You can preorder a Nikon D700 body from Ritz Camera.

Some of the features:

• 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor with Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED digital image processor
• Super low-noise performance from 200-6400 ISO
• Continuous shooting up to 5 frames per second
• 3 inch high resolution LCD with Two Live View shooting modes
• Shutter mechanism tested to 150,000 cycles
• 51-point AF with 3D Focus Tracking
• a builtin flash
• Dynamic Integrated Dust Reduction System
• Active D-Lighting with NEW Auto mode
• …and lots more goodies

Visit the Nikon website for full info on the D700

A few of the new or enhanced features:

• Selection Control Point - kind of like layer masks
• Auto Retouch Brush - quickly remove dust spots, blemishes
• Shadow/Highlight Adjustments
• Workspaces - Browser, Metadata, Multi-Purpose and Edit
• Quick Fix
• Label/Rating support?XMP) - compatible with Adobe Bridge, Windows Vista, etc
• Auto Color Aberration Control - fix those minor lens errors
• Distortion Control Function
• Black/White Control Points - quick contrast changes

Capture NX 2 should be available in the US late in June and the upgrade from Capture NX will be around $100.

Read the announcement on Capture NX 2 at Nikon’s website.

If you’ve still got a decent balance in your bank account, perhaps some of these pieces of photo equipment can be added to your personal inventory. Check out these extreme pieces of photo equipment.

My personal faves are the 160 Megapixel (you read that right!) digital panorama camera. How cool is that!

For the nostalgic film folks, the Pinhole truck may be your choice. Kinda makes you want to go out shopping for a panel truck, huh?

You can save $75-100 on the K200D and K20D bodies and $50-75 on a wide variety of zoom or macro lenses. The 380F and 540F flashes are both getting $50 back into your pocket.

Your typical kit of a camera body, 2 lenses and a flash can net you a total savings of between $200 and $275.

For many years film photography students flocked to the rugged and reliable Pentax K1000. It was the perfect entry level camera. Pentax has always been know for producing a quality camera system, even branching into medium format cameras like the 645N.

Their current digital offerings are wonderful cameras that would suit the needs of most photographers. Since you can save a bit of cash, visit your local camera store and check out the K200D and K20D. Visit the Pentax website for tech specs too.

Having a 50mm f1.4 lens available to you means you can shoot in low light with ease. Since so many new DSLRs perform so well at high ISOs this lens would be a great addition to any shooters camera bag. Portrait shooters using APS-C sized sensors will get a beautiful, light lens that can blur the background perfectly.

Being an EX series lens with their HSM (built in motor in the lens) means this should be a rugged, well built, fast focusing addition to your lens arsenal. You can check out all the specs on the lens at Sigma’s website.

The lens will be available to fit Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony bodies. Pentax and Sony users are cautioned that the AF may not work if your camera body does not support Sigma’s HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) technology.

As of yet, pricing and availability are not yet published.

Clean your lenses, front and back. A microfiber cloth works best for this. Just make sure there’s no sand or grit on the lens before you start wiping with the microfiber cloth.

Clean your DSLR’s sensor. Either have it professionally done (cost about $50) or get the tools to do it yourself. Visit Cleaning Digital Cameras to find the right way to do this.

Format your memory cards. Always do this in the camera and not on your computer. Less problems that way.

Set up your camera bag with your basic kit. Camera, lenses, flash, batteries etc. Put together your standard items and keep that camera bag handy. Having it "ready to go" at a moments notice means you’ll take it with you more often.

Lastly, take a look at your collection of equipment. Is there an item or two you could sell? Something you rarely use that could benefit someone else more than you? Maybe you could finance the purchase of that macro lens you always wanted. Or another flash and the wireless radio triggers to go with it. Hmmmmmmmmmm…

Admittedly, the pro series Nikon bodies are tough as nails. I just don’t think I’d want to try to find the limits of that toughness on my camera. Maybe this camera belongs to a buddy of his?!?!

Check out the video here. WOW !!

(There appears to be some problems with Youtube and this video. The direct link is http://youtube.com/watch?v=3hjBv9wYOEE but it may change, like it did yesterday. You can search for Nikon D3 Overload on Youtube too.)

Unlike film, digital photography allows us to add color effects and enhancements in post processing. Therefore, you don’t need too many filters.

Protect the lens - with a UV filter. Some people will debate this to death, but a high quality UV filter on the front of the lens will not change your image quality one bit. AND, you’ll keep that pricey lens clean and protected.

I’ve seen many instances, one of them my own personal experience, where a lens was dropped and the UV filter took the hit.

Enhance the image - with a Polarizer. Polarizing filters reduce glare and refection off water, glass and foliage. They can darken the blue in the sky and make the clouds ‘pop’ out.

Your fall foliage pictures will have more saturated colors. You can ’see’ through water to what’s below. Polarizers are VERY useful, but don’t leave it on your lens all the time. And if you use a UV, pull it off and put the Polarizer on. Don’t stack them.

For Landscape shooters - invest in a Gradual ND filter. Cokin, Singh-Ray, Lee and others make high quality Grads. These square filters slide into a holder attached to the front of your lens and are only half colored.

They allow you to darken the sky and bring the exposure value closer to the foreground. No more washed out skies.

Since so much can be done in post processing, these 3 filters will suit the needs of 90% of the digital photographers out there.

You can visit the official CES website here. Get the latest schedule info, celebrity appearances, and more. Visit the CNet site to get full details on all the electronics being featured at the show.

Cameras from Samsung and Casio include new 10 mp versions like the Casio EX-Z100 and Z200 that have 28-112mm zooms. Tons of scene modes, Auto Best shot, Youtube video mode, and much more are packed into these tiny cameras. Casio also has announced the EX-S10, a 15mm thin camera with a 2.7 inch LCD.

Sony is updating the A100 with the A200. The A200 uses a 10mp CCD and adds the Dynamic Range Optimizer found in the A700, along with some other subtle changes.

Keep up with all the camera related news at dpreview.

On a sad note…

This past Friday night (1/05/08) the photographic world lost Herb Keppler. His 50 plus year career included him publishing Modern Photography and Popular Photography, where he still wrote a column each month. He will be missed by many.

Nikon has updated ViewNX to v1.0.3 and added a number of enhancements. The most important items are an error with IPTC info added from other apps causing ViewNX to crash, and an automatic correction of vignetting with D3 RAW files shot with the 80-200 or 70-200. Grab the Windows version here and the Mac version here.

They also put out a 30 day trial version of Camera Control Pro 2 for Nikon shooters. The software allows you to connect your DSLR via a USB port (or wireless on certain cameras with the WT transmitter added) to your computer and shoot pictures. You can change camera settings via the software and automatically have images download to a folder on the computer. Pretty cool stuff.

Version 1 users can get a reduced price on upgrading. Functions for the D300 and D3 have been added, along with some enhancements and direct connections into ViewNX and Capture NX.

Visit Nikons tech support website and grab Camera Control Pro here.

Adobes latest updates are for Camera Raw and Lightroom. Seems the 4.3 update from a few weeks ago had a few bugs with Nikon D100 compressed RAW files and with Mac OS X 10.5. They are fixed in Camera Raw 4.3.1 and in Lightroom 1.3.1.

Visit Adobe’s Download Updates page to find the appropriate versions for your system. Mac users of Lightroom most likely got an Update warning already. Such a smart operating system!