PMA 2010: California, here we come

BY: Allison Johnson, DigitalCameraReview.com Editor

DigitalCameraReview is on the move again, and for a change we're not headed to Vegas. This year, PMA relocates to Anaheim, California from a long run in Sin City. On the heels of many, many compact camera announcements, we're ready to get a first look at some of the latest releases from the likes of Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Olympus, and Fujifilm.

One of the biggest headlines out of the lead-up to PMA has been who's not attending. Canon announced several months ago that they wouldn't have a presence at the show this year, tipping the scale to favor the other heavyweight, Nikon, who recently announced a pair of lenses. We'll be on the lookout for their new wide angle 16-35mm f/4 and 24mm f/1.4 at the show. They've also got a handful of new Coolpix models, including the latest ultrazoom flagship, the Coolpix P100.

Ultrazooms abound
Fujifilm unleashed several new compact cameras a few weeks ago. The 30x ultrazoom FinePix HS10 grabbed headlines promising continuous shooting rates of 10 fps. Olympus countered with their own 30x ultrazoom the same day. TheSP800UZ sports a 14 megapixel CCD sensor and 720p HD video. We'll be very interested in getting a hands-on with both of the zoom giants and taking a comparative look at how they feel.

Get tough
Olympus also rolled out a couple of new Stylus Tough models. The eye-catchingTough 3000 boasts a polished look and waterproof functionality up to 10 feet underwater. Sony threw their hat into the rugged camera ring just days ago with the Cyber-shot TX5, a rugged camera that doesn't look like a traditional rugged camera.

It follows in the ultra-slick, ultra-slim vein of their T series point and shoots and puts a touch screen on the back of a waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, and freezeproof model. It will be interesting to compare the well-established Olympus Stylus Tough brand with Sony's new addition to the rugged camera pool.

It's been several weeks since Pentax took the wraps off a couple of new compact cameras, but we haven't forgotten about their retro-cool Optio I-10. It's sure to attract a lot of attention on the show floor with a leatherette finish and a chic white design.

Panasonic will have a veritable alphabet soup of new cameras on display - the ZSs, FPs, and ZRs should all be on display and ready for the hands-on treatment.

We're going to Disneyland
Check back in over the weekend and through the duration of the show for coverage from Anaheim - we hear it's the happiest place on earth.