Las Vegas, NV – Though it's been nearly three years since Fujifilm last introduced a professional digital SLR, the company is "absolutely not bowing out of the DSLR market permanently," a spokesperson for Fuji told PDN at the PMA 2009 trade show in Las Vegas yesterday.

"It's not happening right now but if there's a specific market where Fuji can bring their expertise, they may very well bring out a new DSLR," said Fuji spokesperson Michael Steavenson.

As an example, Steavenson cited the Fuji S3 Pro UVIR, which came out in 2006 and was designed to take photographs in the Ultra Violet and Infrared parts of the light spectrum. That camera became a favorite among members of the law enforcement community who use it to capture images of evidence at crime scenes – such as blood stains or gun shot powder – that might not be viewable to the naked eye.

The Fuji S3 Pro UVIR, which was literally made to order, also appealed to some fine art photographers who were attracted to the camera's distinctive Infrared feature.

Fuji followed up the S3 Pro UVIR with the FinePix S5 Pro which was unveiled at Photokina 2006. Since then though, the company has been quiet on the DSLR front as other manufacturers, such as Canon and Nikon, continue to battle for market share.

Steavenson stressed that with a tough economy and such small margins on DSLRs in a very competitive marketplace, nothing was coming any time soon from Fuji.

"Fuji's not going to bring out a digital SLR just to bring out a digital SLR," he said. "Fuji's DSLRs have always catered to a niche group of photographers and if there's a place where Fuji thinks they can fill a need they may do it."

The topic of a new digital SLR from Fuji has arisen with the release of a new sensor from the company called the Super CCD EXR. The sensor, which is designed to let photographers switch between three imaging options – high resolution; high ISO & low noise; or expanded dynamic range – has appeared in the new 12.1MP Fujifilm FinePix F200EX, a compact camera designed for photo enthusiasts. Some have speculated that a digital SLR with an iteration of Super CCD EXR could be next.