In summary
A compact, travellers’ digicam with built-in GPS, raw file support, some useful shooting modes and Full HD video recording.Fujifilm’s FinePix F550 EXR steps into the competitive ‘travellers’ zoom’ sector of the digicam market, providing a few advantages over its main rivals. For photo enthusiasts, its most critical benefits are P, A, S and M shooting modes plus support for raw file capture. Add in a 15x zoom lens plus support for Full HD movie recording and you have a feature-rich, all-in-one imaging device with a very competitive price tag. . . [more]
Full review
Fujifilm’s FinePix F550 EXR steps into the competitive ‘travellers’ zoom’ sector of the digicam market, providing a few advantages over its main rivals. For photo enthusiasts, its most critical benefits are P, A, S and M shooting modes plus support for raw file capture. Add in a 15x zoom lens plus support for Full HD movie recording and you have a feature-rich, all-in-one imaging device with a very competitive price tag.
Measuring 103.5 x 62.5 x 32.6 mm and weighing around 215 grams with battery and memory card installed, it’s small enough to slip into a jacket pocket and won’t weigh you down on a long walk. It’s also relatively inconspicuous, which is a big advantage when travelling.
So, what’s not to like? Aside from limitations in the manual shooting modes (outlined below), our main gripe the only way to access raw file capture is to switch it on via page 4 of the camera’s set-up menu.
There are times when you want to shoot JPEGs only and others when raw capture is better. At least when you finally toggle down to the sub-menu you’re given the choice between raw-only and RAW+JPEG but it’s tough when you have to make 26 button presses to get there.
Build and Ergonomics
Superficially, the F550 EXR resembles its main competitors and sports a sleek black body made mainly from aluminium, which sports a non-slip finger grip plus retracting lens and flash modules. The lens has three inner barrels plus an internal shield that protects the front element when the camera is switched off.
Front view of the FinePix F550 EXR in its power-off mode. (Source: Fujifilm.)
Constructed from 12 elements in 10 groups this lens covers a focal length range equivalent to 24-360mm on a 35mm camera and protrudes roughly 20mm when the camera is switched on, extending to about 38mm with the tele position. It’s not particularly fast, with maximum apertures ranging from f/3.5 at the wide position to f/5.3 at full tele zoom.
When you select the macro mode on the arrow pad, the lens will focus down to 1 cm, although only at the widest focal length setting. If you zoom in, focus is quickly lost until you move the camera well back.
The FinePix F550 EXR powered-up with its lens and pop-up flash extended. (Source: Fujifilm.)
The only other items on the front panel are a small LED that doubles as an AF-Assist/self-timer lamp and a set or four tiny holes for the stereo microphone. (The latter are labelled ‘R’ and ‘L’ but they’re pretty close so audio separation isn’t likely to be great.)
Three quarters of the rear panel is covered by the 3-inch LCD monitor, which has a resolution of 460,000 dots that is fast becoming a standard for this type of camera. No viewfinder is provided.
Rear view of the FinePix F550 EXR. (Source: Fujifilm.)
To the right of the monitor is an arrow pad with a surrounding command dial and directional buttons. Pushing the cursor up accesses the exposure compensation/delete settings, while down opens the self-timer sub-menu. The right and left directions control the flash and macro modes respectively.
Below the arrow pad are the Display/Back and F buttons, the latter accessing camera settings, including ISO, image size/aspect ratio, drive modes, GPS on/off, Advanced Anti-Blur stabilisation and Film Simulation settings. Pressing the Menu button in the centre of the arrow pad opens the main camera menu.
Above the arrow pad are dedicated Play and Movie buttons, the latter starting and stopping recording at the resolution and quality selected in the menu. A thumb rest with six small rectangular dimples sits just above the play button, providing a secure grip for one-handed shooting.
The rear panel curves gently towards the top of the camera above the monitor. The mode dial is located on this curve on the right hand side, where it’s in easy reach of the user’s thumb. Eight shooting modes are provided: an Auto point-and-shoot setting; EXR, which provides better clarity and includes auto scene selection; the P, A, S and M shooting modes; a Scene Position with 18 settings and an Advanced mode containing the Motion Panorama, Pro Focus and Pro Low Light settings. (More on these below.)
A prominent bulge above the lens on the top panel houses the camera’s GPS receiver. The F550 EXR is the first Fujifilm camera with this facility integrated. Two modes are available for receiving location data: permanently on and only when the camera is switched on.
The former drains battery power but displays location data faster when turned on. The latter requires time to locate satellites and acquire information. Regardless of the mode, the camera requires clear access to the sky to detect satellites. Tall trees and buildings can disrupt the access of data and produce errors of a few hundred meters.
While the GPS receiver is active, the camera displays location data on the monitor and indicates the strength of the signal. The latter icon greys out when no signal is detected. In playback mode, the location data are shows for a few seconds as each image is displayed.
The top panel of the FinePix F550 EXR.
The top panel also carries a recessed power on/off button plus a significantly larger shutter release button with surrounding zoom lever. A loop for the wrist strap is located at the far right hand corner of this panel.
The built-in flash tucks into the front of the top panel near the left hand edge. It pops up automatically when the camera detects low light levels and is pushed down with a finger tip when not required. (You can prevent it from rising by holding it down.)
The battery and card share a compartment in the base of the camera on the side of the finger grip. It opens forward but is very cramped and it is quite difficult to extricate the memory card. A metal-lined tripod socket is located beside this compartment, slightly off the camera’s optical axis.
Shooting Modes
The F550 EXR provides a similar range of adjustments to Fujifilm’s earlier raw-enabled model, the FinePix HS10, which we reviewed in April, 2010. Whereas DSLRs and large-sensor mirrorless cameras provide a full range of user-adjustable controls, digicams like the F550 EXR are restricted in ways that serious enthusiasts will find frustrating.
You can only access the full range of shutter speed settings in the Manual mode. In the S mode, the longest exposure is one second, whereas you can extend that to eight seconds in the Manual mode, although only at ISO 100. Maximum exposure times are reduced as ISO is increased.
The aperture range is also restricted, with only three settings available for any focal length. At the wide position, the largest aperture is f/3.5 and the smallest is f/10, while at full 15x zoom the largest aperture is f/5.3 and the smallest is f/16.
Our Imatest testing showed a consistent decline in resolution at the smallest aperture settings, with diffraction playing a significant role in the loss. The small sensor provides a relatively large depth of field, regardless of the aperture setting so there will be few situations when the smallest apertures are justifiable.
Autofocusing options are also limited to Single-point, Multi-point, Continuous and Tracking. You can’t choose a specific point of focus and the Single-point and Continuous modes are restricted to the central AF point. In Multi-point mode, focus tends to lock onto the nearest object unless you’ve switched on face detection, which makes it look for a face. Tracking AF works reasonably well, provided the subject is well lit and not moving quickly and/or erratically.
Metering is also limited by the camera setting. If face detection is switched on, the detected face will be used for exposure measurements. But it must be disabled if you want to use the multi-segment, spot and centre weighted metering modes. (Our tests showed the multi-segment mode was slightly over-influenced by large areas of light or dark tones in subjects, requiring use of the exposure compensation to bring exposures to usable levels.)
Point-and-press photographers can choose between the Auto and EXR modes or select one of the Scene presets. The latter include Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Dog, Cat, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Party, Flower and Text.
In the EXR mode users can choose from four settings: Auto, Resolution Priority (which captures at 16 megapixels), High ISO & Low Noise (which records 8-megapixel images) and D-Range Priority (DR). The DR mode provides five selectable strengths from 100% to 1600%. If Auto is selected for image size, the camera will select the optimal size for the scene type detected.
The F550 EXR comes with built-in sensor-shift stabilisation, which can be augmented by digital image stabilisation by switching on the Dual IS setting in the setup menu. It also has an Advanced Anti Blur mode that is available in the EXR Auto mode.
The Advanced mode doesn’t provide much in the way of camera adjustments but contains three options: Motion Panorama, Pro Focus and Pro Low-Light. The Motion Panorama resembles Sony’s Sweep Panorama setting, allowing users to record panoramas by ‘sweeping’ the camera across the scene while keeping the shutter release depressed.
Three angles of coverage are available, covering 120, 160 or 360-degrees. Images are stitched together in the camera. We suspect movie recording technology is used in this mode as the resulting images are fairly low in resolution and quite heavily compressed.
In the Pro Focus mode, which is designed mainly for portraiture, face detection is engaged and the camera records up to three frames when the shutter button is pressed, progressively softening the background to emphasise the main subject. The degree of softening is adjustable across three steps. This setting only produces good results if there’s an adequate distance between the subject and the background.
The Pro Low-Light is also a multi-shot mode where the camera captures four frames each time the shutter is pressed. They are combined to produce an image with reduced noise and blurring but frame coverage is also reduced . Since these multi-shot require the camera to remain stationary for the series of shots, they’re best used with the camera on a tripod, although you can risk hand-holding the camera at a pinch.
Both modes support a maximum resolution of 8-megapixels, which will be adequate for many applications. The setup menu contains a ‘Save Original Image’ setting that makes the camera store the unprocessed copies of shots taken in these modes.
As in the HS10, the self-timer and drive modes are controlled separately. The self-timer can be set for two or 10-second delay or to trigger when a face is detected. Five continuous shooting modes are available: Top n, Final n, Best Frame Capture, AE Bracketing and Film Simulation Bracketing.
In the first two modes ‘n‘ indicates users can select the number of frames or the burst rate. For the Final n setting the camera records up to 40 frames but only the last shots are saved. Both bracketing options are limited to three frames. The maximum capture rate is 8 fps at full resolution or 11 fps for medium and small image sizes.
The GPS receiver can be switched on and off, which is advantageous as it consumes a fair amount of power. Like most units of its type, the time taken to locate satellites varies, depending on whether the receiver has clear access to the sky. (Anything that interrupts the ‘view’, such as trees and tall buildings, reduces the signal strength, making pick-up times longer or preventing detection altogether.)
Two settings are provided for GPS Location Search in the F-mode menu: Permanently On (where GPS data continues to be updated even when the camera is switched off) and When Switched On (which updates GPS data only when the camera is switched on). The first drains the battery faster but makes the camera faster to display data when it’s switched on.
In both modes, the location data are displayed on the monitor as either a place name (if available) or as latitude and longitude. GPS data collection and display can be switched off in the set-up menu. We found the receiver to be accurate to within a metre or two when the data was displayed as co-ordinates but less so when the place names display was selected, particularly when shots were taken in less well-known suburbs or some distance from major roads.
Sensor and Image Processing
The F550 EXR comes with a new 16-megapixel (effective) EXR-CMOS sensor, which is also used in the FinePix HS20 EXR. It’s a back-illuminated chip that provides greater light capturing efficiency than front-lit ones. The company hasn’t published the number of photosites this sensor has but it has a microsite (http://finepix.com/exr_cmos/en/) extolling its virtues.
As in previous sensors bearing the ‘EXR’ tag, the photosites are rotated through 45 degrees to collect more light and improve horizontal and vertical resolution. Back illumination means the wiring is on the reverse side of the sensor where it doesn’t interfere with the incoming photons. Theoretically this should ensure a ‘cleaner’ signal reaches the image processor.
A new EXR Processor uses two CPU chips to extract maximum quality from the image signals and underpins the camera’s Advanced modes and Full HD movie recording capabilities. In most shooting modes, the F550 EXR provides three image sizes with two compression levels for 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio still images. RAF.RAW files can be recorded with or without JPEGs. Typical file sizes are shown in the table below.
|
Image size |
Pixels |
File size |
|
|
Fine |
Normal |
||
|
RAW |
4608 x 3456 |
28.44MB |
|
|
RAW+JPEG (L/Fine) |
4608 x 3456 |
36.57MB |
|
|
L 4:3 |
4608 x 3456 |
7.1MB |
4.4MB |
|
L 3:2 |
4608 x 3072 |
6.3MB |
3.9MB |
|
L 16:9 |
4608 x 2592 |
5.3MB |
3.3MB |
|
M 4:3 |
3264 x 2448 |
4.5MB |
2.2MB |
|
M 3:2 |
3264 x 2176 |
3.9MB |
2.0MB |
|
M 16:9 |
3264 x 1840 |
3.3MB |
1.7MB |
|
S 4:3 |
2304 x 1728 |
2.2MB |
1.1MB |
|
S 3:2 |
2304 x 1536 |
2.0MB |
1.0MB |
|
S16:9 |
1920 x 1080 |
1.2MB |
0.8MB |
|
Motion Panorama 360 degrees (H) |
11520 x 1080 |
6.92MB |
|
|
Motion Panorama 360 degrees (V) |
11520 x 1624 |
10.45MB |
|
|
Motion Panorama180 degrees (H) |
5760 x 1080 |
3.46MB |
|
|
Motion Panorama180 degrees (V) |
5760 x 1624 |
5.17MB |
|
|
Motion Panorama120 degrees (H) |
3840 x 1080 |
2.32MB |
|
|
Motion Panorama120 degrees (V) |
3840 x 1624 |
3.46MB |
|
Pressing the one-touch movie record button initiates video recording and soundtracks are captured in stereo when the Full HD movie mode (1080p/30fps) is selected in the shooting menu but monaurally for VGA video clips. Three resolution settings are provided for normal movie recording and the camera provides three standard definition options for recording slow-motion movies at up to 320 frames per second.
|
Aspect ratio |
Frame size |
Frame rate |
Recording time/8GB card |
|
16:9 |
1920 x 1080 |
30 frames/sec. |
76 minutes |
|
1280 x 720 |
99 minutes |
||
|
4:3 |
640 x 480 |
232 minutes |
|
|
HS 640 x 480 |
80 frames/sec. |
172 minutes |
|
|
HS 320 x 240 |
160 frames/sec. |
345 minutes |
|
|
HS 320 x 112 |
320 frames/sec. |
172 minutes |
You can zoom in and out of scenes while recording video clips, although any associated camera noises may be recorded. If light levels are low, the AF-Assist light may switch on automatically. (You can turn this setting off in the setup menu.)
Focus, exposure levels and white balance are adjusted automatically while clips are recorded. You can capture a still image by pressing the shutter button while recording a movie but not in the high-speed movie modes. The image size defaults to M when larger sizes have been selected and the shot is saved separately from the movie.
The HS modes provide three options for slow-motion recordings, with resolution being reduced progressively as frame rates are increased. The camera’s electronic shutter reaches its maximum speed in these modes and we found the images were sharp in most of the clips we recorded.
Playback and Software
Aside from the GPS facilities, nothing much has changed in the basic playback functions since we reviewed the FinePix HS10 in April 2010. The F-mode and playback menus provide all the tools required to manage images in the internal memory and on the memory card.
Pressing the Play arrow displays the last shot taken, allowing you to toggle to adjacent frames with the horizontal arrows on the arrow pad. In the continuous shooting modes, only the first frame in the burst is displayed. Subsequent frames can be displayed by pressing the selector down.
Playback zoom is controlled by the zoom lever, with maximum magnification dictated by the image size. It’s not available with cropped or resized copies saved at VGA size or smaller. Index playback is accessed by turning the zoom lever to the full tele position and you can select to show two, nine or 100 thumbnails by pressing the lever several times. Pressing it towards the wide position reduces the number of thumbnails displayed.
Images can be searched by date, GPS location, face, favourites tag, scene, type of data or upload mark. Panorama shots are displayed across the width of the screen by default. Pressing the selector down scrolls the image from left to right or bottom to top of the frame and you can pause playback by pressing the selector up.
The F550 EXR also provides a full photo information display for normal playback of images, including camera settings and a brightness histogram plus blinking on over-exposed areas in shots.
In the F-mode menu you’ll find the Photo Navigation display which provides a graphic to show you the direction and distance from your current position to a spot where a picture was taken. You can also access slideshow playback from this menu and use a new PhotoBook Assist facility that lets you create photo books from shots tagged as Favourites.
You can select up to 300 still images per book and choose them individually or by selected searches. The first picture selected becomes the cover image. Photobooks may be copied to a computer with the supplied MyFinePix Studio software and printed locally or through a retail outlet.
The bundled software consists of My FinePix Studio Version 2.1 and FinePix Viewer Ver. 3.6, both of which include raw file converters and are Windows-only. We’ve covered these applications in previous reviews of Fujifilm cameras, including the FinePix HS10.
Performance
Both subjective assessments and Imatest testing show 16 megapixels to be too high for the F550 EXR’s relatively small image sensor. With each photosite measuring less than 1.4 microns, the processor has to work hard to extract image data and present it in a usable form.
Consequently, full-resolution test shots straight out of the camera often appeared slightly soft when magnified to 100%, although they looked fine when displayed on the computer screen at screen size. Otherwise image quality appeared generally good, although the camera had the normal tendency to produce blown-out highlights in bright conditions, even with dynamic range correction enabled.
The lens was also quite flare-prone, which is not unexpected since no lens hood is provided. Contrast was also inherently slightly high and many subjects appeared more naturally balanced when photographed on a slightly overcast day.
The autofocusing system wasn’t the fastest we’ve seen but it performed well in very low light levels, particularly with close subjects. AF tracking handled most moving subjects well, although for shooting stills, it had problems keeping track of fast subjects.
Imatest showed resolution to be slightly below expectations for a 16-megapixel camera with both RAF.RAW and JPEG files, although the former were only just off the mark. JPEG files were somewhat lower and revealed the effects of diffraction at the smallest aperture settings. Our tests also revealed a fair bit of edge softening, which was evident in test shots under close scrutiny. The graph below shows the results of the tests we conducted at a range of focal length settings.
Resolution declined gradually as ISO sensitivity was increased. JPEG files were affected more than raw files, although the discrepancy between them was quite small. The graph below shows the result of our tests.
Lateral chromatic aberration was negligible at shorter focal lengths but increased into the ‘low’ band around the 31mm focal length. Once again, the smallest aperture settings showed the effect more than the two wider apertures. In the graph below, the red line separates ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA, while the green line marks the border between ‘low’ and ‘moderate’ CA.
Low light performance was a little better than expected for the camera’s sensor size, although taking long exposures was made difficult by the restrictions the camera imposes on exposure times. Little noise was visible in eight-second exposures at ISO 100 but from ISO 400 on, noise became progressively more visible and by ISO 3200 it was interfering with perceptible sharpness. (The longest exposure available at this setting was 1/2 second.)
Night shots taken with the ISO 6400 setting appeared quite granular, although still relatively sharp. With the ISO 12800 setting, images were visibly softened and details were blurred.
Flash exposures fared somewhat better than long exposures in available light, although shots taken with the ISO 12800 setting were so blurred as to be unusable. Slight softening was evident at ISO 6400 but shots were usable at small output sizes.
Flash exposures taken with the ISO 100 and ISO 200 sensitivity settings using a focal length of 27mm were under-exposed, the ISO 100 shot being almost unusable. Normal exposure levels weren’t reached until the ISO 800 setting.
The review camera failed to remove the orange cast from shots taken under incandescent lighting in the auto white balance mode but came close to producing neutral colours in shots taken under fluorescent lighting with the same setting. Both presets over-corrected very slightly, the various fluorescent lighting settings imparting slightly different colour casts. Manual measurement counteracted both colour casts.
The Panorama modes were fun to use but required careful shot composition as the camera does all the processing and stitching. Moving subjects can appear blurred in pans or partly truncated. (An example is shown in the Sample Images section below.) Resolution is also relatively low, with all horizontal pans being only 1080 pixels high, while vertical pans are only 1624 pixels wide.
Exposure levels are pre-set at the start of each sweep so changes in subject brightness aren’t compensated for. Focus is also locked at the start of sweeps but this is less of a problem because depth of field is quite wide, regardless of the aperture setting, due to the small size of the camera’s sensor.
Video quality was good at all resolution settings, although the slightly restricted dynamic range of the sensor meant highlights in clips were frequently blown out. The high-speed modes delivered impressive results with minimal blurring of subjects enabling accurate motion analysis to be carried out. Sound tracks were comparatively clear, although the small size and close spacing of the microphones restricted the stereo presence.
Our timing tests were carried out with an 8GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card, which was also used for all video recordings. The review camera took 2.3 seconds to power-up ready for shooting, which is slow for its class.
Shot-to shot times were also slow, averaging two seconds without flash and 4.3 seconds with. It took roughly two seconds on average to process each image file, regardless of whether the camera was set to record JPEGs or raw files or both.
We found continuous shooting was limited to four frames per burst at full resolution with a measures rate of four frames/second. (This is slower than specified for the camera.) It took 2.9 seconds to process a burst of four JPEGs, 13.9 seconds for four RAF.RAW files and 18.3 seconds for four RAW+JPEG pairs.
Buy this camera if:
– You’re looking for a pocketable camera that includes manual shooting modes and raw file capture.
– You’d like a digicam that can record widescreen Full HD video clips with stereo soundtracks.
– You want to record high-speed video clips for motion analysis.
Don’t buy this camera if:
– You want the same range of adjustments for aperture and shutter speed settings as you get with an interchangeable lens camera.
– You require an optical viewfinder.
– You need fast autofocusing for video and for shooting stills in dimly-lit places.
IMATEST GRAPHS
JPEG files:
RAF.RAW files converted with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLE IMAGES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
4.4mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/280 second at f/7.1.
66mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/170 second at f/5.3.
Digital zoom with spot metering; 66mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/750 second at f/5.3.
Macro mode; 4.4mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/105 second at f/3.5.
Manual exposure mode; 8 second exposure at ISO 100, 4.4mm focal length, f/3.5.
Manual exposure mode; 1/2 second exposure at ISO 1600, 4.4mm focal length, f/3.5.
Manual exposure mode; 1/2 second exposure at ISO 6400, 4.4mm focal length, f/3.5.
Manual exposure mode; 1/4 second exposure at ISO 12800, 4.4mm focal length, f/3.5.
Flash exposure in P mode at ISO 100; 1/60 second at f/5.6. Focal length 27mm.
Flash exposure in P mode at ISO 1600; 1/60 second at f/5.8. Focal length 27mm.
Flash exposure in P mode at ISO 6400; 1/60 second at f/5.8. Focal length 27mm.
Flash exposure in P mode at ISO 12800; 1/60 second at f/5.8. Focal length 27mm.
Squirrel gliders photographed in near darkness at Taronga Zoo;20mm focal length, ISO 12800, 1/4 second at f/5.4.
A shot taken with the sensitivity setting accidentally left on ISO 3200; 50mm focal length, 1/680 second at f/16.
Flare; 4.4mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/3.5. Face detection AE/AF.
62mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/27 second at f/5.6. Spot metering.
Crop from the above image enlarged to 100% showing slight inherent softening, even in bright lighting.
15mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/85 second at f/5. Spot metering.
Crop from the above image enlarged to 100% showing greater softening in open shade.
Horizontal pan of 120 degrees across a scene with a wide brightness range; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/3.9.
A 180-degree pan across the same scene; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/8.
A 360-degree pan across the same scene; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/8.
A crop from the central section of the above pan showing what happens when somebody walks across the field of view close to the camera.
Horizontal pan of 120 degrees across a scene with a normal brightness range; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/8.
A 180-degree pan across the same scene; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/8.
A 360-degree pan across the same scene; 6mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/8.
Still frame from Full HD video clip at 1080p.
Still frame from HD video clip at 720p.
Still frame from VGA video clip recorded at 30 frames/second.
Still frame from QGA video clip recorded at 120 frames/second.
Specifications
Image sensor: 6.4 x 4.8 mm EXR CMOS sensor with (16 megapixels effective)
Image processor: EXR Processor
Lens: Fujinon 4.4-66mm f/3.5-5.3 zoom lens (24-360mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 15x optical, up to 5x digital
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAF.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies: MOV (MPEG4/H.264) with WAVE format stereo sound
Image Sizes: : Stills – 4:3 aspect: 4608 x 3456, 3264 x 2448, 2304 x 1728; 3:2 aspect: 4608 x 3072, 3264 x 2176, 2304 x 1536; 16:9 aspect: 4608 x 2592, 3264 x 1840, 1920 x 1080; Motion Panorama: 360 degrees – 11520 x 1624 (V); 11520 x 1080 (H); 180 degrees – 5760 x 1624 (V), 5760 x 1080 (H); 120 degrees – 3840 x 1624 (V), 3840 x 1080(H); Movies – 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames/ sec. with stereo sound
Shutter speed range: 8 to 1/2000 seconds
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay
Image Stabilisation: CMOS shift type
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps
Bracketing: AE Bracketing : +/-1/3EV, +/-2/3EV, +/-1EV; Film Simulation Bracketing : PROVIA / STD, Velvia / VIVID, ASTIA / SOFT; Dynamic Range Bracketing : 100% / 200% / 400%
Focus system/range: TTL contrast-based AF with Centre, Multi, Area, Tracking selection plus face detection; range 45 cm to infinity; macro to 5 cm
Exposure metering/control: TTL 256-zones metering with Multi, Spot, Average modes
Shooting modes: EXR, Auto, P, S, A, M, SP (Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Dog, Cat, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Party, Flower, Text), Advanced
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200; ISO 6400 and 12800 at reduced image sizes
White balance: Auto, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent (Daylight/ Warm White/Cool White), Incandescent light, Custom
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro. (Red-eye reduction available); range – approx. 15 cm to 3.2 m
Sequence shooting: Max. 8 fps at full resolution; 11 fps for medium and small image sizes
Storage Media: Approx. 39MB of internal memory plus expansion slot for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-1) cards
Viewfinder: No
LCD monitor: 3.0-inch TFT colour LCD monitor with approx. 460,000 dots
Power supply: NP-50 Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approximately 300 frames
Dimensions (wxhxd): 103.5 x 62.5 x 32.6 mm
Weight: Approx. 195 grams (without battery and card)
Retailers
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Camerastore.com.au
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Camera-Warehouse
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Electronics Warehouse
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Rating
RRP: $449
Rating (out of 10):
- Build: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.5
- Autofocusing: 8.5
- Image quality: JPEG – 8.0; RAW – 8.5
- Video quality: 8.5
- OVERALL: 8.8
