DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

Fujifilm FinePix F30 Digital Camera Introduction

FinePix F30 Zoom: a low light landmark

Fujifilm's revolutionary compact works in the light conditions that other cameras hate

After almost a decade of obsession with pixel counts, Fujifilm is proud to announce the launch of the FinePix F30 Zoom, a camera which confirms a new stage in the evolution of digital camera technology. Breaking away from the tired and irrelevant practice of pixel counting, the FinePix F30 Zoom is the world's first digital compact camera to deliver ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution. Fujifilm has identified sensitivity as one of the major photographic benchmarks for the digital age, and this camera makes it possible to capture images of unrivalled quality, even in very dark conditions.

Building on the success of the award-winning FinePix F10 Zoom, the FinePix F30 Zoom pulls away from the pack with a sensitivity setting that is eight times as effective in low light as a conventional compact with ISO 400. The product of many years of accumulated expertise in sensor technology, this is the closest that any digital compact camera has come to approximating the remarkable sensitivity of the human eye. In practical terms, it is a breakthrough in delivering crisp images, even at night-time, or with fast-moving subjects.

Beneath its sleek exterior, the FinePix F30 Zoom boasts powerful technology that puts simple 'style' compacts to shame, with newly developed sixth generation Super CCD and Fujifilm's groundbreaking Real Photo Processor II. Users are able to produce sharp images with minimal noise, no subject blurring and atmospheric lighting in dark conditions. While traditional film is no longer top of the agenda for some photographers, it is good to see that Fujifilm is maintaining the same forward-thinking attitude to its digital photographic quality.

The FinePix F30 Zoom showcases a new 'intelligent flash' system which uses the camera's exceptional sensitivity to combine natural foreground illumination with balanced exposure in the background. Avoiding both the messy background blur of 'slow-sync' flash, and the stark contrast of conventional flash, this will bring your after-hours photography to life.

Thanks to its 500-shot battery life, the FinePix F30 is an indispensable compact for when photographers are out and about, with enough power to make sure you never miss out on capturing the action. The camera also uses xD-Picture Cards ™ which provide large storage capacity, fast write speeds and lower power consumption, further enhancing speed and efficiency for users.

The camera's 2.5-inch LCD screen is coated with Fujifilm's proprietary CV film, minimizing glare and reflections for enhanced ease of viewing. In addition, the FinePix F30 Zoom has 15 new scene positions from underwater, beach and snow, to sunset, party and fireworks. These make it easier than ever for users to experiment with photography in a range of lighting conditions.

FinePix F30 Zoom features at a glance:

Real Photo Processor and new Super CCD HR VI

ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution

6.3 million pixels

3.0x optical zoom

Long-life battery (up to 500 shots)

VGA movie capture of 30 frames per second with sound

PictBridge ™ compatible for direct printing without a PC

Quick response times (0.01 second shutter lag and 1.4 second start-up)

Adrian Clarke, Fujifilm's Director of Photo Products, said, "The FinePix F30 Zoom is quite simply a landmark digital camera. In the past, compacts could only really achieve good image quality in ideal light conditions – however the F30 Zoom is in its element in all light conditions. On top of that, our Real Photo Technology gives the camera the image quality that people associate with Fujifilm, as well as brisk performance, all wrapped in a design that is possibly our best yet."

Availability & pricing
The FinePix F30 Zoom will be available from UK retailers in May 2006. Pricing and stockists will be announced nearer to the date of retail launch

Fujifilm FinePix F30 Zoom
Specifications and features

Number of effective pixels	6.3 million pixels
CCD sensor	1 / 1.7 inch Super CCD HR
Number of recorded pixels	Still image : 2,848x2,136( 6.1million ) / 3,024 X 2,016 ( 3:2 format ) / 2,048 X 1,536 / 1,600 x 1,200 /640 X 480 pixels
File formats	Still image : JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2 ), Movie : AVI (Motion JPEG ), (Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible)
Storage media	Internal memory (approx. 10MB), and xD-Picture Card™ (capacities currently up to 1GB – available to buy separately)
Number of images / recording time	Please refer to below chart
Lens	Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens with 2 aspherical elements, F2.8 – F8 in 1/3 EV increments
Lens focal length	Equivalent to 36 - 108mm on a 35mm camera
Focus	Auto focus with Macro
Focus distance	Normal: Approx. 60cm to infinity Macro: Approx. 5cm (at wide angle)
Shutter speed	15 sec to 1/2,000 sec. (exposure mode dependant)
Aperture	F2.8 to F8
Sensitivity	Auto / equivalent to ISO 100/200/400/800/1600/3200
Start-up time	Approx 1.4 sec
Shutter lag	1/100 sec (with AE/AF locked)
Exposure control	Programmed AE (AUTO/SP), Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE
Exposure metering	TTL 256 zones metering
White balance	Automatic, Preset (Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light)
LCD monitor	2.5" with Anti-glare/Low reflection CV film (FUJIFILM Original) Approx. 230,0000pixels
Flash	Auto, Intelligent flash mode, Red-eye reduction, Forced flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow synchro, Red-eye reduction + Slow synchro
Self-timer	Approx. 2 / 10 sec.
Video out	NTSC / PAL selectable
Printing	PictBridge, DPOF and Exif Print 2.2 compatible
Digital input/output	USB 2.0 High-speed
Video output	NTSC/PAL selectable
Power source	Rechargeable NP-95 Li-ion Battery, AC Power Adapter AC-5VC(included), additional NP-95 Li-ion battery and AC-5VX AC Adapter available (optional)
Pictures/batt charge	Battery NP-95(1800mAh): approx. 500 frames
Dimensions	92.7mmW x 56.7mmH x 27.8mmD / 3.6"W x 2.2"H x 1.1"D
Weight	approx. 155g / 5.5 oz (not including accessories)
Camera Functions
Digital zoom	6.2x
Shooting modes	Auto, Preprogrammed Scene Position (SP), Macro, Movie, Burst/Continuous, Aperture or Shutter Priority AE
Preprogrammed scene modes (SP)	Natural Light/Natural Light & with Flash /Portrait/Landscape/Sport/Night/Fireworks/Sunset/Snow/Beach/Underwater/Museum/Party/Flower Close-Up/Text
Continuous shooting modes	1.Top-3 ( max.2.2 frames/sec., up to 3 frames, 2.Final-3 ( max. 2.2 frames/sec., up to 3 frames ), 3.Long-period (min. 1.5 sec.intervals at 6M(N) up to memory card size)
Movie recording	Movie Recording: 640 x 480 pixels ( 30 frames/sec.), 320 x 240 pixels ( 30 frames/sec.) w/ Monaural sound. Zoom cannot be used during movie recording.
Playback	Trimming, Image Rotate, Automatic Playback, Multi-Frame Playback, Sort by Date, Voice Memo
Accessories included	NP-95 Li-ion battery AC Power adapter AC-5VC Hand strap A/V cable USB cable Owner's manual CD-ROM FinePix Viewer + ImageMixer VCD2 for FinePix
Optional accessories	xD-Picture Card™: 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB, 1GB capacities currently available AC-5VX power adaptor Battery charger BC-65S (BC65 cannot be used) NP-95 Li-ion battery PC card adaptor (DPC-AD) CompactFlash™ Card Adaptor (DPC-CF) DCR2-161 multi-format card reader/USB 2.0 hub DCR2-xD memory card reader for xD-Picture Card™ World Adaptor Waterproof case WP-FXF30 Soft case SC-FXF30

Number of images / recording time on xD-Picture Card™ :

Mode	Still image
Image quality mode displayed	6M(Fine)	6M(Normal)	6M(3:2)	3M	2M	0.3M
16MB	5	10	10	19	25	122
32MB	10	20	20	40	50	247
64MB	21	42	42	81	101	497
128MB	42	84	84	162	204	997
256MB	85	169	169	325	409	1997
512MB	170	339	339	651	818	3993
1GB (M1GB)	341	680	680	1305	1639	7995
Mode / Quality	Movie
	640 x 480		320 x 240
Frame rate (fps)	30		30
16MB	Approx. 13 sec.		Approx. 26 sec.
32MB	Approx. 27 sec.		Approx. 54 sec.
64MB	Approx. 55 sec.		Approx. 109 sec.
128MB	Approx. 111 sec.		Approx. 219 sec.
256MB	Approx. 223 sec		Approx. 7.3min.
512MB	Approx. 7.4min.		Approx. 14.6min.
1GB (M1GB)	Approx. 14.9min.		Approx. 29.3min.

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