The Fujifilm FinePix T500 was announced in
January 2013 and is an amateur camera, upgraded version of the T400. It has
more megapixels and more zoom, with a 16-megapixel sensor and 12x optical zoom,
but its screen is smaller - if you need a machine with 3-inch screen, the T550 is
otherwise identical. The T500 is available in black, red and white for $147.
Functionality
The Fujifilm FinePix
T500 has 16-megapixel CCD sensor and 12x optical zoom lens with a 35mm
equivalent to 24 - 288mm, and there is also 24x intelligent digital zoom. The
camera offers lens-shift image stabilization for reducing blur when using the
optical zoom function.
The
Fujifilm FinePix T500 is an upgraded version of theT400.
The machine’s scene recognition mode will
automatically adjust camera settings for the detected scene to help capture the
shots as easy as possible. When using advanced filter mode there are 6 special
effects available, including toy camera, miniature, pop color, soft focus,
cross screen and partial color. It also sports a motion panorama mode.
Video was recorded in 720p HD, and you can
split and merge clips in the camera.
12x
optical zoom
Key features
·
16 megapixel CCD sensor
·
12x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 24-288mm)
·
Lens-shift image stabilization
·
2.7 inch 230k dot LCD screen
·
Advanced filters (6 special effects)
·
720p HD video recording
·
ISO 100-3200
·
5cm minimum focusing distance
·
Motion panorama
·
1.1 fps continuous shooting
·
Available in black, red and white
2.7
inch 230k dot LCD screen
Handling
The Fujifilm FinePix T500 has a pocketable aluminum
body with grooves on the front and rear, as well as a dotted area for your
thumb that helps hold the camera stronger. On top of the camera body is on/off
button, zoom rocker, shutter button and the camera button. On the back are the
playback and display/back buttons as well as the d-pad, which allows fast
travel to the flash, timer and macro mode.
The d-pad is also used to flip through the
camera's menu, with a menu/OK button in the middle. The menu system is easy to control;
any options that are not available in the mode you are using will be shaded
gray.
Battery life is rated at 230 shots
according to CIPA test results, which should be enough to get you through a day
of shooting. We have taken some photos to test the camera's responsiveness,
from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We took some
photos and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests,
making comparisons with other cameras easier.
·
Shutter Response: 0.125 secs
·
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response: 0.5 secs
·
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response: 1.05 secs
·
Self-timer: 2.35 secs
·
Shot-to-shot without Flash: 2.6 secs
·
Shot-to-shot with Flash: 2.8 secs
·
Continuous shooting: 1.1 fps
Continuous shooting records at resolutions up to 16 megapixels, but slows after 3 shots.
Battery
life is rated at 230 shots
Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots
are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review,
photos and product ratings.
Sample
photos
Portrait
| 1/40 sec | f/5.7 | 14.9 mm | ISO 200
Landscape
| 1/220 sec | f/8.6 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Trees
| 1/125 sec | f/3.4 | 4.3 mm | ISO 125
Pet
Portrait | 1/125 sec | f/4.1 | 6.6 mm | ISO 160
Images are well exposed with satisfied
color reproduction. Portrait shots have good skin tones without red-eye
phenomenon.
Lens
performance
Wide
Angle | 1/180 sec | f/8.6 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Full
Optical Zoom | 1/320 sec | f/6.9 | 51.6 mm | ISO 100
Some
Optical Zoom | 1/60 sec | f/16.3 | 22.3 mm | ISO 100
Macro
| 1/60 sec | f/3.4 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Detail is OK in the center of the images
but they are blurry in the corners, with a high-level control of purple
fringing. Detail is lost a little in darker areas of the images. The lens has a
minimum focusing distance of 5cm, but macro shots don't contain that much
detail.
ISO
Performance
Photos
taken on different ISOs
Noise is low at ISO100, but in ISO200 the
image becomes slightly blurry. Images are very blurred at ISO 400, with small
amounts of detail lost in places which just worsens slightly at ISO 800. Many
details are lost in ISO1600, at ISO 3200 image quality is poor and file size is
limited to just 4 megapixels.
White
balance performance
Photo
taken under the incandescent lights
Photo
taken under the fluorescent lights
Under the incandescent lights, auto white
balance (AWB) produces an image with a slight magenta cast, with the
incandescent preset taking an image with an orange cast. Under the fluorescent
lights, AWB has good performance, with all three fluorescent presets having color
casts.
Panorama
mode
Panorama
| 1/110 sec | f/8.6 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Panorama images have a huge amount of
detail and are well connected with each other.
Digital
Filters
Photos
taken under different filters
The T500 has some special effects for the
advanced filters, such as the image above.
Value for money
The Fujifilm FinePix T500 is priced at
$147. Other cameras with a similar zoom quality include the Olympus VR-370 at
$164, Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 at $150, Samsung WB30F at $180, Nikon Coolpix
S6400 at $223, Sony Cybershot DSC-WX200 at $238, Canon IXUS 255 HS at $300 and
Ricoh CX6 at $225.
You also need to buy a memory card and a
case or bag to keep the camera safe and protected - check out our guide for
buying camera bag.
Conclusion
Many amateur cameras have a 5x optical zoom
lens, so if you want a camera with more zoom, the T500 is the ideal choice.
Although the picture quality is not the best,
if you like sharing photos to the web through sites like Facebook you will not
have any complaints. The
good thing is the machine offers optical image stabilization, but
we found the T500 struggled to focus in dark conditions. The T500's aluminum
body is sturdy and well worth the money.
Pros
·
Optical image stabilization
·
Good zoom range in a compact body
·
Aluminum body
·
Easy to use
·
Excellent value for money
·
Advanced filters allow for creative photography
·
Video quality is good
Cons
·
Short battery life
·
Image quality isn't the best
·
Quite small screen
Overall
·
Feature: 2.5/5
·
Handling: 3/5
·
Performance: 3/5
·
Price: 4/5
·
Overall: 3/5
Specification
|
Lens
·
Max aperture: f/3.4 - f/6.9
·
35mm equivalent: 24mm - 288mm
·
Optical Zoom: 12x
Image
sensor
·
CCD pixels: 16Mp (Megapixels)
·
Pixels (W): 4608
·
Pixels (H): 3440
·
Sensor type: CCD
·
Sensor size: 1/2.3 inch
·
Aspect ratio: 4:3; 3:2; 16:9
LCD
Screen
·
LCD Screen 2.7in
·
Screen resolution: 230k dots
·
Touch screen: None
Focusing
·
Min focus 5cm
·
Focusing modes Autofocus; AF Tracking; Centre
Exposure
control
·
Shutter speed shortest: 1/2000secs
·
Shutter speed longest: 8 secs
·
Exp modes Program; Scene modes; A
·
Metering: TTL
·
ISO sensitivity: 100 - 3200
·
White balance Auto; Outdoors/Daylight; Incandescent;
Fluorescent; Shade
·
Exposure Comp +/-2
Shooting
options
·
Continuous shooting: 1.1fps
Video
·
Movie mode Yes
·
Video Resolution: 1280x720 720p; 640x480 VGA; 320x240 QVGA
·
Video FPS 30
·
Stereo Sound: None
·
Optical Zoom with Video: Yes
Other
features
·
Image Stabilisation: Yes
Interface
·
HDMI: Yes
·
USB: USB 2
·
Wi-Fi: None
Storage
·
Card type: SD; SDHC; SDXC
·
File type: JPG
Power
supply
·
Battery type: Li-ion battery NP-45A
·
CIPA rating: 230
Box
contents
·
Box contents: Li-ion battery NP-45A or NP-45B, AC power
adapter, USB cable, Hand strap, CD-ROM, Owner's manual
Dimensions
·
Weight: 136g
·
Width: 99.4mm
·
Height: 57mm
·
Thickness: 25.8mm
|
