Tuesday 5 April 2011

Fuji F70 holiday test

Fuji F70 holiday test

I used my Fuji F70 on a recent 3 week long holiday to Eastern Europe.  I had the choice between my Canon 400d, F200 and F70.  I was tempted to take the DSLR and was also considering taking both Fuji's, but in the end weight was important so I just took the little tiny F70.

How did it get on ?

Overall, I was quite pleased with the performance of this tiny camera.  The telephoto shots were respectable, the image stabiliser working well enough to prevent blur.  Many shots that my 400d would have fluffed with it's unstabilised telephoto lens were rendered sharp and clear by the F70.

It's hard to beat a small compact digital camera with an extended telephoto range for candid type street shots.  If I had taken my 400d and tele lens then people would have spotted it (and me) from a long distance.  The F70 enabled me to take street photos without causing a stir.

Friday 23 July 2010

Fuji F200 -Still the best for image quality

The introduction of the new Fuji  F300 means that the old F200 becomes even more special.

It's special because the camera that Fuji tout as a replacement just doesn't match up.


If you can then you should buy a F200 now before that become discontinued and impossible to obtain.

The new F300 has a 1/2 inch sensor, just like the F70 and F80, so it isn't really a replacement for the F200.

Fuji make claims about the sensor being a new improved version, and at this stage it's impossible to know the truth without actually handling the camera.

In my experience the size of the camera's sensor matters.  That is why the F200, Canon S90/G11, Panasonic LX-3 (and soon LX-5) are at the top of the tree for image quality.

The image sensor should be at least 1/1.6 or 1/1.7.  Anything smaller will be inferior.

My sources in the camera trade tell me that stocks of the F200 are rapidly disappearing, so I would advise you to buy now whilst you still have a chance to own of the best "pocket rockets" I've ever used !

Full Resolution tests - F200, F70 and a 400D

I had a little free time this afternoon so grabbed my cameras and headed into the garden for a few quick test photos.

Over the coming weeks I hope to test my F200 and F70 at all resolutions and EXR modes.




Now I am not Dpreview or Imaging Resource. I don't have access to any special test equipment and have only my cameras and computer and mark one eyeballs to judge a photos quality.  Please excuse the fact that these tests are not in any way scientific or technical.

I merely took the photo, viewed it at 100 per cent in Photoshop and took out a section.


Today I concentrated on full size resolution photos, meaning 12mp for the F200 and 10mp for the F70.
All shot at the following settings:

P mode, Large -4/3 size, fixed 100 iso, auto dynamic range, fine quality, no flash, Provia mode.

I also shot a few photos with my Canon 400D with Canon 18-55mm IS (at iso 100, fine 10mp) for comparison.

The light wasn't great as the weather was a mixture of sun and cloud.

I tried to show how the cameras compare at full resolution, even though shooting a Fuji EXR sensor at full rez isnt always the best option.


How did they compare ??

Canon 400D with 18-55mm IS.

Absolutely the best, clear sharp photos, no purple fringing, great definition, good colour balance and exposure.
Virtually no noise at all.



Fuji F200.

Surprisingly close to the 400D despite being a fraction of the size, weight and cost.
A little sharper than the F70 especially at wide angle.





Fuji F70.

I think this camera is sharper at telephoto than wide angle, but its still quite good even at 27mm.
It might be overall slightly less sharp than the others but the versatility is amazing.  27mm-270mm in a slim package that
fits in my pocket.


Wednesday 21 July 2010

Fuji F300 introduced

Fuji today announced the F300 compact digital camera.

It's already available for preorder on Amazon HERE



The spec's are as follows:
The F300EXR’s features at a glance:

12 megapixel, ½ " Super CCD EXR second generation sensor
Full EXR modes, with EXR auto
15x Fujinon lens, 24mm – 360 mm equivalent
New Hybrid Auto-Focus System (Contrast AF and Phase Detection AF)
New accurate zoom control with low noise
Full HD Photo and 720p HD Video
3.0”, high contrast (1:1200), 460k dot LCD with Wide View Filter
CCD Shift Image Stabilisation System using new Gyro Sensor
Super Intelligent Flash
Compact size, only 103.5 (w), 59.2 (h) and 32.55 (w)mm
Ergonomic grip, with slanted mode dial
Photobook Assist via Star Rating System
P/A/S/M Exposure Control
Face Detection, Face Recognition, Pro Focus Mode
Motion Panorama 360˚


It look to me to be a cross between the F200 and F70 in one camera, but unfortunately the sensor is only 1/2 inch so I doubt it will improve on the F200's image quality.  If only Fuji could have kept the 1/1.6 sensor from the F200 !

The super zoom range from 24-360mm is nice, and a big improvement on the F70.
The F300 also features a better LCD and HD video so these things do improve slightly on the F200.

Overall I'm still glad that I bought one of the last F200's, as I doubt the F300 will be much more than an extended range F70.
My advice would be to get one of the remaining F200's if at all possible.
The F300 looks to me just like any other super zoom relying on a big zoom range for sales.



Tuesday 20 July 2010

Welcome to the Fuji F200 Review

Welcome to my blog about the Fuji F200 .


I'm an amateur photographer and a Fuji camera enthusiast and this blog aims to give me thoughts about the F200 and F70.

I've had a Fuji F30 for a couple of years and I love it.  The battery life is excellent, its well made with a metal case and a sharp lens, and the sensor is wonderful.

I always wished that the F30 had a wider or longer lens, a stabilised lens and sometimes even more resolution.

Well, the arrival of the F200 and F70 interested me and now that they are available as refurbished stock from Fuji UK, I decided to test the waters and order one, or err two.

I first bought a F200, loved it but then wondered about the F70 and its long long lens.
So I bought a F70 as well.

I travel a lot, and often wish for a superzoom.  Would I lose much quality with the F70 compared to the F200 ?


How would a F200 or F70 compare to a DSLR ?


This blog aims to find out.



I also have a Canon 400d and a couple of lens to compare my F200 and F70 against.

In the next few weeks I will test the F70 and F200 against each other and also against my 400d to discover the truth !