Daily deal – Panasonic Palmcorder mini-DVD camcorder for $180

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Panasonic VDR-D210 Palmcorder miniDVD camcorder. This camera has a 2.7″ flip-out LCD screen with a joystick for operating the camera functions. The optics are equally impressive. 32x optical zoom, and the well rated Panasonic optical image stabilization.

The VDR-D210 is still listed on Amazon for $339, but you can purchase it from Circuit City (online only) for just $179.96. Included in the box is the camera, a battery with recharger and the user manual. Shipping is free, and tax is charged in all states with a Circuit City physical store.

In order to use the camera, you will have to purchase some mini DVD discs. Recordings can be written on DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD-Dual layer. Once you are done recording, you can playback the discs in your home DVD player (if it supports mini DVD discs).

The camera is in the Circuit City outlet, so inventory may be running low. If you are interested in the camera, don’t wait too long, as it probably won’t last till the end of the day.

Source: Circuit City, via FatWallet

Spring photography roundup

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Travel photography enthusiasts will be pleased to hear about the flurry of recent product launches and news floating around the web. Perhaps everything was timed to the warm weather and extra daylight of Spring? Those tricky camera manufacturers – how diabolical. Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of some of the more interesting news.

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-LZ10

Engadget has the scoop on Panasonic’s new 10-megapixel Lumix DMC-LZ10. I’m not the biggest fan of Panasonic’s digital cameras, but Engadget and Photography Blog both give it high marks, calling it “one of the most versatile compacts in its class.” They were particularly impressed with the camera’s manual controls and image quality. Considering it retails for less than $250, it could be a nice model to snap up for those family vacation photos. Remember, if you’re in the market for a point and shoot digital camera, don’t get too caught up with the number of megapixels. A better optical zoom and a quick startup/shutter speed are much better indicators of quality.

Hacking your Canon digital camera

Enterprising Canon camera owners should also head over to Wired, where they’re offering a cool Wiki on how to modify your camera’s software. Why would you do such a thing, you might ask? Because digital camera hardware can often do much more than is allowed by its standard software. For instance, Canon only allows shutter speeds up to 1/1,600 of a second, but the camera is actually capable of up to 1/60,000! Once you’ve installed the hack, you’ll unlock all manner of cool functions like super-long exposure shots, RAW file format and battery readout. I tried it last night on my Canon SD630 and it worked like a charm. It’s worth noting that the process can get a bit technical – make sure you know what you’re doing and that you have a compatible Canon camera before giving it a try. Jump over to Wired for full instructions and FAQ.

The Ultra-fast Casio Exilim EX-F1 SLR

Meanwhile, New York Times gadget guru David Pogue reviews Casio’s speedy new semipro Exilim EX-F1 digital camera. A typical digital camera snaps about one picture per second, but the Exilim, which is billed as the world’s fastest camera, can take up to sixty. Remember that shot of the cheetah chasing the antelope you missed on safari because you couldn’t get your camera snapping in time? This is the model you’re looking for. It also has a motion detector which will wait, for hours if necessary, until motion is detected and then automatically snap a rapid fire of 60 shots. Pretty awesome. The Exilim retails for $1,000.