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 Philips Retro mini VGA (just announced-no price available) -- Sometimes nostalgia is its own reward. With this model from Philips you won't be shooting professionally, but you'll have the chance to frolic with a fun little light scribe that looks like a relic from decades ago. The Retro mini VGA has exactly the look that comes to mind when you say "retro camera." It lacks many of the more substantial features, such as an LCD screen, and it's limited to QVGA quality, at about 200 pictures. But the thrill of this camera is in its look. As a small, quick, point-and-shoot camera it looks great, even if it only captures 320x240 pixels!
So it may not be your go-to camera for shooting landscapes and portraits or anything you want to blow up bigger than a postage stamp. But it has another suggested function that might just make it the coolest of the bunch. Philips suggests that it could be used as a Web cam. Imagine, instead of some bulbous, plastic-housed web cam with no personality, you have instead something reminiscent of the bygone days of Kodachrome and slide carousels. If you're a photo enthusiast who has discovered the joys of the Webcam, then this just might be the camera for you.
 Pentax Optio 750Z (check eBay) -- Pentax is the name on the first camera that most professionals ever put their hands on. DSLRs are replacing the legendary K1000, even in Photo 101, but for many a modern photographer that first Pentax holds a lot of pleasant memories.
In the spirit of that nostalgia Pentax introduced the Optio 750Z in fall 2004. With a 7.0 megapixel chip and a 5x optical zoom, the 750Z is a snazzy looking throwback with thoroughly modern features such as the 1.8-inch fold out LCD and Trailing-shutter-curtain sync flash.
But for the aficionado, the retro doesn't stop with the look. With a new, digital spin on an old favorite, the 750Z has a reflex-type digital light meter. Pentax touts this as being handy for shooting alongside medium-format and classic film cameras. Just set up your 750Z, meter, and make your exposure and shutter adjustments on the film camera. And while you're at it, snap a few digital shots for backup. That's a bonus worth the cost.
 Samsung Digimax L85 ($279, street) -- At 8.1 megapixels with a 5x optical zoom, the L85 is another handy camera to have in your bag or on your collectibles shelf. It has the stylish black-and-silver look of the classic 35-mm point-and-shoots that decorated the necks of tourists everywhere in the '50s and '60s. But once again, form meets function as we turn the L85 over, revealing a gigantic 2.5-inch display that uses Samsung's "special wide-view technology." This feature lets you view a crisp, clean image on-screen regardless of how you twist, turn, raise or lower the camera.
But the biggest and most surprising innovation on this retro goldie is the fact that it was the first digital still camera to integrate HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). This feature allows you to view your photos at full resolution, with no compression, on an HDTV. Retro never looked so good!
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