Previously: * Three steps to improve your digital Photographs * Beware Impulse buying * Digital Photo Printers Guide * Aging Photographs: What will you look like in 20 years? The Ultimate Gray Card Seasonal Photos A Better Gray Card Seasonal Photography Invent the Future Art Opportunities Digital Camera for the Holidays... * Digital Cameras Gather Steam * Can't Find the Battery your camera needs? * Why two Mavica Articles? . Photographic Art Auctions . Politically Correct Photography? Doug on: * Web Boo-Boos * Search SpamOthers... Doug's Coffee Break: * Aging Photographs: What will you look like in 20 years? * The Ultimate Gray Card * Seasonal Photos * Digital Cameras * Photo Art Auction * Politically Correct * Photography: What Do You Think? * Can't Find the Battery your camera needs?

a message from Doug Clifford It's in your pocket With the holidays just around the corner, people will once again be in the mood for a digital camera. If you follow DT&G, you've read Fred tolling the virtues of the Olympus "D" series, that the D-450 and D-490 are the best buys in digital cameras in the world. However, they've always come in over $400, and that's a big deterrent to casual shutter-bugs. For a second digital camera, even $399 (at the price club) is a little rich for many people. But, the search for a high quality "pocketable" digital camera may be over. ___ Olympus has introduced the new Brio D-230 which features a 2.0 Megapixel (effective) image, for realistic photo quality 8" x 10" prints -- MORE than enough for web images. It features an Olympus Auto-Focus 5.5mm f 2.8 lens, (equivalent to 36mm in a 35mm film camera) with a digital telephoto up to 5X. Stylish and small, the Brio D-230 also features a super fast shutter release times of 0.3 seconds; start-up times of less than one second; and easy photo transfer via Auto-Connect USB or SmartMedia. Best of all are clear, colorful photos -- and you carry it in your pocket for under $300. And, best of all, it's on sale at a great discount at Amazon.com right now. ___ It's light weight, but it's not a light-weight. An Auto-Focus lens is employed for precise sharp focusing -- something not typically included in most other digital cameras at this price point. The flash is automatic, and includes red-eye reduction. The exposure system, white balance, and color management have all been automated assuring quality photos with no hassles. ___ Even though the Brio D-230 features Auto-Connect USB technology -- requiring no drivers or additional software (including Windows® 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP and Mac OS· 8.6 to Mac OS X) I feel the bundled 16MB SmartMedia card is the strong point on this camera. 16 megs provides ample capacity to store up to 90 images in Standard Quality mode -- or as few as 12 shots in the ultra high quality mode. You can pick up SmartMedia cards from 8 to 128 megs and keep shooting without having to have your PC nearby to 'empty' the cards. 64 meg cards can be had in the $49 range, and with a $39 USB SmartMedia reader, you can find other uses for this inexpensive storage as well. ___ Users can print photos directly to any number of dye sublimation printers (like the Olympus P-200, P-400, P-330 series) by simply inserting the SmartMedia card directly into the printer. Even on the Epson 860 inkjet the photos in 5 x 7 gives surprizing results when using the special glossy photo paper. ___ So, if a digital camera is on your shopping list for this season, bheck out the BRIO. Not only is is a very good value with excellent capabilities, I suspect you'll find it heavily discounted because of the current slow-down in the economy. So long for now Doug Clifford Purchase the BRIO from Amazon.com (Doug Clifford is the webmaster for the ACE Camera & Photography Directory, an annotated world wide directory of photo commerce web sites. ACE Increases Traffic To Photographic Commerce Web Sites Worldwide! )(Doug Clifford is the webmaster for the ACE Camera & Photography Directory, an annotated world wide directory of photo commerce web sites. ACE Increases Traffic To Photographic Commerce Web Sites Worldwide!