When Going Digital This Holiday Season, Know the Photographer

-- Digital cameras are expected to be one of the most popular electronic gifts this holiday season, but with all the styles and features on the market, it can be easy for
consumers to buy more camera than they need. To help stretch holiday budgets
further, experts at OfficeMax(R), one of the nation's largest office supply
retailers, have developed three profiles of digital camera users and
identified the best cameras and printers to meet each photographer's needs.
"As digital cameras have become more popular, the number of camera options
also has expanded, and it can be difficult to assess how many high-tech camera
features you really need to purchase," said Ryan Vero, OfficeMax executive
vice president of merchandising. "OfficeMax's technology experts are on hand
to help shoppers sort through terms such as 'megapixels' and 'megabytes,' and
identify the right camera for that special someone on their holiday list."
According to the Consumer Electronic Association, digital cameras have
replaced DVD players as the number one electronic gift this holiday season. To
match the best digital cameras with the amateur photographers on your list,
OfficeMax technology experts identified these profiles:

-- Snap Shot Specialist - the first-time digital camera user who takes
photos to send and share via cell phone, email or post on the
Internet. For this, OfficeMax recommends simple value-priced cameras
that offer quality photos small enough in resolution to easily send
and receive electronically, such as the DXG 308 3 megapixel Digital
Camera. Its compact design features 4x zoom, 16MB internal memory, and
a 1.5" LCD screen ($79.99).

-- Family Historian - this photographer brings out the camera during
holidays and family gatherings, and wants an easy-to-use,
point-and-shoot camera that takes quality 4x6-inch and 5x7-inch prints
without much hassle. For an easy one-step, computer-free printing
process, OfficeMax recommends the Kodak EasyShare CX 7330 Digital
Camera and Printer Dock Bundle. With 3.1 megapixels and 3x optical
zoom, high-quality 4x6-inch borderless photos are printed at the touch
of a button ($269.99). Or print directly from the camera to the
printer with the Canon A75 3.2 Megapixel Digital Camera, which has a
3x optical, 3.2x digital zoom lens and 3.2 megapixels ($199.99).

-- Photo Buff - this photographer takes their hobby seriously, and wants
higher resolution to enlarge photos, plus flexibility for additional
camera features and gadgets. OfficeMax recommends the Olympus C-725
3.0 Megapixel Digital Camera, with 8x optical zoom/3x digital zoom
capability that lets them get closer to the subject. At 3.0
megapixels, images are small enough to e-mail and big enough to print,
up to 8x10-inch and larger ($229.98). The HP PhotoSmart R707 5.1
Megapixel Digital Camera allows for poster-size enlargements, has 3x
optical/8x digital zoom, and can print direct to any
PictBridge-enabled printer. This compact camera also has in-camera
red-eye removal, image advice, and panorama preview ($299.99). The
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P41 is the lightest of the new Cyber-Shot cameras,
with 4.1 megapixels, 3x digital zoom and a five-area multi-point auto
focus that allows users to automatically or manually focus on a
subject. It has six preset screen modes, auto exposure mode and a
burst mode that allows the camera to capture four shots in quick
succession ($179.99).

With a 115 percent low price guarantee, excellent customer service and an
updated store design that makes it easier to find products quickly, OfficeMax
is the place to get everyone's digital camera needs in one easy, affordable
trip.