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LAS VEGAS -- Several digital camera manufacturers are addressing the common "shutter lag" gripe with new technology designed to speed up the startup and shorten the delay between pressing the shutter and shooting.

Olympus, Nikon, and Kyocera are among those that are tackling the problem in new models previewed at the Photo Marketing Association conference here this week.

Olympus Implements TruePic

Olympus has announced its TruePic Turbo technology, which the company is building into its newly-announced line of digital cameras. Olympus representatives say TruePic Turbo will significantly shorten the time it takes a camera to start up when switched on, as well as reduce shutter lag and improve burst shooting.

The shutter lag is especially frustrating for soccer moms and dads who miss important shots because of the delay between when they press the shutter button and when the camera actually takes the picture.

The new Olympus models range from point-and-shoot pocket cameras to an 8-megapixel model equipped with a wide-angle zoom lens. Most of the new cameras feature USB support and write to xD-Picture Card flash media.

The $379 Stylus 410 Digital has a splash-proof all-weather design equipped with seals and gaskets to help protect the camera's circuitry from water damage, although it is not submersible. The 410 features a 3x optical zoom, 4.0 megapixel sensor, ten shooting modes, QuickTime movie capture support, and an all-weather microphone. It is scheduled to ship later in February, and comes with a 32MB xD-Picture card.

A pair of new 4-megapixel models, the C-770 Ultra Zoom and C-765 Ultra Zoom, come with 10x optical zoom lenses and are the smallest and lightest members of Olympus' Ultra Zoom line. They measure 4.3-by-3-by-3 inches, and weigh about 10 ounces without batteries. Both cameras have 1.8-inch LCD viewfinders, 12 selectable shooting modes, advanced controls for aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual operation. The C-770 model has a metal body and hot shoe so it can be used with an external flash. Both will be available in April, the C-770 priced at $599 and the C-765 at $499.

Nikon, Kyocera Entries

Nikon is also improving the operating speed of its new models. Most impressive is the new Nikon D70 SLR, which Nikon says can take up to 144 full-sized JPEG images at three frames per second--a capability that should catch the attention of action photographers.

The one catch: you need the new, and more expensive, high-speed flash media, such as the 40X CompactFlash from Lexar (which just announced 8GB media) or SanDisk. Nikon did not release pricing information for the D70.

Nikon is boosting lower-end products, as well. Its new Coolpix 4200 and 5200 also appear to have faster start-up times.

Both models have 3x optical zoom lenses, 15 scene modes, and 12MB of internal memory, expandable with SD memory cards. They both have USB interfaces and support for both PictBridge and USB Direct Print.

The $499 Coolpix 5200 sports a 5.1-megapixel sensor and can record QuickTime video at three different resolutions, all at 30 frames per second. The 4-megapixel Coolpix 4200, priced at $399, supports 15-fps video.

Kyocera announced its similar RTune technology in two new cameras: the 3.2-megapixel Finecam SL300R and the 5-megapixel Finecam S5R, both due for release in the fall. Kyocera claims the Finecam S5R will have the fastest continuous shooting mode of any 5-megapixel camera, but gave little detail about either model.