Overview

The Fujifilm Finepix F30 is a 6.3 megapixel, ultra compact digital camera. It is equally suited to point and shoot photographers as well as more advanced photographers who want more control, such as Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. The Finepix F30 is fast to start up, making it the perfect take anywhere camera to capture action shots. The F30 also offers high sensitivity settings of up to 3200 ISO equivalent and uses these to offer an automatic image stabilization mode.

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Available Reviews

• FujiFilm FinePix F30 camera test at Lets Go Digital
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 camera test at imaging resource
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 review at Photoxels
• Fuji FinePix F30 review at Steve's Digicams
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 review at Megapixel.net
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 review at Digital Camera Info
• Fujifilm Finepix F30 review at DigitalCameraReview
• Fujifilm Finepix F30 review at ephotozine
• Fuji FinePix F30 review at DCRP
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 review at CNet
• Fujifilm FinePix F30 first impression at DigitalCameraInfo

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Features

Image Stabilization
The Finepix F30 helps to reduce blurred photos by offering a picture stabilization mode, where the camera automatically choose a higher sensitivity setting and matches it to the correct shutter speed.

Manual Settings
With its automatic settings and preprogrammed scene modes the Fujifilm F30 is perfectly suited for the beginning photographers. Those who want to have greater control over the image taking process a range of manual settings is available, such as Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority.

Long Lasting Battery
The F30 battery lasts up to 500 shots, so you shouldn’t have to worry about a spare battery for most photographic undertakings.

Fast Performance
The Finepix F30 takes only one second to switch on and the shutter lag is only 0.01 of a second, ensuring that you won’t miss capturing these unrehearsed photo opportunities any more.

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Specifications

Sensor: 1/1.7-inch CCD
Resolution: 6.3 megapixels
Picture Stabilization: yes
Movie Modes: 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps, 320 x 240 pixels at 30 fps
Optical Zoom: 3x
Focal Length: 8.0 - 24.9mm (36-128mm 35mm equiv.)
Aperture Range: F2.8 - F8, 10 steps in 1/3 EV increments
Focus Modes: Auto / Manual / Macro
Macro Mode: 2 in. (5cm)
Exposure Control: Programmed AE (AUTO/SP), Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE
Sensitivity: Auto; ISO 100,200,400,800,1600,3200
Shutter Speed: 15 sec. to 1/2000 sec.
White balance: Automatic, Presets, Custom
Flash Mode: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro
Flash Range: (ISO Auto) 2.0 - 21.3 ft (Wide), 2.0 - 11.5 ft (Tele), 1.0 ft - 2.6 ft (Macro)
Shooting modes: Auto, Picture Stabilization, Scene Modes, Macro, Movie, Burst/Continuous, Aperture or Shutter Priority
Continuous Shooting Modes: up to 3 frames at 2.2 fps, unlimited at 0.7 fps
Storage Medium: xD-Picture Card
Self-timer: 2/10 sec.
LCD Monitor: 2.5 in.
PC Interface: USB 2.0
Battery: battery pack
Camera Dimensions (W x H x D): 3.6 x 2.2 x 1.1 in. / 91 x 56 x 28 mm
Weight: 5.5 oz. / 156 g body only

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Press Release

Valhalla, NY, February 14, 2006 - Parents with kids that won’t sit still for pictures will be very interested in the FinePix F30 digital camera announced today by Fuji Photo Film U.S.A, Inc.
FinePix F30

The 6.3 MegaPixel FinePix F30 is the world’s first point-and-shoot digital camera for consumers with full-resolution ISO equivalency speeds as high as 3200 - a setting previously reserved for advanced consumer and professional digital camera models. Higher light sensitivities allow the FinePix F30 to shoot with faster shutter speeds, which lessen the likelihood of blurry pictures caused by ever-active children, fidgety pets, dim ambient light or camera movement due to an unsteady hand.

Picture Stabilization
Combining higher light sensitivities with faster shutter speeds is a technique used by seasoned photographers to stabilize pictures and reduce blur. But even a novice can succeed at this technique with the FinePix F30. To make it easy for consumers to achieve blur-free results, Fujifilm has added a helpful “Picture Stabilization” mode dial setting to the FinePix F30. This easy-to-identify, automatic setting lets the FinePix F30 choose the correct light sensitivity and best-matching shutter speed for the highest quality digital pictures.

Real Photo Technology
The class-leading performance of the FinePix F30 is due in large part to the second generation of Real Photo Technology, the latest photographic achievement from Fujifilm. Real Photo Technology is a synergetic combination of Fujifilm’s Super CCD sensor, its proprietary RP Processor and a world-class lens from renowned manufacturer, Fujinon. It debuted in Fujifilm cameras in 2005 and models with the Real Photo Technology advantage, like the FinePix F10, starred in hands-on camera reviews.

In the past, ISO equivalencies as high as 3200, or even 1600 and 800, had been off-limits to compact consumer digicams due to image “noise”, a by-product of higher light sensitivities. Noise, which can be likened to radio or television signal static, reduces a picture’s clarity. With the sixth generation Super CCD sensor producing less noise than its predecessor and the new RP Processor II finely tuned to remove even more noise than last year’s processor, the FinePix F30 produces pictures that are sharp, full of rich color and contain dramatically less image noise than competitive camera models.

i-Flash
Another innovation on the FinePix F30 that works in tandem with Real Photo Technology and higher sensitivities is a new Fujifilm flash system called i-Flash. The Fujifilm i-Flash system is more advanced than similar flash systems because it can detect more accurately the subtle lighting differences within a scene, and then light the subject accordingly with a wider range of flash intensities. This is accomplished with an adjustment to the flash’s intensity based on a variety of factors including subject position in the frame, subject size, ambient light and backlight intensity. So, even if the subject is off center and standing under a streetlight, the i-Flash system will expose the subject properly.

i-Flash is a tremendous asset to photographers, particularly when shooting in low light, producing pictures with more natural looking subjects and backgrounds that are full of bright and crisp detail. Portraits are where the i-Flash difference is most apparent, with realistic facial tones lacking the washed-out look often associated with flash photography.

“Fujifilm is a company with a rich photographic legacy and it is our mission to develop technologies that make it easy for consumers to take the highest quality pictures,” observed David Troy, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. “With industry leading innovations such as the blur and noise-reducing Real Photo Technology, along with the i-Flash system for more natural looking photos, the FinePix F30 helps users capture the moment just as their eyes see it.”
[…]

The FinePix F30 is available in May 2006 at a retail cost of $399.
(source: Fujifilm)