In a recent pitch, I noticed this film scanner listed as a great gift idea for dads.  It’s a slide/negative scanner and as soon as I saw it, I remembered that we had a bunch of old family slides that we had collected from my mother-in-law’s basement.

Now, I would consider myself intermediate to advanced when it comes to computer software and hardware.  The set-up of the scanner took me between 20-30 minutes.  The instructions that came with it were easy to follow and the scanner was up and running in no time.  I have been using the scanner to turn those old slides and negatives into digital photos for viewing on the computer, sharing online or printing.

The OpticFilm 7400 works much like a regular home scanner, except it is smaller and only scans slides and negatives.  I have been having a blast scanning old film negatives that I had saved up over the years.  I had always thought that one day I would have all of my old negatives turned into digital photos, in my opinion, a much better way of preserving them rather than having photos gathering dust in boxes.

The imaging software included with the film scanner is SilverFast SE.  It’s a fairly easy program to use, again, much like the home scanner imaging programs.  It allows you to edit your scanned slides and negatives and save them in various formats.

Why would you want a film scanner?  Well, number one, if you have slides or negatives from your 35 mm film camera and would like to digitally store your photos, this scanner is a great option for doing just that.  From what I gather, this version of the OpticFilm scanner is better than its previous versions but lacks the dust and scratch correction option.  That doesn’t really make a difference to me, as I can do that in PhotoShop and quite honestly, my goal here is to preserve my original prints in electronic format.  I’m not super concerned with perfecting the images, so this film scanner is satisfactory for me.

In the world of film scanners, quality and price points vary.  I would say that the Plustek OpticFilm 7400 Film Scanner is one of the more affordable scanners, retailing for under $300 (on Amazon.com).  Like I mentioned above, this particular film scanner does the trick for me.  If you have a project you are working on that maybe doesn’t consist of the mass scanning of old slides and negatives for digital storage, then you should definitely do some comparison shopping.  To start, here is a slide scanner comparison article from Buzzle.com

If you’re looking for more in-depth information on the Plustek OpticFilm 7400 film scanner that I’m talking about here, check out this article from ScanDig.

Now, I must get back to preserving my old memories!

I was given this Joby Gorillapod Video to check out and I love it even more now that I have had a chance to use it.

I have a tripod but it doesn’t provide nearly the amount of flexibility and stability as the Gorillapod.  I tend to not use the standard tripod for my Flip MinoHD and my videos do kind of make you feel “seasick”.  I really like taking videos, especially video interviews.  Remember last fall, when I interviewed Stacy London?  I so wanted to set my Flip down because I knew I would end up shaking it around too much.  I even told her that I shake, which totally gave her the wrong impression of me.  She actually asked me if my shaking was a physical problem.  No, Stacy, I just can’t hold still!  Oh, I wish I would have had the Gorillapod back then!

Anyway, why I really dig this tripod is because of its multiple usage options.  You can wrap the legs around chairs, door handles, tree branches, rear-view mirrors, etc.  Look, if you like to take video of anything and everything, wrappable legs are a fantastic feature.  That’s what sold me in the first place.

The tripod’s feet are super magnetic.  This is my Flip, stuck to the refrigerator door with the Gorillapod holding it in place:

I highly recommend this tripod for anyone and everyone who likes to shoot video and/or use a point and shoot camera (works for both).

Joby has other Gorillapods that will work with your cameras, iPads and smart phones.  I’m planning on getting one for our DSLR.

Congratulations to our winner, commenter #2 – Melanie!

It’s the digital age and if you don’t own a digital camera, well, your excuse better be that you’re a photographer and you still love going into the dark room.

With the price of digital cameras coming down all of the time, you probably do have one.  If you’re anything like me, you take zillions of pictures and they sit on your computer’s hard drive, a disc or an external drive, collecting electronic dust. (Huh?)

A project has been on my mind for a while to compile a bunch of my photos from over the years and set them out for all to see, especially me, the one who took them!  Unfortunately, a broken digital frame isn’t helping much.

I will soon be able to proudly display my beautiful photos of my girls, scenery, etc. on this ideal digital photo frame.  When the friends and family come over and catch a glimpse of my photos, I can easily print them out with Epson’s PictureMate.

Don’t you think your mother would love to be able to do the same?

Well, here is your chance to treat her or yourself orrrrr….husbands, boyfriends, partners, brothers, daughters, sons (are ya pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down here?) – treat that lovely lady otherwise known as a “mama” to this fabulous compact photo printer and attached digital photo frame.

You can enter to win Epson’s PictureMate Show (pictured above, MSRP $299.99) right here, right now.

I will choose a winner from the comment section of this post (using Random.org’s number generator) on Thursday, May 6th.  You have until midnight PST (you must be located in the continental US) to enter.  Wouldn’t this make an excellent Mother’s Day surprise?!

Here are all of the ways you can enter (pay close attention so you can maximize your chances at winning).

You can do any or all of these things.  That means, you have 1, 2, 3 chances to enter:

Entry chance option 1:

You can leave a comment on this post letting us know how you’re planning to spend your Mother’s Day.  Would you surprise the mama in your life with this printer/frame?  We’d love to know!

Entry chance option 2:

Tweet about this giveaway.  Then, come back here and leave a comment with the link to your Tweet and your Twitter username.  I’ll make this part easy, you can copy and paste the following text for your Tweet (it fits, I checked):

I’m trying to win an @EpsonAmerica photo printer-digital frame for my mom (or myself) @parentsphere : http://bit.ly/c7t87M

Entry chance option 3:

Follow Epson on Twitter.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you and Epson are Twitter buddies.

*If you plan on taking advantage of all three chances to win, make sure each of your comments are separate.  Don’t post all of your chances in one comment. (Defeats the purpose of having three chances to win, right?)

You can do everything at once or maybe, s p r e a d out your chances a bit and stop back three different days for each of the above entry chances.  ‘Sup to you.  I’m just sayin’

Good luck!

I’ll be back next week to talk about (and show) how I’m using my Epson PictureMate Show.

I have used three different Epson All-in-One printers over the past several years and quite honestly, none of them have failed me.  I have owned and used other name brand printers and they’ve been alright but truthfully, I have preferred the Epson All-in-One printers over anything else that I’ve used.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to try them out.

Besides the Epson WorkForce 610, I have used the Epson Stylus CX8400 and the Epson Artisan 800.  All three are considered “all-in-one”, which means they are a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine all in one unit.  The WorkForce and Artisan both have WiFi capability, so you can connect wirelessly.  This is one of my favorite features, as I’m not always in a position to connect the printer directly to my laptop.

I worked on several projects over the holidays and was quite pleased with the WorkForce 610.  My projects printed out quickly and the quality of the print was not compromised.  Although, I do prefer the Artisan over the WorkForce for photo projects.  I also really like these printers because of their ease of use.  They’re sleek and the technology is there.  I believe all of the printers I have mentioned here retail for under $200 (with the use of mail-in or instant rebates).

For you iPhone and iPod Touch users, Epson has an app called “iPrint”.  Print directly from your device to your wireless printer.

If you’re in the market for a new printer, I would recommend checking out the WorkForce 610 or one of the other Epson All-in-One printers.

I was given the Casio Exilim EX-S10 digital point and shoot camera quite a while ago to check out and review.  So, I’m finally, finally taking a moment to write about it.  Life is a whirlywind, what more can a 7-month pregnant girl say?

So, this camera…it’s super slim.  I like that about this camera.  In fact, it’s known as the “world’s smallest and thinnest 10 megapixel compact camera”.  It’s ridiculously easy to tote around.  In fact, I keep it in my purse at all times and unless I’m capturing random moments (like I do quite often), I rarely notice it’s in there.  Again, I like that about this camera.  Another physical feature about the EX-S10 that I really dig is the huge LCD display.  I have used several digital cameras and this one has the biggest, most clear LCD (2.7 inches).

I have read a dozen or so reviews of the S10 and the results are conclusive: People really love the features of this camera, ease of usability and the size.

What good is my review if I don’t point out the features to you?  Without further ado:

- 10 megapixel with 3x zoom
- Auto shutter
- You Tube ready
- Instant video button
- Face detection
- Up to 1600 ISO
- W 2.15 x D 0.6 x H 0.59 and weight 0.25 lb!

Something new to me, that no other point and shoot camera I have used has offered, is the “Best Shot” feature.  This is a 36 preset scene feature for the camera.  With a quick press of the “BS” button (and that’s no BS), you are able to choose the best shot for the image you’re trying to capture.  There is also a record button for immediate video recording action, which can then be easily uploaded to YouTube.

Admittedly, I’m late to the review party for this camera model (it was released early 2008).  There is now a newer model out (the EX-S12).  The EX-S12 does have some additional new features but the EX-S10 can be purchased for less than $200 and I really don’t think you would be missing out all that much if you went with this model instead (and you would save up to $50).

The Casio EX-S10 is available in four colors:  Red, Silver, Black and Blue.  I can’t find it on Casio’s website anymore, probably because it’s been replaced with the newer model, but you can purchase it at many online stores and most likely big retail stores.

My honest opinion: This is a great little camera for a photographer who wants a light-weight and small point and shoot to carry around.  My best photos have been taken outdoors, in daylight or in a well-lit room.  We have tried to take pictures at concerts (which generally never turn out really well with any point and shoots) and we probably won’t rely on this camera to capture any good (or even artsy) shots at concerts.  I’m not a huge fan of using a flash, so that sort of limits me when it comes to the EX-S10 and low-lit rooms.  However, with nice weather and longer days ahead, I will use this camera quite a bit more often when we’re out and about.

I love making memories and traditions, especially when it has to do with my family.

Each year, for the past three years, we have taken a picture of Hailey on Halloween sitting with a pumpkin. Each year, on the pumpkin, we paint one of the letters of her name. For example, since Hailey’s birthday is the week before Halloween, we paint the next letter of her name on a pumpkin. We’ve been doing this since she was born. She came home from the hospital on the night before Halloween in 2005. It’s a fun way to document the years and watch your children grow. I got this idea from a friend of mine, who does this with her children.

You could do this any time of year, really. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, you name it. The most important thing is that you’re capturing an image of your child and creating a tradition.

I love browsing online photo card specialty shoppes.  I have an obsession with graphic design, patterns and colors, so this browsing hobby comes as no surprise.

I was recently introduced to Moon and Back Studios; an online photo card, calendar, invitation – you name it – digital imaging design studio.  Owner Myra Cherchio and I have a lot in common, from what I can see.  She uses colors that pop and modern designs and that’s what makes me hang around on her site for so long.

You can place your custom order online, right from Moon and Back Studios.  They have a fairly quick turnaround time, generally 3-5 days after your order is placed.  They have a fair and smooth process which makes customizing and shopping with them a breeze and are competitively priced.  Remember, the holidays are just around the corner, so if you are planning on using a service like Moon and Back Studios for your photo greeting card, be sure to leave yourself enough time for processing and shipment of your cards.

Do you ever feel like you need to make things simpler? If you do, you should certainly check out the LOMO Holga starter kit from Fred Flare. It features the classic medium format plastic lens Holga camera and a 192-pg hardcover book called “The World through a Plastic Lens.” Don’t throw away your DSLR just yet, but definitely get your hands on one of these.