Panasonic and Pentax have both lowered their retail prices for 5-megapixel digital still cameras in the Taiwanese market by around 28%-38%, according to Taiwanese retail channels.

Other Japanese brands of DSCs, including Casio, Nikon and Konica Minolta, have only slightly reduced their retail prices for 5-megapixel models, currently the mainstream resolution in the Taiwan market, but offered memory cards of larger capacities such as 256MB or free printing coupons to promote sales, the local channels said. In addition, Kodak has also lowered retail prices to NT$7,500 (US$239) for its entry-level 5-megapixel DSCs and to about NT$10,000 (US$319) for high-end models. Sanyo Electric, the world?s largest OEM maker of DSCs, has a 5-megapixel model for retail sale at as low as NT$4,990 (US$159).

However, Canon, Sony and Olympus have kept retail prices of their 5-megapixel models at NT$14,900-16,900 (US$476-540).