Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR Super CCD EXR Digital Camera [Premium Compact]

Having had a glimpse of several new Nikon compact cameras, including a new Nikon 15x Ultra Zoom – specifically the COOLPIX L100 – Fujifilm have just taken the wraps of a new compact of their own, the 12 megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR, which boasts Fujifilm’s new, ground-breaking Super CCD EXR technology for industry leading image quality and which is set not only to become Fujifilm’s flagship compact camera but also to serve to significantly raise the bar in terms of high-level compacts.

Interestingly, and of particular note, the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR employs three selectable modes via its single sensor which can be selected according to user requirements (and shooting conditions) which Fujifilm detail as follows:

• Fine Capture Mode (High Resolution), which deploys all twelve million pixels, and is designed to offer the finest detail of intricate subjects when light is full.
• Pixel Fusion Mode (High Sensitivity and Low Noise), which caps two adjacent pixels together to produce six million large photodiodes, which are big enough to absorb light in the darkest of conditions, to produce low-light shots of extraordinary quality with minimal noise and grain.
• Dual Capture (Wide Dynamic Range), which captures different exposures with two sets of six million pixels, which, when combined, gives an excellent level of detail in highlights and low lights that would otherwise be lost.

Additionally, the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR, which comes with a 3″ Clear View LCD and which captures images up to 1920 x 1080 which can be output directly to HDTVs, also comes with a veritable host of features that will undoubtedly appeal to amateurs and pros alike, including Dual Image Stabilization, Dual Shot mode, 17 pre-programmed scenes on and above the SR Auto Automatic Scene Recognition. (including an underwater scene specifically tailors for use with the F200EXR when used with underwater casings), Continuous Shooting offering a maximum of 5fps at 3MP, super Intelligent Flash and Face Detection 3.0 – capable of locking onto up to 10 faces in any single scene.

‘There is strong demand in the digital camera market to increase the number of pixels on a sensor, which, all too often, is used as a convenient yardstick for image quality,’ said David Troy, marketing manager at Fujifilm’s, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, who introduced the FinePix F200EXR. ‘Consumers have realized there’s more to a good picture than just the number of MegaPixels, and with our Super CCD EXR sensor we prove that true image quality is about a combination of many factors like tone, hue, color fidelity, dynamic range, sharpness, and resolution – all brought to life vividly in the FinePix F200EXR.’

Fujifilm are yet to announce the FinePix F200EXR’s pricing at the time of writing, however, they have confirmed that the FinePix F200EXR will begin shipping towards to end of February – so we won’t have to wait too long to see just how much this powerhouse of a compact camera will set us back.

[Fujifilm]