Fujifilm UK Press Release

Award win sees Fujifilm in TIPA top condition

FinePix S3 Pro and PASS Group commended by Technical Image Press Association

The Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro and PASS Group (of which Fujifilm is a member) have been awarded ‘Camera of the Year’ and ‘Best Technology in Europe’ accolades at the 2005 TIPA European Photo & Imaging Awards.

In the highly competitive Mid-Range Digital SLR category, Fujifilm’s FinePix S3 Pro secured the sought-after ‘Camera of the Year’ award.  The TIPA jury stated, “This third entry from Fujifilm in the domain of the digital SLR is certainly the best yet. The FinePix S3 Pro offers a new Super CCD SR II sensor, with a total of 12.34 million pixels. This is made up of 6.17 million ‘S’ pixels and 6.17 million ‘R’ pixels, which combine uniquely to produce images with an extended dynamic range offering outstanding highlight detail. Being half the weight of high-end professional digital SLRs, the FinePix S3 Pro is a very competitive option for studio, location or still-life shooting.”

Among the S3 Pro’s list of attributes is its Super CCD SR II sensor and new image processing technology, enabling the camera to produce images with an extended dynamic range. The result is outstanding detail often lost by digital cameras in high contrast scenes. The camera also incorporates expandable shooting options thanks to its compatibility with Nikon-fit lenses and accessories.

Adrian Clarke, Director of Photo Products, Fujifilm, added, “The S3 Pro is designed with the photographers’ needs in mind. It doesn’t compromise on camera build by adding superfluous pixels, but instead concentrates on technology to deliver true picture quality.  It’s good news, not just for Fujifilm but for the industry as a whole, that TIPA has recognised development efforts in digital SLRs where it matters most - the sensor and image processing.”

TIPA also identified the significance of the Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS) Group’s set of open standards, awarding it the accolade of Best Technology in Europe 2005.

The PASS Group, formed by Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., Eastman Kodak Company and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc., was announced in September 2004 and is in the process of developing open standards for the consumer imaging and electronics industries - aiming at the storage and preservation of digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs and other media. 

The PASS Group announced the completion of its version 1.0 specification at PMA in February 2005, and has since released a white paper to further explain the merits of the standards (downloadable from the member companies’ web sites).  PASS is also calling for the manufacture of all future products to be compatible with PASS standards.

The TIPA jury stated, “The fast changing standards of digital photography are responsible for the rapid improvement of image quality, but at the same time have put digital pictures at risk. Future supports and platforms may not talk with current CD, DVDs and other media, as a result billions of images could be lost forever. Last year, three photo companies - Fuji Photo Film, Konica Minolta and Eastman Kodak - announced an agreement to jointly develop a set of open storage standards aimed at the preservation of digital pictures and videos. The intention was to enable digital file compatibility with future playback devices. As pictures are so vitally important for historical, cultural and personal reasons, the TIPA jury considered that PASS deserved a special recognition.”

About TIPA
The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) is an independent non-profit organisation that holds awards every year, recognising the very best photo and imaging products in Europe.  TIPA comprises 31 different specialist camera publications from 12 countries.