PMA 2003 Primer

The 2003 Photo Marketing Trade Show (PMA) opened yesterday with a bang previewing some sure bets for shutterbugs everywhere.

HP Photosmart 850
Get brilliant photos and outstanding close-ups with the new HP Photosmart 850 digital camera. With 56x total zoom (8x optical, 7x digital) and 4.1 MP resolution you will get beautiful quality prints up to 20x30-inches. Instantly send your images with a touch of a button on the back of the camera using HP Instant Share – send your photos to e-mail addresses, printers and more. Choose the automatic mode or manual controls to select camera setting for ISO exposure, white balance, and more. And you can capture moments in sound and motion using the video clip with audio feature! $499. www.hp.com

HP Photosmart 230 Photo Printer
With the HP Photosmart 230 color inkjet printer, you can take your printer almost anywhere with the compact, on-the-go design. Print brilliant, professional looking borderless, 4 x 6 photos, and even preview your photos before you print using the color LCD display. Print directly from your digital camera memory card - no PC required. $249. www.hp.com

Polaroid One
The new Polaroid One instant camera is an update to the classic Polaroid OneStep. This stylish new camera is 33 percent smaller and 23 percent lighter than its predecessor, making it the ideal companion for everything from special events to everyday fun. Key features include: a built-in automatic flash, self-timer and tripod socket, digital film counter to track available photos and red-eye reduction. The Polaroid One will be on shelves in April 2003 for $49.99. www.polaroid.com

Nikon Coolpix 3100
Nikon’s new 3.2 Megapixel digital camera, the Coolpix 3100 is Nikon’s smallest and among the fastest Coolpix digital cameras ever! The Coolpix 3100 has tons of new features to help you capture the best shot:

• Scene Assist- guides beginning photographers toward capturing the composition, focus area and exposure for each shot.
• One Touch Red-Eye Fix- instantly fixes red eye with the touch of a button.
• 14 Easy-to-use Scene Modes- with just a turn of the dial you can capture that perfect shot with scene modes like Portrait, landscape and sport.
• Special effects - crop, resize and even recompose right on the LCD screen and Date/Time imprinting, ideal for documenting images.
• Nikkor Optics - features 3x Optical Zoom- the same quality lens that is preferred by professionals.
• Movie Mode- can record up to 40-seconds of QuickTime video.

$349.95. www.nikonusa.com

New from Energizer
Big news from Energizer---they are announcing two big improvements to their digital camera batteries. The Energizer e² photo lithium battery, the longest AA battery in the world in digital cameras, has been improved to last even longer. They last up to 5 times longer in digital cameras than ordinary alkaline batteries based on in device AA testing. Based on the average number of pictures, across a range of the top digital camera models, the AA Energizer e² photo lithium battery will shoot up to 350 pictures compared to 50-60 pictures from ordinary alkaline batteries.

In rechargeables—also ideal for use in high drain digital cameras, Energizer is showing a new Digital Camera Power Kit that will charge AA, AAA and 9V batteries –it sells for around $20 and comes with 4 high-capacity AA NiMH batteries.

Energizer also just announced a new 30-minute charger that will charge 4 AA’s at a time, which is what most digital cameras require and will be the fastest charge time on the market for 4AA’s. This will be available later this summer and has a suggested retail of $29.99. www.energizer.com

Fujifilm FinePix F700
Fujifilm’s new FinePix F700 is the industry’s first consumer 6.2 megapixel digital camera. The FinePix F700’s sleek metal body echoes traditional film-camera design with centralized placement of its viewfinder, lens and 1.8 inch LCD screen. Its 6.2 million effective pixels (S-pixel: 3.1 million, R-pixel: 3.1 million) can produce high-resolution images with 2,832 x 2,128 (6.03 million) recorded pixels. In addition, the FinePix F700 offers on-demand continuous auto-focus, three color modes, manual functions, advanced movie recording capabilities, diminished shutter lag, and at 1.2 seconds, one of the fastest start-up times on the market. The FinePix F700 also comes with a cradle for easy downloading and recharging. The camera will be available for purchase in spring of 2003 at the suggested list price of $599.95. www.fujifilm.com

Sharp VL-Z7U Viewcam
Sharp’s new palm-sized Viewcam camcorders, the “Z” series, are easy to use with a body that rotates 255 degrees, making it simple to get great shots from a comfortable arm position. The VL-Z7U is equipped with a unique new high-resolution LCD technology called CG Silicon, which consumes less power and is double the resolution of current LCD panels of the same size. In addition, the screen is ideal for use outdoors because it brightens when used in direct sunlight.

The Sharp VL-Z7U Viewcam doubles as a digital still camera with 1.3 Megapixel image capture and a built-in flash, and is equipped with a 500x digital zoom and 10x optical zoom in addition to the 2.5-inch color CG Silicon screen. The Sharp Viewcam VL-Z7U will be available in March for $899.95. www.sharp-usa.com