Announced in advance of PMA@CES 2014, the new Fujifilm FinePix S1 features a 50x optical zoom lens, wireless communication, can capture full HD movies with its 16.4MP 1/2.3-inch backlit CMOS sensor, and is impervious to dust and rain. Likewise the Fujifilm FinePix XP70 shares the same sensor but is waterproof down to about 30 feet, can be dropped around 5 feet, can operate down to -10 degrees C, and is dustproof.
As with most new cameras expected to be featured at the Photography trade show portion of CES, the latest offerings from Fujifilm are Internet-Savvy and step up features in a way that is designed to show their advantages over Smart Phones, whose effect on stand-alone compact digital camera sales has been profound over the last year.
Fujifilm FinePix S1 All-Weather 50x Zoom Camera
The big news here, of course, is that the Fujifilm FinePix S1 is the world’s first weather-resistant first 50x optical zoom lens camera. Featuring 70 water/dust seals, the S1 lens specs out at the 35mm equivalent of 24-1200mm at an aperture range of f/2.8-5.6. It has 5-axis lens-shift image stabilization for sharper shots especially at the longer end of the focal range, and consists of 2 aspherical and 4 ED elements, 13 elements in 11 groups, for sharp image quality with minimal flare.
The Fujifilm FinePix S1 can be operated remotely via Wi-Fi and smartphone or tablet, and photos can be easily transferred from the camera to your mobile device or computer. It has a 920k dot resolution EVF as well as a 3-inch flip-out LCD monitor.
Fujifilm FinePix S1 key features:
- Dust and weather-resistant
- 50x image stabilized optical zoom lens (24-1200mm equivalent)
- 1cm super macro mode
- 5-Axial Image stabilization
- 16.4 megapixel 1/2.3-inch backlit CMOS sensor
- AF speed claimed to be 0.14sec
- Claimed Start-up time of approximately 0.68sec
- Shooting interval of approximately 0.65sec
- Maximum continuous shooting speed of approximately 10.0fps
- 920K dot EVF
- Vari-angle LCD screen
- Time Lapse Interval Shooting function (up to every 10mins for 6hrs max)
- 10 Artistic Advanced Filters
- Wi-fi connectivity
- Full HD Movie recording
Focus Peak Highlight shows the outline of the subject and any other areas with high contrast when they’re brought into focus. The S1’s C (custom) setting, as well as the usual P, A, S, M functions on the Mode dial, lets more experienced users dive deep into exposure and other settings, and a Function button registers shortcuts to get to settings such as white balance or ISO sensitivity.
The camera offers multiple aspect ratios, and the S1’s Advanced filters let users choose from 10 different artistic effects: Pop Color, Toy Camera, Miniature, Partial Color, High Key, Soft Focus, Cross Screen, Dynamic Tone, Fish Eye, and Low-Key.
The S1 allows high-speed, multi-frame processing; users can record two or more shots at different exposures and then combining them to achieve High Dynamic Range (HDR) results. Motion Panorama 360 mode lets users create a 360º panoramic shot just by pressing the shutter button and turning around in a circle.
The Fujifilm Finepix S1 will be available in black. Pricing and availability to be announced.
Fujifilm FinePix XP70
Fujifilm’s waterproof XP60 was in need of an upgrade, and it has arrived in the form of the Fujifilm FinePix XP70, which arrives at the photography trade show with mostly the same features as its predecessor but with the all-important addition of Wi-Fi and image sharing support.
The FinePix XP70 features a 1/2.3-inch, 16.4MP CMOS sensor capable of capturing up to 10 frames per second and 60fps capture of 2MP images. It has a 5x optical zoom lens that starts at 28mm (35mm equivalent). It is waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof and dustproof, offers 10 creative Advanced Filter functions (Pop Color, Toy Camera, Miniature, Partial Color, High Key, Soft Focus, Cross Screen, Dynamic tone, Fish-Eye, and Low-Key).
Fujfilm XP70 Key Features
- Waterproof to 10m, Shockproof to 1.5m, Freezeproof to -10? and Dustproof
- 16.4 megapixel 1/2.3”-inch CMOS sensor
- 5x optical zoom with 28mm wide-angle setting
- Wireless connectivity for instant image and movie sharing
- Full HD movie capture
- Action Camera mode
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 10 Advanced Filters
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) capture
- Motion Panorama 360°
Fujifilm has also designed an optional Action Camera Lens, which turns the camera lens into a fixed 18mm (equivalent) and can be mounted to the user’s body or sporting equipment for hands-free, point-of-view action videos. Here’s an example that Fujifilm created to demonstrate this feature:
The Fujifilm FinePix XP70 will be available in Blue, Yellow and Red. Pricing and availability dates to be announced.
