Fujifilm Debuts Seven New Cameras

With prices ranging from $149 to $799, Fujifilm’s seven new cameras, announced today, target every user type, from novices to Generation Z to prosumers. Entry-level users get good resolution for the money along with rechargeable batteries, while the higher-end models offer new features like Dual Blog Mode, Successive Movie Mode, and face detection galore (a feature we’ve been seeing a lot of lately). At the top of the food chain is the S100FS ($799, February), an eleven-megapixel camera for prosumers (the “FS” in the name is for “film simulation”). For eight hundred bucks, users get 14.3x manual zoom, ISO levels up to 10,000, four “film” modes, high speed shooting, face detection, and dual image stabilization. The line also includes two other ultra zoom cameras: the 12x S1000fd ($249, April) and the 18x S8100fd ($399, March). Both have ten megapixels and include face detection with automatic red eye removal and full manual control. Unfortunately, both cameras also run on four AA batteries. Another high-end option is the F100fd ($379, March) has 12 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, ISO 12,800 (at three megapixels), face detection for up to 10 people, automatic red eye removal, and dual image stabilization. It’s the company’s first consumer digicam with Dynamic Range– a feature once reserved for Fujifilm’s Pro cameras– that allows for more shadow detail. Like its successor, the Z10fd, The 10-MP Z20fd ($199, March) can detect up to 10 faces and wirelessly share photos with similarly enabled Fujifilm cameras. In addition, the Z20fd has Dual Blog Mode, which automatically resizes stills and movies for blogs, YouTube, and easy e-mailing. It also marks the debut of Successive Movie Mode, which allows you to start and stop a movie multiple times to create a 60-second compilation. Finally, the company introduced an entry-level J-Series of cameras, with the J10 ($149, March) and the J50 ($179, March) as its flagship models. The 8.2-MP J10 has 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD, whereas the 8.2-MP J50 has 5x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch screen. Both come with rechargeable batteries, a convenience not offered in all budget cameras.