I had actually bought the camera to replace an older Powershot. The lens on the old camera had become stuck in an extended position, and with the warranty already expired it wasn’t worth paying to have it fixed.

So I went out and bought the Powershot 850. Everything was great until a month ago…literally days before my 1 year warranty was set to expire. Just like my older Powershot, the lens became stuck in an extended position. I tried taking the battery out, re-starting the camera several times, but the lens wouldn’t budge and I kept getting a lens error message.

My question is, are Canon Powershots prone to these kind of lens problems? If so, I might seriously rethink my next camera purchase. I’ve always been loyal to Canon for my point-and-shoot needs, but durability is important.

I don’t want to have to buy a $300 camera every year.
It seems odd that this same thing would happen to both of my cameras. Luckily in this case I sent the camera back to the manufacturer and it was fixed within a couple weeks as good as new.

Kind of frustrating though, that they can’t build them more sturdy. They are wonderful cameras.

Morning Web, originally uploaded by aremac.

Taken with Nikon D50 SLR digital camera, “Morning Web” is rich with detail. Note the lower right corner in particular–the sparkle and detail of the web is the strong point in the photo.

The fresh youthfulness of the morning sunrise contrasts nicely with the suggestion of age and antiquity in the web.

With all the price points out there on tech gadgets and camera gear, it can be a bit daunting. But things have gotten a lot easier for bargain shoppers or those who don’t like to brave the malls.

There are a plethora of comparison shopping sites that help shoppers find where the best deals are. I call these sites, “Santa’s Little Helpers” because believe me they save a lot of time and hassle.

My new favorite helper is TechBargains.com. They’ll fill you in on all the bargain news and exclusive deals. Browse their product reviews and comparisons and get email newsletters so you won’t miss any savings opportunities.

I was on there earlier today and there’s a whole section on dell coupons. Just punch in the coupon code when you go to buy and save hundreds of dollars on laptop and desktop computer purchases.

They have sections on digital camera reviews, cheap camcorders, bargain GPS devices and more. I found digital camera specials from Circuit City, Staples and Best Buy.

It’s going to be a Merry Christmas for a lot of people I know with a little assistance from Santa’s favorite helper.

Sandy Hook Sanderling, originally uploaded by *foxy_k*.

Amazing detail captured and a wonderful example of bird photography. Note the tiny specs of water drops suspended in mid-air.

This photo was shot with a Nikon D200, a semi-professional digital SLR camera.

It’s magnesium alloy body, 1/8000 shutter speed and medley of other features make it a truly remarkable piece of equipment.

Retailing for more than $1,000, the operator who used it to take this shot is probably very serious about photography–and it shows in this stellar capture.

That’s why I was so pleased to find fotobed.com. Their products are one-of-a-kind. Take your favorite photo and turn it into a machine washable work of art.

Fotobed.com offers Photo Throws, blankets, shower curtains, duvet covers, pillows, and pillowcases.

The site is extremely easy to use. Upload your photo and you’ll have your product shipped free within 2-4 weeks.

Take a picture of the kids and have it turned into a pillow for grandma. Or take a favorite snapshot from your trip to Tahiti and make a beautiful, realistic shower curtain to remind you of your tropical getaway. The possibilities are endless. This is a sponsored post.

My trusty old Canon Powershot A85 wasn’t functioning the way it used to, so I knew it was time to buy a new point and shoot. I wanted to stay within the Canon family and after some research, I decided to buy the SD850.

What a great purchase! The camera was listed at $308 online at Circuit City. The sticker price at the store was about $50 more so I was glad I checked online first. The store clerk matched the online price.

At 8 megapixels, the SD850 packs as much wallop as the average user will need. It delivers clear and crisp pictures. I was happy with the amount of manual control the camera offers as well–play with the ISO in instances of low light and you’ll get pleasant results. I’ve found the Macro feature to be useful as well.
Probably the biggest selling point for me was the fact that the SD850 is one of the few cameras that offers a view finder window as well as an LCD screen. It’s one of my annoyances that new point and shoot digital cameras have gotten rid of the viewfinder to expand the LCD screen. Do we really need the extra LCD space? What happens in bright light when you can’t see the LCD screen? I also find it easier to frame shots when I do it the old fashioned way through the viewfinder.

The SD850 is light-weight, slim and sleek. It’s one of the better camera purchases I’ve made, and it has my highest recommendations.

The D40 is great for events where I know I’ll want to take pictures—like vacation. But what I really need is a ultra-compact digital camera like the Canon Powershot 630 or some of the newer Nikon Coolpix….something I can stick in my purse and go anywhere with.

After all, you never know when a fantastic photo opportunity will present itself.

Nikon cameras are the best in my opinion, but I wouldn’t rule out a Canon or Olympus. Sony is also stepping to the plate, although I am not a firm believer in their foray into the world of SLR.

With so many choices out there, it’s important to study up before you make a decision and do some comparison shopping. Hold each camera in your hand, see what feels right. This is just as important as looking at the functions and features.

Many people find a brand of camera they like and loyally stick beside it. My advice—check out different brands and models each time you thinking of upgrading, especially if you are a beginning to intermediate user. This is a sponsored post.

After investing $1.4 billion over the last five years, HP has come out with the Photosmart 8250 printer. With 3,900 ink jets, this printer shoots out brilliant photos in just 14 seconds (for a 4″x6″ print). It’s supposedly the fastest photo printer in the world. It beat a top Canon printer by 30 seconds when printing an 8 1/2 x 11 photo when NY Times technology writer David Pogue put it to an informal test.
Other cool features: you don’t need a computer–put your memory card right into the printer and flip through your photos on a 2 1/2 inch screen on the printer. The 8250 also has the ability to read bar codes on the back of photo paper which tell the printer what size paper is being used and also if the paper is correctly loaded. This bar code paper, however, could start to fade in just one year compared to other photo paper which lasts more than a century.

The printer retails for as cheap as $80.

It started off innocently enough with a few visits to Gawker. Some of their posts mentioned PerezHilton.com, and so I started reading his gossip. That lead to X17, the paparazzi photo agency.

Now there is a new site, celebritygossip.com, that aggregates all of this celeb news in one spot. There are tabs to look up your favorite celebrity, and an entire index of celebrity photos. Visitors can vote on their favorite news and leave comments too.

Best of all, new posts are added quite frequently throughout the day, so there’s plenty of fresh content to read….er….if celeb gossip and photos are your thing, of course.

Just don’t let the boss see.  This post is sponsored.

The Optio E40 is perfect for a first-time digital camera user…very straightforward and easy to understand. The Auto Picture Mode automatically determines the best settings for the shooting conditions, whether it’s landscape, portrait, night scene or normal.

The Pentax Optio E40 also has movie recording with picture quality that, according to Pentax, rivals a camcorder. No word on when the camera will be available at stores.