Digital Trends

Fujifilm FinePix F50fd January 3rd, 2008 | by David Elrich

Testing and Use

Setting the resolution to maximum (4000 x 3000 pixels Fine mode) and engaging the Dual IS, Face Detection with red-eye removal and ISO Auto 800 I started out in Auto then proceeded to the various manual options available.

The camera pops to life quickly (around 2 seconds) and it focuses fast as well. If it the focus seems slow you can engage a Quick AF mode that speeds up the process a fraction. Taking single shots the camera saved the 12MP files at a good clip—unlike the 8MP Olympus SP-560 UZ recently reviewed. However, when you move to burst at full resolution it saves three images to the buffer (with the flash off) and you’ll have to wait about 15 seconds before clicking again. The same held true when shooting in the Natural Light + Flash setting when two images are saved after the other. Here you had to wait around 10 seconds. One shouldn’t be surprised at this lack of speed in a sub-$250 USD digicam. If you want true speed, a D-SLR is the road to take. That said, the F50fd is rated 2 frames per second and it did do that in my tests but it stops after 3 shots to catch its breath. If you want more images in burst mode resolution drops significantly (to 3 megapixels) for 12 photos. Simply put: most point-and-shoots just can’t crank ‘em off like an M-16, it’s just the nature of the beast. However the vast majority of snap-shooters will take a shot at a time and although there’s a bit of delay as the camera saves the 12MP files, it’s not too bad.

Image Courtesy of Fujifilm

Since it was the holidays and the time of family gatherings, the F50fd’s Face Detection 2.0 was put to extensive use. As noted, I had it set with Red-Eye reduction on and the camera did an excellent job of capturing smiling faces without any red-eye whatsoever. This was quite impressive. With FD, the camera optimizes focus and exposure for human faces and the F50fd did a very good job delivering accurate colors. I shot up to three faces at a time and results were fine and dandy. I’d have to compare it to my favorite iteration of this feature found on Canon point-and-shoots like the SD870 IS . Fujifilm claims version 2.0 does a better job with faces on angles rather than straight on but my results didn’t show that. Still the Face Detection makes this camera a good option for family snapshots and this is really what the buyer of this model really wants.

Beyond smiling people faces (it doesn’t work on furry cat countenances), I shot a variety of shots indoors and out, using the camera’s manual options. Although the camera is pretty fast with good shot-to-shot times, it really slows down when saving two images when in the Natural Light + Flash mode, as noted earlier. Definitely be prepared to wait between clicks. When I was done loading an SD card, it was time to make some 8.5x11 full bleed prints with no tweaking.

First the good news: With enough available light the camera delivers very accurate images with a minimal amount of noise. You’ll be happy with the results. However, when shooting in low light, the F50fd’s images are very soft with lots of noise at ISO 800 and beyond. Even though noisy, the shots were much better than almost every point-and-shoot I’ve used in the past few months. If you like shooting in available light, definitely give this one strong consideration. Prints of outdoor subjects were also very good and smiling faces were very nice as well.

Conclusion

For less than $250 USD, you can hardly go wrong with this camera thanks to its solid feature package (mechanical image stabilization, 12MP resolution, improved Face Detection). Remember there are limitations, particularly shooting at high ISOs (800 and above), there are definite delays as the cameras saves two 12MP files in certain settings and resolution drops precipitously in burst mode. Still as an everyday carry-around camera, the FinePix F50fd does the job. When we started the review we asked if the move to 12 megapixels was progress. For this point-and-shoot the answer is not great progress because of the added noise. Folks you can’t expect a 12MP point-and-shoot imaging device to be the equal of a much larger D-SLR sensor—it’s just reality. Still the camera’s other features are a step in the right direction.


Pros:

• Takes good snapshots with accurate colors
• Face Detection is excellent
• Nicely featured for a point-and-shoot

Cons:

• High noise at ISO 800 and above
• Slow saving multiple files
• Menus need to be streamlined