Daily deal – Nikon D40 Digital SLR camera + 18-55mm lens + 4GB memory card for $392

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is a great way to get one step closer to professional style photography.

This Nikon D40 Digital SLR camera is one of the cheapest dSLR kits on the market at the moment, and at $392 for the camera, basic lens and a free 4GB memory card, it is a true steal. It is on sale at Abe’s of Maine, one of the most reliable online camera vendors in the country.

Sure, the camera is “only” 6.1 megapixels, and the lens will be in need of an upgrade once you get a hang of being a pro, but it will certainly produce better results than most point and click cameras.

As with most SLR’s, the camera will usually end up being the cheapest part of your investment. Once you start dropping money on extra batteries, a bag, more lenses and a ton of memory cards you’ll be feeling like a (poor) pro before you know it!

I’ll also admit that I suck at making photos. As a geek, I purchased a dSLR quite early on, and the lack of an “idiot button” forced me back to my trusty point and shoot camera after just a few days. Thankfully our own Karen Walrond has posted a nice collection of educational articles and some handy tips on how to make great photos.

The Nikon D40 kit comes with the camera itself, a basic 18-55mm lens, a battery with charger and video/USB cables. The deal includes a free 4GB memory card. To get the price down to $392, you’ll need to add a couple of promotional codes; when you start the checkout process make sure to add “NKDS50” and “LOYALTY10”, and you’ll magically see the price go down to $391.95. Shipping is free, and sales tax is only collected in NJ.

Eye-Fi wireless memory card adds support for Youtube video uploads

by Scott Carmichael on

To me, the best travel gadgets are those that continue to get better, the longer you use them. The Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card is such a device.

Eye-Fi was recently featured as one of our top 25 travel technology products of 2008 thanks to its ability to upload photos directly from your camera to a large number of photo hosting sites (or your home PC), any time you are in range of a wireless network. In 2008 Eye-Fi added options for wireless hotspot access (through the Wayport network), as well as photo Geotagging.

The newest feature for 2009 enables the card to directly upload video clips from your camera to Youtube.

No word yet on when the new feature will actually be available, but Eye-Fi VP of business development Ziv Gillat let us know that the card would even support uploads of HD video like that made with the new Nikon D90 (and the Kodak Zi6 we recently reviewed).

Being able to shoot some video on your next vacation, and have the clips appear automatically on Youtube without any interaction is a brilliant solution, and a fantastic addition to the card. Just remember to swap out the Eye-Fi card for a normal card if you plan to shoot some steamy video in the boudoir…

Daily deal – Kodak Easyshare C813 8MP digital camera for $69.99

by Scott Carmichael on

Did Santa bring what you asked for this year? If not, and you ended up with a reindeer sweater and a gift card to a bankrupt store, then this deal from Bestbuy might be just what the doctor ordered.

The Kodak Easyshare C813 digital camera has a 3X optical zoom, and takes photos in 8 Megapixels. The camera runs off ordinary AA batteries.

As is often the case nowadays, the great price is only available when you buy the camera in pink. Apparently manufacturers make a lot of pink cameras, but fail to realize that not everyone wants to be seen walking down the street with such a bright color.

Included in the box is the camera itself, a USB cable, AA batteries, a wrist strap and a camera insert for Kodak photo printers/docks. There is no memory card in the box, but the camera does come with 10MB of internal memory, enough for about 3 photos, so be sure to purchase a memory card!

To make the deal even hotter, Bestbuy will throw in a free 2GB USB flash drive and the camera is eligable for their $20 bag/card promotion, where you can buy a camera bag and a 4GB SD card for just $20.

The camera is available online and can be ordered for instore pickup at your local Bestbuy.

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 – Canon SD1100IS digital camera + photo printer for $169.95 (in pink)

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is another of those colored gadgets that is cheaper when ordered in a less popular color.

The Canon SD1100IS is a pretty popular and highly rated digital camera. The SD1100IS shoots in 8 megapixels, and features optical image stabilization and a 3x zoom lens.

The camera usually retails for about $159, but if you have a special someone in your life who likes pink, then you can pick up one of these cameras along with a Canon photo printer for just $169.95.

As part of the Amazon Christmas promotions, you also get a code for a free photo calendar and a $5 credit for the Amazon mp3 store. As always with digital cameras, you only get a very small memory card with the package, so be sure to order a larger card, or you will be out of space after just a few snaps.

When you arrive on the product page, be sure to select the pink camera+printer from the dropdown menu. Free super saver shipping is included, but I highly recommend upgrading this to a better shipping method if you need it on time for Christmas!