New Fujifilm low-light digicam - game changer?

bmattock

bmattock

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Interesting new camera from Fuji, which gave us the well-regarded F31fd high-ISO digicam.

Fujifilm launches FinePix F200EXR with innovative sensor
The F200EXR's headline feature is its 12 megapixel/1.6 inch Super CCD EXR sensor. Using this newly developed imager technology, the F200EXR provides three distinctly different capture modes. In Fine Capture mode, the F200EXR functions like a normal 12 megapixel camera. Pixel Fusion mode combines the output of two adjacent pixels, creating a sensor with six million larger photosites to increase sensitivity and "produce low-light shots of extraordinary quality with minimal noise and grain," according to Fuji.

Most interesting, though, may be the F200EXR's Dual Capture mode, in which the camera captures two 6 megapxiel images at different exposure levels and then combines then, producing an image in which both shadows and highlights are correctly exposed – even in high-contrast situations.

Building on this technology, the F200EXR offers several unique capture options, including dynamic range bracketing, a wide dynamic range shooting mode that claims to provide up to 800 percent expansion for reeling in more detail in both highlight and shadow areas, and high-sensitivity shooting to ISO 12,800.
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Interesting? Kind of. Game changer? Certainly not. Why? Because it is a point and shoot or as they so eloquently call them here in China "idiot cameras"

ISO 12800 shooting on a D700 is impressive, 12800 (at 3MP by the way) on this thing will be impressively horrid. You can quote me on that.
 
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And a MSRP of just $399.95. Wow - P&S HDR photography. Even if this first generation camera doesn't get it right the future is bright, clear and unlimited. Imagine a sensor like this in the micro4/3rds format.

/T
 
Avotius said:
Interesting? Kind of. Game changer? Certainly not. Why? Because it is a point and shoot or as they so eloquently call them here in China "idiot cameras"
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There were more than a couple people getting some impressive photos out of the f10, f11, and f31fd - idiot camera or not. If it fits a niche, it fits a niche. I note that it also offers aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and manual exposure settings - something of a nod to those who are not just happy snappers.

ISO 12800 shooting on a D700 is impressive, 12800 on this thing will be impressively horrid. You can quote me on that.
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I don't know what ISO 12800 will look like on this camera yet. My guess is that you don't either. But thanks for the thoughtful commentary.
 
Pixel Fusion mode combines the output of two adjacent pixels, creating a sensor with six million larger photosites to increase sensitivity and "produce low-light shots of extraordinary quality with minimal noise and grain," according to Fuji.
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Sounds exactly like when I set the ISO dial of my Nikon P5100 to ballistic (sort of 3200). That too comes at the expense of a whole lot less megapixels.. And indeed, it gets me minimal noise and grain. The only downside is that it comes with minimal detail as well.
 
dfoo said:
Who cares about micro 4/3rds? We need bigger sensors, not smaller ones.
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Bigger being relative - the Fuji sensor in this camera is quite a bit smaller than a 4/3 sensor - which is the same as a 'micro 4/3' sensor.

Yes, 4/3 would be nice, APS-C nicer yet, FF even better. Each relative to the preceding.
 
pvdhaar said:
Sounds exactly like when I set the ISO dial of my Nikon P5100 to ballistic (sort of 3200). That too comes at the expense of a whole lot less megapixels.. And indeed, it gets me minimal noise and grain. The only downside is that it comes with minimal detail as well.
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It's a different kind of pixel binning, and a double-exposure. It is not at all like previous digicam high-ISO solutions, which is why I thought it was interesting.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092210fujifilmexr.asp
 
Looks interesting to me. I like larger sensors, but have a lot of great 8x10 photos from a super tiny 1/2.5" sensor based camera, 3MP, and have really enjoyed the lot of 1/1.6 or 1/1.8"s of the f30, f31fd, f40, f50 series (started getting worse after the f31fd though).
 
Innovation is part and parcel of the past and future path of photography. Anything new, even if a little suspect, is always welcome. IMHO.
 
you should refer to a previous thread in which there was a link (?) or at least comments upon sample photos from the new camera, which were not thought to be that great in terms of detail smoothed out.

i use my fujif20 a lot. i expressly chose the "idiot" version F20 because it was dirt cheap and the times when i use this camera are exactly the times when i just wanna point and snap.
 
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