Review The Fuji FinePix X100 is, of course, a Camera for those with more money than sense. Just look at it. Finished in wildly ostentatious silver magnesium alloy with splashes of leather on the grip, the retro viewfinder styling and chunky shutter speed dial evoke the rangefinders of the 1960s and 1970s.
Grand design: Fujifilm’s Finepix X100
Even the shutter release button has a screw-thread drilled into it to allow you to attach an old-style cable release. In these days of interchangeable lens, electronic viewfinder cameras, what possible appeal can a fixed-lens Camera like this hold? Read the rest of this entry »
The world seems to have gone 3D crazy. Crowds are flocking to see the 3D movie Avatar; consumer electronics companies are promising 3DTVs and Blu-ray Disc players, and broadcasters, such as Sky, are set to launch 3DTV services. Fujifilm has also got in on the act with the Finepix Real 3D W1, a Camera for the masses that captures that third dimension.
The big picture: Fujifilm’s Finepix Real 3D W1
Fujifilm’s Camera is aimed at anyone with an interest in stereoscopic photography, from the curious novice to the seasoned enthusiast. Compared with most compact cameras on the market, it seems large. Yet to compare this model to a standard digital Camera would be a mistake, because the Finepix Real 3D W1 is effectively two digital cameras in a single device.
When you compare its size with stereoscopic systems – which lash two cameras together plus associated synchronisation electronics – then Fujifilm has done a great job in producing a 3D Camera that is so compact. The Finepix Real 3D W1 measures 123.6 x 68 x 25.6mm and weighs around 300g with battery and card. It’s small enough to carry around in a coat pocket and doesn’t feel too heavy.
With the two lenses at the front, the Finepix Real 3D W1 takes two shots of the same scene, in order to create a Stereo image file. The lenses are spaced 77mm apart, wider than most 3D Camera systems, which tend to place the lenses some 64mm apart, the equivalent distance between our eyes. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The Finepix F200EXR is the replacement for the Finepix F100fd, which we looked at last January. Although there are a number of similarities between the two cameras – they have the same sized image sensor, optical zoom and Camera body – there are some differences too, not least the Finepix F200EXR’s new EXR image sensor.
Fujifilm’s Finepix F200EXR features an upgraded sensor and advanced processing tricks
This being an F-series Camera, the Finepix F200EXR is what Fuji calls an “advanced compact,” and is thus aimed at the user who wants to do more than just point-and-shoot. It has a 1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR CCD with 12Mp, a 5x optical zoom lens in the form of an f=6.4-32.0mm, F3.3-5.1 Fujion lens, equivalent to a 28-140mm lens on a 35mm Camera. The standard ISO range of 100-3200 can be increased up to ISO 12800, with the shutter speed range of ¼-1/1500sec, extendable to 8-1/1500 sec in some modes.
This Camera supports xD, SD, and SDHC cards, has 48MB of internal memory and comes with a lithium-ion battery. In a throwback to the days of film, you can select several film simulation types, including Fuji’s standard Provia and vivid Velvia. The battery has a CIPA rating of 230 shots per battery charge, which is disappointing; we’d expect the figure to be closer to 300 shots for a Camera of this type. Read the rest of this entry »
