New Digicams Announced by Fujifilm, Kyocera, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax, Ricoh, Samsung and Sony

February 2003: A number of camera manufacturers have announced new models: Fujifilm (FinePix F700, FinePix 410 Zoom, plus a new medium format digital camera back fitted with Fujifilm’s new 52 x 37 mm size 20-megapixel Super CCD chip); Kyocera (Contax Tvs DIGITAL); Minolta (DiMAGE S414); Nikon (Coolpix SQ, Coolpix 2100, Coolpix 3100); Pentax (Optio33L, Optio 550, Optio 450); Ricoh (Caplio G3); Samsung (DigiMax V4); and Sony (DSC-P32, DSC-P52, DSC-P72, DSC-V1).

The new models have been announced in the lead-up to the Photo Marketing Association’s forthcoming Trade Show in Las Vegas early next month so we felt we should provide a “heads up” view of products that may be on show at the Australian Photo & Imaging Trade Show in Melbourne at the beginning of May. We will add new information as it becomes available – so watch this space.

The most exciting announcement – so far – has come from Fujifilm, which has developed a medium format digital camera back for professional use that is fitted with Fujifilm’s new 52 x 37 mm size 20-megapixel Super CCD chip. It can produce images with 7,648 x 5,408 (41 million) recorded pixels and claims to deliver “exceptional quality”. The new sensor is targeted mainly at professional photographers.

Fujifilm has also announced two new models featuring its Fourth Generation Super CCD technology, the FinePix F700 and the FinePix 410 Zoom. The FinePix F700 (right) has a Super CCD SR sensor with 3.1 million photodiode pairs, which produces high-resolution images with 6.2 million recorded pixels. It’s the first digital camera with this new sensor technology, which can capture highlight and shadow detail missed by conventional digital cameras.

The camera’s smart metal body holds a Super EBC Fujinon 3x zoom lens and a large 1.8-inch LCD monitor. A new rapid continuous auto-focus (C-AF) on-demand mode combines with a built-in focusing assist lamp to support accurate autofocusing in a wide range of conditions. Motion JPEG movies are recorded at 30 fps with 640×480 and 320×240 pixel resolution levels.

The FinePix F410 Zoom (right) is the first Fujfilm digital camera with SuperCCD HR (High Resolution) technology, and has a three megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor. It has the same three times optical zoom lens and body design as the F401 Zoom.

Each model is supplied with a PictureCradle docking station and both use the new xD-Picture Card storage media.

Kyocera has announced the first compact digital camera in its Contax line-up, the Contax Tvs DIGITAL, which is based on the Contax Tvs and will be available in silver or “titanium black”. The Contax Tvs Digital has a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 7.3 – 21.9 mm F2.8 – 4.8 3X optical zoom lens (35-105mm focal length equivalent), which was specially developed for digital cameras. It is also fitted with a 5-megapixel CCD. A special signal processing system has been developed for this model.
Minolta’s new DiMAGE S414 model features an 8.93 mm 4-megapixel CCD sensor and all-glass Minolta GT lens with 4x optical zoom and 2.2x digital zoom. This model also features Cx processing, ultra-fast operation and advanced AF and AE functions. Its aluminium body is rugged but light and it supports 32 MB of buffer memory.

Local Nikon distributor, Maxwell Optical Industries has announced three new digital still cameras that will be released in Australia from April. Foremost among them is the Coolpix SQ (right), which features an eye-catching metal body that is square in shape and has a swiveling 3x optical zoom lens. It features a CCD sensor with 3.1 effective megapixels plus 4x digital zoom and allows up to 40 seconds of video to be captured with sound.

Fifteen pre-set Scene Modes are provided to ensure novice photographers take correctly exposed pictures and photographers can shoot to within 4 cm of a subject with the close-up setting. The camera is supplied with the Cool-Station MV-10 cradle that allows images to be downloaded to a PC with minimal fuss. It also doubles as a charger for the slim rechargeable battery, which provides up to 65 minutes shooting power.

The Coolpix SQ is also supplied with a CompactFlash card, USB cable and Nikon View browser software. Scheduled for release in June, it is expected to sell for $949.

Nikon’s second compact digicam is the Coolpix 2100 (right), a compact, lightweight digital still camera with a 2-megapixel sensor and a 3x zoom lens, which will replace the Coolpix 775. Featuring a general-use Auto Mode and 14 Scene Modes, four of which offer a Scene Assistance function, this model is designed to make digital photography simple and fun. It includes four Movie Modes, one of which can record at VGA resolution as well as smaller-size colour, B/W and sepia modes. Macro Mode allows shots to be taken to 4 cm from a subject.

The Coolpix 2100 is scheduled for release in Australia in May 2003, and is expected to retail for $649. A sister model, the Coolpix 3100, with 3.2 effective megapixels, will be released in June at an RRP of $849. It will replace the Coolpix 885. Full details can be found at www.maxwell.com.au.

Pentax has three new models coming: the Optio33L, Optio 550 and Optio 450. The Optio33L, which has a 3.2 effective megapixel sensor, is a successor to the successful Optio330GS and features a high-performance 3X zoom optical lens with a focal length equivalent to a 38-114mm lens in 35mm format. Its LCD monitor swivels through 180 ° both vertically and horizontally and includes a virtual mode dial to make mode selection easy. Eight picture modes are provided. The Optio33L takes two AA batteries and is supplied with a 16 MB CompactFlash card.

The Optio 550 (right) and the Optio 450 follow in the footsteps of the popular Optio430 and Optio330 but have sensors with resolutions of 5.0 and 4.0 effective megapixels respectively. Both feature compact lenses with 5x optical zoom, supported by 4x digital zoom controls. A new processing circuit simplifies all stages of digital capture and playback. Selection of shooting modes has been made easy with a single dial operation. Standalone button controls are provided for easy access of frequently used shooting and playback functions.

All models provide a wealth of shooting functions plus a histogram display for image playback. They also offer three metering options, three sensitivity settings and +2EV of exposure compensation in 1/3EV steps. Sharpness, saturation and contrast adjustments are also provided, along with a stereoscopic shooting facility and Panorama Assist capture.

Ricoh has announced a new Caplio digital camera, the Caplio G3 (right) , which has a fast 0.14-second shutter response time and 3.24-megapixel sensor. The new model features a 3x optical zoom lens that can take shots to within 1 cm of a subject, plus a 3.4x digital zoom facility. Users can choose between two AA cells (alkaline or NiMH), an optional lithium-Innovative capture modes include a high-sensitivity mode for low light shots and M-continuous mode allows the capture of the last 16 frames taken of a subject to one file, which is ideal for motion analysis.. Users can also record up to 120 seconds of AVI video with sound.

Samsung Techwin will launch the DigiMax V4, a 4-megapixel digital still camera with a Schneider 3x optical zoom lens plus 4x digital zoom. The Digimax V4 is the world’s first camera to use nine different power sources: AA alkaline, lithium, Ni-Mn and Ni-Zn cells, CR-V3 lithium batteries and rechargeable Ni-MH, Ni-Cd, I-Pack batteries, as well as a dedicated Li-ion battery. Its Super Macro function lets users capture images from as little as 6cm away from the subject and a new “My Set” function allows them to select and save three favourite camera settings, such as image size, quality and ISO.

Sony has announced three new Cyber-shot digital still cameras, the DSC-P32, DSC-P52 and DSC-P72 (right) . All offer 3-megapixel image quality and all are compatible with the new Memory Stick PRO cards. A new Smart Zoom function provides varying digital zoom ranges: up to 3.2x VGA for the DSC-P32, up to 6.4x VGA for the DSC-P52 and up to 9.6x VGA for the DSC-P72.
Sony has also unveiled a new Cybershot model that is targeted at photo enthusiasts. The Cybershot DSC-V1 digital still camera comes with an 8.93mm 5-megapixel CCD sensor and 4x optical zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar f2.8-4.0 lens. Weighing only 298 g, it comes with a rechargeable Infolithium battery and is compatible with all versions of Memory stick removable media (including Memory stick Pro).

The new model offers five selectable resolution settings plus the ability to capture movie clips in VGA or QVGA resolution. Five focus settings are provided: 5 area Multi-Point AF, Selectable AF point, Manual focus (with13 positions), Hologram AF assist beam
and Continuous AF. Shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1.200 sec and the camera includes special Nightshot and NightFraming functions for low-light photography. Standard P/A/S/M exposure settings are provided, along with Program-Shift that allows users to fine-tune camera settings.

Seven white balance settings and seven scene modes are provided and sensitivity selections range from ISO 100 to ISO 800. Picture effects include B&W, Solarise, Sepia and Negative Art. A 1.5-inch TFT LCD monitor on the rear panel gives easy access to all camera functions and provides a playback screen with a selectable live histogram display. The pop-up flash has four selectable modes and there’s a hot-shoe for use with add-on flash units.

New Scene Selection modes have been added to cover “Snow”, “Beach”, “Twilight”, “Twilight Portrait” and “Landscape” situations. Many improvements have been made to camera and flash operation and a new exposure warning alerts users to potential problems. Start-up times have been reduced to one or two seconds and shutter time intervals are around one second.