Sun
Olympus FE-210, $130 expected street price
If you plan to be one of the buyers of the 3.5-million-plus digital cameras expected to be sold in Canada this year, note that several manufacturers are recognizing the relative strength of the Canadian dollar by dropping prices here significantly. Now if only the magazine folks and other sellers who are gouging Canadians by making them pay a steep premium over their U.S. neighbours would follow suit. Since the holiday season is a hot one for camera sales, today we’re bringing you a few examples of the newly lowered prices like the Olympus line, which starts with the point and shoot FE-210. For the more sophisticated, the company’s E-410 digital SLR with Zuiko ED 14-42mm lens now has an estimated street price of $580. And the E-510 digital SLR with Zuiko ED 14-42mm lens is now $680, with both those cameras coming with free extended warranties that are valued at $100. Don’t assume retailers are passing on the price reductions though. We found the FE-210 retailing anywhere from $120 to close to $180.
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Nikon COOLPIX P5100, $400 suggested retail price
Now we have you in the camera aisle, a nod to Nikon as another manufacturer that has lowered Canadian prices to meet the currency change. The COOLPIX 5100 is billed as the flagship model of the COOLPIX lineup and it boasts 12.1 megapixel resolution and a 3.5 times zoom-Nikkor lens with compatibility with converter lens options to extend the wide-angled and telephoto reach. The flash range can also stretch with the optional i-TTL external flash unit and unsteady shooting is counteracted by the camera’s image stabilization technology. Nikon’s new list price is $400, down from $430 but street prices can be lower; as low as $360. Be ready to shop around.
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Belkin Bluetooth USB Adapter with Kodak Picture Upload Technology Software, $50
For the photos that are stuck in your camera phone — and there are a growing number of those phones with Forrester Research estimating 93 million will be sold by 2011 — Belkin and Eastman Kodak have come up with a Bluetooth gadget/software solution to upload photos from your phone. It lets you instantly put photos onto your social networking site at Facebook or others and it works with other devices that are Bluetooth enabled such as personal digital assistants and printers. It’s compatible though only with Windows XP and Vista operating systems.
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CoolIT USB beverage cooler, $25
Here’s the answer to keeping your Christmas cheer cool — it plugs into your USB outlet and keeps the beverage of your choice cold while you’re, ahem, working. Or working up a sweat gaming. Check www.coolitsystems.com for where to buy.