Major camera announcement of the week part three comes from Canon, and I've already reviewed one of these new products. I should have the rest soon. All of these new models uses Canon's DIGIC image processor, support the FAT32 file format on large memory cards, and can print directly to Canon printers.

EOS-10D [press release]
Updated version of EOS-D60 (which I just bought... grrr...)

• Same 6.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor as D60; thus, same 1.6x focal length multiplier
• Uses new DIGIC chip for faster processing and autofocus, plus better photo quality
• 7 selectable AF points
• Can now set white balance color temperature (2800 - 10,000 °K, in 100°K increments)
• ISO sensitivities expanded: can now do 1600 and 3200
• Higher resolution LCD (though still 1.8")
• Selectable color spaces: sRGB or Adobe RGB
• Automatic image rotation
• More languages supported; nearly twice as many custom functions too.
• Improved battery life
• New Magnesium Alloy body
• Supports FAT32 file format on large memory cards
• Ships in mid-March for $1,999 list price. It will be sold for much less though -- around $1499 (!)
• Read much more at dpreview.com and Imaging Resource

On a related note, Canon also introduced a new 17-40mm F4L USM lens. It will ship in May for $1200.

The remainder of the new cameras are in the PowerShot line [press release]:

PowerShot S50
>> Read our review <<
Same as the PowerShot S45, except:

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD (Canon's first!)
• Black-colored body (though it will be silver outside of the U.S.)
• Slightly "better" digital zoom (4.1X vs 3.6X)
• Ships in March for $699

PowerShot S400 Digital ELPH
Replaces the S330

• 4.0 Megapixel CCD
• 3X optical zoom lens (F2.8 - F4.9), equivalent to 36 - 108 mm
• Manual white balance plus selectable shutter speeds as long as 15 sec
• 1.5" LCD
• Movies, with sound, for up to 3 minutes
• Uses proprietary Li-ion battery and CompactFlash Type I cards
• Almost as small as the S230: 3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches, weighs just 185 g
• Ships in March for $599

PowerShot A70
Replaces the A40

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 35 - 105 mm
• Full manual controls, including shutter speed, aperture, white balance, and focus (nice)
• Three resolutions in movie mode: 640 x 480 (up to 30 sec), plus 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 (both 3 min max); sound is recorded
• Uses four AA batteries and CompactFlash Type I cards
• Supports optional WP-DC700 Waterproof Housing (good to depths of 130 ft), plus wide-angle, telephoto, and macro conversion lenses
• Redesigned, smaller body: 4.0 x 2.5 x 1.25 inches, weighs 215 g
• Ships in March for $449

PowerShot A60 - same as above, except:

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD
• Priced at $349

PowerShot A300
Replaces the A200

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• F3.6, fixed focal length lens, equivalent to 33 mm
• Manual shutter speed, white balance controls
• Same movie mode as A60/70
• Uses two AA batteries
• Ships in April for $299

The second major camera announcement of the week comes from Pentax, who today introduced their long-awaited digital SLR camera:

*ist D (who names these things?)

• 6.1 Megapixel CCD
• Compatible with Pentax K, KA, KAF, and KAF2 mount lenses; Other lenses may work but may require an adapter
• New 11-point AF sensor (SAFOX VIII) realizes enhanced focusing
• Fast 1/4000 sec. shutter speed and high-speed flash sync at 1/150 sec.
• Continuous shooting at approx. 2.7 frames/sec
• Optical pentaprism viewfinder shows 95% of the frame
• JPEG, TIFF, and RAW file formats
• CompactFlash Type II slot
• 1.8" LCD display
• Compact, light body: 5.0 x 3.7 x 2.3 inches (W x H x D), weighs 510 g
• Uses four AA batteries
• Ships in July; Price not available

Here's the first of four major (in my opinion) new camera introductions expected in the next week. All of these announcements surround the PMA show that will be taking place next week in Las Vegas. There were also quite a few new products introduced last week -- scroll down to read those. Now, on with the news!

Sony today introduced a whopping nine new cameras, one of which will definitely catch the attention of the enthusiast. I have already reviewed one of these new models, but not the most exciting one unfortunately. I'll start with the exciting one first:

Cyber-shot DSC-V1
"A DSC-F717 in a different body"
[view press release]

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8 - F4.0, 4X optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens; equivalent to 34 - 136 mm
• Full manual controls
• Program Shift feature lets you choose from a number of combinations of aperture/shutter speed
• Hologram AF laser focusing system
• Continuous AF mode keeps the camera focusing for faster response
• New MPEG Movie VX feature lets you record movies (with sound) at 640 x 480 until the Memory Stick is full. That's over 44 minutes with a 1GB Memory Stick Pro!
• NightShot, NightFraming system for zero light photography
• Live histogram in record mode
• New Smart Zoom feature -- variable digital zoom that crops the image, instead of blowing up the center. The lower the resolution of your picture, the more Smart Zoom you can use (up to 4X).
• Hot shoe + accessory terminal
• Can use conversion lenses and filters (lens adapter may be required)
• 1.5" LCD display
• USB 2.0 support
• Uses InfoLithium battery -- estimated battery life 102 minutes with 50% LCD usage
• Supports Memory Stick Pro cards, but not the high speed transfer function that they provide
• "Barely larger than a deck and a half of cards" -- 3.9 x 2.6 x 2.2 inches (W x H x D), weighs 298 grams with card/battery installed
• Ships with 32MB Memory Stick in May for $700

Sounds like worthy competition to the PowerShot G3's of the world! Next up are the "Compact P series" cameras [view press release]:

Cyber-shot DSC-P10

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8 - F5.6, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 38 - 114 mm
• AF illuminator
• Live histogram in record mode
• MPEG Movie VX, Continuous AF, Smart Zoom, USB 2.0, and Memory Stick Pro support, as described above
• 3 shot burst mode
• 1.5" LCD
• Can use conversion lenses and external slave flash
• Ultra compact body: 4.3 x 2.0 x 1.4 inches, weighs 206 grams
• Uses InfoLithium battery
• Ships with 32MB Memory Stick in April for $600

Cyber-shot DSC-P8 - same as above, except:

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• Lens equivalent to 39 - 117 mm
• Ships with 16MB Memory Stick in April for $400

Next, we have the regular P series cameras. I must admit that the differences between these and the models above are small.

Cyber-shot DSC-P92

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8 - F5.6, 3X optical zoom, equivalent to 38 - 114 mm
• Everything as described in Compact P series section, except continuous AF, 3 shot burst mode (it's 2 shot here) and InfoLithium battery
• Slightly larger body vs. Compact P series: 4.7 x 2.3 x 1.3 inches, weighs 259 grams
• Uses two AA batteries. Camera includes 2100 mAh NiMH cells plus a 6 hour charger in the box.
• Ships with 16MB Memory Stick in April for $500

Cyber-shot DSC-P72 - same as above, except:

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• Priced at $330
  >> Read our review of the P72 <<

Cyber-shot DSC-P52 - same as above, except:

• F3.8, 2X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 41 - 82 mm (!)
• Priced at $280

Cyber-shot DSC-P32 - same as above, except:

• Fixed focal length lens (33 mm equivalent); Smart Zoom only
• Priced at $230

I close out this Sony marathon with two new CD Mavica cameras [view press release]:

CD Mavica MVC-CD500

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD
• F2.0 - F2.5, 3X optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens, equivalent to 34 - 102 mm
• Uses same 3" CD-R/RW discs as its predecessors
• Full manual controls, plus Program Shift (as described earlier)
• MPEG Movie VX mode -- up to 6 minutes of VGA video per disc
• Hologram AF laser focusing + continuous AF mode
• Hot shoe + accessory port
• Large 2.5" LCD display
• Ships in April for $700

CD Mavica MVC-CD350 - same as above, except:

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• F3.8, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 41 - 123 mm
• AF illuminator instead of Hologram AF
• No manual controls, hot shoe, or accessory port
• More compact body
• Priced at $500

Well, that was exhausting. I'll be back with more new cameras later this week.

Added 10pm: I've posted a quick review of the Sony DPP-EX5, a small photo printer which hooks into your TV (or a computer, if you desire). It's only $199 -- not bad for a dye-sublimation printer.

Next, I'll be working on a little surprise review for Monday morning.

Some more Fuji news today...

First of all, you can check out some sample photos from the new SuperCCD cameras introduced the other day:

FinePix F700 photos
FinePix F700 vs. F401 comparison at DP Review
FinePix F410 photos

Buried deep within another Fuji press release is the mention of a 20.8 Megapixel SuperCCD sensor:

Fujifilm will announce the development of a new state-of-the-art medium format digital camera back for professional use. The back is equipped with Fujifilm's newly developed 20.8 million total pixels Super CCD with a 52 x 37 mm size chip capable of producing a record breaking 7,648 x 5,408 (41 million) recorded pixels for exceptional quality. The CCD will produce ultra high-resolution images with superb color fidelity for professional photographers.

Added 6:30pm: I've posted my review of the Toshiba PDR-3320. While it's a decent value, I was not enthusiastic about this camera, at all.

I have started the photo gallery for the Kyocera Finecam S5.

Fuji today introduced two new digital cameras, which we hinted at last month when the new SuperCCD 4 sensor was introduced. And here they are:

FinePix F700

• Uses new SuperCCD SR sensor: 3.1 million effective S-pixels, 3.1 million effective R-pixels for a total of 6.2 million effective pixels (though some will debate that number)
• Produces images with up to 6.03 million pixels (2832 x 2128)
• 3X optical zoom lens (F2.8), equivalent to 35 - 105 mm
• Full manual controls, plus ISO settings of 200/400/800/1600 (ISO 1600 only available at 1 Megapixel resolution)
• C-AF (continuous autofocus) mode makes camera focus at all times, for faster shooting
• Fast startup time -- just 1.2 sec
• Can record movies at 640 x 480, 30 frames/sec, until the memory card is full (though included 16MB card only holds 13 seconds worth!)
• 1.8" LCD display
• Uses proprietary Li-ion battery and xD Picture cards (16MB included)
• Sleek metal body weighs 170 grams; dimensions are 4.3 x 2.1 x 1.1 inches (W x H x D)
• Includes camera dock for transferring photos and battery charging
• Ships in April for $600

FinePix F410

• Uses new 3.1 effective Megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor: can produce images with 6.0 million pixels (2816 x 2120)
• 3X optical zoom lens (F2.8)
• Same body as FinePix F401, weighs 165 grams
• Can record movies at 320 x 240 for up to 98 seconds, with sound
• Can be used for video-conferencing (Windows only)
• Uses proprietary Li-ion battery and xD Picture cards (16MB included)
• Optional camera dock for transferring photos and battery charging
• Ships in April for $500

Things have been pretty slow around here lately. That changes right now, as the PMA madness has begun!

Added 10:45am: Pentax has introduced a trio of new Optio digital cameras. They are:

Optio 550

• 5.0 Megapixel CCD
• 5X optical zoom, equivalent to 37.5 - 187.5 mm (!); F2.8 - F4.8;
• Shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual modes, plus manual white balance
• Up to 10 minutes of video w/sound; Time-lapse movie mode as well.
• Live histogram in record mode
• 1.5" LCD display
• In-camera image resizing/cropping
• Uses SD/MMC memory cards and proprietary Li-ion battery
• Small aluminum alloy body: 3.9 x 2.3 x 1.6 inches (WxHxD), weighs 205 grams
• Pricing and availability not announced

Optio 450 - same as above, except:

• 4.0 Megapixel CCD

Optio 33L

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 38 - 114 mm
• 1.5" rotating LCD display (you may recall that the Optio 330GS had an LCD which flipped out, but did not rotate)
• Live histogram in record mode
• Can record movies (w/o sound) for 30 seconds
• Uses two AA batteries and CompactFlash Type I cards
• Small body weighs just 180 grams
• Price, availability unknown

Nikon has introduced three new Coolpix cameras (sorry, no D100 or D1X replacement), including one you may have seen already -- the Coolpix SQ. Here are the important details:

Coolpix 3100

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 38 - 115 mm
• 1.5" LCD display
• New Scene Assist feature "acts as a photography expert built right into the camera". Scene Assist is available on 4 of the 14 scene modes on the camera
• Improved movie mode allows for clips up to 20 seconds in length at 640 x 480, or 40 seconds at 320 x 240; Sound is not recorded.
• Can imprint date/time on photos
• Includes new NikonView 6.0 software with one-touch redeye reduction feature
• Uses CompactFlash Type I cards (16MB included) and two AA batteries
• Small body weighs just over 150 grams
• Ships in March for $350

Coolpix 2100 - same as above, except:

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD
• Lens equivalent to 36 - 108 mm
• Shorter movies: 7 seconds at 640 x 480, 15 seconds at 320 x 240
• Priced at $250

Coolpix SQ (the worst kept secret of 2003)

• 3.1 Megapixel CCD
• 3X optical zoom, equivalent to 37 - 111 mm
• Small, unique body with outer-swivel lens; weighs just 180 grams
• Connects to the computer through Nikon’s Cool-Station Power Base (charges the battery plus a spare as well)
• Same scene, movie modes as other new models
• 1.5" LCD display (no optical viewfinder)
• CompactFlash (Type I) slot
• Shipping in Spring for $499
• More info and pictures at LetsGoDigital.nl

Expect previews of the Coolpix 2100 and 3100 shortly. I was supposed to get them both last week, but that did not happen (grr...). In the meantime, you can check out "first looks" of the 2100 and 3100 at Steve's Digicams and Imaging Resource.

Minolta has quietly announced their new DiMAGE S414 digital camera, an update to the S404. The S404 was a bit of a sleeper hit that most people never knew about. Anyhow, here are the details:

• 4.0 Megapixel CCD
• 4X optical zoom Minolta GT lens (F3.0 - F3.6, equivalent to 35 - 140 mm)
• Faster performance: capturing interval time of 0.8 seconds and continuous advance speed of 1.3 frames per second with up to 7 frames
• Focus Area Selection allows you to pick the subject to focus on
• Uses Type I CompactFlash cards
• Sharpness, contrast, and filter digital effects controls, plus manual white balance
• ISO can be set to 64, 100, 200, 400, or auto
• Movie mode allows for 60 seconds of video + sound
• Stylish aluminum body
• Pricing, availability not mentioned

Read more: Specs, Backgrounder, Press release

I am just getting started on these two new photo galleries:

Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Gallery updated 2/8/03
Toshiba PDR-3320

Just a quick update today, since things have been fairly quiet here lately. I'm currently working hard on a DV camcorder review, that will be up on my dvspot site in another day or so.
Quick Thursday update: Canon ZR65 MC review posted on dvspot.

After that, it's back to digicams, and I've got a number of them lined up for review, including some that I can't even tell you about yet! You can always see what's next by clicking on Upcoming Reviews at the top of this page.

Quick Wednesday update: Sony Europe has announced three new Cyber-shot digital cameras. The DSC-P32, -P52, and -P72 are all three Megapixel cameras. The P32 has no optical zoom, while the P52 and P72 have 2X and 3X zoom lenses, respectively.

The new Cyber-shots support Sony's new Memory Stick Pro format, which was announced last month at CES. They also feature the new MPEG Movie VX function, which "makes it possible to make movies with sound in VGA quality." When used with a 1GB Memory Stick Pro, the camera allows "approximately 22 minutes of movie recording."

All three cameras include rechargeable AA batteries, with 30% higher capacity than previous models. They will ship in Europe in March and April. These models have not been introduced in the U.S.

For more info, check out the press release and specs over at Sony Europe. Let's Go Digital has some more photos and info as well.