon software.

If you are looking for a basic camera, or something you can hand to the kids without fear of them damaging an expensive camera, then the A470 is a great choice. At this price, you can’t really find many other A-name brands without going for a refurbished device, or something from a pawn shop.

Daily Deal – Flip Ultra 60 minute digital camcorder (pink) for $124

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Flip Ultra 60 minute digital camcorder. This pocket video camera has an internal memory card, with enough storage for 60 minutes of your antics. The camera features a nifty pop-out USB connector, so you do not need to carry any cables.

The camera starts up in about 3 seconds, and is instantly ready to record. Thanks to its AA batteries, you do not have to worry about expensive camcorder rechargeable batteries, plus you’ll be able to pick up new batteries almost anywhere.

The camera comes complete with a set of new batteries, a TV video cable, a carrying pouch and a wrist strap.

The retail price for the Flip Ultra is $149.99, but you can pick one up the pink version through Amazon for just $124. If pink isn’t “your thing”, you’ll still be able to pick up a more masculine color, but you will end up paying a few dollars more.

The quality of the video off the Flip camera is surprisingly decent, it won’t win you an Oscar, but it is a great affordable way to capture your memories on a vacation. The camera software also makes it easy to instantly upload your recordings to popular video sharing sites like Youtube and if you are not very computer savvy, you can even bring the camera to a local Flip retailer and have the recordings stored on a DVD.

Gadling Take FIVE – August 9–August 15

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday afternoon I was on a WiFi quest with no luck, so here’s the
Take FIVE a day later.

While I was on my WiFi quest with no luck, Gadling welcomed a new blogger. Meg Massie has an interesting way to get around the world. Her husband is a professional bridge player. Meg travels for other reasons too. Bridge is just one of them.

Along with the welcome addition of Meg, there have been a mix of culture related posts from entertainment to food, plus, there is a new feature thread called Gadling Covers the Olympics.

From the humor angle: If you missed Jerry’s post on Stephen Colbert’s tour of the Cantons of America, here it is. Along with poking fun at Canton, Ohio (on the list of the top five cities that are dying in the United States), Colbert also pokes fun at other towns called Canton.

  • From the gastronomic angle:Jefferey lamented the absence of his beloved döner, Turkish kebabs from Concierge.com’s list of the world’s best street foods
  • From the cinematical angle: Josh pointed out the popularity of Indian musical movies in Africa and wonders how much Bollywood will take over Hollywood’s place here.
  • From the musical angle: Aaron pointed us in the direction of Asian music that has gained a following
  • And, from a capturing an aspect of culture yourself angle: Scott posted on great price on a Fuji camera.

Digital Foci’s Photo Safe II keeps your photos out of harm’s way

by Scott Carmichael on

Raise your hand if you ever returned home from a trip only to discover that disaster struck, and you can no longer access the digital photos you made on your storage card. It’s horrible, and sadly I speak from experience. Nowadays when I travel, I’ll offload photos onto my laptop several times a day, and I’ll even make backups of the backup on a CD or DVD or upload them to my photo hosting site if the Internet connection is fast enough.

In recent years, memory card prices have plummeted. Just 3 years ago a 1GB SD card cost around $150, but that same card can now be found at some retailers for as little as $4. With this drop in price has clearly also come a drop in quality as I’m reading more and more reports of corrupted photos.

This is why I consider this new product to be a “must have” for anyone that takes digital photos.

The Digital Foci Photo Safe II is a 0.6OZ device and contains a rechargeable battery, a hard drive (80GB or 160GB) and card reader ports for most popular storage card formats. When you insert a memory card in the device and press the “Auto Copy” button, the Photo Safe II begins copying all the contents off the card. This includes all image formats, RAW images, and video clips. The device has an LCD display that shows the copy status as well as available space and battery life.

The Photo Safe II can copy files off your card at speeds up to 5 MB/s, which means you’ll be able to backup a 1GB memory card in less than 4 minutes (the copy speed depends on the read speed your memory card is rated for).

By making backup copies of your files, you can either format the memory card and reuse it, keep adding photos to it or keep it as a second backup (yeah, I’m paranoid). With low memory prices, it really does make sense to use multiple cards instead of relying on one large card.

Once you have copied all your photos onto the Photo Safe II, you can copy them onto your home computer once you get back home using the USB 2.0 interface. The Photo Safe II supports PC and Mac machines.

When connected to your PC, the Photo Safe II functions as an external hard drive and memory card reader. The internal battery is rated for an hour and a half and can be charged through the included AC adapter or the USB port of your computer.

The Digital Foci Photo Safe II costs $139 for the 80GB version and $189 for the 160GB, which really isn’t much when you consider the value of your vacation memories.

Digital Foci Photo Safe II (via Engadget)

Talking travel with Shutterfly’s resident photographer

by Jerry Guo on

Dane Howard is the photography portal Shutterfly‘s resident photographer and author of The Future of Memories, a book about sharing photos in the digital age. He’s here today to talk about some secrets of the trade–and to give us the scoop on today’s launch of Shutterfly’s new travel site.

What photography equipment do you take on your travels?

When I have a targeted 2-hour segment of shooting, I like to walk with my digital SLR, the Nikon D40x. I’m like a soldier for visuals. I’ve outfitted my Nikon with a hand-strap, allowing me to freely walk with my finger on the shutter button at all times. If I’m planning on taking large area photos with a single shot, I’ll bring along my Nikkor 18-55mm wide angle lenses, a lens hood to reduce flare and increase contrast.

A small, lightweight tripod is really useful when it comes to time-lapse or night shots. The Joby Gorillapod is awesome because it works on uneven surfaces and can even be wrapped around rails and branches.

When it comes to everyday shots, I’ll need something pocket size. I use my Panasonic Lumix LX2 or my Canon G9. These are my ‘everywhere’ cameras, which means I take them ‘everywhere.’ They allow me to shoot great photos and video. They are small enough to just slip into my pocket.

Extra memory cards are definitely a necessity because you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you have to delete pictures just to take more. And of course a battery charger–do not forget that! If I’m traveling to a foreign country I also make sure to bring a power adapter. I use the Belkin Universal AC Travel Adapter. I never shoot with the flash, so this extends my battery life while travelling.

How would you make the best of shots from a point-and-click? Any tips?

  • Find Visual ‘Book-ends’: Think about the visual elements that establish a new scene. These can be either a sign or entry into the successive shots. By establishing a shot that gives context, you help build a stronger narrative.
  • Panoramic POV: Photos are magnificent because they can really get the span of a beautiful view. One of my favorite techniques for the photo books that I make on Shutterfly is to create panoramic layouts by facing two “full bleed” pages.
  • Take your time. Take a moment to observe your environment and take shots from different angles to make sure you get the best lighting, background, and character of your environment.
  • Close-ups: You’ll never forget to take the wide panoramic, but you’ll want to remember the details. Don’t forget to capture the Macro shots of an important detail, like a table setting, glass or ornate door or structure. Focus on textures, like ripples on a lake and various materials on city buildings. You’ll want the juxtaposition later.
  • Use people or objects: Put them in the foreground/background to help convey the scale of your subject matter and to make the picture more visually interesting
What advice would you give to travelers who want to move away from the cheesy “me-standing-in-front-of-the-Eiffel-tower” shots?

I would definitely suggest trying different perspectives than the predictable shots. Not only is it more fun for you, but it makes it more interesting to those you share your photos with. For example, if you are taking a picture of a monument or sign, stand below and look up at it versus the usual front and center point of view. Or another unique approach is to take a picture of the monument/sign reflected in another object.

How do you land those “slice-of-life” shots of locals?

I stay put. Usually when you travel you’re always on the go. I often observe and set a camera on a key ledge or table where I know the locals will pass by. If you are on the move, so is your camera. I like to show ‘local fare’ by shooting two shots of a local passing through their space. This gets to the essence of local movement, thus local behavior. If I have time, I’ll switch over to movie mode and capture an audio track along with the video. I may use this later when I share the memory.

It’s always good to venture away from the tourist shopping areas to check out the local market where residents buy their groceries. Check out local hangouts and neighborhoods away from downtown.

What are some tips to telling a narrative through photography?

Context, context, context. Choose and drive the context of the story you want to tell through your pictures. If you know what context you want your narrative to be told in, it makes it much easier to stay focused. This helps in the process of actually taking pictures while out and about as well as when you have to choose the best pictures that you want to include in your story and how to do it in a cohesive sequence.

No matter what you choose your narrative direction to be, enjoy the process of gathering a body of work aligned with something that gives you the freedom and creativity to author something you will enjoy for years to come.

What are your favorite digital solutions for preserving and displaying vacation photos?

I really love online sites like Shutterfly for photo books. Vacation photos can be shared individually or by album. You can also create a photo book with captions and share the beautiful finished product with friends and family.

I also use VUVOX, which enables me to quickly showcase and share my photos in rich presentation styles. I use this on chloehoward.com all the time.

Top 3 photography travel blogs?

  • Europe: I love his emphasis on Europe through the Back Door. I find helpful hints, stories and insight by his site and the community that follows it.
  • Daily Practices: I must practice what I preach, and when I re-read my own material and from contributors of my own book, I am reminded why I am so passionate about the future of memories and sharing this information. These convictions help push me to make my photos and my work better, wherever I go.
  • Shutterfly Gallery: Shutterfly Gallery is a community that provides readers with inspiration for storytelling, tips, and encourages them to be active in the community by contributing their own photo books. You can learn a lot here. They’ve also introduced “Hit the Road with Shutterfly,” a new destination for travelers to find inspiration on where to go this summer and how best to record and tell tell the story of their summer journeys through photos.