DIGITAL CAMERA ROUNDUP: Jeff Soyer has a review of a $19.99 digital camera — “My conclusions… Well, I’m not throwing away my Sony Mavica.” The pictures he’s posted don’t suck, though, especially when you consider the price.

Meanwhile, reader Steve Cooper emails that the photoblogging has done him some good: “Thanks for all the great info on the D70! I dropped my Nikon Pronea 6i on the sidewalk on Xmas Eve and I’m sad to say that it has taken its last picture (really was a GREAT camera). I ordered my D70 from Abe’s this morning thanks to some furious research on Xmas day which included reading nearly everything you had on the subject.”

The D70 rocks. Next, frequent source of useful links Jim Herd sends two interesting items: this story on Kodak designing its cameras to appeal to women: “The company’s big decision was to focus on low-priced, easy-to-use cameras that would appeal to women, who take the majority of snapshots, rather than Sony’s forte – shiny toys for gadget-loving men.” Reportedly, it paid off. On the other hand, the Insta-wife thinks my Sony is very handsome. (But the Kodaks are certainly easy to use — I gave this one to the 9-year-old insta-daughter for Christmas, and she’s loved it).

Herd also sends this link to the first review of the Fuji Finepix S3 Pro DSLR. (I had posted a link to an informal review by a NASA photo guy here.) Still a bit pricey for me at $2,499 — especially in light of the lukewarm review, which suggests that you just can’t see a lot of difference in the actual images from all this better technology — but the good news is that whatever technology is available at $2,500 this year will be available at $500 in 18 months. That’s why I love this stuff. Well, that, and because I’m one of those “gadget-loving men!”