Throughout the years, watching and re-watching episodes, I've come to really notice and appreciate how truly skillful the whole production team was. The acting almost always steals the show, of course, but the directors/editors/cinematographers (I'm not exactly sure who would get the credit) leave a distinct mark, as well. It would take up a lot of space to list all my favorite camera shots in the series, but here I'd like to point out just a few I feel are exceptional.

"Ransom For a Dead Man" - I love where the shot fades from Leslie's face to the car driving towards the screen, with Leslie's eyes and the car headlights briefly overlapping in the transition. Of course, there are many other great- even psychedelic -camera shots in the episode, but for me this one's the real standout.

"Etude in Black" - From the frame freezing when Benedict discovers his carnation missing during the orchestra, to the carnation reflecting in his sunglasses at Jennifer's apartment, this episode is one of my favorites as far as rich visuals go (not to mention the great acting, writing etc). My favorite visual part is near the beginning, where Benedict is discussing camera shots for the orchestra with his technical crew, and we get a close-up of two monitor screens, each showing Benedict speaking with William, but at different angles. There's something brilliantly artistic about that shot for me, and though I'm not a television or film watcher generally, many shows and movies I have seen more recently, in my view, fail to capture this sort of unique artistry.

"Playback" - The part where Columbo is demonstrating for Harold and Elizabeth why the bedroom door had to have opened for the clown doll to be seen by Elizabeth is, for me, one of the most genuinely creepy scenes in the whole series. Not only do the lighting and shadows make it eerie, but the music is effective, as well.

"A Deadly State of Mind" - It's not anything too impressive, but a great visual gag is when the scene in the laboratory, where the rats are running along colored lines in the maze, transitions to Columbo examining the directions in the institute, where similarly colored lines on the hallway floors lead to different departments.

Again, the series has so many great visual scenes that could be cited. If anyone has a favorite/favorites, please share them!

Nice points, If I may add a few humble choices of my own...

Death lends a hand- the slow motion murder & aftermath sequence (with great soundtrack by Gil Melle incidentally), where Brimmer plays out how he will dispose of the body- seen through the reflection in his eyes.

Greenhouse Jungle- the nighttime shots of LA, and driving through the hills combined again with a great soundtrack, make it watchable again and again (for me at least).

Short Fuse- The intro & a lot of nice combination shots and backgrounds pinewild/the power plant etc. And of course the murder scene-where the bomb is about to go off in the car- combined with the drama/tension of the thunderstorm, whilst Roger is looking pleased with himself in the club.

Publish or Perish: The split sequence murder scene of the hitman, and Riley Greenleaf (Jack Cassidy) creating drunken havoc (an alibi).
And the eerie scene where Jack Cassidy lights the cigarette and smiles (as the bomb goes off)- an ironic sequence considering his real life death by cigarette/fire not long after this was filmed, always makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
A great actor and a sad and untimely death.

I agree, $leeps, those are fantastic scenes. With Short Fuse, especially, I think the camera work really added something interesting to what would otherwise have been, to me, an unremarkable episode (well, Roddy Mcdowall and James Gregory made it good, too). The scene you pointed out in "Death Lends a Hand" is a favorite of mine as well, perhaps the best murder/cover-up scene in the whole series. Also, now that you mention it, that scene with Jack Cassidy in "Publish or Perish" is quite eerie; I had never made that connection before.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Speaking of GREENHOUSE JUNGLE, the part with Arlene Martel walking very carefully through that solarium at night is pretty "atmospheric." Including that dramatic close-up, which really makes her look like a horror movie heroine.

(Notice how I used the word "solarium" instead of "greenhouse." Once you've heard one of those "superior" Ray Milland characters correct the way someone uses a word, it really stays with you, all joking aside.)

Grant, I love that part in "Greenhouse" where Jarvis corrects Columbo. And Columbo's response where (if I remember correctly) he just mutters, "Solarium. I stand corrected." It's so hilarious how Columbo aggravates Jarvis to no end.

I agree with most of these. One more I'll add (slightly less obvious) is the way the last few minutes of 'Suitable for Framing' are built up - very neatly put together, with a very memorable final shot, slightly elevated above everyone in the room, which freezes as the credits start.

I had never considered it before, tffff, but now that you mention it, that is an outstanding shot. I think the beginning of "Suitable for Framing" is remarkable as well, not so much with any specific use of the camera, but I love that the first few moments present the murder with absolutely no background information on either the victim or the murderer, and no music or sound except the victim playing the piano, and then the gunshot.

I've mentioned the film before in other ways, but those shots of the paintings always remind me of the movie CASTLE KEEP, with Peter Falk himself and Patrick (BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER) O'Neal.

I'm not much of a movie fan myself, but I've been sort of curious about "Castle Keep". If it has both Peter Falk and Patrick O'Neal (who, along with Forrest Tucker, I felt made "Blueprint for Murder" a more interesting episode than it would have been without their presence), perhaps I should check it out!

Some good scenes mentioned so far in this thread...

I think I should add 'Murder by the Book', (directed by a certain young Steven Spielberg) a couple of scenes stand out for me.
The intro which begins by panning across the room, the sound of the typewriter a constant in the background, creates a good deal of suspense. The movie starts and finishes on the portrait of Mrs Melville.

The dream-like sequence where Ken Franklin drives Jim Ferris out to his home at the lake, (where he talks about de ja vu), the shots at Big Bear Lake are stunning.

The shot where Columbo first meets Ken where the camera is low down looking up always makes me smile, as Ken looks Columbo up and down.

When Ken murders Ms La sanka rows out into the lake and drops her in, this shot stands out for me too. The lighting on the water makes this a memorable shot IMO

If you like or at least don't mind very arty WWII films, and ones full of things that either don't belong or SUPPOSEDLY don't belong in WWII (the CATCH-22 / KELLY'S HEROES kind), you could very easily like CASTLE KEEP.

$leeps, I agree about those scenes in "Murder by the Book". I especially like that driving scene you mentioned, not only for the eerie atmosphere, but also because of the subtle foreshadowing of the final clue with Jim's reference to feeling a sense of deja vu. Another scene from "Murder by the Book" that stands out for me is the part where Ken is tearing up Jim's office; aside from the great camera work, I love the devilish glee Jack Cassidy exhibits making that mess, with all subsequent similar scenes in the series looking mundane by comparison.
I do like older, arty films, Grant, so it definitely sounds like one I could get into, though I'm not so into the WW2 setting. I should try it out, though; at the very least it will give me a broader perspective of Peter Falk's career (admittedly, I haven't seen him in too much other than "Columbo").