NickTrop
Veteran
Do they have the bestus image quality ever? No. But truth be told? It's pretty damned good. Small sensors! noise! No bokeh! Pixel peepers have a heart attack because they detect "water color effect" when zoomed in 1000%. Lens slower than the minimally acceptable f2.8! Bah! Bah I say. C'mon - I have a camera that can zoom from 27mm to 270mm that I can slip in my pocket with a good image stabilization system so's I can zoom out to 270 hand-held. Put aside your prejudices and get one. They're required photo gear.
Display model Fuji F80 EXR, best $50 I ever spent. I love Fuji's approach to small sensor compact cameras and wouldn't consider any other at any price. I think they got it right, as they're the only ones who smartly attempt to address the short comings of small sensor compacts, while playing to their strengths (specifically, big zoom capability in a compact size...) Their proprietary EXR technology isn't marketing hype - it truly boosts dynamic range by a unique pixel arrangement and binning. One test site pegs it at 10 stops, around DSLR level. They smartly give you full 12 megapixel resolution only when it's needed in Auto EXR mode. The rest of the time you get 6 megapixels of "binned" resolution - which is all you need. Smart. Noise is fine up to 800 ISO. 1600 not too bad - better than 1600 ISO color film imo, which is too often a grainy blecchy mess with terrible color casts that you can't do anything about. This camera has manual control, which I love since I like to set shutter speed in low light (due to limited aperture settings, aperture control is worthless...) They're the only manufacturer that attempts to give some bokeh capabiliy with their "pro focus mode", which is good when it works but is inconsistent. Auto EXR mode, which selects the proper scene mode, is magic. When there are no dynamic range issues and its a decently lit scene (in other words if the camera thinks it can get away with the 12 cramped megapixes on its sensor) it choose that mode. When lighting is low it goes into its effective low light 6 megapixel EXR mode. When it detects dynamic range issues, it goes into its shining dynamic range priority mode.
Anyway, as you can tell, I like Fuji's approach to small sensor technology. Regardless... back to my thesis. Put your prejudices aside. Yes these are consumer-grade cameras. But every photographer literally needs a decent compact super zoom camera, regardless of manufacturer.
24-28mm on the wide side out to 300+ on the tele side with image stabilization that you can slip in your pocket for a couple hundred bucks new and next to nothing used?
Gimme a break.
Display model Fuji F80 EXR, best $50 I ever spent. I love Fuji's approach to small sensor compact cameras and wouldn't consider any other at any price. I think they got it right, as they're the only ones who smartly attempt to address the short comings of small sensor compacts, while playing to their strengths (specifically, big zoom capability in a compact size...) Their proprietary EXR technology isn't marketing hype - it truly boosts dynamic range by a unique pixel arrangement and binning. One test site pegs it at 10 stops, around DSLR level. They smartly give you full 12 megapixel resolution only when it's needed in Auto EXR mode. The rest of the time you get 6 megapixels of "binned" resolution - which is all you need. Smart. Noise is fine up to 800 ISO. 1600 not too bad - better than 1600 ISO color film imo, which is too often a grainy blecchy mess with terrible color casts that you can't do anything about. This camera has manual control, which I love since I like to set shutter speed in low light (due to limited aperture settings, aperture control is worthless...) They're the only manufacturer that attempts to give some bokeh capabiliy with their "pro focus mode", which is good when it works but is inconsistent. Auto EXR mode, which selects the proper scene mode, is magic. When there are no dynamic range issues and its a decently lit scene (in other words if the camera thinks it can get away with the 12 cramped megapixes on its sensor) it choose that mode. When lighting is low it goes into its effective low light 6 megapixel EXR mode. When it detects dynamic range issues, it goes into its shining dynamic range priority mode.
Anyway, as you can tell, I like Fuji's approach to small sensor technology. Regardless... back to my thesis. Put your prejudices aside. Yes these are consumer-grade cameras. But every photographer literally needs a decent compact super zoom camera, regardless of manufacturer.
24-28mm on the wide side out to 300+ on the tele side with image stabilization that you can slip in your pocket for a couple hundred bucks new and next to nothing used?
Gimme a break.
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