Foto Tech

My 2007 recommendations for gift cameras are:

Canon G9: Approx $450 dpreview

Canon SD870-IS: Approx $330 dpreview

Canon SD750: Approx $225 dpreview

The G9 is just a fantastic Rangefinder camera that shoots RAW. This camera is in a class by itself, absolutely nothing compares. See My NOV 17 Compact RAW Cameras post.

The SD870IS is a good all around camera for the point and shooter. It’s well worth the extra $105 dollars over the SD750. The SD750 is a real bargain at $225. Let me compare the two for you: The SD870 IS is very slightly bigger: 3.7 x 2.3 x 1.0 inch vs. 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.8 in . The SD870 IS is also a better camera. Wider lens, brighter flash, auto ASA, Image Stabilization,and more pixels.

Don’t forget a small protective case like: Lowepro Rezo 15(SD870IS) Compact Camera Pouch 15.99 OR Rezo 10 for the SD750.

You’ll also need big SD card: I recommend a Sandisc 4GB Secure Digital SD card $52.

Here are few gift ideas for those family members who already have cameras. These also make nice additions to a camera purchase:

Photoshop Elements 6

ACDSee 10 Photo Manager

Digital Picture Frames are also hot items this year. I like the idea of gifting one of these with images pre-loaded. It’s very difficult to evaluate these because you really need to see it and there aren’t many places that you can get your eyes on one. The technology built into the high end models is amazing. Some of the high tech models have 802.11b/g wireless and are web enabled for photo sharing. You can load images from any internet connection to a frame on Grandmas wall. Very cool, but expensive and complicated to set up.

The Axiotron ModBook is a MacBook converted into a Tablet. I’ve been looking into the Vista tablets and have my sites set on a Lenovo Thinkpad X61. Now Mac users have a tablet option as well. Rumors about Mac Tablets have been floating around for years; this one is real. On a Mac your getting the same functionality as you would with a Wacom tablet, including 512 levels of pressure. There arn’t a lot of specialized applications built for a Mac tablet, but OS X has plenty built in. Inkwell, or simply Ink, is the name of the handwriting recognition technology built into OS X. It’s based on the 1990s Apple Newton MessagePad. Apple has had handwriting technology around since 1993. It’s amazing that this is the first Mac tablet
The ModBook also has an Optional GPS module which uses standard protocols, so it will work with a variety of GPS programs.
If you want to run Windows on a ModBook, you can use bootcamp.
There is a lot to like about this first Mac tablet and I’m sure you can expect tablets from Apple very soon.

I’m often ask how do I print holiday cards around this time of year. This is really a personal decision based on what you want it to look like and whether your sending it our for business or for friends. I like to do something very different every year. It’s usually a big production, which sucks up a lot of time. I use to do Inkjet prints on watercolor paper, which people actually collected and framed. In recent years I’ve included images of my two boys. For personal cards, it’s almost mandatory to include a picture of the offspring if you have them.

Here are a few tips and recommendations:

If you have kids, I recommend sending a picture of them in a size that will fit in an Album or Frame: 4”X6” or 5”X7”. This could be something that can be cut out of the overall design.

Holiday cards can be printed on photographic paper or ganged up with other people’s cards on an offset press. Here are two services I‘ve used in the past:

shutterfly.com I like the “Holiday Photo Cards” but I’ve been disappointed in the “5X7 Greeting Cards”. The Photocards are are printed on standard photographic paper, but include some design elements. Make sure your files have an S-RGB profile before you upload them. For more info on local printers and profiles check www.drycreekphoto.com.

postcardpress.com I’ll be using the Design Online feature of this for my custom cards this year. This is offset printing ganged up with other people’s cards. It’s a great deal for a custom card but requires some design skills.

I recently purchased Canon’s G-9 rangefinder camera. I’m calling it a rangefinder instead of a point and shoot because I feel that it deserves an elevated title. I own two other point and shoot cameras that capture RAW; a Panasonic LX2 and a Canon S50. There are only a few small cameras that are capable of shooting RAW. Until recently most of them were too slow when set to record raw, and the shutter lag was intolerable. I’ve been looking for a camera that would shoot digital in the way my old Contax G2 cameras shot film. I used the Contax as a compact camera that I could keep with me all the time. I documented my life and captured images that otherwise would have gotten away.

Here’s a list of other notable point and shoot Cameras that record Raw:

• Leica D-lux 3 (same hardware as the Panasonic LX2)
• Canon S60, S70 (S80 Does Not save RAW)
• Canon G5, G6 (G7 Does Not save RAW and there is no G8)
• Panasonic LX
• Leica Digilux 3
• Fuji E900.

Most of the 2004 Fuji cameras could record RAW. Canon decided to leave out RAW file recording on the G8 and the S80, but wisely added it back for the G9. Hopefully we will see a Canon S90 with Raw as well.

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