Fujifilm FinePix F300EXR review

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.