Pixiq

New Year is the time when many of us dust ourselves off, stand tall and say to ourselves ‘Right, this year I’m really going to put the effort in.’ Well Fuji seem to have made their New Year’s resolution: to release as many different cameras as possible. Fuji’s spring range boasts 16, yes, SIXTEEN new FinePix digital camera models, as they attempt to cover every conceivable corner of the market in one go. Let’s have a peek at a few.

Fujifilm Finepix X100

The X100

The X100 is Fuji’s entry to the ‘compact camera for the professional’ range. It’s being presented as a camera that can be used as a backup for situations where a large dSLR is impractical. Essentially, this is their candid street photography camera. It’s designed, as many of these cameras tend to be, to look like a classic compact Leica. Except it’s a bit uglier. It sports a prime f2 lens and a ‘hybrid viewfinder’, which will combine electronic and optical viewfinder systems.
The X100 is to be released in spring 2011. Price TBC.

Fujifilm Finepix HS20

Fujifilm HS20

The HS20 will be the latest in Fuji’s range of bridge cameras. Its 30X optical zoom lens covers focal lengths of 24-720mm. The HS20 also sports Fuji’s latest sensor technology, the EXR-CMOS sensor, at 16 megapixels.

Bridge cameras are intended as a relatively inexpensive learning platform for those looking to further their photography beyond basic point-and-shoots, and this is reflected in the £399 price tag. (That’s approximately US$620.)

The HS20 will be launched in April.

Fujifilm Finepix F550 EXR

The F550 EXR (are you keeping up with the naming systems?) appears to be trying to corner several different areas of the market at once. It offers the easily portable size of a compact but also seems to be giving users the option to shoot in RAW. The 15X optical zoom lens inside it gives us a focal length range of 24mm through to 360mm. It also features GPS functionality.

Fuji call this a ‘premium compact camera’, and is available in five different colours. Personally, I think this camera is aimed at the ‘show off with too much money’ market.

There will be two models available in March – the F550 (as described above) for £329 (US$500-ish) and the F500 model (no GPS or RAW shooting and a reduced fps rate) for £279 (around US$430).

Fujifilm Finepix Z90

The finepix Z90

The Z90 is the upgraded version of the Z70, a camera our very own Daniela looked at last November as a good option for a kids’ camera. The Z90 seems to be very much in the spirit of the Z70, as you would expect, but with upgraded specs and a new touchscreen feature.

Facebook and Youtube compatibility modes are still being offered as a major feature, allowing them to be uploaded with little fuss. The Z90 remains a good option for either children or casual users looking for an easy camera to take snapshots of a night out.

The Z90 will be launched at the end of January at a price of £149 (US$230-ish).

Fujifilm Finepix XP30

The XP30

The XP30 has been labelled by Fuji as an ‘outdoor compact camera’. It takes pride in being ‘water, shock, dust and freeze proof’ and features built in GPS functionality. It’s waterproof up to 5 metres and shockproof up to 1.5 metres.

Essentially, it appears to be some kind of extreme sports camera – in their press release, Fuji suggest you can take it snowboarding. Its super-rad awesome dude appearance is possibly the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, but I guess it’s inkeeping with the target market it’s aimed at.

I’m not sure what’s sporty about it being dustproof, though – maybe it’s for taking pictures of extreme dusting.

The XP30 is due for launch at the end of January, at a price of £199 (around US$300).

So, that’s the best of the 16 cameras that Fuji are letting loose on an unsuspecting public. If any of them are floating your boat, details are available over at Fuji.