More than 50 digital compacts and three DSLRS showcased
The What Digital Camera team spent the middle of February in search of the latest and greatest cameras at the PMA trade show in Orlando, Florida.
The Photo Marketing Association?s annual camera fest drew 750 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors over five days and gave us a chance to handle the new ranges of cameras from all the major manufacturers.
With the recent round of DSLRs announced at Photokina last October, most of the cameras shown at PMA were digital compacts, with over 50 on display.
Only Canon and Nikon showed new DSLRs: the Canon EOS 350D, a tasty replacement for the 300D, and the first showing of the Nikon D2X, a 12MP Pro SLR first announced last August. Nikon also announced the D2Hs, an update of its fast 4MP SLR.
A highlight of the show was Kodak?s Easyshare One, the first compact to feature a WiFi card for wireless networking and printing?it can even connect to Kodak?s online-printing service, Ofoto. PMA also gave us the first glimpse of the cool-looking Olympus I:robe system, first seen as a concept camera at Photokina.
Other cameras we look forward to reviewing include the waterproof Pentax Optio WP, and the Sony H1, a bridge-style camera with a 36-432mm lens. Panasonic showed us the latest Lumix range and of course announced its intention to make four-third system DSLRs next year.
