The Cheapskate

The Aiptek Action can record 1080p video at 30fps or 720p at 60fps.

(Credit: Walmart)

In the market for a digital camcorder? You could spend $179.99 on one of those Flip Video Minos, which let you record a whopping 60 minutes of YouTube-quality video. Or you could pay $149 for the Aiptek Action, which records hours' worth of HD (up to 1080p) video on inexpensive memory cards. Hmmm...

Yep, sounds like a no-brainer to me. The Action is a slim, pocketable camcorder (and 8-megapixel camera) with a swiveling 2.4-inch LCD and an SD slot that accommodates cards up to 32GB. It captures video in H.264 format, which you should have no trouble editing in programs like Pinnacle Studio. And it includes a 3X optical zoom and component-video outputs for connecting directly to your HDTV.

I haven't tried the Action myself, but Walmart buyers collectively rated it four stars out of five. (That's significant because the Action is available only at Walmart.) However, while video quality was reported to be quite good, still photos come out mediocre at best. I'm more concerned with the lack of an optical zoom.

Walmart's product page is annoyingly light on details, but you can get the full scoop on the Action at Aiptek's site. This could be a great "starter" HD camcorder, or even a secondary one for two-camera shoots. I must confess to a misguided love for the aforementioned Mino, which is tiny and drop-dead simple to use, but for less money you can get a major bump in pixel count. Like I said, kind of a no-brainer...

(Credit: GE)

If you're in the market for a new camera and want as much megapixel bang for the buck as you can get, Micro Center has the 10-megapixel GE E1030 on sale for just $129.99. (Yes, General Electric makes cameras--who knew?) That's a good $50 less than you'll pay elsewhere.

The E1030 features a 2.7-inch LCD, 3X optical zoom, and automatic face, smile, and blink detection. It offers a dozen scene modes and can record 25-fps VGA movies. It can also stitch together panoramic shots right in the camera. The camera has a paltry 26MB of internal storage, but supports SDHC cards of up to 4GB.

As savvy camera shoppers know, more megapixels don't always translate to better pictures. I did a little recon and discovered mostly positive reviews of the E1030, including an average user rating of 4.5 stars at Yahoo Tech. Thus, if you're looking for a slim, affordable pocket shooter, this could be a fine choice.

Thanks to reader Brian for sharing this deal!

Update: According to a GE rep, the E1030 has only face detection, not blink and smile detection. Clicking the Face Detection icon on the product page leads to a feature page that describes all three features, which strikes me as a bit misleading. In any case, I apologize for the error.

(Credit: Canon)

The last time Dell had a deal on the Canon Digital Rebel digital-SLR camera, it was the 8-megapixel XT model for $382. Now you can get the 10-megapixel Digital Rebel XTi for just $319, in your choice of black or silver. Woo!

That price is for the body only; an extra $100 buys you Canon's 18-55mm lens. Like the XT and the original Rebel before it, the XTi is an extremely popular camera, as evidenced by CNET's review. I promise you Dell will sell out of these in no time, so if you want in on digital-SLR goodness for one the lowest prices I've seen yet, act now.

Update: Sorry, everyone, looks like the deal is gone already. Hit the Comments and let me know if you were able to snag one before Dell jacked the price up!

(Credit: Buy.com)

I've long been a fan of Casio's Exilim line of digital cameras, as I think they offer mucho bang for the buck. Buy.com has the 7-megapixel Exilim EX-Z75 on sale for $109.99, shipped, after a $20 mail-in rebate.

But wait, there's more! When you buy the Exilim (or any digital camera), you're also eligible for a $70 mail-in rebate on various Epson printers, including the Epson Stylus CX7400 multifunction. It's a color printer, copier, and scanner. And for all intents and purposes, it's free (okay, $4) when you buy the camera. Free shipping, too. Not a bad combo by any stretch.

(Credit: Buy.com)

CNET had mostly good things to say about the EX-Z75, and readers were extremely positive, rating it about 8.3 on average. My only complaint is that you're limited to the silver model, even though it's also available in blue, black, and pink. But if you don't mind wrangling a couple rebates, this is quite a score on a camera and MFP.

The Aiptek A-HD records 720p video on inexpensive SD cards.

(Credit: Aiptek)

In the market for a digital camcorder? You could spend $179.99 on one of those Flip Video Ultras, which let you record a whopping 60 minutes of YouTube-quality video. Or you could pay $119 for the Aiptek A-HD, which records hours' worth of high-definition (720p) video on inexpensive memory cards. Hmmm...

Yeah, talk about a no-brainer. The A-HD is a slim, pocketable camcorder (and 5-megapixel camera) with a swiveling 2.4-inch LCD and an SD slot that accommodates cards up to 8GB (good for about 4 hours of HD video--get one here for a measly $28). It captures video in H.264 format, which you should have no trouble editing in programs like Pinnacle Studio Plus 11. And it includes component-video outputs for connecting directly to your HDTV.

I haven't tried the A-HD myself, but I can tell you it has a few limitations--most notably its lack of an optical zoom. According to various user reviews, it falters when capturing fast-moving subjects, and it's not particularly good at recording audio. (Speaking of reviews, watch this unintentionally hilarious one on YouTube.)

Despite these weak spots, the A-HD could be a great starter HD camcorder, or even a secondary one for two-camera shoots. You can get it for $119.99 shipped from Amazon. Circuit City has it for the same price, though you'll likely have to pay sales tax as well. Even so, this is without a doubt the best deal you're likely to find on an HD camcorder. The Cheapskate is mighty tempted.

(Credit: Circuit City)

For about the price of a budget digital camera, you can snag a budget digital camera and portable snapshot printer to go with it. Circuit City has the Kodak EasyShare C613 6-megapixel camera and EasyShare G610 dock/printer for $129.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

The camera's fairly basic, offering a compact design, 2.4-inch LCD, and 3x optical zoom; CNET readers rated it 6.2 out of 10, meaning it's probably fine for tossing in your bag for everyday use, but not the camera you want to rely on for the family photo that's going to hang over the mantle.

As for the printer, it docks and charges the camera and churns out 4x6-inch prints in about 60 seconds. Over at Amazon, users didn't seem to mind the slow performance: They rated it 4.5 out of 5.

This is new gear, no rebates required. If you really want to get crazy, Circuit City is also offering an Epson CX8400 photo printer for $9.99 (after rebate) with any camera purchase--including this one.

(Credit: Circuit City)

Smile! Circuit City has the Samsung S730 7.2-megapixel digital camera for $90.99 after an instant rebate. But wait, there's more: Toss the Epson R280 photo printer into your cart and get it free after a $75 mail-in rebate.

The S730 is an ultra-compact model with a 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and 10 scene modes. I haven't tried it myself, but CNET readers gave it an average rating of 8.3/10. As for the R280 printer, it's a six-color model that promises to crank out borderless 4x6-inch prints in as little as 11 seconds. It can also print on compatible CD and DVD media.

Because this is Circuit City, you'll likely end up paying sales tax in addition to shipping (unless you pick everything up in-store, in which case you'll just pay the tax). No word on how long the camera will be on sale; the free-after-rebate printer deal expires on January 12.

(Credit: Casio)

A digital-SLR is all well and good for nature photography, family portraits, and other high-falutin' shootin', but sometimes you just want a camera you can slip into your pocket. The Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 measures a scant 0.8 inches thick but comes stuffed with features. It's available from CircuitCity for $179.99 with free shipping.

I've owned four Exilims over the years (only one of which was replaced due to breakage), and I've always been pleased with their slim designs, easy operation, and venerable Best Shot modes (which take the guesswork out of camera settings for photography dunces like me). The EX-Z1050 serves up a 3x optical zoom lens and 10-megapixel image sensor. Some might say the latter's overkill for a pocket camera, but you can always dial back the resolution if you want to fit more photos on your memory card. (The Exilim takes SD media; if you're looking for a deal, eCost has a 2GB card for $12.99.)

Now, I haven't used this particular model, and CNET's reviewer took issue with its low-resolution LCD. But other Circuit City buyers rated it 4.1 out of 5, so maybe that's not a deal-breaker. And with the deal you're getting, it'll be easy to smile for this camera.

(Credit: Canon)

Been waiting to pull the trigger on a digital-SLR camera? Wait no more: Dell has the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT--by all accounts a fantastic model--for $382. Considering that this baby sold for upwards of $900 when it debuted a couple years ago, it's pretty much a steal at that price.

Specs include an 8-megapixel sensor, 7-point auto-focus, and loads of fancy photographic features that, quite frankly, I don't pretend to understand. I can tell you that I bought an original Digital Rebel several years back, and I absolutely lurve it. (I won't, however, tell you what I paid for it, because it would kill my cheapskate cred. Sometimes, you just gotta splurge.)

Before you get too crazy with excitement, note the two catches: This deal is for the camera body only, so you'll have to buy a Canon-compatible lens if you want to, you know, take pictures. Second, the product page says the Rebel XT usually ships in 3-5 weeks, so it might be tricky to get this in time for under-the-tree duty.

Update: The product page now says 1-2 weeks, so it might just make it into Santa's bag after all.

Update #2: My mistake. The ship time is indeed 3-5 weeks. The links got messed up; they've been corrected. Apologies!