Although SLR rapidly become smaller and cheaper, but still remain quite large, and not too for reasonable money, of course universal: as soon as the question arises about the purchase of additional optics, SLR cheapness ceases to seem obvious. Snapshots, on the contrary, are getting more and more comfortable, equipped with fast and smart electronics and a variety of tempting for the amateur functions. Fujifilm, which, by the way, does not produce amateur DSLRs and therefore not burdened with questions of domestic competition, crossed out all of these comparisons in one fell swoop: FinePix S200EXR easily beat almost any DSLR.
12MP 30.5-436mm 14.3x 2.7″ $580
Its compact size makes it stand out from the competition: the powerful single-lens front lens is an eye-catcher. Minimum aperture values of the bright optics with a focal range of 30.5-436 mm f/2.8 on the short end and f/5.3 on the long end.
And if 14x zooming doesn’t surprise you anymore, the lens has another specialty: a manual zoom wheel on the lens. Older photographers will love the precision of the manual focus setting, the lack of discrete zoom steps, and the creative potential of the manual zoom.
The camera body is just as expressive as the lens: sturdy, robust, with an ergonomic grip and anti-slip textured inlay, with a rich set of switches, buttons and a dial that, like on DSLR cameras, allows easy access to functions and settings.
The camera, which is reflected in the name, equipped with proprietary Super CCD EXR sensor with 12 megapixels.
Its main features are its large size 1/1,6 inch and the ability to operate in three different modes: high resolution each pixel of the sensor is involved in forming a detailed image, just like a conventional sensor , high dynamic range the sensor is divided into two groups of pixels, recording images with different sensitivity, the combined result provides high detail in light and high sensitivity mode non-standard sensor structure allows combining pairs of sensors with a high sensitivity .
A photographer can switch the mode as desired according to the task at hand, or trust in the automatic, which selects the appropriate imaging principle according to the shooting conditions.
The software design pushes the electronics even further. Thus, the special mode Pro Low-Light uses a series of four frames to create a high-quality, almost devoid of noise in low light conditions, and Pro Focus, analyzing the distance between objects in a series of two or three frames, allows you to shade the main clear subject of the shooting blurred background, ie simulate the effect of shallow depth of field, available only for expensive fast lenses SLR cameras.
For keen photographers the FinePix S200EXR has such unusual features in its compact class as dynamic range bracketing, film simulation effects and RAW recording with JPEG capabilities .
All this, of course, is supplemented by manual exposure control modes. The only thing about the FinePix S200EXR that doesn’t knock your imagination is its video recording mode, which limits your movies to VGA resolution. Many much more modest and less capable compacts have already learned how to shoot in 720p format.
Is the Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR worth considering over traditional DSLRs given its impressive performance that surpasses most models?