Warning: main(): URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/includes/index_top.php on line 34
Warning: main(http://www.megapixel.net/bizzrate/display_box.php?camera=Fujifilm+FinePix+F810): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/includes/index_top.php on line 34
Warning: main(): Failed opening 'http://www.megapixel.net/bizzrate/display_box.php?camera=Fujifilm+FinePix+F810' for inclusion (include_path='/opt/lib/php:/www/megapixel/megapixel') in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/includes/index_top.php on line 34
The first impression one has from
the F810 is that it is not only beautifully crafted, but also
offers an impressive set of capabilities. These capabilities
start at a complete set of shooting modes and extend to the availability
of 2 image formats, the standard format with a 4:3 ratio, and
a much less common 16:9 ratio that is probably the wave of the
future as it fits the aspect ratio of HD televisions.
The F810 uses one of Fujifilm's
own inventions, the Super CCD, a type of sensor that has, since
its introduction, been the subject of some controversy. The
Super CCD uses octagonal picture elements (pixels) that are
arranged in a honeycomb pattern, and which allow the camera
to produce an image with nearly double the quantity of pixels
than are physically present on the sensor through an interpolation
process. And in the case of the F810 with its 6.63 million
pixel Super CCD, this translates into a 12 megapixel image
size.
Aperture: f2.8, shutter speed: 1/10 sec, 80 ISO.
Aperture: f6.4, shutter speed: 1/420 sec, 80 ISO (Widescreen
format)
Although it offers a wide variety
of image sizes, from VGA up to 12 megapixel, much of this variety
is due to the fact that the F810 can capture images in 2 different
formats, STD and WIDE. However, in terms of JPEG
compression, the FinePix F810 only provides 2 compression levels,
and only this at the maximum image size of 12 megapixel in Standard
mode and 8 megapixel in widescreen mode, while all others are
limited to a single compression level (Normal).
Set to 12M and Fine,
the F810 yields images that show excellent colour, but which
have a slight soft focus, reminiscent of some images that have
been interpolated with a high-end image editor.
However, the compression ratio
used with the Fine image quality — in and
around a ratio of 8:1 — is a relatively strong compression
for the highest JPEG image quality available on a camera, and
may contribute to the softness. With some subjects, artefacts
can occasionally become discernible in the images, most notably
in areas such as blue sky which can take on a marbled appearance,
or on the edges of objects which can look a bit fuzzy (see
below).
Aperture: f5.6, shutter speed: 1/200
sec, 80 ISO.
Beyond the JPEG format, the F810
is also equipped with a RAW image format which simply saves the
output of the Super CCD. The format yields a file size that is
considerably smaller at 12.9 MB than an uncompressed TIFF file.
The images can be seen using FinePix Viewer, the software included
with the F810.
Cropped from the full-size version
of the image shown (yellow rectangle).
However, unlike the software supplied
by other manufacturers that offer a RAW format, the LE version
of the RAW Converter software supplied with the F810 does not
allow any user adjustments, nor does it allow selecting the image
size or the format for the converted file.
RAW images are converted, either one at a time or as a batch to the 12
megapixel image size, Exif-TIFF, an 8-bit image format that retains the
shooting data.
Interestingly, even boosted up
to 12 megapixel, the FinePix F810 generally yields very good
quality images. Most noticeably, at its default setting, the
colours captured by the camera are excellent and are usually
very accurate. Moreover, when set to Chrome in
the Photo Mode menu, colours turn out with a slightly greater
saturation but never look unnatural.
Aperture: f4.5, shutter speed: 1/350
sec, 80 ISO.
On the optics side, wide angle shots
reveal some barrel distortion with macro mode photos, but relatively
little distortion as soon as the subject is a bit more distant.
Likewise, chromatic aberration — often recognizable as
a purple fringe on elements in an image — is quite minimal
throughout the zoom's range, and only slightly emphasized by
the 12M format.
Aperture: f8, shutter speed: 1/340
sec, 80 ISO.
It is likely that to many potential
purchasers, one of the most interesting features of the F810
will be its ability to capture HDTV format photos, images that
have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Played back on a 16:9 aspect television,
widescreen images fill the screen, but using the regular video
out of the camera, the definition is no higher than Standard
mode (4:3 aspect) images.
The Fujifilm FinePix F810 is a
difficult model to pigeonhole. It is a fast and responsive camera
that offers a number of interesting features such as a useable
12 megapixel image size, a choice of image formats, and a complete
set of shooting modes, but, by the same token, it is a camera
that lacks the low shutter range for true night photography that
one would expect on an advanced model, or the image quality choices
that are normally part and parcel of a high-end compact digital.
In our opinion, the F810 is a
camera which will be, undoubtedly, extremely well-suited to
some users, but not to all. And any potential purchaser will
be well-advised to clearly identify both their needs and desires
and see if the F810 meets them.
Warning: main(): URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/content_bottom_new.php on line 4
Warning: main(http://api.nextag.com/buyer/synd.jsp?search=Fujifilm+FinePix+F810&token=AgDrNpVxh8Kfu4O$HcfK&ver=14&productDetail=2&verbose=y&format=http://xml.nextag.com/serv/jupiter/hosted/distChannels/jupiter/megapixel-style.xsl): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/content_bottom_new.php on line 4
Warning: main(): Failed opening 'http://api.nextag.com/buyer/synd.jsp?search=Fujifilm+FinePix+F810&token=AgDrNpVxh8Kfu4O$HcfK&ver=14&productDetail=2&verbose=y&format=http://xml.nextag.com/serv/jupiter/hosted/distChannels/jupiter/megapixel-style.xsl' for inclusion (include_path='/opt/lib/php:/www/megapixel/megapixel') in /www/megapixel/megapixel/reviews/content_bottom_new.php on line 4
Image Quality
