The holiday season is upon us. And so is the need to find cool gifts. Here’s a roundup of some of the presents that the friends and family of Spot Cool Stuff will be finding under their trees shortly. If are one of those friends and family then please don’t read any further. Otherwise, check out our gift recommendations for the photographers and music lovers in your life, as well as for those who (seemingly) already have everything.

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Until now you’ve used exclusively auto focus point-and-shoot cameras. You’d like to move up to a “real” digital camera with a removable lens and the capability to make manual settings. But maybe you are a little nervous about making this change to a manually focusable digital SLR.

Or, you already own a digital SLR but are looking for a second one to use as a knock around camera, a camera to bring with you on a trip when you want to leave your “good” camera at home, for example.

For both of those cases—for the novice photographer looking for that first digital SLR camera or for the semi-professional looking for a complimentary second (or third) camera—the Olympus Evolt E420 is the perfect choice. Let us count the reasons why:

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Canon recently released the latest of its successful EOS series of digital SLR cameras: the 50D. It is an excellent camera. The 50D comes out less than a year after the previous EOS model: the Canon EOS 40D. It, too, is an excellent camera.

Being how both models are so excellent the question becomes: Which is the more excellent? Or, more accurately phrased: Is the 50D worth the extra $250~400 above what the 40D costs? Spot Cool Stuff compares the two Canons and provides the answer . . .

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The laws of physics are unkind to ultra-compact cameras. The fact is: All else being equal, the larger the lens the better the photo.

Shopping for an ultra-compact point-and-shoot camera requires some special care. So Spot Cool Stuff tried out all the leading models and found five with superlative qualities. Which is the best overall? Read on to find out . . .

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Spot Cool Stuff loves multipurpose gadgets. And LG has come up with an awesome one. First, it’s a portable DVD player with a 3 1/2 hour battery life and a clear 8″ screen. As well as playing all DVD formats (DVD±R/DVD±RW) the LG DP889 will play MP3s and all manner of audio CDs. Second, it’s a snazzy-looking digital photo frame capable of holding hold up to 250 photos loaded via a USB cord or SD card. The DP889 comes with a built-in stand to prop it up on your shelf and multiple settings for displaying photos.

So, use this device to watch a movie on your next long plane ride. Or, to display photos of your family back home. Or, to display photos of your family on your next long plane ride. Priced around $200.

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The Canon PowerShot series is Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite line of ultra compact digital cameras. For reasons beyond our understanding, not every new model has been better than the last. In fact, by our measure the several-years-old SD700 IS has been the best PowerShot . . . until now. The brand-new SD890 IS (IXUS 970 in Europe and Asia) is the new king of the PowerShot hill. It is not the only 10 megapixel digital camera but it is perhaps the only ulta compact with the processing power capable of fully rendering such a large image. The two other features that really sets the SD890 apart: the 37mm wide angle (18mm ) and the 5x optical zoom. Highly recomended!

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