Fujifilm FinePix E550 Zoom Review

October 2004 | Simon Joinson

Review based on a production Fujifilm FinePix E550 Zoom

The FinePix E550 Zoom was announced at the end of July 2004. The E550 is essentially the same camera as the FinePix F810 (see note below) in a less expensive plastic body, and without the widescreen LCD or 16:9 shooting mode, AA batteries instead of a Li-Ion pack and USB 1.1 rather than 2.0. The E550's sensor is the fourth generation of the now well-established Super CCD technology, offering 12.3MP output from 6.3 million effective pixels. Like the F810 the new camera offers a 4x optical zoom (32.5-130mm equiv.), fast operation and a fairly comprehensive array of manual controls in a compact, traditionally-styled body.

Newly-developed 1/1.7- inch Super CCD HR sensor with 6.3 million effective pixels (delivering 12.3 million recorded pixels)
Wide angle 4x optical zoom lens (32.5mm - 130mm equiv.)
High resolution 2.0-inch LCD
Full range of exposure controls (P/S/A/M)
Wide range of ISO settings (80/100/200/400/800)
VGA movie recording at 30 fps with sound
RAW file format
Fast start-up and operation

Important note

This review is an adaptation of the previously published Fujifilm FinePix F810 review. The E550 Zoom shares an identical lens/sensor (this is a single sealed unit) and image processor as the F810 Zoom, and is functionally identical save for external differences and the lack of a widescreen mode or USB 2. The differences are shown below. Our tests revealed that the E550 produced identical results to the F810 under all circumstances, so some sections of this review - including some (though not all) of the image quality tests - feature results from the F810, not the E550. Wherever this is the case the review notes will make it clear.

Fujifilm FinePix F810 vs E550 (differences)

	Fujifilm FinePix F810	Fujifilm FinePix E550
LCD Screen Size	• 2.1-inch (16:9 widescreen ) • 173,000 pixels	• 2.0- inch (4:3) • 154,000 pixels
Widescreen shooting mode (16:9)	Yes	No
C-AF button	Yes	No
Camera Size (mm)	109.5 x 54.0 x 29.0	105 x 63 x 34.4
Power source	Lithium-Ion rechargeable	2x AA
Weight (inc batt/card)	220g	260g
Battery Life*	115 frames	200 frames (2300 mAh batteries)
Body Material	Metal	Plastic
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 • A/V out • DC-IN	• USB 1.1 • A/V out • DC-IN
Autofocus illuminator	Yes	No
PictureCradle dock	Included	Optional
Add-on lens compatibility?	No	Yes
Street Price	• US: $499 • UK: £340	• US: $350 • UK: £300

* According to the CIPA standard procedure for measuring digital camera battery consumption

FujiFilm FinePix E550 Zoom key specifications

Street price	• US: $350 • UK: £300
Body Material	Plastic
Sensor	• 1/1.7" Super CCD HR • 6.3 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 4048 x 3040 • 2848 x 2136 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480
Movie clips	Standard mode: • 640 x 480 pixels @ 30 fps • 320 x 240 pixels @ 30 fps • Motion JPEG (.avi) • With monaural sound (WAVE)
Lens	• Fujinon 32.5 - 130mm equiv. (4x optical zoom) • F2.8 - F5.6
Focus	• TTL contrast-type Autofocus • 49 area multi AF (auto or manual select) • Center AF • Manual focus
Focus range	• Normal: 60 cm - infinity • Macro: 7.5 cm to 80 cm
Shutter speed	3 - 1/2000 sec
Aperture	• F 2.8 - F 8 - ten steps at wideangle • F 5.6 - F8.4 - 4 steps at telephoto in 1/3 EV increments Manual/Auto selectable
Shooting mode	• Auto • Shutter priority • Aperture priority • Program • Portrait • Landscape • Sports • Night scene • AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Color Modes	• B&W • Chrome • Standard
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 (resolution set at 3MP)
White balance	• Auto • Manual • Fluorescent Light (warm white) • Fluorescent Light (cool white) • Incandescent Light • Custom
Image parameters	• 'F Color': B&W, Chrome (high saturation), Standard • Sharpness (3 levels)
Continuous	• 3fps up to 4 frames (top 4 or final 4) • 1.6 fps up to 40 frames (2MP resolution only)
Flash	• Built-in pop-up flash • Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, On/Off, Slow Synch, Red-eye reduction + Slow Synch • Range: (wide) 4.5 m, (tele) 2.2 m • Flash brightness adjustment (-0.6 to +0.6 EV in 0.3EV steps)
Storage	• xD-Picture Card • 16MB included *
Viewfinder	• Real Image Optical
LCD monitor	• 2.0" Polysilicon TFT • 154,000 pixels
Connectivity	• USB • A/V out • DC-IN
Power	• 2 x AA (NiMH recommended) • Batteries and charger included* • AC adaptor optional
In the box*	• 2x AA NiMH rechargeable battery • Battery Charger • AV cable • Strap • 16MB xD-Picture Card • USB cable • CD-ROM • PictureCradle adaptor (to be used with optional PictureCradle CP-FXA10)
Other features	• RAW mode • Playback histogram • Voice memos • DPOF, Exif Print and PictBridge compatible • Multi, Spot and Average Metering • Autofocus Illuminator • Optional TL-FXE01 1.94x Tele Conversion Lens • Optional WL-FXE01 0.76x Wide Conversion Lens
Weight (inc batt)	260 g (9.2 oz)
Dimensions	105× 63× 34.4mm (4.1× 2.5 × 1.4 in)

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

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).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

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DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

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