Fujifilm FinePix F700 Review

Review based on a production FinePix F700

Back in January 2003 Fujifilm announced a new type of image sensor called SuperCCD SR, this new sensor was set to revolutionize digital cameras by extending their dynamic range so that highlights would be maintained and bringing photo reproduction even closer to film. This new sensor achieves extending dynamic range by having to photodiodes at each photosite location, one large photodiode which captures the majority of the dynamic range (much like a normal digital camera photodiode), a second much smaller photodiode which is less sensitive and captures mostly highlight detail. The information from the two photodiodes is combined to deliver extended dynamic range.

The FinePix F700 was announced just before PMA 2003 in February approximately a month after the announcement of the sensor, this new camera is the first to feature the SuperCCD SR sensor. After this announcement things got complicated, the F700 was delayed not once but twice, first in April for 'Summer' and then at the end of June for 'October'. I'm glad to report that we now have a full production FinePix F700 and can therefore bring you this review.

SuperCCD SR: Frames from slideshow presentation

Note that the slides below are from a Fujifilm presentation given to UK journalists.

SuperCCD SR structure diagram, one microlens, one color filter, two photodiodes per photosite	SuperCCD SR designed to replicate negative film by having two photodiodes of different sensitivity
Primary photodiode has high sensitivity but a relatively narrow dynamic range, captures dark and medium tones	Secondary photodiode has low sensitivity but high dynamic range, four times that of the high sensitivity photodiode
Camera's DSP processor combines the output from the two sets of photodiodes to produce the final 'extended dynamic range' image	The time flow of capture, both photodiodes are exposed at the same time, primary is read first, secondary is read last
Simulated advantage of SuperCCD SR	Simulated advantage of SuperCCD SR

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. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. 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.

This article is Copyright 2003 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey