Photo by Member MadmacksBlack Friday is right around the corner, and this year you can bet that there will be some great deals on Digital SLR cameras. But don't make that purchase based on discount percentage alone - Let's make sure that a DSLR is the right camera for you.If any of the following apply, a DSLR is not the right camera for you.

You think that buying a DSLR will turn you into a 'photographer' and enable you to instantly start a new business taking photos at weddings, bah mitzvahs, or other events that are IMPORTANT to people. You DON'T want your work showing up here

Photo by Member HolyBanana

If you did not know already, a DSLR is a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera. Aside from the common function of "taking pictures," a DSLR is really a different animal than the average* point and shoot camera. A DSLR gives you, the photographer, full control over aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. Different combination of those settings produce all of the other characteristics of your photographic expression, like bokeh, exposure levels, saturation, blur. Those three primary settings will give you the ability to capture anything from stunningly sharp sports shots to long exposure nighttime shots.Photography is an art. A DSLR is the tool of choice for most photographic artists. However, like any tool, simply putting it in ones hands does not make one a master of it.Using the camera's A (Automatic) mode will enable anyone to take high quality images in pretty much any environment without knowing all of the settings. But, learn those settings, and a few basic rules of composition and you'll be producing photos to be proud of. So are you ready to put away your cell phone camera and start capturing those memories with a REAL camera?


]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:53:38 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/get-your-mams-o-grammed-breast-cancer-awareness/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/get-your-mams-o-grammed-breast-cancer-awareness/ National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.Cancer, one of the most cruel afflictions, has gone and screwed up one of the best things in all the world. I hate cancer now more than ever.Unfortunately, hating it doesn't work nearly as well as getting screened and taking preventive measures will. If you own one or more breasts, here are some of the things you need to do to maintain them:

• Learn about it by reading a guide on breast cancer.
• Know if cancer is in your family history. If it is, don't despair, just take extra precautions.
• Get a clinical exam every 2-3 years from the age of 20.
• Get a mammogram and exam every year after the age of 40.
• Do a self-exam every single month, even if you slack on the other stuff.

Yes, it's true the risk of breast cancer goes up after 40, but the risk of everything goes up the longer you're alive. More old people die from falling accidents, but you probably still treat the navigation of great heights with a healthy dose of caution. Treat cancer the same way. Read about breast cancer now, so maybe someday you won't have to regret not reading it.Nearly 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected this year and nearly 40,000 deaths will be attributed to this disease. That's forty thousand grandmas, moms, daughters, wives, and sisters leaving us behind every year. Men are not in the clear, either. Nearly 2,000 men are anticipated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, too. Those statistics are just the numbers for invasive breast cancer--the truly nasty kind most likely to spread to other parts of the body. There are plenty of other non-invasive yet still terribly destructive forms which can occur.If you find yourself unable to squeeze a bit of routine maintenance in for your own benefit, do it for the people you care about. Cancer is a hideous, painful disease that brutalizes you along with everyone you love. Cancer affects almost 40% of us in our lifetimes already, and it doesn't deserve any more opportunities than it already gets.]]> Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:18:10 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/zombieland-reviewed/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/zombieland-reviewed/ Free Zombieland movie ticket with purchase of DVD at Amazon. Or just for laughs, some zombie deals here:Party Down in Zombieland! Zombie Deals Here!If one likes haunted houses, Im looking forward to reviewing Paranormal Activity opening this weekend (hopefully in my market). Any movie that can, reportedly, freak out Spielberg is good enough for me.]]> Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:14:26 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/get-your-groove-on-new-music-coming-this-fall/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/get-your-groove-on-new-music-coming-this-fall/ While Paramore, Kiss, and Madonna have already dropped new CDs, there are still quite a few looming on the horizon.
Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart Release Date: 10/13 - Dylan leaves his mark on classic Christmas standards. While new ground won't be broken, it will be different than the usual Bing Crosby holiday fare,
Weezer - Rattitude Release Date: 10/27 - Weezer is the epitome of pop punk. We can only hope their newest record has more high energy pop songs. With a title inspired by a comment from actor Rainn Wilson, how bad could it be?
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg Release Date: 10/27 - The first single has been described as Led Zeppelin meets Black Sabbath. That's not a bad thing.
Eminem - Relapse 2 Release Date: November - The venerable rapper had enough material left from his first Relapse that he was able to release the sequel by year's end. Don't expect much to be different this time around.
Carrie Underwood - Play On Release Date: 11/3 - This CD finds the country darling trying for a more pop sound. Will she alienate her country fans?
Foo Fighters - Greatest Hits Release Date: 11/3 - Dave Grohl and Co. offer up two new tracks alongside favorites such as "Everlong," "My Hero," and "The Pretender." The deluxe edition comes with a DVD of some of their videos. Nice!!
AC/DC - Backtracks Release Date: 11/10 - This collection of rarities and live cuts is worth mentioning because the deluxe edition comes packaged in a working guitar amp. So at $200, the price might not be too steep for those who really want to release their inner Angus. Now where did I put that old schoolboy uniform?
John Mayer - Battle Studies Release Date: 11/17 - One of the most anticipated releases of the season has the singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso documenting almost every step of the creative process for this CD through YouTube videos and numerous tweets. Can it possibly live up to the hype?
Adam Lambert - TBD Release Date: 11/24 - American Idol has been on so long it has become an efficient music factory, pumping out new artists like a formulaic assembly line. Just show up and you are guaranteed a record deal. This runner-up releases his first collection of pop tunes.]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:41 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/yet-another-way-to-rationalize-new-shoes/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/yet-another-way-to-rationalize-new-shoes/ Laura4:38Hi Amy. Did you buy your pinstriped wedding dress online?Schame4:39What are you talking aboutlpickles4:40the dress in the Facebook picture. Did you buy it online?Schame4:41Oh I gotcha now, sorry it has been a long day. I didn't get it online. I got it in the storeslpickles4:41I figured but thought there was a chance. Did you get a deal or just go for the cute dress? (Very cute, by the way)Schame4:41I'm sure it was on sale. It was about 3 years ago when i bought it. Just cute i guess4:42You know i just wore that dress to a wedding last week, I guess it is my staple wedding dresslpickles4:46how economicalSchame4:46yup. Except it use to fit better 3 years agolpickles4:46preachin' to the choir4:52How'd you update it?Schame4:55Platform pumps and black tights. Splurged a bit on the shoes since I've reused the dress so much. I'll do the same with the shoes right? But I did get cash back.Laura4:55Right? So cute. Add a faux fur cropped jacket and you can wear it to the Christmas party. Let's dress up and blog about being the only people who dressed up for the Christmas party.Schame5:01In!]]> Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:29:05 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/the-people-of-fatwallet/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/the-people-of-fatwallet/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:27:25 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/world-vegetarian-day-october-1st-2/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/world-vegetarian-day-october-1st-2/ World Vegetarian Day kicks off a whole month of vegetarian festivities, and is probably the most famous October holiday which celebrates not enjoying yourself while eating.Non-vegetarians can celebrate this holiday by trying out a vegetarian diet for the day, or give it a go for the whole month of October, which is Vegetarian Awareness Month. A vegetarian diet consists mostly of expensive coffee, mulch shaped and dyed to look like normal food, and a lot of envy. Vegetarians do have a knack for turning roughage and garnish into things you would probably eat if you had more room after all that turkey and gravy on Thanksgiving.If a spartan menu of salads and elitist superiority isn't your thing, check out some other October food holidays for alternatives to World Vegetarian Day.]]> Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:22:38 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/september-25th-is-national-comic-book-day/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/september-25th-is-national-comic-book-day/ National Comic Book Day is a holiday similar to Free Comic Book Day, with a few key differences:-It is in September.-There is no industry support.-You do not get a free comic book.-It appears to have no founders.-It isn't celebrated or observed anywhere.In fact, some of the top search results for this holiday include a closed Facebook event invitation and a web page which produces a "known attack site" warning in Firefox. Anyone who tells you this is an actual holiday cannot be trusted. Never rely on this person to provide you with accurate information, because it will be clear to you they are lying or horribly misinformed about almost any subject on which they speak.This holiday sucks, and its authenticity needs to be challenged anywhere it is found. Choose to celebrate nerdery with Free Comic Book Day, and abandon false observances.
]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:35:25 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/johnny-appleseed-day-september-26th/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/johnny-appleseed-day-september-26th/ Johnny Appleseed died around March 22, 1847 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This concludes the list of everything interesting about Fort Wayne and Indiana. The list of interesting things about Johnny Appleseed is more substantial, and that list is why you can get someone to listen to you about Johnny Appleseed. At least, relative to the number of people who would listen to you about Fort Wayne.John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed, a.k.a. Applesizzle, a.k.a. Jack Apples, was a nomadic environmental terrorist. The first illustration depicts the event where Johnny famously licked the ground prior to burning everything he could see to clear the way for his mighty orchards. His fierce facial tattoos gave him a psychological edge in battle, while his pimp hat and silky shirts were worn to both conceal his tribal scarring as well as enhance his "peacockin'" club style.Another famous illustration comes from Harper's New Monthly Magazine. All known copies have been destroyed of the text, but there are several legends associated with the picture. The popular story is that of a famous duel between Johnny and a birthday party magician, where Mr. Chapman bet the illusionist that a bearded juggler in a dress would be a bigger hit than some "stupid card tricks and the ol' rabbit in a hat B.S." However, the most widely-accepted interpretation amongst historians is much, much darker. In this version, near the the end of his reign of terror, the wandering Johnny Appleseed came back to Ohio and spotted a ground breaking ceremony for a new Starbucks. Infuriated at the loss of one of his mightiest apple trees, Johnny tossed an apple into the air and blew a kiss at the master of ceremonies. He muttered "I am Jack's smirking revenge," and then burned the whole place down.
There are other accounts of Johnny Appleseed being an eccentric philanthropist, a charitable person who didn't ask for much more than he needed and did what he could to help others along the way. Almost everyone agrees the guy was nuts, in any case.Be sure to celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day by planting an apple tree, or performing some apple-related task. If you don't, he may come back to life and eat you.]]> Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:05:38 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/toys-to-watch-before-black-friday-2009/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/toys-to-watch-before-black-friday-2009/ Trend #1: Gifts the whole family can enjoy.Eyeclops Mini Projector- Movie night just got better with a few D batteries and 10 hours of bigger than life projections, coming to a home near you. And yes, it will probably even make the popcorn taste better when youre enjoying it with the Eyeclops. Should we say, epic? Price ranges from $79.99 to $99.99 on Amazon.com. Trend #2: Quality time with family and friends. Its back to the roots of holidays with intimate gatherings. Barbie Dolled Up Nails Digital Nail Printer- Its perfect for mother daughter pampering, an at-home spa party or kids entertainment at your holiday bash. This printer plugs into your computer, and all you have to do is select a design (custom or over a 1000 to choose from), pick a color, print with nail polish ink and wear for instant salon style. The upfront cost is worth limitless manicure fun. Check it out at Toys-R-Us for $180.Trend #3: Charitya gift that gives.FurReal Friends Zambi the baby Elephant- What better message this holiday season than teaching children the importance of helping those in need. This robotic elephant gives 50% of the proceeds to the global charity for children in Africa orphaned by AIDS. Zambi sits, stands, wiggles ears, curls trunk and even makes sounds. Its a priceless lesson starting at $49.97 at Walmart. Trend #4: As always, the latest and best tech gifts for the little onesUltimate Buzz Lightyear Robot- Coming this fall- the interactive, confused space ranger will crash into your childs playroom! He talks (over 100 phrases), walks, turns, blinks, salutes, fires his laser and more with multiple smart sensors, built-in games and a 15-function remote. With the buzz of the new movie coming out in June 2010, its sure to be hot. It will be available at Walmart, Target or pre-order now at Disney Store online for $199.95.And tech gifts for the bigger ones.Mattel Mindflex Mind Control Game- A hot new trend is mind control games. You can levitate a small ball with the power of your mind. May the shopping force be with you. Amazon is taking pre-orders now with prices starting at $79.99. These gift ideas should inspire your holiday shopping escapades before the masses hit stores on Black Friday. With impulse buying out and list-making in, I hope you can make room on your list for practical gifts with a hint of vogue.]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:37:15 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/damn-ye-yellowbellied-sapsuckers/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/damn-ye-yellowbellied-sapsuckers/ talking like a pirate.You see, about fifteen years ago, they played some raquetball, one of them got a leg cramp and yelled "Arrr!", and they figured that exclamation must be what murderous sailors being hunted to extinction by world superpowers sounded like. This created an excuse to call people, yell antique obscenities into the phone, and blame it on the occasion. As a bonus, if you selected your ex-wife's birthday to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day, you had all the pretense you need to make her absolutely miserable. Incidentally, if you created an international phenomenon which will serve to make it YOUR day more than hers for the rest of her life, yo-ho-ho to you, sir.Pirates were sailors, murderers, and thieves of varying ability, but their primary skill set was drinking, making up new words, and dying with great frequency. They also shared a keen sense of fashion and disdain for typical employment opportunities.This Saturday, we celebrate their lexicon by finding ways to inject pirate speech into every conversation possible. We'll focus on a few ways to pirate-ify consumer transactions. Dressing like a role-player or comic convention attendee is not required, but is encouraged. Speaking through gnashed teeth will result in a more authentic conversation, as well as consulting a guide on how to talk like a pirate.Avast, Ye! -- Stop. Use: This could be used to decline a five week trial subscription to an entertainment magazine while purchasing an XBox 360 game, or rejecting the eight year extended warranty on your iPod Shuffle.Bilge -- The lowest, least used, and typically most disgusting part of any ship. Use: "Found me this copy of 'The Lake House' DVD in the bilge. No great shakes, eh?"Cut of Your Jib -- Thinly cut foresails (jib sails) on a ship enabled captains a good deal of precision, captains who needed that extreme precision were usually pirates aiming at other ships. Other captains didn't usually like this, and so didn't like the cut of the pirates' jib. Use: When a cashier eyes you and your fistful of coupons with dread, drop an "ARRRR!" followed by something about them "not likin' the cut o' my jib!"Booty -- Treasure, anything of value. Use: All items, of any value, must consistently be referred to as Booty. If anyone looks uncomfortable, say it even louder.Speaking of booty, it's time to go plunder some. Sail over to our Talk Like a Pirate Contest thread, share some loot with your mateys, and fight for your share of the spoils.]]> Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:44:29 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/t-shirt-design-tips/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/t-shirt-design-tips/ Black Friday T-shirt Design Contest, here's a few links to tips. Some are pretty heady for those of you who do design on a professional level, but some are perfect to help the novice designer make that good idea a great one!5 Secrets For Perfect T-Shirt Text.6 Great Tips On How To Prepare Artwork for T-Shirt Printing.Logo design with apperal in mind.Tips To Save Time and Money For Tshirt Designs.How to design custom T-shirtHot T-shirt designs and design tips by Darkside Digital ArtsNeed some ideas? Go here to see 2008 entries.]]> Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:37:13 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/hoover-whisper-dyson-clone/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/hoover-whisper-dyson-clone/ I'm going to share with you a precious gem that has been residing in our hot deals forum for three whole years now.Started by Atrac, and brought to life by Cycloneman the topic explores an alternative option for for the elusive Dyson vacuum cleaner.You've seen the commercials, you've heard the story. You've listened to 'that guy' at work swear by the pure cyclone suckage provided with the patented technology that never clogs (except for when it does). And of course, you've seen the pricetag. ($500? Really? For a vacuum?)Enter the Hoover Whisper. For a mere $100 bucks, this bad boy apparently uses the same Dyson technology from a now expired patent. It looks strikingly similar and has many GREAT reviews from the fatwallet community.When I discovered the Hoover Whisper thread a year or two ago, I grew curious and, honestly, excited. I loved that the vacuum was being referred to as a "Dyson clone" and the raving reviews claiming that it even performs like a Dyson. I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. One problem, I already have a vacuum that works just fine :(So for the next year and a half, everytime I would vacuum (which isn't often enough according to my wife) I would recklessly vacuum over the cord or my socks or stuffed animals or the curtains. Anything in hopes to kill that beast of a Hoover Windtunnel that was clearly inferior to the "Dyson Clone"Eventually, we got fed up with the dusty smell that the windtunnel produced and ordered the Whisper from walmart. It was $88, with 98cent shipping, and I used a $10 gift card. It arrived within 5 days.We've been incredibly happy with the vacuum for 6 months now.It does a great job, it is easy to empty, the attachments work great. Its suction power is very impressive - it'll give an arm hickey in about 6 seconds.My only beef with it is the lack of clear carrying method. The top pushy/pully thingie has a handle, and the top of the dustbin has a handle - but are either of them really safe for carrying this bad boy up and down stairs? I end up cradling it like a baby everytime I take it upstairs.I actually LIKE my vacuum, and I like to use it. I love that I didn't spend $500 on a vacuum, but still manage to get the performance of a Dyson. There is a TON of great resources in the Hoover Whisper and MachX topicYou can Order the vacuum from walmart.com]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:48:58 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/getting-those-necessities-online/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/getting-those-necessities-online/ consumer necessities deals, list ideas and a pretty sweet Drugstore.com gift certificate giveaway.]]> Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:44:00 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/1-wedding-and-4-lessons-later-2/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/1-wedding-and-4-lessons-later-2/ FatWallets travel deals forum and found advice and coupons for the best price on rental cars. I got caught up in the game of comparing deals, and made it my challenge to keep beating the quoted price until I found the best deal possible! In my excitement, I forgot to cancel old reservations and my husband got three calls to confirm reservations. He was a little confused, but I explained. Score one for the bank account!Wedding Gift- I found a cool gift, received Cash Back and had it shipped. Score two for the bank account!What I didnt account for (but, duh, should have):Mall of America - I love shopping, even though I didnt need anything. We were steps away from the mall so it was inevitable. I walked in and was a kid in a candy storeall smiles, not enough time. First penalty on the bank account.Husband- now I shouldve known better to account for this. My husband is very friendly and loves to buy drinks, food (you name it) for new friends, old friends, yet- to-be friends. Even if theres an open bar, he likes to find the cash bar! Second penalty on the bank account.So my weekend consisted of that awesome reminder you get after a weddingfortunate to be lucky in love and to appreciate your spouse even more. The financial lessons are always a little harder to swallow after balancing the checkbook. But with good times all around, heres what I learned:-Always check forums for travel advice, deals, coupons and comparison shopping!-Buy wedding gifts online: cash back and shipping with no in-store registry hassle.-Avoid mall or (better yet) set aside money for shopping!-Account for husbands generosity and remember I can be the same way!]]> Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:40:44 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/how-to-search-for-coupon-codes-discounts-and-free-shipping/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/how-to-search-for-coupon-codes-discounts-and-free-shipping/ (from) Basic Online Shopping Tips: Tip #11. Search for coupon codes, discounts, and free shipping.Finding Coupons: A good place to start, when looking for coupons, is on coupon search web sites such as Retailmenot, coupons.com or even FatWallets Coupon Search. Most of them offer comprehensive search bars that can provide accurate product, store or category results for the terms you enter. Search engines such as Google will help you find the coupon search sites available for you to use as your main resource.Once youve found the coupon code, you can either proceed directly through the link (usually associated with your search results taking you to an online store), or save/copy the code and go to the online store at your leisure. The code is usually applied in the check-out process towards the end of your online purchases.Tip: Coupons are in high demand. Subscribing to RSS feeds, emails or other means of receiving updates will keep you in the know. Codes can have limits, either as expiration dates or even as limited quantities. Read!Deep Discounts and Free Shipping: Like coupons, discounts and free shipping often have expiration dates and codes (sometimes referred to as Promotional codes) associated to them. They are a little more difficult to find in a general search. I would recommend visiting deal sites, shopping forums or sites that also offer cash back and rewards. They are the one-stop for these kind of promotions. The other thing to do when on a retail site is to purposely keep an eye out for extra incentives to save (the home page is a great place to start).Tip: Read the restrictions notices (sometimes referred to as terms and conditions) to make sure the discount will apply to your particular purchase.Hope that helps. Next up, "How to add in cash back, rewards and points.]]> Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:52:29 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/basic-online-shopping-tips/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/basic-online-shopping-tips/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:12:59 -0500 http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/using-hot-deals-view-alerts-with-twitter/ http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/using-hot-deals-view-alerts-with-twitter/ hot deals forum by narrowing down the topics by category and clicking the "Save Current View" button (bottom left). Name your view. Now click the "Subscribe to view" button (right below the save view button).Once you've subscribed, you can go to the view alerts admin page. Click the link to set up your twitter account.Make sure that you're following @fatwallet, we'll send you a DM on twitter to confirm your account. Once confirmed, you can click the twitter checkbox on the view alerts admin page to receive updates from the @fatwallet account on twitter whenever new deals are posted that fit your custom view criteria.Let us know what you think, and how we can improve it in ANY way! Thanks!]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:56:01 -0500