Canon Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2177B002)

The Canon Pixma MP470 is a versatile, all-in-one unit that lets you quickly print beautiful photos and laser-quality text at home. Compact and easy to use, the MP470 delivers results that are truer to your originals, plus it scans photos or forms, even thick notebooks, with ease. This unit also lets you print directly from memory cards, digital cameras, and camera phones, and you can even enhance your images before you print by using the 1.8-inch color LCD display. All these great features come in one stylish machine that will enhance any home or office setting.

The MP470 uses Canon's FINE technology with microscopic droplets as small as two picoliters for incredible detail, and a maximum 4800 x 1200 dot-per-inch (dpi) resolution for vivid, lifelike prints. It also works fast, printing a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in approximately 46 seconds. Before printing, you can preview and fine tune your images by using the color LCD display. For added convenience, you can print from memory cards, cameras, and camera phones--no computer needed. You even have the option of click-connect-print: Just capture an image with a PictBridge-ready digital camera/DV camcorder, then connect and print. And if you're not completely satisfied with your print, the Easy-PhotoPrint EX software and automatic image-fix help you troubleshoot and create a wide variety of beautiful shots. In fact, using select Canon inks and photo papers with the MP470 will produce photos that last up to 100 years.

Exceptionally easy to use, the MP470 is ready to go when you are; simply press the power button and you can begin inputting commands immediately. The USB 2.0 interface enables the fastest possible image transfers and scanning speeds. For added convenience, you can print from a compatible Bluetooth device in another room, using the optional USB Bluetooth adapter. When it's time to make copies, trust the dual color gamut processing technology to automatically optimize quality based on the type of originals you're copying. And all your scans will have superb detail, thanks to the high resolution of up to 2400 x 4800 dpi.

What's in the Box
Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Power Cord Sample Media (five 8.5 x 11 sheets), setup instructions, quick start guide, setup software and user's guide CD-ROM, cross sell sheet, and one each PG-4 black and CL-41 color cartridges.
Customer Review: Research before you buy....
researched this printer on consumer reports and was able to purchase on here for less $$ even with the shipping. Ooh and it also prints well.
Customer Review: AVOID: Wastes Color Ink on B&W only Printing
I've owned this printer for 4 months and print only B&W, using my Epson 2200 as my dedicated photo printer. With the MP470, checking "Greyscale" printing AND going into Maintenance / Ink Cartridge Settings and configuring the printer to use ONLY black ink (per user manual), my color ink has been nearly depleted. I leave the printer on 24/7 because I know printers often use up ink on every power cycle to charge the cartridges (I have an elec. eng. degree). The printer will not work if the color ink cartridge is removed. There's no legitimate reason for this $70 printer, with these settings, to go through $25 worth of color ink when doing only B&W printing. When this is completely out of ink I plan on throwing it away and buying another brand. It'll be cheaper than paying Canon to waste my ink, to say nothing of the increased polution in printer cartridges.

This article series is designed to help beginning wedding photographers prepare for their first wedding.

My previous article discussed the mindset a photographer should have as they approach a wedding. I will repeat the core mindset: the wedding is the most important day in the shared lives of this man and woman, there are no second chances, and, as such, I will work my absolute hardest to capture the best possible photos during the day that will bless the couple as they begin their life together.

This article looks at two more real-life scenarios and how the above mindset impacts them.

Transporting Digital Files

You have an out-of-state wedding. There is an 8-hour drive. You leave early Friday morning so you can arrive with plenty of time to visit the venues and also attend the rehearsal. The next day the wedding goes great. You get in the car to drive home. A question comes to my mind: what will happen to the wedding photos if you were to (terrible thought) die in a fiery car crash on the way back? If the most important day of the couples life together is their wedding day and you have that thought in your mind, you will realize that you cannot take the slightest chance of losing their photos.

If you have a laptop computer you could burn a copy of all the photos onto DVDs, put them in a box, give them to one of the bride or grooms relatives that you trust, and then have them ship the box back to you. Doing so doesnt cost you anything since they are paying for the shipment. There is always the risk that they wont ship the DVDs to you or that they could download them to their computer. If you are concerned about those risks you could always ship the box yourself. Itll take extra time/effort/hassle but, it will keep it so that you have control over the RAW images.

Will you ever regret taking the time to ship a copy of the files back? I dont think so. And there are lots of different ways you could do it in handling the nitty-gritty details. But the bottom line is this: always be thinking worst-case scenarios to make sure the photos are safe and protected.

Spontaneous Additions to the Formal Shot List

You are in the middle of the formal photo session after the ceremony. These photo sessions are usually (for me) pressure-filled: people are everywhere (generally they are anywhere but where they should be); you have to arrange and then take top-notch formal photos in a very short amount of time for each grouping; you have to maintain overall control without appearing controlling and all while smiling! You worked ahead of time with the bride and groom to create a detailed list of who will be in each formal photo. The list they created was significantly longer than what you were hoping for but, you said it would be fine (remembering that the day is all about them and what they want). You did share how long you felt the photo session would take to make sure they were OK with that but, since they were, so were you. Then, in-between almost every single formal grouping the couple is coming up with new ideas for photos. Why dont we do a separate one with Grandma? How about a shot with both sets of Grandparents together? Lets do one with all the distant cousins. The originally-scheduled 20 minutes has already passed and they just asked for another formal photo grouping. What do you do?

By now, youll probably guess my answer! Think about it Its the bride and grooms day. If they want to spend it doing formal photos (which is normally something that is dry and boring!), then thats how you spend the day!! Maybe it is a testimony to your skill and personality in making the photo session fun but, either way, have a good attitude and keep on taking the photos.

This is how I usually handle such a situation: I work hard and fast so I can try and accommodate the extra photos into the original schedule while still doing quality work. Anytime the couple asks me if we can do an extra group or setting my answer is always absolutely. At some point Ill also glance at my watch with a goal of simply informing them (not controlling) and say we are running just a little behind schedule but I have all day and we can do whatever youd like. However, if they are aware of what time it is and that they are the ones delaying the schedule I wouldnt even mention the time or delays to them. Sometimes, in their original request theyll mention that they know it make take a bit longer but they would really like a photo of them with their great-grandmother. Other times the couple doesnt even really know what time it is and that they are already 30 minutes late to their reception

Whatever the situation or delay, always remember that the day is about the couple getting married, not (and this is a difficult thought especially considering how much time you are spending in preparation) you photographing your first wedding!

If you are about to photograph your first wedding and this article has been helpful for you, you'll want to visit my web site which has additional Wedding Photography Tips for amateurs. I'm a wedding photographer based near Kansas City.

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Giottos Rocket-Air Blower Professional AA1900 Large + Lenspen Lens Pen Cleaning System + Accessory Kit for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony Digital SLR Cameras

Kit includes: 1) Giottos Rocket-Air Blower Professional AA1900; 2) Lenspen Lens Pen Cleaning System; 3) Deluxe 5-Piece Lens Cleaning Kit; 4) Microfiber Cleaning Cloth. ♦ The Giottos Rocket-Air Blower is very powerful and easy to use cleaning system. The super air stream blows off dust particles, even those attracted by static electricity. Giottos' patented and unique rocket base design allows the Rocket-Air to stand by itself and prevents accidental blocking of the inlet valve as well as making it easy to store. The inlet valve prevents back flow from the air tube. This air blower is an excellent way to remove dust off sensitive equipment parts without physical contact. It works great when used on digital camera sensors, lenses, telescopes, computer keyboards, microscopes, communications equipment, musical instruments or just about any precision equipment. ♦ Keeping your lenses and LCD spotless is crucial to high-quality photography. After all, just the slightest imperfection -- such as dust, fingerprints or water stains -- can mean the difference between a stunning portrait and an unsalvageable mistake. Unfortunately, microfiber cloths can often leave dust behind, and compressed air won't clean fingerprints or other stains. The answer is the LensPen! ♦ Deluxe 5-Piece Cleaning Kit includes: Lens Cleaning Tissue; Lens Cloth; Lens Cleaning Liquid; Blower Brush; Cotton Swabs.

Nobody really wants, or needs the best of anything. It doesn't matter, whether it's digital cameras, automobiles, homes, or jet airplanes. What we really want and expect, is value for our money. If I'm going to spend $100 for a camera, then I better get $100 worth of features and quality from that camera. If I spend $1000 on a camera, then I better get $1000 worth back as well. If you follow a few simple rules, you'll see how easy it is to get the best camera your money can buy.

Acclaimed science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon was famous for a couple of adages known as Sturgeons Laws. My favorite, and the one most relevant to our discussion is, "Ninety percent of everything is crap." It's simple, direct and brutally honest. It also really helps narrow down our search. If the camera your looking at is not on at least one top ten list, then drop it from your search. If it doesn't have at least a four star review from someone, then drop if off your list. There are so many cameras to choose from these days, there's really no need to settle for anything less then the best.

The second step, and a little more effort intensive, is the trial run phase. You need to try out as many of the cameras on your now very short list (thanks to Theodore) as possible. Spend a day, and blitz your favorite camera stores. Go to two or three, and just annoy and pepper the sales staff with as many questions and requests as you can. If you go during off hours, you should have plenty of time and space to try out all the cameras you want. See if you can cajole them into letting you take a few home to try out. After this exercise, your short list should be really short. Maybe even a list of 1.

Of course if the above seems like to much work for you slackers out there, here's my short list of great cameras that are all money well spent. In the under $150 category, the Canon PowerShot A570IS. It's a simple point and shoot with 4x zoom lens, image stabilization, and Canon reliability. For the portability minded ultra compact FaceBook crowd, you can't go wrong with the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph. Slightly less image quality then the A570IS, and slightly more expensive, but a very easy traveler. Another favorite compact of mine is the Olympus Stylus 790SW. The only waterproof, shockproof, dust proof, and freeze proof camera I know.

If want to head for the semi-pro class of camera, step up to the Canon Rebel XTi Digital SLR. It makes an easy transition from point and shoots into the infinitely complex world of SLR photography for about $600. And, finally for those of you with bottomless pocketbooks, why not splurge and grab yourself a Canon EOS 5D for about $2000 plus change. With full frame technology at a very reasonable price, your bound to silence even the most ardent "film only" purists anywhere.

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