PMA 2006: A Flock of New Digital Cameras

We expect to see some exciting new digital cameras at this year's Photo Marketing Association Show, being held in Orlando, Fla. PMA 2006 kicks off officially on Sunday, February 26, but some camera announcements have been made prior to the show. Below is an overview of new cameras, beginning with point-and-shoots, that we look forward to checking out and blogging about from the show floor.

Three companies are announcing cameras that are compatible with Kodak's EasyShare printer dock. The cameras include the very slim Nikon CoolPix S5 ($350), Olympus FE-130, and Pentax Optio M10 ($230), shown below. Each camera will ship with a dock insert and offers a 3X zoom. The CoolPix S5 is WiFi-compatible.

Kodak is announcing four new EasyShare cameras at PMA: the EasyShare Z612 ($399), a 6-megapixel model with a 12X zoom; the V603 ($300) and C643 ($250), both of which are 6.1-megapixel cameras with a 3X zoom; and the C533 ($199), a 5-megapixel model with a 3X zoom.



Fujifilm is introducing three new FinePix models: the 6.3-megapixel A600 ($249) with Super CCD, the 6-megapixel F650 ($349) with a 3-inch LCD, and the F30 ($399), a 6.3-megapixel model that boasts sensitivity up to ISO 3200.



In addition to the CoolPix S5 mentioned above, Nikon also announced two 8.1-megapixel CoolPix models, the P3 and P4 cameras. Both models cost $450. The P3 offers WiFi connectivity; the P4 does not.

Pentax is unveiling three Optio cameras: the T10 ($350) and M10 ($230) are 6-megapixel models with 3X zoom, but the T10 offers a 3-inch LCD and more image processing options. The waterproof W10 ($300) is a 6-megapixel model.

Sony is announcing a total of six Cyber-shot cameras. The DSC-W50 ($250) and DSC-W30 ($230) are 6-megapixel models offering light sensitivity up to ISO 1000; the 7-megapixel DSC-W70 ($300) also reaches ISO 1000, while the 8-megapixel DSC-W100 ($350) reaches ISO 1250. The DSC-H5 ($500) is a 7.2-megapixel camera with 3-inch LCD, while the DSC-H2 ($400) offers 6 megapixels and a 2-inch LCD. Both cameras have a 12X zoom, offer up to ISO 1000, and have a noise reduction feature.



Vivitar is showing two cameras it announced last month: the Vivicam X30 and Vivicam X60. Both are 10-megapixel models. The X30 has a 3X zoom while the X60 offers a 6X zoom.

The SLR announcements promise to be as exciting as those of point-and-shoots. At PMA 2005, Canon unveiled the Digital Rebel XT. This year the company is announcing the EOS 30D, a successor to the 20D. The $1399 30D has the same 8.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC II image processor as the 20D, but incorporates some features in the more expensive 5D, such as a 2.5-inch LCD, spot metering, a shutter durability of 100,000 cycles, and one-touch direct printing. It should be available in March.