Fujifilm has just announced a brand new camera in its advanced travel compact range, the FinePix F600 EXR which adds 30x Intelligent Digital Zoom, Augmented Reality and a new motion detection system.The F600 is the follow up to the F550 EXR which we looked at in May but while they may look similar on the outside, the F600 has added some significant features internally.
First up is 30x Intelligent Digital Zoom which compliments the camera's 15x optical zoom. Regular digital zoom relies on enhancing the edges of distant objects during processing to increase sharpness. However this also increases noise in unwanted areas leading to poorer image quality.
Fujifilm’s solution assesses areas of contrast within an image and applies selective processing to the sections of the image where sharpness can be boosted without lowering image quality. If it works this will certainly be impressive.
The F600 features the 16-megapixel back-side illuminated CMOS sensor seen on the F550, and Fujifilm claims its low-light performance has been enhanced with the new motion detection function. It works alongside functions like the camera's mechanical image stabilisation and high ISO sensitivity.
In low light conditions with EXR Auto selected, should your subject be moving (say you’re out photographing foxes at night like the rest of us), Motion Detection will be deployed along with a higher ISO (up to 12,800) to ensure a blur free image (of the fox).
The Augmented Reality function is a really just a boosted GPS function, where the camera will automatically recognise one million landmarks, pre-loaded on the camera, before displaying them on the 3in LCD screen. A sort of Layar for cameras if you will.
Other features include full HD 1080p video capture; rubberised coating (only on the black model though); exposure modes including aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual for creative shooting; continuous frame capture of up to eight frames per second at full resolution; RAW file format, a selection of film simulation modes and a seamless panoramic option are just some of the multitude of options available.
The F600 EXR will go on sale here in the UK in black, red or white at the end of October and will come with a RRP of £269.