Fuji Finepix F200 EXR Comparative Crops

This is a comparison between the ultra-compact Fuji Finepix F200 EXR and the Nikon D90 DSLR. It is not to say that an ultra-compact can match the image quality of a DSLR, but to see how great is the difference. No doubt that DSLR cameras have been improving and that they still produce the highest image quality compared to non-DSLR cameras. DSLR cameras also have a significant advantage in terms of speed and flexibility. An ultra-compact does have the advantage of size and portability which cannot be ignored when considering photo opportunities. As a general rule of thumb, the larger the camera, the less pictures one takes with it.

Looking at the crops below, it can be seen that the DSLR always has an edge over the ultra-compact, even at ISO 100 where the D90 produces a sharper and smoother image. That being said, differences are very minor up to ISO 200. By ISO 400, image noise increases faster with the F200 than the D90, yet large prints are possible with both cameras. ISO 800 is the point where the Fuji Finepix F200 EXR shows its unique capability. In high-resolution mode and low-noise mode the F200 shows more noise than the D90 but the difference is lessened in the low-noise EXR mode. At ISO 1600 and beyond, there is no contest anymore and the D90's superior image quality would show at all standard print sizes, even on a small 4"x6".

Fuji Finepix F200 EXR	Nikon D90
ISO 100 - 2/3s F4.7 ISO 100 - 1/4s F4.7 (EXR-SN 6 Megapixels)	ISO 100 - 1s F8
ISO 200 - 1/3s F4.7 ISO 200 - 1/4s F4.7 (EXR-SN 6 Megapixels)	ISO 200 - 1/2s F8
ISO 400 - 1/6s F4.7 ISO 400 - 1/7s F4.7 (EXR-SN 6 Megapixels)	ISO 400 1/4s F8
ISO 800 - 1/12s F4.7 ISO 800 - 1/13s F4.7 (EXR-SN 6 Megapixels)	ISO 800 1/8s F8
ISO 1600 - 1/25s F4.7 ISO 1600 - 1/26s F4.7 (EXR-SN 6 Megapixels)	ISO 1600 1/15s F8
ISO 3200 - 1/750s F3.5	ISO 3200 1/30s F8