Fujifilm FinePix F31fd Digital Camera (6.3MP, 3024x2016, 3x Opt, 26MB Internal Memory, xD-Picture Slot)

Fujifilm FinePix F31fd

FinePix F31fd Digital Camera (6.3MP, 3024x2016, 3x Opt, 26MB Internal Memory, xD-Picture Slot) Review, by Eric Butterfield March 13, 2007

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• Reviewed by: gilbertyu

  Strengths: Great low light performance, low shutter lag.

  Weaknesses: I wish it had more manual controls to control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It uses xD cards which are not as common and fast as SD cards.

  Overall: I usually use a DSLR, but I wanted a small pocketable P&S for kids' events like birthday parties where I didn't want to lug around a big camera. The F31fd is nice because the high ISO sensitivity and image quality are very good so that I seldom have to use the built-in flash which I avoid like the plague because it results in very flat images.

• Reviewed by: cooldv

  Strengths: image quality, low light capabilities, small size perfect for jeans pocket

  Weaknesses: slower writing speed due to xd picture card format

  Overall: i wanted a pocketable p&s camera to complement my Canon & Sony cameras. Researched and ultimately settled with this camera. The newer F40 has dual memory card slots (XD and SD card) but indoor low light images are better with F31.The grudges are: proprietory USB connectivity, expensive xd picture cards, and the 3X optical zoom (so i use "sneaker zoom").

• Reviewed by: sophisticat

  Strengths: dimensions

  Weaknesses: image quality

  Overall: The one and only good thing about it seems to be its dimensions compared to a SLR (I wanted it to replace my bulky but lovely Dynax 7D in every-day-use), but not for the price of such terribly poor image quality. The pictures I've taken so far look dramatically "plastic" - even taken with ISO 100. I read some critics before I bought the F31d and either they were enthusiastic or deceived, nothing in-between. I think the latter are those with eyes to see... It's a shame and completely misleading that such an obviously POOR camera is praised to such an extent in the reviews. I just can't recommend it, not even for point-and-shooters and especially not for anyone who thinks to get equal results out of it as from a DSLR.

• Reviewed by: Chuck_IV

  Strengths: Low Light/High ISO shots, Extremely low noise ISO800 & down, Intelligent Flash, Face Detection that works, Battery Life, Solid Construction

  Weaknesses: Occasional purple fringingOnly 3x optical zoomNo IS

  Overall: This is a great P&S camera. It's low light/high ISo shots are best in class(and only really bested by SLRs). ISO800 and down have extremely low noise with it's ISO400 rivaling many P&S's ISO100 and 200. It's intelligent flash does a great job of not overexposing those indoor shots(I don't think this gets enough praise). If you can't or don't want to us e a flash, unlike other cameras, in it's class, the F31 can handle it and give you excellect results. Even it's ISO1600 is very useable, if you use a simple noise removal tool like Noiseware on it. It's ISO3200 is a bit too much, however, and really shouldn't be used.It's outdoor shots are excellent and can keep up with most cameras. It's colors are natural and aren't oversaturated, like some cameras. It handles outdoor lighting conditions quite well, but does occassionally show some purple fringing(but many other cameras do too)I used to be a big Canon fan, having had an A70 and a G3(I still use my G3). But after my A70 failed, I went looking. Instead of looking just at Canon, I looked ate everything. When I came across the Fuji F series, there was no denying what it could do(I purchased the F31, F40 and Sony T100, all at the same time and compared). The indoor shots were just too good to ignore and it's pure worry free P&S capabilites are, as well.Don't take my word for it, read the reviews, all over the net. They all pretty much say the same thing about the F30/31. Dpreview.com, which thrives on image quality, gave it a 9 of 10, for it's image quality, which is the highest given, to date, for a P&S camera.

• Reviewed by: seaneboyee

  Strengths: low light performance, face detection, long lasting battery, greater detail in higher ISO levels than F30

  Weaknesses: purple fringing, a bit noiser in higher ISO levels than F31

  Overall: This is by far the best point and shoot digital camera I have ever owned. It functions well as a convenient sidekick to my Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital SLR. It performs extremely well indoors and at night in which I am mainly using it for. Beats out other cameras in its category such as the Canon PowerShot SD series.