Best gifts to buy for someone who already has a digital camera (part 1)
Summary: Still scrambling to get last-minute gifts for the hard-to-buy-for people in your lives? (I know I am!) Well you can’t get them a digital camera every year, so here are some great accessories that any digicam owner will dig. I’m breaking my mini gift guide into two posts. The first installment is geared toward point-and-shooters, while the second is for more-advanced digital SLR users.
Still scrambling to get last-minute gifts for the hard-to-buy-for people in your lives? (I know I am!) Well you can’t get them a digital camera every year, so here are some great accessories that any digicam owner will dig. I’m breaking my mini gift guide into two posts. The first installment is geared toward point-and-shooters, while the second is for more-advanced digital SLR users. (Click here for a slideshow with larger images.) Kodak EasyShare EX-1011 Digital Picture Frame
A digital photo frame is a great gift, because it’s one of those gadgets that everyone kind of wants, but can’t quite justify buying. I picked this one because, like most Kodak products, ease-of-use is a key characteristic. The 10-inch photo frame ($250) even has built-in wireless connectivity that allows you to download images from your PC or Kodak’s free online photo-sharing service, the Kodak EasyShare Gallery. Because you can update photos online, this would be a perfect gift for your Luddite mom or dad—you can change the photos for them remotely just by logging into the EasyShare Gallery online.
If you're buying for a scuba diver or just a beach bum, consider getting an underwater housing. The WP-DC21 is designed by Canon to house the PowerShot G9 and is sandproof and waterproof to a depth of 100 feet. The $250 housing includes a neck strap and silicone grease. (Note that the G9 is the highest-end camera that Canon makes underwater housings for.)
Your giftees will no longer have to rely on the kindness of strangers when they want to get that shot of themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower. With the Quik Pod, you don’t have to wait for someone who looks friendly enough (or competent enough) to take your picture for you. You just have to be willing to look a little dorky for a moment. Essentially a telescoping monopod with a handle on the end, the Quik Pod screws into your tripod mount and lets you take self-portraits from 18 inches further than your arm’s length (there’s even a built-in mirror to help you frame your shot). At just 3.5 ounces and 7 inches long retracted, it’s compact enough to pack along on any vacation and at $24.95 it won't bust your budget either. (I’m actually getting one for my dad!)
Sanyo Eneloop Battery Charging Kit
The annoying thing about getting a new set of rechargeable batteries is that you usually have to charge them up before using them. But with the Sanyo Eneloop system, your gift will be juiced up as soon as it’s unwrapped. Not only are they pre-charged and ready to use out of the box, but because they have a low self-discharge rate (retaining 85% capacity after one year of storage according to Sanyo), you don’t have to worry about recharging them right before you use them. Best yet, they’ll last longer in your digital camera than alkalines or traditional NiMH batteries, and a charger with four AA batteries will run you just $20.
This wireless SD card turns any digital camera into a WiFi-enabled device. So what if nobody wanted to buy those WiFi cameras that came out a few years ago? Who wouldn’t want to snap pictures and be able to upload them to a photo sharing site without downloading to a computer first? With the Eye-Fi any camera that uses SD cards can do the trick. With the storage capacity of a regular 2GB SD card, the $100 Eye-Fi supports a slew of online photo-sharing services, including the Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Shutterfly, Wal-Mart, Snapfish, Facebook, Webshots, Picasa, Flickr, and more.
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Talkback
I've seen much cheaper 10" models below the $200 price point
No Comparison
No arguments here, but I have a question for you.
These picture frames are getting very popular but they're too expensive for my taste when they're above $80. Perhaps in 2 years we'll see the $237 units drop to $80 when the economy of scale really starts to kick in (don't laugh because I'm serious). But you think $200+ was too much? Here's why I ask:
There's a technology that with the equivalent of 1500x1000 effective pixels (after you account for halftoning), 20" diagonal in size, true 179.9 degrees viewing angle, and it costs me $2.50 per copy at Costco or any other store with photo printing. Ok we'll call it $20 if you include the cost of the frame and glass cover. It's a digital photographic print from a $50K printer. I use the technology extensively to line my walls with beautiful photos in glorious color, detail and size. Sure I can't flip the image but I don't really need to when they're my most valuable images.
Now when 10" digital photo frames get in to the $100 range within 2 years, then I'll probably use one in addition to my prints hanging on the wall. Maybe I'm just too much of a cheapskate as the primary source of income for my family, but I being realistic for my personal discretionary spending.
Apples and Oranges?
Thanks Janice for the good ideas. The Quick-Pod is cool! :)
I did not say her ideas (or your's) are bad
Good Gift
This is a great way to share your pictures with friends and family. After showing mine, I tell friends to pull out their camera and pop the memory chip in the frame to show theirs. It always generates lots of fun.
Want to show pictures at a party without boring all your guests?? Just plug in the adapter and sit the frame on an out of the way table scrolling through your photos. There will be a steady flow of traffic past the table.
Watch out for low-resolution frames
Waterproof case sounds cool