Fujifilm
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Fujifilm's six megapixel F20 thrives at night
Besides the S6000fd that we just brought you, Fujifilm has another six megapixel shooter slated to hit stores in September, though this model is more at home in a pocket than a camera bag. Being touted as the little brother to the company's already-compact F30, the new F20 sports many of the same features as its big bro -- besides the 6.3 megapixel CCD, they both share a 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch LCD -- with the major differences being size, display resolution, and battery capacity. Also like the F30, this model is designed to perform in low-light conditions that would prove difficult for other compact cameras which don't share its relatively high maximum sensitivity of ISO 2000. The other nice touches here center around the flash: it automatically adjusts its intensity based on ambient lighting, and is part of the innovative "Natural Light & Flash" feature that snaps two consecutive shots -- one with flash and one without -- to provide users with a so-called "photographic safety net." No word yet on pricing, but since you can pick up the F30 for under $400, we imagine that this model will be available for around the same cost.
Evan Blass07.13.2006
Fujifilm's face-finding FinePix: the S6000fd
With some extreme ISO action, and a flashy face-recognizing auto focus feature, Fujifilm has quite an alluring offering in their new FinePix S6000fd (known as the S6500fd globally). The 2.5-inch LCD and 6.3 megapixel CCD shouldn't turn too many heads, but the wide-angle manual control 10.7x zoom lens and the 100-3200 ISO sensitivity is nothing to sneeze at. Fujiflim's hardware-based Face Detection tech allows the camera to zero in on the sentient humans in frame -- instead of that wall behind them -- and does its focusing mojo in a mere 0.04 seconds. This, combined with other automatic enhancements, allows Joe Hobbyist to take advantage of the camera's advanced optics without having to fiddle with manual controls, promising better lighting and less blurring in more situations. Unfortunately, "Picture Stabilization," which merely bumps the ISO automatically is a lame substitute for actual optical image stabilization, but there aren't many other cut corners, and Fujifilm has managed to get the price pretty low. The S6000fd should be out in September for around $500.
Paul Miller07.13.2006
Fuji's six megapixel Finepix F470 reviewed
When it comes to ultracompact digital cameras, they don't get much more pocketable than the Fujifilm Finepix F470 we first spotted at CES, which at 122-grams, is one of the lightest six megapixel shooters you can buy, Yet according to Digital Camera Review, the diminutive F470 is also an excellent performer, with almost insignificant startup times and shutter lag, low to acceptable noise levels up to ISO 400, and most importantly, accurate color and white balance -- save for some purple fringing on shots captured at full 3x zoom. You're also getting a 2.5-inch LCD, VGA video at 30fps, and 16MB of onboard memory, plus, the few downsides here don't sound all that bad: below average life from the included rechargeable battery, only six steps on the optical zoom, and an Exposure Compensation setting that doesn't auto-reset are the only gripes this reviewer had. Oh, that and the fact that you'll have to shell out for an xD card along with your purchase, because chances are you don't already have one, and Fuji doesn't include one in the box.
Evan Blass06.25.2006
Fujifilm FinePix V10 reviewed
We first peeped Fujifilm's compact FinePix V10 at CES earlier this year, but if you've been wondering how it actually performs, the folks at Lets Go Digital have got your fix in the form of an in-depth review. The camera itself is a 5 megapixel number, with a 3.4x optical zoom, and a large 3-inch LCD taking up pretty much all of the real estate on the rear side of the device. Also notable is the high ISO settings (up to 1600), which is rarely seen in a camera of this class. Lets Go Digital really didn't find much negative to say about the camera, giving it high marks for its great lens, fast start-up speed, good color rendition, and general user-friendliness -- they even dug the camera's built-in games. Sticker price is still $349, but it looks like most retailers are selling it for closer to the $300 mark -- although the orange model here seems a bit harder to come by. Why, we don't exactly know; we're assuming it's probably not due to demand.[Via DP Blog]
Donald Melanson06.21.2006
Fujifilm FinePix F30 reviewed
The folks at CNET have been spending some quality time with Fujifilm's new FinePix F30 low-light 6 megapixel shooter and they're generally pleased. With a 3x optical zoom, 6 megapixel CCD, and the increasingly common 2.5-inch screen, there isn't a whole lot that stands out about this camera -- except for that outlandish ISO range. Starting at ISO 100 and ranging all the way to ISO 3,200 (previously only available for incredibly grainy black and white film shots), the camera can manage in low-light situations previously resigned to lots of flash or lots of black. CNET found the noise very low in general, espescially with ISO 100 and 200. They found ISO 1,600 to have quite obvious noise, but worthy of an 8.5 x 11 print all the same. The ISO 3,200 should obviously be kept to extreme situations, with a significant loss of image detail, but the shots were better than no shot at all, which is the general point. Otherwise the camera was just average, with a homely yet functional design, decent shooting speed, and a pretty nice LCD. There's no optical image stabilisation, but we're thinking the ISO is a pretty good trade-off. You should be able to get your very own F30 now for under $400.
Paul Miller06.12.2006
FujiFilm's FinePix Z3 Zoom, for the ladies
Ok grrrls, FujiFilm has gone all pearls-in-the-kitchen with their new FinePix Z3 Zoom camera, calling it the ideal "handbag companion" for the ladies. The Z3 is nothing more than the Z2 (or Z1 for that matter) dolled-up in pink of course, with the addition of a picture stabilization mode, intelligent flash, and a new flash mode which snaps both a natural light and flash shot with a single press of the shutter. So like the Z2, you get a 5.1-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, an xD Picture card slot, and 640 x 480 videos recorded at 30fps. Oh, and it's available in blue and silver too in case your man-bag is looking for a little action.[Via Let'sGoDigital]
Thomas Ricker05.30.2006
IBM, Fujifilm developing 8 terabyte magnetic tape cartridges
If you thought that magnetic tape cartridges were headed the way of Zip disks and five-and-a-quarter-inch floppies into the storage medium graveyard, think again, because IBM and Fujifilm are currently working together to make the venerable technology capable of storing a Blu-ray-humbling eight terabytes-per-cartridge. Using barium ferrite crystal film from Fuji and read/write technology from IBM, the two companies are reporting success in creating storage densities of up to 6.67 billion-bits/square-inch, which is something like fifteen times the capacility of current backup tape. Unfortunately there is no word yet if the cartridges, which should be available in about five years, will be able to fit in your old 8-track player for rocking millions and millions of MP3s.
Evan Blass05.17.2006