Name: FUJIFILM FinePix Z200fd
Category: digital camera
Price: Open price (about JPY40,000)
Release date in Japan: June 7, 2008

Who knew that face recognition in digital cameras would pull so many tricks out of its software sleeve? In addition to the basic function of detecting faces and adjusting camera settings to best flatter those mugs, recent cameras have evolved niceties like automatic red-eye fixing, as well as the ability to watch for smiles or blinks to help you time your shots. Now the "FinePix Z200fd", the latest in FUJIFILM's well-known compact camera line, adds another twist: a self-timer that's smart enough to start its countdown only when all heads are in place.

First there's the "Minna de (All Together) Timer". (FUJIFILM calls it "Group Timer" in English, but my translation's better.) Typically, to include yourself in a group shot, you set the self-timer and then dash into the picture before the timer goes off. If your jostling knocks someone out of frame, too bad. With Minna de Timer, you tell the camera how many faces to wait for, and then leisurely find your place in the group; when all faces are accounted for, the camera starts the timer countdown.

Another new timer, "Koi Suru (In Love) Timer", sounds more exciting. When you want to take a "two-shot" couple photo, the traditional procedure is as above: set the timer, and rush into the frame where your significant other waits. Koi Suru Timer, like Minna de Timer, helps out by waiting until both faces are in the frame. But you want to get closer to some faces than to others, so Koi Suru Timer gets out the measuring stick. Tell the camera what the relationship is, and it'll wait for the appropriate distance between the faces: cordially apart for "friend" setting, a little closer for "buddy", and cheek-to-cheek snuggled for "love". (The company's English info makes it all a little dull-sounding, though: there, it's "Couple Timer", with settings for "near", "close-up", or "super-close". Maybe some marketing wonk told them that boring names would work better overseas.)

Other features: 10 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch screen, Dual Image Stabilization for camera shake and subject movement, 52MB internal memory, SD/SDHC and xD-Picture Card memory card slot, lens cover. I'll also note that the 150g, 2-cm thin, pink, silver, red or black camera is unusually nice-looking, though your estimation may differ.

More info: http://fujifilm.jp/personal/digitalcamera/finepixz200fd/ (Japanese)
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/z/finepix_z200fd/index.... (English)