Fuji Unveils New Ultra-Zooms - CES 2014

2014.01.07

Welcome back to everyone waiting for the launch of this year's new arrivals! First off, Fuji just released a number of ultra-zooms, a new color for their flagship premium compact and the brightest X-mount Fujinon lens to date. Lets get right to the novelties:

There is now a black version of the Fuji X100S. It is identical to the X100S reviewed here in every way expect the color. The new model is all black instead of black and silver. This gives it a more inconspicuous look.

The new Fuji Finepix S1 starts a new line of ultra-zooms and the first one to be fully weather-sealed. With 70 seals, the S1 is protected against adverse weather from rain to sand. Its huge 50X optical zoom lens is paired with a 5-axis image-stabilization system and 16 megapixels high-speed CMOS sensor.

The S1 is an advanced ultra-zoom with full manual-controls and full 1080p HD video capture at 60 FPS. It boasts a high-resolution 920K-pixels EVF and rotating 3" LCD. Built-in WiFi adds to the feature set.

The Fuji Finepix S9200 is another ultra-zoom with a slightly slower but equally impressive 50X optical zoom lens. This model is not weather-sealed but lighter than the S1. As a prosumer model, the S9200 still features full manual-controls and a built-in EVF, this time with 200K pixels.

A nearly identical Fuji Finepix S9400W adds WiFi to the specifications. Both these ultra-zooms are powered by ubiquitous AA batteries.

Yet another ultra-zoom added to the lineup, the Fuji Finepix S8600 offers a more compact and even lighter body with a very respectable 36X optical zoom and 16 megapixels high-speed CMOS sensor. This model offers some manual-controls but no EVF. It is oddly powered by 3 AA batteries which gives it lower battery-life than its peers yet this certainly helps keep the weight down.

The final Fuji launch of the day is the eagerly-awaited Fujinon XF56mm F/1.2R which is the brightest X-mount lens to date. Its 56mm focal-length is ideal for portraits when accounting for the 1.5X crop-factor of Fuji mirrorless cameras. The ultra-bright aperture promises smooth bokeh with shallow depth-of-field seen in classic portraits. This one will be available next month for $999 USD.

Along with the new lens, Fuji unveiled a new roadmap for new lenses:

• Fujinon XF16-55mm F/2.8R OIS
• Fujinon XF50-140mm F/2.8R OIS
• Fujinon XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6R OIS
• Undisclosed Fast Wide
• Undisclosed Fast Telephoto


• CES