Overview
The Fuji Finepix Z20fd is one of the cheapest pocket cameras from a well known brand. It is also very lightweight. The Finepix Z20fd comes in a variety of different colours including black, red and pink.
Why Buy The Fuji Finepix Z20fd
The three main reasons for buying are likely to be low price, ease of use and the small size of the camera.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
3x
2.5 inches
91.3 x 56.3 x 18.8mm
111g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
8cm
No
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
xD
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
This photo lacks definition when compared to most other pocket digital cameras. The reason for this is likely to be a combination of factors including trying to squeeze a lot of pixels onto a small sensor and the lens being of lower quality.
If all you are looking for is small, snapshot size photos or to be able to email photos to friends or to post photos on the web then picture quality is o.k. If you want to create larger prints then you are like to notice a lack of definition in the shots. Purple fringing could also be an issue where the light source catches the edge of reflective objects.
This is another example of a lack of sharpness in this set of test photos. The corners of the photo also have dark areas showing.
Focusing is below my expectations even when taking the price of the Finepix Z20fd into account. Most cameras are able to do a pretty good job of at least locking onto the brickwork in the centre of this picture. This camera struggles to even achieve that. Darkness is also creeping into the corners once more.
Portraits
Even when working close in the Finepix Z20fd can find the going tough. In this instance there is quite a bit of noise showing in the photo. This reduces the clarity of the shot.
A large proportion of the flash light appears to be centered on the forehead. This gives us an uneven spread of light leaving the corners of the photo and areas of the hair dark. As you will see the uneven light increases the chance of unsightly shadows. Other cheap digital cameras tend to do a better job.
When looking at some of the landscape style shots I noticed the corners of the shots could be darker. This suggests a weakness in the lens. This indoor shot taken without flash really highlights the problem. Noise is an issue here too.
Macro, Colours and Noise
The macro shot is the best of my test shots by quite some distance. In fact I would go as far as to say that taking the price of the Finepix Z20fd into account the camera does very well.
The colours are an area where I don't have an issue. As with other Fuji digital cameras they are quite powerful and blues in particular show up strongly. On the whole the effect works well, especially with the landscape style shots.
If you push up the ISO setting purple fringing as well as noise becomes a problem. Even when leaving ISO on auto I have found noise creeping into some of my test shots.
Summary
The Finepix Z20fd is probably the cheapest pocket camera around with a bit of style, but picture quality does fall short. The lack of sharpness may not be a bog issue with 6 x 4 inch prints or even 7 x 5 inch, but I would personally buy a camera where the picture quality is better.
Style
This is one of the smallest digital cameras around. Fuji has added a slight curve to the top and bottom of the camera to avoid the standard rectangular look. It is available in blue, green, white, pink, blue and black.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.44 seconds
13.9 seconds
0.59 seconds
16.04 seconds
2.69 seconds
Ease of Use
The Finepix Z20fd has less features than most digital cameras. The upside of this is it makes it very easy to use.
Points I Like
Ease of use - size
Where it Could Improve
Picture quality
Verdict
If you are looking for a cheap digital camera with a bit of style and you are not overly worried about picture quality then the Fuji Finepix Z20fd could fit the bill. If you are looking for a bit of extra picture quality then I would suggest looking elsewhere.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Fuji Finepix Z20fd Review Fuji Finepix Z20fd Specification Fuji Finepix Z20fd Sample Images Fuji Finepix Z20fd Features
Review Date
December 2008
