The Fujifilm FinePix F30 was announced at the Photo Marketing Association Trade Show, nearly a year after the F10 that it replaces. The F10 had many great features including a 6.3 megapixel Super CCD that produced little noise even with the camera’s ISO 1600 setting. The new F30 has the same 6.3 megapixels of resolution, but has it on a sixth generation 1/1.7-inch Super CCD and pairs it with a second generation RP Processor. Fujifilm claims that with these new components, the F30 has 25 percent less noise than the F10. This is yet to be evaluated because true noise testing isn’t possible on a trade show floor.
The Fujifilm FinePix F30 has an even higher ISO 3200 rating, which makes capturing low light images without flash feasible. Also notable, the F30 is the first consumer point-and-shoot digital camera to have such a high ISO rating. The F30 improved on the F10’s 2.5-inch LCD screen by including twice the resolution on the same size monitor. This is only one of a few outward design changes between the two cameras. The Fujifilm FinePix F30 will retail for $399 in May.
