Fujifilm FinePix E550: Fuji's Newest Packs a Punch
by Stephen Caston on October 15, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Noise
The noise test consists of pictures of our studio shot taken at increasing ISO levels to show the effect on the image. The pictures were taken after resetting the cameras to their factory default settings. The camera was then set to record with three different recording options (6M, 12M F, and RAW) with manual WB. Click on a 100% crop below to view the full-size image.Note: The 12M F images have been resized in Photoshop to a 6M image for comparison purposes. Also, the RAW files have been converted to JPEG files in Photoshop with no post-processing.
| 6M | 12M F | RAW | |
| ISO 80 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 100 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 200 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 400 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
There isn't a huge difference in noise levels between the 6M images and the 12M F resized images. If anything, there is just a slight bit more detail in the 12M crops. What this comparison really shows is the benefit of shooting in RAW mode. The RAW crops are sharper and more detailed than the other two. For example, at ISO 400, while the 6M and 12M crops are showing a significant loss of detail with JPEG artifacts, the RAW crop is sharp with a higher level of detail.
ISO 800, 3M
Click to enlarge.
Although ISO 800 is unavailable for resolutions above 2048x1536, we have included a sample crop. As the crop illustrates, there is nothing too exciting about ISO 800. In addition, the image appears to be underexposed. Overall, we are pleased with the E550's noise performance. As the ISO value increases, the addition of noise and loss of quality is not substantial.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
3 Comments
View All Comments
dugweb - Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - link
This was my first digital cam. I really like it. Ive hesitated buying a digital camera because i hate the lag times in between shots, and before shots, and startup... This camera hardly has lag (except flash to flash pics)im very happy with it.
inbeechwood - Saturday, March 26, 2005 - link
I owned the Fuji FinePix 550 and I agree that it offered a lot of bang for the buck. The picture quality was excellent and the movie mode was very impressive also.However, I think everyone considering buying this camera should know that it does not offer a focus assist lamp and as a result, it has a very hard time (read impossible) of focusing in low light conditions. Also, the LCD screen is nearly impossible to see in dimly lit rooms. Forget about using this camera in a church or at a wedding reception. I returned the camera for this reason.
Souka - Saturday, October 16, 2004 - link
Ok... I've read the first sentence...I'm already annoyed/ticked to post....but hey, It's just me.Why?
"Fujifilm stands out amongst other digital camera companies because of its research in sensor technology."
Like their earlier cameras that say 4mp, but are really 3mp? (I remeber it having to do with some sort of pixel shifting....can't remember exactly, but that always made me distrust fuji digi-cams).
Anyhow....I'm sure this is nice enuf of a camera...as I"ll soon find out from reading.
:)