Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I received this camera a week ago and have been very impressed with it so far. I had previously bought a Panasonic FX150 in December but returned it after 2 weeks due to horrible ISO400 performance and too much noise on the lower ISO settings as well. I had high hopes for this camera as I wanted a camera that could achieve good low light shots but thought something like the Panasonic LX3 was too big and too limiting with it's short zoom.
Before going into the many positives of this camera I want to express my only major negative with this camera and that is its ability to select the correct ISO setting for each shot. When shooting indoors in low to average light or when shooting with the flash the camera tends to choose a much higher ISO then needed resulting in shots with more noise then there should be. There is no reason for an image stabilized camera to select ISO800 with a shutter speed of 1/80 or faster when there is no movement in the frame. While this happens across all modes on the F200EXR it is more extreme in EXR Auto. I did a quick test with the camera taking two shots in P mode, EXR SN and EXR Auto seconds apart. P mode and EXR SN selected ISO200 while EXR Auto selected ISO400. In reality ISO100 would have been fine for this shot but the ISO200 shots still looked very good. I have even had shots where ISO400 would have been adequate but EXR Auto selected ISO1600! Thankfully in most modes you can set a max ISO to keep the setting better under control, EXR Auto is unfortunately always stuck in full Auto ISO. The one good thing to keep in mind here though is that the F200EXR's ISO400 performance is better then almost any other P&S out there so while it still might show some noise it will look almost as good as ISO200 on most of the cameras in its class. If EXR Auto is the main selling point for you then skip this camera. If you want one of the best cameras on the market right now then keep reading.
Now there are a lot of positives to this camera, many of which have already been discussed in other reviews so I won't go on forever about them. The screen is great and the camera feels solid in your hands. The menu system is a little strange but it's pretty easy to figure out once you get used to it. I am really just going to focus on image quality though. One of the best things about this camera is its EXR sensor that allows for 6MP images to be taken with low noise or increased dynamic range. While some may think 6MP isn't enough, don't believe the marketing hype. For 95% of the people out there 6MP is plenty and lower noise or increased dynamic range are far more useful then 12MP images. This lower noise is apparent across the board but is especially noticeable in how clean and detailed ISO400 and many ISO800 shots turn out on this camera. For web and 4x6 printing you will be hard pressed to find much difference in shots taken between ISO100 and ISO400 while in a true rarity for the class many ISO800 shots as well.
In my use I have found the secret to the best quality images from this camera is to avoid the EXR mode entirely and use P mode with the image size set to 6MP. While the instructions make it seem like the EXR sensor is only used when the mode dial is on EXR my results indicate that EXR is used anytime the image size is set to 6MP. For instance ISO100 with a DR of 400 would only be possible if EXR is used and this is possible in P mode (or M mode for that matter) as long as image size is set to 6MP. The setting I use for most shots is P mode, 6MP, DR set to Auto and ISO set to Auto (400). This keeps the ISO in a reasonable range and still allows the camera to take advantage of the EXR sensor. When shooting at night or in low light I will just adjust the ISO to Auto (800) to allow for a greater ISO range.
Overall I can't say enough positive things about this camera. Sure it would be nice if it had HD video or a higher resolution screen but those aren't required to take fantastic pictures. The automatic ISO performance is disappointing and the EXR Auto mode even more so but as I stated above there are plenty of work arounds. Sure the camera isn't perfect but I think for anyone willing to adjust some settings themselves will discover a P&S with some of the best all around image quality around.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom
Fujifilm's FinePix F200EXR digital camera introduces the world to Super CCD EXR technology. Combining the 12-megapixel, Super CCD EXR with a powerful Fujinon 5.0x wide angle optical zoom lens and a larger 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD, the FinePix F200EXR is Fujifilm's most advanced compact digital camera yet. In addition to the new Super CCD EXR sensor, the F200EXR offers the most advanced technologies available, including Dynamic Range Bracketing, Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection 3.0, and ISO settings of up to an unprecedented ISO 12800, allowing you to capture any shot, any place and at any time with the lowest noise signature to date. With EXR AUTO, the F200EXR recognizes the subject and scene, and automatically decides the optimum EXR shooting mode.With three options of Fine Capture Technology with High Resolution, Pixel Fusion Technology for High Sensitivity and Low Noise, and Dual Capture Technology for Wide Dynamic Range--that users can also select manually--the camera combines the best of EXR selectable sensor modes with SR Auto Automatic Scene Recognition.
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