Since Photokina 2010 is going to officially open its gates on Tuesday, we're likely to see plenty of new product announcements over the next couple of days, but some companies have decided to opt for an early start, with Fujifilm being one of them, as they've just announced the launch of the new FinePix X100, a high-grade digital compact camera featuring an APS-C CMOS sensor, a Fujinon 23mm fixed focal length lens and a newly developed Hybrid Viewfinder.

Before moving on to what the new FinePix X100 has on the inside, it's interesting to mention that Fujifilm opted for a very classic-looking design on the outside, with the camera controls upper control deck/bottom surface being cast from magnesium alloy (semi-solid metal casting), while all dials on the upper control deck are fabricated from metal.

Beside being quite attractive on the outside, the new FinePix is also quite technologically-advanced, featuring a custom CMOS high-performance sensor, internally optimized and developed exclusively for this model.

The high-speed CMOS sensor read-out and the EXR Processor's enhanced focusing system contributes to the high-speed AF performance, while the combination of the optical viewfinder and extremely low shutter time lag enhance the pleasure of every shot.

Another very important feature provided by the camera from Fuji is represented by the newly-developed lens that offers a focal length of 23mm (135 equivalent: 35mm) and a widest aperture of F2.

Made from moulded glass, the lens contains 8 elements in 6 groups and features not only the large F2 aperture value, but also an optical architecture that maintains a high degree of resolution even when closed by 1 to 2 stops.

Furthermore, Fuji points out that their newly-developed viewdfinder will also prove to be extremely helpful for photographers.

So, the Hybrid Viewfinder on the FinePix X100 combines the window-type "bright frame" optical viewfinder found in high-end film cameras such as 35mm or medium-format cameras, and the electronic viewfinder system incorporated in fixed single lens or mirrorless digital cameras.

By integrating a prism for the 1,440,000 dot LCD panel image on the viewing screen in the reverse-Galilean optical finder, the Hybrid Viewfinder can show both the shooting frame and a variety of shooting data.

It can also be used as a high-quality electronic viewfinder to compose or playback shots, with the ability to instantly switch between optical and electronic viewfinder images with simple "one touch" control.

Other features worth mentioning include the 2.8-inch rear LCD, a hot shoe on the top side, as well as a pretty OK ISO range, of 200 to 6400.

Plus, the camera supports 5fps continuous shooting and can store content on SD / SDHC / SDXC cards.

No idea on the pricing just yet, but it seems that we won't have to worry about that until early 2011, when the Fujifilm FinePix X100 will make it into stores.


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