Fuji Unveils Mini-Digicam

A credit-card-size, 1.3-megapixel camera offering print-quality images is being released in Japan this month by Fuji Axia, a division of Fuji Photo Film.

Fuji's Eyeplate Mega, measuring 8 millimeters in thickness, is based on the Ultra-Pocket reference camera design developed by Smal Camera Technologies. It is priced at $109 and is expected to become commercially available later in the U.S. and Europe, says Romney Williams, executive director of business development with Smal.

The company expects cameras based on the Ultra-Pocket reference design will become available in the U.S. through Fuji and other distributors later this year, he adds.

Camera Highlights

The Eyeplate Mega is based on the second update of the Ultra-Pocket design, which can produce images of 1280 by 1024 pixels, Williams says. Fuji has licensed the Ultra-Pocket camera components and specifications from Smal and will assemble and distribute the camera under the Eyeplate Mega brand.

Running on a lithium-polymer rechargeable battery, the camera can take as many as 1000 photographs on a single battery charge, says Aimee Yoon, a Smal spokesperson. The camera recharges automatically when connected to a computer via a USB port.

The USB connector also allows users to download images from the camera to the computer, Yoon says. The camera is compatible with the Windows and Mac OS X platforms.

The camera's internal 16MB of memory can hold 21 high-resolution pictures and 88 low-resolution pictures. The camera will ship with an SD memory card slot that allows users to add memory.

A compact plug-in strobe flash will ship at no extra cost with the camera, Williams says. The flash is powered by its own AAA battery, so it doesn't infringe on the camera's battery capacity.

"Fuji Film wanted to develop the smallest camera possible," so Smal developed the flash as an accessory that plugs in easily, Williams adds. The introduction of a strobe flash overcomes a problem with the earlier version of the camera, which had difficulty taking photographs in dimly lit settings.

The digital camera also incorporates improved Autobrite technology from Smal, which helps the camera better adjust to backlighting and glare, Williams says. Autobrite technology uses sensors and a chip set to perform its adjustments, according to Smal.

The first version of the camera, which measured 6mm in thickness, is included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's thinnest digital camera. It was capable of producing 1-megapixel images, he notes.

Target Buyers

Instead of trying to compete with companies offering high-resolution, feature-rich cameras, Smal is trying to enter market segments that other digital camera makers cannot, particularly in terms of size and weight, according to Williams.

"We're not in the megapixel race." he says. "We are in the race to produce the smallest and most stylish lifestyle products. We're continually pushing the envelope on the thin form factor. That's where we see our strengths."

The camera is aimed at three segments, he says. The first target segment is first-time digital camera buyers, who are looking for an entry-level camera as opposed to an expensive camera. The second is the segment of existing owners of high-resolution, bulkier digital cameras.

"They're carrying those cameras only for photo opportunities, whereas they miss out on spontaneous events, so this is a companion camera," he says.

The third target is gift-givers, as "the thin form factor amazes people," and makes for a good present, Williams says. U.S. consumers bought 9.4 million digital still cameras in 2002, according to a research report by the Photo Marketing Association. Of that figure, 25 percent were given as gifts.