Fujifilm FinePix F550EXR 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Fujinon 15x Super Wide Angle Zoom Lens and GPS Geo-Tagging Function
- 16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor; 15x wide-angle optical zoom lens
- GPS Geo-tagging function
- Intelligent Image Stabilization; 3.0-inch High-Contrast LCD
- Capture movies in Full HD 1080p resolution; mini HDMI port
- Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Fuji FinePix F550EXR 16 Megapixel Compact Camera – 4.40 mm-66 mm – Black 16113196 Digital Cameras
List Price: $ 449.95
Price: $ 449.95
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Awesome camera!,
This is an excellent little camera! Over the last 10 years I have owned 2 P&S cameras (one Canon, one Olympus), and 2 DSLRs. I currently use a Canon T2i for most of my shooting. But I have missed a lot of shots over the last couple of years simply because I didn’t have a camera with me, usually because, for one reason or another, it just wasn’t appropriate or feasible to bring the DSLR. So with the current crop of new small cameras coming out this Spring, I decided to remedy that situation. I quickly narrowed the field to 3: this camera, the Canon SX230HS, and the Panasonic ZS10. I would say my main concerns were: small size (easily pocketable), good image quality, wide-angle lens, manual controls, lots of neat features (like face detection/recognition, ae bracketing, panorama, etc), good low-light capability, and HD video capability. All three of these cameras provide those features to a varying extent, but it really came down to image quality. I looked for whatever reviews I could find, both for these cameras and for the models that they were replacing. The reviews for the Canon and the Panasonic were good, but uneven, while all the reviews I read for the Fuji consistently applauded its image quality. Also, the Fuji was the only one to save in the RAW format, and it had the widest angle lens. Basically, the F550 was the best over-all package, at least for me. All three also have built-in GPS, which is nice but wasn’t essential for me. After using it awhile, I am very satisfied.
In order to get the most out of this camera, you really have to read the manual and get familiar with all its modes. The mode I tend to use the most is P (Program), but I do use all the modes regularly. Some of the mode settings overlap to some extent, so there are, for example, at least 3 different settings you could use for low light photos, but each one has its own slight differences that might make one a better fit in a certain type of low-light situation. These are all in addition to the manual modes, of course (M, A, and S). The EXR setting is the most automatic, and I do use it sometimes, but I mostly use P, which gives you a little more control over more settings. At first it was pretty confusing, but the combination of the mode dial, the control wheel, and the software interface all work together well so that if you read the manual and then just play around a bit, it becomes very easy. There is also a function button that gives quick access to the most used features for any given mode. I have printed a number of photos (4×6) right from the memory card, without any post-processing, and they look great. I have taken maybe a dozen RAW shots and used the provided software to process them. The software (a version of Silkypix) works, but I’m not crazy about it. I shoot only RAW with my T2i, and I process it with LR3, so maybe there’s a certain bias there, I don’t know. But you can use it to save the RAW photos in 16 bit TIF, and then process it however you like with not much loss of detail. Hopefully, LR and ACR will eventually recognize this RAW format, but that could be awhile.
I should mention some of the things that I don’t like about the camera, although there aren’t many. I’ll start with one thing that I didn’t like at first, but have grown to appreciate. That’s the flash popping up. Every time you start the camera (or even move from playback mode to camera mode) the flash pops up from the left side (as you’re holding it). Not a great place for the flash to start with, but the fact that it pops up automatically can be irritating. However, you can push it down manually, and it will lock there until you want to use it, when you can pop it up manually (it sticks up a tiny bit). Eventually, I found that I actually like the ability to turn the flash on or off just by manipulating the flash head, rather than going through the menus, which would be the alternative. So that can be a plus, a minus, or a wash. The battery does not last long. I didn’t actually make a careful count of how many shots I got with a full charge, but I can tell you that in the past week I’ve taken about 1,000 shots. I’ve replaced the battery 3 times. Now, some of that time I had the GPS on the “on all the time” mode, which means the GPS is on even when the camera is off. I found that that sucks battery power quickly. I finally changed it so that the GPS is on only when the camera is on. I also found that the GPS is accurate, but not overly powerful. It does not work inside my house or my work building (a one story building), it does not work in my car unless it has already picked up a signal outside the car. And I don’t understand that, because my cell phone picks up GPS almost anywhere, and it’s smaller than the camera. But it is a cool feature and I’m glad it’s there. In addition to GPS, the face detection is also a big drain on the battery, But I leave it on because that’s one reason I bought it to begin with – I want…
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|First Day Impressions – Fantastic Little Camera,
I chose this camera because I wanted to step up from my old Panasonic TZ5. I’ve had several digital cameras over the years, all of them point-and-shoot with CCD sensors. I’ve not used DSLRs much at all, so my perspective is different from those with high-end cameras for whom this is their portable camera. This camera lives up to my expectations, which are probably quite different from some of the other reviewers.
For my first day, I kept the camera on the EXR setting and let it make my decisions, it did a very good job of figuring out what to do in the different situations, but as I go on it will be necessary to familiarize myself with the menus and manual shooting options in order to get the results I want. I’m giving the camera 5 stars because the images I got with only a cursory glance at the manual were quite lovely, and I fully expect to be able to improve on them as I learn more about the wide variety of settings. Another reason this camera gets all 5 of the stars from me is that I’m a geek, and so the impressive amount of technical bells & whistles on the F550EXR really appeals to me.
Feel, fit, and finish: really solid little camera, emphasis on the “little” — I have average-sized hands and the camera felt quite small in my hands, I can imagine someone with large hands would find it a bit awkward to hold. Like the other reviewers, I found the position of the pop-up flash quite awkward, it will take some getting used to. I wonder if that placement could have been better if they’d just made the camera a little bit bigger? The controls are intuitive but they are quite small, made me really glad I don’t have big fingers.
Zoom: fast and fantastic. I’ll post a couple of pictures when I finish to show the wide/zoom comparison. Clarity at full resolution with handheld, full-zoom shots was sufficient to recognize people standing at the end of my street, about a couple hundred yards.
Focus and responsiveness: having never owned a DSLR, the quickness of the shutter response was a little startling at first, I’m used to timing my shots to account for a significant delay, if you’re coming from a CCD sensor camera this will make a huge difference for you. The focus is quick and with the anti-shake, all my handheld shots (even at full zoom) were sharp and clear. Taking pictures of a hotel about a mile and a half from here, I could read their sign.
Color: like the ‘negative’ review I found the colors a little bit de-saturated in many shots, but then I discovered that in EXR mode, you should select “dynamic range” priority. There are a *lot* of settings and options, do explore them. Colors and clarity in low light with no flash are quite lovely, again, comparing this to a CCD sensor, it’s a whole different world. I do wish there were more than three color choices (film simulation, B&W, and sepia) — with my last Panasonic there was a “vivid” option which would have been a good on this camera. However, I concede that the camera has abilities well beyond such a simple setting, there’s just a bit of a learning curve.
Video: The full HD movies are quite good, and the sound was great, I was taking movies at the beach with a brisk breeze and the microphones picked up mostly ocean sound and very little wind noise. I was somewhat disappointed to find that the resolution for 320FPS high speed video was a very odd 320 x 112, but since this slows things down more than 10x, I don’t think I’ll be using that setting much. The 320 x 240 at 160FPS still slows things down more than 5X and is a much more useful resolution. Even better is the 640 x 480 at 80FPS, big enough to show detail and slow enough to capture things you can’t make out with the naked eye.
GPS / Points of Interest: It may be that there aren’t enough POI in my area to make that feature very useful, I pointed the camera in the general direction of (but not directly at) the City Hall and it thought I was there. Still, the GPS is very accurate and uploads to Flickr are pinpointed within a few yards.
I’ll update this review as I gain more experience with the camera, but overall I have to say I’m very satisfied with my choice.
**UPDATE** I feel I was in too much of a hurry to post this review, and should have given myself some time to learn the camera. The main things I’d like to add are:
Criticism of “washed out” images — this just doesn’t apply if you use the right settings. Full manual mode yields beautiful rich tones and wonderful detail, including lovely shots with subtle bokeh at f3.5.
Macro: detail is lovely and creamy smooth, the CMOS sensor on this camera is really very wonderful.
My best advice to you is to read the manual, and take your time getting to know the features. I love this little camera very, very much on this, my third day with it.
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|Early Impressions from Day One – Review FinePix F550EXR,
I couldn’t wait to use this camera for the first time. For background, I’ve owned digital cameras dating back to the Apple Quicktake 150 (1995) and many in-between (Olympus, Toshiba, Canon, Nikon). Current arsenal consists of a Canon Digital Rebel XT with several lenses and a Nikon CoolPix S200. I got the FinePix 550EXR with the intent of having a portable point-shoot camera for situations where the Canon SLR isn’t practical and like the option of GPS tagging. I’ve been disappointed with the autofocus accuracy and weak flash of the Nikon Coolpix 200, hence this purchase.
Controls: 3.5
Controls are pretty straightforward. The round selector has the usual features (flash on, menu access, self timer, etc.) and also a nice jog shuttle wheel (command dial) that will scroll through menus and settings as well. The camera shipped with the GPS off. LCD image quality is very good (bright, clear). I miss the optical viewfinder of my SLR, but those are very rare these days on compacts except for certain expensive prosumer models. I would like to have the option for direct access to GPS on/off without having to access the menu. Attention camera manufacturers: provide the option for a user-programmable button where one can select ANY menu item for quick access to a ‘favorite’. Charging is accomplished via an included charger. I would like to see camera manufacturers also provide the option to charge via USB with the battery left in the camera. Many other devices already do this and this is very helpful when you need to travel light. Else, people use horrible cell phone cameras due to their portability. The charger in this case for example is nearly the same size as the camera itself. (Fujifilm, take note; Canon and Nikon also are making this same mistake).
GPS: 3.5
Be sure to confirm the menu settings for the GPS to turn it on. One setting has the GPS set to “permanently on”, which means it is using battery even with the power off to determine the GPS location. While this is useful for if you intend to spend a day on the run and want quick acquisition of the signal for photos, it certainly has impact on battery. I suggest keeping it to “when switched on” if you are willing to wait for a few moments for the satellites to be acquired. I found that it does work indoors (tested in a single story home), although with a weaker signal reception as compared to my cell phone or Garmin GPS. Best results are outdoors for sure. There is an icon of a satellite that blinks while it is acquiring the signal and a signal strength displayed in bars. I found that the GPS data does properly come through to applications like Aperture, iPhoto, etc. There is a great deal of useful metadata that the camera provides for the photos. The “location” option will display a text name of a nearby location in the camera’s database. In my case, it named a park about 1 mile away and you can also view the Long/Latitude. Note it appears that per the manual – the GPS location database is not able to be updated by the user. In my case it is from October 2010. I wish that there was a utility where this can be updated via USB and also the user can store their own location names. (I.E. Home, Grandparents Home, etc.) Perhaps this will be a future option. That said, there are utilities where you can add this feature to your photo’s metadata once the image is on your computer. The GPS does have an impact on battery life. If you are a heavy GPS user on the run, I suggest getting a spare battery.
Build quality/Durability: 4.0
Build appears to be solid. The one exception for me is that the pop-up flash and its motorized function seems a bit delicate. Its location on the left is also is in a bit of an unfortunate spot as (at least for me) it is exactly where I want to place a finger (corner) to hold the camera if I am using two hands. Unfortunately the GPS receiver directly above the lens does not allow for the flash to be located elsewhere. That said, the flash is powerful and provides good coverage. The flash is motorized (up/down). You can manually disable the flash by simply closing it. The screen will then show the “flash off” symbol. One can also safely hold the camera from the corner when the flash is closed or you can move your finger to the side of the camera and still achieve 2-hand photos with the flash up – I recommend having the camera strap installed and in use to avoid any risk of dropping the camera.
Image quality, AutoFocus and Shutter Performance: 4.0
My tests are very early and limited to evening hours outdoors and indoor lighting. I will provide a more detailed review and update my rating after a trip to Orlando, FL on the weekend. Initial photo tests yield good results for this camera, although not as good as my Canon Rebel XT (not that I necessarily expect them to be as good as an SLR). Autofocus speed is excellent and…
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