Look for four new point and shoot cameras from Canon in late February, all of which will be priced below $200.

• PowerShot A490. Canon will aim the A490 at budget-conscious photographers, with an MSRP of $109.99. The A490 has a low-light mode to help with indoor photographs and 10.0 megapixels of resolution.

• PowerShot A495. Look for the A495 ($129.99 MSRP) to carry 10.0 megapixels of resolution, a 2.5-inch LCD, and a 3.3X optical zoom lens.

• PowerShot A3000 IS. The entry-level A3000 ($149.99 MSRP) offers 10.0 megapixels of resolution and a 4X optical zoom lens, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.

• PowerShot A3100 IS. Canon has included optical IS in the A3100 (as it has in the A3000). Look for the A3100 ($179.99 MSRP) in silver, blue (pictured here), and red.

I'll have more details about each of these cameras in blog posts over the next few weeks. With such low introductory prices, beginning photographers will have some stylish, solid cameras to select from during the next few months.

Photo courtesy Canon

The 2010 CES in Las Vegas -- along with all of its expected digital camera product announcements -- doesn't begin until Thursday, but Samsung has gotten a jump on the announcements, introducing its NX10 digital camera just ahead of CES. The NX10 offers interchangeable lenses like a DSLR camera, but is smaller in size than most DSLR models.

The NX10 has a 3.0-inch AMOLED screen, which is brighter than traditional LCD screens and uses less power. (AMOLED is short for active-matrix organic light emitting diode.) In addition, Samsung has included 14.6 megapixels of resolution with this model.

Samsung expects the NX10 to be available in black and silver in spring 2010, although no prices have been announced yet. Look for Samsung to have more camera announcements later in the week as well.

Photo courtesy Samsung

The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which digital camera manufacturers typically use to introduce new products and technologies, is set to begin in Las Vegas on Thursday.

CES, produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), will run four days in Las Vegas. Keep checking in with my blog to see the latest product announcements regarding digital cameras and related technologies.

The first CES occurred in 1967 in New York City, with about 200 exhibitors. More than 2,000 exhibitors are expected at 2010 CES. Several products that quickly became part of everyday life have debuted at past versions of CES, including: VCR (1970), CD player (1981), DVDs (1996), HDTV (1998), and Blu-ray discs (2003).

One rule of point and shoot cameras is this: An inexpensive camera doesn't always translate to an easy to use camera. Although it may seem like cheap digital cameras should be easy to use, this isn't always the case.

General Imaging, which is the camera division of GE, has managed to find a good balance between low prices and easy to use models, as evidenced by a model I recently had a chance to review, the GE J1250 digital camera.

The GE J1250 offers very basic features, but it also costs less than $150, and it stacks up well against others in its price range. I slightly prefer the GE A1250, but both are good models for beginning photographers.

If you have some holiday cash to spend, take a look at all of my camera reviews for some help in finding a good model for your needs.

Photo courtesy GE