FUJIFILM India Pvt. Ltd., the wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation, Japan, which is one of the world’s largest photographic solutions company, today announced the launch of top-end compact 15 x zoom FinePix F300 EXR in the Indian market. The F300EXR is equipped with the world’s first “Phase Detection pixel built-in CCD”, which realize Auto Focus speed of 0.158 sec, as fast as human eyes blink.
According to Mr. Kenichi Tanaka, Managing Director, FUJIFILM India, “Today’s discerning photographers are looking for a camera with a high zoom range, yet compact and pocketable, with no compromises on picture quality or being irritated by slow auto focus or blur. The F300EXR delivers on all those counts, and is destined to be the star performer in this year’s intense competition for the best ‘super zoom’ compact cameras.”
The all new 15 x zoom model FinePix F300EXR, comes as powerful successor of Fujifilm’s award-winning ‘F’ series models. The New EXR sensor helps in fast and accurate phase detection auto focus.
Mr. A. Rajkumar, Country General Manager on the launch said, “Fujifilm is very proud to introduce F300EXR for the Indian customers. The camera has the world’s first “Phase Detection pixel built-in CCD” and this new EXR sensor realize Phase Detection Auto Focus and High Image Quality. We are very much aware of our customers’ requirements and are sure that F300EXR will prove itself as one of the finest cameras available in the Indian market.”
The World’s first “Phase Detection pixel built-in CCD”
FUJIFILM placed pairs of phase detection sensors on the EXR sensor, which works by receiving the incoming light of images and calculating the phase difference to find if the object is in front focus or back focus position. This mechanism is same as that of external sensors on DSLRs and realizes the incredible auto focus speed of 0.158* sec. The benefit for the photographer is immediate and obvious: an almost instantaneous capture of the subject in the frame, with no missed shots or subjects’ half out-of-frame. This is especially effective when shooting at telephoto shooting, which conventional digital cameras took time in focusing into the subject. The new EXR has the ability to intelligently decide between the two focusing systems on the camera, which is Hybrid Auto Focus System. When a bright, high-contrast subject is positioned in the center of the frame, Phase Detection AF works as fast as 0.158 sec which is about the same speed of human eyes blink. In dark scenes, Contrast AF is employed to work accurately as conventional digital cameras.
The F300EXR automatically selects the better focus system intelligently from Phase Detection or Contrast, by measuring the amount of light or contrast in the scene. Phase Detection AF is extremely responsive in good light, while Contrast AF is better in dark scenes. Having both systems in one device is the perfect combination for a digital camera.
The new camera also boasts of advanced Motion Panorama feature that has been extended to 360 in degrees enabling the opportunity to capture the scene around you in a single photo.
The FinePix F300EXR sports the latest 12 megapixel version of the EXR sensor. Modeled on the human eye, the EXR sensor's unique design means that the user can switch the behavior of the sensor according to the scene to the photographed. When the light is strong and even, the camera can be switched to HR (High Resolution) mode to ensure every small detail is recorded. When light is strong but contrast, the sensor can switch to DR (Wide Dynamic Range) mode to get the optimal balance between highlight and shadows. Lastly, in low light the sensor will switch to SN (High Sensitivity and Low Noise) mode, to ensure clean noise-free pictures even in the darkest conditions. EXR is developed by FUJIFILM to maximize quality in camera designs where larger sensors simply cannot be used, making it perfect for a long zoom compact, delivering extraordinary results even in the most challenging conditions.
Moreover, F300EXR have the high quality 15 x lens, which offers an incredible 24mm – 360mm focal length, while still optimizing quality via the new EXR sensor. From sweeping landscapes, interiors and large group shots to distant sports or wildlife action, the FinePix F300EXR opens up a world of photographic possibilities you can carry with you wherever you go. Such high zoom ratios have up till now only been possible in larger ‘bridge’ cameras, but F300EXR have a clever double sliding structured lens mechanism, which means that 2 lens elements neatly fold away from the path of the retracting lens, giving a remarkably neat, compact look, and a camera depth of 32.6 mm, all of which realize the world’s smallest camera size.
The new sensor in the F300EXR works very well with both, controlling all forms of handshake movement to produce sharp, crisp, images at the touch of a button. Increasing ISO to freeze action is no longer so necessary, meaning beautifully sharp low-light pictures can be achieved at 400 ISO, rather than 800 or 1600 ISO at night scenery. Besides its pocket-friendly size, the F300EXR sits nicely in the hand for easy controlled shooting. The sculpted grip fits the fingers perfectly, while the slanted mode dial gives easy access when changing from Program Mode, Aperture-Priority Mode, Shutter-Priority Mode and Manual modes. The F300EXR is fitted with a new 3” high contrast wide-view 460k resolution LCD. The high contrast LCD is a considerable benefit in bright light. The Wide View Filter on the LCD means that the camera can be pitched at various shooting angles to enable framing of awkward shots.
For those tricky shots with babies or children with little patience to sit still, the F300EXR incorporates a new mode to automatically fire the camera as soon as the subject looks into the lens. Using Face Detection technology, the camera can ‘recognize’ a front-on image of the child and secure the shot before attention is distracted.
About FUJIFILM
FUJIFILM Corporation (NASDAQ:FUJI) brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, photofinishing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 15 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2008, employs more than 74,000 people worldwide and in the year ended March 31, 2008, had global revenues of $24.7 billion. FUJIFILM is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilm.com. For more information on FUJIFILM India, please visit www.fujifilm.in
