Fujifilm’s camera rollouts this morning have been joined by a trio of ultrazooms that promise features unique to the company and to the field. Leading the group, the FinePix HS10 not only has the 30X range of a camera like the just-launched Olympus SP-800UZ but promises much better zoom control. Photographers can twist the lens barrel to zoom like they would an SLR’s, and automated zooming is itself faster than most other cameras in the class.
Image quality is just as imperative and centers on a 10.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that provides up to ISO 3,200 at full resolution and 6,400 at smaller sizes; manual buttons exist to adjust white balance, exposure and ISO. That sensor also provides image stabilization, but a digital IS system compares multiple frames to help further correct the image. Video recording is a minor specialty, as the HS10 can record full-speed 1080p movies.
Less ambitious photographers have the pick of two S series cameras. The S2500HD and S1800 have more modest 18X lenses, use 12-megapixel stabilized sensors and shoot 720p video. The S2500HD gets mini HDMI output for previews, but the S1800 counters with tracking autofocus and an accelerometer to auto-rotate the picture in playback.
Releases for the three are staggered and begin with the S1800, which as the most inexpensive will cost $230 when it ships this month. The S2500HD appears a month later for $250, and the HS10 flagship is due in April for $500.
