Fujifilm is pleased to announce the launch of its latest technological marvel, the FinePix S6500fd.

With SLR-like looks the FinePix S6500fd’s outside is as deserving of attention as the class-leading technology on the inside. This new camera will appeal to people who want to take great photos, with minimum fuss.

Photos your friends will be proud of…
The FinePix S6500fd will take sharp, natural looking photos night and day, thanks to Fujifilm’s ISO 100-3200 sensitivity. ISO represents the range of settings that let the camera shoot in harsh daylight, or deepest night, without blurring the image or using flash when the light is low. Flash has its place, but in people pictures it will usually leave your friends’ faces flooded with light, with the result they’ll look bleached-out, shiny and pale - even if they have just come back from a beach holiday on the Cote d’Azur.

The camera is unique among its competitors because its Face Detection is hardware based, rather than software. This enables it to perform much faster, so it can recognise the face, optimise settings for the best possible photo, and take the shot within just 0.04 seconds.

Face Detection in the S6500fd works by recognising eyes and mouth to lock on to faces in the frame. Coping with up to ten faces, it optimises focus and exposure level settings. Furthermore, movement tracking means the camera stays locked on the subject until they move out of the frame. The technology means the FinePix S6500fd can identify a face irrespective of its position in the frame or the composition of the shot, and is not confused by spectacles. All this, combined with split-second accuracy, results in picture-perfect people shots in record time.

When you do want to use a flash, the FinePix S6500fd features two unique Fujifilm technologies to make the resulting photos much more pleasing to the eye. Intelligent Flash automatically sets flash power output and exposure so that, rather than flooding your friends with light, the flash works to gently illuminate the scene. The results are natural looking skin tones and visible background. ‘Natural Light & Flash’ takes the decision making out of photography by shooting twice in quick succession - once with and once without flash. It then displays each shot side-by-side for easy comparison.

The camera’s Fujinon 10.7x (28-300mm equivalent) optical zoom lens will help you capture all the action, and because its high ISO sensitivity combats image blur too, the S6500fd is also the perfect tool for fast-moving sports photography. Used with the optional Wide Conversion Lens, WL-FXS6, the FinePix S6500fd becomes the perfect tool for landscape photography.

Fourteen special scene modes, including Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Museum and Party ensure you’ll never miss the opportunity for a great photo - wherever you happen to be. 30 fps VGA movie mode with sound and manual zoom capability provides a fun alternative to still photography.

FinePix S6500fd features at a glance:
Hardware based Face Detection technology
Sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200 for low-noise photography in all light situations
Super CCD HR VI sensor delivering six million effective pixels
Real Photo Processor II reduces noise and delivers enhanced colour reproduction
Fixed 10.7x (28-300mm equivalent) optical zoom lens with twist barrel control
Intelligent Flash achieves the optimum combination of high sensitivity and natural skin tones
Fourteen special-scene modes, including Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Museum and Party
High Speed Shooting Mode with a shutter lag of just 0.035 seconds
High resolution 2.5 inch LCD screen with reinforced, scratch-resistant glass
TV-quality VGA movie recording of 30 frames per second with sound
PictBridge(tm) compatible for direct printing without a PC

Accessories
The FinePix S6500fd’s optional Wide Conversion Lens, WL-FXS6, expands the camera’s wide-angle capability without compromising image quality. It allows the extreme angles of view normally only available with changeable lenses on an SLR camera.

Also available is an optional premium leather case. Fujifilm World Travel Adaptor, for charging abroad, and spare Lithium-ion battery, NP-70 make travelling with the FinePix S6500 easy.

The camera comes with shoulder strap, USB and A/V cables, Lens cap and hood and software CDs FinePix Viewer (with RAW File Converter included), ImageMixer VCD2 LE for FinePix and RAW File Converter LE.

Availability & pricing
The FinePix S6500fd will be available from UK retailers in October 2006. Pricing and stockists will be announced nearer to the date of retail launch.