Fuji Finepix F50FD Digital Camera- When I can't shove my Canon 30d into my pocket...
Written: Oct 03 '07 (Updated Dec 01 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: compact, lightweight, intuitive controls, lots of modes, creative control, image stabilization
Cons: no viewfinder, proprietary battery, higher ISO doesn't guarantee high quality photos
The Bottom Line: A small and compact point and shoot full of fun and easy-to-use options. Some photos may be noisier than expected.
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| xxskagirlxx's Full Review: Cobra MR-HH400X VP Marine VHF Value Pack |
I'm the family photographer. It seems that every family has one. I'm expected to be at all events, with camera in hand. Sometimes I'm even expected to profer a photobook when it's all said and done- not that I'm complaining, I always have the perfect gift on hand!
But sometimes I just don't feel like hauling my Canon 30d and all of my lenses along with me. Although its excellent shots can't be denied, it also is pretty heavy and cumbersome.
When my husband suggested we take a week-long trip to the Smokey Mountains, I was excited but immediately had flashbacks to our trip to Cancun where I was constantly dumping sand out of my camera bag. I drew the line and said that if we were to plan a trip, we'd also have to budget for a pocket sized point-and-shoot camera.
Thankfully, I already had a camera in mind- The Fuji Finepix f30. A friend had the same camera and I was constantly astounded by the quality of her shots, especially outdoor shots. Unfortunately for me, the f30 was no where to be found. But I was just on the cusp of the latest upgrade to the f30 (and f31d)- the f50.
Amazon had a release date of October 1st on its website, but I found it in my local Best Buy right at the beginning of September. (Perfect timing because we left for our trip on September 16th!)
I wasn't keen on plopping down $300 for a point-and-shoot; after all, that's $300 that could go toward a lens for my D-SLR. I tried a few other point and shoots (Canon and Olympus) and that's when I decided that I had no choice- to me, the Fuji Finepix f50 was the most intuitively easy to use of the ones I tried. Switching back and forth between a point and shoot and a D-SLR meant that I needed a camera without a steep learning curve.
What's in the box:
Fujifilm Finepix F50fd digital camera, Li-ion cattery NP-50, battery charger BC-50, strap, AV cable, USB cable, CD-ROM, owner's manual
Features:
-12MP
-3x optical zoom
-2.7 inch LCD display
-Face Detection 2.0
-Uses xD or SD cards
-High ISO sensitivity up to 6400 for improved low-light shooting
Pros:
-Size: The camera is 6.8 x 5.6 x 2.8 inches and only weighs 8 ounces. It easily fits into my purse and pocket. There's no lens cap to lose.
-Plethora of Auto and Manual modes: Some Auto modes: portrait, portrait enhancer (automatically blurs skin), landscape, sport, night, fireworks, sunset, snow, underwater, beach, museum, party, flower and text. Manual modes allows the user to adjust shutter speed and aperture (and ISO) for better control in low light settings and further creative control.
-Intuitive controls: The Finepix f50 has a fairly simple layout. Power button is at the top. Modes can be controlled by using the dial on the top right back of the camera. Further mode selections can be chosen from the bottom round button. Everything is clearly labeled.
-Color choices: Most modes allow the user to select between Standard, B&W, and Chrome colors. The Chrome color mode gives photos an extra burst of vibrant colors.
-Image Stabilization: Allows clear photos in low light (but be warned, that doesn't mean they won't be noisy!)
-Face Detection: The Face Detection feature can be turned on and off, and it works amazingly well (even detecting faces on statues and my dogs!). It can detect up to 10 faces in a shot. I'm also amazed at how well the red-eye reduction mode works in conjunction with the face detection- it's fun to take a picture, see the camera zoom in on the face and clear up the red eyes like magic.
-Sharp Focusing: I've found the focus of the f50 to be pretty dead on most of the time, especially when using the Macro mode.
-Dual Shot Mode: This mode takes one photo with flash and one without, consecutively, so you can decide later if the flash was needed or not.
-Video Mode: The video mode is very convenient. I recently used the mode to tape a concert I was at. The important part is that you have to focus (by pressing on the shutter button halfway) before you start recording because the video mode does shut off the zoom feature (which is sort of annoying). However, the video I shot had excellent color and sound and minimal graininess. Overall a nice feature!
Cons:
-No Viewfinder: The user is forced to use the LCD screen, which leads to quicker battery drain.
-Battery life: Battery dies around 200 shots (varied flash use), which is far less than the battery life of my 30d (but again, my 30d isn't powering an LCD screen!)
-Proprietary battery: Forget your battery charger at home or lose your battery? You're screwed. The camera requires a specific Li-ion battery and charger. AA's won't help you here.
-LCD in direct sunlight: In bright sunlight conditions, the LCD screen is almost impossible to see. Again, this is where a viewfinder would come in handy.
-Performance in lowlight: This really isn't a con per se, but just some thoughts. The Fuji Finepix f50 touts it's forte as being excellent in lowlight conditions and boasts ISOs up to 6400 (at 3MP). Does it perform better than my Olympus Camedia P&S that is over five years old? Absolutely. Does it perform better than my 30d? Absolutely not. Then again, most photos with my 30d above an ISO 600 have some noise. Expecting a point and shoot to perform any better would be ludicrous. However, I think it's also kind of silly to pack an ISO of up to 6400 into a camera. Most people should be warned: Your photos in that range will be almost unreadable. Most of the photos from the f50 with an ISO over 400 require some noise reduction in post processing (thankfully I have Photoshop). So while I think the ISO range is kind of ridiculous, I will allow that it's a vast improvement of my old dusty Olympus.
Thoughts:
At first I struggled with the Fuji Finepix f50. I had been using my D-SLR for close to three years and was used to the fast shutterspeed and fluid lowlight performance. Anyone who is thinking about a point and shoot over a D-SLR should realize that they are two completely different products.
However, I purchased the f50 for portability and ease-of-use. In those categories it's excelled. At the end of our vacation, I had 900 photos. 700 were taken with the f50 because it's just so easy to use. All of my outside shots are incredibly crisp and vibrant and beautifully exposed. Most of my inside shots with flash are also good. I do have a few shots from the inside of an aquarium that required a lot of post-processing to remove the noise (I couldn't use the flash since it was bouncing off the glass). For a moment I wish I had my 30d with me, but then realized that there was no way I was going to lug it into an aquarium so I should be thankful that I at least had a point and shoot along with. It's the perfect camera for all of those unscripted moments in your life.
Sample shots (I do post-process in Photoshop):
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1388/1447899253_95e1b9e3cf.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1020/1448567940_50f488e939.jpg
(macro mode)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1263/1447605089_c1b00c5107.jpg
(macro mode)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/1447582065_49037ab6c6.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/1447595313_dfa0fe2f3d.jpg
(semi-low light, no flash)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/1448467938_df86271afe.jpg
(low light, no flash)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1415/1447548791_d88fbda96b.jpg
(low light, flash)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1447784925_4a54d50c62.jpg
(low light, flash)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1080/1447440671_9675748635.jpg
(outdoors, no flash, color chrome mode)
UPDATE 12*01*2007
I'm a little unsettled by recent results coming out of my Fuji Finepix F50FD. I've noticed that many of the photos I've downloaded from it lately are chock full of noise, even photos taken outdoors. My husband and I used the camera on a trip to Tennessee with absolutely no noise problems (over 600 photos were taken), so I'm not sure what could be causing this. I've made sure the ISO is down as low as possible. Part of me wonders if it has to do with the flash- it's now winter and so most of the photos I take require the aid of a flash. Either way, I'm pretty disappointed and may take it in to see if it's a hardware problem. I'm going to have to lower my rating to three stars in the meantime.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
xxskagirlxx
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Member: Stevie
Location: South Dakota
Reviews written: 152
Trusted by: 85 members
About Me:
I dress up my dogs and then force my husband to take them for walks.
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