Inage Quality

Response (shot to shot) speed

I recently picked up this camera and could not be happier. It's not going to win any style awards and it does not have all the controls some of its competitors have (though it has most of what I want). It's slower then I would like. The thing that sets this camera apart is the image quality. And, quite frankly, nothing matters more to me than the quality of the image coming out of the camera. I do not make this comment in haste. I initially purchased a Sony W170 based on some of the reviews I had seen of this camera. I was not at all happy with the results. I then found a good deal on a Panasonic DMC-FX37. I did a bunch of test pictures (both cameras, same settings, multiple ISO values). The Panasonic proved slightly better but not much. The amount of noise in both was quite high. I was not expecting a point and shoot to match my DSLR. However, the quality of image for these two cameras was making me question by decision to try to get a point and shoot for travel. I decided to give the Fuji F100fd a try before abandoning my search for what I consider a usable point and shoot. I am VERY glad I did so.

The images from the F100fd are much better than those from either the Sony or the Panasonic. I repeated the test pictures take with both the Sony and Panasonic using the F100fd. High ISO values create challenges for all three. However, I find the 800 speed usable on the Fuji. Not so with either the Sony or Panasonic. And at 400 ISO, the Fuji is much better than either the W170 or the FX37. The pictures are sharp. Noise is not an issue and both color and contrast are great. The quality of image allows you to enlarge and crop your pictures significantly. This is not possible if the quality of image is lacking. The F100fd is surprisingly close in performance to my DSLR at lower ISO values.

It may be missing a couple of the key features that other cameras include. And, the response rate is a bit of an issue (don't try to use this camera with fast action sports). However, if image quality is at the top of your list, I doubt you will find a point and shoot that outperforms the F100fd. I've done a fair amount of shoot with this camera at night and have not had any problems whatsoever. I see this camera as a great choice for someone looking for a point and shoot but is primarily concerned about image quality. I'm very happy I decided to give this camera a try.

Similar Products Used:

Sony W170
Panasonic FX37