Digital photo equipment improves by bits and bytes

Digital photography gets better and easier to use all the time. The following make great gifts for photo buffs. Items may also be available in stores. Price does not include shipping.

Shooting edge

Nikon D-100: No matter what the ads say, a point-and-shoot digital camera is not the equal of a full-size SLR. Nikon’s D-100 digital SLR, although certainly not cheap at nearly $2,000, is a less expensive version of the manufacturer’s top-of-the-line $4,000-plus D1 series. It comes with a rechargeable liquid ion battery and charger, video and USB cables for hooking up to a computer or TV.

Details: May be available for less than $1,999 list. Nikon; (800) 645-6689, www.nikonusa.com.

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Home show

PhotoPort TV 100: This unit lets you use your digital film (compact flash card, Smart Media or IBM Microdrive) to create photo albums on your television. Just use the enclosed cables to connect the PhotoPort to an AC outlet and your TV’s video socket, insert the digital film into the port and use the included remote control and wireless keyboard to view images and create captions, borders and backgrounds.

Details: PhotoPort TV 100 is $99.99 from Visioneer; (925) 251-6398, www.visioneer.com.

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Clip point

Digi-Pen 2: This 1.3-megapixel digital camera/movie-clip recorder is the size of a thick cigar. The lens is mounted in a 90-degree swivel head so the camera can be used as a Webcam. The camera runs on two AAA batteries and weighs less than 3 ounces.

Details: Digi-Pen 2 (PT500) is $99.95 from Sharper Image; (800) 344-4444, www.sharperimage.com.

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Zoom and zap

Pentax Digital Camera Binoculars: These new binocs are an ingenious twofer: You get the benefit of two eyepieces with up to seven-times zoom and a pop-up monitor for framing your shot. The 16 megs of built-in memory stores up to 100 images in space-efficient JPEG format. Images can be viewed on TV or computer. Runs on two AA batteries.

Details: Digital Camera Binoculars (668509) are $349.95 from the Discovery Channel Store; (800) 938-0333, www.discovery.com.

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Sea and shoot

ReefMaster camera: The new 1.3-megapixel DC 200 digital underwater camera is designed to handle the difficult lighting conditions deep beneath the surface. Water- and pressure-proof to a 200-foot depth, the camera works on land too. The large viewfinder and 1.8-inch monitor let users compose a photo when looking through a dive mask. The camera comes with rechargeable batteries and charger, an AC adapter, USB and video cables and photo software. Its built-in 8-megabyte memory stores 17 to 132 photos, depending on the resolution. Details: The underwater camera may be available for less than $550 list. Pioneer Research; (800) 257-7742, www.sealife-cameras.com.

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