Fujifilm Explains the Noise Reduction System in the FinePix V10 and FinePix F30 Digital Cameras

System Found in Fujifilm's FinePix V10 and FinePix F30 Digital Cameras Reduces Noise For Improved Picture Quality

Fujifilm Press Release Summary:
Valhalla, NY, May 2, 2006 - Not happy with the quality of your digital pictures? It just might be too "noisy" in your digital camera. Fortunately, there is a new system from Fujifilm that reduces image noise, letting point-and-shoot camera users capture moments as their eyes see them, leading to more natural, life-like images under a wider variety of shooting conditions, even low light. The system is Real Photo Technology and it is found in Fujifilm's FinePix V10, now available, and the FinePix F30, shipping to retailers this month.

Everybody knows that "noise" is an unpleasant or unwanted sound, but "noise" also is a pattern of flecks, blotches, or color spots that mar the quality of digital pictures. Image noise can be compared to the electronic static that gives a television picture a snowy appearance. Photos riddled with noise look unnatural and lack sharpness and fine detail.

Real Photo Technology attacks image noise at its source, minimizing it before it can affect picture quality. This reduction in noise gives photos of kids frolicking on a bright summer day an extra crispness, but the system's biggest benefit is scene-mood preservation and the natural feel it lends to low-light photos.

Take, for example, a common picture scene: the birthday party. No one wants to leave the lights on for the "Happy Birthday" song but keeping the lights off requires the use of flash, which certainly ruins the mood of the candle-blowing ceremony. In order to preserve the impact of an image of a darkened room illuminated solely by candlelight, picture takers should disengage their camera's flash. But doing so introduces another problem: without the extra light provided by the flash, low-light photos fall victim to blur.

Herein lies the magic of Fujifilm's Real Photo Technology. With noise reduced at the source, Real Photo Technology cameras -- like the FinePix V10 and FinePix F30 - take pictures at very high light sensitivities (commonly referred to as ISO settings). These high sensitivities greatly reduce the need for a flash and without it, skin tones look natural and background detail pops.

Moreover, Fujifilm matches high light sensitivities (the FinePix F30 can shoot at ISO equivalencies as high as 3200, far and away the highest full-resolution sensitivity setting for a compact digital camera) with faster shutter speeds for less blur in photos. Marrying high light sensitivities with faster shutter speeds is a tried-and-true technique used by advanced photographers to reduce blur that works not only in camera shake situations, but also when the photo subject is in motion - an additional anti-blur benefit of Real Photo Technology.

Consumers who can't tell the difference between ISO and a UFO can still realize the benefits of Fujifilm's Real Photo Technology. The cameras do all of the work for the user, automatically. The FinePix F30 even has a handy "Picture Stabilization" dial position for the best anti-blur benefits.

Digital noise adversely affects the quality of many digital pictures and the bottom line is that no noise is good noise. Fujifilm identified this problem and has been working diligently to solve it. The result of the effort is Real Photo Technology and digital pictures are better because of it.

About Fujifilm
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked number 15 for U.S. patents granted during 2004, employs more than 75,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2005, had global revenues of more than $23.6 billion.

In the United States, Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Film and Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen.

For more information on Fujifilm products, consumers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the Fujifilm USA Web site at www.fujifilmusa.com.