Digital Camera News: Fujifilm Finepix Z5fd, Canon 30D Firmware Update, Casio S770D, Casio Sponsors Stuff Magazine Charity Event

Fujifilm Finepix Z5fd Announced

Fujifilm has announced the first Z series camera to include their facial detection system. For now, the Finepix Z5fd will not be available in the US, but we'll keep you posted if that changes. The Z5fd will be available in three colors: Raspberry Red, Mocha Brown, and Silver. The attractive slim camera features a 6 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, 2.5 inch LCD, ISO 1600, and a "blog" mode that optimizes the shots for posting images online.

So far, there are no details on pricing, but it should be availalbe in January 2007.

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More details (full press release) at PhotographyBlog

Firmware Update for Canon EOS 30D

Canon has updated the firmware for their EOS 30D digital SLR. The update (version 1.0.5) does the following:

1. When making camera-direct prints, a semi-gloss paper can be newly selected in the camera settings.

   When EOS 30D is connected to PIXUS 9000 and camera-direct prints are made with PictBridge-compatible printers, semi-gloss paper can be selected in the camera settings.

2. Corrected the phenomenon wherein the displayed number of continuous shots that can be taken increases when images that have been taken are deleted.

   The maximum burst displayed during continuous shooting is 9 (maximum burst displayed on the viewfinder when shooting in the RAW+JPEG setting is 7). Please refer to the instruction manual for an estimate of the actual number of shots that can be taken continuously.

To get the update, you can find it in the Canon EOS 30D Download Library on Canon's support site.

DivX-Capable Casio Exilim EX-S770D Introduced in Europe

Starting in November, the DivX capabile Casio Exilim EX-S770D will be available in Europe. Casio worked together with the DivX Inc. organization to provide a DivX-certified digital camera in the European market where the DivX format is popular. The S770D is the successor to the S600D model. The S770D (like the S770 that we reviewed) features 7.2 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom, and 2.8 inch LCD. You can fit a 1 hour long DivX movie onto a 1GB memory card.

You can find more details about the Casio Exilim EX-S770D and Divx here: http://www.divx.com/casio-digital-camera/

Casio Named Presenting Sponsor at Stuff Magazine's "Toys for Bigger Boys" Event

Today, Casio and Stuff Magazine announced that Casio will be the presenting sponsor at the Toys for Bigger Boys charity event on December 5th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The event shows off the latest holiday gifts and gadgets and will raise money for the Keep A Child Alive Foundation.

Along with Stuff's December 2006 "Toys for Bigger Boys" Gift Guide, there is a website (www.toysforbiggerboys.org) that profiles each product in the gift guide by "room": garage, dressing room, backyard, etc. Casio will be featuring three of their digital cameras, the Exilim EX-S600, EX-S770, and EX-Z1000 along with several watch models.

The Toys for Bigger Boys celebrity charity event will feature a live artist performance and auction from which all proceeds will go to benefit the Keep A Child Alive Foundation. This charity is dedicated to providing life-saving, anti-retroviral treatment to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS.