ScottGee1 wrote:
> Amen. I've been following the market closely as I'm looking for a 'carry
> everywhere' digi P&S to replace my Oly C2020Z. Well, I'll keep the 2020 and
> dedicate it to infrared shots. ;o)
>
> Interestingly, no-one but Fuji seems to be able to find a balance between
> noise and detail retention.
Indeed they are. It's important to note that only part of that
accomplishment is superior CCD technology and processing. The other
factor is that they are simply using a bigger sensor. The F30 et. al.
sensor is about 82% larger in area than the typical sensors used in the
tiny 3x zoom and the 10x+ superzooms. Adding in Fuji's unique sensor
site shape design, the actual light sensing area of each pixel is
probably at least twice the size of the others.
That means their cameras using this chip require larger lenses, to cover
the bigger sensor and end up being bigger cameras than the "comparable"
competition. You can get a camera with the same specs/features as the
F30 that is much smaller and lighter, although not with the same image
quality. That diesn't really mater much with the Fxx series, as they are
already easily pocketable.
It is an issue with the superzoom model using the same sensor, as the
S6000/6500fd is much bigger than the competition.
> And in their 'F' series they have done away with VFs,
No great loss for me. The VFs on little cameras have stunk since before
digital, with only partial coverage of the actual frame, parallax errors
and a tiny view through a tunnel. I remember the slight shock one day
when I remembered that my S110 had a viewfinder and looked through it.
The F10 does have a problem in bright light at certain angles, where one
sees only ones own reflection in the LCD, but a hat raised to cover
works. The F30 LCD is much improved and visible in any light I have so
far encountered.
> ignore IS
I doubt Fuji is ignoring IS, I think they just don't have the technology
at the moment. Design or license both cost money. With IS, the
S6000/6500fd would be a much more attractive camera.
> and in the latest model (F40fd) ditch manual control modes.
>
The first model didn't have manual modes either. In terms of
functionality, the F40fd is the updated F10, while the F30 is the
updated F11.
> A couple of the C@non IS models look interesting but noise again becomes an
> issue at ISO400 and above.
Canon seems to handle noise more gracefully than most others, but it's
still a problem. The S3 IS is attractive on paper and in tests, but in
person I found the small LCD, uninspiring EVF and slow focus at the long
end of the zoom in moderate light disappointing. Unless the Panny TZ-2/3
show something new, I may be back looking at the S3. Of course, you may
be looking for a shorter zoom range. The F30 leaves me wanting only a
greater zoom range, so I have been looking at 10x+ zooms to fill the gap
between F30 and DSLR.
> Well, it's an issue for me because I want to be able to without flash in
> relatively low light situations.
>
No competition in that area to the F30, not even close. Even the flash
modes can take advantage of the low noise to give more natural looking
shots. And there is a mode where it takes ambient and flash shots
sequentially with one push of the button, so you get your pick.
> Maybe I'm simply expecting too much of a small sensor. But then again, if
> Fuj! can do it . . .
>
Well, yeah, sort of. The F series, and the F30 in particular, stand out
from the crowd for being designed for image quality and easy access to
important controls, but it's partly the bigger sensor.
Moose
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