Fujifilm wins the internationally prestigious Red Dot Design Award with 10 products
In recognition of the products’ designs that make maximum use of their excellent functions and performance including the hybrid instant camera “instax SQUARE SQ10”
April 9, 2018
FUJIFILM Corporation (President Kenji Sukeno) is proud to announce that ten of its major products, including hybrid instant camera “instax SQUARE SQ10”, infectious disease testing system and broadcast lenses, have won the “Red Dot Design Award: Product Design 2018,” a product design award program organized by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen based in Essen, Germany.
The Red Dot Design Award is a prestigious international design award launched in 1955. The award is extended to products with excellence in design innovation, functionality, ergonomics, ecological compatibility and durability. It is one of the world’s three most prestigious design awards, alongside Germany’s “iF design award” and the United States’ “IDEA”. This year, there were over 6,300 entries from 59 countries and regions judged by internationally-renowned design experts.
In developing all of its products and services, Fujifilm not only pursues functionality and performance of its products, but also engages in design development that leverages its superior functionality. In addition to creating beautiful external designs, Fujifilm is working to create new product value by developing designs that realize simple and comfortable operability and portability.
The award has been given to a diverse range of Fujifilm’s products from medical products including endoscopes to consumer products such as instax, in recognition of their advanced performance, usability and easy-to-use interface in addition to their exterior design.
It is such an honor to announce that so many of Fujifilm’s products were chosen for the reddot Award out of many applicants from countries and regions around the world. Fujifilm will continue to develop superior products in the future.
■ Hybrid instant camera “instax SQUARE SQ10”
The first instax camera equipped with a digital image sensor and image processing technology. Developed based on the concept of “easily and creatively enjoying instant photos,” instax SQUARE SQ10 lets you create and enjoy prints at any locations where you take your photos. Not only does the camera enable photography in night scenes and close-ups through enhanced image quality and shooting performance, it is equipped with an abundance of image editing and processing functions. With this editing/processing function, you can enjoy original photo expression via simple operations. The camera realizes simple and intuitive operation by gathering operating buttons and dials for editing, processing, and printing in one location on the back of the camera and linking operating status with an LCD monitor. in a design featuring a large lens that is the symbol of instax. To maximize the appeal of this camera, the company has adopted a new square format popular among many including people familiar with SNS like Instagram* and photo enthusiasts.
*Instagram is a trademark or registered trademark of Instagram, Inc.
■ Instant camera “instax mini 9” (Overseas-only model)
This product is sold outside of Japan as a new addition to the instax series of instant cameras that allows you to enjoy card-sized prints. In Japan, this camera is sold as the “instax mini 8 plus.” The camera is equipped with an easy-view viewfinder and a high key mode that lets you take pictures in bright and soft atmospheres. It also has a small mirror next to the lens which makes you to take selfies easily. The camera comes in 5 color variations including a bright pink and a chic blue. This camera is designed to let you enjoy instant photographs.
■ Cine lenses “ FUJINON MKX18-55mm T2.9” and “FUJINON MKX50-135mm T2.9” for the X Series of digital cameras
These products are high-performance cine lenses for the X Mount, used in the X Series of digital cameras. Despite the lightweight body about 1kg, the lenses achieve an advanced level of image description synonymous to the FUJINON cine lenses, used in movie production and other professional applications. They can be used in combination with X Series’ “Film Simulation” modes to deliver versatile color expressions, adding artistic elegance to video footage. The lenses feature three rings to enable manual and independent adjustment of focus, zoom and iris (aperture), all with the identical gear pitch** of 0.8M (module). The focus rings can rotate up to 200 degrees to facilitate precise focusing, adding extra comfort in lens operability. While using resin materials for the exterior to enable the compact and lightweight form factor, the lenses are designed in pursuit for premium texture, suitable for professional tools, so that users can feel joy in owning the equipment.
**Distance between gear teeth
■ Image-stabilizing binoculars “FUJINON TECHNO STABI TS12ｘ28” (available only in the United States)
This product packs a powerful image-stabilization range of ±3° in the compact body about 148mm long and weighing about 422g. Users can get a stable view in a wide variety of conditions, making it a perfect choice for nature watching such as wild birds and plants, sports and concerts. The oval-shaped body features a protrusion at the center to make it easy and comfortable to hold. It is easy to operate with one hand. The focus ring is placed at the center of the body, and its symmetrical and universal design facilitate easy and comfortable operation regardless of the size of your hand, and whether you are right-handed or left-handed. The main body is given a leather-like coarse embossed texture. The metal rings at the front body combine alumite treatment for premium black look with diamond-cut edges that give a luxurious shimmer. The classical exterior design is reminiscent of traditional optical apparatus, making it a joy to own.
■ 4K camera compatible zoom broadcast lens “FUJINON UA27 x 6.5”
A 4K camera compatible zoom broadcast lens that achieves 27x zoom with a focal length of 6.5 mm to 180 mm. This lens is ideal for shooting studio productions such as news, variety shows, and music programs. It also supports concerts and live broadcasts that capture entire venues by making use of its wide-angle focal length. There is also an extender*** built into the lens body that extends the focal length two-fold to thus cover a focal length of up to 360 mm while maintaining high-definition image quality even when the extender is being used.
Furthermore, the matte-black exterior will help it not to stand out even when reflected on other cameras during shooting in studios with a variety of photographic equipment. The lens operates the same as a conventional zoom lens so it can be used to shoot images the same way.
***A lens that extends focal length.
■ 4K camera compatible portable broadcast zoom lens “FUJINON UA14 x 4.5”
A 4K camera compatible portable broadcast zoom lens that achieves a focal length covering ultra-wide angle 4.5 mm to 63 mm and a minimum shooting distance of only 0.3 m in small body just 238.5 mm in total length. The design of this lens increases grip performance while delivering traditional smooth operability. This lens demonstrates its power when combined with small lightweight 4K camcorders and can shoot 4K images with an overwhelming sense of depth for sports broadcasting and various program production locations. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the optical technology the company has gained over many years in the field of state-of-the-art imaging, this lens suppresses, to the utmost degree, the image periphery distortion and resolution loss that readily occurs with wide angle photography.
■ Cine lenses “FUJINON MK18-55mm T2.9” and “FUJINON MK50-135mm T2.9”
While delivering advanced edge-to-edge optical performance, these products break the previous norms in cine lenses with their compact and lightweight design and outstanding cost performance. They boast T2.9*4brightness across their entire zoom range to enable shooting with a shallow depth of field for blurred background. The lenses feature three rings to enable manual and independent adjustment of focus, zoom and iris (aperture), all with the identical gear pitch of 0.8M (module). The focus rings can rotate up to 200 degrees to facilitate precise focusing, adding extra comfort in lens operability.
While using resin materials for the exterior to enable the compact and lightweight form factor, the lenses are designed in pursuit of premium texture, suitable for professional tools, so that users can feel joy in owning the equipment.
*4T-stop value is an index that indicates brightness of a lens based on its F-stop value and transmission rate. The smaller the value, the greater the amount of light the lens transmits.
■ Lower gastrointestinal endoscope “EC-L600MP7”
This is a lower gastrointestinal endoscope for the LASEREO series of endoscopy systems, using two lasers with different wavelengths as a light source. The insertion tube measures just 11.1mm in outer diameter at the end, but still features a 3.2mm working channel as well as the water-jet function for flushing mucus in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby boosting body fluid suction performance and the operational performance of biopsy forceps and other tools. The flexibility adjustment function adjusts insertion tube’s flexibility by rotating the Flexibility Adjustment Ring, allowing users to select an appropriate level of tube flexibility to suit intestinal bending and shape. Furthermore, the advanced-tracking insertion tube uses materials with a high level of elasticity*5 to accurately convey grip force to the tube end. When combined with the Curve Tracking Technology, which bends the tube smoothly along curvature of intestinal walls and restores its straight shape after passing a curved section, this endoscope facilitates smooth insertion into the colon, which is difficult to perform endoscopy on because of numerous bends.
*5The property of the insertion tube that tries to restore its shape after being bent
■ Dry laser imager “DRYPIX EDGE”
This high-function dry imager outputs medical images for use at hospitals, into film at high speed and with premium image quality. It offers the gradation control function to optimize images for various tests including CR*6, DR*7, CT and MRI. Since Fujifilm’s image process technology is used to identify text areas and image areas within each image precisely, sharpness can be adjusted in broad range to produce images that suit the purposes. The imager also supports high-resolution recording for mammography.
It takes just 85 seconds to print for a high throughput of 110 films (14′ x 17′) per hour. The compact yet high-speed model contributes to streamlining hospital workflow. This product is also environmentally-friendly with the use of water-based coating technology and energy-saving mode.
*6Stands for “Computed Radiography,” which reads X-ray image information, recorded in an imaging plate, and recompiles it into X-ray transparency by applying optimum digital imaging processing to suit diagnostic purposes.
*7Stands for “Digital Radiography,” which converts X-ray energy into electric signals and recompiles them into X-ray transparency
■ Diagnostic test system for infectious diseases “FUJI DRI-CHEM IMMUNO AG2”
This is a diagnostic test system for infectious diseases, examining samples and automatically detecting the presence of viruses or bacteria that cause influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, and others. The device uses a dedicated reagent kit based on the silver amplification principle of photographic development to detect viruses and bacteria at a high level of sensitivity. The system also has a built-in barcode reader for scanning ID on the label of specimen receptacles and operators’ ID card, so as to help streamline the testing process. The device is designed in space-saving vertical form, measuring just 110mm wide. Test’s progress status and result are displayed on the highly visible color LCD touchscreen panel at the front face of the unit. The display flashes and the unit sounds an alarm upon completion of test to eliminate the need of time management, and testers are always aware of test progress even if they are away from the unit.
via Fujifilm
