Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good for Scuba
Comment: On the 4mp setting this camera works awesome in low light conditions, such as underwater. It's cheaper than its Canon equivalent and the underwater housing to go with it costs about $100 less than any Canon underwater housing too.
It's a very simple camera to use, just point and shoot. Not a lot of settings to it, it takes care of most of it for you. If you're a serious photographer, then this might be a turn off. If you just want to take pictures of vacations, special occasions, etc. like the rest of us, then this is the perfect solution.
FYI: My camera came with outdated firmware that only allowed 2 GB memory cards. The simple flash upgrade from Fuji film (Google it) took about 10 minutes and allowed me to use 4 GB memory cards afterwards.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good esp. for low light, but don't use Auto
Comment: Pros:
1. sturdy build
2. small, about same size as Canon SD750
3. long lasting battery
4. beautiful screen
5. takes both SD and XD cards
6. displays all relevant information but no irrelevant information when reviewing pictures
7. everything spelled out in plain English so you don't wonder what various weird icons mean
Cons: The regular Auto mode isn't good
The problem with the Fujifilm Finepix F40fd is that its automatic mode defaults to high ISO's. Indoors under normal lighting it will default to 800, when 200 or 400 will do just fine. Outdoors it'll default to 200 when 100 is fine. The higher the ISO, the less light you need, but in general the quality goes down as you get higher. It's a testament to Fuji's technology that you can still get good pictures at ISO 800 or even 1600. Most top compact cameras won't give you good pictures above ISO 200! As a result, this is a great camera to use to take indoor pictures in low light. Also, the flash recycle time is fast (*coughCanoncough*), another bonus when taking indoor shots.
What about situations when the lighting is fine? In these cases, the Auto mode produces worse pictures than you can otherwise get. In these situations, I highly recommend changing the ISO settings to Auto(400)--this means it automatically sets the ISO but doesn't go higher than 400--or 100 for outdoor settings. Then you'll get good pictures.
For those intimidated by ISO settings, don't worry. I was too, but this camera is so easy to use! You don't have to go through a gazillion menus to change settings. Really, don't be intimidated by the fact that you'll need to set the ISO yourself to get the best pictures. The camera makes it super-simple. It's also a great way to learn about ISO's and test out different ones to see what works best. When you review the pictures, it gives you the ISO information right on the screen.
The scene settings are quite good. The portrait setting, for instance, automatically lowers the default ISO and adds nice colors to your subjects' faces. It's easy to set a scene setting because they're all spelled out in plain English rather than icons. This is a good alternative for people who want to take better pictures than they would in Auto mode without fiddling around with the ISO and color settings.
Other tips:
1. If you're taking pictures of people, make sure the face detection mode is on. There's a button for it on the camera, so you don't have to go through any menus. Turning face detection on makes a big difference, in my experience.
2. I like saturated colors and slight pinkish tones when photographing people. Therefore I like to have the camera set to Chrome Color when taking pictures of people.
3. There's a setting under Power Management that lets you auto-focus more quickly (this is different from the Auto mode; all pictures on this camera use auto-focus). It uses more battery, but if you have someone take your picture for you, you should use this setting. In my experience, people tend to just press the button without waiting for it to focus. If you use this setting, it'll focus more quickly, so it's likely to be focused by the time the button goes all the way down. It's best, of course, to tell the person to press the button halfway to let it focus before pressing it all the way.
4. Choose to have your picture numbers renewed. I find it annoying for a picture number to jump from 20 to 38 when I download it on my computer because I deleted 17 pictures. With this setting, it re-numbers the pictures when you delete one after taking it.
Conclusion: If you take pictures indoors or in low light, especially without flash (such as taking pics of a baby), then this is a good camera for you. It's also a nice camera in general for indoor shots, but for well-lit indoor shots and all daytime outdoor shots, I suggest using the scene settings or setting the ISO yourself because the default will be too high. That might sound scary, but the camera is so user-friendly (everything spelled out in plain English rather than weird icons, no intimidating button-overload, no having to go through a bunch of menus to do things) that you'll get the hang of it right away!
EDIT: After trying a Canon PowerShot A710 IS, I appreciate the F40fd so much more. The A710 takes better outdoor shots, no doubt. The A710 also has much better image stabilization ,which is very useful for me because I don't have steady hands. (The F40fd doesn't have "real" image stabilization built into the camera.) The F40fd pictures tend to turn out fuzzy unless I use a tripod, but my father, who has steady hands, tried it and the pictures turned out fine.
But the F40fd's flash blows the A710 away. Its range is far longer--21.3 feet versus 11 feet! The F40fd flash is also more balanced. With the A710, the object/person right in front of you is overexposed, while everything else is dark. I tried several settings based on advice from the manual and internet and got the same result. I couldn't believe that the F40fd's flash didn't overpower or overexpose the least bit given its power. Also, the F40fd's flash recycle time is about 5 times faster than the A710's, so you can take shot after shot with flash.
The F40fd's unmatched performance at high ISO's makes it even better for indoor shots, and the colors are less stark than the A710's. I cannot think of a better camera to take to a dinner or party. It's small (about the same size as the Canon SD series) and takes spectacular indoor shots. If you want to take primarily outdoor shots, however, you could do better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice Camera
Comment: I'm not too good at the camera thing so this is perfect for me as it is so easy to use. Fits in a pocket.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A nice compact camera
Comment: Can't say much more. Good images, very compact, tho low light sensitivity was not so good as I'd expected (still pretty good).
Customer Rating:
Summary: An affordable pocket backup when you don't want to hawl DSLR around
Comment: Digital camera-wise, I started with a Fuji S304 seven years ago after a couple years with a DSL camera Canon 50E. In 2005 I moved ahead with a DSLR, Fuji S2 Pro, probably because of good exprience with the Fuji colors(espeically skin tone). Since then, a number of DSLRs obtained from ebay have came and went, including Canon D30, Rebel XT, Nikon D100, D1H, D50, D40, D80, D300...You know, the gear fever for most photogs.
My purchase of a Fuji F40fd is actually an upgrade from a F20 I got a year ago. I use them as a backup that always stay in my pocket, coming handy when I see an interesting scene in the streets, but not so big a deal to take out my DSLR in my backpack. But thank goodness, it's these "backup" little cams that helped me record most of the candit street shots in the everything-can-happen New York City.
You'll have a better idea what a Fuji F40fd performans if I compare it to other cameras I've used.
Warning: Don't compare it to any DSLR, the small CCD can never be on par with its big brothers. A F40's ISO 400 is only close to a Nikon D40's iso1600. Also, don't expect much from a lens small like the pocket cameras', the worst DSLR lens (including Sigma's or Tamron's) is much better than a point-and-shoot's.
Compared with its earlier version, F20, the F40 has advanced in everything but iso performance.
1. thinner body. Now it really feels like a pocket cam, as the F20 is still a little bit too thick.
2. Larger and better LCD. I don't want to talk about numbers, but the F40 has a larger LCD. And most importantly, the number of pixels is much more than the F20's, and the view angle is much wider. Result, no more low-definition picture like that on a F20, and you can chimp from all angles now.
3. Faster response in starting, focusing and reviewing pictures. You just feel it's a lighter and swifter camera.
4. At last, the cons. ISO performance is a full stop lower than F20. I tested them side by side with the same settings, and the F40 with more mega-pixels (which I hate, I don't need that many pixels crammed into such a small CCD) just showed more grains and noises. F40's iso 800 is close to F20's iso 1600. This is the biggest disppointment for me, because at first I was exited to see F40 be equipped with Auto ISO 800 and 1600 (F20 only has Auto iso limit on either 400 or 1600, missing the 800 step that I consider the best compromising spot between speed and picture quality)
Anyway, though F40 is not as good as F20 in ISO, it's still better than many cameras of other brands, including Canon and Nikon. My friends' Canon SD870 and SD1000 show worse noises on high iso.
Conclusion: good colors consistent of Fuji taste, relatively good iso, an affordable foolproof pocket camera for candit shots. But if you are serious with photography, try any entry-level DSLR of Canon, Nikon, Olympus or Sony, you'll see a difference wider than from heaven to earth.
Summary: Good for Scuba
Comment: On the 4mp setting this camera works awesome in low light conditions, such as underwater. It's cheaper than its Canon equivalent and the underwater housing to go with it costs about $100 less than any Canon underwater housing too.
It's a very simple camera to use, just point and shoot. Not a lot of settings to it, it takes care of most of it for you. If you're a serious photographer, then this might be a turn off. If you just want to take pictures of vacations, special occasions, etc. like the rest of us, then this is the perfect solution.
FYI: My camera came with outdated firmware that only allowed 2 GB memory cards. The simple flash upgrade from Fuji film (Google it) took about 10 minutes and allowed me to use 4 GB memory cards afterwards.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good esp. for low light, but don't use Auto
Comment: Pros:
1. sturdy build
2. small, about same size as Canon SD750
3. long lasting battery
4. beautiful screen
5. takes both SD and XD cards
6. displays all relevant information but no irrelevant information when reviewing pictures
7. everything spelled out in plain English so you don't wonder what various weird icons mean
Cons: The regular Auto mode isn't good
The problem with the Fujifilm Finepix F40fd is that its automatic mode defaults to high ISO's. Indoors under normal lighting it will default to 800, when 200 or 400 will do just fine. Outdoors it'll default to 200 when 100 is fine. The higher the ISO, the less light you need, but in general the quality goes down as you get higher. It's a testament to Fuji's technology that you can still get good pictures at ISO 800 or even 1600. Most top compact cameras won't give you good pictures above ISO 200! As a result, this is a great camera to use to take indoor pictures in low light. Also, the flash recycle time is fast (*coughCanoncough*), another bonus when taking indoor shots.
What about situations when the lighting is fine? In these cases, the Auto mode produces worse pictures than you can otherwise get. In these situations, I highly recommend changing the ISO settings to Auto(400)--this means it automatically sets the ISO but doesn't go higher than 400--or 100 for outdoor settings. Then you'll get good pictures.
For those intimidated by ISO settings, don't worry. I was too, but this camera is so easy to use! You don't have to go through a gazillion menus to change settings. Really, don't be intimidated by the fact that you'll need to set the ISO yourself to get the best pictures. The camera makes it super-simple. It's also a great way to learn about ISO's and test out different ones to see what works best. When you review the pictures, it gives you the ISO information right on the screen.
The scene settings are quite good. The portrait setting, for instance, automatically lowers the default ISO and adds nice colors to your subjects' faces. It's easy to set a scene setting because they're all spelled out in plain English rather than icons. This is a good alternative for people who want to take better pictures than they would in Auto mode without fiddling around with the ISO and color settings.
Other tips:
1. If you're taking pictures of people, make sure the face detection mode is on. There's a button for it on the camera, so you don't have to go through any menus. Turning face detection on makes a big difference, in my experience.
2. I like saturated colors and slight pinkish tones when photographing people. Therefore I like to have the camera set to Chrome Color when taking pictures of people.
3. There's a setting under Power Management that lets you auto-focus more quickly (this is different from the Auto mode; all pictures on this camera use auto-focus). It uses more battery, but if you have someone take your picture for you, you should use this setting. In my experience, people tend to just press the button without waiting for it to focus. If you use this setting, it'll focus more quickly, so it's likely to be focused by the time the button goes all the way down. It's best, of course, to tell the person to press the button halfway to let it focus before pressing it all the way.
4. Choose to have your picture numbers renewed. I find it annoying for a picture number to jump from 20 to 38 when I download it on my computer because I deleted 17 pictures. With this setting, it re-numbers the pictures when you delete one after taking it.
Conclusion: If you take pictures indoors or in low light, especially without flash (such as taking pics of a baby), then this is a good camera for you. It's also a nice camera in general for indoor shots, but for well-lit indoor shots and all daytime outdoor shots, I suggest using the scene settings or setting the ISO yourself because the default will be too high. That might sound scary, but the camera is so user-friendly (everything spelled out in plain English rather than weird icons, no intimidating button-overload, no having to go through a bunch of menus to do things) that you'll get the hang of it right away!
EDIT: After trying a Canon PowerShot A710 IS, I appreciate the F40fd so much more. The A710 takes better outdoor shots, no doubt. The A710 also has much better image stabilization ,which is very useful for me because I don't have steady hands. (The F40fd doesn't have "real" image stabilization built into the camera.) The F40fd pictures tend to turn out fuzzy unless I use a tripod, but my father, who has steady hands, tried it and the pictures turned out fine.
But the F40fd's flash blows the A710 away. Its range is far longer--21.3 feet versus 11 feet! The F40fd flash is also more balanced. With the A710, the object/person right in front of you is overexposed, while everything else is dark. I tried several settings based on advice from the manual and internet and got the same result. I couldn't believe that the F40fd's flash didn't overpower or overexpose the least bit given its power. Also, the F40fd's flash recycle time is about 5 times faster than the A710's, so you can take shot after shot with flash.
The F40fd's unmatched performance at high ISO's makes it even better for indoor shots, and the colors are less stark than the A710's. I cannot think of a better camera to take to a dinner or party. It's small (about the same size as the Canon SD series) and takes spectacular indoor shots. If you want to take primarily outdoor shots, however, you could do better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice Camera
Comment: I'm not too good at the camera thing so this is perfect for me as it is so easy to use. Fits in a pocket.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A nice compact camera
Comment: Can't say much more. Good images, very compact, tho low light sensitivity was not so good as I'd expected (still pretty good).
Customer Rating:
Summary: An affordable pocket backup when you don't want to hawl DSLR around
Comment: Digital camera-wise, I started with a Fuji S304 seven years ago after a couple years with a DSL camera Canon 50E. In 2005 I moved ahead with a DSLR, Fuji S2 Pro, probably because of good exprience with the Fuji colors(espeically skin tone). Since then, a number of DSLRs obtained from ebay have came and went, including Canon D30, Rebel XT, Nikon D100, D1H, D50, D40, D80, D300...You know, the gear fever for most photogs.
My purchase of a Fuji F40fd is actually an upgrade from a F20 I got a year ago. I use them as a backup that always stay in my pocket, coming handy when I see an interesting scene in the streets, but not so big a deal to take out my DSLR in my backpack. But thank goodness, it's these "backup" little cams that helped me record most of the candit street shots in the everything-can-happen New York City.
You'll have a better idea what a Fuji F40fd performans if I compare it to other cameras I've used.
Warning: Don't compare it to any DSLR, the small CCD can never be on par with its big brothers. A F40's ISO 400 is only close to a Nikon D40's iso1600. Also, don't expect much from a lens small like the pocket cameras', the worst DSLR lens (including Sigma's or Tamron's) is much better than a point-and-shoot's.
Compared with its earlier version, F20, the F40 has advanced in everything but iso performance.
1. thinner body. Now it really feels like a pocket cam, as the F20 is still a little bit too thick.
2. Larger and better LCD. I don't want to talk about numbers, but the F40 has a larger LCD. And most importantly, the number of pixels is much more than the F20's, and the view angle is much wider. Result, no more low-definition picture like that on a F20, and you can chimp from all angles now.
3. Faster response in starting, focusing and reviewing pictures. You just feel it's a lighter and swifter camera.
4. At last, the cons. ISO performance is a full stop lower than F20. I tested them side by side with the same settings, and the F40 with more mega-pixels (which I hate, I don't need that many pixels crammed into such a small CCD) just showed more grains and noises. F40's iso 800 is close to F20's iso 1600. This is the biggest disppointment for me, because at first I was exited to see F40 be equipped with Auto ISO 800 and 1600 (F20 only has Auto iso limit on either 400 or 1600, missing the 800 step that I consider the best compromising spot between speed and picture quality)
Anyway, though F40 is not as good as F20 in ISO, it's still better than many cameras of other brands, including Canon and Nikon. My friends' Canon SD870 and SD1000 show worse noises on high iso.
Conclusion: good colors consistent of Fuji taste, relatively good iso, an affordable foolproof pocket camera for candit shots. But if you are serious with photography, try any entry-level DSLR of Canon, Nikon, Olympus or Sony, you'll see a difference wider than from heaven to earth.
Fujifilm Finepix F40fd 8.3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver) Reviews: Page 2 of 13
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