White Leica M8 comes with a shocking price

Japanese photogs will be able to get their hands on this beautiful Leica M8 camera as early as June– that is if they don’t mind paying $9,000 for one. The white limited edition M8 has interchangeable lenses, a special lacquer finish on the back, and white leather on the front to compliment the silver chrome finish. Is this worth the $9k price tag? Probably not in this economy, or ever, but feel free to disagree. It looks gorgeous though, I won’t deny that much. Via Engadget

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MinoFlip HD now in Chrome

Flip has launched a special chrome-finished Flip Mino HD to celebrate its second year anniversary. I take my MinoHD everywhere I go, and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to create  high definition videos  without spending a fortune on a full size HD camera. What I like the most about it, is that you can quickly upload videos to your YouTube channel, and when you travel you don’t have to worry about carrying all kinds of cables and power adapters because the Flip Mino has a flip-out USB arm that lets your computer recharge it. You can also edit the videos with the included software, or use your own video editing programs like iMovie.  The MinoHD  is also available in black, and features 4GB of memory along with a 720p resolution. I can usually record up to one hour of footage, which can be a problem if you forget to clear old footage. I wish it had an SD slot because battery life is excellent and so is the video quality. Many of the videos on Techie Diva are done with the Flip Mino, and one reason I like it is because the microphone faces the subject being recorded so sound quality is pretty great. You can personalize your Flip Mino HD or choose the limited edition chrome MinoHD.  You can view more details on Flip.com.

On a side note: David Pogue has some very interesting advice for those who use Flip cameras and encounter rending problems when using  Final Cut Pro. Thanks Beth for the tip!

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Make money off your photos with LicenseStream

One of the best services I spotted at Web 2.0 last week was LicenseStream. I take a lot of photos at events, sometimes of celebrities, and I put them on Flickr for all to enjoy. With LicenseStream I can make a few dollars off my hobby by putting my content up for sale in my own photo store.  This is a type of service that was once only available to professional photographers, but LicenseStream is making it available to everyone who enjoys taking photographs as a hobby. I spoke to Pam Fisher, ImageSpan’s Director of Strategic Relations, who gave us a demo of the service. Check out the video and start making some money from your great photo collection.

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Save money by developing film with vitamin C and coffee

Most people today have a digital camera so they don’t have to worry about developing film to see the results. On the other hand, artsy types  who prefer film or want to experiment with it can save loads of money by developing their own film at home using things like vitamin C and coffee.  Photojojo put together this step-by-step tutorial to get you started. Keep in mind this method is not the most ideal solution, but if you’re experimenting you can get some pretty unique and intresting results.  You can expect “grainy and contrasty effects” depending on the film type, warns Photojojo, and your color film will end up in black-and-white.  You’ll need instant coffee, vitamin C powder, washing soda, distilled water, and dishwashin liquid.

If you’re curious about the results of this experiment, check out Flickr user Caffenol and Tom Overton who have posted some great images developed this way.

Here’s a video to give you the overall idea of this project.

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All I want for Valentines is a Flip camera

Actually I already have one, but if I didn’t, I’d probably ask for one since these slim cameras are amazing.The Mino HD features 720p resolution, and 4GB of memory, while the non-HD Mino carries 2 GB of memory. Both offer 60 minutes of recording time and all-new built-in FlipShare software for easy saving, organizing and sharing of video from your computer. Mino and Mino HD are the first and only “designable” camcorders so you can upload you graphics, and design your own Flip via Cafe Press. As you can see from the image above, that’s exactly what I did with my Flip, and love it.

Flip also comes with  built-in software that allows you to plug the camcorder’s flip-out USB arm into any computer for saving, organizing, editing and uploading of video to YouTube, MySpace, AOL Video and other sharing sites. All Flip camcorders are fully compatible with Windows software as well as Apple’s Mac video applications including QuickTime, iMovie, and iDVD.

These area great cameras for people who don’t like to carry heavy gear (it’s about the size of an MP3 player) and don’t want to bother with transcoding video for YouTube. If you haven’t gotten your Valentine a gift just yet, you can still get them one at www.theFlip.com. They also have gift certificates, so you have no excuse.

Weighing just over 3 oz., the slim Mino retails for $179.99, and MinoHD, $229.

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Win a Kodak EasyShare M863!

Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away if you can believe that, so for the month of February we are running a contest along with Kodak to celebrate the month of love and friendship.  On February 28, one lucky winner will be chosen at random and will walk away with the stunning red Kodak EasyShare M863 camera. All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter to win or leave a comment below telling us why you want the Kodak EasyShare M863 camera. The winner will be chosen at random on February 28, so get your entries in by February 27.

The Easyshare M863 is an 8 megapixel camera with HD picture capture, face detection, image stabilization, 3X zoom, panorama stitch, 20 scene modes, and more. The package includes:
-KODAK EASYSHARE M863 Digital Camera
-KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7001
-AC adapter for in-camera charging
-USB cable
-Wrist strap
-Getting Started Guide with KODAK EASYSHARE Software
-Custom camera insert for optional KODAK EASYSHARE Camera and Printer Docks

Here are more details about this awesome digital camera. To enter, just subscribe to our weekly newsletter below. Good Luck!

Update: Contest is now closed. We have selected a winner at random, and will announce the winner once we receive confirmation from them.  Thanks for everyone for entering. We will be giving away a whole lot of stuff in the future, so please stay tuned.

**Congratulations to Kim who won the Kodak EasyShare Digicam.

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Xacti’s new line of HD cameras

I’ve been dying to buy one of those tiny Xacti HD camera, but I always found them to be too expensive. At CES, I noticed a lot of bloggers using them them, and I’m telling you, they sure looked way more convenient for the occasion. Well today, Sanyo announced their new line of Dual Camera Xacti All-HD line up for 2009, and they’re definitely more affordable and colorful. Six cameras in horizontal and vertical body styles have been announced, including waterproof, compact, and full HD models. Below is a quick summary.

Full HD models: VPC-FH1 (Horizontal; $500 MSRP) and VPC-HD2000 (Vertical; $600)

The Full HD Dual Camera Xacti offers 1920 x 1080 pixels, and 60 frames per second recording for crystal clear, smooth motion videos. It takes 8-megapixel digital photos, has 10x optical zoom for photos, 16x advanced zoom for video, image stabilizer, HDMI output, external microphone input (HD2000), and FH1 has a 3-inch LCD monitor, while the HD2000 has a 2.7-inch LCD monitor.

Compact HD models VPC-TH1 (Horizontal; $300 MSRP) and VPC-CG10 (Vertical; $200 MSRP)

These models offer 720p (1280 x 720) HD capability and record at 30 frames per second. The VPC-TH1 also offers an impressive 30x optical zoom and an incredible 3-hr 20-min long continuous recording time-all in HD! It also takes photos, has an image stabilizer, face chaser that can detect 12 faces in a photo, HDMI output, and have a 3-inch widescreen LCD. They’re available in black, silver, blue, and pink.

Waterproof Compact HD models VPC-WH1(Horizontal $400) and VPC-CA9 (Vertical $350)

This may be great for you beach types since they’re waterproof and can operate in underwater (up to 10 feet).The Horizontal version can be submerged up to 10 feet under water, has a 2.5-inch LCD display, HDMI output, and can take 2-megapixel photos. It also has “Face Chaser” technology, and 30x optical zoom. The vertical version will film under 5 feet of water for one hour, take 9-megapixel photos, 720p HD video, has 5x optical zoom, a 2.5 inch LCD monitor, and is available in black, red, and green.

All will be available in March 2009.

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CES 2009: PoGo Instant Digital Camera

Does anyone even print out pictures taken anymore? I certainly don’t since most phones or cameras don’t make it easy for us, but Polaroid is bringing back the magic of the instant pictures with its Polaroid PoGo Instant digicam. Announced at CES 2009, the PoGo Instant can print out 2 x 3-inch photos in under 60 seconds on sticky labels and special paper you have to buy separately.

Keep in mind, the PoGo camera still uses zero ink, but you do have to buy Zink paper in order to use it. The 7-megapixel camera appears to be pretty bulky, features a 3-inch display, and has several controls besides the screen that let you zoom, print, preview, and discard images as you take them. The camera will be available this Spring for about $199, while packs of Zink paper will likely retail for $4.99 and $12.99. Look for it in stores soon.

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CES 2009: Sony’s VAIO Lifestyle PC

I have to admit, as soon as I heard that Sony had unveiled it’s VAIO Lifestyle PC, I just knew I had to see it and I wasn’t disappointed. Weighing in at 1.4 pounds, the ultraportable Lifestyle PC (just don’t call it a netbook) features a wide 8-inch screen, 3G antenna that will connect to Verizon’s 3G, Atom processor, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 2GB of RAM, Windows Vista, and up to 128GB of storage. I was told the clutch-like device is aimed at the ladies who want to be extra mobililty, but the clever male Sony rep pulled one out of his front jacket pocket during our interview proving this laptop is really just for anyone who appreciates good design and portability. The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC will be out next month and retail for $900 (it’s no wonder they won’t call it a netbook) and will be available in red, white, black, and green. Accessories will follow, so you can accessorize the UMPC with colorful cases that match.

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Disney High School Musical digital camera

I admit - I had a little spare time to kill last week, and caught High School Musical 3 at the cinemas with my other half without having an inkling or idea on what the show would be about other than the fact that it was a musical. Of course, there is a back story and all if I bothered to follow the series on Disney’s channel, but the movie worked pretty well even for a first timer like me. Hence, I can forsee parents picking up this Disney High School Musical digital camera for their kids this Christmas - it is small enough to fit into just about any pocket, and colorful enough to make kids happy. Powered by a single AAA battery, this digital camera won’t take studio quality shots considering the £19.95 price point, and it has enough memory to store approximately 40 images of VGA quality shots.

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