Nine new digcams from Fujifilm

By John Mello on January 28, 2008 2:47 PM

Fujifilm joined the new digital still camera parade last week when it introduced nine new snappers. One of the most interesting additions to the company's lineup is the S100FS. The camera stands out--not only because Fuji departed from using lowercase letters in the product's nomenclature--but because it includes a film simulation mode that aims at addressing a common criticism of digital pics that they lack the dynamic range and varierty that film stocks bring to an image. According to Fuji, the 11-megapixel S100FS has an extended dynamic range that's similar to negative film largely due to the unit's new 2/3-inch CCD sensor and RP processor. In addition it has three film simulation modes-

Soft, for best results in low-contrast situations.
Velvia, for vibrant colors, and
Provia, for general use.

Other features of the S100FS include a tiltable 2.5-inch LCD display, 14.3x manual zoom (28-400mm equivalent), a top ISO of 10,000 for 3MP images and three kinds of bracketing--film simulation, dynamic range and AE.

The unit is expected to reach the shelves in April at $799.99.

In addition to the S100FS, Fujifilm released two other new models in its S series.

The S1000fd is a 10-megapixel camera with a 12x optical zoom (33-396mm equivalent). As with all the new Fuji models, it has the company's proprietary face recognition technology. Not only does it recognize as many as 10 faces from a wide range of angles, but it automatically removes red-eye in a shot in the camera. It will also stitch in the camera up to three 3MP images to create a panorama shot. The unit, which runs on four AA batteries, has a 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD and, accepts both xD abd SD media--as do all the new Fuji models. What's more, the camera can capture 10MP images at ISO 1600 and 3MP shots at ISO 3200. It has 14 scene modes and can snag up to 15 continuous shots at 7.5 frames per second for 2MP photos, six shots at 3.3 fps for 5MP images and three shots at 1.4 fps at full resolution. The camera is scheduled for April release at $279.99.

Fuji is also releasing a new version of its monster zoom offering. The 10-megapixel S8100fd, which runs on four AA batteries, has an 18x optical zoom (27-486mm equivalent) and 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD. It can shoot 5MP images at ISO 6400 and grab up to 33 5MP snaps at 6.8 fps or the same number of 3MP images at 13.5 fps. It also has a super macro mode that can focus as close as 0.4 inch from a subject. What's more it has an "intelligent flash" mode, designed to create more natural-looking flash photos, and a dual shot mode that takes two images in succession--one with a flash, one without. The product is expected to reach the market in April at $399.99.

Three new cameras were added to Fuji's J series. There are the ultra-thin--19mm thick--J10, which comes in black and silver, and J12, which, comes in bright blue and hot pink. The 8.2MP cameras have 2.5-inch LCDs, 3x optical zooms and 14 scene modes. Also weighing in at 8.2MP is the J50. The black unit has a wider waistline--23mm-than the other Jcams, but a bigger LCD-2.7 inches, larger optical zoom-5x, and 15 scene modes. The J10 will be available in April at $149.99, as will the J50 at $189.99. The J12 is scheduled for May release at $149.99.

A new F series camera was also introduced by the Japanese company. The 12MP F100fd has 5x zoom, 2.7-inch, 230,000 LCD display and 16 scene modes. Like Fuji's other new models, the unit has proprietary face detection with red-eye removal, dual shot mode, xD-SD support and reduced size ISO speeds of an impressive 12,800. Other features include an infrared link for sharing photos with other Fuji camera owners or other devices with IR capability and a indexing feature that allows 100 "micro" thumbnails on the LCD. The F100fd is expected to be on shelves in April at $399.99.

Two additions to Fujifilm's popular Z series were also announced by the company. They were the

ZD100fd—an 8MP camera with 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels and is a scant 19.8mm thick. It has Fuji's face recognition with in-camera red-eye reduction, intelligent flash, dual mode shooting, infrared trransfer, micro thumbnails, a movie mode, 16 scene modes and xD-SD support. It also has some specialized functions such as blog and auction mode and in-camera folder management. The unit is expected to be shipped in March and sell for $269.99.

Z20fd—an 10MP bytecam with 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD and 45MB of internal memory. It has 14 scene modes, a dedicated movie button and runs on a Li-ion battery. The Z20fd is expected to enter the market in April at $199.99.