Added 1pm: Okay, after my big screwup with the photo gallery, I've reshot all my photos, and posted the Toshiba PDR-M700 review. While not perfect, the M700 is an interesting alternative to the Olympus Ultra Zoom models.

The Minolta DiMAGE Xt Biz is a modified version of the DiMAGE Xt camera, with special tools for law enforcement, real estate, insurance, and business applications built-in. The camera, and accompanying software, allow you to annotate images visually or with audio, easily record text/drawings on white boards, correct/straighten line art and drawings, and detect if an image is modified. No word on price or availability.

Sorry folks, the Toshiba PDR-M700 review will have to be delayed for at least another day. I was finishing it up, when I realized that I had accidentally taken all the pictures at ISO 100, instead of 70. Posting the review and pictures at that setting would be a disservice to this camera and Toshiba, so I must reshoot everything. I'll try to get this done tomorrow.

Fuji today introduced five new digital cameras, including the long-awaited replacement for the venerable S602 Zoom. We were apparently given a different embargo time than everyone else, so I'm a little late with the news.

On a side note, Fuji's being a little misleading with their labels on this camera. The S7000 says "19X zoom", while the S5000 says "22X zoom". Of course, that's with digital zoom. It has the real optical zoom ratio in small print.

Anyhow, here are the new models:

FinePix S7000 - replaces S602 Zoom

• 6.3 Megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor (I'm surprised they didn't use the SR sensor). Produces images with 12.3 million pixels (that's 4048 x 3040)
• F2.8, 6X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 35 - 210 mm
• Improved color saturation over S602
• "Ultra high resolution" electronic viewfinder, plus 1.8" LCD display
• Full manual controls; Shutter speed range of 15 - 1/10000 (!) sec
• VGA movie mode can record at 30 frames/sec until memory card is full (same as S602)
• Super macro mode allows you to get as close as 1 cm to subject
• Supports CCD-RAW format; files must be processed in FinePix Viewer in order to export to other formats
• 5 frame burst mode @ highest resolution
• ISOs of 200, 400, 600, 800 can be selected (800 only at lower resolutions)
• xD and CompactFlash Type II slot (Fuji is only supporting the Microdrive in the CF slot)
• Supports wide-angle and telephoto conversion lens adapters
• Hot shoe for external flash
• Uses four AA batteries
• Ships with 16MB xD card in October for $799

FinePix S5000 - replaces the 3800; the most interesting of the cameras, in my opinion

• 3.1 Megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor; produces images with 6 million pixels.
• F2.8-3.2, 10X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 37 - 370 mm
• Very cool SLR-like body (though it's plastic)
• AF illuminator
• Full manual controls; shutter speed range of 2 - 1/2000 sec (disappointing on the slow end)
• 1.5" LCD display + electronic viewfinder (resolution is half that of the S7000)
• 5 frame burst mode (5 fps)
• ISO options of 200, 400, 800 (the latter only available at 1MP)
• xD card slot
• Can record 320 x 240, 30 fps videos until memory card is full
• Uses four AA batteries
• Includes lens adapter ring; supports wide/tele conversion lenses
• Ships w/16MB xD card in August for $499

FinePix A310 - replaces the A303

• Same 3.1 Megapixel SuperCCD HR as the S5000
• F2.8-7.0, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 38 - 114 mm
• Point-and-shoot operation
• Same ISO values as a S5000
• 1.5" LCD (only 60k pixels); regular optical viewfinder
• Records 320 x 240 movies (10 fps, without sound) for up to 2 minutes
• 4 shot burst mode (3 fps)
• Supports new USB docking cradle ($75 option), shown below
• xD card slot
• Uses two AA batteries
• Ships w/16MB xD card in August for $299

FinePix A210 (not pictured) - replaces the 2650

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD (not a Super CCD)
• F3.0-4.8, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 36 - 108 mm
• Totally point and shoot
• Same LCD, burst mode as A310
• Can record 60 second movies @ 320 x 240, 10 fps (no sound)
• xD card slot
• Supports new USB docking cradle ($75 option)
• Uses two AA batteries or NH-10 NiMH battery pack
• Ships w/16MB xD card in August for $279

FinePix A205 (shown at right) - same as A210, except:

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD
• Movie clips limited to 20 seconds
• Priced at $199

After quite a delay, I've finally posted my review of the Casio Exilim EX-S3. While not a great primary camera, it makes a nice "extra camera" that you can carry anywhere.

I've been suffering from a bad case of procrastination this week, but I think I'm finally ready to start working again. Look for a review of the Toshiba PDR-M700 early next week, plus some news regarding some new cameras. Remember that you can always click on the Upcoming Reviews link on the home page to see what's next.

Nikon has introduced the new D2H digital SLR, a high speed camera designed for photojournalists and sports photographers. In addition to being a super-fast camera, it also has some neat new features:

• New 4.1 effective Megapixel 'LBCAST' sensor
  • LBCAST stands for Lateral Buried Charge Accumulator and Sensing Transistor Array (what a mouthful!)
  • Sensor is a DX JFET (Junction Field Effect Transistor) type, which is different from the CCD and CMOS sensors in most cameras.
  • JFET sensor allows for extremely low noise and excellent color accuracy, detail, and sharpness
  • Max resolution is 2484 x 1636
• Can shoot 8 frames/second for up to 40 shots in JPEG mode, 25 in RAW
• Shutter lag of just 37 ms (comparable to Nikon F5 SLR)
• Instant power up
• 11-sensor autofocus system known as 'Multi-Cam 2000'
  • 75% horizontal AF coverage
  • Use can manually select one or several AF sensors
  • Twice the "defocus limit" of typical SLRs, for less "hunting" for focus
• Images can be transmitted wirelessly using 802.11b
  • Requires optional WT-1 Wi-Fi transmitter
  • Decreases camera battery life by 20%
  • Connects to bottom of camera via USB 2.0
  • Range of 30 m (100 ft)
  • Uses WEP, MAC address, and ESS-ID for security
  • User can have images saved locally and remotely
  • You cannot control the camera remotely using this
• Can save RAW (NEF) and JPEG files simultaneously
• Triple sensor metering system for great white balance.
  • Uses color meter, JFET sensor, and "third eye" meter in the prism to do so.
  • Color range of 2500K - 10000K
  • Can detect and compensate for artificial light flicker
• Large 2.5" LCD display
• USB 2.0 high speed support (no Firewire)
• New lighter weight, higher capacity Li-ion battery. Battery meter reports battery life in 5% increments.
• Fully supports DX lenses, and new i-TTL wireless lighting (discussed below)
• Lightweight and durable magnesium alloy body, weighs 1.07 kg (2.4 lb)
• Shipping in the 4th quarter of this year; price to be announced

LetsGoDigital has an impressive-looking preview of the D2H posted.

In addition to the new camera, Nikon also introduced a new Speedlight (and wireless technology), three new lenses, and a new version of Nikon Capture.

The new Speedlight is known as the SB-800. The big deal about it is its support for Nikon's new i-TTL wireless flash control system. This lets you control up to three groups of flashes (no limited to the number of flashes in each group) wirelessly! The flash also has a new wide-angle AF illuminator, Auto FP High Speed Sync (allows flash to fire at 1/8000 sec!), and more. The SB-800 also works with other D-series Nikon SLRs as well, just not with the wireless features.

Two of the new lenses are DX-Nikkor types, which are designed for the D-series SLRs. Lens number one is an F2.8G 10.5 mm fisheye, which offers a whopping 180° field-of-view. The second lens is an F2.8G, 17 - 55 mm AF-S lens.

The third and final lens is an F4.0G, 200 - 400 mm model, with vibration reduction (VR). The VR system is an image stabilizer, which helps to reduce "camera shake" that's all too common on these monster lenses.

Last, but not least, is Nikon Capture 4.0. The new features here include Sensor Dust Off (removes dust and particles from NEF files), fisheye-to-rectilinear image transformation (for that new fisheye lens), improved batch processing, remote camera control (over USB or Firewire), and vignetting reduction.

All of the above will be shipping in the 4th quarter of 2003, along with the D2H. Nikon will announce a Nikon Capture upgrade program shortly.

I've posted my review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33. This is a nice little 3 Megapixel camera with a 3X Leica lens.

I posted three photo galleries over the weekend:

Kyocera Finecam L3v (new!)
Nikon Coolpix 5400
Toshiba PDR-M700

I managed to get ahold of some larger sample images taken with that new Sony 4-color filter. You can click on the thumbnails below to see the larger image:

3-color filter	New 4-color filter

Minolta will today introduce a new addition to their DiMAGE X family -- the DiMAGE X20. Here's the scoop:

• 2.0 effective Megapixel CCD
• Same ultra-thin design as other DiMAGE X-series cameras. Minolta says it's the smallest and lightest 2MP camera with a 3X zoom at the moment
• F2.8, 3X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 37 - 111 mm
• Specially curved mirror on front of camera can be used for composing self-portraits (Sony's DSC-U30 has this as well)
• Five-point autofocus system
• New multi-frame drive mode takes 9 shots in a row and puts them into one image
• New "image pasting" feature allows one image to be placed within another (I'll have to try this one for myself)
• XR (extended recording) movie mode can record at 320 x 240 until memory card is full; sound is recorded as well
• Can be used as a webcam (Windows only)
• Uses two AA batteries (a first for the DiMAGE X series)
• Ships with 8MB Secure Digital (SD) card
• Price not available; camera ships this fall

Sony of Japan has introduced a new 4-color filter CCD sensor, the first of its kind.

Here are the important points:

• Adds new "emerald" color filter to existing red, green, and blue filters
• Reduces color reproduction errors records natural images closer to the natural sight perception of the human eye
• Color reproduction errors have been minimized by half, and the reproduction of blue-green and red colors has been particularly enhanced.
• New processor also reduces power consumption 30%, and allows for faster performance
• "Sony plans to integrate the newly developed 4-color filter CCD and the new image processor into the new digital cameras which will be introduced in the near future"

I slaved away over the weekend to bring you two new camera reviews today. The first review is of the Canon PowerShot SD100, the latest in the Digital ELPH line. The second review covers the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60, a unique 2 Megapixel camera that can go underwater.

I also have two photo galleries updates for you today:

Nikon Coolpix 5400
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33

Kodak has released the Mac version of their Digital GEM Photoshop plugin. This $80 plugin can be used to reduce noise, sharpen, or add a "soft focus" effect to your images. A free trial version is also available.

I've posted my final review of the Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom. This turned out to be a nice 4 Megapixel camera with a big 10X zoom lens.

Three new photo galleries today:

Nikon Coolpix 5400
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC33
Toshiba PDR-M700

I've completed the reader-submitted fireworks photo gallery. Thanks to everyone who participated this year. This is a nice little community event I very much enjoy doing.

Other recent reviews include:

Pentax Optio 550
HP Photosmart 935
Argus DC3810

I have posted my review of the Pentax Optio 550. This turned out to be a fun-to-use compact camera with a 5 Megapixel CCD and 5X zoom lens.

I'm going to be cranking out reviews every few days for the next month or so. Since I'm overloaded with work, let me remind our readers not to e-mail me for recommendations or when I'll review a certain camera. Thank you.

I've added/updated the following photo galleries:

Canon PowerShot SD100 Digital ELPH
Casio Exilim EX-S3
Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom

Tomorrow is the last day I'll be accepting your fireworks photos. To see what you're missing, check out Jeff's gallery and the reader-submitted gallery. Click here for more info on how to participate.

I've posted my review of the HP Photosmart 935. While this 5 Megapixel camera probably isn't a great choice for enthusiasts, beginners will love its ease-of-use and handy in-camera help system.

Quick Tuesday update: I've added the first batch of reader-submitted fireworks photos! Thanks to everyone who participated. I'll be uploading the second batch of photos on Friday, so I must get your photos by Thursday night! See this page for more info.

Oh, and I noticed that while I had plenty of photos taken with Canon D-SLRs, there were none taken with a Nikon. Surely someone out there took fireworks photos with a D100 or D1X!

I've posted my favorite fireworks pictures from last night's show in San Francisco. It was a beautiful night for the show -- a little cold, but no fog.

Now that you've seen my photos, I want to see yours! Send in your two best pictures to the DCRP and get them posted in our photo gallery, which will be online very shortly. Check out this page for all the details on how to participate.

I want to wish my fellow U.S. readers a happy, safe, and exciting 4th of July! And don't forget to participate in our 4th annual Fireworks Photo Gallery! Check out this page for the details on how to be involved (you don't have to live in the States), and how to take great fireworks pictures!

Speaking of exciting, I've added a few underwater (!!) shots to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60 gallery.