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Fuji's FinePix 50i digital camera. Courtesy of Fuji. Fuji Japan announces new MP3 digicam! (UPDATED)
By
(Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 14:16 EDT)

Replacement for existing FinePix 40i won't reach US shores...

As promised yesterday, we have now added Fuji's newly announced FinePix 50i digital camera to our database. The camera is an update to Fuji's existing FinePix 40i model, and according to our contacts at Fuji it will not be sold in the USA. Comparing the two cameras, the FinePix 50i is 5mm thinner, 20 grams lighter, and gains a new resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels which, at 1.92 megapixels, is much closer to the true effective sensor resolution of 2.16 megapixels. (The interpolated 2400 x 1800 / 4.32 megapixel size from the 40i is retained, as are the 1280 x 960 / 1.2 megapixel and 640 x 480 / 0.3 megapixel sizes...)

Other noteable changes include a slightly smaller 1.5" LCD compared to the 1.8" LCD on the previous model (same number of pixels, though), along with a lowered ISO rating of 125 instead of the previous 200, a slightly more powerful flash (rated to 3.5 meters instead of 2.5), and a change to a proprietary Lithium Ion battery where the old model used AA batteries. There's also a new body design which removes the automatic lens cap and replaces it with a large manual sliding panel, and a new sleeker remote control which can display things such as MP3 track names - something the old remote couldn't do. Finally, there's a new camera dock which allows the camera to double as a tethered webcam, as well as the use of Fuji's online imaging services, and a new audio clip mode allows annotation of images (30 seconds of audio per image).

The Fuji FinePix 50i will reach the Japanese market on June 27th at a price of ¥88,000 (US$733). Specifications highlights for the Pentax Optio 330 follow:

Specification Highlights - full specifications here
FujiFilm FinePix 50i
Fuji's FinePix 50i digital camera, front view.  Courtesy of Fuji Japan. Click for a bigger picture!
General
Model Number: 50i
Camera Format: Ultra-compact
Price: Street ¥88,000 (US$733)
Date Available: 27th June 2001
Image Capture
Image Sensor: 0.588" 2.40 megapixel RGBG SuperCCD
Image Resolution: 2400x1800 (interpolated), 1600x1200, 1280x960, 640x480
Lens
Focal Length (effective): 36 mm (fixed focal length)
Digital Zoom: 0, 1.875 or 3.75x (dependant on resolution)
Auto Focus: Yes
Manual Focus: No
Normal Focus Range: 50 cm to Infinity; 20.4 in to Infinity
Macro Focus Range: 6 - 65 cm; 2.4 - 26.5 in
Aperture Range: f/2.8, f/9.8
Display
Optical Viewfinder: Yes (Real image type)
LCD Viewfinder: Yes (1.5 inch, 110,000 pixel)
Exposure
ISO Settings: 125
White Balance Settings: Auto, Sun, Shade, Fluorescent 1, Fluorescent 2, Fluorescent 3, Incandescent
Manual White Balance: No
Shutter Speeds: 1/4 - 1/1000 second
Exp Adj Range: +/- 1.5EV in 1/3EV steps
Metering Modes: 64 segment matrix metering
Exposure Modes: Auto
Self Timer (seconds): 10
Flash
Internal Flash: Yes
Flash Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off, Slow-Synchro
Flash Range Description: 0.4 - 3.5 meters
Ext Flash: No
Image Storage
Flash Memory: SmartMedia, ID SmartMedia
Memory Included (MB): Unknown
File Formats: JPEG (EXIF v2.1), WAV, AVI (MotionJPEG) with audio
More Information
Weight: 190 g; 6.6 oz
Weight With Batteries? Yes
Size: 86 x 71 x 24mm; 3.4 x 2.8 x 0.9in
Notes & Features: This model will not be sold in the USA. Top resolution of 4.32 megapixel is interpolated 2:1 from actual effective sensor resolution of 2.16 megapixel. ID SmartMedia cards must be used for MP3 audio. Camera can be used as a tethered webcam. Voice memo mode allows 30 seconds per photo; voice recording mode allows up to 9 hours of audio on a 128MB SmartMedia card with AC adapter. Battery life is 100 shots with LCD, 230 shots without LCD. Bundled with Lithium Ion battery, camera dock, AC adapter AC-5VS, video cable, shoulder strap, remote control, stereo headphones, CD-ROM, USB cable and instructions.
More Photos
Fuji's FinePix 50i digital camera, shown with  cabled remote control / headphones / docking station. Courtesy of Fuji Japan. Click for a bigger picture!
Fuji's FinePix 50i digital camera, rear view.  Courtesy of Fuji Japan. Click for a bigger picture!
 

UPDATED 2001-05-30 18:56ET: Faulty link on the first FinePix 50i picture corrected...
Source: Fuji Japan website

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