Fuji Japan announces new MP3 digicam! (UPDATED)
By
Mike Tomkins
(Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 14:16 EDT)
Replacement for existing FinePix 40i won't reach US shores...
As promised yesterday, we have now added Fuji's newly announced FinePix 50i digital camera to our database. The camera is an update to Fuji's existing FinePix 40i model, and according to our contacts at Fuji it will not be sold in the USA. Comparing the two cameras, the FinePix 50i is 5mm thinner, 20 grams lighter, and gains a new resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels which, at 1.92 megapixels, is much closer to the true effective sensor resolution of 2.16 megapixels. (The interpolated 2400 x 1800 / 4.32 megapixel size from the 40i is retained, as are the 1280 x 960 / 1.2 megapixel and 640 x 480 / 0.3 megapixel sizes...)
Other noteable changes include a slightly smaller 1.5" LCD compared to the 1.8" LCD on the previous model (same number of pixels, though), along with a lowered ISO rating of 125 instead of the previous 200, a slightly more powerful flash (rated to 3.5 meters instead of 2.5), and a change to a proprietary Lithium Ion battery where the old model used AA batteries. There's also a new body design which removes the automatic lens cap and replaces it with a large manual sliding panel, and a new sleeker remote control which can display things such as MP3 track names - something the old remote couldn't do. Finally, there's a new camera dock which allows the camera to double as a tethered webcam, as well as the use of Fuji's online imaging services, and a new audio clip mode allows annotation of images (30 seconds of audio per image).
The Fuji FinePix 50i will reach the Japanese market on June 27th at a price of ¥88,000 (US$733). Specifications highlights for the Pentax Optio 330 follow:
| Specification Highlights - full specifications here | | FujiFilm FinePix 50i |  | | General | | Model Number: | 50i | | Camera Format: | Ultra-compact | | Price: | Street ¥88,000 (US$733) | | Date Available: | 27th June 2001 | | Image Capture | | Image Sensor: | 0.588" 2.40 megapixel RGBG SuperCCD | | Image Resolution: | 2400x1800 (interpolated), 1600x1200, 1280x960, 640x480 | | Lens | | Focal Length (effective): | 36 mm (fixed focal length) | | Digital Zoom: | 0, 1.875 or 3.75x (dependant on resolution) | | Auto Focus: | Yes | | Manual Focus: | No | | Normal Focus Range: | 50 cm to Infinity; 20.4 in to Infinity | | Macro Focus Range: | 6 - 65 cm; 2.4 - 26.5 in | | Aperture Range: | f/2.8, f/9.8 | | Display | | Optical Viewfinder: | Yes (Real image type) | | LCD Viewfinder: | Yes (1.5 inch, 110,000 pixel) | | Exposure | | ISO Settings: | 125 | | White Balance Settings: | Auto, Sun, Shade, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent | | Manual White Balance: | No | | Shutter Speeds: | 1/4 - 1/1000 second | | Exp Adj Range: | +/- 1.5EV in 1/3EV steps | | Metering Modes: | 64 segment matrix metering | | Exposure Modes: | Auto | | Self Timer (seconds): | 10 | | Flash | | Internal Flash: | Yes | | Flash Modes: | Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off, Slow-Synchro | | Flash Range Description: | 0.4 - 3.5 meters | | Ext Flash: | No | | Image Storage | | Flash Memory: | SmartMedia, ID SmartMedia | | Memory Included (MB): | Unknown | | File Formats: | JPEG (EXIF v2.1), WAV, AVI (MotionJPEG) with audio | | More Information | | Weight: | 190 g; 6.6 oz | | Weight With Batteries? | Yes | | Size: | 86 x 71 x 24mm; 3.4 x 2.8 x 0.9in | | Notes & Features: | This model will not be sold in the USA. Top resolution of 4.32 megapixel is interpolated 2:1 from actual effective sensor resolution of 2.16 megapixel. ID SmartMedia cards must be used for MP3 audio. Camera can be used as a tethered webcam. Voice memo mode allows 30 seconds per photo; voice recording mode allows up to 9 hours of audio on a 128MB SmartMedia card with AC adapter. Battery life is 100 shots with LCD, 230 shots without LCD. Bundled with Lithium Ion battery, camera dock, AC adapter AC-5VS, video cable, shoulder strap, remote control, stereo headphones, CD-ROM, USB cable and instructions. | | More Photos |  |  | | |
UPDATED 2001-05-30 18:56ET: Faulty link on the first FinePix 50i picture corrected...
Source:
Fuji Japan website
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