| Brand: | Fuji | ||
| Average Rating |
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10-megapixel effective recording * wide-angle zoom lens * 10X optical zoom (4X digital/40X total zoom) * 35mm equivalent lens focal length: 27-270 * 2-11/16 LCD screen * sensor-shift image stabilization counteracts camera shake for clear shots * top JPEG resolution: 3616 x 2712 * scene recognition automatically selects optimal camera settings for high-res, low-light, or high dynamic range shooting * face detection identifies up to 10 people in your frame and adjusts focus and exposure for better portraits * in-camera red-eye detection and automatic correction * high sensitivity mode for low-light shooting (ISO 12800 maximum with up to 3-megapixel resolution) * more info
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Fab camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am very happy with my F70EXR. My family will tell you I buy a *new and improved* camera about every 2 years. This one may be the KEEPER. I am still an amateur, but with this one may be the one to take me to the next level.
I found it quite easy to use out of the box. Yes, as mentioned in several reviews there is a learning curve. But if you can read…you can master it. Low light photos and macro photos are awesome!!!
The only con I have is not with the camera itself, but with the lack of the physical paper manual.
This is a great camera and I look forward to many years of use!
Good point and shoot camera for a good price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have used Fuji point-and-shoot cameras as backup to DSLR cameras for several years. This camera has a very good zoom and it provides good quality images. If you are buying this for its low light capabilities, be aware that the camera automatically reverts to smaller files sizes when the highest ISO settings are chosen. Also, this is not a good camera for beginners because there are many settings options. I think you really need to understand photographic concepts to take full advantage of the EXR settings and Pro Focus Mode settings. Some of the other reviewers mentioned that the settings were difficult to use. I can understand their frustration if they are new to higher end digital cameras. However, I believe that someone with experience in photography will benefit from the advanced features provided by this camera. Also the wide angle and telephoto capabilities are impressive as is the low price.
Amazing in low light if you do not have shaky hands
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My last point and shoot digital camera was a 2 mega pixel camera from Canon (Digital Elph S200). Then I bought my first DSLR, Nikon D70. Ever since, I have loved my D70 so much and I thought that I might not need a point and shoot camera any more. Wrong. I realized that the D70 was heavy for me one time and I did not carry it unless I really really need it. The number of the pictures that I took have been decreasing and finally, I wanted to have a compact camera that I can carry anywhere easily. And I do not want to sacrifice the picture quality. Then here comes the Fuji F70EXR.
I have a friend who has been using only Fuji digital cameras. He loves the compactness and the picture quality of Fuji Finepix cameras and I was surprised by the pictures that the Fuji cameras make. So, I was expecting that the F70EXR would take great pictures and Yes, it does make beautiful pictures even in the condition that most compact digital cameras do not like..
These days, almost any digital cameras from well known companies can take gorgeous pictures under the bright daylight condition. So my focus goes to the point that how great pictures that the F70EXR can make at the low light condition. As a matter of fact, I take more pictures indoor than outdoor since I take pictures of my kids most of the time. The F70EXR offers a special mode called pro low-light mode. What it does is that it takes 4 continuous pictures under the low light condition and combines those 4 shots into 1 picture to make the picture brighter and the picture has surprisingly low noise. You should not shake your camera while it is taking 4 shots in a row though. Once I got used to it, I can create a very nice picture under the dim light such as candles on a birthday cake. This is the best program that I find on the F70EXR. If you have shaky hands, you would get blurry (but bright) pictures, though. The F70EXR has another low light mode called a high sensitiviy and low noise and it creates decent pictures indoor. However, I liked the pro low-light mode better, since it makes a great picture under the extreme light condition that most cameras fail to make decent pictures.
The second program mode that I really like from the F70EXR is a pro focus mode. It mimicks a DSLR camera in a very interesting way. Several of my friends bought DSLR cameras just to take soft focus background pictures. People love the portrait pictures that have a sharp focus for subject with soft focus for background. To create these type of pictures, you should have a bright lens for your DSLR. However, without changing or buying a comparatively expensive lens, you can do that with the F70EXR by selecting the pro focus mode. The F70EXR recognizes the background and blurs it so that it looks like a blurred background picture. I have never expected this kind of picture from a point and shoot camera and I really enjoyed it. I recommended the F70EXR to my friend who wanted to take this kind of picture without knowing much about the camera.
I also liked a natural & flash mode that takes 2 continuous pictures with and without a flash. I frequently use this mode when I did not know whether I should fire a flash or not. This is a pretty good idea. I do not know whether this feature is popular among other cameras, however, it has been working very well for me. And there are just too many program modes that I cannot describe one by one here.
Oh, I should mention this. This camera has a built-in memory which is approximately 47 MB. This was a life saver for me when I forgot to bring a memory card. I could have lost precious moments if there were no internal memory in it. I thank Fuji for that.
The one thing that I did not like the most is that it does not have a motion senser to record that the picture is taken horizontally or vertically. You should manually rotate pictures when you see the pictures on the computer screen (or any device that can show the digital pictures). And the video can be taken only up to 640 * 480 resolution in 30 frames per second. I see many compact digital cameras taking HD videos on the market. However, I have HD camcorders to do this job, so this does not bother me much.
Since other reviewers have pointed out so many features of this camera, I was focusing on the things that I really like. Overall, the F70EXR is a very good camera to have. The F70EXR feels solid and makes great pictures under low light condition which I care the most. And many program modes can be accessed very easily. If you are not sure about the point and shoot digital camera and take many pictures indoor, the F70EXR would be the best choice for you.
Great camera, but too complicated for point and shoot use
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is a great camera if you are a photographer. It takes excellent photos and has lots of sophisticated capabilities. Unfortuntely, I concluded that I need something that is simpler, has less opportunities to mess up, and that will consistently take excellent photos inside and out without having to adjust the settings.
I bought this camera to replace an aging Canon S50 that is used for family photos inside and outside. After spending hours trying to satisfy myself that this was a good replacement (particularly with respect to inside snapshots), I decided that if I had to work that hard to get the snapshots I wanted, that this was not the right camera for me. I suspect a serious photographer would reach a different conclusion.
I did make a few observations in comparing it with my wife’s Canon SD870 and my older Canon S50. All three cameras can take great pictures indoor and out. Since indoor photos seem to be much more difficult than outdoor photos I spent my time trying to get the best indoor snapshots. I found that F70 in auto modes consistently pushed the ISO to higher levels than the Canon cameras and it seemed to me that this tended to result in grainier photos. Most of the Canon shots were automatically set at around 100 ISO whereas the F70 only shot at 100 if I set it there. The rest of the time it went to 400 or higher. With the F70 I found that I liked the indoor photos the best if I set the ISO at 200 or 100, At the 100 ISO I had to correct the photos on the computer. With the Canon cameras the auto setting gave me much better results with a lot less opportunity to make mistakes.
The F70 has a ton of capabilities, but after spending 5 or 6 hours shooting test shots I concluded that I want a camera that consistently takes good snapshots inside or outside without having to change settings. The F70 is not that camera. It clearly can take excellent photos, but the firmware does not make it idiot-proof like our Canon cameras tend to be.
All in all, while I think this is an excellent camera, I do not think it is an excellent camera for casual family photos. I think you have to be into photography for this to be a really good fit. There are better cameras for taking consistently good family photos.
Nice Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The battery life on exr mode is not very good. I wish it had better low light pics.
Great for night shots! Giftable, easy-to-use camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve always had headaches taking night pictures with the other digital cameras that I’ve owned. This Fuji has been a pleasant surprise! It takes remarkable night pictures.
Recently, I had to photograph Christmas lights on my home and it was foggy outside. I kept thinking the pictures would turn out horrible, but I used the “fireworks” setting to get a really long exposure and when I uploaded the pictures to my computer and finally viewed them on the big screen, I was shocked (and thrilled) that you couldn’t even tell it was foggy outside. I am so pleased with the “low noise” on nighttime photos that I highly recommend this camera for that reason alone. I’ve never found another digital camera that was worth a darn for night shots, so if you think you may ever need to take a picture with dim lighting and no flash, you need a camera like this one. (I use a tripod when photographing with long exposures. I highly suggest everyone who owns a digital camera invest in a tripod. They are relatively cheap and completely necessary when photographing at night.)
I read the manual thoroughly before using this camera, but I love how intuitive all the features and buttons are, making the manual unnecessary to keep on you at all times. I have another camera that I’ve owned for 2 years and I still can never remember how to scroll through the menus and what button does what. This is not the case with this Fuji camera. The menus are super-intuitive and once you’ve gone through them a couple of times, you know just what to do.
All of the auto-options are phenomenal. With several different night exposure settings and tons of different day/landscape settings, you’ll never run out of photo-taking options for your subject. The zoom is great, quick, and relatively silent.
The size and weight of this camera are good, but it could probably be shrunk down just a bit more. I have to ding it just a bit on this because it is heavier and larger than my other digital cameras, but this extra weight and bulk may be necessary for all the options on this.
I’ve seriously thought of purchasing one of these for my mother. She’s not very tech-savvy, but I know she can handle the easy buttons and menus on this camera and would feel confident and comfortable using it. I cannot say that for my other digital cameras, so as a gift, I think this is a great camera for a recipient of any age.
Great little pocket cam
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for about 4 days now, and tried it indoors and out. Does take a while to start getting used to it’s different modes. That being said, it takes excellent color pics of people that need no or little touchup in the computer before they are ready to post. Might not be a great camera for someone who doesn’t want the different EXR modes to think about, but EXR Auto does a pretty good job of choosing anyway.
For someone moving up from a cheap Casio, I think it’s fantastic overall. I love the face detection focus/metering, and video is way better than I am used to from my old Casio.
Cons: no RAW format (but how many small superzooms do?)
manual zoom control is not very fine. Guess I’m spoiled by my DSLR!
Would I buy again? Immediately!
The best camera out there !!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have owned lots of cameras and this is the best one so far.
I had lots of super zooms and i have sell the panasonic zs1 because of the low light situation !
id did nice pictures if was not for the low light.
but this camera is amazing
well made
lovely pictures
fast
if you have kids you will love it.
its not heavy like the say.
the zoom is great.
i just love this camera also very good for the money.
A for the camera, B for the details (and one C-)
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
While I’m a long-time user of Nikon 35mm gear, I had zero digital camera experience prior to this purchase, so it was with some trepidation that I sought out an online best buy solution in the point and shoot category. To that end, I must confess that I found most of the online reviews rather confusing, which, now that I have test-run one, I attribute to too many reviewers unfairly critiquing a recreational camera in a context that references higher-end cameras and features. (I did find the reviews here on Amazon to be the most useful.) For example, it threw me off whenever a reviewer would complain about a point-and-shoot’s graininess in low light situations, when in fact no point-and-shoot is going to pass that test very well with existing technology. I finally figured this out after days of researching and once I had revised my hopes and expectations, the Fujifilm F70 seemed like a good choice, even if it was a bit pricier than I had originally budgeted.
My criteria for a point-and-shoot were, in order of importance:
* Obviously, compactness and portability, but not at the cost of desirable features.
* The best possible image quality across a wide range of conditions.
* The most powerful, trouble-free zoom in this category.
* Price.
* Solid construction.
* No AA batteries.
* A good balance between versatile features and ease of use, including anti-blur and file transfer.
* The brand track record.
* Cosmetic style.
* Battery life.
Based on that wish list and a week of experimentation, I must say that overall I am relieved and pleased with my choice of cameras, and give this one a solid 4 stars. (I doubt I would give any point-and-shoot 5 stars until someone does in fact deliver one that produces exceptional image quality in all the light conditions a typical user is likely to encounter.) Other reviewers with more digital expertise have critiqued its features better than I can at this point, so I’ll limit my observations to a few notes from a newbie’s perspective:
* First, digital is cool.
* Second, this camera is indeed capable of producing really nice photos under optimum conditions, and acceptable snapshots in less than ideal situations.
* The EXR mode is really interesting, and I bet it and the programmed manual mode wind up being the ones I use most.
* It seems like a digital is prone to blur more than a SLR, and I’m not sure the F70′s anti-blur is all that great.
* The 10x zoom is a really nice feature to have in a compact camera. Some people had mentioned the control being too touchy, but I think it’s acceptable. I tend to think of it as zooming in preset increments rather than being infinitely adjustable like a SLR lens, which is, again, acceptable in a recreational camera.
* Another thing that had worried me was mention of purple fringing — I almost didn’t buy this camera because of it — but after taking a couple hundred photos, this seems like a non-issue. I have yet to see any.
* I don’t have anything to compare it to, but it does seem like the camera goes through a battery charge pretty quickly, but of course I’ve been doing lots of experimenting and button pushing. I’d say it’s a really good idea to have a spare battery on hand.
* I don’t claim to have mastered all the controls yet, but I’m satisfied that the automated settings in AUTO and EXR modes may be fine for optimum conditions, but the user does need to learn how to tweak the settings for less than optimum shooting. To that end, I’m surprised to see such a robust feature set in a point-and-shoot camera, but at the same time I’m aware that some situations simply require a more sophisticated camera. In other words, you can’t win ‘em all with a point-and-shoot.
* The zoom motor’s noise is a nuisance in video mode (I assume other brand’s are able to avoid that?). And if other brands at comparable prices are shooting HD, why not this camera? Not a big deal though.
* I’m really irritated that I have to go to the computer to access the complete user manual, which is the only way you’re going to figure out the camera’s more intricate features. I find this enormously inconvenient, especially since I don’t have a laptop. Fuji gets a really low mark from me on this feature — 2 stars. Come on guys, it would cost you, what, a buck to print the whole damn thing? Geez.
In conclusion, I’d like to mention a couple of industry practices in general. When you’re spending upwards of US$200 for a point-and-shoot, I think the manufacturer should furnish a more complete kit that includes a full manual, a memory card and a case. I’m not saying I expect a 16gig card and a $40 case for a $234 camera, but 1 or 2 gigs and an econo case would be nice. (Or better yet, why isn’t there more data storage built into the camera?) Honestly, I don’t know why we consumers allow vendors to strong arm us into after-market sales like that. I think it’s blatantly manipulative. Any brand brave enough to buck this trend would probably earn my next purchase, just on general principle.
Major kudos go to Amazon for at least giving us the option of buying a couple of discounted “add-ons” at the time of purchase. Getting a spare battery for 8 bucks was particularly sweet.
Love it, love it, love it! Perfect!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I make jewelry and needed a camera that could take crisp, true-color, very close-up pictures of the tiny details AND be affordable and easy to use. This meets all my expectations and more. I originally bought another camera that was around the same price and had good reviews because it had 12x optical zoom. Luckily, the salesman showed me this camera and the difference in close-up shots of the same thing – the logo on his shirt, actually. I couldn’t believe how much better this tiny little camera was when it came to capturing the details and colors of every stitch compared to this other camera with supposedly more zoom power. He said it was because this is the new generation — tiny with a better lens and processor. I returned the first one and happily played with my new camera, easily taking shots in all light conditions, action shots of the kids, black & white or sepia, movies without sound, etc. I even took a picture of my son in his daycare class through the thick glass window with diamond-shaped metal wire inside it (it’s on an army post, so, of course, security glass is everywhere) and instead of focusing on the wire inside the glass like every camera I’ve ever had before would have done, this took a clear picture of the room. He was the only person in the shot and I was able to zoom in digitally later on with the “crop” option and get a clear picture of how excited and cute he looks when he first sees Daddy coming to pick him up at the end of the day. Priceless! This will also help me sell my jewelry since now I live so far from my friends and family who want to buy it, but would like to browse through and find exactly what they want before sending me some money based on a blurry picture and my description. I also found that it’s so small and the battery lasts so long (it was like 2 weeks before I had to recharge it), I just carry it in my purse so I never miss a picture-worthy moment anymore. I just can’t rave about it enough!
Extremely usable camera, however be aware of the limitations
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It’s a small well built camera, all metal including the tripod mount. Overall pictures are nice but a little on the cool side when put in Auto White balance. I will upload samples on this (compared to canon which is a little on the warmer side on Auto). Auto mode is probably fine for bright outdoors.
The EXR mode which is advertised the most has 4 sub-modes. EXR Auto, EXR High ISO Low Noise (S/N), EXR High Dynamic Range (D/N) and High Resolution (H/R). I haven’t yet figured out the difference between EXR H/R and normal large size Auto. Try to avoid the EXR Auto mode since you cannot limit the max ISO.
The firmware can definitely use some updates. It tends to pick too high an ISO in all Auto modes. On some modes you can control how high it will go. Try to set it at Auto(400) wherever possible. In full EXR Auto I have a number of shots full wide angle at 1/80 and ISO 800 where 1/40 and ISO 400 (or even 1/20 ISO 200) would have been fine. The direct SUNLIGHT white balance is for some reason called FINE white balance. The Manual seems to talk about a “if AUTO Image size is selected” (page 34 of the full PDF), but there is no AUTO image size option. You select the image size you want, the camera overrides it as needed. The EXR D/N mode is the most useful of all EXR modes since it gives a 800% Dynamic range boost and you can limit the max ISO.
There is also a Pro Light Mode which does a hash of 4 pictures and it seems to do a better job at reducing noise then EXR S/N. Considering that it takes 4 frames, you need a Tripod and a still subject (if you have a Tripod and still subject why do you need pro-light?). It is limited in use in scenarios where you really need to use this – dark days, shady areas or indoors – because it will pick ISO 1600.
The ISO 1600 which all Auto mode prefers by default should be avoided. The camera also has perfectly unusable ISO 3200, 6400 and 12800. The reason for the existence of these speeds escapes me. An analog TV tuning to a non-existing station would have less noise. Fuji should really limit the max ISO to 800.
I have a old Canon A610 (5MP with a larger sensor 1/1.8, Fuji has 1/2). The Fuji is better in many ways; its smaller, compact, more zoom. But purely from an image quality point of view, there is not much observed difference. There is no quality difference between this 5 year old Canon and the Fuji EXR S/N Mode at upto 400 ISO (The Fuji EXR SN mode results in 5MP) at comparable focal lengths. The ISO 800 in Fuji is actually usable which is unusual for p&s. Chromatic Aberrations are more visible in Fuji than in Canon at comparable focal lengths. Either the Canon lens is better or its firmware is removing this.
While I do not have a modern p&s to compare the image quality (e.g. all the newer Canons use a much smaller 1/2.3 sensor), the addition of all the new technologies is not necessarily able to overcome the sensor size reduction.
PROS:
1. All metal well built
2. Extremely usable zoom range
3. Very useful EXR D/N range
4. Very usable Auto mode if you limit the ISO to 400.
CONS:
1. Fuji – Please remove ISO 1600 and higher, reprogram the firmware to select smallest usable ISO in the Auto modes.
2. Like lots of newer p&s, there is only 1 aperture size + a simulated aperture using neutral density filter. So much for changing depth of field.
3. Some learning needed with all the modes,scenes and film options.
4. Lens chromatic aberrations are visible, this can be removed in software.
OVERALL:
Extremely usable camera, however be aware of the limitation. Try to work around Auto modes to select small ISO if needed, use custom white balance for really critical shots.
Powerful camera in a compact package!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for almost two months, and I still haven’t fully explored all its features and capabilities. These are my impressions so far:
Pros:
Compact size
Powerful 10x zoom (uncommon in smaller cameras), with wide angle.
10 megapixels – excellent resolution! You can blow up a smaller section of a photo without worries of pixelation.
Many, many (almost too many) shooting options. You can simulate different types of Fuji film, program for different scene types, and shoot manually. If you prefer, the full automatic setting will do all the thinking and calculating, and does a pretty good job, including finding faces in the shot to focus on.
Cons (minimal, but worth mentioning):
Proprietary battery- I know these are necessary due to the camera’s small size, but if they die, unless you’re near an electronics store, you’re out of luck. I prefer cameras that use AA/AAA batteries, which can easily be replaced in a pinch.
No viewfinder
Fragility- this is more a perceived shortcoming, as my previous camera was an Olympus UZ-550, a small, but solid camera. The Fuji camera feels very delicate, and I’m afraid if I drop it or bang it, it will break easily. So far, no problems, so maybe I’m just not used to this compact camera’s tiny size.
Overall, if you’re looking for a full featured, compact camera at a decent price, the Fuji F70EXR should be on your short list for consideration.
Nice overall but not as good as Canon
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I really wanted to love this camera, but after 3 weeks struggle, decided to return it and go back to my old Canon.
Pros:
1.Beautiful LCD: the picture on the LCD look way better than anything else I’d owned
2.Natural light+flash mode: two different pictures in one shot, my favorite feature, but then I realize the +flash is always nicer, so probably not that useful.
3. Crisp images
Cons:
1. Odd placement of flash: the flash is placed on the right hand side of the camera, right next to the shutter. extremely difficult to operate with single hand. always accidentally block the flash.
2. Weak flash: Maybe it’s normal for this type of compact PnS, but my dad’s Sony HX1 has way more powerful flash. This Fuji ended up useless most of the time during our trip to Hawaii, where strong flash was needed in a lot of shots to counter the super bright background.
3. Slow processing: Takes long to process the picture between shots
4. Bad battery life: I got 3 backup batteries for this little camera, each backup performs similar to the one came with the camera, but equally bad. I did need all 4 batteries to last a 6 hour day trip. Also slow flash charging.
5. Poor charger quality: charger died after few charges. End up not being able to use the camera for half of my trip
6. Only 3 continuous shots: unlike what was stated in the user’s manual, this camera only allows 3 continuous shots. Even worse, after each continuous series, it’ll take about 30 sec before you can use the camera to do anything. Very annoying feature, though not as annoying as Sony HX1, which takes even longer to recover. For this, Canon is the nicest: 0.8fps until card full, super useful for taking random shots. I think this and the charger issue are the two deal breakers for me.
great pocket camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a camera with more zoom than our Canon SD (I also use 2 DSLRs and film cameras). I picked this cam because I didn’t need HD movies(ala Sony) or HDR(Fuji EXR200). Shirt-pocket-fit, quality images, 10:1 zoom, macro, reliabilty and ease of use were my criteria and this camera fit them all. This is my 3rd Fuji point-and-shoot and the first two lasted a several years each, going through much abuse, travel and being handed down to other family members. Picture quality is very good, I use mostly the Program Mode, occasionaly changing “film Simulation” or the ISO range. I like a camera where I can control the exposure and focus point and with this camera I almost always can. The only thing missing is manual focus. I’ve taken about 750 pics with this cam in the month I’ve had it and highly recommend it for quality, versatility and ease of use in a pocket camera.
Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera. I need a camera for a 6 week trip I’m taking this coming summer. My requirements were small size, quick picture taking, ability to take nice macro shots, better than 5x zoom, and low light performance. Not a short list at all! But I need one camera that will do everything I need it to.
This camera has really come through. I previously had a sony compact camera. The F70EXR takes quick photos, very sharp quality, and offers plenty of user options for manual controls.
The only thing this camera doesn’t do all that well is take video . . . but why in the world would that matter? It’s called a digital camera, not a digital camcorder. I would personally never take HD video on a compact camera, ever if it did have the option . . . its like dusting your living room with a leaf blower, just not designed for that.
I bought the “holiday pack” which came with a case, little tripod, and an extra battery, all for a really nice price. I highly recommend this camera.
Not what I expected AT ALL
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m not a proffessional photographer, but I don’t need to be one to review my purchase of this “waste of my money” camera.
First off, I purchased it basically for 2 reasons (that is why the 2 stars):
1. It is the most portable 10X optical zoom on the market right now.
2. It “was” cheaper than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle
This was my first Fuji camera and for sure will be my last. I will focus on what I hate the most since it is worthless to talk about the good stuff that other reviewers mentioned already.
- The zoom has a terrible and loud sound when you use it, so if you’re recording a video, prepare yourself to hear robotic sound when you play it (makes a video recording, USELESS).
- The autofocus feature when recording a video ALSO makes sounds, so you’ll have both autofocus and zoom sound in your videos.
- I know this is not an HD video camera, but jeez, the video quality really sucks, my previous Lumix with 9MP recordered better quality videos than this Fuji.
- The camera KILLED TWO SDHC memory cards. Both memory cards (both different brand and capacity) were destroyed and both came out with scratches on the “reading contacts”.
So, I wasted my money and went back to the Lumix, I purchased the one I mentioned above and it works like a charm.
PERSONAL NOTE: feel free to rate if my comments (which reflect what I went thru with this camera) are useful or not to you, but don’t comment my review trying to put me like a liar nor an ignorant please, I feel that there is no need to, if you don’t have any use with my review, well rate it but don’t pick an argument with me, I’m not a Panasonic seller nor any other brand, I was a real buyer of this camera on amazon.com and I’m not making up what I wrote nor I hate Fuji brand.
High quality consumer camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is amazing at the price and worth even more than the under three hundred retail.
The extensive menu selections are easy to navigate and offer quick exit when ready to shoot.
I am using this for semi-pro work and enjoy the wide latitude of dynamic range. The bundled Fine-Pix picture viewer is not useful for pro work as it is not compatible with Adobe Bridge; more of a bother than a helper unless you know little about processing and need this extra helper.
Several negatives: Often get message about memory card error. I haven’t tried another card as they suggest, so switching it on and off with other buttons pressed returns the camera to proper condition.
One other would be having no viewfinder.
Overall, esily a four-star camera.
Good Camera, Portability is Important
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a good, portable camera.
PRO’s:
DESIGN
This isn’t the sleekest or best designed camera out there. It actually looks like it’s an older camera because the newer ones have a more polished finish. The camera’s color is more lackluster than bold and classy.
PORTABILITY
This is where the camera gets an A+. The size is great, and the camera can fit in your pocket. You can take this camera anywhere you go; it’s good for travel, parties and other moments when you just need a picture and quality doesn’t matter as much to you.
PRO SHOT MODES:
Fujifilm really markets these Pro modes the camera has, but I really don’t think there is any advantage to them. Despite trying to create perfect conditions for your shot, most of the time the camera says it’s unable to capture an image in that mode.
LENS AND PICTURE QUALITY
The 10x zoom is nice, but the lens is nowhere near as nice as other 10x zoom cameras. The lens is small, and that takes away from quality.
Overall, I think what makes the F70EXR worth the price is the 10x zoom which is rare in such a small, portable camera.
Mucking up a good thing
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Not sure why Fuji engineers had to go off and muck up a pretty good formula they’ve succeeded with on the previous F series. I’ve owned Fuji cameras for years (this is my 5th one) and have always liked their low light capabilities and simple menus. This new EXR capability seems to detract both the design and complicate the low light capabilities. I tried a whole series of configurations at a recent wedding and found the low level performance – with EXR and with the natural Light – to be useless. That’s a dramatic drop in performance from my previous F60 that faithfully produced the best images in low light when every one else’s cameras were struggling with noise. I’ve also found that EXR add processing lag. you have to wait a tad longer before you can take the next pic. The remaining features of the camera are fabulous. In good light the optics and processor produce terrific, high grade images with wonderful and vivid color. The 10x lens can’t be beat. Overall a good camera, but I’m disappointed that the EXR advancements don’t deliver good low light performance.
Awesome PnS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have recently been into DSLR and Have a SOny Alpha 350 and Cannon XTi.
So I wasnt sure how this Point and Shoot would hold up.
Considering the weight is always and issue with dslrs i decided to get this PnS.
I am amazed at what it has to offer for a PnS. My last PnS was a Minolta Konica 5mp and was really just well a PnS…
So when i saw this was all the modes and with upto 270 mm telephoto zoom I was totally blown over.
With my Dslrs I have had to spend atleast $300 just for Telephoto lens that much and for that to be a part of this PnS just amazes me.
I really do think this is the best camera out there.
Below are the features which are packed in.
# 10-megapixel Super CCD EXR
# 10x optical zoom lens; 27mm wide-angle to 270mm telephoto
# EXR Auto Mode detects six different scene types
# Dual Stabilization; Face Detection 3.0 and Automatic Red-eye Removal
# Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards
Also the Picture quality is really something we that blew me. I didnt think this would amaze me after a DSLR owner…
But for a PnS this does and awesome job.
I was bowled the high resolution modes and the picture quality with sharp vivid colors.
I clicked a 100 plus snaps of my baby and most of them turned out great.
Low Light settings pics also work great.
The Flash adjust according to the ambient light .
FAce detection is a great feature.
I thought CCD and Cmos were dslr specific but i was wrong.
The Video no HD is still great.
Overall a great Camera for the price.
Excellent pocket-sized hi-zoom camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a large zoom camera small enough to fit in a pocket and carry to places where I don’t want to lug my DSLR or Canon A630 compact (which is a little big for most of my pockets.) This is very compact and the picture quality is very high. It doesn’t match my DSLR, but there are plenty of places I can’t bring the bigger camera where this will do nicely.
What is unique to the F70 is that you can either use it as a regular 10MP camera, or set it up to be extra senstitive for low light or add dynamic range in shadow areas. The extra sensitivity drops you down to 5MP, but in most cases, that is a good trade off to be able to take less noisy pics in low light or bring out the detail in shadow areas. At least it gives you the choice.
Panasonic ZS3 is better than the Fuji 72EXR
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I wish that Fuji 72 EXR could have posted two basic settings – one for indoor pictures at home and one for outdoor for photographs as I am a novice (non-expert). The indoor pictures seem to be on the yellow side and I have to manually fix all my pictures.
I can’t figure out if I can change the white balance or not under automatic settings.
I think this camera has fantastic potential if you’re a photographer.
Terrific optimal zoom for a pocket sized camera
Decent videos, even though it’s not a HD Video camera
Fuji software cannot work with Vista 64 bit at this time
So, why the 4 stars. At a camera store, I physically compared the indoor photos at an automatic setting to all the cameras with high optimal zoom (I wanted at least 7x Optimal Zoom); The Fuji F72 EXR had the sharpest photos with the best colors compared to high optimal zoom cameras from Nikon, Sony, Canon, Olympus, etc. However, I was unable to compare the Panasonic ZS3 which was at Costco (Costco cannot provide batteries to test the camera).
I also like being able to choose the Vivid color setting which really makes the outdoor colors brighten up incredibly.
Great outdoor pictures on EXR setting in the Dynamic range.
Please feel free to make some camera setting suggestions to me. I would LOVE any basic recommendations so that I can just point and shoot automatic pictures indoors (under normal fluorescent lights) and outdoors with sharp detail.
Addendum: I am no longer confused. I am very disappointed because the Panasonic ZS3 (which I checked out using my friend’s ZS3) is WAAY better in both outdoor light and indoor light on Automatic than the Fuji 72EXR. Now, I have to see if the store is willing to accept my return with a 15% restocking fee. I picked…poorly.
Somewhat Disappointing
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The science of the Super CCD sounds really good. Choosing a sensor arrangement that allows the camera to bin adjacent pixels to increase the effective size of a photosite (at half the number of pixels, of course) is a good idea for reducing both chroma and luminance noise while maintaining a decent shutter speed. The lower noise level should permit raising the effective ISO.
In fact, the Super CCD works pretty well, but not for reducing noise. It is excellent at extending the dynamic range of the sensor (with one half of the photosites capturing bright and one half capturing dim areas). The camera has advanced firmware that allows it to do a number of tricks such as shooting 3 pictures in rapid sequence at the same ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, and averaging out the noise. So long as the photog can hold the camera reasonably steady, this works surprisingly well. It also has the ability to provide an apparently small depth of field, again by taking 3 pictures of the scene and somehow identifying the subject (closest object, I think) and making one shot of the subject and two of the distance, which it then blurs together.
Unfortunately this trick is less well executed. The background just looks as if somebody had blurred it uniformly, as putting a damp sponge on watercolors. On one shot the camera even left a hole in the blur through which one could see a fairly sharp background. Anyway, it only works at all when the subject is quite close to the camera.
Even with vibration reduction it is almost impossible to get a sharp image at a 35mm effective “250 mm” focal length using a camera this small. Hand shake and imperfections in the autofocus combine to limit the sharp zoom range to something significantly less, say around “175mm or 200 mm” equivalent focal length, if sharpness is important to you. The lens is also deficient on native sharpness, and when there’s a bright background the chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is annoying and not removed by the firmware/software in the camera. Given the innovative firmware used elsewhere in the camera, some CA reduction and distortion correction should have been implemented.
A reasonably sophisticated user will probably find that he or she reaches for the exposure compensation button fairly frequently. I found that the meter just didn’t deliver consistent results as you changed from, say, bright sunlight to an interior. In addition the auto white balance was consistently off, and the presets didn’t help a lot. Pictures taken on a cloudy day were uniformly too blue, whether engaging the “shade” preset or using the AWB. In compensation, the custom WB mode is very easy to use and works better than on most compacts.
The F70EXR is beautifully built, a delight in the hand, and attractively styled. It’s just not as adept at doing bread and butter photography as it should be, even at the pretty low price it’s sold for at Amazon. I am mentally comparing it to a 3 year old Canon 710is and the brand new Canon S90, and have decided that I should return the F70EXR and give the S90 a try.
Poor successor to Fujifilm’s F31fd
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I rarely write reviews but this was such a disappointing product (especially after the rave reviews) that I feel I need to guide folks away from this product.
First the positives:
+ The optical zoom really is incredible. I took some zoomed night shots (braced on a window sill) with a 4 second exposure at full zoom, and the detail is amazing. Kudos to a fine lens to make that possible — would expect nothing less from Fujinon.
Unfortunately, that’s just about it for the positives. And I really am looking at this as a P&S (point and shoot), not as an SLR (single lens reflex). On to what really made this camera unworkable:
- Terrible noise. At 400 ISO in low light, it has as much noise as my old F31fd at _1600_ ISO in low light. (Note: I am comparing the F70 against another P&S, not an SLR.) I had hoped that it was just the LCD screen but after loading the craptastic Finepix Viewer on to my laptop (450 MB of bloatware) to ensure that any Fuji-specific import of photos into the laptop was preserved, I find that the noise is just as bad in the end result viewed on screen. It’s to the point where most of the shots, unless in completely bright daylight OUTSIDE were pretty painful to look at. And forget about cropping a picture because the result blown up cropped section is too noisy.
- Shots were blurred even in a brightly lit room even at 800 ISO. The problem is even a SLIGHT zoom ratchets the aperture beyond f/4.7 which means the shutter has to stay open for a REALLY long time, creating blurred shots. (Unless you’re taking braced shots of things that don’t move.)
- Largest aperture is f/3.3 whereas the F31fd is a nice, bright f/2.0. This makes a huge huge difference and is likely the cause of aforementioned blurring.
- I thought that the EXR would help with low-light, especially at higher “sensitivities” (ISO’s). It didn’t. Shots at 800 and above are basically unusable.
- Not sure if this is a trend, but if I pay $250 for a camera, I expect to have a paper manual inside, not just a CD with a PDF on it. I used this camera while on a business trip and wasn’t super excited about propping a laptop up in bed to read about how to use it.
- It’s BIGGER than the F31fd. Just as deep and tall, but it’s actually longer.
In summary, this camera has a beautiful lens but it’s wasted because the rest of the features make it impossible to take pictures of anything that might be moving in anything short of bright daylight. Thinking now that our course of action will be to repair our trusty old F31fd!
good point-and-shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
camera is pretty much as described in literature. Sometimes, because of variety of attributes, it makes it difficult to determine which settings to use.