Missed Goodie?
Written: Dec 03 '04
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Pros: Build Quality; Style; Fast Timing; Good Zoom Range; Accurate AF; Accurate Metering; Superb Image Quality.
Cons: xD Card!; CAs of Lens; No 6M Fine Jpeg Mode; Learning Curve of Control Interface.
The Bottom Line: Have a look at it, then you won't regret to have missed out a real goodie!
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| ricehigh's Full Review: FUJIFILM FinePix F810 Digital Camera |
I have a dilemma for months for choosing the best P&S DC with more advanced controls for myself. This dilemma has finally been solved last week when I got my Fujifilm F810! I went to the shops and tried it against the more eye-catching Canon S70 and Pentax 750Z etc. and compared the sample photos in review sites such as dpreview and Steve's digicams etc. as well as internet forums where end-users posted their photos. The decision was really quite easy shortly afterwards. Although the F810 only got a "recommended" rating at dpreview, I found it has the following advantages over one or more of many other "more famous" cameras in its class. Of course, I think the F810 should belong to the top 6M class advanced amateur P&S DC:-
1. Superb built quality
I simply couldn't help when I first held this small, compact and rigid magnesium alloy body (yes, it is made of the more expensive magnesium alloy!). I also put the Fuji E550 in my hands but I found it felt cheaply plasticky and large. Anyway, the E550 got a "Highly Recommended" rating at dpreview. However, I don't find the price difference between the two is big, at least at the shops I could find them both;
2. Compactness
It is really compact in size and light in weight for a DC in its class. The battery capacity is indeed relatively small, though. It uses the same battery as most smaller super-thin pocketables such as those offers from Casio and Pentax. By the way, I think the CIPA specification of 115 shots is just fine for me. Furthermore, I had also bought an extra original Fuji NP-40 spare battery for emergency backup;
3. Extremely fast system response times
I think its startup time is just around one second or less! The zooming action is swift but can be stopped nearly at once. The time lag when pressing the shutter release button is extremely short, which can be felt especially when the AF has been achieved and held first;
4. Excellent AF performance and options
The AF is very fast and it has the option of continuous AF at a touch of a dedicated button located at the front left side of the camera body. It is a thoughtful design indeed and the button is easily accessible by the left hand. As almost all other DCs, it has multi-AF points for automatic AF point selection by the camera and I found that the selected point is fairly accurate and the time lag for selection is also quite small. Last but not least and most importantly, I found that the AF is quite accurate from the pictures I took;
5. Ideal zoom range
The lens is equivalent to film format's 32.5mm to 130mm (f/2.8-5.6) (against 28-100/F2.8-5.6 of S70, 38-180/F2.8-4.6 of 750Z, 38-190/F2.8-4.8 of the Olympus C-7000). The barrel distortion at 32mm is a little bit obvious, though. But I doubt that if others would be better at the widest side for a P&S DC of its class;
6. Low noise
Its noise at ISO 80 and 100 is almost undetectable. My taken photos of the blue sky show how low the noise level is. At ISO 200/400, it really has an edge over the others. My personal test found that my 810's 200 is something like the 800 of my DSLR - very good for a P&S DC. Most importantly, the F810's noise reduction, if any, is good enough to preserve picture fine details, without destroying them or impose somethings which look fake. I suspect this should be the contribution of the larger 1/1.7" SuperCCD sensor and Fuji's superior processing technology;
7. Good flash photos
I got very satisfactory flash and indoor ambient light shots, especially compared with the S70. I like the manual control pop-up auto flash which means I can have easier and more convenient control on using the flash or not at a touch of button;
8. Good outdoor image quality too
I have shooted more outdoor shots these few days and found that the colours for the sky and trees, skin tone are superb. The resolving power is good. I had a real big surprise in finding how this little camera's ability to handling and reproducing highlights and shadows with accurate metering;
9. Good video (and recorded sound) quality
It has the option of 640*480 30fps video with sound, with unlimited recording time until the card is full. Its video and sound quality are both satisfactory, except that it will consume nearly 1M per second of storage space which means a 512M card will become exhausted in less than 10 minutes.
10. The price
Finally, the price also has an advantage. The cheapest price I could get a F810 is $382, the S70 is $442, and the 750Z is $472.
The Cons?
Well, so far I have "praised" much about my F810, I think I would need to point out some negative things in order to have a balanced review. The only gripes for me about my F810 are:-
1. I needed to purchase the more expensive xD card with less maximum capacity. I got a Fuji 512M at $95. It seems to be acceptable but still quite expensive when compared to price of widely available SD and CF cards which also have larger maximum sizes.
2. I needed to adopt to the Fuji's characterised control menus and buttons of my 810. Whilst it is not as easy and as understandable as those from some others and I need to remember the "hidden" function of particular buttons, it does offer quicker access for some functions, e.g. metering, focusing, flash options and histogram review, etc. Indeed, the menu and control system should also be regarded as a con when one have learnt how to use it.
3. The lens has some CAs (color fringes) and flare control is not superb. The CA sometimes even appear in the center as yellow and blue borders across extremely high contrast objects but it is only marginally visible at my 15" monitor when viewed full screen. At the corners, the CA appears as purples which would appear thick under some situations, but not all.
4. There is no low compression (fine) option for the 6M jpeg setting. As the CCD sensor is a 6M sensor physically, this 6M fine jpeg option should be made available as a natural option. However, it hasn't. Nevertheless, the 12M SuperCCD-ed fine jpeg option is also good enough and its marginally extra resolution may worth the "a little more" extra storage space. :-)
The Bottom Line?
I was previously not even to care of considering the Fujis and overlooked this superb F810, not until someone told me to have a look at it. I have tried the S70 and 750Z several times but still they couldn't attract me to buy them but for the 810, I only tried it once and then I loved it! So, how many peoples would have missed this overlooked goodie just like me before?
For more information and pictures (design and operations, lab test results, etc.) about the F810, see the well-known dpreview link here:-
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf810/
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 382
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional
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Epinions.com ID:
ricehigh
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Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 2 members
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