HP  has introduced the Photosmart M425 Digital Camera to be introduced in April 2006. This pocket camera features 3X Optical Zoom, 5 Megapixel resolution, and works with the Photosmart 6221 Digital Camera Dock and the new HP Photosmart Express.

Overview

Easily snap beautiful photos with this stylishly designed 5-megapixel digital camera, featuring18x total zoom. With the HP Photosmart M425 Digital Camera users can effortlessly snap and edit photos on the 1.7-inch image display, and order prints and share photos using the on-camera HP Photosmart Express button. (1) The camera also includes the new HP Design Gallery.
Key Features and Benefits
• 5-megapixels for impressive resolution for beautiful prints and enlargements up to poster-size
• HP Precision 3x optical lens and 6x digital zoom for18x total zoom,
• 1.7-inch image display, intuitive button layout and overall compact stylish design allows for easy one-handed shots
• 16 MB internal memory allows users to store photos in the camera
• On-camera button to easily order and share photos on Snapfish using HP Photosmart Express (1)
• Fast shot mode allows users to capture quick, fleeting shots with minimal shutter lag
• Extra storage capacity available with optional SD card (2)
• HP Photosmart Software is a complete, easy-to-use software solution for editing, organizing, printing and sharing digital photos
Additional Features
• HP Real Life technologies help take the guesswork out of digital photography and make it easy to produce great photos that are crisp, realistic and true-to-life. HP Real Life technologies include:
o NEW: HP Design Gallery adds artistic effects and borders right in the camera—no PC or software required.
o In-camera red-eye removal to remove red-eye while images are still in the camera.
• HP Photosmart Express makes sharing, printing and saving digital photos easy – users simply take a photo and select its destination right on the back of the camera – up to 34 destinations, including e-mail addresses, online albums, printers and Snapfish
o When the digital camera is later connected to a computer or the optional camera dock, (2) the selected photos are automatically printed and/or e-mailed without burdening the recipient with large file attachments
o E-mail recipients see thumbnails of the images right in the body of their e-mail message, as well as a link to the web page where they can very easily view, print and save the photos, and upload them to online albums
• Optional HP Photosmart 6221 Digital Camera Dock lets users easily save,

The Sanyo Xacti line of cameras we talked about previously has the potential to be a huge hit. What makes me think this? They already have a forum out for it. Very cool. A big Hat Tip to deeje.com musings for the link.

Engadget has the goods on two new Norcent digital cameras, the DC-820 and the  DC-520 in time for CES. The new models “are their new “ultra-slim” (at 0.94-inches it’s not that slim) DC-820 and DC-520 eight and five megapixel digital shooters. Both models feature SD/MMC slots, PicBridge support, MPEG-4 video recording at 640 x 480, and 3x optical zoom — standard fare — and neither camera offers a viewfinder.

The DC-520 sports a 2.5-inch LCD and 16MB internal memory while the DC-820 goes a touch smaller at 2.4-inches, but with 32MB on-board.

Expect the 820 and 520 to hit the US streets this January for the low low price of $299 and $199 respectively.” via Engadget

It looks like Olympus will be offering a new photo system called the Olympus Solution. Lets Go Digital found this nugget and it looks like Solution will be the buzz of early 2006 going into the PMA Show.

On January 26, 2006, a month before the PMA 2006 (Orlando, US) starts, Olympus will introduce the ‘Solution’. This teaser will give us all already enough information to get some rumors started. Will Olympus introduce a new digital concept like they have done before or will it be an upgraded innovative version of a FourThirds System digital camera? Time will tell. In the meantime we will prepare ourselves on the upcoming introduction and will give you the latest news and innovations. We are now working on our CES coverage which will start on January 5, 2006 in Las Vegas. Expect some new digital cameras, flash storage, video cam introductions, etc. and other interesting consumer electronics. Via Lets Go Digital.

Kim Komando takes a look at the Digital Camera offerings. She is the best looking geek out there.

Some well-reviewed compact cameras are the Canon PowerShot A510, www.consumer.usa.canon.com; $150; 3 megapixels, Kodak EasyShare CX7430. www.kodak.com; $180; 4 megapixels, and the Hewlett-Packard Photosmart R717, www.hp.com; $220; 6 megapixels.
Smaller versions that fit into your pocket are sleeker, thinner, lighter and often snazzier. But that style usually means a larger price tag. Some standouts in this category are the Canon PowerShot SD300 ($240; 4 megapixels), Casio Exilim EX-750, www.casio.com, ($325; 7 megapixels), and the Pentax Optio SV, www.pentaximaging.com; (under $235; 5 megapixels).

 Need more controls? Many models allow you to manually focus the camera and adjust shutter and aperture settings.
The Fujifilm FinePix E550, www.fujifilm.com, ($250; 6 megapixels), the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom, www.olympusamerica.com, ($450; 7 megapixels), and the Canon PowerShot S60, ($235; 5 megapixels) have received good reviews.
      
 Most cameras have at least a 3x optical zoom. Some go to 10x or 12x — truly long-range lenses. Two cameras with good reviews that let you get close to the action are the Fujifilm FinePix S5100 ($290; 4 megapixels; 10x) and the Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom ($290; 7 megapixels; 10x).
For even more flexibility, consider a digital single-lens reflex camera. These cameras allow you to swap lenses. Use a wide-angle lens to photograph the Grand Canyon, and switch to a telephoto for a close-up of wildlife. Two well-reviewed digital SLRs are the Canon EOS 20D ($1,300; 8 megapixels) and Nikon D 70 ($1,000; 6 megapixels).

A new camera from BenQ offers 6 megapixel still and mpeg 4 video. Lets Go Digital Reviews this camera and says “ BenQ introduces a new addition to its digital camera line up, the BenQ DC E63+ digital camera. The BenQ DC E63+ its trim looks show off the aesthetic appeal of a digital camera measuring a mere 24 mm front to back. With their elegant aluminum alloy casing, these camera exudes sophisticated beauty. Not only a delight to behold, the new BenQ DC E63+ is sublimely easy to handle as well, making the very act of taking a photo a source of pleasure. The BenQ E63+ provides a 6 Megapixel CCD image sensor, as well as 3x optical zoom that makes it easy to get great shots even at a distance. And the high-resolution CCD image sensor means you can get crisply detailed prints even at huge A1 sizes. “