  We present near-infrared observations of 71 newly discovered L and T dwarfs,
selected from imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) using the
i-dropout technique. Sixty-five of these dwarfs have been classified
spectroscopically according to the near-infrared L dwarf classification scheme
of Geballe et al. and the unified T dwarf classification scheme of Burgasser et
al. The spectral types of these dwarfs range from L3 to T7, and include the
latest types yet found in the SDSS. Six of the newly identified dwarfs are
classified as early- to mid-L dwarfs according to their photometric
near-infrared colors, and two others are classified photometrically as M
dwarfs. We also present new near-infrared spectra for five previously published
SDSS L and T dwarfs, and one L dwarf and one T dwarf discovered by Burgasser et
al. from the Two Micron All Sky Survey. The new SDSS sample includes 27 T
dwarfs and 30 dwarfs with spectral types spanning the complex L-T transition
(L7-T3). We continue to see a large (~0.5 mag) spread in J-H for L3 to T1
types, and a similar spread in H-K for all dwarfs later than L3. This color
dispersion is probably due to a range of grain sedimentation properties,
metallicity, and gravity. We also find L and T dwarfs with unusual colors and
spectral properties that may eventually help to disentangle these effects.
