Green Camera Gear for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is a time to honor the patron Saint of Ireland, don green, and revel in the holiday's traditions: parades, corned beef and cabbage, and of course, green beer. What better time for a shutterbug to catch friends, family, or coworkers at their most candid for fun memories and perhaps even a bit of Facebook blackmail?

With the spirit of the festivities in mind, DigitalCameraReview.com is highlighting several green cameras and accessories because everything should feel Irish on Saint Patrick's Day, even camera gear. Sláinte!

Canon PowerShot SD1200
DCR praised the lightweight 10.3 megapixel point-and-shoot for its autofocus and high ISO performance, which are great qualities for night shooting. As such, the Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS is a solid choice for snapshots at dimly lit pubs. The SD1200 currently available for around $170 from Adorama.

Canon PowerShot A1100
Critics lauded the 12.1 megapixel PowerShot A1100 as extremely easy to use, which makes this an appealing choice for the less-camera savvy. In other words, you can pass it to friends or even friendly strangers to capture group shots without explaining how it works. Snag a PowerShot for around $130.

Kodak EasyShare M340
The Kodak M340 has some impressive specs for a budget shooter. However, the lack of optical image stabilization makes it less than ideal for snapping photos in hectic and crowded settings, where revelers might clumsily bump into you. On the bright side, it's relatively inexpensive, so you might feel less guilty if you accidentally leave it somewhere. As Irish luck would have it, the green Kodak EasyShare M340 is $78 on Amazon.com, about $20 cheaper than the silver model.

Casio Exilim EX-S12
The 12.1 megapixel Exilim EX-S12 compact also received general praise for its low-light performance, but it's a bit more expensive than the other compacts on this list, leaving you less greenbacks to buy green gear. Casio's green EX-S12 will run you $180 and is available on Amazon.com.

Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP
The DigitalCameraReview.com Z33WP review claimed, "One look at the Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP and it's obvious that this camera is having more fun than you are." Prove DCR wrong by taking this rugged 10.0-megapixel compact for a day of Irish celebration. As a bonus, it's both dust-proof and waterproof, meaning it can shrug off accidental spillage. The green Z33WP is available on Amazon.com for $130.

Fujifilm FinePix XP10
The XP10 is similar to the Z33WP, but ups the ante in toughness. It sports a 12 megapixel sensor and is dust, water, shock, and freeze-proof. It's common for the weather in downtown Chicago or South Boston to be chilly in March, making their famed St. Patrick's Day Parades frosty affairs. Also, shock-proof cameras can withstand any jostling and possible dropping that may occur when celebrating the holiday. Fujifilm toughness isn't cheap; the FinePix XP10 runs about $200 on Amazon.com.

Argus Bean 5 Megapixel Carabiner
With only five megapixels, the oddly shaped Argus Bean 3-Megapixel Carabiner doesn't have much going for it in terms of photo output. But it's tough, easy-to-use, straps on to a belt loop or backpack strap, and costs 50 beans on Amazon.com.

Flip MinoHD
Stills are great, but if you want real footage of your friends' step dancing, your daughter marching in the parade, or South Boston's infamous St. Patrick's Day political roast , you'll need a dedicated video camera. You can snag a customized Flip Mino or Flip MinoHD from CaféPress.com featuring hundreds of Irish-inspired designs, some including slogans that instruct the lads and lasses to "Kiss me, I'm Irish." The Flip Mino costs $150, while the HD version will set you back $200.

Green Accessories
Most of these green point-and-shoots fit comfortably into a green pocket. But the ease, convenience, and protection that a camera bag offers can't be beat. Lowepro offers a variety of green camera cases; while most are forest green and likely appeal to nature photographers, on St. Patrick's Day, any green is good.

• Nova Mini AW
• Spectrum 30 
• Topload Zoom 2 
• Inverse 100 AW

It's doubtful you'll find much use for a green tripod on St. Patrick's Day, unless you are looking to recreate St. Patrick's pious feat and shoo the snakes away, but the Gorillapod is an exception. The snaking mini-tripod features flexible joints, perfect for securing your green compact around a pint glass - or Irish bagpipes. For a more practical use, raise your camera above the parade crowd for great shots by twisting the Gorillapod legs around a cane or umbrella. The green Gorillapod for compacts is available on Joby.com for $25. Customers both wearing green and living "green" can save $3 with optional eco-packaging.

Finally, once you've taken all your snapshots, you must put them on an appropriately green storage device. We had a tough time locating a suitable Leprechaun-friendly USB, so Yoda will have to do. Upon reflection, it's not much of a stretch. Both Yoda and the leprechaun are little, green, and have distinct accents and magical powers. The Yoda USB is available from Tyme Machines. The 16GB unit costs $60 and will store about 4,000 10 megapixel stills, more than enough room for multiple of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations.