Fujifilm Finepix F200 EXR Review

Fujifilm won a great many fans with its F30 and F31fd models, which combined slightly larger than average sensors containing fewer pixels than their competitors with some clever image processing, to produce some of the best high ISO images we'd ever seen from a compact camera. In fact, three years later, there are very few compacts we can think of that do a better job once the sun goes down.

While playing lip-service to the needs of low-light photography (and continuing to produce cameras whose processing give them a slight edge over their contemporaries), Fujifilm didn't appear to make further progress in the direction the F30 had pioneered. With the F200 EXR, Fujifilm seems to suggest that it wants to regain its low-light crown, based on a novel sensor technology it has developed (explained on the next page). In a time when compact cameras are becoming increasingly commoditized, it's interesting to see a company trying to use more than just marketing to differentiate its products.

And, even without its EXR cleverness, the F200 EXR is still a fairly well specified camera. It has one of the largest sensors used in any compact camera (it's a 1/1.6" type, which means it has a surface area of around 0.45cm²) combined with a lens that offers a very useful range, equivalent to 28-140mm in 35mm film terms. To put this in perspective, most DSLRs are supplied with lenses covering a roughly 28-85mm range. It's not the fastest (brightest) lens in the world but it's not excessively slow compared to its peers.

The F200 also offers image stabilization, which is one of the best features for ensuring consistently sharp images, along with modes that allow a reasonable amount of control over the camera and ones that take care of everything for you.

• 12MP Super CCD EXR sensor with 6MP dynamic range and high sensitivity modes
• Dual Image Stabilization (High sensitivity + CCD shift)
• 5.0x optical zoom (28-140mm equiv)
• 3.0-inch TFT screen with 230.000 dots
• ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution
• 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 priority modes

Changes over the F100fd

Looking at the differences between the F100fd and the F200 EXR (if you can find them), you very quickly come to the conclusion that the F200 EXR is essentially an F100fd with a clever new sensor inserted. This is no bad thing, since the F100fd was a pretty popular camera and change of sensor may well address the most discussed shortcoming (pink banding appearing in high-ISO shooting).

	Fujifilm F200 EXR	Fujifilm F100fd
Sensor	• 1/1.6 Super CCD EXR • 12 million effective pixels	• 1/1.6 Super CCD VIII HR • 12 million effective pixels
Lens	• 28-140 mm (35mm equiv) • 5x optical zoom • F3.3 - 5.1	• 28-140mm (35mm equiv) • 5x optical zoom • F3.3 - 5.1
Digital zoom	Up to 4.4x	Up to 8.2x
Maximum Image Size	4000 x 3000	4000 x 3000
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 100-12800 • Up to ISO 3200 at full res	• Auto • ISO 100-12800 • Up to ISO 3200 at full res
Continuous Shooting	1.4 fps max 3 images 5.0 fps max 12 images at 3MP	1.7 fps max 3 images 5.0 fps max 12 images at 3MP
Shutter speed	8 - 1/1500 sec	8 - 1/1500 sec
Flash range, Auto ISO	Up to 4.3m (wide)	Up to 4.3m (wide)
LCD screen	• 3.0-inch TFT • 230,000 pixels	• 3.0-inch TFT • 230,000 pixels
Battery life (CIPA standard, using LCD)	230	230
Image stabilization	Dual-IS (High ISO + CCD Shift)	Dual-IS (High ISO + CCD Shift)
Face detection	Version 3.0	Version 3.0
Movie mode	25fps	25fps
Dimensions	98 x 59 x 23mm (3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9in)	98 x 59 x 23mm (3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9in)
Other	EXR modes: HR - Resolution priority SN - High ISO and low noise DR - D-Range priority

FinePix F200 EXR specifications

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

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