Click on the FinePix E550 to take a QuickTime VR tour

New for 2004 is Fujifilm's compact, durable and lightweight FinePix E-series of versatile digital cameras that combine the ease of point-and-shoot for new users with a more powerful feature set that satisfies the needs of advanced users too.

The FinePix E550 offers 6.3 effective megapixels and can capture up to 4048 x3040 recorded pixels (12.3 million) using Fujifilm’s proprietary Super CCD HR (High Resolution) sensor system. To help power this unusual imaging sensor, Fujifilm offers a new, highly effective image processor, which provides two key benefits: incredible speed and drastically reduced noise levels. As a result, the camera is able to capture images with a frame-to-frame time of 1.0 second, and a shutter lag of 0.05 seconds – faster than some professional digital SLRs. Image quality is greatly enhanced, both through the increased color saturation provided by Super CCD, as well as through superior image sharpness and clarity, provided by noise cancellation.

The FinePix E550 offers a 4x optical zoom. Optional 1.94x and 0.76x wide-angle lens adapters may also be used with this model. The camera offers a variety of shooting modes ranging from automatic, manual, programmed AE, aperture or shutter priority AE, macro, to four pre-programmed scene positions (portrait, landscape, sports, night scene). In addition, a continuous shooting mode may be selected, capturing top and final 4 frames at a rate of 3 frames/second, as well as long-period burst mode, at a maximum of 1.6 frames/second, recording up to 40 frames (at 2 megapixel mode only). The FinePix E550 captures movie clips at 30 frames/second at full VGA with sound, with no time limitations.

The FinePix E550 also offers a large, 2.0-inch LCD screen, non-slip grip and ergonomic weighting of the camera body. Two AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries power the camera; consumers can expect best possible battery life with rechargeable batteries, while alkaline batteries provide operational flexibility. Fujifilm’s optional CP-FXA10 PictureCradle can be used with the FinePix E550 for rapid recharging, as well as for fast image downloading.

FinePix E550 Zoom Features:

• 6.3 million pixel Super CCD HR
• 12.3 million recorded pixels for an image size of 4048 x3040
• 4x optical zoom (32.5-130mm in 35mm equiv)
• Ultra-Fast 1.2 Second start-up
• Macro focus as close as 3.0 inches
• Movie Mode; 30fps w/sound @ 640 x 480 or 320 x 240
• 2.0" color TFT LCD monitor, 154,000 pixels
• Auto, Scene, Program AE, Aperture priority, Shutter-speed priority and Manual exposure modes
• Multi, Average or Spot exposure metering
• Adjustable ISO sensitivity, white balance, sharpness, color mode
• 3 - 1/2000 sec shutter speeds
• Uses removable xD-Picture cards (16MB included)
• Compact (4.1 x 2.5 x 1.4 inch) durable metal-front body
• Very lightweight at just 7.1 oz. (excluding batteries)
• Powered by two standard AA type batteries, two 2300MaH NiMH rechargeables and charger included
• USB connectivity and PictBridge direct-print compatible
• Optional Picture Cradle & rechargeable battery pack

The FinePix E550 will be available in August 2004, selling for approximately $499.99. It will ship with a 16MB xD-Picture Card, 2 AA alkaline batteries, FinePix Viewer, ImageMixer VCD2 for FinePix, USB cable, A/V cable, hand strap and a PictureCradle adapter.

Physical Views

The FinePix E550 and a standard CD for size comparison.