Fujifilm have announced the FinePix A700 compact digital camera, a shiny new addition to their entry-level ‘A’ series camera range.
Kitted out in a rugged-looking silver body, the A700 features a 7.3 megapixels sensor (Fujifilm’s proprietary Super CCD), a large 2.4″ LCD monitor and 3x mid-range optical zoom (36 – 108mm, f2.8 – f5.2, 35mm equivalent).
Designed to appeal to first time buyers or punters looking for a cheapo upgrade to their first digital camera, the Fujifilm offers point’n’shoot simplicity backed up by just a handful of scene modes: Portrait, Landscape, Sport and Night.
Unlike Fujifilm’s more upmarket offerings, their famous high ISO settings are nowhere to be found on the A700, which can only offer a comparatively restricted 100 to 400 ISO sensitivity with no anti-shake.
Unlike most of the A-series range, there’s no optical viewfinder to be found either, with Fuji gambling that punters will prefer the larger 2.4″ 112k colour LCD display.
Annoyingly, the camera sticks with the more obscure xD-Picture Card format, backed up by 12MB of built-in storage, while movie options are pretty limited with a super-juddery maximum frame rate of just 10 frames per second at 320×240 (AVI with audio)
Still, it’s as cheap as chips, retailing at just $199 (£107, €157), ($50 less than its A600 predecessor) and should be in the shops from early October 2006.
Fujifilm FinePix A700 specifications
Image Capture
Sensor Type 1/1.6″ Fujifilm SuperCCD HR, 7.30 megapixels (effective)
Aspect Ratio 4:3, 3:2
Image Dimensions 3072 x 2304, 3264 x 2176, 2304 x 1728, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480
Image Preview / Review
Viewfinder No
LCD 2.4″, 112,000 pixels
Lens
Lens Type Fujinon
3x optical zoom
Image Stabilization No
Focal Length 8.0 – 24.0mm (actual), 36 – 108mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Range Wide: F2.8 / F8, Tele: F5.2 / F14
Focusing System TTL Contrast
Focusing Range Normal: 20″ – infinity (49 cm – infinity)
Macro: 4.1″ – 256″ (10 cm – 628 cm)
Exposure
ISO Sensitivity Auto / ISO 100/200/400
Shutter Speed 2 – 1/1600 second
Metering Modes TTL 64-zones
White Balance Image Sensor – Automatic, Preset (Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light)
Internal Flash Modes:
Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro
Range: 1.6 ft.-12.5 ft. (wide); 2.0 ft. to 6.6 ft. (tele); 1.0 ft. – 2.6 ft. (macro)
Creative Scene Modes: Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night
Digital Zoom 6.3x
Self Timer Yes, 2 or 10 seconds
Time Lapse No
Movie Format AVI with audio, 320×240 and 160×120, Max. frame-rate: 10 frames per second
Storage
Recording Medium xD Picture Card, Built-in
File Format JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Connectivity
Video Yes, NTSC / PAL switchable
Computer USB 2.0 Full (LOW) Speed, FireWire
Other DC In
Power
Battery Type Alkaline disposable, NiMH rechargeable
Battery Form Factor 2 x AA
Product Bundle
Software FinePixViewer
Battery / Charger 2 x AA Alkaline disposable battery
Flash Memory 12.0MB built-in memory
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant Yes
PictBridge Compliant Yes
Internal Microphone Yes
Tripod Mount Yes
Remote Control No
Dimensions 3.7 x 2.4 x 1.2″
94.0 x 61.0 x 30.5mm
Weight 139.0 g/4.9 oz