Fuji
Fuji F300EXR, Z800EXR-Touch
More interesting cameras from Fujifilm, the F300EXR and Z800EXR-Touch, both using the new Super CCD EXR II sensor. This new sensor now features faster autofocusing functions.
Offering a range of zoom capabilities and High Definition (HD) image and video capture, the new FinePix cameras also offer improved technologies including 360° Panoramic Shooting Mode and Web Easy Upload tool (Z800EXR-Touch) for quick and easy photo sharing on social networking sites.
Following in the footsteps of the ‘F’ series models – the F70EXR and F80EXR – the compact F300EXR features a 15x wide-angle zoom Fujinon lens and two new focusing systems to improve autofocus time. The 15x zoom offers a versatile 24-360 mm range (equivalent) while Contrast AF and Phase Detection AF systems allow the user to achieve a faster autofocus speed. The F300EXR offers the same three EXR Priority modes (Wide Dynamic Range up to 800 percent, High Sensitivity and High Resolution) as other EXR models and EXR Auto mode takes the guesswork out of setting the camera by doing everything for you.
New features on this model include 360° Panoramic Shooting Function and Baby Detection (I’m sure there’s a joke here, but I’ll leave well enough alone). 360° Panoramic Shooting Function lets the user capture wide panoramic shots by simply holding the shutter once and panning around. The camera can capture vertical or horizontal panoramic shots with an extended panning range. For those tricky shots with babies or children with little patience to sit still, the F300EXR incorporates new Baby Detection mode to automatically fire the camera as soon as the subject looks into the lens.
The camera also offers Image Stabilization (CCD-Shift), Face Recognition and Pet Detection Technology that allows the user to register common photographed human or pet faces, and gives full creative control with PSAM Shooting mode.
Other benefits include: 12-megapixel EXR II sensor, a 3-inch LCD and 720p HD image and video capture.
The F300EXR will be available in black, in September, for a suggested retail price of $349.99.
The Z800EXR-Touch is a touch screen digital camera with the EXR II sensor that automatically adjusts to all lighting and scene conditions with fast autofocusing functions. The camera features a Touch & Shoot 3.5 inch Touch Screen display panel with “HD-like” 460k pixel resolution. With this responsive screen, the user can also select the area of a shot to focus on with a simple tap of a finger and the camera will automatically focus and take the picture.
It also includes Fujifilm’s Facebook/YouTube Easy Upload tool allowing the user to mark photos for online posting right on the camera. When the camera connects to a PC with MyFinePix Studio software, all marked photos or videos upload directly at the press of a button. The camera also features 360° Panoramic Shooting Function that creates a 360° shot by holding the shutter and panning the camera.
The Z800EXR-Touch offers 1080p HD Video, a Fujinon 5x zoom lens, 12-megapixel resolution and Dual Image Stabilization – in a slim design.
Users can also rate their favourite photos with a star ranking system directly on the camera, for easy identification and sharing. Other features include Face Recognition technology with Pet Detection and Intelligent Scene Recognition.
The Z800 EXR-Touch is also coming in September, in black or red, for a suggested retail price of $229.99.
Review: Two Fujis
Two reviews for the price of one! That’s because the the FinePix S200EXR and F70EXR digital cameras both use Fuji’s EXR sensor technology, so there’s a lot in common between the two models, even if they are significantly different in form and fuction.
In typical male fashion, I picked up both cameras and began to use them without reading their manuals. It’s a testament to the state of the industry that you can do that and get great shots right out of the box. It also tells you the cameras are dead easy to use. And doggone nice to boot.
The S200EXR is a “bridge” or “crossover” camera, having the look and feel of a DSLR, but using a single, fixed, zoom lens. That lens delivers an impressive range of 14.3x, the equivalent of 30.5-436 mm in a full-frame camera. The lens alone is a winner.
Fuji says the S200 is aimed at advanced photo enthusiasts looking for excellent picture quality without the expense or bulk of a DSLR system. It does deliver on the image quality, but it isn’t a small camera (partially because of its formidable lens) and you might quibble about it being less expensive than a DSLR. It is significantly less expensive than most DSLRs, but there are some that do squeak under Fuji’s suggested retail of $599.99. Mind you, to cover the S200’s zoom range would probably require a couple of DSLR lenses, and that adds up. And bulks out the camera bag.
The S200EXR’s zoom range pretty much covers most photo eventualities for the average photographer, especially on the telephoto end. I’d like to see a slightly wider bottom end, pushing to a 26 or 28 mm equivalent. The company’s old S9100 had the equivalent of a 28-300 mm lens (10.7x) which to me was a superb range.
The lens of the S200 has been matched to the EXR sensor, says Fuji. It’s a 12-megapixel sensor, with three switchable modes. High Resolution (HR) mode uses all the pixels, and is gives the finest detail when light is full and even. Wide Dynamic Range (DR) mode (up to 800 percent) captures different exposures with two sets of 6 million pixels, which, when combined, gives an excellent level of detail in highlights that would otherwise be lost. High Sensitivity and Low Noise (SN) mode joins two adjacent pixels together to produce 6 million large photodiodes, big enough to absorb light in the darkest of conditions, producing better quality low-light shots with minimal noise and grain.
I will admit I didn’t use the EXR Priority Mode or EXR Auto Mode in any kind of an organized manner. With the former you get to decide which of the above-noted sensor settings is preferred. The latter, a very sophisticated set of program modes, offers Portrait, Night, Macro, Landscape, Night Portrait and Backlit Portrait; the camera “recognizes” the scene and not only optimizes focus, colour balance, exposure, flash and sensitivity, but also automatically switches the sensor to HR, SN or DR mode depending on the lighting conditions of the scene. Pro Focus Mode combines two or three burst shots, producing a crisp shot of the subject against a defocused background and foreground. Pro Low-light Mode is . . . well, interesting, especially if you’re going to be using the camera at full tele and in lower light levels. Normally, when you go to the higher ISO levels – like 1600 – image noise is pretty much a given. Using Pro Low-light Mode, the camera shoots multiple high sensitivity images in quick succession using Pixel Fusion Technology. The multiple images are then overlapped to create one image for significantly reduced noise.
Also in the camera’s bag of tricks is the ability to shoot both RAW and JPEG simultaneously.
The S200EXR offers five film modes: Velvia/Vivid mode for rich and lush landscapes; Provia/Standard mode for sharp, standard photography; Astia/Soft mode for soft, fine, smooth tonality; Black & White mode; Sepia mode with a warm brown tone. In Velvia and Astia modes, the dynamic range can be be set to 800 percent to improve highlight detail further.
The camera offers Optical Image Stabilization and High ISO to kill a significant amount of image blur.
And how about three bracketing functions? Film Simulation Bracketing automatically sets Film Simulation to Provia, Velvia and Astia for simultaneous capture of three frames; Dynamic Range Bracketing automatically sets dynamic range to 100, 200 and 400 percent for simultaneous capture of three frames; and AE Bracketing automatically sets exposure range to even, under and over for simultaneous capture of three frames.
Oh, yes. video. The S200EXR can record movies in 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second. Manual optical zoom can be used during shooting.
FinePix F70EXR
This is Fuji’s first long-zoom compact digital camera, sporting a 10x optical zoom (27-270 mm equivalent) and the 12-megapixel EXR CCD. It’s a little thing (22.7 mm thick), with a radically improved flash control system, dual image stabilization.
The F70EXR features EXR Auto, as described above, recognizing the scene and optimizing focus, colour balance, exposure, flash and sensitivity. And it has EXR Priority, Pro Focus Mode, Pro Low-light Mode, five film simulation modes, video (minus the manual zooming) – all as noted for the S200EXR above. Then it adds Face Detection technology to track up to 10 faces simultaneously, at 360 degree angles to the camera. The system instantly corrects red-eye and then saves both the original and the corrected image file automatically.
I think this is a first for me: There’s one aspect of this camera that’s almost too good, its high contrast, 230k, 2.7 inch LCD. My gosh but it’s bright, so much so that in low light it makes the image look like broad daylight, so when you end up with a high-ISO image, you wonder what happened. Okay, no kidding: I love that LCD.
Both cameras use SD/SDHC memory cards, not xD cards.
I did find startup times for both cameras to be too long for my liking, and I missed some shots waiting for the camera to “boot up.” It’s the kind of thing that can make the difference between grabbing a kid’s first steps, or a fleeting intereaction between mother and child, or missing them altogether. On the other hand, your shooting patterns may differ and this is a non-issue.
In summary, Fuji continues to make really good compact and bridge cameras; these two are no exceptions.
Fuji point & shoot cameras
The FinePix F70EXR is Fujifilm’s first long-zoom compact digital camera featuring its EXR imaging technology, and a Fujinon 10x optical zoom, all in a compact design. The lens, developed in conjunction with Fuji’s proprietary Super CCD EXR sensor, is said to produce crisp, high resolution results throughout the focal range (27-270 mm equivalent). The camera is 22.7 mm thick.
The camera offers a radically improved flash control system, which controls the level of flash for a given exposure to produce what Fuji describes as beautifully-balanced flash illumination.
The F70 has dual image stabilization – picture stabilization automatically reduces shutter speeds to freeze action while CCD image stabilization counteracts “hand shake.”
Fuji’s latest face detection technology tracks up to 10 faces simultaneously.
Aimed at the advanced photo enthusiast looking for excellent picture quality without the expense or bulk of a DSLR system, the FinePix S200EXR combines a 14.3x manual optical zoom Fujinon lens (30.5-436 mm equivalent), with the 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor found in the FinePix F200EXR.
Key features: Super CCD EXR technology; EXR Priority Mode to quickly optimize the camera’s settings – the photographer can decide which sensor setting is preferable by choosing High Resolution Priority (HR) to maximize resolution, High ISO and Low Noise Priority (SN) for high quality low-light work or D-Range Priority (DR) for the best detail with high contrast subjects.
Other features: Film Simulation to capture subtle changes in tone and colour reproduction; Face detection technology to track up to 10 faces simultaneously.
With a metal body, the Fujifilm J30 features Panorama Mode, allowing the user to capture panoramic pictures by seamless stitching three consecutive images together. The J30 also features a 12 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD screen, 3x optical zoom, new intelligent scene recognition and face detection technology with automatic red-eye removal.
The FinePix Z35 is aimed at teens and young adults. It offers a 10 megapixel sensor, a 3x optical zoom lens, a web-ready mode with visual effects as well as intelligent scene recognition and face detection technology. The camera is designed for social networking with easy photo and video sharing. Web Mode includes 12 in-camera visual effects and easy uploading to Facebook, YouTube or other sharing sites.
Fujifilm has introduced two new cameras to its popular A-Series line of easy-to-use, high quality and cost-conscious compact digital cameras. The A170 and A235 are the first A-Series models to feature Fujifilm’s proprietary intelligent scene recognition technology. ISR AUTO detects a scene without needing to pre-select the mode on the camera, recognizing six different scenes – Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Backlit Portrait, Night and Night Portrait.
The two cameras are said to perform well in low light and can shoot at up to ISO 1600.
Grandpaparazzi 