Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE
PHOTO
This subject is photographed in a room that
has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which
is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill
light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
The F40fd yields a better image when set to 100 ISO
than when set to Auto ISO (400). At a sensitivity of 100 ISO,
the image is bright and contains very little noise. While
when the Auto ISO setting is used, the camera increases sensitivity
to 400 ISO, resulting in a slight increase in noise, and an
image that is slightly more yellow, reflecting the influence
of the mixed lighting.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.8
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/60 sec.
Resolution:
3296 x 2472
Flash:
On
Quality:
8M Fine
ISO:
100
File
Size:
3.8 MB
Focal Lgth:
36 mm (35 mm Eq.)
This wide angle shot exhibits a
comparatively high level of sharpness, which emphasizes the
slight grain.
ZOOM
PHOTO
Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent
is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum
setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the
preceding photo.
At the telephoto end, the F40fd has a maximum aperture
of f5.1. And this combined with the lowest sensitivity of
100 ISO results in a fairly dark image. Changing the sensitivity
to Auto ISO (400), allows the camera to capture a bright image,
however, the camera boots the sensitivity to 400 ISO, skipping
over the 200 ISO setting, which results in a small increase
in shadow noise.
As with the wide angle shot, the image shows a bit of grain,
possibly due to the in-camera sharpening.
When the Macro mode is used, the F40fd can focus
on a subject that is between 7 and 80 cm (2.8 inches to 2.6
feet) from the front element of the lens at the wide angle
position, and from 30 to 80 cm (1 to 2.6 ft.) at the full
telephoto setting.
Using the minimum focus distance, the camera captures a field
of view of 8 cm (2.57 inches) when measured horizontally in
the frame. There is very little barrel distortion, and the
image quality is very good.
BUILDING
PHOTO
This image is our outdoor test. The architecture
of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately
show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also
often reveal the quality of the exposure.
Metered using the default pattern, which evaluates 256 segments
in the frame, the F40fd captures a perfect exposure.
The image is free of any barrel distortion, and there is no
noticeable chromatic aberration on the edges of contrasting
areas.
The image sharpness is quite high, as can be seen below.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter Speed:
1/420 sec
Resolution:
3296 x 2472
Flash:
Off
Quality:
8M Fine
ISO:
100
File Size:
3.8 MB
Focal Lgth:
36 mm (35 mm Eq.)
ZOOM PHOTO
Zooming in on the entrance of the building,
the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the
metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are
directly lit.
The 3X zoom of the F40fd is quite short —
equivalent to a 100 mm on a 35 mm camera — so it's ability
to bring the subject closer is limited. Once again, the camera
yields an excellent exposure. However, some noise is detectable
in the shadow areas, and the image processing for sharpness
seems to add to the image's slight grain.
Test Photos
