Fujifilm FinePix F50fd review

Fujifilm FinePix F50fd Review

Reviewed by: Rich Trenholm

Reviewed on: 24 October 2007

Fujifilm set the bar high for compact digital cameras with the Fujifilm F31 and the F40fd. As such, there are high expectations for the FinePix F50fd, the latest in the F series. It looks good on paper, with a 12-megapixel sensor, mechanical image stabilisation and a decent-sized screen, but is it worth the £170 price tag?

Design
The F50fd's all-silver styling is fairly anonymous, with the biggest styling cue being a curve to the right shoulder of the camera, and a slightly raised ridge for holding the camera at the front. The black back of the F50fd is good for viewing photos against on the large 69mm (2.7-inch), high-resolution LCD screen.

The F50fd is solidly built, and quite heavy, although there is some flex in the body when you press the power button. Buttons are a good size and well laid-out. We're not keen on high-ISO buttons placed temptingly next to the shutter button, but if the ISO performance of the F50fd is anywhere near as good as the F40fd we'll let Fuji off. The only real complaint about the design is that the mode selection wheel is too flat and difficult to turn.

Features
One of our only quibbles with the F40fd was the lack of mechanical image stabilisation. The F50fd incorporates this, shifting the sensor to compensate for the imperceptible vibrations of the hands that could lead to blurry photos.

The Fujifilm Finepix F50fd's styling is bland, but there's lots going on under the bonnet

Up to ten faces can be focused on and exposed for by Fujifilm's 'Face Detection 2.0'. This is a step above other manufacturers' face-detection systems, which cannot cope with profiles and are often confused by spectacles. The F50fd has one of the fastest face-detection features we've used, snapping to faces instantly and spotting profiles quickly in most conditions.

The choice of modes is excellent. Natural and flash mode allows you to take two pictures together, with and without flash, which is useful in the low-light situations the F50fd aims to excel in. Aperture and shutter priority are both available, allowing you to select a wide range of apertures and shutter speeds, rather than the limited options on many compacts paying lip service to these features. A full and flexible manual mode is also available, as is a capable and simple automatic setting.

The Fujifilm Finepix F50fd packs a decent-sized 69mm high-resolution LCD screen and user-friendly navigation

Any options changed can be saved to one of two custom modes, giving you quick access to your customised settings should you need to switch between modes, for example when moving between indoors and outdoors. This is an extremely useful feature that we got a great deal of use from during our testing.