Gift Ideas for Christmas II

Casio EX-FH20, $600 This large digicam is the second-fastest gun in the West, shooting 40 frames per second at 7 megapixels. (The fastest is the more expensive Casio EX-F1, at 60 frames per second). Pros: Shooting in bursts makes it easy to capture action shots and fleeting expressions. Even more fun is shooting at 210 frames per second, which yields slow-motion video. Everyday subjects like a bird taking flight or a child in a swing take on mystery and weight when played seven times slower than real life. Cons: Auto-focus is iffy in high-speed video mode. After a one-second burst of 40 still images, the camera freezes up to ask whether you want to save what you just shot. Take away the high-speed features, and you have a bulky, expensive 9-megapixel still camera.