Fujifilm FinePix F100fd: 100 not out

By Rich Trenholm on 29 January 2008, 5:28pm

It's nearly time for PMA, and the next of the current rash of camera announcements to catch our wanderin' eye is the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd. We've been keen on the low-light performance of the F31, F40fd, and F50fd, so we're excited about the debut of this 12-megapixel compact.

The F100fd sets a high standard for point-and-shoots with its 5x optical zoom, 69mm (2.7-inch) LCD screen and 28mm wide angle lens (equivalent to a 35mm camera). It boasts a mechanically stabilised new Super CCD HR VIII sensor and RP (Real Photo) III processor.

With some manufacturers still struggling to make a face-detection system that actually works, Fujifilm is already on face detection 3.0. Like the system introduced to Canon's latest IXUS, face detection 3.0 features automatic red-eye removal and adjusts white balance, as well as focus and exposure. It can also find faces even whether they're upside down or in profile.

The F31fd and its successors are known for their low-light performance, actually being able to cope with the high ISO speeds required in darker conditions. The F100fd pushes the envelope with full-resolution images at ISO 3,200, and a unique ISO 12,800 option -- albeit at 3 megapixel resolution. This sounds risky to us, so we're dying to try it.

Another feature that tickles our fancy is an expanded dynamic range. The Fujifilm S3 and S5 Pro cameras first expanded the dynamic range, or the amount of tone and colour that is visible in an image, and the technology makes its way into the consumer sphere with the F100fd. Photographs taken with high dynamic range can be pretty striking, so colour us impressed.

The FinePix F100fd will be available from March 2008, but prices are as yet unconfirmed. One glaring omission is an inexplicable lack of aperture and shutter priority modes, but in the immortal words of Osgood Fielding III, "nobody's perfect". -Richard Trenholm

Update: Read our full Fujifilm FinePix F100fd review.