Fujifilm FinePix E900

Color (6.9)
We tested the Fujifilm FinePix E900 with our standard color reproduction routine. We photographed the GretagMacbeth color target with the E900, and ran the images through Imatest Imaging Software. Imatest analyzes the imported images for color accuracy. Our first image shows the GretagMacbeth target, modified to show how the FinePix E900 performed. Each large exterior square shows the color that the E900 captured. The small rectangle inside each square shows the ideal reproduction of each color. The medium-size squares show the ideal colors with luminance adjusted to match the ideal reproduction.

The second chart illustrates the color test as well. There is a square on the chart for each color on the GretagMacbeth target, and a line running from each square to a circle, which shows the color as the E900 reproduced it. The longer the line is, the less accurate the color is. If the line runs toward the center of the chart, the color saturation or luminance is off. If the line runs tangent, the hue is off.

The FinePix E900 earned a score of 6.9, which is fine, but not outstanding. The E900 image saturated colors at 98.35 percent. The ideal is 100 percent, so the E900's performance in this measure is excellent, and unusual. Most compact cameras boost saturation significantly, which can cause problems in printing and editing images. The E900's mean color error of 7 is less impressive than its saturation score. Color error brought down the camera's overall color rating.

Last year's Fujifilm FinePix E550 scored better than the E900, earning an overall score of 7.4 rather than a 6.9, and comparing the two cameras' charts shows the E900's problem – it shifted color more than the E550.

Still Life Scene
Below is a shot of our playfully retro still life scene, as shot with the Fujifilm FinePix E900.

Click on the image above to view a full resolution version (CAUTION: the linked file is very large!) 

Resolution / Sharpness (7.70)
We shot an ISO 12233 resolution chart to test the resolution of the FinePix E900's 1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR and Real Image Processor. We shot at several focal lengths and apertures. The E900 delivered its best results at f/5.6 and a focal length of 22mm.

Click on the image above to view a full resolution version (CAUTION: the linked file is very large!)

We examine the test images with Imatest software, which reports resolution in line widths per picture height (LW/PH). LW/PH is a count of how many alternating black and white lines the camera could theoretically record before blurring them together.

The E900 delivered remarkably good results – it showed 2079 LW/PH vertically and 2402 LW/PH horizontally. That's DSLR-level performance. 

Noise – Auto ISO (2.58)
Even subjects that are perfectly smooth show up with a texture in digital photos. Look a patch of clear, blue sky in a print or on a computer screen. When it's magnified, it becomes clear that it is made up of pixels of slightly lighter and darker shades. From a distance, the patches meld together to form the color the viewer expects. In a perfect image, a patch of sky would be made of identical pixels. The variation in the shades of pixels is noise. The more variation there is, the more distracting the noise is. Digital cameras usually deliver more noise at higher ISO settings, and more noise in shadows than in highlights.
The FinePix E900 scored very poorly in our Auto ISO noise test – it performed as if it had set the ISO to about 300 to shoot our brightly-lit target.

Noise – Manual ISO (6.33)
The E900 performed better in our manual ISO test than in auto. Its score is about average for compact cameras, but that's a bit disappointing – Fujifilm has delivered quite a few compacts with outstanding performance. It may be that the company recognized a problem with the E900 – the company left off the ISO 1600 setting, a feature that better-performing Fujifilm cameras usually have.

It's notable that the E900's noise performance at its lowest ISO settings of 80 and 100 are good, but that 200 is significantly worse, and 400 and 800 are progressively worse yet. Other Fujifilm cameras also do best at low ISO settings, but their performance deteriorates slowly, rather than taking the jumps that the E900 takes.

Low Light Performance (6.5)
Fujifilm flaunts its Real Photo Technology as being able to produce quality shots in low light without a flash. We put the FinePix E900 to the test by taking pictures in decreasing light levels of 60, 30, 15, and 5 lux. In theory, the E900 should be able to produce great pictures in 60 and 30 lux as those are somewhat common settings. 60 lux is approximately equivalent to the light in a living room with two soft lamps. 30 lux is about the amount of light from a single 40-watt bulb. 15 and 5 lux are very near total darkness, but we test the camera at these levels to see how the image sensor reacts. Most image sensors produce massive amounts of noise when the light gets low and the shutter stays open longer. Below are the modified GretagMacbeth color charts shot at the four light levels with the Fujifilm FinePix E900.

All of the colors took on a blue hue at the darker end of the testing, but the overall image retained illumination quite well. As the light dimmed, the image got noisier. Below is a chart showing the noise levels as they relate to the open shutter. In general, the longer the shutter is open the more noise there is. On the chart below, the shutter speeds are on the horizontal axis and the noise levels are on the vertical axis.

There is a steady rise in noise from the 60 lux test at a quarter of a second to the 5 lux test that took 2.5 seconds. This is good because it shows there is no significant leap in noise from one second to the next. Overall, the Fuji E900 did quite well in low light.

Speed / Timing
Start-up to first shot (7.9)
The FinePix E900 took 2.1 seconds to start up. That's slightly below average, even for compact cameras. A two-second delay isn't likely to be annoying when a user takes the camera out of a pocket or bag to start shooting. If the camera's power-saving mode shuts the E900 down during a birthday party, for example, the user might be surprised to find the camera out of commission while the guest of honor is blowing out the candles. In that instance, 2.1 seconds will feel pretty long.

Shot to shot (9.43)
The E900 took 4 frames in 2.09 seconds in "First 4" burst mode. 4 frames took 2.16 seconds in "Last 4" burst mode. 2 frames per second is average for a compact camera, though, with the E900's 9-megapixel resolution, it indicates a pretty fast data stream.

Shutter to shot (7.94)
The E900 delayed about 0.53 seconds between when the shutter was pressed and when the shot was taken. That's slow, but many compacts are equally slow. That kind of delay would be frustrating for users who try to shoot action.