FujiFilm's FinePix F50fd 12 megapixel compact powerhouse with IrSimple

Step aside Mary Lou Retton, there's a new pint-sized powerhouse loose in the US. Meet the $300 F50fd from FujiFilm which stuffs that ridiculous 12 megapixel, 1/1.6-inch CCD into this FinePix's slim chassis with 3x optical zoom and 2.7-inch LCD in tow. The cam sports a dual-shot mode (one with and one without flash taken in rapid succession), xD/SD/SDHC expansion, and FujiFilm's v2.0 Face Detection tech, a mechanically stabilized CCD sensor and the ability to shoot at ISO 1600 at full resolution. It will also be one of the first domestic shooters to support IrSimpleShot (IrSS) high speed data transfer when it enters the US market in September. And here you thought infrared was dead you silly, silly boy.

FujiFilm's FinePix F50fd 12 megapixel compact powerhouse with IrSimple

[musicguy Posted Jul 26th 2007 3:12AM]

What a silly name... I Are Simple.... I are stupid, more like.

[guroth Posted Jul 26th 2007 4:02AM]

IR still requires line of sight, and irsimple is limited to 16mbits in its current revision; with hopes of obtaining 100mbits in the future it will still 5x slower than usb2.

[YpoCaramel Posted Jul 26th 2007 4:20AM]

The F-series was known for its low noise and ability to take usable, (relatively, for a minicam) clean pics at ISO 1600. With a 12MP sensor though, I don't really see that's possible.

[andibarnes Posted Jul 26th 2007 4:30AM]

With all this fancy (and probably unneccesary) equipment on a camera, is it too much to ask for a proper viewfinder rather than having to shoot through the screen on the back? I know dSLRs are cheap, but why do all phone companies insist on removing this?

[Magnulus Posted Jul 26th 2007 6:53PM]

Sorry to disappoint, but no compact non-DSLR ever had a "proper" viewfinder. I much prefer the LCD, which shows me exactly what I'm taking a picture of rather than a hole through the camera that gives me an approximation that grows increasingly unreliable as you move closer to your subject.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 31st 2007 9:10AM]

Consumer wants, please someone do a petition for features that manufacturers should include in there next model release.

What I want the F50fd to accomplish, alas it will not :-(
- View finder
helps to take pics in sunny places (can't see the silly LCD some times)
also you can take more pics if you are low on battery (switch off LCD)
- 7+ optical zoom (Ricoh R6 does this)
- ISO & image quality as good or better than the F31fd (not less)
- Features of F31fd, manual configurations(Aperture priority,Shutter priority)
- Aspect Ratio's: 4:3 3:2 16:9 (Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3)
- Don't care about the mega pixels war 7MP is good enough (I don't fall for mkt'ing hype) ... I want quality quality quality.
- Raw images would be nice, but I'll do with jpeg.
- Micro SDHC capable.
- Yes I'd pay ~£400 for this.

Again all these I've seen in alt. digital compact camera's ... albeit none have 'em all!!!
And no I want a compact digital camera to do these 'cos of travel is easier to carry. I'm not a pro, just a enthusiast... so I don't need the mega zoom, tripod, raw image ...etc.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 9:10AM]

Will be interesting to see results once this camera in in reviewers hands. This has a larger CCD, but is it enough to handle 12 megapixels without creating more noise then the F31fd? Time will tell, and if it performs just as well, then you can guarantee I'll be in line to get one. The F31fd is regarded as the best non-SLR available today. The F50 has a lot to live up to.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 11:26AM]

Large CCD yah 1/1.6 instead of 1/1.7 I am sure that will make a huge difference for the doubling of pixels. Freaking Fuji finally gave in to the megapixel race.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 11:26AM]

So you give me IS, but in exchange you give me these really huge files that take forever to transfer and edit, and overall the picture doesn't look any better, especially in low light? No thanks.

[Magnulus Posted Jul 26th 2007 6:54PM]

You could always just set it to 6 MPs and get the 3200 ISO and the quality we're used to from the F31 fd. That's probably what I'll be doing most of the time.

Fuji has resisted the megapixel race for a long time. Maybe they actually HAVE developed a chip that can handle the extra pixels, unlike their competition. Come september, we'll know for sure.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 11:35AM]

I have an f30, and it is the best digital point and shoot camera out there. The f31 and f40 are also great, but the f30 is just a tad better when shooting with available light.

I'm really happy to see that Fuji is continuing to make new camera's that appeal to users who want to shoot more creatively using available light...I'm an old rangefinder fan myself ;) I hope the F50fd continues with it's excellent line of shooters.

If anyone is into shooting film, with fast lens in low light, check out Fuji's Klasse and Natura models ;) Excellent cameras

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 5th 2007 8:28AM]

Just ordered one from Adorama and they sent me Fujifilm paper instead of the Fujifilm F50 fd camera. I thought that I would be one of the first to try out this new camera ! Now they are already out of stock on it. DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM ADORAMA ! Order from a reputable dealer like B&H Photo. I guess I will have to wait for B&H to get their stock.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 17th 2007 1:49PM]

Sample pix here: www.flickr.com/photos/tabhastal/sets/72157602050478441/.