Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

Offering the most resolution on any Fujifilm digital camera, the FinePix F50fd, the successor to the F40fd, has 12 megapixels and updated face detection technology. The F50fd is also the first F-series camera with mechanical image stabilization. The slim camera has lots of trendy features but adds a serious tone with its manual control. It retails for $299.

Physical Tour

Front (8.5)
The front left side slouches more than the right side. A chrome sliver peeks out, with the shutter release and zoom lever sitting at its pinnacle. Nearly in the center of the top is the flash unit with the autofocus assist/self-timer lamp just below it. To its left is an embossed Fujifilm logo. In the center of the left side is a printed FinePix logo with "12.0 Mega Pixels" printed just below it. There is a contour in the body that forms a small grip for the right finger.

On the right side of the front is the lens barrel, which protrudes a few millimeters even when the camera is turned off. The barrel has a wide chrome rim with a decorative, thinner black band around it. Around the inner rim of the lens, a few specs are printed: "Fujinon Zoom Lens, 3x f=8-24mm 1:2.8-5.1." In the lower right corner of the front is a printed Super CCD logo.

Back (7.5)
The back of the camera has a brushed silver chassis around the edge and a separate black panel encasing the LCD screen and controls. The 2.7-inch LCD screen is located on the left side with a white Fujifilm logo printed below it.

In the upper right corner of the back is the mode dial. It has a small LED to its left to show which position of the dial is currently activated. The following positions are on the dial: Auto, Natural Light, Scene Position 1, Scene Position 2, Movie, Aperture/Shutter Priority, Manual, and Natural Light & With Flash.

Below the mode dial are two neatly aligned buttons. The playback button is on the left and the "F" photo mode button is on the right. Below the buttons is the multi-selector, which has a central menu/OK button with a flat ring surrounding it. Most digital cameras have bowl-shaped multi-selectors because they provide the user tactile feedback; the F50fd’s feels flat. The top of the selector accesses the exposure compensation and delete functions, the Flash modes are on the right, self-timer on the bottom, and Macro on the left. Below the selector are two more buttons: display/back on the left and face detection/red-eye correction on the right.

Left Side (7.5)
The left side is flat and boring. There are two screws on the top and bottom of this side and a thin seam where the chassis is bolted together. Toward the bottom is the built-in speaker.

Right Side (7.5)
The right side is occupied by a shiny chrome plate with a wrist strap loop in its center. Above the loop is a tiny door that flips upward to reveal a single port for the USB and AV cables. Near the bottom is a large, oddly positioned bolt that almost looks like a button. There is also a small rubber piece that can be removed so the power adapter can be threaded through.

Top (8.0)
The top of the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd looks like a wedge with its chrome frame, but the protruding lens barrel and LCD panel make it nearly rectangular. There is a black highlight along the top with the FinePix F50fd logo on it. To the right of the white printed logo is a skinny, dark, but somewhat translucent window where a red light blinks when connecting to IrSimple devices. To the right of this is a chrome band that encloses a few features near the right side. The power button and a tiny hole for a microphone are on the left side of this chrome band, and the shutter release button sits near the middle. It is surrounded by a small zoom ring. On the far right edge is a small recessed button that accesses the image stabilization. 

Bottom (5.0)
The left side of the bottom is taken up by the battery/memory card compartment. There isn’t a lock, but it must be pushed inward and toward the edge to spring open. To the right of the hinge is a plastic tripod socket that looks like it won’t last too many mountings on a tripod. There are a few bolts and plastic bumps to add traction around the socket.