Fujifilm IS-1 Review

Marketed towards the law enforcement, medical / dental and science fields, the Fujifilm IS-1 answers a problem infrared photographers have found with most existing digicams. Most manufacturers add built-in filters in their cameras that cut infrared light, preventing it from affecting regular photos adversely. Unfortunately, this means if you want to replicate the artistic experience that simply required an infrared film roll in the days before digital, you often need to either dismantle your camera to remove the filter (voiding the warranty in the process), or deal with multiple-minute exposure times and an inability to preview the scene on your LCD display - if you can even get a useable photo at all.

Based on the Fujifilm FinePix S9100, the Fuji IS-1 retains basically the entire feature set of that camera, but with the ability to shoot infrared photos. A note of caution though - shooting regular photos with the IS-1 will require the use of an infrared cut filter (not included with the Fujifilm IS-1) which is mounted on the front of the lens. Fujifilm notes that with such a filter in place, the IS-1 offers images "very close in quality to that of a standard digital camera".

The Fuji IS-1 couples a powerful 10.7x optical zoom lens which can focus down to just 0.4 inches, with a 1/1.6" nine megapixel SuperCCD HR imager that yields a maximum ISO rating of 1600. Other hardware features in the Fujifilm IS-1 that are held over from its predecessor include the overall body design, dual media slots (CompactFlash / Microdrive and xD-Picture Card), and an electronic viewfinder that can offer frame rates of either 30 or 60 frames per second. There's plenty in the Fuji FinePix IS-1 to cater to the needs of advanced amateurs looking to gain maximum control over their photos, with P / A / S / M exposure modes, a Raw file format, auto / manual focus, three metering modes, nine white balance modes (including two custom hold modes), and both a six-mode popup flash, plus a choice of external flash hot shoe and PC sync connector.

Commanding somewhat of a price premium as you'd expect of a camera aimed at a niche market, the Fujifilm IS-1 ships from February 2007 for US$899.