Just got back with my Fuji F31 - Page 4 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

Ricketty Rabbit · 2007-09-03, 07:01 PM

Thanks to all those who have posted comments and photos. This is one very impressive little camera!

I'm an experienced hobby photographer who used SLR film cameras extensively a couple of decades ago, but I got tired of the weight, bulk, switching lenses, and the processing costs of my many discarded photos.

I'm particularly impressed with the F31fd's combination of compact size, image quality, low-light capabilities, minimal shutter delay, and speed of startup. It looks like the perfect camera for traveling, family gatherings, and outdoor activities. I print very few of my photos, preferring to store them on DVDs and view them on my computer. I share them with friends and family over the Internet or by email.

I've just searched for the F31fd locally but I came up dry. I found the Fuji F50fd, which apparently replaces it? Any thoughts on whether to search for the F31fd or just buy the "new, improved" F50fd?

Thanks,

Ricketty

Yaamon · 2007-09-04, 01:56 PM

Ricketty, for what ever reason Fuji discontinued the F31 even though it was not in production for long.

There are many comparsion between the F31 and the F40/F50 on dpreview. There was a few posting listing dealers that had F31 in stock. Hopefully you wil be able to find one.

As a point and shoot camera both the F40 and F50 gives a decent low noise pictures up to iso400. So if you want a small point and shoot camera and ocassionally use as high as iso400 then the Fuji F40/50 should be ok.

At higher ISO 800 there is a noticable noise difference between the F31 and the F40/50 cameras.

I was in New York and since the F31 was no longer sold or in stock at B & H Photo I recommended it to two friends the F40.

I used the F40 and shot a few pictures outdoor and up to ISO400 looks pretty good. I did not have a chance to test the differences.

The F31 has a killer battery twice the capacity of the F40.

Good luck.

alsonot · 2007-09-04, 03:02 PM

As an F31 owner these are the features that tempt me to consider the F50:

I think the addition of mechanical image stabilization is a big deal. I'd say it was the one very notable feature lacking on the F31fd. This is the type of camera I use of those spontaneous photos, and IMHO that makes image stabilization all the more important.

Another feature I like has been improved, that's the burst mode know as "top 3" on my F31. From the Fuji website it looks like that's been extended to 12 total, taking 5 per second. The burst does a great job in *many* situations, action shots seem to be the obvious one, but I even using when talking a group photo so you can avoid a few blinks or simply to capture more shots when my baby daughter feeds the dog some ice cream.

I'm not sure if the "Intelligent Flash plus Higher Sensitivity" feature will really work, but I have found that the F31 flash does wash out a lot of detail. Of course with this camera I try to shoot without the flash as much as possible.

SD card slot is a welcome change as well. It's simply more prevalent and I'm under the impression that SD is more affordable and potentially faster (just an assumption on my part).

Hope that helps.

Ricketty Rabbit · 2007-09-04, 04:27 PM

Thanks, Yaamon and alsonot.

Yaamon, I haven't found any hands-on reviews of the F50 yet. Did you find something that compared the higher ISO performance of the F50 with the F31? I noticed that the full resolution limit on ISO 3200 is 6 mp for both cameras.

alsonot, I'm also interested in some of the same features of the F50 you mentioned: particularly stabilization, continuous shooting improvements, and the inclusion of an SD card slot. One of the criticisms of the F31 I've read is the slow write performance of the xD cards. Have you noticed slow write-to-card performance? Does it interfere with your snapshots when you're shooting candid shots in social gatherings?

There's no doubt that the F50 doesn't have the battery life advantages of the F31 (max 230 shots vs. 580!), but I can live with that using a recharger.

Whichever camera I settle on, I'd like to buy it in Canada to get the 3-year warranty rather than the US 1-year warranty. Or . . . since I'm going to Hong Kong in December, I could pick up a camera there. I understand that the prices aren't much better than US prices, but that it's possible to get accessories included or heavily discounted.

Ricketty

Ricketty Rabbit · 2007-09-04, 05:05 PM

Thanks, Yaamon and alsonot.

Yaamon, I haven't found any hands-on reviews of the F50 yet. Did you find something that compared the higher ISO setting performance of the F50 with the F31? (I noticed that the full resolution limit on ISO 3200 is 6 mp for both cameras -- you don't get the 3200 ISO setting at full resolution on the F50). My guess is that I'd usually shoot at the 6 MP setting anyway.

alsonot, I'm also interested in some of the same features of the F50 you mentioned: particularly stabilization, continuous shooting improvements, and the inclusion of an SD card slot. One of the criticisms of the F31 I've read is the slow write performance of the xD cards. Have you noticed slow write-to-card performance? Does it interfere with your snapshots when you're shooting candid shots in social gatherings?

There's no doubt that the F50 doesn't have the battery life advantages of the F31 (max 230 shots vs. 580!), but I can live with that using a recharger.

Whichever camera I settle on, I'd like to buy it in Canada to get the 3-year warranty rather than the US 1-year warranty. Or . . . since I'm going to Hong Kong in December, I could pick up a camera there. I understand that the prices aren't much better than US prices, but that it's possible to get accessories included or heavily discounted.

Ricketty

hinioman · 2007-09-10, 07:36 PM

I am sure the F31 is better than the F30. It is my favorite camera. Though I upgrade recently to dSLR with Pentax, I never treat it any lesser than its big brother

F30 with Joby Gorillapod

Mosaic of selected f30 pictures

Thanks,
Hin

Ricketty Rabbit · 2007-09-12, 06:13 PM

Hinioman,

Did you mean you think the F31 is better than the F50, or better than the F30? I notice you've labelled your photos "Mosaic of selected F30 pictures". Yet you say the F31 is your favourite camera.

Does that mean you have an F30? And an F31? I'm confused.

Ricketty

Yaamon · 2007-12-08, 03:05 PM

Took these a few days ago.

Yaamon · 2007-12-08, 03:09 PM

Yaamon · 2007-12-08, 03:10 PM

QueScaisJe · 2007-12-19, 07:27 PM

There's a review up now of the F50fd at dpreview. It got a "Highly Recommended (just)" rating.

2007-09-04, 01:56 PM	#47
Yaamon Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 300 Steelcase Road W, #20 Markham,905470 9604 ext 230 Posts: 1,795	Ricketty, for what ever reason Fuji discontinued the F31 even though it was not in production for long. There are many comparsion between the F31 and the F40/F50 on dpreview. There was a few posting listing dealers that had F31 in stock. Hopefully you wil be able to find one. As a point and shoot camera both the F40 and F50 gives a decent low noise pictures up to iso400. So if you want a small point and shoot camera and ocassionally use as high as iso400 then the Fuji F40/50 should be ok. At higher ISO 800 there is a noticable noise difference between the F31 and the F40/50 cameras. I was in New York and since the F31 was no longer sold or in stock at B & H Photo I recommended it to two friends the F40. I used the F40 and shot a few pictures outdoor and up to ISO400 looks pretty good. I did not have a chance to test the differences. The F31 has a killer battery twice the capacity of the F40. Good luck. __________________ CM4228/9521/7775;F.RmJvc70FH96/8300HDPvr/Dish 612;B.Rm LC52LE810UN/8642HD;Study LG50PK550/Xbox360;

2007-09-10, 07:36 PM	#51
hinioman Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 1	Love my Fuji F30 too I am sure the F31 is better than the F30. It is my favorite camera. Though I upgrade recently to dSLR with Pentax, I never treat it any lesser than its big brother F30 with Joby Gorillapod Mosaic of selected f30 pictures Thanks, Hin

2007-12-08, 03:05 PM	#53
Yaamon Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 300 Steelcase Road W, #20 Markham,905470 9604 ext 230 Posts: 1,795	F31 in the British Virgin Island Took these a few days ago. __________________ CM4228/9521/7775;F.RmJvc70FH96/8300HDPvr/Dish 612;B.Rm LC52LE810UN/8642HD;Study LG50PK550/Xbox360;

2007-12-08, 03:09 PM	#54
Yaamon Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 300 Steelcase Road W, #20 Markham,905470 9604 ext 230 Posts: 1,795	Some more photos __________________ CM4228/9521/7775;F.RmJvc70FH96/8300HDPvr/Dish 612;B.Rm LC52LE810UN/8642HD;Study LG50PK550/Xbox360;

2007-12-08, 03:10 PM	#55
Yaamon Veteran Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 300 Steelcase Road W, #20 Markham,905470 9604 ext 230 Posts: 1,795	__________________ CM4228/9521/7775;F.RmJvc70FH96/8300HDPvr/Dish 612;B.Rm LC52LE810UN/8642HD;Study LG50PK550/Xbox360;

2007-09-03, 07:01 PM	#46
Ricketty Rabbit Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Vancouver Posts: 1,001	Thanks to all those who have posted comments and photos. This is one very impressive little camera! I'm an experienced hobby photographer who used SLR film cameras extensively a couple of decades ago, but I got tired of the weight, bulk, switching lenses, and the processing costs of my many discarded photos. I'm particularly impressed with the F31fd's combination of compact size, image quality, low-light capabilities, minimal shutter delay, and speed of startup. It looks like the perfect camera for traveling, family gatherings, and outdoor activities. I print very few of my photos, preferring to store them on DVDs and view them on my computer. I share them with friends and family over the Internet or by email. I've just searched for the F31fd locally but I came up dry. I found the Fuji F50fd, which apparently replaces it? Any thoughts on whether to search for the F31fd or just buy the "new, improved" F50fd? Thanks, Ricketty

2007-09-04, 03:02 PM	#48
alsonot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Waterdown, Ontario, Canada Posts: 25	As an F31 owner these are the features that tempt me to consider the F50: I think the addition of mechanical image stabilization is a big deal. I'd say it was the one very notable feature lacking on the F31fd. This is the type of camera I use of those spontaneous photos, and IMHO that makes image stabilization all the more important. Another feature I like has been improved, that's the burst mode know as "top 3" on my F31. From the Fuji website it looks like that's been extended to 12 total, taking 5 per second. The burst does a great job in many situations, action shots seem to be the obvious one, but I even using when talking a group photo so you can avoid a few blinks or simply to capture more shots when my baby daughter feeds the dog some ice cream. I'm not sure if the "Intelligent Flash plus Higher Sensitivity" feature will really work, but I have found that the F31 flash does wash out a lot of detail. Of course with this camera I try to shoot without the flash as much as possible. SD card slot is a welcome change as well. It's simply more prevalent and I'm under the impression that SD is more affordable and potentially faster (just an assumption on my part). Hope that helps.

2007-09-04, 04:27 PM	#49
Ricketty Rabbit Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Vancouver Posts: 1,001	Thanks, Yaamon and alsonot. Yaamon, I haven't found any hands-on reviews of the F50 yet. Did you find something that compared the higher ISO performance of the F50 with the F31? I noticed that the full resolution limit on ISO 3200 is 6 mp for both cameras. alsonot, I'm also interested in some of the same features of the F50 you mentioned: particularly stabilization, continuous shooting improvements, and the inclusion of an SD card slot. One of the criticisms of the F31 I've read is the slow write performance of the xD cards. Have you noticed slow write-to-card performance? Does it interfere with your snapshots when you're shooting candid shots in social gatherings? There's no doubt that the F50 doesn't have the battery life advantages of the F31 (max 230 shots vs. 580!), but I can live with that using a recharger. Whichever camera I settle on, I'd like to buy it in Canada to get the 3-year warranty rather than the US 1-year warranty. Or . . . since I'm going to Hong Kong in December, I could pick up a camera there. I understand that the prices aren't much better than US prices, but that it's possible to get accessories included or heavily discounted. Ricketty

2007-09-04, 05:05 PM	#50
Ricketty Rabbit Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Vancouver Posts: 1,001	Thanks, Yaamon and alsonot. Yaamon, I haven't found any hands-on reviews of the F50 yet. Did you find something that compared the higher ISO setting performance of the F50 with the F31? (I noticed that the full resolution limit on ISO 3200 is 6 mp for both cameras -- you don't get the 3200 ISO setting at full resolution on the F50). My guess is that I'd usually shoot at the 6 MP setting anyway. alsonot, I'm also interested in some of the same features of the F50 you mentioned: particularly stabilization, continuous shooting improvements, and the inclusion of an SD card slot. One of the criticisms of the F31 I've read is the slow write performance of the xD cards. Have you noticed slow write-to-card performance? Does it interfere with your snapshots when you're shooting candid shots in social gatherings? There's no doubt that the F50 doesn't have the battery life advantages of the F31 (max 230 shots vs. 580!), but I can live with that using a recharger. Whichever camera I settle on, I'd like to buy it in Canada to get the 3-year warranty rather than the US 1-year warranty. Or . . . since I'm going to Hong Kong in December, I could pick up a camera there. I understand that the prices aren't much better than US prices, but that it's possible to get accessories included or heavily discounted. Ricketty

2007-09-12, 06:13 PM	#52
Ricketty Rabbit Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Vancouver Posts: 1,001	Hinioman, Did you mean you think the F31 is better than the F50, or better than the F30? I notice you've labelled your photos "Mosaic of selected F30 pictures". Yet you say the F31 is your favourite camera. Does that mean you have an F30? And an F31? I'm confused. Ricketty

2007-12-19, 07:27 PM	#56
QueScaisJe Rookie Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pickering, ON Posts: 2	There's a review up now of the F50fd at dpreview. It got a "Highly Recommended (just)" rating.

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