Fujifilm unveils FinePix F70EXR, S200EXR with Super CCD EXR sensor

The Super CCD EXR sensor made its first appearance in the FinePix F200EXR back in February. Now, Fujfilm is adding two more cameras to the club, both offering higher zoom capabilities than the 5x zoom F200EXR. The new FinePix F70EXR and FinePix S200EXR couple the latest sensor technology from Fuji with the convenience of modern ultrazooms.

The FinePix S200EXR will be a true ultrazoom with its DSLR-esque build and 14.3x optical zoom carried over from the FinePix S100FS. The F70EXR features a slimmer body and an all-metal, double layer lacquer chassis. With a 10x zoom, it will fall into the same slim, long zoom category as the likes of the Olympus Stylus-9000 and Canon’s PowerShot SX200.

FinePix S200EXR
The FinePix S200EXR is equipped with a Fujinon 14.3x, 30.5mm-436mm equivalent manual zoom lens. Maximum aperture ranges from F/2.8 at wide angle to F/5.3 at telephoto. The 12 megapixel S200EXR also features a new high contrast 2.7 inch LCD as well as an electronic viewfinder.

The FinePix S200EXR will also offer flexible shooting with several bracketing options. Shooters can choose from Dynamic Range (100%, 200% and 400%), Film Simulation (Provia, Velvia and Astia), and AE Bracketing (sets camera to over, even and under expose). Additionally, the S200EXR will allow for simultaneous RAW and JPEG image recording.

FinePix F70EXR
The FinePix F70EXR enters the quickly growing field of compact long-zoom cameras, with a slim 0.90 inch profile and 10x, 27-270mm equivalent lens. The 10 megapixel F70EXR updates the FinePix F60fd with several new features including a “Super Intelligent” flash mode designed to select the proper flash intensity for a variety of shooting situations.

It also provides the same dual image stabilization combo as the F60fd. It also carries over the flexibility of a manual shooting mode, one of many features we liked about the F60fd.

Super CCD EXR Technology
Both of these cameras will feature the new sensor technology Fujifilm introduced with the FinePix F200EXR – the Super CCD EXR, which is designed to boost dynamic range and take better pictures in low light.

The FinePix F70EXR will feature a 10 megapixel 1/2-inch Super CCD EXR and the S200EXR will sport a slightly smaller 1/1.6-inch Super CCD EXR with 12 megapixels. Both sensors offer three EXR shooting modes:

• High Resolution (HR): Utilizes all megapixels to capture a large, detailed image in good light.
• Wide Dynamic Range (DR): Combines two different lower resolution images captured at different exposures to bring out highlights in tricky lighting conditions. This mode offers up to an 800% boost in dynamic range.
• High Sensitivity and Low Noise (SN): Combines adjacent pixels to boost sensitivity in low light and create, ideally, a less-noisy picture.

These sensor modes can be selected by the shooter or utilized in EXR Auto shooting mode, which will choose an appropriate scene and sensor mode to match shooting conditions. Our review of the FinePix F200EXR includes a full explanation of these shooting modes as well as sample images produced by the Super CCD EXR sensor.

The S200EXR and F70EXR will both capture video with sound at a maximum resolution of 640x480 with a rate of 30 fps.

Pro Focus and Pro Low-Light
Fujifilm has developed two more new features for the S200EXR and F70EXR – Pro Focus and Pro Low-Light modes. These modes are designed to create professional-looking effects with minimal input or processing from the user. Fujifilm explains that in Pro Focus mode, the camera will capture a burst of two or three images and blend them into one picture with a softly de-focused background. It's not clear exactly how (or how well) this technology works yet, but Fuji is optimistic that this technology will bring beginning photographers professional-looking results.

Pro low-light offers another tool for combating high amounts of noise created in high ISO images. This setting takes a burst of four high-sensitivity images and, as Fujifilm claims, overlaps them into one image with a low amount of noise.

Film Simulation modes
Both new cameras will feature the full array of Fujifilm’s film simulation exposure modes. They are:

• Velvia/Vivid
• PROVIA/Standard
• ASTIA/Soft
• Black and White
• Sepia

Both the F60fd and S100FS were well-regarded by our editorial staff, and we’re interested to see how the EXR sensor performs in the compact and ultrazoom arena.

Pricing and availability
The Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR will cost $279.95 and the FinePix S200EXR will sport a price tag of $599.95. Both cameras will become available in August 2009.