Fujifilm FinePix F50 SE, A Powerful Point-And-Shoot Camera
I’m always on the hunt for the ultimate, point-and-shoot compact camera that I can carry around in my pocket when I don’t want to bring out the big Canon 5D. I’ve owned several Canon PowerShots going all the way back to the S400 and I’ve even had a Panasonic Lumix. All have been fine cameras, but I’ve had my eye on the Fujifilm FinePix series for a while, especially after hearing how well they do in low light. Well I may have just found my perfect compact camera, the new Fujifilm FinePix F50 SE.
The odd thing is that the F50 SE is not listed on the Fujifilm website, but appears to be the same camera as the F50 FD. Both Amazon and B&H list the F50 FD only, showing that it is not yet shipping. I purchased the F50 SE at a Best Buy in San Francisco, so it may be a special edition for retail stores (my guess is that SE = Special Edition). I’ll need to do some more research on that.
The Fujifilm FinePix F50 SE is a 12MP Super CCD camera that is able to go up to 3200 ISO at 6MP and 6400 ISO at 3MP (however always try to stay under 400 ISO), as well as auto ISO which you can limit to 400, 800 and 1600. It has a dual image stabilization system (both mechanical and digital) and a face detection system that even works at an angle (up to 10 faces). It has a full manual mode, aperture priority mode, an natural mode for optimal non-flash shooting and even a natural + flash mode that shoots two photos at once, with and without a flash.
Here are the full camera specs from Fujifilm and a write-up from DP Review.
A bonus feature I found is that it comes with 25MB of built in storage. I had accidentally left my SD card at home one day and shot a couple of photos. Annoyed that I had left the card behind, I was surprised to discover later that the camera had in fact save those photos.
One thing that had keep me from buying Fujifilm FinePix cameras in the past was that some of the models only used the less common xD card format. The F50’s card slot is compatible with xD, SD and even SDHC. Oh and the price of the F50 is $299, which is a much less than similar cameras made by Canon or Panasonic.
I’ve only taken a few photos with the F50 so far, but here are some examples. I have my Flickr account setup to show EXIF data and you can view larger versions of the photos as well. So far I’m pretty impressed with how well it does in low light compared to the previous point-and-shoot cameras I’ve owned.
Overall, this is a really great pocket sized point-and-shoot camera and my long search might finally be over. I’ll be testing it out over the next few months, so if you want to see more examples, just keep any eye on my Flickr stream. The F50 is too new to show up on Flickr’s Camera Finder, but it should show up there in the near future. When it does, you’ll be able to check out examples from other users as well.
UPDATE 1: Ii looks that the only difference between SE and FD is the camera’s finish.
UPDATE 2: If you have questions about the F50 or are looking for more feedback, try checking out the Fuji Talk forum at dpreview.com
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on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Hmm, I’ll have to check that out. I’ve been on the low light point-n-shoot search as well.
We just got a Lumix TZ3 which I wasn’t initially happy with, but it’s good for zooming in on birds (the reason I bought it for Lori) and the widescreen video quality is actually amazing if there’s enough light.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
That looks like a nice deal! My HP607 has lasted 2.5 years and about 14,000 photos… I am thinking about replacing it, but also am thinking about a digital SLR (my Pentax SLR died in July).
Any recommendations on dSLR cameras? I’d *love* to consider Pentax so I can use all my glass.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
An SE is no different from an fd, basically. Possible difference in finish - gun metal vs. silver.
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/fuji-finepix-f20_question.html?qid=9043
Looks like a great little cam.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I’m in the market for a new ultra-compact and was just about to take the plunge on the Canon SD870IS, but now I’m reconsidering thanks to your review.
I downloaded the “original” sizes of the photos from your Flickr acct, but I noticed that the resolution of the original was generally quite small (1200×1000). Are you shooting on a setting that is less than the maximum resolutions. If so, do you have a few photos taken on the max resolution that perhaps you wouldn’t mind sending me? If not, no worries. Thanks for writing the great review.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Andrew, the original images are much larger, I just limit the size of what I post on Flickr. I don’t have the resources to send photos to individual people, pretty much everything I shoot is posted to Flickr. You may want to check dpreview.com for some larger images.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I rather the earlier FF such as the F30, F20 etc
The high MP is to much for the sensor
This is what happens when the marketing dept. runs a company!
Also, not enough zoom, should be 6x or 7x ANN not wide enough, we are at 28mm guys.
FAIL
NOT good enough FF!!
Cheers
mp
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Have you tested the new Canon Powershot G9? It’s 12MP, shoots RAW, and is just awesome.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Nick, I own a G7 which is nice (the predecessor to the G9), but it is a bit big. The key for me is something compact enough that it can easily fit in your pocket.
on Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Thanks, Scott. Coolness. I need to get another camera before too long. it’s great to get the tip from a pro. ;))
on Thursday, September 13th, 2007 at 2:11 am
Glad to hear that they’ve finally moved away from xD and standardized on SD - I’ve been following their low-light compact models for a couple of years now and that’s always been one of the annoying drawbacks.
-/\/
on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I noticed on your example shot that in the CU and MCU headshots, the foreground faces are in softer focus than the background. Did you do that on purpose or is that a function of the camera?
on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Bee, the auto focus was on as well as the face detection, so that might be what you are seeing.
on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
What fstop and shutter speed were used for the photo titled “4th and King Street”? Was this handheld or done with a tripod. I bought a Fujifilm F50se today from Best Buy and think it takes very sharp photos when there is adequate lighting. However, I cannot take a photo like “4th and King Street” without a tripod. Am I missing something?
on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Andrew, I mention this in my write-up. All of my EXIF data is available with each Flickr photo. This includes fstop, shutter speed, ISO, etc.
All of my photos are hand held. I never use a tripod, but if I did, then I would just bring the good camera. The whole appeal of the F50 for me is that it is a compact camera that fits in my pocket.
on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Nice early look at the Fuji F50! I saw your review mentioned in the dpreview forums. I totally agree with your comments on the xD cards, it opens up the camera to more people!
Fuji sometimes muddies the waters by tweaking model names, eg the F45fd is just a blue version of the F40fd.
This is definitely an interesting camera to watch and see how it compares noise wise with the other non-SuperCCD 12 megapixel cameras and also with Fuji’s previous 6mp and 8mp/9mp. Some people were also talking about comparing teh F50fd at 6mp with the F31fd.
on Saturday, September 22nd, 2007 at 4:34 am
As a fan of the F11 and F31, I was worried that 12MP might introduce noise that wasn’t there on the 6.3MP.
The only things I thought were lacking on the F11 and 31 were:
1. RAW
2. Wide angle (28mm would be nice, 24mm would be great)
And that’s it. Neither have been addressed in this version, although I’m still intrigued. Thanks for the review and pics.
One question: given this is (presumably) a larger CCD than the F11/31, do know if the DoF is affected? I.e. does f2.8 extend a long way back? I love have AP control, but it’s not of much value where DoF, especially on compacts, is very deep anyway.
on Saturday, October 13th, 2007 at 8:22 am
I doubt the sensor size difference would make a big difference in DOF since they only went from 1/1.7″ to 1/1.6″ which is a relatively small delta considering how bigger APS-C and 35mm film are.
on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 7:26 am
I’ve read a few review about this camera, and apparently noise appears at 400 iso and even at 200!!!! And that what I don’t want!!!! Do you think that is true?
on Saturday, October 20th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Does the F50 have any sort of histogram display or flashing highlights on the LCD for overexposed/underexposed pixels?
on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 at 3:33 am
Hi, Is this camera much better than the kodak v603. I dont realy read up about cameras and i do not really know much about this and that. Is there a difference is the shutter speed in the two cameras, kodak v603 and this finepix camera? and is it easy to use? and whats good abt this camera compared to the kodak. Thanks so much(:
It would be great if you could reply me thru email. Thanks
Kodak V603 website
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/31/8803/8805&pq-locale=en_US
on Friday, October 26th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I just ordered one today. :)
I’ve done a lot of research on the net, comparing this camera with various Canon types in same league. I’m confident that this lil puppy will go a LONG way for the price, in terms of usability, performance, and features, than any Canon model would at their higher prices.
Don’t buy into negative comments about this camera, just read the specs on it, they speak volumes. :)
on Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 9:25 am
I bought this camera in September (from a Best Buy in Houston, TX) when my old Finepix (6.1 MP) crapped out. I LOVE it!! I have been looking online for the underwater case for this camera, but have been unable to locate it. If you run across this accessory, please let me know as I am going to Cozumel in March and would love to test it out.
on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
i have seen the underwater case for the F50 at
o three wetsuits in portland dorset uk
on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 7:43 am
I just got this cam for christmas and was going to return it (I have the canon sd1000) but after reading your review and seeing your pics, i think i will it a try.
Thanks
on Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I Have seen this camera in Bestbuy for weeks, and it kept calling for me. Finally after researching all the reviews in many websites, I decided to give the cam a new home. Thanks for all the info.
on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
The review failed to enclose at least one true full blown 12 mpxl sample to convince readers of the camera, very disappointed with those pointless and useless flikr samples.
on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Jarhea, I don’t work for Fujifilm, so I have no reason to try to connivence people to buy this camera. Also this is not a review, just my impressions of the F50. If you are looking for camera reviews, I recommend dpreview.com.
on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 3:20 am
I am searching for a second compact camera, near my dSLR.
Initially I whanted to buy a Canon Ixus, but after reading your posts I changed my mind. I whanted to order a Finepix F50fd, when I found about the new F100fd. I cannot find any review about the F100. It has 28-140mm equivalent, but only F3.3 – F5.1.
Now I am really cofused and I don’t know whith one to choose.
on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Hi,
which setting would you suggest to use for the best concert pictures?
thank you!
on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I got a problem whit my Fujifil finepix F50 SE because i dont know why i can’t take pictures with flash.
Some tips to solve the problem please.
Tanks