Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

The camera comes with a basic manual. The actual manual is on a disk which can be difficult if you are not a computer user or if you are traveling and have a question.

Pro.
Skin enhance funtion work like magic. Looks like the person is wareing make up with nice skin and light.

Con.
Battery life is really bad if is on EXR funtion

I ordered the Fujifilm 200 EXR from Amazon. They arranged for Simply Electronics to ship it. It came with a 220 volt plug (I live in the USA, 1210 country). There is no return address on the invoice, not even the item ordered or the price paid. This seems to be a gray market outfit. Beware!

This camera is no match for my f31fd camera which thankfully I still own and takes great pictures. I've found that the image stabilization on the f200exr is marginally effective. Anything above ISO 400 produces very visible grain.

You have to work to get good images out of this camera. Flash is very weak. Every image has to be post processed except images taken in ideal lighting conditions. There is just so much you can do with JPEG files.

The dynamic range works well outdoors in good lighting provided you don't require any detail in your landscape shots.

Useless as a 12 megapixel digicam. Not good for landscapes ... very heavy sledge hammer noise reduction going on at ISO 100 in HR Mode even in great lighting. Even DPREVIEW notes this. You will not see any detail in foliage at all ... completely smeared. Results not good at all for high resolution.

People are awestruck by the inproved dynamic range.

I just use a bit of negative exposure compensation on my f31fd and bring up the shadows a bit and it sure beats the noise on this over-hyped expensive f200exr.

For the price I DO NOT RECOMMEND GETTING THIS CAMERA. Spend a bit of extra money and get the Canon G11. At the very least you will not get sledge hammer noise reduction going on and highly usable detailed landscape images. Additionally the optical image stabilization on the Canon REALLY WORKS WELL! Good for about 4 stops ... better than boosting ISO ad nauseum. And it comes with a hot shoe .... For great indoor pictures get a used f30 or f31fd camera if you can still find them.

The FinePix 200 is the 4th pocket digital I've owned. This is the first one that rivals the "shootability" of my big Nikon SLR. The first big issue is speed. This camera starts up and is ready to shoot in a second - literally. It is also the first and only pocket camera I've used that lacks that annoying half-second delay between the time you press the shutter and it actually takes the picture. For me, this is crucial for capturing that "special moment" when taking snaps of family, friends and pets.

Next issue is picture quality. This camera takes incredibly sharp pictures. My wife and I were shocked to find that this camera takes sharper pictures than our Nikon D200 when handheld. This is no doubt due to the image stabilization technology built into the Fuji camera (I haven't yet coughed up the big bucks for stabilized Nikor lenses).

Another huge factor is the excellent software built into this camera. With every previous camera I've owned, including my big Nikon, I'm always "gaming" the automatic program defaults in order to get the colors or the contrast right on the shot. With the FinePix, there's none of that. I set this camera to the full auto "EXR" mode and leave it there. So far, I have rarely disagreed with the settings chosen by the camera.

A final word about EXR mode. I like to shoot pictures of my friends at parties. With other cameras, this means either using the flash (boo!) or cranking the ISO up to the max and getting grainy photos. This camera has the unique ability to "gang together" light from 2 sensor elements into a single pixel on the final picture, enabling you to shoot with a lower ISO. In this mode the camera has incredible low-light performance. At the cost of shooting at 6Mpixels instead of 12 (fine, unless you want to enlarge past 6x8") you can shoot without a flash in most situations.

Physically, this camera isn't the sexiest, but it fits well in the hand and the controls all make sense.

Battery life is so-so, especially if you use it in "fast-focus" mode. I'd recommend buying a second battery if you travel or go on extended photo shoots.

We have owned a Fuji f3800 for 5+ years now and really like but it is beginning to show its age and needed a replacement. We wanted a comparable point-n-shoot that had good low-light picture quality in 'auto' mode. Maybe the camera needs a more advanced photographer who understands all the settings but when we compared the same images taken on our f3800 and the new f200EXR, it was clear that the f200EXR was being returned. We tried several different settings and were disappointed with all of them, not to mention the larger file sizes for more grainy pictures. We feel inept, given all the positive reviews for this camera but maybe this camera is just too smart for our needs. Would appreciate any advice and will monitor this review for any camera suggestions others may have for us.

I compared it head to head with LUMIX DMC ZS3, which was much better and had natural photo colors.
So EXR light sensor not so impressive to me and its only 4-5 X zoom.

I bought this camera even though I have a Canon Digital IXUS 860....I thought that the low light result would be terrific...but unfortunately it is just a little bit better, and it is bulkier than the Canon too ....not worth the money spent....I am still looking for a small compact camera which gives good results in low light without the flash!

Don't think I would recommend this camera because of the poor owner's manual / web site support. Can't find a phone number anywhere, so guess there is no one at Fuji to help. Most important failure is that the camera will not disconnect from my Mac. Supposedly an "indicator light" on the camera turns off, then you can turn off the camera and remove it from the USB port. There are dire warnings in the manual and online not to remove the camera if the light is not off, but nothing to tell you what to do if the light stays on. Since this is such a basic procedure, to not have better documentation causes me to rate this camera very low.

Bought this camera as a Christmas Present for my Daughter-In-Law, and having read so many conflicting reviews I decided to try it out. As most have stated, the EXR Auto Mode is useless, battery life is quite short and the camera's menu settings are user unfriendly. If you can live with these inconveniencies you will love the quality of the photographs. For those who want a simple point and shoot, just set the EXR mode to HR, the max Auto ISO to 400 and the camera will outperform any Point & Shoot out there. If you learn to take advantage of all the features, there isn't anything around at this price that will match its capabilities or performance. I haven't heard the click and clack noises that other people referred too, nor see any problems with the battery compartment accidently opening. I have a Canon DSLR and my wife has a Canon SD950 IS and the F200EXR out performs the SD950 in all areas. At this website http://www.imaging-resource.com you can go to, "Compare Sample Images" under "Digital Cameras" and compare test images of different cameras side by side. After you select the pictures you want to compare, click on the images to enlarge them. This is good way to check out some of the claims; my old XXXXX camera was better

I am a SLR photographer and wanted a point shoot camera for portability purpose, so that I can carry it when I'm busy n can capture moments. But the clarity and ease of use the cam is below standards even with a huge sensor size. I would recommend any canon camera @ same price range for this FujiFilm camera.

I actually returned the first f200exr that I had received because the colors looked washed out and worse than my five year old casio exilim which I loved. Ultimately I wanted a camera that would give me better shots in low light though. I just received my new f200exr in the mail and The pictures do look very good. A word of advice though, I realize that my pictures looked washed out after I set the compression quality from Normal (N) to Fine (F), which technically should have made the pictures better, but actually made them considerably worse.

I'm not certain yet if I'm going to keep this camera or not. I tested it against the Canon sx200IS, which takes wonderful normal light pictures, and against my girlfriends Canon SD870is to which I would say is a very solid camera as well. I have a Canon S90 on the way that I'm going to test it against as well. The Canon was considerably more expensive than I was planning on, but ultimately I'll base my decision on picture quality and overall build quality of the camera.

Build quality is one thing that I will say the Fuji gets full points for. This camera is compact and feels very solid in the hand. The controls are comfortably placed, though the flash is in a bad spot. It took me days before I stopped automatically covering the flash while holding the camera, but eventually you do get used to it. I agree with some other reviews that the menu isn't great, but it is perfectly usable once you get past the steep learning curve in the beginning. I'm not thrilled with the picture quality, but then I am coming from another very nice camera. I would say that the low light photos are very good, especially if you limit the ISO (since the camera likes to force it up to about 1600 every time is sees a shadow) and just accept that low light will require a tripod. Or in place of a tripod, just use the 2 second timer and set it on something solid. I'm planning on testing more in normal lighting. One other thing that you might want to be aware of is that when on full auto EXR mode, it does make a bit of noise. It was enough to bother me, but then I tend to be sensitive to such things so you might be fine.

Overall I would say that I do like the camera very much. I think that for the casual photographer it would be great. It's got a nice large sensor for lower light and the sensor design, I think, holds quite a bit of promise for the future of fuji cameras; I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them for the next few years. I think all but the most picky will be happy with this camera. I've done more research into cameras the past three weeks than I would care to admit and if you're willing to put the work in to really learn this camera I think you'll like it.

I bought my Fuji Finepix F200EXR after I have returned my Nikon Coolpix S70 (not satisfied with the picture quality). I previously owned a Fuji Finepix 3800 which I really liked that's why I decided on getting another Fuji Finepix. The picture quality of the F200EXR is really good considering it's a compact camera. It can really take good pictures even in low light conditions. I also like the macro mode. What I don't like is the noise it makes when you are on EXR mode. It also drains the battery quite fast. You really have to keep another extra battery on hand. The video quality and the sound is not that good, you cannot make HD movies. Well, I bought this camera for taking pictures, not videos, so it's not that bad I guess. Price range is okay compared to other compact digital camera. Overall, I'm satisfied with my Fuji Finepix F200EXR.

I RESEARCHED CAREFULLY AND DECIDED THAT THIS CAMERA WOULD BE WHAT I WANTED FOR MY PURPOSES. IT IS SIMPLE TO USE, ALL CONTROLS ARE INTUITIVE, IT IS SHIRT POCKET SIZE, AND HAS MACRO SETTING.. IT WAS EVERYTHING I EXPECTED IT TO BE EXCEPT THAT WHEN IT IS DIPLAYED ON TV, THE PICTURE IS GRAINY ON ANY SETTING AND VERY DISAPPOINTING ESPECIALLY WHEN I SEE FINE DISPLAYS FROM A MUCH CHEAPER KODAK EASY SHARE.. I DOWNLOADED THE SOFTWARE FROM THE DVD AND FROM THE WEBSITE AND IT HAS NOT FUNCTIONED TO DISPLAY A PICTURE YET. A CAMERA IS PURPOSED TO CAPTURE A SHARP PICTURE SO I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED ON PICTURE QUALITY FURTHER. NAIVELY I THOUGHT ANY CAMERA TODAY WOULD GIVE A DECENTLY SHARP PHOTO. LIVE AND LEARN

I researched many cameras on the internet before purchasing this one. I use it for work and for personal use. So far, after a month, it seems to be working as I had hoped. It's a very nice camera with many user friendly options. The zoom works very well, as well as the EXR setting. The only problem that I've noticed is the battery loses its power rather quickly.

Battery use is drastically affected in ers mode. Battery becomes warm and usage is shortened. Other than that big flaw, camera does well. Recall time/shutter speed is not as good as previous 800 series canon. Actualy canon has performed better and is better. I was brought in by the 5X optical and the 12 megt . Haven't had camera for a long time but would suggest canon 870 as better alternative if meg were larger and optical zoom better, your call.
Pam

After purchasing my first DSLR several years ago I have become "snobby" about point-and-shoots (P&S) and generally cringe when I see the photos I have taken with a P&S knowing how much better they "could have been." It should also be noted up front that I HATE flashes on P&S cameras as they tend to blow out the color in the photo and bleach out expression and detail.

When I was offered to review this camera I really wanted to test it out in a variety of environments, giving it a fair shot, before reviewing. I have been using this camera for 7 ½ months and feel as though I have a good idea of what it is capable of now. Had I reviewed it in the first couple of days/weeks my review would have been much lower as it took awhile to tweek the settings to make me happy. At first I found that I was having a hard time getting consistently good shots and was frustrated over the lack of control I felt. After trial and error I now get consistently good shots every time.

What I enjoy:

- It offers options for both the novice user and those who want some control over the settings.
- Face detection - when the camera detects you are shooting a face, or multiple faces, the LCD zooms in on the faces after the shot is taken for a close up (quick check if anyone blinked, spinach in the teeth, etc.). If someone blinked you know right away and can attempt the shot again without missing the moment.
- IS (image stabilization) works well especially in low light conditions
- The "Natural Light and with Flash" mode. This mode takes two photos rapid fire... one with flash and one without. I, again, am not a fan of P&S flashes for the aforementioned reasons but sometimes I misjudge what this camera is capable of shooting without a flash (often it results in more blur than acceptable). This mode allows me to capture the shot both with and without a flash nearly simultaneously and I can make the decision of which I like better when I get back to my computer. Standing "O" on this idea!
- While I have Photoshop and Lightroom at home, for those who don't, it is a neat little feature to add "Film Simulation Mode" when you want to capture a subtle change in color. Wish there were more "films" to choose from as I think this is a fun alternative for those who don't want or can't afford Adobe's products.
- Held up to my abuse (it's so small I would forget about it in my scary purse for weeks at a time)


What could have been improved:

- NO VIEWFINDER!!!! Seriously... they are necessary despite what the majority of people seem to believe. When holding a camera away from your body it is less stable (which equals more blur). Also, in certain lights LCD screens are hard to see.
- Shutter lag is longer than I would have liked
- Takes nearly three seconds to turn on to first photo
- More noisy ("grainy") at ISO 800, 1600, 3200 (low light shots) than I would like... but noise is better than glaring flash in most situations IMO
- Location of the flash as it can be easy to cover with a finger (not a problem in the long run but it may accidentally occur at first use.)
- Speed at which the camera zooms... it's too fast. I often find myself over zooming and having to recorrect. Perhaps because I am used to manually zooming on a DSLR? But still... it seems to fast.

While I did initially state that this is a great camera from a novice... it still requires that someone be willing to learn through trial-and-error or the manual before getting ideal shots. This is not a camera you purchase in hopes of pulling it out of the box and taking amazing shots. There is a learning curve and amazing shots are very possible with practice.

Don't expect to take great pictures out of the box. The fully automatic mode is fine for out doors, but indoors requires some understanding of the camera features to get the perfect shot. The camera is very capable of delivering a great photo, however the operator must be willing to put time into learning all the optional settings. The battery life is sad! If you want this camera, buy it with a second battery or you will be caught powerless on the road or away from home. Video capability is an after thought, sure if you need to take a quick video, it works, but don't put your hopes into anything more. Bottom line, this camera will be good for pocket sized user willing to take the time to learn it's many features.

I don't want to dissuade anybody from purchasing this product. I gave it two stars not because it was bad, but because it did not perform as well as i hoped. One of several beefs i had with it was

1) Inability to zoom in and out during videos
2) Lag time (about 2 seconds) between flash photos (doesn't happen all the time, but it does so more often than not)
3) Unless you have face recognition mode or KNOW for sure you're focused on someone's face it'll focus on some other object like a fence post, and the picture will end up blurry even in well lit conditions
4) Great landscape photos (still life), seriously, best for a point and shoot I've seen, but I don't do landscapes, so unless you love backdrops this probably is not what you are looking for when your taking pictures of things that move
5) Photos taken from my 8.0 Megapixel Canon SD 870IS come out clearer (ie less grainy) than this 12.0 megapixel Fujifilm one even though the Fujifilm one can take pictures in darker conditions
6) flash is right underneath the shutter button so your finger sometimes gets in the way
7) Might want to carry an extra battery on you, because it dies relatively faster than most (about 300 picture for me don't know how that translates into video time)
8) Lots of zoom capability but you sacrifice clarity when you utilize it
9) All in all, my canon powershot sd870is performs just as well or better than my Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP except in dark conditions since it has a higher ISO (check out pictures people took online), but that's about it.

I just had to come here and say that it's a good compact camera. The menu is easy to use, firmware is easy to update, not too many buttons and those preset modes allow one to take good pictures without further knowledge of photography.

However, there is a glitch. I like to video quite a bit and to my amazement this camera produces hissing (from low pitch to high pitch and so on) noise to the video you take. I just called to Fujifilm support center and they said there's nothing they can do to it as the hissing is due to the EXR panel which focuses all the time. Altough I don't understand why the hissing noise is still there if I put my camera on a table facing the wall. So, if you like to take good quality video, this camera is not for you I'm afraid. The hissing noise will be there and there's nothing you can do about it, at least according to them.

I bought this camera new, it came properly packaged

When it was put on, no picture on screen only fuzziness, not able to see anything.

Screen looks like a TV screen with no picture signal.Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

Very disappointed that camera was not built robust enough to handle shipping transit.

I've been through countless digital cameras since the world first digital camera Casio QV10. I'm keep replacing my P&S almost once a year and average picture I'm taking with P&S is about 15,000 shots per year. I realy loved Finepix F31fd (the predecessor of F200) which is the best low-light condition deigital camera ever, but unfortunately, it's out dated already and doesn't have a wide angle lens nor image stabilizer. This F200exr has both wide and stabilizer and with EXR low light mode, I can get almost the same result as F31fd (even better quality because of less in-camera noise reduction strength - I hate strong blur filter to imitate "low noise."). Also, if you love to take a nature picture, this is THE ONE you want to use. As most of camera lovers know, FUJI is the only manufacture that can preduce "real green" color. Again, I've been through many cameras including professional DSLR, no other manufacture can beat FUJI's green.

I've been using point-and-shoot digital cameras for about ten years, for both on-line and personal use. This is the best camera I've ever owned. I've taken it with me hiking, biking, or just looking for interesting subjects. The results have been uniformly outstanding. Of course, I'm a long-time PhotoShop user, so I can correct minor problems, but the better the input, the better the output to print. Excellent camera.

I bought this camera for it's low light capability. It can do ISO 12800 which is amazing especially for a point-and-shoot, though the photos are (understandably) noisy. Unfortunately the camera doesn't provide RAW nor can you change the noise reduction, so everyone comes out looking plasticky. Also, the flash is under-powered and right under your fingers when you're pressing the shutter button (just look at the camera - you can see how your fingers will get in the way). Half of my photos are dark on the right side because of this.

On Saturday I was out with my friend who had one of those ever-so popular Canon cameras (SD1100IS) and the flash on that camera was WAY better than the flash on this camera, even if the shutter was sluggish (took 2+ seconds to actually take the shot). Though this may have been the metering (see below).

The same photo on this camera vs. the Canon - on the Canon the whole bar was lit up, but on this camera just a few people at the front were lit up & everything behind them was dark.

It also exposes for the brightest spot, so if a TV or lamp happened to be in the background, the foreground went to black - meaning the people went to black. This is common in pro level cameras where you want to keep as much highlight detail as possible, but this operates on the assumption that you can pull detail out of the shadow area. It's not so good for consumer cameras that frequently do stuff like take pictures in dark bars & don't get much shadow detail. I've changed the metering mode to "average", so that may help.

I mean, I get that this camera is supposed to be good at high ISO, but why make it so miserable at other areas of in-the-dark shooting (such as flash photography).

The construction is excellent - a strong, steel body, though as an other reviewer said, the door sometimes opens in my pocket. The battery doesn't last forever, but it lasts long enough. I'm not afraid to leave this in my back pocket for spur-of-the-moment photography.

A facebook friend has a Sony camera where people look amazing whenever she photographs them, I may get that camera. Partly it's got a good warm balance for flash photography, and partly ... I dunno it must be the lens or the chip, but people just look good.

I was at an afternoon dinner party a few weeks ago & took some natural-light (mid afternoon, north/east light windows) photos with this camera & the noise reduction kicked & and made everyone I took look pasty & clay-like. It wasn't bright in the apartment, but the Canon would have handled this photos just fine (and with Raw I could have decided on my level of noise reduction).

Canon has a new flagship powershot coming out (based on the G10 - I own the G9 and love it, but it's too big to carry around & I want a High ISO capable camera) that's supposed to do ISO 12800. When that comes out I may ditch this camera in favor of the powershot. The Canon will probably be more expensive, but not by much, and if it shoots Raw, so much the better.

As other people said - the dual image stabilization is a bit of a crock. It lacks lens stabilization so uses CCD shift & bumping up the ISO to "stabilize" the image, but what that means in practice is you end up with more noisy images instead of more blurry images.

All in all - I'll keep using it for now & maybe switching it to Average metering will help, but I'm really thinking the upcoming Canon flagship will be the point-and-shoot for me. Or a cheap Sony that makes people look good (which, at the end of the day, is very important).

I've taken about 800 photos with this camera over the course of a few weeks, from High ISO to long shutter speed (up to 8 seconds) to regular bar hopping to broad daylight & it does alright, but it only stands out in the high ISO area & now that Canon is going to be introducing a P&S that has high ISO - I'd wait it out for that one if that's why you were buying this camera.

If I had it to do over again, I'd wait for the Canon (high ISO capable + based on the tried & true Canon formula, which I've come to trust with my G9) or buy a Sony so people look good in my photos.

I also own a Canon G9 and a Nikon D200, studied photography in college & make a bit of a hobby of it (the bar hopping thing was just where most of this cameras flaws showed up).

THE QUICK TAKE: The talk about the "Super CCD" sensor is more than hype, Fuji has achieved a real innovation and it is generally very well executed. But Fuji can only bend the laws of physics, not break them - so keep your expectations about what this camera can do realistic. If the real but limited benefits of the F200EXR sensor (lower light capability or extended dynamic range) are useful given the way you plan to use the camera, and you want a compact camera, the F200EXR is well worth considering. (It may depend on the prices of what you're considering - price discounts on this camera have grown, making it a more attractive option.) Fuji did many important things right when they designed this camera. You should plan on spending some time with the camera and the manual.

But Fuji can't do miracles (yet), so some people will find a better fit elsewhere - either a larger camera with a bigger lens and more control, a more standard point and shoot camera that you use carefully when needed, or something smaller.

THE SUPER CCD SENSOR: INNOVATION, BUT NOT REVOLUTION

Before the camera was released, there was discussion about whether the sensor could do what it claimed, whether the hype was real. It's clear that the F200EXR does deliver - the sensor offers flexibility to trade down in pixels from 12MP to 6MP in order to expand the dynamic range or give more flexibility in low light.

That is real innovation. And, it's something that is well worth the tradeoff - 6MP is plenty of megapixels, and the resolution of a photo is rarely as important as exposure and composition.

Unfortunately, though, a 2x tradeoff in pixels gives you (of course) just twice as much light to work with - and the benefit of that is a lot smaller than most people realize. Lots of people may have unrealistic expectations for the camera.

And, you can get a lot more than 2x the light out of a bigger lens, or by keeping the camera still for a long exposure. So the benefit is fairly modest, and some of the issues (see below) likely will more than outweigh the benefits for many people.

STRONG FUNDAMENTALS

Fuji got some important things right with the camera:

LENS FLEXIBILITY: The 5x, 28-140 zoom (equivalent) offers a lot of flexibility for composing photos and making the most of your megapixels.

SENSOR SIZE / PIXEL DENSITY: The size of the sensor is a major factor in how well a camera performs. To Fuji's credit, they used a credible size for this class of camera - 1/1.6", or 7.78 x 5.83 mm, 0.45 cm². The resulting pixel density of 25 MP/cm² (lower is better) is competitive for this class of camera (and with the EXR mode it's effectively half that density).

LARGE SCREEN: The large 3 inch screen is useful and nice to use.

More generally, the camera performs well on exposure, flash, and other important dimensions. But then, at this price point the bar should be set high in my opinion - performing well on the fundamentals is just the ante to even be in the game.

POTENTIAL ISSUES

Many buyers may find that the issues outweigh the benefits for the F200EXR, for the way they take photos:

LIMITED APERTURE CONTROL: In many situations, especially shooting people, I'd rather have more aperture control than this camera gives - it's very limited - and I'd give up the incremental low light and dynamic range benefit to get that.

ISO CHOICES ON AUTO: The ISO and shutter choices the camera is programmed to make often don't make sense to me. Perhaps it is programmed to have a strong bias toward getting a sharp photo, but they seem to have pushed the tradeoff too far. (Though using an ISO higher than I would like is a common issue in cameras, perhaps to make them more foolproof.)

BATTERY LIFE/POWER CONSUMPTION: It's been years since I've owned a compact camera for which I had to think about more than charging the battery at night. The battery on this has run out on me a couple times. The power consumption of its electronics must be much higher than average, let's hope future generations reduce the power consumption to stretch the battery life.

EASE OF USE NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: I expect the F200EXR to perform as a high end point and shoot camera when needed, especially now that we've been through about 20 generations of digicams and should have this refined by now. Fuji does lots of things right, but given the state of the art now, the controls and menus fall short on ease of use. The face detection can be intrusive and slow. I'm not confident I could hand it to a friend or family member (or stranger) and count on getting good results. If I want something that only I can use (and in this case only after studying the manual and experiementing), I might carry a different camera. And when I want just a point and shoot, I often grab my old Sony DSC-N1 instead of this camera.

SIZE: The size works fine for me, though it's at the upper limit of what I'd consider for a pocketable point and shoot at 3.8 W x 2.3 H x 0.9 D in. and over 6 oz without the battery. And the features justify the size - it's still amazing what something this size can do. But a lot of people who might want the low light benefits may think twice about the size. That is, the people who might value low light shooting the most want something smaller.

I haven't tested the video mode enough yet, but I do expect a camera in this price range to perform fairly well. I want to be able to capture those unexpected moments with the camera that I have. So if, as some say, it falls short there, that's another potential factor in one's decision.

There's also some question about whether the image stabilization is as effective as it might be; if not, that's offsetting some of the benefit of the sensor.

I've used the F200EXR a fair amount, but these are more impressions than my usual hyper-detailed analysis. I'll come back and update later on if needed.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Fuji did lots of things right, and has done something important with the F200EXR sensor and the way it is integrated into the camera. Future generations of this technology are very promising - and you may want to wait for them. Fuji would need to iron out some of the issues, and perhaps offer more of a benefit from the sensor technology, before I could unequivocally recommend this camera to a wide group of users.

The Finepix F200-EXR is more or less like any other compact point-and-shoot camera except for one amazing feature -- the EXR mode. Using this mode, you can specify for the sensor to change how it generates an image to work optimally for three different conditions -- (1) High resolution and detail; (2) Low light/high ISO; (3) High contrast/dynamic range. Once you manually specify the conditions to optimize for, the camera automatically changes the way the sensor responds to best handle the situation. The EXR system really does work. One caveat however: there is an "Auto" EXR setting that is supposed to pick the best between the three different EXR settings for any given picture. Using this feature is not advised because (1) the camera makes tons of clicking noises while framing your picture and (2) the camera tends to go to super-high ISO (1600) way too quickly.

This is not my first digital camera but let me tell you it ranks right up there with my $800 Sony. I'm still learning my way around with it but it does take the most beautiful photos and captures the true color better than most other cameras out there.

I really like the fact that the view screen is good size especially for those that are like me and can't see half the time what you're doing if you don't have glasses on. I don't really need the glasses with this screen. YAY!

It's size is extremely comfortable in hand and the buttons are placed in logical spots instead of reaching here there and everywhere to try and find them. I was even able to figure out how to put the date in it before reading the directions.

My expensive Sony is an SLR Digital and is bulky which those of you who have something similar can relate to. I also have a Kodak that I paid about $200 for maybe six or seven years ago and it's a bit bulky compared to the Fuji.

The cameras instructions are easy to understand which makes using this a breath of fresh air. If I were going to go out and buy a new digital camera tomorrow I would most certainly consider this one in the top ranks for it's all around easy and price.

You get what you pay for and I'm sure this will last me just as long as my Kodak if not longer. Oh and ladies, it fits in the purse nicely. Carry and go. Never know when you will need something to take that one precious photo.

8/10/2009 UPDATE ~ I have been using this camera now for a few weeks and still find it takes wonderful pics. My only drawback is that I like to shoot in Macro and this is really not the camera for that. It does fantastic action shots as I found out this weekend with my three grandchildren visiting and was so nice not to have the motion blur that happens with a lot of other camera's out there. Actually caught my granddaughter booping her little brother off the head with her Webkinz. Ahh, nothing like being caught in the act and have the proof in the picture. LOL!
Also have not charged the battery in the month I have had this and it's still going strong. Just need to get a bigger memory card and I will be in heaven for quite some time.

I think I read and agonized over every review of this camera ever written anywhere before choosing. It has some warts: It is not attractive. It has no HD movie capability and you cannot zoom while filming. It has no optical viewfinder but the LCD screen actually does work outside in bright sunshine. It does have a fully automatic feature so one can use it as a simple point and shoot if you have family members who don't like reading directions. But, the stellar feature of this camera is the new CCD technology that allows one to get some outstanding pictures under difficult conditions. To get the full benefit from that technology requires a little bit of study and some basic knowledge of photography. Reading the other reviews on this site will give you valuable information about optimal use of this camera which is not available in the owner's manual. Negotiating the software is easy after the first few minutes. I have had no problem with the image stabilization. I recommend the Lowepro Rezo 30 case instead of the 20 for ease in getting the camera in and out in a hurry.

If it is the art of still photography that drives you, this is the pocket camera to get IMHO!

Well, it is not quite a DSLR, but about as close as you can get. Nothing different than what has already been outlined in previous reviews; IQ is best in class, 5x lens, compact size, what more could you want.

As noted, best setting is in P mode with DR set to Auto and ISO to 400 (Auto).

Great camera!

The Fujifilm camera has an intelligent system that helps you take better pictures through the EXR sensor which balances the flash and switches the mode automatically. It is pretty good at recognizing the number of faces in a shot or from switching from landscape to portrait as soon as a person walks into the frame. I was most impressed by it's ability to recognize a backlit shot if someone stands in a darker room in front of a window. However, the results are a bit mixed. Some of the portraits I have taken so far are amazing, and showed extreme detail when I took closeups of faces by zooming in. There is absolutely no red eye as the intelligent system recognizes and eliminates it. But there are other portraits that turned out grainy despite decent lighting.

I have been a big fan of Canon point and shoot cameras so far, this camera was better than Canon when taking portraits on auto mode in good lighting. However, all the dim light and night shots came out really grainy when using the EXR function or night mode. I later realized that this is because this camera sets the ISO to 1600 in Auto or EXR mode. That is very disappointing rendering the EXR/Auto/Special modes useless in evening/indoor/night scenes. In less than perfect lighting situations on auto mode, I think Sony Cybershots have a slight edge, although they miss out in other situations. Canon cameras have been my best buddies for daylit landscapes and do reasonably well in evening/night shots. Fujifilm could not beat their performance, this camera is useless as a point and shoot for me. If you're prepared to tinker with your shots each time then it will work for you.

Nowadays all cameras come with dual image stabilization, so this was similar to other cameras, although Canon IS seems a shade better.

Here is the feature breakdown:
Modes:
The EXR mode - for as your eyes see it to intelligently auto set the right settings - I use this a lot as it is pretty good on the fly
SP Mode - which has all the different scene modes you would ever need- Snow, Beach, Underwater, Museum, Sunset, Fireworks, Night, Night with Tripod, Sport, Landscape, Portrait and Portrait Enhancer (smooths out skin), Party, Flower.
Natural Light mode - which takes great portraits with natural light
Natural Flash mode - which takes 2 continuous shots - one with natural light and one with flash which is great as you can use whichever version comes out best
Auto mode, Movie mode, Manual Mode, Programmable mode (which you can set to your liking) are some other modes

This camera gives you a full HD photo option and even comes with an HDMI cable so you can view pics on your HDTV which is great.

Overall, this camera is pretty good, but at this price range it's not spectacular. I really think there is no perfect camera, but this camera has a nice balance of 12 MPs, a big screen, great zoom, wide-angle, image stabilization. I recommend this camera if you're prepared to work with it a little, as it takes very good portraits on P mode, when you set the ISO and dynamic range. Fujifilm needs to fix the auto and EXR modes to make this camera a good point and shoot camera.

Excellent camera. Meets or exceeds my expectations. Very user friendly. Great quality photos

I've been putting this camera to the test for a couple of months, and the more I use it, the more I love it. It's intuitive, fast, and the automatic setting will make the photographer look more talented than she or he is.

Before I go on -- I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars. It's too fine to be a four, but there's one thing that drives me crazy on small cameras: the lack of a viewfinder.

After age 30 or 40 most people begin experiencing near-sightedness and unless you wear bifocals to truly see what you're looking at on a camera screen, you have to whip out the reading glasses. This is a huge time-waster and general pain in the rear. With a viewfinder, you simply have it set to match your vision. No muss, no fuss.

But, the Fuji has such a large screen that it's usable without reading glasses. Granted, I prefer to see it more clearly, particularly with closeups, but this little guy is very good at taking care of me, with or without.

I've always gone for mid-size cameras because I use massive zoom frequently. The Fuji has 5X zoom, beating most other subcompacts by 2 degrees, but that's still less than half of what I'm used to.

So, following the suggestion of one of the early reviewers here (he explains tech very well), I set the camera to 6MP to make room, most of the time, but I've found that if I want a long-distance shot, if I change it back to 12MP, I can take such an insanely high quality photo that I still get the bi-plane or soaring hawk. I simply crop it.

I'm amazed at the length of time between battery charges, at the ease of use, and at how hard it is to ruin a photo. I highly recommend this puppy!

After being completly satisfied with a Fuji F10 (which is now broken), I expected the newest Fuji chip and capabilities on the 200EXR [at a premium price] to really be an improvement, but this camera, so far, is a disppointment. My old F10 had faster shutter release and a much better picture with flash than the 200 EXR. Also, the macro focus on the F10(and metal body with convenient grip)was much better.

The 28 wide is an improvement over the 35 in the F10, but the picture quality overall is not something special like the F10 was.

I can see why the last versions of the 6 megapixel super CCD chip Fuji F30 and F31D cameras command high prices on e-bay.

Controls on this camera are slow to set and confusing. Manual setting limited to two f-stops are a joke, compared to the F-10.

First impressions of this camera when you pull it out of the box are good. It's attractive, shiny and pleasantly weighty. It has an all metal body. The view screen on the back is the largest of any camera I've had.

It's very easy to start using this camera. This is my third digital camera and with my previous two cameras, I never could figure out how to use the recording feature to make videos. I gave my first camera away without ever figuring it out. With this one, I was recording on my very first day sans manual.

Installation of the camera software was also swift and easy. I did use the manual for this part, but it's mostly a matter of putting in a CD and following instructions on the screen.

This camera cuts on and off rather quickly. The wait time between taking photos is reasonable. My toddler is still out of frame most times and I have lots of photos of the back of her head, but then she's fast.

THE CONS: Though this camera has 12 MP, the photos taken with my Nikon with 10 MP are still superior. These look a little fuzzy in comparison and just never approach the quality of my Nikon no matter what setting I use. With my Nikon I can zoom in on photos and I can actually count my baby's lashes. I sit there and ooh and aah over the texture of her skin. I can even see the weave pattern in her clothing. The more I zoom on the Fuji photos, the fuzzier the photos look.