Gift Guide: Capturing Holiday Memories (KATU-TV)

Looking for the latest gadgets to capture holiday memories? Perhaps a gift idea for the memory master in your life? Check out these great digital photo and video gifts:



Nikon D90 Digital SLR – Digital SLR with live-view and HD video. The latest and greatest in the prosumer digital SLR line – those cameras with detachable lenses perfect for high-quality family photos – the D90 sports a live-action viewfinder so you can watch the action and a high-definition video recording mode. Three reasons you might opt for a DSLR over a simple point-and-shoot? 1) Flexibility / Lens options, 2) Lower-light photos, 3) Higher-quality photos. (Of course there are thousands more differences between Digital SLRs and point-and-shoots, but we’ll keep it simple for now.)
Grab yours on Amazon.com for $1150 including lens (I recommend the 18-200 lens upgrade for a few hundred bucks more).

Flip Mino HD – Flip video cameras revolutionized the video capture world. They made taking, editing, and sharing video clips of family and friends simple. Now the same folks took it to the next level by introducing a high-defintion camera: the Flip Mino HD. Capable of 60 minutes of high definition video before downloading, the Flip’s a perfect on-the-go high-quality pocket camera. More information here and you can order yours from Amazon.com here.


Intouch IT7150 Multimedia touchscreen – Far more than “last year’s” digital photo frame, the IT7150 is a complete multimedia entertainment viewer. It plays photo and video slideshows, music, browses the web, even plays your favorite internet-streaming radio stations (you can listen to me weekly on Newsradio 750 KXL!)… And if that’s not enough – it’s RSS technology let’s you stream content directly to the photo frame via. WiFi. Give this gift to the grandparents and update the photos they see automatically! (No word at press time on if this versatile device also “slices, dices, and makes pizza… “, though it wouldn’t surprise me!) Starting price: $349 at Amazon.com or other retailers.

Olympus 1050 SW – Northwest outdoor adventurers know operating a delicate digital camera in the snow is next to impossible. How about a waterproof digital camera that can be controlled by tapping the side? Tap once to replay photos, again to adjust flash settings, and then twice to confirm. It’s perfect for the slopes while wearing gloves. My favorite feature? (And a great party trick!) the Olympus 1050SW is completely waterproof! Sure, drop it in water… it’ll keep on shooting. Even takes photos in up to 10 feet of water. The ultimate beach camera. Amazon’s got ‘em for $240 (Silver, other colors available)

HP A636 portable photo printer – HP, a pioneer in printing, updates their portable photo printers with a take-it-with-you model capable of 5x7 prints. Bring it to your next holiday party and pass out prints as guests depart or save off photo-store prices. Toss in an optional HP battery and you’re printing photo memories anywhere! ($139, Amazon.com)

Epson Artisan 800 – The ultimate home printer: not only does this deluxe model serve up photo prints quickly, it scans, faxes, and prints on media such as DVDs and CDs. A great household printer and just as useful in the home office, the Artisan 800 serves as a great replacement for the separate devices cluttering the den (and the cables, power adapters, and accessories that go with them!). Buy now!

HP TouchSmart PC – Owners of the iPhone will agree that Touch is ONLY way to interface with electronics. Swipe, pinch, swoosh… the HP Touchsmart line of PCs makes this a bigscreen reality. Models available with BluRay high-definition video, HP’s touch-interface software and full multimedia capabilities. This machine is the perfect family computer for videos, music, photos and all your family memories. Upgrade your family computer here starting at $1200.