FujiFilm F40fd

Steve Klett — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:27:50 -0600

If you are all about achieving the highest possible image quality (even at the expense of other features), Fuji’s F40fd is the camera in this roundup for you.

Images were noticeably sharper and slightly more vivid—with less noise at high ISO speeds—than those produced by the other cameras reviewed here. You can expect to get nice 5x7 prints at 800 ISO. This quality comes with a bit of a performance trade-off, as the F40 was more sluggish in shot-to-shot performance, and the 3-second startup time is nearly twice as slow as that of the other cameras reviewed here. And unfortunately, the F40 does not offer optical image-stabilization.

Like the 780 and W80, the F40 has effective face-detection. However, unlike those two cameras, the F40’s may be used in playback mode as well—you can use it to take a quick look at up to 10 faces in a picture to make sure no one has their eyes closed or is sticking out their tongue.

Of the three cameras tested here, the F40 has the most solid-feeling construction. And the 2.5-inch LCD was the nicest, too. And, the F40 also lets you use both SD and xD memory cards.

Unfortunately, slow performance and the lack of image stabilization mar what is otherwise a very solid camera.v

Fujifilm FinePix V10

Steve Klett — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:11:23 -0500

Are digital cameras now headed in the direction of “smartphones”? gotta wonder when you hear about a point-and-shoot camera games—what’s next, a camera that makes phone calls?

OK, we jest, but if you spent some time with Fujifilm’s FinePix V10, you wouldn’t blame us. As a camera, this is a very capable, very user-friendly, very stylish, compact point-and-shooter. It takes nice 5.1 megapixel photos at ISO speeds up to 1600, thanks to its aggressive, and effective, noisereduction capabilities (though, you’ll still be happiest with images shot at 400 ISO and below).

Its large 3-inch LCD is bright, sharp, and almost makes up for the absence of a traditional viewfinder. The LCD real estate is put to good use, offering a 30-thumbnail display and a useful Post Shot Assist mode that shows the last three snaps alongside the live viewfinder window.

The camera gains up nicely in low-light situations but can still be problematic in bright sunlight. The V10’s a relatively snappy performer, too, with shot-to-shot intervals of less than 2 seconds; plus it offers several burst-mode options, and its 10-step, 3.4x optical zoom lens is smooth, quick, and quiet. The only real glaring chink in the V10’s shiny armor is its lackluster battery life—ours needed a recharge before we hit 100 shots. This is no doubt due to the fancy-pants LCD, and the games, which, quite frankly, are a gimmick.

The camera sports four titles: Number Puzzle, Block Buster, Maze, and Shooting Game (yes, those are the real names.) All of them are more frustrating than fun to play using the camera’s controls, which thankfully are excellent for the V10’s true calling—picture-taking. Photogs can safely ignore the games and focus on the camera’s manual controls, which allow you to quickly and easily perform exposure compensation and white balance tweaks. And the V10 includes a healthy stable of scene presets, covering just about every imaginable shooting condition from nighttime to sports.

The games might be disposable, but the V10’s capabilities are very worthy of consideration—just make sure you also consider an extra battery, or two.

Month Reviewed: October 2006

VERDICT: 8

URL: www.fujifilmusa.com

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FujiFilm F40fd

Fujifilm FinePix V10