Fujifilm Finepix J50 Review

Review Date: March 21st 2007
Author: Mark Goldstein

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Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

Conclusion


Ratings (out of 5)
Design
4
Features
3
Ease-of-Use
5
Image Quality
3
Value for Money
4

At �140 / $180 , the Fujifilm Finepix J50 is an interesting proposition on paper - there aren't too many cameras around at this price-point with a 5x optical zoom lens in a slimline, 23mm thick body. It's not the most feature-rich model in the world, with the emphasis firmly on point-and-shoot simplicity, but this does make it very well suited to the beginner or family snapper. The obvious star of the show is that 5x zoom lens. Although not particularly wide, the 185mm telephoto focal length opens up lots of interesting possibilities that aren't covered by the majority of cameras in this class. Add to the mix fairly responsive performance, understated but stylish looks (especially the black version) and reassuring build quality, and you should have yourself a great pocket camera.

Unfortunately, there are two factors that combine to severely mark down the Fujifilm Finepix J50. First up is the bugbear of many budget cameras (and some more expensive models), namely below par image quality. Images from the J50 look fine at the slower ISO settings, with accurate colour and pleasing resolution, but increasing the sensitivity to ISO 400 and the fastest possible setting of 800 results in very noisy images with obvious smearing of fine detail. This leaves a useable range of ISO 100-200 for a camera with a long telephoto zoom, which is further compounded by the second negative factor, the lack of a true stabilization system. The electronic Picture Stabilization mode bumps up the ISO speed to help avoid blurry images in low-light, which simply returns us to the first issue. Without any form of stabilisation, you'll find that many of the shots taken hand-held in low-light will suffer from obvious shake. This all combines to make the Fujifilm Finepix J50 a poor choice for any form of low-light photography, including subjects like indoor shots of your children. It's fine when used outdoors on a bright sunny day, but as I'm writing this on an overcast "Spring" day in London, some people don't get to experience too many of those.

Ultimately the Fujifilm Finepix J50 is an attractive and easy to use camera that's crippled by the related problems of limited effective ISO range and a non-stabilized lens. One of its main attractions, that versatile 5x zoom, actually turns out to be one of its main problems. And you'd probably never have guessed that by looking at the specification list...

Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

DIWAPhotographyBLOG is a member of the DIWA organisation. Our test results for the Fujifilm Finepix J50 have been submitted to DIWA for comparison with test results for different samples of the same camera model supplied by other DIWA member sites.

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