Fujifilm F50fd: Solid gold easy action
The Fujifilm F50fd arrives at Crave with 12 megapixels, a large screen and face detection 2.0 on top of the low-light performance expected from Fuji
We enjoyed the Fujifilm F30. We revered the Fujifilm F40fd. Will we esteem the Fujifilm F50fd? Will we celebrate with a golden jubilee for this 50, or is it more of £240 pebble party?
It looks like a pretty good fête. Its 12 megapixels mark the occasion with an elaborate jade. Its seventh generation CCD sensor brings onyx, and you get a 3x optical zoom -- pearls -- and a 69mm (2.7-inch) high-resolution LCD screen, which presents diamonds, and we all know the song. The giant screen packs in 230,000 pixels, and we'll guess that once you hit those kind of numbers, you're looking at red kryptonite.
Mechanical image stabilisation shifts that 12-gauge sensor around, and we're also excited about face detection. This isn't face detection 1.0 -- mother of pearl -- this is face detection 2.0 -- garnet! With this upgrade, you won't have to worry about profiles or glasses, so up to 10 four-eyed subjects looking out of frame can still be found, focused and exposed by the camera.
Our favourite thing about Fuji's recent compacts remains their stunning
low-light performance, and we're certainly keen to see if the F50fd
continues this tradition at its maximum ISO 6,400 sensitivity.
Click through the images to see more of the F50fd. -Rich Trenholm
Update: a Fujifilm FinePix F50fd reviewis now live on the site
Fuji claim that F50fd's face detection is no longer vexed by specs or beguiled by profiles. We'll test out how good this feature really is in our rapidly inbound review.
As the only compacts we've tested lately that actually justify their high ISO settings, the F31 and F40fd have set the bar high when the lights are low for the F50fd.
And our favourite anniversary birthstone-type thing? 21, of course: LOLite.