Digital Camera with Face Detection

Fujifilmtoday announces the launch of the FinePix S6500fd digital camera,debuting industry-first hardware based Face Detection technology toenable the camera to recognise faces and optimise settings to get thebest photograph in just 0.04 seconds. With Fujifilm's acclaimed sixthgeneration, six megapixel Super CCD sensor and Real Photo TechnologyII, class-leading ISO 100-3200 sensitivity and Fujinon 10.7x (28-300mmequivalent) optical zoom lens, the FinePix S6500fd combines thephotographic possibilities of a digital SLR with the ease of use of acompact.

Photographs of friends and family are among the most popular inday-to-day photography. Yet these are the shots that are hardest to getright because the best photographs are not the posed ones, but thosethat are unexpected. Previously, face detection concepts have been aslow, software based process, relegating them to a novelty featurerather than a powerful picture-taking tool. The potential delay in "seeing" a face and optimising settings is not conducive to good peoplephotography. Crucially, Fujifilm has built its Face Detectiontechnology into the FinePix S6500fd's processor, enabling it toidentify faces and take a photo within 0.04 seconds.

TheFinePix S6500fd's Face Detection uses an algorithm, which recogniseseyes and a mouth to lock on to faces in the frame. Coping with up toten faces in a frame, it optimises settings such as focus and exposurelevel before taking the photo. Face Detection can identify a faceirrespective of its position in the frame or the composition of theshot, and is not confused by spectacles. Furthermore, movement trackingensures the camera stays locked on the subject until they move out ofthe frame. All this, combined with split-second accuracy, results inpicture-perfect people shots with no need for user intervention.

Source: dpreview.comAdded: 13 July 2006