Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR (sample photos)

These ISO example photos were taken at the cameras full 10-megapixel resolution, not using any of the EXR modes. The results are good, but they are nothing special. Even at the lowest ISO setting, the camera behaves like a typical compact megazoom producing slightly soft photos that noticeably dip in quality at ISO 400. Things get grainier above that, but detail is still OK at ISO 800 for small prints. Fortunately, the 5-megapixel EXR mode shots are better.

Compacts tend to be at their sharpest in macro and this camera is no different. This was taken at ISO 100 using the F70EXR's full 10 megapixels. It's a little underexposed, but it's reasonably sharp. Unfortunately, if you use the Auto ISO setting, it loves to go high even when it doesn't need to, possibly resulting in grainy/noisy photos.

Shots such as this are where the EXR sensor pay off. It was snapped at ISO 1,600 and you can complain all you want about noise (there is plenty of it), but there are few--if any--sub-$200 compact cameras that can take this picture handheld without turning it into a blurry mess. You probably wouldn't want to print it at full size, but at 4x6 inches it looked good and it's certainly suitable for Web sharing.

As mentioned in a previous slide, the Auto ISO likes to go high--in this case ISO 1,600. What's worse is you can't limit the ISO in Auto EXR mode. If you know that you're going to need to take advantage of the High ISO & Low Noise EXR option, select it and limit the Auto to ISO 400 or 800.

This was taken using the camera's Pro Low-light scene mode. It snaps off four consecutive shots and then combines them into one photo. It works best on a tripod, but this was taken handheld. Overall noise is reduced, but it's still easy to see in the darker areas.

This was shot using the Pro Focus mode, which digitally creates a shallow depth of field to make your subject standout more from the background.

The F70EXR has some barrel distortion on the left side at the widest lens position (top). Zoom all the way out and you get a nearly unnoticeable amount of pincushion distortion (bottom).

If there's one thing that really ruins the F70EXR for me, it's the amount of purple fringing created by the lens. This is an extreme example, but many of my outdoor test shots exhibited some amount in high-contrast areas.

Though not technically accurate, the colors produced by the F70EXR are quite nice and natural. If you like your colors a little more vivid, like most compact cameras, an option is available to punch things up. The auto white balance seemed a little warm indoors and a little cool outside, so take advantage of the manual setting for better results. The dynamic range is pretty much the best you'll find on a camera this size except for maybe the F200EXR.