Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR Review

June 25, 2012 | Matt Grayson | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR is a digital camera with an Advanced Compact designation. Stand-out features of the F660 include a 16 megapixel EXR CMOS 1/2 inch sensor, 15x 24-360mm equivalent zoom lens, 1080p Full HD movies, 8fps continuous shooting and a 460,000-dot 3-inch LCD screen. The F660EXR bursts with other technology to aid photography as well as full manual control for the more advanced user. Priced at around £185 / $245, the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR digital compact camera is available in Black, Red, Blue and Champagne Gold.

Ease of Use

From opening the box, we instantly took a liking to the F660EXR from Fujifilm. It slots into the Advanced Compact range as it offers all the functionality of a user friendly point and shoot with the advanced features of a manual prosumer. The design is an interesting affair. It looks like the basic design of a camera (a box with a hole on the front) has been used then as things have been added, they've had to bulge the box out a bit to accommodate it. The body sweeps out to meet the bezel of the lens and also curves up a bit at the top. There's a slight thickening at the right side for a hand grip and it's these fluid-like curves that make the camera look more interesting than other models in the same price bracket. It looks borderline organic.

There's no visible flash because it's a pop-up type on the left shoulder which is enabled by pressing a small button on the side. On the top plate, there's only the power button and shutter release with the zoom rocker wrapped around it. The command dial sits angled on the right shoulder to be operated by the thumb. It is easy enough to do this as the wheel is extremely free. In fact, we were constantly having to put it back in the mode we wanted simply after taking it out of our pocket.

The bulge on the back of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR to allow more space for the wheel also acts as a handy little thumb rest although Fujifilm have provided a dedicated area. The navigation pad on the back also has a wheel around its circumference. The icons on the pad can be pressed and it doubles as a tool for moving around the menu system. In fact, most of the buttons on the back have at least two operations to perform.

Canon PowerShot A2100 IS Canon PowerShot A2100 IS
Front Rear

The exceptions are the playback and direct video record buttons, which are exclusive to those modes, and the up button that acts as a exposure compensation button when shooting, up button in the menu and delete button when in playback. Fujifilm have seen it fit to retain the FinePix F button. The FinePix button is all about film simulation. It allows access to ISO, resolution, continuous shooting, anti-blur and Film Simulations. The simulations that Fujifilm have added to the F660EXR are Provia (default), Velvia, Astia, B&W and Sepia.

When the EXR button is selected on the command dial, the camera will default to the EXR auto mode. This will choose between the three EXR modes of Resolution Priority, High ISO & Low Noise or D-Range priority. You can select either of these if you want to by pressing the Menu button. The Adv. option is home to some of the Pro features of the camera such as Pro Focus, Pro Low-Light, Multiple Exposure, 3D Image and Motion Panorama. The latter is a similar system to the Sweep Panorama pioneered by Sony a few years ago. Pro Focus uses a technique that Fujifilm started implementing on their bridge cameras originally.  It takes two pictures; one in focus, one slightly out. It then merges the two and uses the focused picture to keep the subject sharp and the blurred one to throw the background out of focus. Essentially, it recreates a good depth of field.

The build quality is excellent on the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR.  It feels solid thanks to the metal body but it also has a comfortable weight to it that gives you the satisfaction of actually holding something. There are four minor points on the camera build. Aside from the aforementioned command wheel and menu dial on the back being a bit too easy to move, the battery door has no metal backing to it and the USB cover has flimsy plastic hinges. However, the actual cover is a hard plastic instead of the typical rubber. The metal tripod bush, 3 inch LCD screen that sits flush to the body and firm buttons all make for a successful camera.

Canon PowerShot A2100 IS Canon PowerShot A2100 IS
Top Front

Fujifilm cameras have always been very easy to use through the menu system and although the F660EXR is no exception, the menu systems have been split down into separate sections which could create confusion to anyone coming into photography for the first time. In the past, they had one or two menus, now there's the EXR menu, SP menu, Adv. menu, Main menu and FinePix menu.

There are two continuous shooting modes: Continuous and Best Frame Capture. In Continuous mode, we managed to get 15 shots in a 10 second period which averages out to around 1.5 fps (frames per second). The camera starts off fast managing three pictures per second for the first three seconds. It then slows down as the buffer reaches it's maximum capacity. Best frame capture will start taking pictures as you press the button down to focus. It records these at 8 megapixel at a speed of 11fps. Once you press the button down it records 16 frames at full resolution and the previous pictures at 8 megapixel. This gives you the opportunity to select the best shot. Flip the camera into Program and you get a lot more in the continuous modes. There's a handy Dynamic Range Bracket, Film Simulation Bracket (for when you simply can't choose) and an AE Bracket.

Start up time of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR from off to focusing and taking a picture was just over two seconds. A good result and slightly faster than other compacts we've tested recently. This is despite the agonisingly slow start up. It's like lighting a fuse and waiting for the explosion. Then suddenly the camera bursts into life so hard and fast, you can feel the camera move as it does.

Canon PowerShot A2100 IS Canon PowerShot A2100 IS
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

We got an unusual result from the F660EXR when testing the shutter lag. We kept getting a result that suggested the camera doesn't suffer from shutter lag. At all. To be fair, we test all cameras at least five times to ensure it's not reflexes or nerves. We got a slightly delayed result at the end of 0.04sec. Even if the camera does run at the latter speed, it's still very fast. Roughly twice as fast as other compacts in this price range.

In playback, the picture will be displayed full screen as default with some basic shooting information such as: Resolution, ISO, Dynamic Range, Date & Time, Aperture and Shutter Speed. Pressing the Disp button at the bottom will bring up a small menu of options for display modes.  The options are: Information, Information Off, Favourites and Detail Information. The latter option will change the full screen preview to a thumbnail, show more information such as Flash status, film simulation used, White-Balance settings and a Histogram.

In the box, there's a camera, battery, charger, USB lead, wrist strap and video output lead. Bear in mind that the opposite end of these leads is analogue and makes any HD quality redundant. The paperwork is the basic quick start guide with the full manual on the accompanying CD software. The editing and viewing software is MyFinePix Studio ver. 3.2 for Windows and FinePix Viewer ver. 3.6 for Mac.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.

We like the picture quality of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR. It produces well exposed shots with nice colours. If we were to be picky, we'd like a little more zing in the colours from a boost I saturation. However, that's our subjective opinion. Fujifilm have actually kept the colours more true to the film types that they produce, which can be replicated in the Film Simulation menu. Pictures are lovely and sharp and with a background far away enough, you can get the Pro Focus effect by zooming out and using the macro feature. Our sample images were taken that way, not using the Pro Focus mode.

Noise

Noise performance is very good at low ISO. We couldn't detect any colour at ISO 100 and edge definition is excellent. At ISO 200, while there's no colour present in the dark areas, when we magnified to 100%, we found it to be “bitty” with black spots of salt & pepper noise. This gets progressively worse and at ISO 800 there's obvious noise poking through the picture. Noise reduction software does a great job of keeping colour at bay and it's simply black spots that get in the way. Edge definition does take a nose dive at ISO 800.

Because the noise reduction system is working so well at suppressing the colour that should be present by ISO 1600, the picture starts to take on a haze that makes the pictures look faded.

The last two settings of ISO 6400 and ISO 12800 use reduced resolution to combat certain types of noise created by pixels heating up and affecting neighbouring pixels. If they're more spaced away, they're less likely to affect each other. ISO 6400 uses the medium setting which employs 8 million pixels. The ISO 12800 setting uses just under 4 million pixels (small setting). Picture quality is still affected though as there's simply no escaping it at that high an ISO. It needs to be pointed out that viewing the pictures at normal size on a computer screen, you can't see the noise until ISO 800. That's a very good performance.

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

The Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR's 15x zoom lens provides a focal length of 24-360mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.

24mm

360mm

Sharpening

While we're satisfied with the in camera sharpening through the processor, we still think that the pictures benefit with a boost from an editing suite.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options.

16M Fine (100% Crop) 16M Normal (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations

The Fujinon lenses on the F660EXR are Extra Low Dispersion to obviate the problem of chromatic aberration. It is still present but only at the far reaches of the frame where image quality generally degrades anyway.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Example 2 (100% Crop)

Macro

The close focusing of the F660EXR is ample for the usual day to day pictures that the user of a camera like this will take. There's a significant amount of fall off from the centre of the frame to the edges. The centre 25-30% of the frame looks sharp but it quickly deteriorates.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

We got vignetting at the corners of the frame when not using flash and assumed that it would be eradicated with flash as it wasn't much. In fact, it remained. The flash simply brightens the image and evens out the centre of the frame.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Wide Angle (360mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (360mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

The fact that the flash is so far away from the lens removes the problem of red-eye which is essentially a reflection from the flash. The need for red-eye removal is unnecessary but it's there just in case.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red Eye Reduction

Red Eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

We thought Shutter Priority mode would give the best option for extending the shutter speed while retaining a low ISO for reduced noise. However, the camera only allows auto ISO in that mode. It can be capped and we set it to a maximum of ISO 400. The camera then used that to get a faster shutter speed. In Program mode we managed to control the ISO but not the shutter speed and we could only get up to one second. It wasn't long enough and the picture is under exposed. In Night scene, the camera selected ISO 800 which gives a painted effect on the picture.

Night Program

Night Program (100% Crop)

   

Night Shutter Priority

Night Shutter Priority (100% Crop)

   

Night Scene

Night Scene (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1280 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 29 second movie is 50Mb in size.

Product Images

Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Front of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Front of the Camera / Turned On

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Isometric View

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Isometric View

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Shooting Mode Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / EXR Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Panorama Mode

 

Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Scene Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Shooting Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Advanced Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Info Screen

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Rear of the Camera / Playback Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Top of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Bottom of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Side of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Side of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Front of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Memory Card Slot

 
Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

We found it extremely easy to take pictures with the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR. By that, we don't mean the functionality, but actually finding shots seemed to come more easily. The versatility of the 15x zoom lens coupled with the many features and manual control meant that we were never stuck for something to do. It's a very capable camera, it's just the little things that mark it down such as the wheel that infuriatingly moves every time the camera is put away, the dubious build quality on the doors that could so easily have been avoided, and the many, many menus available.

We love the image quality of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR, it just seems a little flat in the colour department. A gentle boost to the saturation will solve it but by default it makes even a sunny day look more subdued than it is. There's no fault in the precision of the focusing system though. We got sharp image after sharp image. It did struggle in very low light with no subjects near for the AF emitter but it's to be expected and we had the same issue with other cameras in the same scenario.

One area we are pleased with is the reaction times of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR. Switching it on, it's almost aggressive. It does nothing then literally bursts into life so much so that you can feel a slight pop as the lens extends. Switch on time is admirable and shutter lag is brilliant. If you have kids and you need a camera that can be ready fast, then this is one to consider. Just make sure you press the power button firmly or it won't respond.

For the price, you get a lot of camera. There's tons of features and loads of tech packed into the F660EXR. As we mentioned earlier, it's useful for people with kids that are running around doing funny stuff, and useful for anyone wanting to do a bit of sports photography thanks to the versatile zoom and modes that will get the best possible quality. If you fit into these categories then you need to closer look at the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 3.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 4.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR from around the web.

expertreviews.co.uk »

Pocket ultra-zoom cameras are increasing in popularity, and Fujifilm is the latest manufacturer to realise that one size doesn't necessarily fit all. While the F770EXR comes with all the trimmings, such as 20x zoom, raw capture and GPS tagging, the F660EXR has a 15x zoom and a significantly lower price. They use the same sensor, though, and we think it's the best thing about these cameras.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Model name FinePix F660EXR / F665EXR
Number of effective pixels *1 16.0 million pixels
Image sensor 1/ 2-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter
Storage media
  • Internal memory (approx. 25MB)
  • SD/SDHC/SDXC(UHS-I) memory card*2
File format
still image
JPEG (Exif Ver 2.3)*3
(Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible)
3D still image
MPO compliant
movie
H.264(MOV)
Number of recorded pixels
Still image
L : (4:3) 4608 x 3456 / (3:2) 4608 x 3072 / (16:9) 4608 x 2592
M : (4:3) 3264 x 2448 / (3:2) 3264 x 2176 / (16:9) 3264 x 1840
S : (4:3) 2304 x 1728 / (3:2) 2304 x 1536 / (16:9) 1920 x 1080
<Motion Panorama>
360° Vertical 11520 x 1624 Horizontal 11520 x 1080
180° Vertical 5760 x 1624 Horizontal 5760 x 1080
120° Vertical 3840 x 1624 Horizontal 3840 x 1080
Lens
name
Fujinon 15x optical zoom lens
focal length
f=4.4 - 66mm, equivalent to 24 - 360mm on a 35mm camera
full-aperture
F3.5(Wide) - F5.3(Telephoto)
constitution
10 groups 12 lenses
Digital zoom EXR Auto mode: Intelligent digital zoom approx. 2x (up to approx. 30x with 15x optical zoom,)
Other than EXR Auto mode: Intelligent digital zoom approx. 3.4x (up to approx. 51x with 15x optical zoom)
Aperture F3.5 / F7.1 / F10(Wide)
F5.3 / F11 / F16(Telephoto) with ND filter
Focus distance
(from lens surface)
Normal
Wide : Approx. 45 cm / 1.4 ft. to infinity
Telephoto : Approx. 2.5 m / 8.2 ft. to infinity
Macro
Wide : Approx. 5 cm - 3.0 m / 1.9 in. - 9.8 ft.
Telephoto : Approx. 1.2 m - 3.0 m / 3.9 ft. - 9.8 ft.
Sensitivity Auto, Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400* / 12800* (Standard Output Sensitivity)
  • * 6400 : M mode or lower, ISO12800 : S mode
Exposure control TTL 256-zones metering, Multi / Spot / Average
Exposure mode Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Shooting modes
SP
Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Portrait, Portrait enhancer, Dog, Cat, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Party, Flower, Text
MODE DIAL
EXR, P, S, A, M, SP, Adv, AUTO
Image stabilizer CMOS shift type
Face detection Yes
Exposure compensation -2.0EV - +2.0EV 1/3EV step
Shutter speed (Auto mode) 1/4 sec. to 1/2000 sec., (All other modes) 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec.
Continuous shooting
TOP
Super High : approx. 11fps (Size M,S)
High : approx. 8fps (Size L,M,S)
Middle : approx. 5fps (Size L,M,S)
Low : approx. 3fps (Size L,M,S)
  • * SD memory card with a write speed (4 MB/sec.) or better is recommended.
  • * The frame rate varies depending on the shooting conditions or numbers of frames in continuous shooting.
Best Frame capture
L : 8 frames (3/5/8frames/sec. )
M, S : 8/16 frames (3/5/8/11frames/sec. )
Auto Bracketing AE Bracketing : ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, ±1EV
Film Simulation Bracketing : PROVIA / STANDARD, Velvia / VIVID, ASTIA / SOFT
Dynamic Rang Bracketing : 100% / 200% / 400%
Focus
Mode
Single AF / Continuous AF (EXR AUTO, Movie)
Type
TTL contrast AF, AF assist illuminator available
AF frame selection
Center, Multi, Tracking
White balance Automatic scene recognition
Preset
Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light, Underwater, Custom
Self-timer 10 sec. / 2 sec. delay / Auto release / Auto release (Dog, Cat)
Flash Auto flash (super i-flash)
Effective range: (ISO AUTO)
Normal
  • Wide: Approx. 15 cm - 3.2 m / 5.9 in. - 10.4 ft.
  • Telephoto: Approx. 90 cm - 1.9 m / 2.9 ft. - 6.2 ft.
Flash modes
Red-eye removal OFF
Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro.
Red-eye removal ON
Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.
Hot shoe -
LCD monitor 3.0-inch, approx. 460,000 dots, TFT color LCD monitor, approx. 100% coverage
Movie recording 1920 x 1080 pixels / 1280 x 720 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames / sec.) with stereo sound.
Optical zoom function can be used.
Photography functions EXR mode (EXR Auto/Resolution priority / High ISO & Low noise priority / Dynamic range priority), Face recognition, Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Film simulation, Auto release, Auto release(Dog,Cat), Framing guidline, Power management, Frame No. memory, Advanced mode (Motion panorama360, Pro focus, Pro low light, Multiple exposure, Individual shutter 3D), High Speed Movie (80 / 160 / 320 frames/sec.), Advanced Anti Blur, Date stamp , Monitor Sunlight mode
Playback functions Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Multi-frame playback (with micro thumbnail), Crop, Resize, Slide show, Image rotate, Voice memo, Exposure warning, Auto rotate playback, Photobook assist, Image search, Favorites, Mark for upload, Panorama, Erase selected frames, Histogram display
Other functions PictBridge, Exif Print, Print Image Matching II, 35 Languages, Time difference, Silent mode
Terminal
Video output
NTSC / PAL selectable with monaural sound
Digital interface
USB 2.0 High-Speed
HDMI output
HDMI Mini connector
Power supply Li-ion battery NP-50A (included) / CP-50 with AC power adapter AC-5VX (sold separately)
Dimensions 103.5(W) x 59.2(H) x 32.6(D) mm / 4.0(W) x 2.3(H) x 1.2(D) in.
(Minimum depth: 22.9mm / 0.9in.)
Weight Approx. 217g / 7.6oz. (including battery and memory card)
Approx. 196g / 6.9oz. (excluding battery and memory card)
Operating Temperature 0°C - 40°C
Operating Humidity 10% - 80% (no condensation)
Guide to the number of available frames for battery operation Approx. 300 frames (AUTO mode)
Accessories included Li-ion battery NP-50A
Battery charger BC-45W
Hand strap
USB cable
A/V cable
CD-ROM
Owner's manual
Optional accessories Li-ion battery NP-50
Battery charger BC-45W
DC coupler CP-50
AC power adapter AC-5VX
3D Digital Viewer FINEPIX REAL 3D V3
Water proof Case WP-FXF500

Your Comments

Loading comments…