Fujifilm FinePix F100fd First Impressions Summary
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is the newest in the company’s line of face detecting digital cameras. As the flagship, it comes with 12 megapixels and the third generation of Fuj's face detection system, which now recognize faces no matter where they’re looking, and does it faster than previous F-series cameras. The Fujifilm F100fd has a longer 5x optical zoom lens. It has the same dual image stabilization and IrSimple wireless transfer technology that is included on the F50fd, this camera’s predecessor. The F100fd will retail for $379 when it goes on sale in
Overall Impressions
Value
The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd was announced on Jan. 24 to sell for $379, a price that seems high compared to other cameras put out by Fujifilm. It seems they have a whole army of cameras that sell for less than $200. The 12-megapixel Fuji F50fd has many of the same features, but comes with a shorter 3x lens and an older version of face detection. It has a big price cut, though, retailing at $299. To its credit, the F100fd crams a lot of newer pricier technology such as face detection, image stabilization, and red-eye removal.
Comparison to the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd
The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd has the same 12 megapixels as the newer model, but has the older version of face detection. It still recognizes up to 10 faces, but doesn’t do it as quickly as the F100fd and can’t recognize profiles and the full 360-degree range of a face like the new model. The F50fd has the same IrSimple wireless transfer technology and many of the same exposure modes, and even has dual image stabilization. They have the same 2.7-inch LCD screen, but the older camera has a shorter 3x optical zoom lens. Surprisingly, the F50fd has a faster 2 fps Burst mode. It sells for much less at $299, and there are trade-offs going both ways.
Who It’s For
- Point-and-Shooters – The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is small enough to fit in a pocket and has way more performance features than the average compact digital camera. Perk: it’s easy to use, too.
- Budget Consumers – The $379 price tag makes this camera one of the most expensive Fujifilm FinePix digital cameras on the market.
- Gadget Freaks – These consumers will be pleased to hear that face detection can now track faces at a full 360 degrees: something new to show off to fellow geeks.
- Manual Control Freaks – Manual controls are included, but they aren’t as easy to access as on a DSLR. But it's still a plus that they are there when needed.
- Pros/ Serious Hobbyists – Compact digital cameras are unlikely to attract pros or hobbyists, but if they are searching for a small vacation companion the F100fd might be the one they’re looking for. Previous F-series cameras have tested well in our image quality tests, so we expect good things from the F100fd.
Conclusion
Likes
- 57 MB internal memory
- Longer 5x lens
- Fast face detection
- Rotary dial
- IrSimple wireless transfer
Dislikes
- Boring design
- Poor handling
- Transfer one image at a time
- Non-intuitive virtual dial
The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd comes with a larger image sensor than its predecessor but the same 12 megapixels. It also improves upon the F50fd with a longer 5x optical zoom lens and a new version of face detection. Even on the pre-production model we looked at on the floor, these features were impressive. The 5x lens is a welcome change from the short 3x, and the dual image stabilization complements the lens nicely. The F100fd’s face detection quickly find faces and tracks them accurately, even when they turn, look up, or lean forward. The features on the F100fd are really cool, but the design feels all wrong. The mode dial on the F50fd turns into a virtual mode dial on the F100fd. It also places the menus on a position of the virtual mode dial, adding yet another step to access them. Scrolling down with your thumb to access something that is visually placed above where you are is not very intuitive, either. The graphic user interface is a step down, and the boring body design doesn’t help this FinePix’s case. In the end, the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd’s interface makes it too difficult to access all of its cool features. Perhaps FujiFilm will do some things to make the F100fd's features easier to use in the final version of the camera, but as it stands now, if you can’t access them easily, what use are these features?
