Digital Focus: Gifts for the Holidays

Small cameras, clever storage, filters and lenses, monopods.

Dave Johnson

Feature: Cool Digital Camera Gifts for the Holidays

If the snow that's collecting on the decomposing pumpkins on my porch is any indication, the holiday season must surely once again be upon us. In just a few weeks, I'll scramble to the Christmas tree in hopes of getting some digital imaging goodies. No doubt you will be hoping for some fun toys as well. The only problem is that nonphotographers never know what to get folks like us. So while there are still some shopping days left, I've assembled a wish list for you. Feel free to print out this newsletter and leave it lying around somewhere conspicuous so holidays shoppers will know what you need.

Easier Transfers

If you're still using the USB or serial cable that came with your digital camera to transfer pictures to your PC, stop the madness right now. Your wish list should begin with a memory card reader that attaches to your desktop PC. When you want to transfer pictures, just take the memory card from your camera and pop it into the reader--then drag and drop your images as if they were on a floppy disk.

Without a doubt, my favorite memory card reader is Dazzle's 6-in-1 Reader, which handles Secure Digital, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Smart Media, and more. I found it for less than $40 at PC World's Product Finder.

A Pocket Camera

You'll never get that shot of Elvis working at the Stop 'n Shop unless you have a digital camera with you all the time. After all, you can't ask him to wait while you run home to retrieve your big, heavy 4-megapixel camera. That's why you might want to ask for an inexpensive little pocket-size model. One of the smallest cameras I've ever seen is the Logitech Pocket Digital, a credit card-size VGA camera that stores 52 images. At press time I found it for as little as $80 on our Product Finder.

Another, pricier alternative is the Casio Exilim, an honest-to-goodness 2-megapixel camera that is almost as small as the Logitech model. Not only can it take 8-by-10-inch photos, but it also captures short movies and even has an LCD display--all unbelievably small. Versions of the Exilim start at around $300. For the latest prices, check out our Product Finder.

Clever Storage

If you still haven't found a camera bag that you like, stop looking: I've got one for you. You'll want to ask your friends and family to buy you the Pod from a company called RoadWired.

The $50 Pod is only 7 inches high, but it has oodles of storage compartments (almost two dozen, in fact) and an adjustable fabric "hammock" that cradles your camera, protecting it from drops and jolts. It's one of the coolest cases I've ever seen--but don't buy it for me for Christmas. I already have one.

Digital Film

Going digital may mean never having to buy more film, but there's nothing wrong with stockpiling spare memory cards. Having an extra card or two lets you keep shooting when your main card fills up. And there's never been a better time to buy spare memory for your digital camera: Prices have hit all-time lows. At press time, I managed to find a 128MB SanDisk SD card for around $50 on our Product Finder.

Sony has even slashed its traditionally high Memory Stick prices. A 128MB Lexar Memory Stick can be found on our Product Finder for about $55. Companies often drop prices on their top-of-the-line cards when even higher capacity is nearing release, so I suspect some higher capacity cards might be coming soon.

Memory prices are always a bit volatile, so they may have changed by the time your friends go shopping. With luck, though, they'll be even lower.

Filters and Lenses

You hear me say it all the time: Experiment! Add-on lenses and filters help you do exactly that. Why not beg Santa for a 2X telephoto lens or a polarizing filter? And for close-up photography of the interesting bugs in your backyard, a set of macro lenses is just the ticket. My favorite place to get these accessories is at Tiffen.

A Good Book

Looking for a good book on photography? Request one from your loved ones. There are a number of excellent books around. Of course, I always shamelessly plug my own book, How to Do Everything With Your Digital Camera.

Other great titles include 50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques by Gregory Georges, which is packed with the same sort of editing projects you find in this newsletter each week, and Photoshop Restoration and Retouching, a great little book by Katrin Eismann and Steve Simmons on getting the most out of Adobe's powerful image editor.

Q&A: Should I Invest in a Monopod?

Does it make any sense to invest in a monopod? They seem more portable and generally easier to use than a tripod, but I wonder if photos taken with them are any better than holding the camera with two hands.

--Dave Dulany, Darien, Illinois

I have a monopod and I love it, Dave. A monopod, of course, is essentially a one-legged tripod that provides some support--but obviously not as much as a three-legged tripod can offer.

A monopod is great when you're shooting in low light or other challenging situations. It stabilizes the camera in the up-down axis and gives you something to lean on to help reduce potential jitter in the other directions as well. The improvement to your photos can be dramatic. Most monopods are so portable that they're worth taking on short trips. If you're serious about stopping picture blur but don't want to look like a National Geographic photographer hauling around a big tripod, I suggest getting one.

Hot Pic of the Week

Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $10 and $100.

A gentle reminder, folks: We disqualify some really wonderful pictures every week because the submissions don't follow the rules. Be sure to include everything we ask for in your e-mail message, including a description of your picture and your complete contact information, or your entry is wasted!

Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering please read the full description of the contest rules and regs.

This week's Hot Pic: "I See the Little Silhouette...," by Monique Bourque, Brunswick, Georgia

Monique writes: "I was in my backyard with my digital camera looking for something interesting to photograph when I saw this lizard climbing along a plant. I was lucky enough to catch him standing still long enough to set up this shot."

We want your feedback! Send your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself to comments@bydavejohnson.com. If you have a question that you'd like to see answered in the weekly Q&A, send it to question@bydavejohnson.com.

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