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Tired of CES and Macworld yet? Time for something more focused, because PMA is no generalist show but concentrates exclusively on imaging stuff. I am not going to deal with compacts at all, as models change with the the frequency of weather changes, I am going to concentrate on my favourite part of the show, DSLR cameras :-) There is already wind of new DSLR models for the show, the timing is quite critical as 2008 is going to be good for this segment and fierce competition is a certainty.

Canon is going to reveal its 450D/Rebel XSi that will replace its current 400D/XTi. With 12 megapixel resolution, a larger viewfinder, live view, spot metering, 3 inch screen, 14-bit processing and high ISO noise reduction it is a definite improvement but times are changing and the competition is not as weak as in previous years… A point to note is that resolution is higher than the 10 Mp of the more expensive and capable 40D, a case of dismay among Canon customers expressed vocally in the past with the 400D/XTi and the 30D. And a personal complaint, I prefer Compactflash to SD/SDHC storage as it is superior and cheaper. Prices will be $799 body-only, $899 with the tacky EF-S18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. Deliveries start in April.

This time round, Pentax will have a strong presence with two new models. The more expensive K20D sports an impressive 14.6 megapixels, 2.7 inch screen, live view, improved dust reduction, maximum ISO 3200, body based image stabilisation and dust/weather resistant construction. Body-only price is $1.299, 95 starting in March. The entry K200D is still impressive, as it has all the useful features of dust reduction, image stabilisation and weather sealed body. Resolution is 10 megapixels -a big step up from the 6 megapixels of its ancestor- while maximum ISO is 1600. Body-only price in March will be $799,95. Unlike past model generations, Pentax is now perfectly competitive in terms of resolution, while its bodies are among the most feature rich.

Samsung’s GX-20 is based on Pentax’s K20D but has been tweaked to Samsung’s liking. It will be interesting to see technical and pricing differences between the two. At the moment there is no news on new DSLRs from Olympus and Fujifilm, while Nikon’s impressive D3 and D300 are still quite fresh.

Link: dpreview