Fujifilm FinePix M603 - The pulse 2: the best of J@pan Inc's newsletters: gadget watch, wireless watch and music media watch

Japan, Inc., Dec, 2002

It's hard to tell whether the M603 is basically a tiny digital camcorder with still-image capability or the reverse, since this 3.1 megapixel digital camera takes still shots, obviously, but can also record 640x480-dot AVI movies at 30 frames per second. At that speed, the video should be very smooth without any of the horrible, experience-ruining jerkiness of other cameras. The M603 is equipped with a 2x optical zoom (4.4 digital) and is styled to be held upright--the top half of the camera, when held like this, is taken up with the massive built-in 2.5-inch LCD monitor/viewfinder. Thanks to the M603's other special function, still images up to a maximum of 2,832 x 2,128 can be taken and then edited while still in the camera.

There are a few storage options on the new camera; go for the new, small-format "xD-Picture Card," a Compact Flash card or an immediate download via the USB cable (and cradle). The microdrive can store the most video footage, obviously, slipping into the CF slot and giving owners 15 minutes and 9 seconds' worth of 30fps video with its 1GB capacity. It is priced at [yen] 88,000.

More Info: www.fujifilm.co.jp/news_r/nrj979.html