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Fuji Finepix F40fd

By Ian Urie



To replace my late lamented F11, before Christmas, I had a look at the newer Fuji models.
I've stuck with Fuji as I have never had any problems with them, and I was especially impressed with the aforementioned F11.

The range has increased dramatically since I bought the F11, and the F40 was nearly the top of the F range.
This has changed since Christmas with the release of the F100, but I'm happy with this one.

The design is similar to the rest of the F range.
This is more bulky than the Z range from Fuji but they are for different audiences.
The z range is to appeal to those that want as slim  a camera as possible which will fit into a pocket.
The F range is for those that prefer something more substantial, but still compact.






This model is a 8.3mp camera with x3 optical zoom and x2 for digital.
There's also a movie mode at 30fps.
The controls have altered slightly since the time of the F11 with the mode now on the back of the camera.
One thing I really dislike on this camera is the off/on switch which I find irritating .
It is flush with the rest of the top of the camera. I find it quite difficult to locate quickly.

The full title of the camera is the F40fd.
Fd standing for face detection.
This works well, take a picture of someone and a green box illuminates around their face.
The camera auto focuses on their face. Click and you've got them.

The camera startup is nice and fast and zoom is nice and smooth.




Battery life appears to be similar to the F11, which was phenomenal.
I notice that the manual states you have to remove the battery and use the supplied charger, while the F11 simply charged off the USB.
However, I normally leave the camera on the USB , and I haven't charged the battery since I got it and have taken over 100 pictures.
Time will tell.
Another important difference is the display now brings up an explanation of the mode when you switch it.
You have the usual range of modes and an image stabilization mode now as well as being able to switch off the face detection if you wish.

So, how well does it take pictures?
You can check out some of its pictures in the AlterBridge article,
although since this was its first concert I wouldn't be too critical of the quality.
Here's a couple of severely resized pictures.



This was taken on a fairly dull day in Ayr at the Auld Brig.
The unresized image is very clear  and detail is  extremely good.



This one was taken at night from the side of the same bridge.
The camera takes two pictures, one with low ISO and one with a higher ISO. It then allows you to pick which one you prefer.

The camera is nice and light, and slips comfortably into a jacket pocket.
It takes either SD or XD cards and I now have a couple of 2gb cards to fit in it thanks to memory prices dropping considerably in the last couple of years.

I'm looking forward to spring to see how well this camera performs and, of course, going to concerts with it.
Whereas the rest of the family thinks the 9600 looks too complicated, they're enamored with the size and controls of the F40.
Seems I might end up seeing this disappear into their hands for long periods.