Fujix DS-220 (1995)
Here is a leading-edge camera from the mid-1990s conceived to address the demands of professional and technical photographers. It has a modular in design, comprising the 0.33 megapixel binocular-style camera to which can be attached the LCD monitor/viewfinder and a macro flash adaptor with twin strobes and extra macro lenses.
You can see the whole, bulky fandango in these photos. The camera component alone weighs half a kilogram – my kitchen scales tell me the complete system as shown here is 1.05 kg. The total cost was also hefty - about US$2,200.
Incidentally, the DS-220 claimed to be the world’s first digital still camera that used lithium-ion batteries.
Fujifilm DS-8 Clip-It (1996)
The prolific Fujifilm company brought out its first digital cameras in 1996 and by year's end, it had two models on the market – the DS-7 and this DS-8 Clip-It. Don't imagine that the fancy term "Clip-It" represents anything remarkable. It's really a curiosity, but a curiosity now prized by collectors. You see, the camera was all but the same as the DS-7 but with a clip-on optical viewfinder (which can be seen in the photos below). Apparently, it was only marketed in Japan. So, the DS-8 was special!
The camera had a 0.35 megapixel CCD sensor, external storage comprising a SmartMedia card and a 1.8" LCD screen. It sold for about US$700.
Fujix DS-300 (1997)
The DS-300 released in 1997 is a large, industrial camera with a 1.3 megapixel sensor and a professional range of image-making features. Nevertheless, it didn't have an LCD screen, only an optical viewfinder.
Fuji made this one to last. The body is manufactured of high-quality magnesium alloy while the lens barrel is made of aluminium, giving an all-up weight is 620 grams. My camera shown here is accompanied by a rare dust cover (designated CV-D3).
The DS-300 is a high-specification camera for commercial and industrial use, built expenively and sold for a considerable US$2,500 list price.
Fujifilm FinePix 4700 Zoom (2000)
Perhaps the nicest in the line of FinePix cameras with vertical configuration, this 2.4 megapixel model is small and beautiful.
It has a little pop-up flash head, a metal lens cover that clacks open when engaging the shooting mode, plus a circular LCD display that is the cutest thing.
It is a serious camera, however. Fuji used a "SuperCCD" sensor that it claimed produces the equivalent of 4.3 megapixel resolution images.
Fujifilm FinePix 1400 Zoom (2000)
The F1400Z is a pretty camera from the start of the "USB era" (2000). It's a compact, elegant 1.3 megapixel pocket camera with desirable consumer features - a 3x zoom lens, assortment of exposure controls, advanced playback features and excellent image quality. For an inexpensive camera, it is well made.
That being said, the Olympus C-900, which you can read about on this site, had these features (but not USB) two years earlier.
