Buzz mongers can be a fickle lot. Leading up to the release this week of Nikon's new full-frame D700 DSLR, they couldn't speculate enough about that camera. But as soon as it became a reality, they dashed elsewhere. That elsewhere has been a rumored muscle compact from Nikon, the Coolpix P6000.

Judging from the specs thus far attributed to this phantomcam, it is squarely aimed at Canon's PowerShot G9 ($289-$449). The putative P6000 sports a 1/1.7 sensor packed with 13.5 megapixels. Forum pundits are specualting that it might be the same sensor that's in the Sony DSC-W300 which has received raves since its release. Other features attributed to the Virtual RAWsumer model are a 4x wide angle optical zoom (28-112mm equivalent), a top ISO of 6400 and an optical viewfinder, as well as VR optical image stabilization and RAW support.

According to the buzzbeaters, we won't have long to wait to see if the rumors swarming around the P6000 are truth or fiction. They say the DSC will be released by Nikon next month.

If you've ever searched for economically-priced software that does more just get the job done, then chances are you've run into Serif. The UK-based applications shop has been selling its wares in Europe for years and although its products could be purchased in the States over the Internet it didn't have a retail presence here until this spring when it gained shelf space at Fry's and Micro Center stores and appeared on the virtual racks at Amazon.com, Buy.com, Dell.com, Newegg and PC Connection. Now its product lineup--which includes a solid digital imaging editing program called PhotoPlus X2--has grabbed even greater retail presence this month with its entrance into Office Depot.

A new Microsoft Vista version of PhotoPlus X2 ($71-$79) was released by Serif last fall. It included a number of interesting new features such as an automated makeover studio for removing imperfections in portraits, a QuickFix Studio for swiftly making improvements in photos and new artistic effects such as Comic Book and Vignette, as well as the ability to burn slideshows and photos to discs.

Other programs offered by Serif include

• PagePlus X3, a desktop publishing program aimed at small businesses and individuals looking to create in-house publications such as brochures, newsletters and catalogs.
• WebPlus X2, a WYSIWYG Web site design package.
• DrawPlus X2, a vector drawing program that includes Flash animation creation functionality.

Unfortunately, Serif doesn't offer time-limited free trial versions of its software. For those of us with long memories, that's sort of ironic, since the company used to give away old versions of its applications for free--a laudable practice if ever there was one.

What's been buzz fodder for weeks finally became an entrée today when Nikon announced its new D700 digital SLR. The new 12.1 megapixel model has an FX-format sensor measuring 23.9 x 36 millimeters. By comparison, a 35mm film camera has a frame size of 24 x 36mm. Features found in the new D700 include:

• Nikon's EXPEED image processing system.
• A 51-point autofocus system with 3-D focus tracking.
• Two Live View shooting modes.
• An ISO range of 200 to 6400, with an expanded range of ISO 100 to 25,600.
• Sequential shooting speeds of up to eight frames a second at full resolution.
• A self-cleaning system using four distinct vibration frequencies.
• Compatibility with next-generation high-speed UDMA CompactFlash cards which can record data at 35 megabytes per second.
• A three-inch LCD with VGA resolution of 920,000 dots and 170 degree viewing angle.

The D700 is scheduled to go on sale at the end of this month for an estimated selling price of $2999.95 for the body only.

If you find yourself squinting at even a three-inch display on your digital camera, you may want to consider a new product announced today by Uniden. It's a 3x magnifier for DSC LCDs. The UNX-8507 slips over a three-inch LCD and is made of special rubber to ensure it will not scratch the surface of the display. Uniden notes that an added advantage to the device is that you can use it in bright sunshine, essentially using it like a giant viewfinder. The gadget goes on sale tomorrow--but only in Japan--for $47, according to Serkan Toto at CrunchGear.

Turkey's English-language daily Today's Zaman reports that digital cameras and camcorders in that country will cost 20 percent more as of July 1, thanks to the addition of image-recording devices to the Private Consumption Tax roll--more specifically, the list of goods covered by Customs Tariffs Statistics Protocol No. 8525.80, which "includes home appliances, cosmetics, caviar, guns, and other items."

The newspaper explains, "An official from the administration pointed to the recent, dramatic increase in digital camera sales, adding that similar products were already subject to [the tax]. Demand for such electronic devices, most of which are imported from abroad, is expected to sharply decline after the amendment goes into effect."

Last year's model was called the Caplio GX100, but Ricoh has shortened its successor's name to just GX200. While it climbs from 10 to 12 megapixels, the new compact keeps the Caplio's wide-angle (35mm film equivalent of 24mm to 72mm), 3X optical zoom lens. A new image processing engine, Smooth Imaging Engine III, promises increased noise reduction without sacrificing resolution or saturation.

The LCD has grown from 2.5 to 2.7 inches with 460,000 pixels--Ricoh says even 1/20 size thumbnails are clearly reproduced. Carpenters and Leaning Tower of Pisa tourists will appreciate a level indicator that uses an acceleration sensor to help keep the camera body horizontally or vertically level.

RAW mode options now include bracketing to automatically change exposure settings and continuous shooting of up to five images, while in-camera image editing functions include brightness, contrast, and color tone (white balance) adjustment. The GX200 is available by itself or in a kit that adds a removable electronic viewfinder; Ricoh hasn't announced the price for either.

According to Canon Australia, 43 percent of people intending to buy a digital camera are considering a digital SLR instead of a compact model. The new Canon EOS 1000D--successor to the EOS 400D, which the company brags "set the benchmark in entry-level digital SLRs"--promises to make the step up even easier for former point-and-shooters, with a Live View mode that lets them preview images on the camera's 2.5-inch LCD and compact SD memory-card slot for transferring pictures from a compact cam.

The 10.1-megapixel ES1000D offers basic and manual shooting modes and picture style modes, with an Auto Lighting Optimizer to help with brightness and contrast and a continuous mode capable of capturing 3 frames per second or up to 514 JPEG images in one burst. It uses Canon's DIGIC III image processor with 12-bit color and has the same EOS Integrated Cleaning System as its siblings.

Canon's lightest DSLR--its body weighs 450g (1 pound)--will go on sale Down Under in late July. No word on its price or likely migration to other countries yet.

At a press event in Beijing today, Motorola unveiled the Motozine ZN5, the company's first in a series of multimedia-optimized devices for content consumption and creation buffs. A joint effort of Motorola and Eastman Kodak, the 4-ounce smartphone features a 5-megapixel auto-focus (fixed focus) camera with xenon flash, 350MB of memory expandable to 4GB, and the ability to transfer images using MMS, WiFi, or Bluetooth or upload them to Kodak Gallery or another photo site.

The Motozine is the first handset to feature Kodak Imaging Technology, a suite of features that Kodak will offer to other mobile manufacturers and service providers. The platform combines the EasyShare image transfer and sharing abilities of Kodak's digital cameras with Perfect Touch technology that generates brighter, more vivid pictures. Capture modes include multi-shot and panorama, with the phone's 2.4-inch, 240 by 320-pixel LCD serving as a digital viewfinder.

The quad-band GMS/EDGE/GPRS phone offers SMS, MMS, IM, and personal e-mail and an open-source Web browser, along with stereo Bluetooth wireless, TV-out and 3.5mm A/V jacks, an FM radio, and Windows Media Player 11. Motorola says the ZN5 will ship in China in July and worldwide throughout the remainder of the year.

The average selling price for digital SLR cameras across Europe, the Middle East and Asia has dropped 1.6% in the past 10 weeks, according to UK-based market research firm Futuresource.

"Our price tracking system shows that some of the largest decreases in [average selling price] appear in the 6-7MP pixel [sic], segment," Adam Cox, of the company, noted in a statement. In that category alone, he continued, prices have declined nearly 8% in the last 10 weeks.

He explained that newer DSLRs--those in the 10 megapixel segment--have resisted the price erosion seen for older models, like Nikon's 6.1MP D40 (photo above), whose price has decreased more than 7% during the last 10 weeks.

According to Futuresource, DSLRs with sensors of 10MP or more now account for the bulk of the DSLR market and the prices for those models have declined only 3% over the last 10 weeks.

James Wells, of Futuresource, added, "Continued aggressive pricing of compacts and DSLRs is having an impact on the value of the camera business, although as margins continue to be squeezed, the industry will find it increasingly difficult to rely on price cutting to encourage consumers to upgrade."

Wells pointed out, however, that large like-for-like price declines had a significant impact on the market in 2007, when overall digital camera shipments worldwide grew 25%. Similar growth is predicted by Futuresource for 2008, when it sees global sales increasing by 19%.

Multifunctional photo-centric devices represent the highest growth area in the US photo printer market, according to a study released this week by InfoTrends, a marketing research firm located in Weymouth, Mass.

For the vast majority of consumers, the study said, multifunctional printers represent an attractive value and that value is fueling the devices' popularity.

"Most consumers like to have a copier or scanner at home," the report observed, "and the fact that an MFP can perform these functions and produce great photo prints when needed ensures the device will be around for a long time."

The study also noted, "Replacement buyers will continue to fuel growth in this area, as even those that currently own single-function printers will likely opt for MFPs when the time comes to purchase a new device."