Pentax decided to wait until the quiet of this afternoon to unveil its latest point and shoot digital camera. This new model is called the Pentax Optio V20 and it prices at around $280.

The Pentax Optio V20 is your typical, compact eight megapixel shooter. It offers up a 5x zoom lens, 3-inch LCD monitor and 512MB of internal memory. Pentax said it will be available in May.

We reported back in January that General Imaging, using the GE brand, was planning to offer a new crop of digital cameras at retail this year. It is now kicking off one of those shortly - the GE E1235 - by making the camera’s world debut via television retailer HSN.

The GE E1235, which will debut on March 14, will run you around $200. It is a 12-megapixel shooter with a 2.7-inch LCD screen, 3X zoom and ISO 3200 sensitivity. Available body colors are “deep red” or silver and General Imaging says this is one of the first cameras ever with blink detection, for warning you when someone’s eyes were closed, and smile detection, which works by tripping the shutter automatically when the subject smiles.

Casio is showing off this week a new 8.1-megapixel digital camera as part of its EXILIM line. It is called the Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-Z9 and will price around $160.

The Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-Z9, which is available this month, offers up a compact design with an included 2.6-inch LCD display screen. The camera has a number of features to entice purchasers, including over 20 shot modes, anti-shake technology and face detection.

Olympus added today a new digital SLR it says is currently the world’s smallest and lightest. It is called the E-420 and pricing is at around $600 with an included ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens.

The E-420 from Olympus is a pretty lightweight 10-megapixel digital shooter. It sports a 2.7-inch display which works with a number of technologies, such as on-screen autofocus and face detection, to present more clearly what your photo will hopefully look like. Measurements wise, the E-420 is 5.1 inches by 3.6 inches by 2.1 inches.

Samsung has unveiled a monster 14.6-megapixel digital SLR which looks like it could make almost any category of photographer happy. It is called the Samsung GX-20 and pricing is set at around $1,400.

Chief among the features of the Samsung GX-20 is a high performance CMOS sensor which can handle ISO settings up to 6400, a 2.7-inch LCD screen, improved sensor-based shake reduction and a viewfinder which yields a 95-percent wide field of view.

Samsung said the GX-20 will be available in March. You can get the full details after the jump, courtesy of ecoustics.

Kodak is bringing into focus this week for consumers its latest Easyshare digital camera. This new model is called the Kodak Easyshare Z1012 IS and it will price at around $300.

The Kodak Easyshare Z1012 IS is a garden variety 10-megapixel shooter, sporting a compact design, 12x optical zoom and optical image stabilization. It has face detection technology and an ISO of up to 3200.

Kodak is going to release this camera in the first half of this year. You can get more details after the jump.

Sony yesterday announced two new digital SLR cameras which make use of “Live View” technology to “frame photos on the camera’s LCD without sacrificing auto-focusing speed common to other live-view systems.” These cameras are the Sony alpha DSLR-A300 and DSLR-A350, priced at around $800 and $900 respectively with an included lens.

These new Sony DSLRs offer up 10.2 and 14.2 megapixels respectively. Other features found in common include image stabilization, APS-C CCD image sensors, up to 730 shots per full charge when using the optical viewfinder and an anti-dust system to keep the CCD image sensor clean. The DSLR-A300 will be available in April, while the -A350 will be out in March.

You can get more details after the jump.

Have you had enough digital camera announcements yet? Sorry - got another one for you. This time around we have a compact shooter called the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 and pricing is set at around $200.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 offers up 8.1 megapixels and a a f2.8 Leica DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens with 3x optical zoom. Panasonic has also outfitted this camera with a new image processing engine, a 2.5-inch LCD screen which automatically adjusts its brightness level and your choice of five body colors.

Panasonic expects the DMC-FS3 in stores in February. For more details check after the jump.

Panasonic announced the DMC-TZ5 as another Lumix camera heading for shelves soon with very similar features to the DMC-FX35 model including a wide-angle lens and high-def video recording. The TZ5 loses a little in megapixels compared the FX35 with 9.1, but gains in just about everything else.

The DMC TZ5 Lumix has a 10x optical zoom, generous 3-inch LCD display and a 28mm wide-angle lens that can get almost twice as much panorama compared to typical lens. It also features Panasonic’s big 5 Intellegent Auto features for automatic adjustments for exposure, scene selection, image stabilization, facial detection of as many as 15 faces and ISO Control to adjust shutter speed for moving images. This model can also record video with 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second with an HD out component cable port.

Panasonic is expecting to have the TZ5 available by the end of March with a retail price of just under $350. More detailed release information below:

Panasonic unveiled today some new Lumix LZ-Series compact digital cameras which are point and shoot models with a decent set of features. These are the DMC-LZ10 and DMC-LZ8, priced at around $250 and $180 respectively.

Both LZ-Series models feature Leica DC VARIO-ELMAR lenses and wide-angle shooting — 30mm on the LZ10 and 32mm on the LZ8. Manual controls are available for use, there’s 5x optical zoom and battery life is provided via AA batteries.

Panasonic says the DMC-LZ10 and DMC-LZ8 will both be available in February. More details after the jump.

Among the many shooters hitting the market today from Panasonic, the latest added to the Lumix lineup was announced as the DMC-FX35. This model has Panasonic’s first wide-angle lens at 25mm giving the ability to get almost double the width into the picture.

The Lumix DMC-FX35 takes photos at 10.1 megapixels with a 4x optical zoom, and can also recored 720p high-def video 1920 x 1080 ready to play on your widescreen at home. If pictures are too slow and high-def video is just too much this Lumix also has a high-speed burst of photos that can take up to 6 per second and go non-stop, limited only by the size of the memory card.

Nikon is showing off its early 2008 load of digital cameras this week and one which is in the spotlight is the Coolpix S600. It is priced at around $300.

The Coolpix S600 is a compact, stylish 10-megapixel shooter available in a black body color. It offers a 4x wide-angle 28-112mm Zoom-NIKKOR lens, technology to compensate for camera shake and ISO abilities up to 3200. Start up time is rated a quick 0.7 seconds, according to Nikon.

The Nikon Coolpix S600 will be available in March. You can get full details after the jump.

Nikon has a whole lot of digital camera releases lined up today for the upcoming PMA with one being the new Coolpix P60. The P60 is a 8.1 megapixel shooter that features Nikon’s EXPEED digital image processing and a 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens. The stylish body also houses a Vibration Reduction image stabilization and has manual settings that let you control the exposure modes or take advantage of the automatic mode.

The camera comes uses SDHC media, has a nice-sized 2.5-inch TFT LCD and runs off of two AA’s so you don’t have to worry about remembering to pack that special battery charger. The Coolpix P60 also has an light sensitivity range up to ISO 2000 giving better pictures in lower light conditions and avoid blurry photos of things flying by.

Nikon threw out a new digital SLR today with the D60, basically a repeat of the D40X we saw earlier last year with some nice added features. This camera stands out as one of the smallest, most compact SLR models on the market with the same 10.2 megapixel image processor as its predecessor.

Some nice features in the D60 that can’t go unnoticed include the Retouch Menu for in-camera editing of images and the Stop-motion feature that lets you string together a number of still JPEGS to create a stop-motion animation. A fast shooting mode brings the ability to shoot 100 JPEG stills at 3 frames per second, which is pretty fast but still a little behind the 12.2 megapixel Canon Rebel with 3.5 fps.

Another impressive new Fujifilm digital shooter making the rounds this past week was the Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd. The company says this camera has the distinction of being the word’s smallest 12x optical zoom model on the market at the moment.

The Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd, priced at around $250, sports 10-megapixels, face detection technology with automatic red eye removal and a new panoramic shooting mode. It also has a 2.7-inch LCD display and electronic viewfinder.

This particular Fujifilm SLR-like digital camera will ship in April. You can get the full details after the jump.