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LAS VEGAS -- Looking to strengthen its position in the digital camera market, Toshiba Imaging Systems has announced a 3-megapixel-class digital camera priced at $599.

Called the PDR-M65, the camera is expected to ship in February and will work with both Windows and Apple Macintosh systems, the company says. Toshiba has included some fairly sophisticated imaging features that are designed to appeal to experienced photographers, but says the device will be sufficiently easy to use to attract novice photographers.

It's being showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show here this week. Other camera makers, including Canon and Kyocera, are expected to unveil a host of new and recently introduced digital imaging products at CES this week.

Most current digital cameras have image pickups that offer picture resolution in the neighborhood of 1 million or 2 million pixels (called 1-megapixel- or 2-megapixel-class cameras). Canon early last year released the first 3-megapixel digital camera for consumers, priced then at about $956.

Other releases followed, and prices for 3-megapixel-class cameras have since dropped. Nikon's 3.3-megapixel CoolPix 880, for example, can be bought for as little as $617. However, Toshiba claims to be breaking new ground by introducing its new camera for just under $600. (See also " Top 5 Digital Cameras, $500 and Over.")

Zoom Lens, Flash Options Offered

The PDR-M65 supports a USB connection for faster image downloading, and circuitry improvements designed to reduce the processing time between shots. The camera also includes five flash modes: automatic, red-eye reduction, forced-fill flash, slow syncro, and force-off.

A 3.3-megapixel, half-inch CCD (charged-couple device) captures color pictures at resolutions of up to 2048 by 1536 pixels in the common JPEG format, Toshiba representatives say.

The camera also boasts an all-glass 38mm lens with a 3X optical zoom that Toshiba claims operates like those found on traditional film cameras. The zoom can be combined with the camera's digital 2X telephoto mode when playing back images, resulting in a total 6X zoom magnification.

To boost performance further, a "macro mode" gives you the option of taking close-ups at as little as 3.9 inches, Toshiba representatives say. Like many digital cameras, the model lets you frame pictures using a small LCD screen built into the device as well as through the optical viewfinder.

The PDR-M65 includes three levels of recording images. Depending on the image quality selected, the PDR-M65 can record 8, 17, or 35 images on a bundled 8MB SmartMedia card in 2048-by-1536 mode, and similarly 16, 34, or 70 images using the 1024-by-768 mode.

Toshiba also claims the PDR-M65 is one of the smallest cameras on the market. Weighing about 10.2 ounces, the camera measures 4.76 by 2.95 by 2.4 inches.

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