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Outside magazine, December 1999	Page: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 \| 8
Holiday Gift Guide 1999 Electronics \| Camping Gear \| City Wear \| Beach Toys \| Y2K Provisions \| Bike Stuff \| Stocking Stuffers \| Books

Hey Santa—deal with it. Here's our list of 54 shiny, nifty, tricky, and otherwise outlandish presents.

By Michael Kessler

Cameras haven't been this stylish since JFK got covert on Nikita. But the Nikon Nuvis S ($279; 800-645-6687) is no Cold War relic. It's an APS-format model with a 22.5- to 66-millimeter zoom lens, a built-in flash, and data-imprinting features. Once you close its stainless steel shell, the Nuvis S snuggles slyly into a pocket.

Kill the lights and glimpse the nocturnal world through the Night Owl Cyclops Titanium NOCT3 night-vision monocular ($350; 212-229-0297). Objects in insufficient ambient light—like porcupines or tent stakes—suddenly appear in an ethereal sea-green haze that's even spookier than Silence of the Lambs.

What you have with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L (800-652-2666) is a virtual telescope, a lens so huge that it renders the camera itself a miniature accessory. The fastest autofocus SLR lens of its size in the world, it has a built-in image stabilizer to help you get crisp shots. Just be sure you've got a firm grip: It costs $14,000.

With the Zeiss Mini Quick Monocular ($100; 800-441-3005) you can gaze out your rear window without all that Jimmy Stewart furtiveness. Peer through the 0.8-ounce, cigar-size scope and sleuth-worthy subjects appear five times closer than they would to the naked eye. Just powerful enough to discern the belly of a low-flying puffin—not to mention the depravity in the building across the way.

Why confine the clarity of digital video disc to your living room? Panasonic's DVD-L50 ($1,100; 800-211-7262) delivers eye-popping video on a five-inch flip-up screen and pumps CD-quality sound through built-in speakers (supply your own headphones). The battery goes for three hours before you need the AC adapter, so you'll be able to squeeze in a screening of Boogie Nights in your tent.

The Manfrotto 441 tripod ($550; 201-818-9500) is one of the lightest, most innovative easels on which to work your creative magic. Its carbon-fiber legs and magnesium hardware outmuscle typical aluminum models (it can hold a camera weighing 13 pounds), and the whole contraption extends from one foot to nearly six.