Wacom has unveiled a wireless version of it’s medium sized Intuos4 pen tablet. The new tablet still has the USB connection but allows for a tidy wireless approach via Bluetooth. That sounds pretty cool, and as a recent purchaser of the wired Intuos4, I’ll admit to being a little annoyed at this announcement. Still you’re not wireless forever, the reason that USB connection remains is for charging the Intuos4, which contains a replaceable lithium ion battery, good for what Wacom claims is 18 hours of use from the tablet.

The new wireless Intuos4 costs $50 more than the wired version, at $399 and is available for pre-order now at Amazon.com.

If you’re not hung up on the wireless aspect, I absolutely enjoy my Intuos4. I’ve got the medium sized one, which pairs nicely with my macbook pro. It looks real slick of course, but it also hooks up so well with Adobe Photoshop, that it’s hard to see how I could ever go back to using a mouse. The other cool aspect is the included drivers which allow you to set up the Intuos4 just to your liking–it really is a time saver in addition to being so much kinder to the ol’ wrists. I’ll get more into this in an upcoming review so stay tuned.

• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Small) $199
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Medium)
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (Large)
• Intuos4 Digital Tablet (X-large)

Up until quite recently camera manufacturers for the most part have been happy to make marginal upgrades to their compact cameras by simply offering more. More megapixels, more zoom, more scene modes, and more faces in face detection AF modes. Lately though, things have begun to change, either because of technological hurdles, or the onslaught of the iPhone and similar, which make compact cameras less and less necessary, or perhaps they’ve actually begun to listen to what consumers really want. Regardless of the reason, we’re finally starting to see more compacts offering something different, a focus on image quality, on taking better or different pictures, and even unique ways of sharing pictures. I’ve gathered 5 of the latest offerings taking slightly different paths than your typical compact camera.

Canon Powershot G11

The Canon PowerShot G11 may not seem all that unconventional at first, but this flagship compact offering from Canon now features not just impeccable build, and a change in imaging sensor with improved ISO performance in mind, but it also sports a flip out and rotating LCD. I’m becoming more and more appreciative of these flip out LCDs due to their creative and practical applications, and the G11 is about the only compact offering one right now. The G10 was fairly well received when it was introduced, but I’m thinking a fair amount of photographers are strongly considering trading theirs in for an even better G11.

• Canon PowerShot G11 at B&H Photo Video
  
• Canon PowerShot G11 at Amazon

Sigma DP2/DP1s

You’ve heard me heap praise on the Sigma DP2 countless time, but I do it for good reasons. It’s a compact camera that truly offers DSLR like image quality thanks to its large Foveon sensor. No longer unique in this regard now that Leica has introduced the X1, the DP2 (or the newly introduced DP1s) is for a select group of photographers that care about image quality above all else. Absent all the bells and whistles found on your average compact, the DP2 offers program, aperture priority, shutter speed priority, and manual shooting modes only, and is somewhat hamstrung by a slow AF system that makes dynamic subject capture difficult at best. But if you’re a somewhat skilled photographer with an interest in taking photos that no other compact will, you should really think about the Sigma DP2.

• Sigma DP2 at B&H Photo Video
  
• Sigma DP2 at Amazon
  

Ricoh GR Digital III

Like the Sigma DP2, the Ricoh GR Digital III takes the unlikely path of offering a fixed length lens, in this case a 28mm lens with f/1.9 aperture. Though the 10 megapixel sensor size is inline with other compacts, you simply won’t find many cameras with such a singular focus. Clearly not intended for everybody, the GR Digital III carves a sliver sized niche for the enthusiast photographer, but does so by going all out, not just offering a precision lens, but by also offering 5 fps of continuous RAW shooting, and a huge 3 inch 920K display, a feature rarely found in the realm of compact cameras.

• Ricoh GR Digital III at Amazon

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR

Improved dynamic range and ISO performance in a compact camera? That’s a novel concept, as the small sensors typically deployed in compacts don’t generally offer either attribute. But that’s exactly what the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR seeks to address by giving photographers the option to choose between a high resolution mode (12 megapixels) or implement one of two options: a high sensitivity mode and a wide dynamic range mode. Both alternatives bump resolution down to 6 megapixels, but provide boosts to low light performance by “creating” larger photodiodes in the higher sensitivity mode, and combine multiple exposures to improve details in highlights in the wide dynamic range mode. With the megapixel wars seemingly winding down, I can assure you we’ll see more and more cameras promoting these much needed improvements in overall image quality.

• Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR at B&H Photo Video
• Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR at Amazon

Nikon CoolPix S1000pj

Taking pictures is one thing, but sharing them is arguably an even bigger thing. Taking a completely novel approach to this dilemma is the Nikon CoolPix S1000pj, which includes its very own internal projector for displaying an image 5 inches to 40 inches wide several feet away. With an included remote, you could set the S1000pj near any appropriate surface and start a slideshow of images taken just moments ago, without a computer, without having prints made, and without a large group of viewers trying to circle around the camera’s LCD display. There’s no other camera like it right now, and I certainly can’t think of another camera that allows for such instantaneous social sharing with the folks around you.

• Nikon CoolPix S1000pj at B&H Photo Video
• Nikon CoolPix S1000pj at Amazon
  

Hey folks, Neutralday.com now has their very own page and application on Facebook. That means you can get every post, right through Facebook, and even add a fan box to your profile page. This helps:

• share the site with your friends
• stay up to date with the latest photography news
• potentially meet (gasp) new friends?
• start camera related discussions
• share photos
• etc.

Sounds like a good deal to me. To get the application and become a fan, just click here.

As a person who struggles to keep up with all the latest camera news, and as a consumer with a very cautious trigger finger, I can sympathize with those agonizing over what camera to buy and when to buy it. The good news is that right now we have a number of very good cameras available, that are both fresh in their product cycles, and bound to be competitive against other contenders in their respective markets. I’ve chosen what I consider to be the current best or best overall value as of right now, and yes I feel pretty confident about these picks. Also, I know this list won’t please everybody—so I’m really hoping some brave folks will leave their own lists in the comments. With all that said, here’s 5 cameras that you can feel pretty good about buying, right now.

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I loved the first one. Had to have the second one. Am I really doubting the need to get the third volume? Nope.

If you’re like me, then head on over to amazon.com, where Scott Kelby’s “The Digital Photography Book Vol. 3″ is now available for a mere $14.99. It continues with the series’ trademark “pro over your shoulder style”. Want to know how the pros do it? This book (and the others in the series) tells you.

Get it now: The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

Unfortunately, NeutralDay.com doesn’t exist in a bubble, and there are just a couple of other photography related sites out there, though none nearly as good as this one (right?). What follows are some ongoings at those “other guys” sites.

Photography Bay

On changing cameras systems part deux. I’ve done it, may do it again someday. It’s a big deal and it isn’t. link.

The Online Photographer

“How I use the DP2″ by Laurence Matson. Matson describes how to use the DP2 as a street camera. I really don’t get all the pans on this camera. It takes amazing and more importantly unique images that *everybody* I’ve shown readily admits are special. You can’t go to the racetrack with it, but ok…

Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Alvarez is a NatGeo photographer who likes taking pictures of caves. Very big caves. link.

Photoshop Insider (Scott Kelby)

New classes at Kelby Training. I do these classes from time to time and they are great deals. Do it for a month and take as many classes as you want. New classes include: sensor cleaning, copyright registration, and “Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it”, where Kelby himself takes you through a photoshoot start to finish. Ok, now I have to take that. More here.

PixelatedImage (David DuChemin)

Mr. Inspiration, photographer David DuChemin has posted some pictures from recent trips to Kenya and Bangladesh. Humanatarian, author, photographer, and on and on…link.

With the latest update to Adobe Lightroom (2.4) you can now use Lightroom as your first step in the Sigma DP2 workflow, and sidestep the use of Sigma Photo Pro alltogether if you choose to. But, is this a wise decision? “I’m not sure”, and “it depends” seem to be my current answers. At their defaults, the 2 programs create noticably different looking images, and if you asked me which one is the real deal, I’d say that SPP is providing more of that DP2 look, but its hard to find the words to define just what that look is. Regardless, a couple of shots demonstrating the differences, both unedited and presented as opened in the respective programs.

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We’ve been saying for awhile now that at this point, all of the new cameras, regardless of manufacturer, can provide consumers great performance even at the entry-level. To demonstrate, we’ve put together this comparison of ISO samples from a couple of cameras we’re currently testing, and have added the Canon EOS 5D Mark II as well. You’ll note that while the kit lens included with Olympus E-620 isn’t able to fully resolve all the details (Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 ED) in the setup, the camera is able to provide usable ISO up to, and in my eye including, ISO 1600. The D90 (paired with the new 35mm DX) provides terrific results with even clearer use of ISO 1600, even ISO 3200 possibly. Then you have the 5D2 (50mm f/1.4), whose ISO performance never fails to impress me, maintaing plenty of detail, and providing usable results at ISO 6400!

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