I’m not a fan of these ‘bridge’ cameras, but there’s a reason why camera companies keep updating or putting out new ones. They’re ‘widlly popular’ as Fuji says of its FinePix S1000. The S1500 is a 10-megapixel shooter with a 12x optical zoom, dual image stabilization and SR Auto (auto scene recog). It will make its debut next month for $250.
• Full Manual Photographic Control: Photo enthusiasts and advanced photographers have total control with manual adjustment options for various camera settings including resolution, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and more.
• Face Detection with Automatic Red Eye Removal: Face Detection operates by identifying and prioritizing faces in a framed scene, and then adjusting the focus and exposure accordingly to ensure the sharpness and clarity of human subjects in the picture, regardless of background. After a shot is captured, each detected face is instantly checked for red eye. If it is found, it is corrected automatically, saving the time-consuming process of fixing it later.
• Instant Zoom: Instant Zoom makes it easy to frame and compose shots with moving subjects at high zoom settings. A selectable frame on the LCD screen lets you bracket and track the subject in standard wide view. When the shutter is released, Instant Zoom boosts the zoom ratio and captures only the enlarged area as a full-sized image, keeping the subject in the frame.
• Continuous High Speed Shooting mode: This mode allows moving subjects to be captured by shooting high-speed shots of up to 15 frames at 7.5 fps at 2MP and six frames at 3.3 fps at 5MP.
• Panoramic Shooting mode: Users can capture, combine and save a maximum of three consecutive shots at 3MP resolution each as a panoramic picture.
• Movie Recording: VGA quality at 30 frames per second with sound.
• 14 Pre-programmed Scene Modes: The FinePix S1500 features 14 pre-programmed scene modes that offer a one-touch setting for almost any situation.
• SD / SD-HC Compatible slot: A single media slot that accepts SD/SD-HC media cards.
• Operates on 4xAA Batteries: The ultimate in convenience and accessibility, using AA batteries means in a pinch, more batteries are just moments away. Four x AA alkaline battery power delivers 300 shots and up to 700 shots using lithium AA battery.
