Fujifilm FinePix F50fd Compact Digital Camera - Design
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Design
The look and feel of the F50fd is certainly pleasing; it's a nice face lift from the rather boxy design of its predecessor. The overall dimensions of this camera are 3.6 " wide by 2.3 " tall by 0.9 " thick, and it weighs just over six ounces with the battery and memory card installed. Speaking of memory cards, this model accepts Fujifilm's xD format as well as the more affordable SD/SDHC memory cards, which is definitely a welcome update.
The body of the F50fd is made of metal and plastic, which overall gives it an elegant look - especially compared to its predecessor. This camera is certainly not the smallest or lightest camera in its class, but it still feels comfortable to hold, and it's still considered to be a pocket camera.
The front of the camera sports the F2.8-F5.1 lens that has a focal range of 35-105mm. While this isn't the widest shooting camera on the market, it's certainly not bad. Fujifilm needs to consider bumping up the optical zoom zoom range in future cameras, because the 3x optical really hinders the telephoto ability of this camera.
The top of the F50fd has the usual shutter release button with zoom surround controls, as well as the power button and a nice dedicated button for image stabilization. It's always nice to have easy access to the stabilization controls of a camera.
Other controls are located on the back of the camera. They include an 8 position mode dial, 4-way navigation controller, "F" button, display button, and face detection button. The "F" button allows easy access to a menu that allows you to change power management settings, ISO, and image size/quality. The mode dial features "natural light" and "natural light with flash" options, which work to optimize the exposure and color of a photo. These options work by boosting ISO levels and thus allowing better quality photos in dim lighting.
Rounding out the external tour of the F50fd is the 2.7 inch LCD display on the back of the camera. The display features 230,000 pixel resolution, which is okay, but not as crisp as other cameras with 2.5 inch displays and the same resolution. The display isn't viewable in certain lighting conditions, and in these situations an optical viewfinder is greatly missed.
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