Fujifilm FinePix F50FD Review Analysis | All Features Rated & Tested

image quality

4

Image stabilization not as efficient as other manufacturers' systems
Step down from the F30/F31 in terms of photo quality and battery life
image stabilization not terribly effective in movie mode
The stunning image quality ends at ISO200
Grainy image in dark scenes

image stabilisation
Good image and color quality
Dual image stabilization (including CCD-shift)
Image quality and detail
Image quality and detail, Screen, Redeye reduction mode, Manual control, Specification

It cost me more than $3.50 per photo
TERRIBLE Picture Quality (grainy and full of noise)
Bad picture quality
higher ISO doesn't guarantee high quality photos
resulting in the image being indistinguishable
Poor image quality over 400ISO
Image stabilizer less effective than the optical image stabilizers offered on rival canon/panasonic/nikon cameras
Image stabilizer less effective than the optical image stabilizers offered on rival canon/panasonic/nikon cameras, most pictures taken in daylight are not sharp or detailed
Some may encounter image quality issues while using "Auto" mode
Try to kake a flash photo with any zoom setting and the picture is dark
Image quality deteriorates rapidly above ISO 100
The picture quality is a bit noisy at 12 Mp even at 100 ISO
Pity there is a setting for 6 Mp and Fine Quality only Normal
Resultin in worse image quality
image not as good as the Fuji F30/F31
poor image quality
Charging system, no internal memory, poor image quality, sluggish
Picture quality just doesn't live up to the hype
Picture quality not as good as I'd hoped: I have an old Pentax Optio S5i
Picture quality not as good as I'd hoped: I have an old Pentax Optio S5i, and it struggles to match it at comparable ISO settings
picture quality disappointing

Image quality is gorgeous
Image quality is gorgeous, very much in the style of Fuji's admired Velvia film
This is quite simply some of the best image quality we have seen from a compact
Dual image stabilization (including CCD-shift
Excellent image quality
Excellent image quality, improved Face Detection technology
few image quality issues
Fast AF operation, few image quality issues, smart design
excellent picture quality even in less than ideal lighting - auto setting is very nice
image stabilization
dual image stabilization
with image stabilization function
excellent image quality, compact, large LCD
great image quality
Excellent quality pictures
Image quality
Image quality, optical IS, ultra zoom, excellent macro, small
Great picture quality
Very good picture quality
Many features to correct the picture image and specify it to your liking
brilliant picture quality and features
Excellent camera easy to use picture quality very good the 12 megapixals give great quality when editing images
Great features with excellent image quality
every thing from size to picture quality and the special features
Good quality
The quality of the pictures is superb
Very clear picture quality
Compact with good picture quality and ability to have a couple of preferred settings to switch to easily
Good picture quality
the image quality is excellent
it will take a picture within a second of focusing with no delay which means you dont miss those split second opportunities
picture quality with low luminosity

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price

5

Price went down in a matter of 3 weeks from $299 to $229 in some places
Doesn't say much for its ability to retain value

excellent value for money
value for money
Fantastic camera and super value at purchase price of £109
Good buy and good value
Excellent value for money rechargable battery quality etc

Superb value for money

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performance

3

Slow performance
Big dip in high ISO performance compared to the F31fd
Slow operation speeds
Up to that speed the pictures are perfect
above that speed they deteriorate

Great low-light performance
Great low-light performance, Superior sharpness, Well designed and built
Still better than average high ISO performance
Better-than-average high ISO performance
USB 2.0 High Speed supported

Up to that speed the pictures are perfect, above that speed they deteriorate, due to the excessive pixel density
slow operations
would it realy matter if it was 1.5 secconds faster?
It does not put me off, would it realy matter if it was 1.5 secconds faster?
slow autofocus
low light performance is overrated
At 12MP the images take a second or 2 to record even on a high speed Class 6 SDHC

Decent macro performance
Blisteringly fast
Fast wireless transfers via infrared
Fast AF operation
Quick start time
quick set up etc
Fast saving of picture

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memory

0.5

and memory card write times
sluggish shot-to-shot, playback, and memory card write times
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment
Not much built-in memory
Proprietary USB cable to connect to computer

versatile memory options
Light, sleek, versatile memory options
Options for memory cards (XD

no internal memory
some functions difficult to navigate thru didnt come a case no memory card

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focus

2

Noisy focus
macro focus can be very slow (low light focus also slower)
Some noise reduction artefacts visible at 100% even at ISO 100, Strong chroma noise at ISO 800+ and shadow noise visible at ISO 400 in low light, Some corner softness, Few external controls, User interface feels outdated and 'fiddly', Noisy focus, macro focus can be very slow (low light focus also slower), Long flash recycling times, Occasional highlight clipping (not worse than the competition though), Burst mode limited to 3 shots, Movie mode nothing special, Auto mode with flash defaults to ISO 800 - even when it doesn't need to, Image stabilization not as efficient as other manufacturers' systems, No optical viewfinder, Reduced battery life (not even 50 percent of F31fd), A wider lens range would be nice
Focus unreliable
Could do with a manual focus and a mode for landscape shooting

Fast reliable focus
Focus is fast and accurate
Focus is fast and accurate, exposure is consistent, resolution is outstanding
Face Detection 2.0 sets the focus
Face Detection 2.0 sets the focus, exposure

color

1

High chromatic aberration at wide angle
whereas the same white wall shot under comparable circumstances with the Panasonic TZ4 was evenly white
A white wall is noisy, whereas the same white wall shot under comparable circumstances with the Panasonic TZ4 was evenly white
Depth of colour seems to be lacking
But it's like there are just not enough colour gradations

Auto white balance is almost always spot on
Auto white balance is almost always spot on, so colours are accurate
Skin tones are lovely
gorgeous color performance and comfortable operation feel

Depth / gradation of colour is also missing
White balance in the photos with sharp division of sun/shadow is distorted (light parts are over-exposed
White balance in the photos with sharp division of sun/shadow is distorted (light parts are over-exposed, darker parts are under-exposed, resulting in the image being indistinguishable
No manual white balance
without white balance fine tune

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lens

0.5

A wider lens range would be nice
Pedestrian 35-105mm lens range
Unremarkable 3X zoom lens
With light falling on the lens the entire image gets a horrible purple cast
I don't know whether this is down to the lens coating or internal reflections but if was sufficiently serious to warrant returning the camera - especially as I use it a lot skiing where the effect on white snow is particularly bad

optical IS
Quality of lens
Quality of lens, multitude of features, ease-of-use

noisy lens movement
LCD, not wide-angle lens
35mm zoom lens is not wide enough
Charging system
no lens attachments
Only 3x optical zoom, no lens attachments

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zoom

0.5

zoom
Only 3x optical zoom
3x optical zoom...would be nice to of had a bit more
Only the zoom capability is not the greatest feature
The only critisism if there is one, is it could do with a slightly longer zoom

changes ISO automatically - good for indoors or outdoors - still subjects or moving - good zoom
ultra zoom

A bit more zoom would have been good too but there is another model the F100FD if you need the 5x zoom
ZOOM COULD BE BETTER
3 x zoom
3x optical zoom

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LCD

4.5

Screen and IS bettered by rivals
LCD's colors are undersaturated and slightly shifted
soft lcd screen without hard plastic or glass cover
the lcd display in live display often shows digital interference or noise
12megapixels is too much to see clearly on the LCD display on the back

large screen
Large clear screen
Nice 2.5" LCD is easy to see outdoors and in low light
High-quality LCD
2.7-inch LCD

12 Meg Pix fantastic clear and large screen more than make up for it
With the large LCD screen
With the large LCD screen,can be hard to grasp/hold

Screen
big screen
nice LCD
clear lcd display
ease of use, cropping tool, user friendly menus, nice clear daylight pictures, clear lcd display, excellent value for money
large LCD display
large LCD
2.7 inch screen
I also own the F810, and this even eclipses that, with the exception of the wide screen shot facility
Nice large LCD, good colours, reasonable quality even at high ISO settings
Big lcd screen qick shot
large LCD screen
large LCD screen, instant face detection, low light, red-eye removal, motion/blur
7 inch screen

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video

1

video mode not happy with low temps or bright light
any darker objects get a shadow "smeared" across the video frame (top to bottom
Additionally, any darker objects get a shadow "smeared" across the video frame (top to bottom
Video recording is subpar
Pictures are quite noisy at high ISO, Video recording is subpar

Compact & Nice Video Feature
Love the video feature
Also found the movie feature handy when you wanted a video of the moments that you might treasure and don't have a camcorder to hand

only 25fps jpeg video at 640x480 max
When using video mode on my recent ski trip
worked perfectly in video mode on my previous ski trip
worked perfectly in video mode on my previous ski trip, when the temperature went as low as -22 Celcuis

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design

5

Slick outer shell lacks good gripping surface
plain design
A bit dull looking compared other models
Otherwise looks perfect on paper
not as aesthetically pleasing as Sony cameras

Nice slim design
Improved slimmer design and a few new features
stylish metal body
Slim, stylish metal body
smart design

Looks good in the photos on the website, which is the only way I can remember what it looked like
slim design
looks good and feels great
High mega pixel, enough functions to play, looks good and feels great
Simple design
stylish looks
face detection, 2.7 inch screen, easy to use, stylish looks, 12mp, different settings for different areas
very well put together and nice looking
Looks good
good design
good design, good pic
nice looking
7 inch screen, easy to use, stylish looks

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shutter

5

Slowest shutter speed in shutter priority mode is 1 second (hint: use night scene mode to get around this
Speed of shutter release

Low shutter lag and good overall responsiveness
Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes
Class leading resolution, Improved slimmer design and a few new features, Superb results at low ISO settings, Natural but vivid colors, Although not as good as the F31fd, ISO 400 and 800 still far better than most, ISO 1600 usable for small prints, Low shutter lag and good overall responsiveness, Good build quality and handling, Fast reliable focus, Reliable exposure / metering, Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes, Good flash performance, Large clear screen, Large variety of scene modes, Usable results at ISO 1600, Efficient red eye removal
Good shutter performance
Good prefocus shutter lag

Aperature and Shutter Settings
Compact Size, Aperature and Shutter Settings, Outdoor photos are excellent

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usability

5

Few external controls
"Manual" mode functions like Program setting
Manual" mode functions like Program setting
Ease-of-use and ergonomics are not nearly as good as the TZ4
use did not make the camera more convenient

Many manual controls
Picture quality - shutter lag with flash - easy of use
compact for p&s with manual controls
ease of use
intuitive controls

the F50fd is best used in Manual mode
Like it's predecessors, the F50fd is best used in Manual mode
those who have neither the time nor the inclination to use the Manual mode and discover the F50fd's sweet spot
However, those who have neither the time nor the inclination to use the Manual mode and discover the F50fd's sweet spot, then this camera may not be for you
I think the only prob is that you need to read the manual and play around a bit
Manual adjustments are not simple - you have to invest heavily to make pictures work which makes it difficult to make spontaneous snaps pop
You will need to use manual mode and set ISO 100 if this is not to your liking
Broke down after two weeks of moderate use (stopped focusing
ISO setting not easy to find
even a cloth bag though-something to cover it when not in use-in purse:)
I think that it should come with a case of some sort, even a cloth bag though-something to cover it when not in use-in purse:)
not very easy to use
not very easy to use, lots of settings
Lots of functions but not necessarily a bad thing just need to read the manual properly

easy to handle
easy to use
Excellent quality pictures,easy to use
ease-of-use
Easy to use, Simple design, Clear shots with bonus anti shake
Easy to use, Nice pictures in bright daylight
easy to use and get used to
Great picture quality, easy to use and get used to, AV Out
Light and easy to use
Light and easy to use, also very configurable
great features easy to use
The stabilisation really works and the camera is easy to use
easy to use for the beginner yet plenty of extras for those who want more than just a normal digital camera
Looks good, easy to use for the beginner yet plenty of extras for those who want more than just a normal digital camera
It has a positive shutter and the zoom controls are easy to use
Easy to use and simply instructions
All the features are easy to use and the automatic scene selection options make for good pictures
Easy to use great pictures excellent value for money already recommended to parents who have also bought camera
Easy to use - I'm not a real camera buff
I bought it primarily for use underwater (in a fujifilm 30mtr housing
easy to take pictures with
really easy to use
takes really clear photos, extras on camera are extensive,really easy to use
easy to use excellent pictures
easy to use camera
Good quality, easy to use camera
well made and easy to use and compact
stylish and easy to use
Its compact, stylish and easy to use
Small, easy to use, bright, clear images
it is neat compact and very easy to use clear sharp pictures
and easy to use
On-screen menu's are easy to use as is the camera
very easy camera to use just put it on the right settings and click away
compact and easy to use
Easy to use point & press
Easy to use point & press, bought it for my mother, who is always taking pictures
she found the features very easy to use
good choice of technical features and options but also remains a very simple point and shoot when required

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build quality

5

Good build quality and handling
Build-quality
build
Better resoulution, build, and high iso than any others
good build quality

good build quality, light and easy to handle
Ease of use & good build quality
Durable fuselage design
Durable fuselage design, good work, gorgeous color performance and comfortable operation feel

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glare

3.5

Crispy sharp pictures and brilliant color
i got some brilliant pictures....would really recommend
brilliant photos in any weather
brilliant photos in any weather, environment etc

flash

1.5

Long flash recycling times
Auto mode with flash defaults to ISO 800 - even when it doesn't need to
Underpowered flash
Auto flash boosts ISO to 400 to get a good shot
doesn't give much of an opportunity to squeeze 10 people into the shot, Big dip in high ISO performance compared to the F31fd, Slow operation speeds, Battery life not as remarkable as predecessor, Slick outer shell lacks good gripping surface, "Manual" mode functions like Program setting, LCD's colors are undersaturated and slightly shifted, High chromatic aberration at wide angle, Underexposes indoor shots, Fine detail in low-contrast areas is blurred by noise suppression, Underpowered flash, not good for indoor shooting, Auto flash boosts ISO to 400 to get a good shot, ISO 3,200 and 6,400 shots are not useful for much

Good flash performance
Good face detection and flash
Natural Light & with Flash mode is great for point-and-shooters
Dual image stabilization (including CCD-shift), Improved face detection, Dual memory card slot (SD and xD), IrSimple-enabled, Natural Light & with Flash mode is great for point-and-shooters, Portrait Enhancer mode is a nice addition, Micro thumbnail mode, Lots of auto low light modes offered for available light and flash exposures, 2.7-inch LCD, Decent macro performance, Low distortion at wide angle, Next to no distortion at telephoto, Minimal corner softening at wide angle or telephoto, Excellent resolution in high contrast situations, ISO 400 shots produce very good 8x10-inch prints, ISO 1,600 shots make usable 4x6-inch prints, Good prefocus shutter lag
one with flash

Flash recharge is slow
Flash recharge is slow, Focusing foibles, Top sensitivity setting only in 3-megapixel mode
Underpowered flash, not good for indoor shooting
weak flash
Heavy, plain design, weak flash
flash isn't very effective
Grainy image in dark scenes, flash isn't very effective
Seems the flash is too weak
ISO performance aint great so pretty much all indoor shots require flash
Therefore some control over flash strength would have been useful
flash a bit weak
Many photos taken without the flash are very grainy which is disappointing
Flash too near the lens (without the auto-red-eye reduction doesn't really work too well

I recently went to a concert and using the feature that takes 2 pics at the same time, one with flash, and one without, i got some brilliant pictures....would really recommend
Good features, such as the dual flash/natural setting, where it takes two pictures at once which I find very convenient

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interface

3

User interface feels outdated and 'fiddly'

user friendly menus

exposure

5

No full-manual exposure mode
Sluggish between shots, Shows minor noise even at its lowest ISO, No full-manual exposure mode
No built-in exposure enhancement processing to bring out shadow detail
Under-exposure in low-light

Aperture- and shutter-priority exposure controls
Nice slim design, Aperture- and shutter-priority exposure controls, Sensor-shift image stabilisation, Face detection that outperforms most of the competition
Reliable exposure / metering
Manual control over exposure
Good exposure and color

Both automatic and priority exposure modes
exposure is consistent
exposure

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viewfinder

0.5

No optical viewfinder
No viewfinder
no viewfinder, proprietary battery, higher ISO doesn't guarantee high quality photos
without view finder
no view finder

large view finder
Different settings, large view finder, and clear pictures
good view screen on the back
good view screen on the back, battery life

no view finder, image not as good as the Fuji F30/F31
NO VIEW FINDER, DIFFICULT TO SEE IMAGE ON SCREEN IN DAYLIGHT
A view finder would have been good but you cant have everything
A view finder would have been good but you cant have everything, 12 Meg Pix fantastic clear and large screen more than make up for it
Lack of a viewfinder, in bright light the screen is very difficult and sometimes impossible to see
prefer option of a viewfinder

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contrast

3

Fine detail in low-contrast areas is blurred by noise suppression

Excellent resolution in high contrast situations

resolution

5

Full resolution photos look blurred as a result

Class leading resolution
Very high resolution images
resolution is outstanding
12 Megapixel resolution
12 Megapixel resolution, lots of camera features

High resolution
high resolution up to 12M pixel
Great resolution
Great resolution, quick set up etc

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appearance

2.5

At ISO400 the pictures start to look grainy
The images of the TZ4 didn't always look very sharp
resulting in pictures which look like 8-bit GIF images instead of 32-bit JPEG images
Depth / gradation of colour is also missing, resulting in pictures which look like 8-bit GIF images instead of 32-bit JPEG images
most pictures look like watercolor paintings

12MP 3x image stabilized digicam with advanced Face Detection
sleek
The face recognition technology is excellent
Pleasant appearance and feels well built

Shape not quite as ergonomic as it could be

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sensor

5

Body is not fully metal
i think that after only 1 month and about 800 pics the sensor is broke

Sensor-shift image stabilisation
Efficient red eye removal
Sensor-shift image stabilization
and supurb sensor movement image stabilization
12mp CCD sensor

auto red eye removal
Excellent face recognition and anti red eye feature
The red-eye filter is excellent and it looks very sexy
red-eye removal

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menu

5

Small, light, good menu, good colors in well-lit conditions
menu easy to understand
easy interface menu

battery

1

Reduced battery life (not even 50 percent of F31fd)
Battery life not as remarkable as predecessor
Poor battery life
proprietary battery
Battery life could use some improvement

Good looking photos, good battery life
battery life
Battery charges up quickly
Long battery Longspan &
Energizer NIMH batteries

Battery needs removed to charge
Charging the battery is not handy
You'll probably need to buy a second battery and a card reader as there is no power socket on the camera and the charger is stand alone
Spare batteries are expensive
Li-Ion batteries are expensive and there are not a lot of third party ones for this model on the market at the moment
battery charging is both fiddly and is a potential cause of damage
Poor battery life, sluggish between shots

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screen

0.5

Through a flat screen or laptop is the best way to check your pics

remote control

2

Quality control concerns
No true manual control
as that gives more control
Recommend using SP1 setting, as that gives more control

Nice ergonomics and control layout
Manual control
creative control

sound

0.5

noisy photos
noisy photos, can't charge using A/C
Noisy
noisy images
Noisy, noisy, noisy images

A white wall is noisy
noisy pictures /large grains
The double-beep for confirming the correct focus is turned off with the shutter sound and not the general operation sound
The double-beep for confirming the correct focus is turned off with the shutter sound and not the general operation sound, where it belongs to
Pictures are quite noisy at high ISO
Noisy beyond ISO400-800, ISO6400 is not usable at all, a little bit pricey, and battery life
noisy pics at high ISO

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black level

0.5

In auto mode the picture has a lot of black dots (noise

reception

5

Face detection that outperforms most of the competition
Market-leading face-detection technology
Improved face detection
fast face detection
improved Face Detection technology

with facial detection function
face detection
Face detection technology
Face detection technology, light
Face detection, auto red eye removal
instant face detection
face detection feature
Compact, ease of use, cropping tool, face detection feature

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portability

5

Heavy
Comparatively heavy and chunky
low light high ISO shots very grainy
Wide end not very wide, low light high ISO shots very grainy, video mode not happy with low temps or bright light, slow operations
Even in good outdoors light

Slim
Useful continuous-shooting modes and low-light settings
Lots of auto low light modes offered for available light and flash exposures
A top performer among pocket cameras
Lightweight

Not under those light conditions
the image is too dark even under decent light conditions
When taking photos in automatic regime, the image is too dark even under decent light conditions
quite heavy for a compact camera

compact
Lightweight, compact, great A/V feature
small and light
ISO 1600 useful in good light
High resolution, nice LCD, compact for p&s with manual controls, ISO 1600 useful in good light
Compact Size
Simple, light weight and very pleased with the photo quality and diversity in the settings
compact, lightweight, intuitive controls, lots of modes, creative control, image stabilization
Light
Compact size, 12MP, dual image stabilization
light weight
Quick start time, compact size, light weight, great image quality, wide variety of features, easy to handle, and supurb sensor movement image stabilization
performing well in low light
nice for low-light shot
nice IQ, good in phtographing people, nice for low-light shot
sAMLL AND LIGHT AND EASY TO CARRY IN POCKET
light and easy to handle
Its compact
SMALL AND COMPACT,LOTS OF GOOD FEATURES,YOU NEED TO READ THE MANUEL TO GET THE BEST OUT OF THIS PRODUCT
easily fits into a pocket
Very small, easily fits into a pocket
it's light
really like it, it's light, compact and easy to use
Light, Compact
light very easey to carry in top pocket or purse[handbag
low light
Slim, compact
Slim and easy to put in pocket

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size

2

Too high pixel count for sensor size
little zoon
Loss of high ISO image size

Large variety of scene modes
Image quality Size Screen size and clarity

Fujifilm FinePix F50FD Reviews Analysis

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