Sony had one of these cameras hooked up to an HDTV screen to show how it worked. The four-frame photo sequence on the right (Click on the image at right for a larger view), which I took at Sony's exhibit, shows one of the new cameras and how Smile Shutter works:

1. A shot of the Cyber-shot DSC-T70 itself
2. I press halfway down on the shutter button and the camera recognizes my face by placing a square around it
3. The camera fires when it detects my smile
4. The resulting snapshot.

The Cyber-shot DSC-T70 lists for around $300 and the 5x optical zoom Cyber-shot DSC-T200 lists for around $400.

Increased optical zoom continues to show up in new models. Pentax exhibited its 8 megapixel Optio Z10 subcompact (Click on the image at left for a larger view), which sports a 7x optical zoom lens, comparable to 7x point-and-shoot models introduced by Casio and Samsung earlier this year. The Optio Z10 will cost around $230.

In the bulkier compact category, Olympus showed the 8-megapixel SP-560 UZ (Click on the image at right for a larger view), a successor to its 18x optical zoom SP-550 UZ compact. Like the earlier model, it has an 18x optical zoom, but also includes face detection. The new Olympus ultrazoom will run about $450.

Nikon has been one of the most aggressive companies in producing wireless digital cameras, which allow users to send images through a wireless network or print wirelessly from a digital camera to a printer. Nikon’s latest wireless point-and-shoot is the 8-megapixel Coolpix S51c (Click on the image at left for a larger view), which also features a large, 3-inch LCD and a 3x optical zoom lens. It will go for around $330.

At the high-end of the point-and-shoot market, Canon displayed the 12-megapixel PowerShot G9 (Click on the image at right for a larger view), which includes a 6x optical zoom. But it’s not so much the megapixel count that is getting it noticed. This camera lets photographers save their pictures in the RAW file format, a feature found on all SLRs, but uncommon on point-and-shoots. RAW files store the captured image before it has been processed, maximizing your ability to control characteristics such as sharpness and color balance. The PowerShot G9 will cost around $450.

Lastly, Kodak had on view three point-and-shoots--the $300 EasyShare Z812 IS (on the left in the image at left), the $225 EasyShare Z1275 (on the pedestal on the right) and the $300 EasyShare V1253 (right)--all of which the company claims have high definition video capabilities, a rare feature on point-and-shoots.

-- Terry Sullivan