Fujifilm launches FinePix F50fd 12-megapixel compact camera

26 July 2007 9:49 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Fujifilm has entered the 12-megapixel compact camera fray with the F50fd.

Upping the ante (as they put it) this new offering will give you dual image stabilisation, face detection "2.0" and ISO levels of up to 6400.

This apparently well specc-ed little number is priced at a modest $299, so it all looks good, although only time (well, that and a thorough Pocket-lint.co.uk review) will tell if all that tech, and those MPs combine into a decent, affordable option.

So, here goes for the details; you're looking at 12-megapixels, a 7th Generation Super CCD with a 3x optical zoom and a 2.7inch high-resolution 230,000 pixel wide angle view LCD.

Fujifilm's proprietary Face Detection Technology gets an upgrade, hence the "2.0", and can detect up to 10 human faces in a scene in as little as 5/100's of a second, correcting focus, exposure, and white balance automatically, regardless of where subjects are located within the frame.

Face Detection 2.0 can recognise also now a profile so people turned away from the camera, i.e., not full face, will be picked up too.

Additional improvements to Face Detection 2.0 include a new Automatic Red-Eye Removal feature that auto corrects red-eye after the shot is taken and then saves both the original and the corrected image
file.

The Dual Image Stabilisation mode combines a mechanically stabilized CCD sensor with high ISO sensitivities for Total Anti-Blur protection.

This apparently reduces the "blur" effect from the photographer's hand-shake and subject movement even further.

The 7th generation FinePix Super CCD-HR chip and the RP Processor II, the Finepix F50fd can utilise ISO settings of up to ISO 1600 at full resolution and ISO 6400 at reduced resolution, capturing images in low light while preserving the natural colour and clarity of the shot.

The FinePix F50fd will launch in the States in September for $299.95, other features include:

- Portrait Enhancer Mode: Mimicking a professional photo studio setting, by using Face Detection and preset camera settings, Portrait Enhancer minimizes fine lines and small skin blemishes for smooth, natural looking portraits.
- Dual Shot Mode: In this selectable mode, the FinePix F50fd quickly shoots two images in rapid succession - one with the flash and one without - and saves both. This function lets the user perform a comparison at their convenience and select the most pleasing image.
- i-Flash Intelligent Flash: i-Flash (Intelligent Flash) detects subtle lighting differences within a scene and then varies the flash intensity accordingly. It also leverages the high sensitivity of the FinePix F50fd to enable the camera to use less flash, resulting in an image that displays pleasing, natural tones without a "washed-out" effect. And with an automatic pop-up flash, it's always ready when you need it.
- Full Manual Photographic Control: Gives the user total control with manual adjustment options for settings on the camera (resolution, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc), and is desirable by the photo enthusiasts/advanced photographers.
- GUI Micro Thumbnail: A new playback feature that allows for viewing an index print on the LCD. The F50fd will show up to 100 images in micro form, then the control buttons are used to move over specific images and select them. This makes it easy to quickly find a single image by being able to jump to particular segments of images in the time sequence. So rather than using the left/right arrows to move through one image at a time, you can move up/down/left/right and then select the image you want to view. The back button takes you back to the thumbnail view in one step. The micro view lets you get close to the image you want, and then scroll to find the specific picture. As memory cards become larger, and devices become as much about sharing images as capturing them, this is a handy feature to enable the user to find specific images quicker.
- IrSimple: Infrared communication via IrSimple technology for fast, easy wireless image transfer to a compatible device.
- Special Scene and Blog Modes: The FinePix F50fd has 16 pre-programmed scenes, including a special underwater scene mode for use with a special underwater casing. In the Blog mode, the FinePix F50fd copies and automatically reduces the size of copied images for easy posting to a blog, Web page or as an attachment to email for easy sharing with friends and family while maintaining the original file.
- xD/SD/SD-HC Compatible slot: The FinePix F50fd features a "xD/SD Compatible slot" which accepts not only Fujifilm's traditional xD-Picture Cards but also Secure Digital (SD) and SD-High Capacity/SD-HC cards too.
- Battery Life: Long-life rechargeable Li-ion battery (up to 230 shots).