Fuji has today announced the FinePix S5500 Zoom, which maintains the SLR styling of its predecessor the S5000 Zoom and 10x optical zoom (37-370mm equiv.). It houses a conventional CCD sensor (compared to the S5000 which had a Super CCD HR sensor) but adds an extra million pixels, taking the effective resolution up to 4 megapixels. Other features include RAW mode, ISO 64-400 and a 640x480-pixel movie mode.

Press Release:

Fujifilm's FinePix S5500 Zoom: get ready for a closer examination

Introducing the FinePix S5500 Zoom with 10x optical zoom and four megapixel resolution; successor to the popular FinePix S5000 Zoom

28 July 2004 Fujifilm today announces the FinePix S5500 Zoom, a digital camera that combines impressive focal strength with increased sensor resolution.

Building on the success of the best-selling FinePix S5000 Zoom, the S5500 Zoom maintains the SLR-inspired design and incredible 10x optical zoom Fujinon lens of its predecessor, the equivalent of 37-370 mm on a 35 mm camera. It also adds an extra megapixel of effective resolution, perfect for extracting additional detail from distant shots.

Whilst retaining the ergonomic design and layout of the FinePix S5000 Zoom, the S5500 Zoom also adds full VGA 30fps movie recording, custom white balance control, histogram playback and 100% frame coverage in the LCD and electronic viewfinder.

Photographers will find this an ideal camera to have at hand at any sporting event thanks to 10x optical zoom and continuous shooting mode. For example, any football fan wanting to capture some fast-moving action from the stands can simply switch modes to ensure they get their shot. This versatile camera is also perfect for travellers - for example, those going on safari, where they are unable to (or may not wish to!) get too close to the subject.

The FinePix S5500 Zoom also comes equipped with a Video Out socket for reviewing images and movies on a TV screen, and PictBridge™ compatibility for printing images without the need for a computer.

Created with ease of use and convenience in mind, the FinePix S5500 Zoom can be powered by four AA sized batteries or an AC power adaptor.

FinePix S5500 Zoom features at a glance:

  • Fujinon 10x optical zoom lens equivalent to 37-370mm on a 35mm camera
  • Compact, SLR-style body shape to give you features and performance without the bulk
  • 4.0 million effective pixel conventional CCD sensor
  • A variety of exposure modes, including aperture priority, shutter priority and manual
    RAW format enabling unprocessed file saving
  • Wide range of ISO settings (64 - 400) for photography in a wide range of conditions
  • High quality movie capture (640 x 480) at 30 frames per second (fps) with sound
  • High resolution 1.5" TFT (115,000 pixel) LCD screen featuring 100% frame coverage
  • Powered by 4 x AA batteries
  • xD-Picture Card™ providing large storage capacity, low power consumption and fast write speed (cards up to 512MB available currently)
  • PictBridge™ compatible for direct printing without a PC

Adrian Clarke, Fujifilm's Director of Consumer Products, said, "The FinePix S5000 Zoom was a real breakthrough for us. It looked great, and packed a breathtaking amount of picture-taking power into a small body. Not wishing to tamper too much with a winning formula, we created the FinePix S5500 Zoom - a successor designed to maintain popular features such as the 10x optical zoom, whilst making subtle improvements to the existing specification.

"We're confident that the FinePix S5500 Zoom will be a hit with new and existing fans of our range of powerful zoom digital cameras. It offers photographers even greater freedom to experiment without being limited by distance."

Availability and Pricing
The FinePix S5500 Zoom will be available in the UK from leading photographic retailers in September 2004. Pricing will be confirmed nearer to the date of retail launch.

Fujifilm FinePix S5500 Zoom specifications


Sensor

• 1/2.7 inch Type CCD
• 4.2million pixels total
• 4.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes

• 2272x1704
• 1600x1200
• 1280x960
• 640x480
Movie clips

• 640x480 (30 fps)
• 320x240 (30 fps)
• With monoaural sound
File formats

• Still: CCD-RAW/JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
• Movies: AVI (Motion JPEG)
• Sound: WAV (up to 30 seconds)
Lens

• 37-370mm equiv. (10x zoom)
• F2.8 - F3.1
• Fujinon

Focus

• Auto focus
• AF Area Focus
• AF Centre Focus
• Manual focus
• AF assist illuminator effective up to 2m
Focus distance

• Normal: 0.9 m - Infinity
• Macro: 10cm
ISO sensitivity • Auto
• ISO 64
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
� ISO 400
Shutter speed • 1/4 - 1/2000 sec auto
• 15 - 1/2000 sec manual
Modes • Auto
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Sports
• Night Scene
Colour Modes • B&W
• Chrome
• Standard
Aperture • 1/3 EV steps (10 steps)
• At wide: F2.8 / F8.0
• At tele: F2.8 / F9.0
Exposure • 64-zone TTL metering-multi
• Spot
• Average
Exposure Modes • Programmed AE
• Aperture Priority AE
• Shutter Priority AE
• Manual
White balance

• Auto
• Manual
• Fine
• Shade
• Fluorescent Light (daylight)
• Fluorescent Light (warm white)
• Fluorescent Light (cool white)
• Incandescent Light
• Custom
Self timer • 2 or 10 sec
Continuous shooting • Full resolution: 3 fps up to 3 images
• Long Period: 1.6fps up to 40 images
Flash • Pop-up
• Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, On/Off
• Slow Synchro, Red-eye reduction + slow synchro in manual mode
• Range: (wide) 4.5 m, (tele) 4 m
Viewfinder • 0.33" LCD electronic viewfinder
• 115,000 pixels
LCD monitor • 1.5" TFT LCD
• 115,000 pixels
Connectivity • USB 2.0
• A/V out
• DC-IN
Print compliance • PictBridge
Storage • xD-Picture Card
• 16 MB xD-Picture Card supplied
Power

• 4 x AA or 4 x Ni-MH
• Alkaline supplied
Weight (no batt) • 337g ( 11.9oz)
Dimensions • 113 x 81 x 79 (4.4 x 3.2 x 3.1 in)