I've recently stumbled upon highslide js.
Rather than trying to give tons of explanation, I'll give some links:
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http://vikjavev.no/highslide/#examples
Notice how smooth the whole thing is. Plus it is highly compatible.
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http://dev.pajagus.org/index.php/blogus/pajagus/zoom_photo_javascript
I also appreciate how fast it _seems_. It's certainly not faster than another thumbnail viewer to load the image but it feels like and that's what matters.
Moreover going back and forth in pages leads to reloading images and this is at least some HTTP request so browsing images is faster for the user and lighter for the server. =)
Hope to see this soon in DW. ;)