Fujifilm FinePix F40fd Digital Camera Review
By Emily Raymond
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on May 29, 2007
The new Fujifilm FinePix F40fd crams all the technology you could ever want in a compact body and at an affordable price. For $299, you get 8.3 megapixels, Face Detection autofocus, and IrSimple wireless image transfer. Have you shunned Fujifilm before because of its xD-exclusive cameras? Not anymore, because the F40fd accepts both xD-Picture and SD memory cards.
This digital camera has mainly Automatic modes. Its 16 Scene modes include an Underwater mode that tempts consumers to also purchase the $179 waterproof housing. While that mode is quite specialized, the Natural & With Flash mode is much more useful. It snaps one picture with a high ISO sensitivity of 2000 and no flash, and the other picture using the flash. It then displays the two pictures next to each other on the 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD screen. This LCD screen's view is just as smooth as its more expensive competitors like the $329 Sony T20, $549 Samsung NV5, and $349 Canon SD850.
The Fuji F40fd’s flash is a great feature too. Most people shy away from compact camera flashes because they overexpose images, make people’s foreheads look glossy and greasy, or they don’t reach very far. The F40’s flash is very functional. The camera evaluates the lighting on the subject as well as the background and then adjusts its output automatically: Fujifilm calls this “intelligent flash” or “i-Flash.”
The 3x optical zoom lens isn’t this FinePix’s best asset. It isn’t functional in the Movie mode, and doesn’t have optical image stabilization to keep movies from looking shaky. Movies record at television-quality 640 x 480 pixels at a 30-frame-per-second rate. The audio is very disappointing so don’t expect it to pick up any sound more than about 6 feet away. The Canon SD850 provides a much better Movie mode.
Pictures can be snapped at a top speed of 1.3 fps, which isn’t very fast at all. The Sony T20 can snap 2.2 fps and others can go even faster. Images looked clean and sharp in bright light but looked muddy when lighting was poor. Still, the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd reigns in resolution. Its 8.3 megapixels proved more effective than most 10-megapixel models in our lab testing.
The “fd” label designates Fujifilm’s Face Detection autofocus system that automatically recognizes and tracks up to 10 faces at a time. It recognizes faces quickly and tracks them across the frame as long as they are looking at the camera. This isn’t the only trendy technology the F40fd has; it’s equipped with IrSimple wireless capabilities. It can transfer and receive images with compatible cell phones, computers, printers, and other devices when placed within 3 feet. Yes, it seems a little silly to transfer images wirelessly when you have to be so close anyway.
The 8.3-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F40fd packs in more resolution than any of the earlier Fuji F-series digital cameras. The attractive 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9-inch shell is available in silver, blue, and gunmetal gray colors, and will fit easily into most pockets. With an affordable $299 entry price tag, the Fuji F40fd is a great option for point-and-shooters who won’t miss the manual control and want nice, clean pictures. For a more in-depth review, visit the Fuji FinePix F40fd Review at our partner DigitalCameraInfo.com
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