Clever new compact points to the future

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HoppyUK

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Fuji has introduced a new 12mp compact that has a couple of very interesting things it does with the sensor.

Switch to 6mp and it will pair two pixels together creating one large pixel, which has lower noise at high ISO and in low light.

Just as clever, it will again pair two pixels, but set each one at a different sensitivity, creating instant HDR! Details on dpreview.

Cameras are doing amazing things digitally/electronically these days. Automatic correction of CA, distortion and vignetting has been around for a while, and now this. For once I can see real benefits to having twice or three times the pixels that anybody ever really needs.

Imagine a 20mp DSLR with this technology - major and worthwhile image improvements that you can actually see :eek:
 
Seems that things progress far too quickly in this game. I firmly told myself,after purchasing a D300, that I would not buy another body for ages............and the b`stards announce the D700.................:lol:

What is the next major step for new bodies I wonder?
 
That red thing fracster, scares the heck out of me!
 
AliB said:
That red thing fracster, scares the heck out of me!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think i`ll unload all my stuff now............:thumbs:
 
It's F200EXR with a 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor.
It looks pretty interesting. Wide angle, a big sensor (for a compact with a 5x zoom), small enough to fit in a pocket, different AF area modes, AF assist lamp, still fairly lightweight, manual controls, ...
I can't wait to see some samples. Perhaps could replace my Canon A510 as the second camera :D
 
Cheers for the link Slapo. Here's an example of HDR at work. Surely nobody can object to that :D

pic_19_l.jpg
 
Some really interesting innovation.I would love that HDR facility in my DSLR if it works well.
Pete.
 
That "HDR" looks like Nikon's Active-D lighting (which is on their later cameras), which is pretty much HDR like in its operation, but of course its a post capture thing applied by the camera (or in CaptureNX if you shoot in raw)

Most "serious photographers" on here would poo-poo it as something they can't control.
 
That might be tempting as a pocket camera, I'm looking forward to the reviews already oh and the OMG it's a crappy compact with a small sensor so it's useless brigade.
 
a1ex2001 said:
That might be tempting as a pocket camera, I'm looking forward to the reviews already oh and the OMG it's a crappy compact with a small sensor so it's useless brigade.
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Yeah, I want one already! What a genius feature-set :) And I only bought my fab lil' Pano FX500 last September...

It is rather annoying that the best technology is found in compacts before SLRs :shrug:

And much as I love my Pano, the small sensor does get on my nerves. Everything I shoot is absolutely sharp from the end of my nose to the horizon. You can always spot a digi-compact pic just by the 'look' of it.

And don't tell me to just get a Lumix LX3 - it makes bu99er all difference :D
 
I have the F100fd which I guess this replaces and it is capable of some very good quality shots in bright conditions. Use it above 200 ISO and the quality is not so good and at 12600 ISO it is laughable but it is a pretty decent compact. I do like the addition of av and manual controls on this new one and the image quality looks pretty good too. I hope the build quality is better though, I am on my 2nd F100 after the 1st lasted 4 weeks!
 
The thing with the clever compacts (and there are quite a few recently) is that you are limited to a fairly smallish type of result you can get from it... unlike a SLR where the limit is by and large whatever you can have the skill to achieve.

Don't get me wrong, the power of these in the hands of the non-photographer is immense compared to whats gone on before, but ultimately you are always not going to do better than the boffins have thought of...
 
The market is going to split more.

I would expect to see SW algorithm upgrades for cameras - i.e. buy one body (40d, 1d etc) with similar base HW components, then you would purchase optional SW upgrades such as 1d noise reduction, 1d focal speed etc, enhances focal spots etc.

The current lifetime of the SLRs mean that they cant bring out new models as fast as the technology develops, but they have the technology.

Phones will have 12-15MP within the year, optical zoom, etc - and the processing power of phone HW means the possibilities re-post processing are much better. Also the connectivity options are endless.

I think the compact P&S market may be on the decline, having seen its peak.
 
cressers said:
I would expect to see SW algorithm upgrades for cameras - i.e. buy one body (40d, 1d etc) with similar base HW components, then you would purchase optional SW upgrades such as 1d noise reduction, 1d focal speed etc, enhances focal spots etc.
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From what I remember the 10D & the 300D had essentialy the same internals with 'features' disabled for the 300D
 
mrgubby said:
From what I remember the 10D & the 300D had essentialy the same internals with 'features' disabled for the 300D
Click to expand...

Companies have always been doing that and they always will. It is called product diversification, and thats how they get a larger share of the market. Remember Sony's mini-disc players. They had two versions, the 80min and the 40min version. It was exactly the same device, only the 40min one had software disabling half of its capacity. Its cheaper that way.
 
desantnik said:
The thing with the clever compacts (and there are quite a few recently) is that you are limited to a fairly smallish type of result you can get from it... unlike a SLR where the limit is by and large whatever you can have the skill to achieve.

Don't get me wrong, the power of these in the hands of the non-photographer is immense compared to whats gone on before, but ultimately you are always not going to do better than the boffins have thought of...
Click to expand...

All of which is true.The problem though is that my DSLR doesnt fit in my pocket and travel everywhere with me.Compacts are useful for everyone not just non-photographers.
Pete.
 
Last year, DPReview interviewed Canon's top bod of cameras, Masaya Maeda.

Bearing in mind what this little Fuji can do, this quote is rather interesting:

DPReview: Let's start with DSC and the announcement of the G10. We're seeing a lot of pent-up demand for a better quality compact, perhaps with lower megapixels / bigger pixels or bigger sensors. What our readers want to know - and what we want to know - is this; is there any chance of Canon making high-end compacts that don't have more pixels, but have better pixels, to fill the big gap between DSC and DSLR?

Maeda: "The G10 is the flagship product of the PowerShot line and we're concentrating on getting a good balance between megapixel count and picture quality, and this is the outcome; the G10. We believe the users benefit from being able to trim or crop their pictures, and also to produce large prints, and most of these benefits we aim to provide by increasing megapixels. We cannot provide details of future products, however the G10 could be developed in a range of directions, such as models offering more sensitive ISO or more speed. At the moment this is one solution we could provide."
 
a1ex2001 said:
OMG it's a crappy compact with a small sensor so it's useless brigade.
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Let them enjoy their snobbery then.

Surely as a candid snapshot camera in your shirt pocket for those times when carrying an SLR is not an option, is something good?

I like the look of this camera, I may well treat myself to a compact at some point.
 
mrgubby said:
From what I remember the 10D & the 300D had essentialy the same internals with 'features' disabled for the 300D
Click to expand...

Ah yes, but could you log onto canon.com and download enhanced SW or upgrade after purchase, no, this would be cool, and a lot more revenue for the manufacturers.

For example, if the camera came with max iso of 1600, would you pay £8.99 for up to ISOxxxx ??

I think a lot of people may..
 
I have a fuji compact and its fab. I purposely got a few models back because it has manual and av and tv controls. The new face detections fd models don't.
I believe Fuji compacts are ace in low light. :thumbs:
 
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