PMA2008: A Snapshot of New Cameras

There are lots of new digital cameras here at PMA this year, although many offer just modest changes from previous models, such as slightly more megapixels or a wider LCD. Here are a few of the more interesting ones I've come across since I arrived in Las Vegas yesterday:

The 10-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 (click on the image at right for a closer look) is a sporty ultracompact that has lots of intelligence—at least according to its specs. It boasts Intelligent Exposure (to determine or adjust for exposure), Intelligent ISO (to adjust ISO depending on whether the camera senses movement), Intelligent Scene Selector (to detect lighting conditions and set the camera to the appropriate scene mode), and face detection. But the smartest thing about this point-and-shoot is that its 4x optical zoom lens has a very wide wide-angle setting: the equivalent of 25mm for a 35mm film camera. The last point-and-shoot that made a big splash with this wide a lens was Kodak's EasyShare V570. List price will be around $350. It will be available in March in silver, black and blue.

GE or General Imaging, a newcomer last year, is back again this year with a compact for under $100. The 7-megapixel GE A735 will have a 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD. It will also have smile detection and blink detection features, similar to Sony's Smile Shutter feature. Not bad for a camera with a list price of $90 to $100.

There's quite a bit happening at the high-end point-and-shoot market too, a part of the market greatly affected by price drops in SLRs. Fujifilm released the FinePix S100FS (click on the image at left for a closer look), an 11-megapixel camera almost as large as an SLR. The reason for its size? It's got a 14.3x optical zoom lens (28-400mm, 35mm film equivalent). It's also got optical image stabilization, which Fujifilm says is a first for them. Other intriguing features include a menu setting (Film Simulation mode, which is where the "FS" comes from) that Fujifilm says will emulate the color of some of the company's great camera films, such as Provia and Velvia. There are many other features as well; Fujifilm says it's after the serious consumer, the "prosumer" in industry lingo, that may a camera that's like an SLR, but with a fixed lens. List price will be around $800 and it will be available in February.

—Terry Sullivan