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 Itsy Bitsy Photo Viewer Pocket-sized point-and-shoots are great, but their tiny screens can make your aunt look like an ant. Kodak’s new EasyShare Picture Viewer ($149 expected street) has a 2.5-inch (201,000-pixel) screen, displays full-resolution images from SD/MMC memory cards, and has 32MB of built-in memory. That’s not as much storage as $500-and-up hard-drive storage devices, but it’s enough to hold over 100 screen-resolution pics for playback on the built-in LCD. Playback lasts for up to three hours, according to the company, on the built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery. Like Kodak’s newer EasyShare cameras, the Picture Viewer has an Imagelink connector, so printing on the company’s Printer Dock Series 3 is simple. Don’t have a dock? There’s also a USB connector and PictBridge support. What’s not hot? Zoom is limited to 2X. (Kodak; www.kodak.com; 800-235-6325)
 Snorklecam Bringing your camera into your pool or to the beach? You'll need a waterproof bag or housing, right? Wrong, says Pentax. The company’s new 5MP OptioWP ($350 estimated street) can shoot down to 5 feet below the water’s surface. Powered by a Li-ion rechargeable battery, it has an internal 3X optical zoom (38–114mm equivalent) f/3.3–4 lens and 2-inch LCD. Plus, 15 picture modes, along with full auto and program, cover a wide variety of shooting conditions including, of course, underwater. Images are stored on an SD card or the built-in 10.5MB memory. (Pentax; www.pentaximaging.com; 800-877-0155)
 SD, with a side of USB By day it’s an SD memory card. By night, a USB 2.0 flash drive. SanDisk’s new Ultra II SD Plus card might have an identity crisis, but it sure is useful. One end has the same nine contacts as any SD card. The other end, the four tell-tale contacts of USB protected by a folding plastic cover. Just shoot your pics, pull the card from your camera, flip open the USB cover, shove the card in your computer’s USB connector, and transfer away. It’s the best thing since card readers. The Ultra II SD Plus is available now in 512MB ($109.99 list) and 1GB ($149.99 list) sizes. (SanDisk Corp.; www.sandisk.com; 866-726-3475)
 Get an Extension Want to get close to your subject? A macro lens will get you there, but only at one focal length. An extension tube lets you focus close with all but your widest lenses. Kenko’s new DG AF Extension Tube Set (Canon, Minolta, Pentax mounts: $219; Nikon: $279), with stackable 12-, 20-, and 36mm tubes , is designed to work with more cameras and lenses than Kenko’s old set (seeTHK’s web site for a list). As with all extension tubes, your range of focus will decrease (no focusing to infinity), and you may lose autofocus at smaller apertures. But, put one of these behind a real macro lens, and your images will be larger than life. (THK Photo Products; www.thkphoto.com; 800-421-1141)
 New Player in ’Pods OSN stands for One Source Network, and this relative newcomer sprang up about three years ago with accessories specifically aimed at the digital photographer: memory card holders, screen protectors, print trimmers, etc. Now, OSN makes a leap into the larger photo arena with its OS 364 LA carbon-fiber tripod ($499.99 list), a ’pod for both digital and analog shooters. One of the few CFer’s with flip-style thumb locks (most use collar locks), the 364 LA offers lightweight and sturdy magnesium hardware that helps make this four-section tripod unusually lightweight (4.2 pounds, sans head) for a tripod that tops out at 68 inches. Other features to like: a magnesium camera platform with built-in spirit level, self-leveling feet (photo), and a reversible center column for ground-level work. (OSN; www.osnusa.com; 678-344-2989)
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