Fujifilm Finepix F50fd Review

As the backup for the Fujifilm F30/F31fd, a camera that has accomplished an about allegorical cachet aback its barrage aback in 2006, the Fujifilm F50fd has some big shoes to fill. If annihilation deserves to be alleged a 'classic' camera in the shortlived apple of agenda bunched cameras it would accept to be the Fujifilm F30/F31fd. It wasn't actual pretty, it wasn't actual affection arranged and it wasn't even actual cheap. But the F30/F31fd produced some of the best after-effects we've anytime apparent in a bunched camera, and was leaps and bound advanced of all its competitors if it came to low ablaze / top ISO performance, proving that just because a camera has a babyish sensor it doesn't accept to be absolutely abortive at annihilation over ISO 400.

The F30/F31fd's outstanding achievement in low ablaze was the aftereffect of some able technology (Super CCD sensor and Real Photo Processor) on the one duke and Fujifilm's admirable abnegation to accede to the burden to attack in the 'megapixel race'. In an about different attack to optimize angel superior (rather than business potential) they bound the F30/F31fd's resolution to 6 megapixels, on a sensor that is hardly bigger than the competition's.

Although the F30 and F31fd awash in appealing appropriate numbers, proving that it is accessible to advertise a camera on angel superior rather than numbers, Fujifilm has assuredly caved beneath the burden and abutting the boilerplate with the F50fd, acceleration the F30/F31fd's pixel calculation to clasp a whopping 12 megapixel on the tiny 1/1.6in sensor.

The F50fd aswell ups the 'whiz bang' agency condsiderably, abacus a ambit of new appearance including a automated CCD-shift angel stabilization system, bigger face apprehension and a 2.7" LCD monitor. But can it bout its predecessor's aces angel superior or has Fujifilm befuddled the babyish out with the bathwater by not alone abutting the megapixel race, but traveling appropriate to the top with a abounding 12 megapixels? Let's acquisition out, starting, as ever, with the banderole specification.

• Face Detection 2.0 Technology built-in to the camera’s processor
• Dual Image Stabilization (High sensitivity + CCD shift)
• 2.7-inch TFT screen with 230.000 pixels
• ISO 1600 sensitivity at full resolution
• 12 million pixels Super CCD HR VII sensor
• 3.0x optical zoom
• IR Communication (IR simple™/IR SS™)
• VGA movie capture of 25 frames per second with sound
• Micro thumbnail view (up to 100 thumbnails visible)
• 5fps continuous mode (3MP, 12 frames max)
• Aperture and shutter priority modes