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Las Vegas, Nevada, January 3, 2006 – Fujifilm announced the new FinePix A400 and A500 digital cameras today as the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show gears up to begin. The models are the first entry level cameras Fujifilm has equipped with the advanced Super CCD imaging sensors. The 5.1 megapixel A500 and the 4.1 megapixel A400 both feature 3x optical zoom lenses, 12 MB of internal memory, and anti-glare 1.8-inch LCD displays. The A500 will sell for $179 and the Fujifilm A400 will retail for $149 when they go on sale in February 2006.
The Fujifilm FinePix A500 and A400 are the first low-end digital cameras to include Super CCD technology. The Super CCD system is often credited for yielding excellent color and low noise at high ISOs, but the A400 and A500 have a limited ISO range from ISO 100 to 400 that doesn’t allow shots in very low light. Still, the sensor should provide better quality resolution than most other compacts with comparable pixel stats.
Besides the Super CCD technology, the Fujifilm FinePix A500 and A400 are both bare-bones cameras. With maximum apertures of f/3.3, these two new cameras will not offer the low-light capabilities of more-advanced compacts. Their small LCDs have resolutions of only 77,000 pixels. Both cameras have a movie mode that records 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 pixels, but they do not record sound and the video is recorded at a choppy 10 frames per second.
Each camera is powered by a pair of AA rechargeable NiMH batteries which will last for about 350 shots between charges. Both the Fujifilm FinePix A500 and A400 feature optical viewfinders, which Fujifilm estimates show about 75 percent of the final image. Their 1.8-inch LCDs are a little more accurate, but not completely, at 94 percent coverage.