Price a Nice Feature on New Cameras

Every now and then I take a look at the prices of digital Single Reflex Lens cameras, which have been coming down gradually. I love the convenience of a small point-and-shoot camera, but I miss the sharp, detailed photos and close-ups that only an SLR camera can take.

Word from the the upcoming Photo Marketing Association show in Las Vegas is that pricing seems to be something camera companies are focusing on in some new lines. Olympus and Nikon are unveiling upgraded digital SLRs. One, Olympus' Evolt E-410, features a 10-megapixel sensor, a new image-processing chip, and most striking, a starting price of $700, Cnet reports. It will be available in May. Nikon's D40x (pictured), available in April, also has a 10-megapixel image sensor, and will start at $730, without a lens.

Those are good prices for the kinds of cameras that cost well over $1,000 a few years ago. But because they still cost a hefty chunk of change, I was interested to see that Kodak is introducing four new cameras this spring, two of them ultrazoom cameras that have many SLR traits but cost less than $300. Sounds worth checking out. Kodak's Z712 is a 7-megapixel camera with a 12X zoom lens. There's also the Z885, available in May, with a smaller zoom lens but a smaller price tag, $200.

Kodak also has two new budget point-and-shoot cameras, the EasyShare C613 and C763, one a 6-megapixel camera, the other 7 megapixels. Both have 3X zoom lenses and will cost $120 and $180, respectively, when they go on sale in April.

Stay tuned to see how those kinds of prices on new camera models will affect overall camera prices this spring season.