I've posted my review of the Argus DC3810, a 5 Megapixel camera that sells for just $300. I sacrificed several hours of my life, not to mention quite a few brain cells, so you don't waste your money on this product.

It's that time of year again... fireworks season! And, for the 4th year in a row, there will be a DCRP fireworks gallery. I'm not giving away prizes anymore for a number of reasons, but I'll still be collecting and displaying your two best fireworks photos. Read more...

Canon has announced pricing and availability for their PowerShot SD100 camera and CP200/300 photo printers (first mentioned back on May 2nd).

PowerShot SD100 - $499
CP200 printer - $279
CP300 printer - $379

These aree scheduled to ship "this summer" which I assume means immediately. I am told that an SD100 will be here next week for review.

I've posted my preview of the Nikon Coolpix 5400. Since this was a pre-production model, there are no sample photos or a conclusion. I expect to receive the production model shortly.

Kodak has posted version 3.0 of their EasyShare software for Mac OS X 10.1.2 or newer.

Three photo gallery updates for you today:

HP Photosmart 935
Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom New!
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60 New!

Yesterday I posted my preview of the new Olympus E-1 digital SLR.

Olympus today introduced their E-1 digital SLR, the first camera to use the new FourThirds system, which Olympus co-developed with Kodak and Fujifilm. Olympus is marketing the E-1 as a professional camera, comparable to the Canon EOS-1Ds and Nikon D1X, as opposed to the EOS-10D and D100. Olympus is working on a consumer D-SLR, due sometime next year. Olympus says that the E-1 is 100% digital "from the ground up".

You'll find the info below and much more in my preview of the E-1!

Below are the important facts about the E-1.

• 5.08 effective Megapixel, 4/3-type Super Latitude Full Frame Transfer CCD for improved dynamic range, better color, and less noise; CCD has a 4:3 aspect ratio.
• Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses are designed specifically for digital capture with smart technology that delivers edge-to-edge sharpness with reduced distortion and shading. 2X focal length conversion ratio; Thus, a 35 mm lens is "really" a 70 mm lens.
• Loads of Operating and Buffer RAM, coupled with the E-1’s parallel data processing 3 ASIC Digital Processor engine, overcome many of the bottlenecks in image processing and camera operations.
• JPEG, RAW, and TIFF formats supported
• Can take up to 12 shots at 3 frames/sec, regardless of image format (even JPEG + RAW)
• 1.8" LCD display
• Newly developed Noise Compensation technology and the existing Noise Reduction technology produce clear, clean files.
• Reproduce correct color with a choice of image capture using either sRGB or Adobe RGB color spaces
• Supersonic Wave Filter significantly reduces the chances of dust settling on the CCD or image and blocking pixels.
• Magnesium alloy metal body is lightweight and durable; Splash-proof body and lenses (everything is sealed).
• Works with new FL-50 flash, plus older FL-40 and non-Olympus flashes
• FireWire and USB 2.0 High Speed for image transfer
• Optional battery grip
• Optional Olympus Studio software lets you control the camera with your computer
• Ships this fall for $2199, body only

Since this is a totally new format, you'll need to start your lens collection from scratch. The lenses and accessories that will be available initially are:

I was able to spend about 30 hours with a pre-production E-1 over the weekend, and you can read my initial thoughts in my preview of the E-1.

Here is some additional info that you may find interesting:

View Press Release
View Digital SLR FAQ
View E-1 Sell Sheet (PDF, 3MB)

I've updated two photo galleries today:

Argus DC3810
Pentax Optio 550

Added 4:30pm: I have updated my camera picks on the FAQ page.

Added 9pm: Folks, please stop e-mailing me about when I'm going to review a certain camera. This site is unique in that it has a wonderful "Upcoming Reviews" link at the top of the home page. Please, look there, instead of asking me.

Updated 12pm: Our server upgrade is complete, and I think all problems that occured have been fixed (knock on wood).

Quick Friday update: Grrr, my second IBM Microdrive just died... I think I'm done buying these things...

Two photo gallery updates for you today:

HP Photosmart 935
Pentax Optio 550

If all goes as planned, we'll be doing a server upgrade on Thursday. Believe it or not, we've been hosted on a single 1Ghz Pentium III for the last few years. Things have been slowing down a bit, so I'm moving us to a faster 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4. There will be a little downtime, but not more than 30-40 minutes.

With their announcement of two new cameras, Toshiba today joined the "ultra zoom" club. I must say that I'm quite happy to see more of these ultra zoom cameras, though it would be nice to have a stabilized lens every once in a while. Anyhow, here's the info:

PDR-M700

• 3.2 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8 - F3.1, 10X Canon optical zoom lens, equivalent to 35 - 350 mm
• Fast continuous shooting modes: 4 frames/sec, up to 6 shots at highest resolution; or 1 frame/sec, up to 14 shots
• Manual control of aperture, shutter speed (up to 16 sec), and white balance
• 2.5" LCD display
• Conversion lens adapter included in box; allows you to use filters and add-on lenses
• Wireless remote control also included
• Six scene modes
• Can record videos (320 x 240, 15 frames/sec, with sound) until memory card is full
• Uses Secure Digital (SD) memory cards; 16MB card included with camera
• Uses four AA batteries
• Ships in early July for $449

PDR-M500 (pictured) - same as above, except:

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD
• Can take more shots in continuous mode: up to 9 at 4 frames/sec, or up to 16 at 1 frame/sec
• Priced at $349

Thanks to the nice weather today, I was finally able to go out and take pictures. Check out these two new photo galleries:

Argus DC3810
HP Photosmart 935

The Argus DC3810 usually isn't mentioned by name. Rather, it's that "5 Megapixel camera" that you often see for sale for $350 at CompUSA or Fry's.

Quick Monday update: Added a section to the PowerShot G5 review about a shadow in flash shots when the lens is at the wide-angle position.

I have posted a rather lengthy (by my standards, at least) review of the Canon PowerShot G5. While overall, the G5 is a very nice 5 Megapixel camera, I was disappointed with the level of purple fringing in my test photos. It also has the same redeye and "view of the lens barrel through the optical viewfinder" problems as the G3. Still, it's well worth a look.

I have the G5 for another week, so if there's anything that you want me to look at, drop me a line.

By the way, since there has been some confusion out there about the G5 that I have -- it's a full production model, straight out of the retail box.

News.com reports that Sony is investing another $77 million into the development of OLED displays. Apparently mass production of their OLED displays will begin next year, and they are likely to find their way into Sony's portable devices and digital cameras. If the OLED display on the Kodak LS633 is any indication, this is great news for camera buyers.

I've posted my review of the Olympus Stylus 400. If you've read the Stylus 300 review, this one will be very similar, as they are identical except for the CCD and a different colored body.

I have again updated the Canon PowerShot G5 gallery. Look for a review by the end of the week.

Last week I posted the Canon PowerShot G5 vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1 shootout.

Those of you who have been visiting this site for a while will probably know that I enjoy watching and photographing fireworks. Well, last night I remembered that they were having fireworks after the Giants baseball game, so my friend and I raced down to near the ballpark. I brought along the PowerShot G5 and got some very nice shots -- all taken with a tripod of course. They've been added to the PowerShot G5 gallery.

I have been reviewing cameras like crazy lately. Here's what you may have missed:

Kodak EasyShare LS633
Minolta DiMAGE Xt
Nikon Coolpix SQ (preview)
Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1
Sony Mavica MVC-CD500

Today I've got two special treats for fans of 5 Megapixel cameras.

First up is a shootout between the newly-arrived Canon PowerShot G5 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V1 that I literally just sent back. Check it out.

Secondly, I took a bunch of additional photos with the G5 and dumped them into the PowerShot G5 gallery. I'll try to get a few more pictures this weekend.

Another day, another review (somebody needs a vacation around here!). This time it's a look at the Minolta DiMAGE Xt. This ultra-thin camera is an updated version of the DiMAGE Xi (and DiMAGE X before that).

I've posted a preview of the Nikon Coolpix SQ. This is a 3 Megapixel camera with a very unique square shape and 3X swivel-zoom lens.

Today, Canon introduced the long-rumored PowerShot G5. The G5 is exactly the same as the PowerShot G3 (see our review), except for its 5 Megapixel CCD (I believe its the same one as on the S50) and black body. The G5 will ship in late June with a $799 street price. I should have a G5 here this week, and will post sample photos as quickly as possible. Also, if things work out, I may try a little head-to-head shootout with the Sony DSC-V1.

Head on over to LetsGoDigital.nl for a preview, and also check out Canon Japan's site for sample photos.

With that announcement, Canon cut the price of the PowerShot G3 down to $649.

Added 10am: Kodak managed to sneak out an announcement of three new cameras. Unfortunately, none of them use the extra-cool OLED display like the LS633 that I just reviewed. Here are the new models:

EasyShare DX6440

• 4 Megapixel CCD
• F2.2, 4X optical zoom Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens, equivalent to 33 - 132 mm
• Aperture and shutter priority modes (finally!)
• 1.8" LCD display
• 320 x 240 movies with sound; can record until memory card is full
• 16MB of internal memory, plus SD/MMC card slot
• USB 2.0 support
• Can use EasyShare Dock 6000 ($80 option)
• Ships in August for $399

EasyShare CX6330

• 3.1 Megapixel CCD
• F2.7, 3X optical zoom Kodak lens, equivalent to 37 - 111 mm
• 1.6" LCD display
• Point-and-shoot
• Same movie, memory, USB 2.0, and dock info as DX6440
• Ships this month for $279

EasyShare CX6200

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD
• 3X digital zoom
• 8MB internal memory plus SD/MMC card slot
• Supports EasyShare Dock 6000
• Ships in August for $129