Zip Zap Zoom

RGone are the days when prosumer cameras were almost as large and heavy as
DSLR's. The new generation of prosumer cameras feature large optical zoom into a
small body without losing out on features. The F70 from FujiFilm is one of these
new generation prosumer cameras and comes with 10X optical zoom in a small body.

The F70 looks like a standard point and shoot camera from the front and the
back. The front has got the lens covering half of the right side with the flash
placed at the top left. The back is dominated by a beautiful 2.7” LCD viewfinder
that doesn't fade away even under direct sunlight. On the side are well laid out
buttons including the navigation keys, face detection on/off, display setup/back
key, the F key for quick settings and a playback key. The mode jog dial is also
placed on the back instead of on the top like in most cameras. There is a
proprietary connecting port on the side and the battery + card slot at the
bottom. Overall, the keys are well placed and are comfort to use.

The camera snaps images at 10MP resolution and features a 27mm wide-angle
lens with 10X optical zoom. It features FujiFilm's award winning Super CCD EXR
sensor that provides outstanding picture quality. The Fujinon lens works
superbly, providing excellent output in most shots. The camera itself provides
for various modes other than the standard Auto, EXR, Program and Manual mode as
well. It features a Pro focus mode that focuses sharply on the subject and
softly on the background, a natural light mode and even a natural + flash mode
in which the camera takes two images in succession-one with flash and one
without it. What is impressive is the performance speed of the camera. It zooms
in and out very quickly and takes just 2 seconds to take a 10MP image, save it
and be ready for the next shot!

The output from the camera is great in both videos and still photos but only
with adequate lighting. Indoors and at nighttime, a lot of noise creeps in the
images if the flash is not used. Sadly the camera records videos in 640 x 480
pixels only whereas the competitors such as Samsung's WB 550 records videos in
720p. The WB550 also tops the F70 in other settings. It takes images at 12MP,
comes with dual image stabilization and features a 24mm wide-angle lens. At the
same price point, the WB550 is a much better option than the FujiFilm F70.