Fujifilm Develops “FUJIFILM SX800” Long Range Surveillance Camera

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has developed the “FUJIFILM SX800”, a new long range surveillance camera equipped with high-performance, built-in FUJINON lens that covers a focal length of 20mm-800mm. Fujifilm plans to launch the SX800 in the first half of 2019. The camera, developed by harnessing Fujifilm's optical and advanced image processing technology, marks the company's first entry into the surveillance camera market.
The SX800 includes top-performance^* image stabilization technology, capable of compensating for a correction angle^** of up to ±0.22 degrees. The camera also includes high-quality heat haze / fog reduction technology and high-speed autofocus, allowing for instant clear images of subjects even several kilometers away. By offering SX 800, Fujifilm will work to expand the shooting range and improve the image quality of surveillance cameras, thus contributing to the realization of higher levels of security.

In recent years, there is a increasing recognition of security for the safe and secure future and it is becoming increasingly common to install long range lens equipped surveillance cameras for distant subjects at not only, for example international borders and forest areas but also at large-scale public infrastructure facilities such as airports, harbor ports and highways. However, existing long range surveillance cameras often have various issues including the impact on image quality of vibrations caused by wind when installed in high places, poor visibility due to heat haze and fog, and delays when adjusting the focus to distant subjects. In order to resolve these issues, Fujifilm decided to develop an integrated surveillance camera with built-in zoon lens, rather than developing a camera and a lens independently. Therefore, Fujifilm embarked on the development of a series of surveillance cameras equipped with a built-in long range lens. Fujifilm utilizes its optical technology developed over long years of experience with a wide variety of lens products including 4K/8K broadcast lenses, cinema lenses, and surveillance camera lenses while also harnessing the advanced image processing technology Fujifilm acquired through the development of various products including X Series digital cameras. The first surveillance camera will be the SX800, which is equipped with a built-in high-performance FUJINON lens with the focal distance that ranges from 20mm through to 800mm.

Main Features of the SX800

• The camera is equipped with a high-performance long range FUJINON lens capable of covering focal length from 20mm to 800mm. The SX800 also includes top-performance* image stabilization technology, capable of compensating for a correction angle^** of up to ±0.22 degrees. Additionally, the camera includes high-quality heat haze / fog reduction technology, realizing the clear image of subjects several kilometers away. The camera is ideally suited for security and monitoring at national borders and in forests as well as in airports, harbor ports, highways and other large-scale public infrastructure facilities.
• The camera employs a rear focus mechanism which achieves the high-speed adjustment of the smaller-diameter lenses in the rear group of the zoom lens. In combination with the phase detection AF, the camera can achieve high-speed autofocus in a minimum time of around one second, instantly adjusting to the image subject.
• As the long range lens and camera are completely integrated, there is no need for the camera user to make adjustments to settings such as the optical axis and flange focal length, greatly reducing the work required when installing a new camera.

^{*“Top-performance” refers to surveillance cameras with a built-in long range lens, where the lens has a focal length longer than 350 mm. As of October 22, 2018. Data surveyed by Fujifilm.
**This is the maximum angle of “camera shake” that the camera can compensate for.}

Fujifilm will exhibit the SX800 at the Security China 2018 Exhibition, which is scheduled to take place in Beijing, China from October 23 through October 26.

Fujifilm is engaged in the research, development, manufacture and sale of not only various FUJINON brand lenses including lenses for broadcast cameras, cinema cameras and interchangeable lenses for mirrorless digital cameras but also various industrial optical devices including devices for office equipment and projectors. In addition, Fujifilm is making use of its advanced optical and mechanical engineering technology accumulated by the company through long years of development experience across a wide range of products in order to expand the range of its fields of business. Most recently, Fujifilm has announced the development of the world's first projector with “two-axial rotatable lens”^***. In future, Fujifilm is committed to further expanding the range of its various businesses through the continual development of innovative products capable of meeting the diverse needs of different markets.

^{***This projector is capable of projecting images in various different directions by changing the orientation of the lens to face upward, downward, forward, backward, left or right. This innovative mechanism does not require the movement of the main body of the projector. The projector is scheduled to be released in 2019.}

1. Product name

FUJIFILM SX800 Long Range Surveillance Camera

2. Main characteristics

• (1) High-performance FUJINON lens capable of covering focal lengths of between 20mm and 800mmThe camera includes a built-in long range lens with focal length coverage ranging from 20mm to 800mm, allowing for extremely high zoom ratios. The camera is therefore ideally suited for security and monitoring applications at national borders and in forests as well as in airports, harbor ports, highways and other large-scale public infrastructure facilities.
• (2) World-Leading Image Stabilization in a Surveillance Camera with Built-In Long Range Lens
  The camera includes a newly-developed optical image stabilization system developed by Fujifilm through a project backed by the full use of the optical and mechanical engineering technology Fujifilm acquired through long years of involvement in the development of products including lenses for broadcasting and interchangeable lenses for digital cameras. As this new product can compensate for correction angle of ±0.22 degrees at any focal distance from 20mm to 800mm while also achieving world-leading image stabilization performance, it is also suitable for use in high positions easily influenced by strong winds and in other locations where significant vibrations are likely such as beside highways or in airports.
  This functionality enables the camera to provide consistent, stable images even when used at long range settings, where the influence of any vibrations is magnified.
• (3) Providing Clear Images through High-quality Heat Haze / Fog Reduction
  The camera's advanced image compensation algorithm combines with an image-processing engine designed for high-speed computation to achieve high precision detection of heat haze and fog that activates real-time image compensation to improve image clarity. With previous technology, detecting heat haze as an entity distinct from other moving objects in the image proved extremely difficult, and as a result heat haze reduction required processing through a separate external device. However, the SX 800 is able to reduce heat haze without external equipment.
  The camera's high-performance image sensor^*4 and state-of-the-art image processing capability combine to guarantee clear images with less noise even when the camera is used in the dark at the high sensitivity setting.
  ^{*4 Effective image size of 1/1.8. The effective image size refers to the area of the image sensor used to record visual images.}
• (4) High-Speed Autofocus through Rear Focus Mechanism
  The camera employs a rear focus mechanism to drive high-speed adjustment of the rear group of small-diameter lenses. Used in combination with the phase detection AF, this technology allows for high-speed autofocus at speeds of down to around one second. As front focus mechanisms involving the movement of the front group of large-diameter lenses required between several seconds to 10 seconds to adjust the autofocus, the rear focus mechanism greatly reduces the time required for autofocus adjustment, clearly capturing the image subject extremely quickly.
  This rapid reaction speed also makes it possible for the camera to engage in continuous AF, providing focused images of subjects in real time. By switching automatically between the phase detection AF and contrast AF depending on the scenes, users can benefit from high-precision, high-speed autofocus in various different operating environments.
• (5) Significant Simplification of Installation Procedures
  The development of an integrated lens and camera makes it possible to design and assemble a product that maximizes the respective qualities of each element, removing the need for the previously required optical axis adjustments and flange focal length adjustments, and greatly reducing the work required at the time of installation.