Fujifilm FinePix F300EXR review

Fujifilm’s EXR technology is one of the more enlightened developments in digital camera design in recent years. While most manufacturers are embroiled in a pointless megapixel race, Fujifilm produced a sensor that could switch between 12 and 6 megapixels at a fundamental level rather than just by resizing the image. This meant sharp details in bright light and reduced noise in low light.

The F200EXR was – and still is – a fantastic camera, but the 10x zoom F80EXR was a disappointment, with a physically smaller sensor that diluted the benefits of the EXR technology.

The F300EXR appears to supersede both models, and it comes out with guns blazing. There’s a new stabilisation and autofocus systems and a whopping 15x zoom – the biggest currently available from a compact-shaped camera. It can recognise family members’ faces (including the pets) to prioritise them in group shots, and capture a panorama simply by rotating the camera. It also has a new EXR II sensor. This has the same 1/2in diameter as in the F80EXR – significantly smaller than the F200EXR’s 2/3in sensor. Let’s hope that this second-generation design is back on track.

The switch from metal to plastic is disappointing but the case still feels robust. We like the contoured grip and pop-up flash, which avoids it being obscured by your fingers. The 3in screen has a 460,000-pixel resolution and its rich colours really flatter photos. The navigation pad doubles as a wheel for quickly dialling in settings and there’s a dedicated button for video capture.

The most radical new feature is the hybrid autofocus system. As with all compact digital cameras, it uses contrast-detect to find the right focus by trial-and-error. However, there’s also a phase-detection autofocus system built into the sensor – something normally reserved for SLRs. The camera switches between these modes automatically, apparently using contrast detection in low light and phase detection at telephoto zoom settings. Autofocus was certainly quick in our tests, but it wasn’t in a different league to other compact cameras.

Otherwise, the camera was responsive, capturing a photo every 1.6 seconds, rising to 5.8 seconds when the flash was fired at full power. Settings couldn’t be adjusted while the camera was saving a picture, though. We could quickly take another shot then, but had to wait to adjust the ISO speed, for example.

Videos are recorded at 720p in Motion JPEG format, which produced big files at around 180MB per minute. Brightly lit scenes suffered from noise, while indoor scenes were both noisy and woefully underexposed. The soundtrack was detailed but it was spoiled by the chatter and whirr of the autofocus and zoom motors.

Photos were much better than videos. The lens achieved sharp focus throughout its generous zoom range, only trailing off a little in the corners at the maximum telephoto setting. Colours were equally impressive, with natural skin tones and flatteringly rich colours in landscape shots. The reworked image stabilisation performed well, but Canon, Nikon and Panasonic’s cameras still have the edge for reliably sharp images at telephoto settings.

Noise levels were, as ever, our main bone of contention. Testing the camera alongside the F200EXR, pictures were blotchier and noise reduction smeared fine details such as foliage, even at ISO 100. Switching to 6-megapixel mode lowered noise levels but they remained problematic at anything above ISO 400. The Pro Low Light scene mode gave usable results at ISO 1600 by aligning and superimposing four shots, but this relies on a static subject.

Fujifilm’s EXR technology has another trick up its sleeve, and this was more successful. Its Dynamic Range mode effectively uses a variable ISO speed within a single frame to capture highlights and shadows that would otherwise be lost. Because this works at sensor-level rather than in software, it successfully rescued over-exposed skies and murky shadows without introducing artefacts.

Fujifilm has a frustrating habit of flirting with large-diameter sensors but then losing interest and failing to follow it up. There’s plenty that has improved here compared to the now-discontinued F200EXR, but frustratingly, image quality has regressed.

However, judge the F300EXR against its peers and the story is much rosier. Virtually all other compact big-zoom cameras use even smaller 1/2.3in sensors, and the F300EXR’s photos are no noisier than the best of its rivals. Its 15x zoom is as big as they come, it’s a nippy performer and its controls and screen are excellent. Videos are disappointing, but the main drawback is the price. The similar Samsung WB600 costs around £180 while the Panasonic DMC-TZ8 costs £195. If the F300EXR’s price comes down to nearer these, Fujifilm will have a hit on its hands.