Children's author and blogger Andrew McDonald never deletes 25 photos on his camera's memory card—presumably kept in a separate folder from the standard image outputs. Flipped through on a camera viewfinder, they offer a pretty amazing personal story about the importance of that camera, the unique humanness of the owner, and, most importantly, an email address for coordinating a camera return.

Andrew's posted all the pics at his blog, but you can get the viewfinder-flip effect by checking out the animated GIF version, courtesy of Your Daily GIF Blog. Oh, and while you're adding permanent camera card fixtures, tossing in a helpful TXT file couldn't hurt, either.

Thanks to Zombie Ms. Skittles for leaving us that #tip, which anyone can do.

Philip Bloom, the same guy who shot the Skywalker Ranch earlier this year, got his hands on a pre-production Canon 1D Mark IV and took it to Prague, alongside Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum.

McCallum helped him by eating some hot dogs, while Bloom took some of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen from a DSLR camera. So subtle, so delicate, and yet so crisp and rich. Check out the falling snow with just the street lighting. My mind is about to assplode. [Philip Bloom]

Thrustmaster's $20 kit offers variable color filters, a macro lens, a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens. It's great for illustrating the fact that lenses change the way a camera works, since it's not quite something that clicks solidly in your brain until you see it firsthand. But it's only $20, so it's not too much to waste when your kid loses all the pieces. [Thrustmaster via Ubergizmo via Crunchgear]

With just the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera, Chase was able to capture—over the course of a year—some pretty interesting sights. Many of the photos aren't high resolution quality works that you'd expect from a pro, and a lot of them look like Polaroids you dug up from a shoebox in the attic, buried from the '70s, but they all serve a point.

We all have cameras with us, so if you're looking to better your photography, even if it's just with the camera you have attached to your phone, Chase's book may give you some inspiration—if not on composition and style, then just on the fact that you can take decent enough photos with your phone.

It also helps if you use Chase's iPhone App Best Camera, which does a little bit of processing/editing right on the phone. Reader Bryan also tells us Chase used some of these editing enhancements for the photos in the book, just to spice them up a bit. [Amazon]

I have a hard time believing this unique shot of a meteor striking through the Earth atmosphere was taken with a cellphone camera, but looking at the image through Photoshop, it seems it is indeed a real photo. Or maybe it's not a meteor but a sundog, like some people in the comments pointed out.

The photographer—31-yo Matthew Pinless from Cheltenham, England—claims that the object raced through the sky. If it was indeed a meteor, he must have been really fast to take out his cellphone, and shoot quickly enough to snap two pictures of it. Whatever it was, it's good shot. [Daily Mail]

Though entry-level models, each camera records 720p video (24fps, saved as AVI files).

The $200, "champagne"-colored EX-Z450 (above) has a 28mm wide-angle lens with 4x optical zoom, sensor-shifting mechanical image stabilization", and a 3-inch LCD.

The cheaper $150 EX-Z90 skips the wide-angle lens, has 3x optical zoom, image stabilization, and a smaller 2.7-inch display. You'll have more color-choices, too: black, pink, and silver.

Both cameras should hit stores in October. [via PC World]

The LumoPro Hot Shoe Universal Translator comes with a male hotshoe that connects to the camera, and a female that connects to the flash. In the middle, the little cube has a PC socket—to trigger it—and a 3.5mm mini-jack socket to connect to additional flashes to blind your object with light. [Product Page via Wired]

(*Technically, borescopes become endoscopes when they enter the body.)

This USB borescope features a 300k, water resistant camera with two LEDs at the tip, complete with an optional magnetic ring (for grabbing a pesky screw from the tight confines of your left nasal passage). Priced at a mere $64, that's far less expensive than any of the other scopes we've...scoped out. Just keep in mind that the low resolution camera might not make for the crystal clear Christmas card portrait you had in mind. [usbfever]

Case in point: A friend of mine bought a Nikon compact digital camera here in Spain, just before going back to Poland for Xmas. When she arrived to Cracow, she tried to make photos but discovered that all of them came up blurred. When she was at her family's home or in any other heated building, the camera would return to normal after some minutes, then take fine pictures.

But whenever she took it out on the streets, it would literally freeze. Not the glass outside, which was clean and shiny. Something inside was getting frozen and the resulting photos looked as if they were being taken through a frosted glass.

When I asked around to other friends in Sweden, they told me the same. Some cameras just do that. Our very own Andi had the same problem with her Canon Powershot in Canada. And her cousin had even worse problems with her cute—but useless under low temperatures—pink point-n-shoot.

Is this another result of the damn product beta culture? Have you experienced the same problem with your digital camera?

[Image above is simulated—because all my friends are shy to post their photos here—but that's the effect these users are experiencing]

Sure, the new Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera can print 2 x 3-inch photos in 60 seconds. That's moreless what it took for the Instamatic images to appear. And like the Instamatic, the PoGo doesn't use ink for the images, and can print with and without "fun" borders in sticky-backed paper. It's also smaller than the Instamatic, at 10 ounces and 4.7 inches wide by 3 inches tall. And you can review the images before printing them out.

OK, so it's more convenient and probably has better quality. But still, no analog charm (hopefully, they will add an Instamatic filter mode at one point).

Polaroid Introduces the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera

Digital version of the company's iconic instant camera

LAS VEGAS (January 8, 2009) – Today Polaroid announces the launch of the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera, the first digital camera and instant printer combination available in the US and Europe that is portable enough to take anywhere. With the push of a button, consumers can select from among the digital photos on the camera, crop or edit them and in less than 60 seconds, print full-color, 2x3-inch prints - all with a single device.

"This is the digital version of our traditional instant camera, which consumers have loved since the 70s," says Jon Pollock, vice president and general manager, Digital Imaging. "With this product, Polaroid will bring the magic of instant photography to a whole new generation. It's what consumers have told us they want – a fun, easy way to use a digital camera to print photos and share their memories instantly."

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera is the second product in the Polaroid PoGo™ family of products. Like the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, which hit store shelves in July 2008, the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera uses the same ZINK Paper™ and ZINK™ Zero Ink™ Printing Technology from ZINK Imaging. ZINK is an ink-free printing technology which replaces ink cartridges or ribbons with ZINK Paper™ - a composite material that has embedded, heat-activated dye crystals. Before printing, ZINK Paper appears white like regular photo paper. Once the pictures are printed, they are immediately dry to the touch, durable and smudge and water resistant.

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera offers a full-feature digital camera with 100 percent inkless printing, 2x3-inch sticky-backed photos with or without fun borders and the advantage of reviewing the captured photos on a three-inch color LCD screen before printing. The instant digital camera measures 4.7-inches wide by 3-inches tall and weighs only 10 ounces.

"Unlike traditional instant film, photos from the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera emerge fully developed," Pollock says. "While many of our most passionate customers tell us "shaking" a Polaroid photo is part of the fun, with any Polaroid photo, the "shake" is totally optional."

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera will be available beginning in March 2009 at major retailers for a suggested retail price of $199. Ten-packs of ZINK Photo Paper™, which can be used in both the Instant Digital Camera and the Instant Mobile Printer, retail for $4.99 and 30-packs for $12.99, and widely available at national retailers everywhere.

[Polaroid]

While Liquid Image Scuba Series HD320 is a huge jump over their previous toy-mask—reaching 115 feet and capable of capturing 720p video and 5 megapixel photos—didn't anyone tell these people that one of the first rules of scuba diving is not to have objects protruding out of your personal space beyond your tank and BCD?

Apparently not. Even if the lamps get off easily in case your mask gets stuck in the coral or some underwater plant, it still looks dangerous and complicated. You can use it without lamps, but then you won't be able to use its features to its full potential. Light and color quickly disappear when you go down. In addition to that, in terms of function you will be limited to the movements of your head as far as angles go.

In other words, if you are serious about getting good video or photographs underwater, forget about gimmicks like this and get external equipment. It will be more flexible and safe. [CES Show]

But what they really wanted to do in the Bradley was to make that door, in effect, transparent. It doesn’t really matter how you get there—you just want an undistorted view. That was the genesis of the idea; it got us thinking about using multiple, low-cost sensors on the outside of the vehicle and having a display inside.

The Digital Window is the first commercial product coming from this technology, designed to be used in fixed points, not in military vehicles. The combined five-sensor give 15 frames per second, with a 100 megapixel per second over its ethernet port. [Gadget Labs]

The four cuddly astronauts travelled on board the spacecraft for two hours and nine minutes, reaching the 19 miles high mark powered by a latex weather ballon made by the Space Flight club at Cambridge University. They were wearing special suits made by school children, which saved them from freezing at -63.4º F. No, I'm not kidding. The team was investigating what materials would protect the furrynauts better.

If you haven't melted by now, you are not human. And NASA, wake up and smell the coffee. We are losing another space race here. [Daily Mail]

When a digital camera captures a photo, the camera creates each pixel using a charge-coupled device—a microchip that is made up of millions of capacitors that get electrical charges depending on how intense the lighting is in a certain spot. Each of these capacitors has a lens and a color filter that creates one single pixel from a mosaic made up of red, green and blue filters.

The colors and brightness levels that we can physically see in our digital pictures are created by a demosaicing software, which is custom built for every camera model due to each camera's individual specs and subtle differences. Because of this, a certain camera model will generate distinct pixels—and unique relationships between its neighboring pixels—which can pinpoint the exact make and model of the camera.

Knowing this information could greatly help forensics teams since each digital camera has a shelf life of about 18 months, which would significantly narrow the pool of where and when it was sold. Although it is not perfect, early tests have shown this technique has proven to be 90 percent accurate, which is still an A in my book! [New Scientist via Slashdot]

CANON U.S.A. COMBINES ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WITH A PROFESSIONAL STYLE DESIGN IN ITS LATEST ADDITION OF HIGH-END G-SERIES CAMERAS
Canon PowerShot G10 Digital Camera, the Flagship of the PowerShot line, Boasts Uncompromising Specs and High-Quality, Making It a Must-Have for the Advanced Amateurs

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., September 17, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, today announced the newest addition to its top-of-the line PowerShot G-series digital cameras. The PowerShot G10 digital camera offers serious amateur shooters and professional photographers several essential ingredients for a flagship model, including Canon's new DIGIC 4 image processor, 28mm Optical Image Stabilized lens and RAW mode. This trilogy of style, performance and image quality is an ideal professional complement for anyone seeking the photo quality of a DSLR, combined with the convenient size of a point-and-shoot.

As the successor model to the popular PowerShot G9 digital camera, the PowerShot G10 digital camera is loaded with Canon's latest technologies, including a long-anticipated 28 mm wide-angle lens with 5x optical zoom, 14.7 megapixels and 3.0-inch Pure Color LCD II screen.

"With exquisite image quality, the latest image processor and advanced functionality, the Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera brings an elevated level of performance and usability to the PowerShot line," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "By enhancing key technologies in this camera, including our proprietary DIGIC 4 image processor, Canon has merged the functions typically found in a DSLR with a smaller body form to provide affordable and portable options to photo enthusiasts of all types."

Control Options
The controller wheel is equipped with a dedicated Exposure Compensation Dial, which allows quick and intuitive adjustment of exposure compensation and the "My Menu" function for registering five user-selected options from the shooting menu, as well as 26 shooting modes. Additionally, the Custom Mode better allows the user to record two types of shooting parameter settings, thus offering the ability to arrange their most often used settings on their LCD display. A host of accessory options are offered, including the remote switch, Macro Ring Lite and Macro Twin Lite (when used with an additional attachment, available in January 2009). Now consumers can utilize similar accessories found in the Canon EOS line, therefore expanding a user's ability to customize.

Canon DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor
The newly upgraded DIGIC 4 image processor, a proprietary technology, accounts for the camera's higher performance levels, including significantly improved signal processing speed and higher image quality.

One of the most important new features made possible by the DIGIC 4 image processor is Servo AF, which is a form of continuous focus tracking for moving subjects. By pressing the shutter button half-way, the camera can track subject movement up to the instant of exposure, resulting in sharper photographs. Additionally, the processor's high ISO speed noise reduction processing has improved substantially to enable consumers to shoot high-quality images, even in extremely dark situations without the use of a flash. The new Intelligent Contrast Correction function automatically improves image quality in high-contrast shooting situations.

The Genuine Canon Face Detection technology has evolved even further, thanks to DIGIC 4. Improved features include the ability to recognize human faces at most angles. Another innovation is the Face Detection Self-Timer, which automatically takes a photo two seconds after a new face enters the scene.

Availability and Pricing
Scheduled to be available in October, the PowerShot G10 digital camera will have an estimated selling price of $499.99*. Kit contents will include a battery, charger, neck strap, USB and A/V interface cables, Canon Digital Solutions Software CD, and a 1-year Canon U.S.A., Inc. limited warranty.