If your like most people you probably have boxes or albums with photos laying around that you have been meaning to scan into your computer someday. You quickly realize that it is a major pain in the ass and push off the project for some other time.

I did a little research and found that the HP ScanJet 5530 Scanner had an autofeed feature, but the reviews are kind of crappy.

I went to the Epson web site saw they have a photo feeder that can be adapted to fit on a scanner. You simply remove the cover of the scanner and replace it with the auto feeder. It works with the Epson Perfection 2480 or 2580 scanners. I think it may also work with the 3490 & 3590 Scanners.

These scanners are no longer in retail stores but they can be found on ebay.

So for about $240 I was able to assemble an automatic photo scanner.

It works really well ! You can load about 25 pictures into the tray. It takes about 15-20 minutes to scan 25 pics. It isn’t terribly fast but you can do other things while the pics are scanning. You can scan hundreds of pictures in a day no problem.

The Canon PowerShot SD1000 in one of the most popular digital cameras right now. The SD1000 looks and feels like a piece of art, takes 7MP pictures and is priced just over $200.

Although the SD1000 may not be the best digital camera to take videos with it has some compelling modes not usually found on other cameras. Naturally it can take 30fps movies at 640 x 480 pixels. In addition there is something Canon calls the “Fast Frame Rate” which is a 60fps 320 x 240 mode. This mode would be great for slowing down high speed action. For example taking videos of a baseball hitter or a golf swing and then slowing them down to analyze the swing. It’s just a shame it’s not offered in 640 x 480 at the higher rate.

Another cool mode (though technically not video) is the time lapse mode. It will take 640 x 480 shots at 1 or 2 second intervals.

One reason I said the PowerShot SD100 may not be the best for video is that it stores videos in the motion JPEG format. The better would have been to use MPEG4 H.264.

One of the hottest market segments in digital cameras right now is video. The quality keeps getting better and better for using a digital camera to also take videos.

Casio just announced two new cameras with a YouTube capture mode. The Exilim EX-Z77 and the slimmer Exilim EX-S880 These cameras feature settings and bundled software to provide ideal settings for recording, storing and uploading video to Youtube.

At first glance this seem like a cheap marketing ploy. Uploading a video to Youtube isn’t exactly hard.

However a close look at the specifications reveal these are more than existing models with Youtube sticker plopped on them.

For starters these cameras have the EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module. This engine reduces noise in images, improves image quality and lowers power consumption.

Like other cameras in the Exilim line these cameras have a massive 2.8-inch LCD screen. Casio cameras have the best screen in the business and they work great in all lighting conditions including bright sun.

Perhaps the biggest improvement is that these cameras record video in H.264 standard, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10. Files are created with the MOV extension. Most digital cameras record in “Motion Jpeg AVI” or MPEG1. H.264 is superior to these other two standards. It can create much smaller files at much better quality.

The reported list price for the EX-Z77 is $229. The slimmer EX-S880 is listed at $299.

I know people sometimes people associate Casio with cheap watches and their cameras are often overlooked. casio cameras use the same sensor (made by Sony) as most of the other portable digital cameras, so picture quality is just as good as most other cameras out there. Nobody has a screen as nice as the Casio’s. Take a look at some reviews for Casio cameras, people love them.

There is no date yet announced when these cameras will become available. I’m sure it will in time for the fall holiday season.