IMAGING ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM FUJIFILM

In keeping with the growing trend of smartphone photography, FUJIFILM has expanded its Instax product line with the new SHARE SP-2 photo printer, which enables you to create high quality, credit card-sized prints from your smartphone. This printer is encased in a sleek silver or gold body, offers crisp image quality, and improved WiFi connectivity over its predecessor, the SHARE SP-1. It delivers a print quality of 800×600 dots and 320 dpi for clean, sharp images. FUJIFILM has launched a free SHARE app for the SP-2 that’s available on the App Store and Google Play. You can share images quickly and easily online or in person with #myinstax.

The SP-2 offers several creative filter and template options. The “Custom” filter allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast and saturation of photos to your liking. A “Collage” template enables you to combine two to four images into one photo, while the “Split” template allows you to put one picture on two prints.

“Instax gives users a unique image that captures a special moment in time,” says Marci Lane, director of marketing at FUJIFILM. “It’s a product that the consumer can use at a party or any social event to capture fun times and instantly share with their friends. Each picture is an original, and there is no other copy like it. And as people take more pictures than ever, Instax prints are an amazing way to capture the moment and share it right away.”

The SP-2 is equipped with a battery that’s rechargeable via a micro USB port, and it supports JPEG and PNG image files. This printer is compatible with Android phones with version 2.3.3 or later and Google Play, and with iPhones installed with iOS version 7.1 or later. The Instax SHARE SP-2 is available for $199.95, and Instax Mini Instant film is sold separately in a double pack with 20 exposures for $19.95.

X-T2 Mirrorless Camera

The X-T2 is the latest in the series of FUJIFILM’s X-model mirrorless interchangeable lens digital cameras. It features color reproduction based on the company’s 80 years of film heritage, according to Yuji Igarashi, general manager, Electronic Imaging Division of FUJIFILM. “The camera is equipped with the latest generation 24.3 MP XTrans CMOS III APS-C sensor with no low-pass filter and a unique color filter array,” he adds. “With the combination of the latest sensor, processor and lenses, the X-T2 produces crisp images comparable to those of cameras equipped with larger sensors and higher pixel counts, all in a more compact and classically designed body.”

Igarashi points out that image quality depends on both the camera and lens. “We have introduced 21 lenses for the Xmount cameras in less than five years.” The X-T2 is splash resistant, with weather proofing at 63 points to ensure resistance to dust and moisture. It’s constructed of magnesium alloy, making it lightweight and durable. The X-T2 has the ability to operate in temperatures as low as 14°, making it a rugged camera for outdoor use.

Igarashi describes improvements in the X-T2’s auto-focusing and video capabilities, such as its auto-focus (AF) system, thanks to its new sensor and high-speed X Processor Pro combination. “The data read speed has doubled compared to previous generation models to achieve AF performance of higher speed and precision,” he says. “The overall single AF points have been increased to 325, and the number of Zone focusing points to 91.” (Expanded from 49 in previous models.) It’s also the first camera in the X-series that supports 4K video, he explains. “The X-T2 supports high video bit rate recording of 100Mbps for both 4K and full HD video, enabling high-resolution footage with minimal compression artifacts.”

Why choose a mirrorless camera over a traditional DSLR? “You are able to get comparable

results, if not better, with a compact, lightweight system,” Igarashi maintains. Because many mirrorless camera systems have phase detection pixels on the sensor itself, auto-focus can be very accurate. “And the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) in mirrorless cameras is so good now, it’s better than an optical viewfinder in many ways.” He says that the higher the megapixels in a camera, the greater the likelihood that mirrorshock (movement from the mirror) can blur an image. However, he points out, this isn’t the case with mirrorless cameras. “Some older lenses cannot resolve higher megapixels, but since the mirrorless system is fairly new, lenses are better designed to work with highermegapixel cameras.”

The FUJIFILM X-T2 camera body alone sells for $1,599.95, and a kit that includes the XF 18-55mm lens is available for $1,899.95.

EF-X500 Flash

This flash is designed for use with FUJIFILM’S X-series digital cameras. “The high-end multi-function EF-X500 is a hotshoe mount flash with a maximum guide number of approximately 50,” Igarashi comments, “and includes support for the FP mode (high-speed flash sync), so that the flash can be fired at any shutter speed.” This feature is very helpful when a fast shutter speed is necessary to use a maximum aperture setting for shallow depth of field, such as with portraiture.

You can zoom the illumination angle for focal lengths of 24mm-105mm, and cover an illumination angle of approximately 20mm when using an included wide panel. The flash head can be tilted up by 90°, down by 10°, to the left by 135°, and to the right by 180° when you want to bounce light.

The EF-X500 also supports multi-flash lighting. “Users can set up multiple flashes to freely control light on a subject and background for creative results,” Igarashi says. Through-the-lens (TTL) lighting control is available with single flash and multiflash setups.

The FUJIFILM EF-X500 Flash is $449.99.

For more information on these and other FUJIFILM products, visit www.fujifilmusa.com/northamerica.