Fujifilm adds to compact camera line

Fujifilm has updated its entry-level digital cameras and brought face-recognition technology to a mid-range model.

In advance of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Japanese company announced the $129 (£66), 6-megapixel Finepix A610 and the $179 (£91), 8-megapixel A800. The models will join the A400, A500 and A700 when they go on sale in the US in March. UK pricing and availability has not yet been released.

In addition, Fujifilm announced its $299 (£152), 8-megapixel Finepix F40fd, which includes face-detection technology designed to recognise as many as ten faces and set exposure and focus appropriately. It's also due in the US in March.

All the new models include a 64mm (2.5-inch) display and a 3x zoom lens. The F40fd, though, has higher light sensitivity, reaching to ISO 2,000 compared to ISO 400 for the A610 and A800.

Fujifilm's earlier compact cameras used xD memory cards to store images, but the A800, A610 and F40fd all have a slot that accommodates SD cards as well, the company said. That means consumers with SD cards -- which are used by digital camera heavyweights Canon and Nikon, among others -- won't have to buy new memory cards if they switch to Fujifilm.

"The xD/SD compatible slot allows us to appeal to current owners of both xD and SD compatible cameras when they are considering an upgrade or replacement," said Fujifilm spokesman Tom Shay.

Those who have already bought xD cards don't need to worry about being left in the lurch, Shay indicated. "Fujifilm will continue to support this format," he said. With the dual slot "it's the user's choice".

Fujifilm also announced the $900 (£458) IS-1, which can register infrared as well as visible light. It's designed for use in scientific research and for law enforcement seeking to gather evidence, when seeing beyond the visible spectrum of light is useful. It's less expensive than the company's single-lens reflex (SLR) model, the FinePix S3 Pro UVIR, which can also take photographs in ultraviolet light.

The 9-megapixel camera comes with a built-in 28-300 mm lens and is scheduled to be available in the US in February. It's based on the FinePix S9100 camera, but uses different internal components, the company said.

Taking photos with ultraviolet or infrared light is complicated by the fact that the light behaves differently from visible light, complicating optical issues such as focusing. The IS-1, though, "can capture a visible-light image very close in quality to that of a standard digital camera," Fujifilm said.