Fuji Finepix F50fd

2007.07.26

Also announced today, the Fuji Finepix F50fd came as somewhat of a surprise. It is specified as the 12 megapixels successor to the excellent Fuji Finepix F31fd and features builtin image stabilization. Personally, I expected more of a F41fd which would have an 8 megapixels sensor with ISO up to 3200 but more controls than the F40fd, similarly to the F31fd. Either Fuji engineers made another leap in sensor technology or they got a memo from the marketing department. Generally, Fuji has not been among the first to push the limits of sensor resolution but, if September availability is correct, they would have one of the first 12 megapixels digital cameras on sale.

Unlike the Fuji Finepix S8000fd, this camera seems to be the advanced model with manual exposure controls including shutter-speeds up to 8 seconds and a 2.7" LCD which shows 100% coverage. Most likely this is the case because the S8000fd is of lower resolution than the S9100. Maybe they will announced an S12000fd by early next year. Hopefully such camera will have a mechanical lens, a full-range of shutter-speeds (30s+) and 100% coverage LCD.

With todays announcement of 5 new digital cameras, Fuji is continuing its trend of memory slots which accept both SD and xD cards. This is good news for consumers because SD cards are generally cheaper and much faster than xD cards. Also, this may remove some reluctance from people who already have an investment in SD cards to go with Fuji.

• Digital Camera