Fujifilm FinePix F50fd Zoom Review

The FinePix F50fd is equipped with a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens that provides for an equivalent focal range of 35 to 105mm. The aperture range is from F2.8 to F8.0. The lens is retracted into the body on power down and has a built-in lens protector.

The auto focus system is a TTL contrast type with a Normal range of approx. 1.5 ft. to infinity (wide), 2.0 ft. to infinity (tele). The Macro close-up range is from 2.8 in. to 2.6 ft. (wide), and 12 in. to 2.6ft (tele). The camera also features a built-in focus-assist illuminator to aid in low light focussing

The built-in flash has modes for: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro. The flash effective range (using ISO Auto) is from 2.0 - 14.4 ft (Wide), 2.0 - 7.9 ft (Tele), 1.0 ft - 2.6 ft (Macro) .

The F50fd lacks an optical viewfinder, its large 2.7-inch color TFT LCD monitor (230K pixels) is used as the live viewfinder with 100% frame coverage. The LCD features an Auto Gain-Up mode for low-light use.

Controls on the back: At the top is the mode dial with positions for Auto, Natural light with flash, Manual, Aperture/Shutter Priority, Movie, Scene Position 1 & 2, and Natural light. The "green arrow" button puts the camera in review mode. The "F" button enables the Photo Mode menu to change image size/quality, ISO sensitivity and Color mode. The 4-way selector is used for selecting images in review mode and accessing the menu system. The MENU/OK button calls up and dismisses the menu screens and accepts selections. In record mode you press "Up" to enable the LCD gain-up mode or to delete an image in review mode, "Down" to enable the self-timer, the "Left" button toggles the Macro focus on and off and the Flash modes are controlled with the "Right" button. The DISP/BACK button controls the amount of data on the LCD and lets you "back" out of menu screens, and the "Face Detection" button lets you quickly enable the Face Detection AF.

Controls on top: On the left is the IR communication eye. This allows you to transfer image data between Fuji cameras that offer this feature. The main power button and the shutter release with the zoom controls mounted around it. In playback mode the zoom control acts as the magnify option. To the right is the Dual IS (Image Stabilization) mode button.

The combination I/O port is located on the right-hand side of the camera. It handles both the USB 2.0 high-speed port for transferring images to your PC and PictBridge direct printing as well as the Audio/Video output for connecting the F50fd to your TV set to view stored images and movies.

The F50fd is equipped with approx. 25MB of internal memory along with a xD/SD/SDHC memory card slot. It's compatible with any xD card from 16MB - 2GB, SD card from 512MB - 2GB, and SDHC card from 4GB - 8GB. The battery is also located in this compartment.

Approximate Storage Capacities

Power is supplied by a high-capacity NP-50 Li-ion 3.6v 1000mAh rechargeable battery. Fuji claims it will provide enough power to capture up to 230 shots on a full charge. The battery pack is charged in the included handy AC battery charger.