Gear and Gadgets

Get the picture on cutting-edge gifts

By JUDI DASH
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 15, 2002

Digital photography gets better and more user-friendly all the time. The following make great gifts for photo buffs. Items have been tested by the author and may be available in stores. Price does not include shipping.

SHOOTING EDGE: No matter what the ads say, a little point-and-shoot digital camera will not produce the quality or range of images of a full-size SLR with interchangeable lenses and plenty of pixels. Nikon's D-100 digital SLR, though certainly not cheap at nearly $2,000, is a top-quality, much-less-expensive version of the manufacturer's cutting-edge, $4,000-plus D1 series.

With six effective megapixels and as many tech tricks as its pricier siblings, the D-100 is a fine choice for serious shooters. The camera has a built-in flash and a shoe for attaching a more powerful flash. It comes with a rechargeable liquid ion battery and charger, and video and USB cables for hooking up to a computer or TV. It uses compact flash cards (not included). The D-100 works with dozens of Nikon lenses.

Nikon D-100 lists for $1,999 but may be available for less; toll-free 1-800-645-6689; www.nikonusa.com.

HOME SHOW: Why waste your time on TV reality shows when you can watch your own? The PhotoPort TV 100 lets you use your digital film (compact flash card, Smart Media or IBM Microdrive) from that great trip or celebration to create photo albums on your television.

Use the enclosed cables to connect the PhotoPort to an AC outlet and your TV's video socket, insert the digital film into the port, and use the included remote control and wireless keyboard to view images and create captions, borders and backgrounds.

"Pages" on the TV can be one giant photo or a collage of images. You can create different albums for different trips or occasions and even videotape albums from the TV to give to others.

PhotoPort TV 100 is $99.99 from Visioneer in California: (925) 251-6398; www.visioneer.com.

CLIP POINT: The Digi-Pen is a 1.3 megapixel digital camera/movie-clip recorder about the size of a very thick cigar. Not a pen -- though it clips to a shirt pocket like one -- the camera can store 400 low-resolution digital images in its built-in flash memory, and it can be set to take two minutes of video as well.

The lens is mounted in a 90-degree swivel head so the camera can be set on a flat surface and used as a Webcam. Included software has programs for editing, panorama composition and video conferencing.

The camera runs on two AAA batteries (included) and weighs less than 3 ounces. A USB computer cable is included, and flash memory ensures no images are lost when changing batteries. Fun stuff.

Digi-Pen II (PT500) is $99.95 from Sharper Image: toll-free 1-800-344-4444.

ZOOM AND ZAP: For those times when a good set of binoculars would be an asset but you also want to take photos, Pentax's new Digital Camera Binoculars provide an ingenious two-for.

You get the benefit of two eye pieces for comfortably viewing the action (with up to seven times zoom) and a pop-up monitor for framing your shot. Click, and you have it -- and can review it whenever you like. The 16 megabytes of built-in memory store up to 100 images in fine mode in space-efficient JPEG format. Images can be viewed on your TV or computer using the included cables. Runs on two AA batteries (included).

Digital Camera Binoculars (668509) are $349.95 from the Discovery Channel Store: toll-free 1-800-938-0333; www.discovery.com.

SEA & SHOOT: ReefMaster's new 1.3 megapixel DC 200 Digital underwater camera is designed to handle the uniquely difficult lighting conditions deep below the water's surface.

Water- and pressure-proof to 200 feet, the camera works on land, too. Just slide it out of the housing. The large sports finder and 1.8-inch monitor let users compose a photo when looking through a dive mask. A built-in flash illuminates nearby objects, but the camera also accommodates an external flash unit (not included). The camera comes with rechargeable batteries and charger, an AC adapter, USB and video cables, and photo software. Its built-in 8 megabyte memory stores 17-132 photos (depending on resolution), and it accommodates compact flash cards (not included) for more storage.

ReefMaster Digital underwater camera lists for $550 but may be available for less; toll-free 1-800-257-7742; www.sealife-cameras.com.

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