Fujifilm announces the launch of the FinePix S9600, a refinement of the highly-regarded FinePix S9500, with 10.7x Fujinon optical zoom lens, 9 megapixel Fujifilm Super CCD sensor, and class-leading ISO 80-1600 performance. The outgoing FinePix S9500 won an excellent reputation in a highly competitive area of the camera market and the FinePix S9600 builds on the quality of its predecessor with the addition of some significant extra features. The FinePix S9600 is aimed at serious hobbyist and enthusiast photographers who will benefit from its impressive optical zoom lens range, plus superb functionality, image quality and responsiveness.
The new camera’s sensitivity range, made possible by Fujifilm’s Real Photo Processor enables users to achieve images in all lighting conditions, not just bright sunlight. Furthermore, the potential for blurry images is all but eliminated – unlike optical image stabilisation systems, the high ISO setting combats blur caused by both camera shake and subject movement.
The camera’s highly-specified Fujinon 10.7x (28-300mm – 35mm equivalent) zoom lens incorporates aspherical elements within its design, and has already distinguished itself in terms of its optical qualities. Not only does its versatile optical range offer all of the most popular focal lengths in one package, but the closed unit of body and lens ensures that the user will not have to contend with the issue of external specks of dust compromising image quality. The lens is easily controlled via a manual zoom ring, giving pinpoint accuracy when composing the image.
The FinePix S9600’s areas of differentiation from the FinePix S9500 are:
– Increased sharpness and resolution achieved via improvements in new image processing algorithms: The image quality of this body and sensor combination has already gathered acclaim, and the FinePix S9600 delivers improvements in the area of resolution and image sharpness, giving enthusiast photographers a level of quality that will satisfy even the most critical inspection.
– Increased size 2" LCD monitor with 235,000 pixels: The size of LCD has been upgraded from the FinePix S9500. The new 2.0 inch tilting LCD screen on the FinePix S9600 means flexibility for shooting at any angle, such as close to the ground or above the head. Unlike conventional digital SLRs, the 235,000-pixel LCD can also be used to compose images, which means even more convenience for the photographer.
– Intelligent flash function, achieving even foreground illumination, with blur-free, well-exposed background: Using flash at night has traditionally involved the choice between the dark, underexposed backgrounds of conventional flash, or the blurred background swirl of slow-sync flash. Fujifilm’s Intelligent Flash on the FinePix S9600 makes full use of the camera’s inherent sensitivity to achieve a clear, sharp, well-exposed background, making a perfect match for the flash exposure in the foreground.
– Improved autofocus speed: The camera’s response times for autofocus have also been improved, enabling the user to compose, frame and take action photographs without delay especially in dark condition by up to 40%.
– Inclusion of HS-V2 software for full functionality in RAW file conversion: The inclusion of Fujifilm’s Hyper Utility Software HS-V2 version 3 as standard software, means that the photographer can explore the full potential of the camera’s RAW file format. By fully controlling the 18 million pixel RAW file from the Super CCD, the photographer can enjoy the control and flexibility of working on a ‘lossless’ file format.
In addition, the camera features a 30-frames-per-second movie mode with manual zoom capability, giving high quality moving images with sound – a function that cannot be integrated into traditional digital SLRs due to the physical design of the camera.
FinePix S9600 features at a glance:
– Fujifilm Super CCD sensor with 9.0 million effective pixels
– Fujifilm RP (Real Photo) Processor
– Intelligent Flash system
– New 28-300mm (10.7x) Fujinon zoom lens with manual twist-barrel zoom control
– Class-leading sensitivity setting of ISO 1600 at full resolution for photography in low light conditions
– Low sensitivity of ISO 80 for ultra-high quality photography
– 2.0", (235,000 pixel) tilting LCD screen for easy high and low angle shooting
– Ultra-fast response times (0.01 second shutter lag and 0.8 second start-up)
– Real-time histogram to assist exposure settings before shooting
– Highlight Warning feature for displaying highlight areas in playback
– VGA movie capture of 30 frames per second with zoom capability and sound
– Closed unit design to eliminate dust accumulation on the CCD
– Hotshoe and PC sync terminal
– Hyper Utility Software HS-V2 version 3 for RAW format shooting
– Both xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash/Microdrive compatible
Specifications are subject to change.
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