Fujifilm Rolls Out FinePix F31fd with Face Detection Technology

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Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. intros the FinePix F31fd, the first pocketable digital camera from Fujifilm to feature the company's new Face Detection Technology. Fujifilm's Face Detection Technology debuted on the SLR-styled FinePix S6000fd. It has a tremendous impact on the quality of "people pictures" by ensuring that cameras like the FinePix F31fd will automatically focus on and expose for faces, rather than details that lead to less-than-desirable photographs. Identifying up to 10 faces in a frame, Face Detection Technology ensures photos of friends and family are crisp, clear and properly exposed for a natural feel. It has an advantage over the few other face detection systems currently on the market as the technology is built-in to the camera's processor, enabling the FinePix F31fd to identify faces and optimize settings within a scant 0.05 seconds.

With the FinePix F31fd, which is similar in style to the FinePix F30, Fujifilm adds Face Detection to the many significant breakthrough features in the award winning FinePix F30 - unprecedented light sensitivities up to ISO 3200 at full resolution, Fujifilm's Picture Stabilization, the 'i-Flash' system, and best-in-class 580-shot battery life. Add a 3x optical zoom lens from Fujinon, a 6-MegaPixel Super CCD HR sensor, and a 2.5 inch LCD screen with glare-reducing coatings and the FinePix F31fd is an ideal companion for consumers looking for a first-class upgrade to their current digital cameras.

Fujifilm's Face Detection Technology was originally developed for the company's photofinishing division where it has been improving the quality of photos produced at retail photo centers nationwide by Fujifilm's Frontier Digital Lab Systems. Fujifilm's Research & Development team adapted the technology for use within digital cameras, where it is now a genuinely useful tool for making subjects look their best.

A selectable option, Fujifilm's Face Detection Technology identifies faces by triangulating a subject's eyes and mouth using an algorithm to optimize focus and exposure. It simultaneously displays a green rectangle around the primary subject, while white squares identify up to nine other subjects. Movement tracking keeps the camera 'locked on' to its subjects until they move out of the picture. The technology works regardless of the subject's position in the frame, and is not confused by eyeglasses. In Playback mode, Face Detection automatically zooms to subjects' faces and trims the shot for optimum portraits.

Fujifilm has identified low light photography as one of the true benchmarks of a digital camera's performance, as many images are taken when light is limited. Limited light requires the use of a flash, however, a flash can leave subjects looking 'washed out' and background detail almost non-existent. Higher light sensitivities make flash-free photography possible with available light, balancing foreground and background exposure and contributing to a natural look and feel.

Higher light sensitivities also enable the camera to shoot with faster shutter speeds, which lessen the likelihood of blurry pictures caused by a moving subject or the shake of an unsteady hand. To make it easy for consumers to achieve blur-free results, the FinePix F31fd features a helpful "Picture Stabilization" mode dial setting. This easy-to-identify, automatic setting lets the FinePix F31fd choose the correct light sensitivity and best-matching shutter speed, producing the highest quality digital pictures without blur and the noise often associated with high sensitivity photographs.

For those occasions when flash is required, Fujifilm's intelligent 'i-Flash' system sets flash power output to achieve natural foreground illumination with balanced background exposure. Fujifilm's i-Flash system is more advanced than similar flash systems because it can detect more accurately the subtle lighting differences within a scene, and then light the subject accordingly with a wider range of flash intensities. Together, the Face Detection and i-Flash technologies produce photographs with prominent subjects exhibiting pleasing, natural tones.

The FinePix F31fd features:
- "Natural Light & with Flash" Dual Shot Mode: In this mode the FinePix F31fd quickly shoots two images in succession - one with and one without the flash - saving both. This convenient function lets the user perform an on-the-spot picture comparison and decide whether the FinePix F31fd produced the most pleasing photo with flash, or without.
- "Natural Light" shooting mode: This mode preserves scene mood and enhances background detail by shooting with faster shutter speeds at higher light sensitivities (if necessary) with a suppressed flash.
- Fast Operation: The camera's fast response times, 0.01 second shutter lag and 1.5 second start-up time, ensure it will catch all the action and spell the end for missed photo opportunities.
- LCD: The FinePix F31fd features a large 2.5 inch, 230.000 pixel LCD screen coated with Fujifilm's proprietary CV film. This minimizes glare and reflection so that images can be viewed from any angle and even in sunny conditions, when glare would usually be a problem. In addition, the screen's brightness adjusts automatically, depending on the amount of light available, to further enhance ease of viewing.
- Better Movie Quality: Movie capture for the FinePix F31fd is enhanced by noise reduction, making it possible to capture clear, sharp moving images even at high ISO sensitivity speeds. It is also capable of VGA movie capture at 30 frames per second with sound.
- Special scene modes: The FinePix F31fd has 15 scene positions including beach, snow and fireworks for optimum photography, no matter what the event.
- Manual settings: Includes shutter and aperture priority, for more user control.

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