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There was only 1 mirror-less camera, the X-Pro 1, that awed the crowds at CES this year, so we're glad to see it scheduled for release so soon. Fujifilm confirmed the interchangeable-lens camera for the Japanese market at the end of January, and the company didn't hold back release details this time. The camera should launch on the 18th of Feb, so it should find its way to other markets shortly enough.

The launch will start in Japan, and we imagine it might find its way to other Asian markets before it hits Europe and America. That's just speculating. But this Fujifilm mirror-less camera is designed and built wholly in Asia, so it’s less complicated for the company to get it to those markets first. There's no reason why they’d hold out on their lonesome folk, but anything can occur. Don’t quote us on that.

We had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with a retail-ready X-Pro 1 at CES in January, and we were surprised at how big it is. It is not clearly heavy, and it’s significantly smaller than your typical DSLR. But it's bigger than it's in photos. Of course, it feels like a solid, high-quality piece of machinery, precisely what you would expect from a Fujifilm product that is built for professionals. We will not talk about the picture quality since we did not test it extensively, but it is supposed to be stellar.

We also loved the classic design style. That seems to be a popular trend with camera manufacturers this year, and we like where Fujifilm is taking it. It is not so retro that it essentially looks old; it keeps just enough modern influence.

Now, we haven’t forgotten that it’s our main job to find you access to the new devices that you crave. Whether its an imported Japanese model or the real-deal US variant, we’ll find the stores that sell it first, so you can be first to have it. Stay tuned as we find out more about the new Fujifilm Mirror-Less Camera.

Fausto Mendez is the editor of ReleaseDates.co, a website and subscription service that investigates the release details of products like the X-Pro1 Fujifilm mirror-less camera by Fujifilm.

When I visited Fujifilm’s booth at CES in Las Vegas at the end of Tues., I asked some of the Fujifilm reps about the future of the company’s mirror-less, interchangeable-lense family of cameras. Now, the company only has one mirror-less camera on its team, and it’s called the X-Pro 1. It debuted at CES during Press Day on Monday before the show opened on Tuesday.

Without confirming that his company would enhance its mirror-less options, one Fujifilm rep said that the X-Pro 1 would remain the organization's flagship mirror-less if the company were to expand its mirror-less line. In such a scenario, the company would try and compete at the prosumer and consumer price levels with these new cameras, letting the X-Pro 1 pull in the professional set.

Consequently, it could be a year or two (or three) before Fuji company improves on its top-of-the-line mirror-less camera, so don’t expect a successor to the X-Pro 1 any time soon. We suspect the X-Pro 1 will lead the way for at least two years, but that’s just speculation; don’t quote us on that.

Fujifilm’s X-Pro 1 is supposed to launch in February according to the representatives at CES. We were rather impressed by the units we were allowed to handle, and it’s larger than it looks. Still, it’s significantly smaller than your typical DSLR, and it’s definitely worth your analysis if you are in the market for a professional’s mirror-less shooter.

This bad boy will set you back less than $2,000.00 depending on currency conversion rates, and that’s not bad considering a DSLR can cost 10x that. It’s also more compact than your typical DSLR, though it’s larger in person than it is in pictures. Actually, this is probably one of the few cases where the product itself looks much better in person than it does in official, touched-up photos.

Fausto Mendez is the editor of ReleaseDates.co, where he investigates the release details, specs and features of unreleased cameras and other devices like the X-Pro 1.

The world has had its share of 5 Megapixel (MP), 6MP, and even 10MP cameras; but it now has to give way to the new 12 MP compact monsters such as the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd. Fujifilms point and shoot range of cameras has been largely criticized for being marketed as one of the most reliable cameras because of the Super CCD sensors that they are built with. But have they really got it right this time?

The MPs Are Secondary

If Fujifilm is known for anything, its for the quality build of their point and shoot cameras as well as their reputation for defending the products that they put out in the market. Their point is that the megapixel count of their cameras is actually secondary to the materials used in their products such as the lens quality, size and even the arrangement of cells on the sensor. This is something that they have stood by for a long time and with the FinePix F50fd, its no different. In fact, with the legendary success of the previous point and shoot models, the F30 and F31fd, the new model has a lot to prove especially if the market is to expect even more than they are already satisfied with. Although these cameras are costly and very simple in terms of features, they actually did perform quite well and FinePix models actually produce some of the best images the world has seen in portable digital cameras. Fujifilm has proved time and again that its small sensor cameras are ahead of the competition.

New Rules

Seeing that Fujifilm was not entirely keen on racing the competition on how many MPs one could pack in a digital camera, it is quite a surprise to see that they have packed the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd with a whopping 12 MPs for the world to enjoy. Joining the mainstream might not be that bad after all, and the company still has enough to hold on its own because these 12MP are squeezed into a 1.6 inch SuperCCD sensor whole sporting the same Real Photo Processor many enjoyed in the previous model.

Features Galore

Also found in the new point and shoot camera is more features than ever before. These include Face Detection 2.0 technology built into the processor, Dual Image Stabilization, a 2.7 inch TFT screen, ISO 1600 sensitivity at full resolution, IR Communication, VGA movie capture, 5 frames per second continuous mode, and aperture / shutter priority modes just to name a few. Its actually fair to say that this is a model that stands out on its on as an entirely new camera even if its in the same series of the F30 and F31.

Perhaps its the 12 MP sensor and the image stabilization that makes it unique to the previous models but there are also some obvious changes like the larger screen, a richer silver body color, as well as the more curvy design that has actually made the camera seem slimmer. Whatever the changes are, Fujifilm has done well to introduce the 12MP Fujifilm FinePix F50fd to a market that seeks even more out of their already excellent cameras.