Waiting for a turning point after a Finepix F31fd that really wasn’t too innovative (face detection, infrared transmission), Fujifilm introduces a new compact which should rival the recent Panasonic FX30 as well as the already older Canon Ixus 850IS.  So does the F40fd have what it takes to take out the competition?

First contact with the F40fd is rather enjoyable. The body has been slightly refined compared to the F30, and there now are more curves. Next to the FinePix F30, startup is barely faster, and it’s relatively slow compared to the reactive Canon Ixus 850 IS or Panasonic FX30.  Without having devastating precision, the LCD screen is bright and fluid making aiming easy.  The interface is overall relatively intuitive and the famous F button, characteristic to Fuji, gives rapid access to ISO, image quality and color rendering. The rest is classic and well thought out with a dial for selecting the shooting mode, and shortcuts for functions that are often used (macro, delayed flash), notably face detection. This system is controlled by an electronic chip that noticeably increases reactivity compared to its direct competitors. 

 In terms of noise control, Fuji is a bit of an overachiever. Compared to the competition, the Canon Ixus 850 IS and Panasonic Lumix FX30, the F40fd’s processing algorithms better eliminate aberrant and colored pixels. While other compacts may have trouble going beyond 400 ISO, this camera is perfectly at ease even at 800 ISO. And while details may be quite smoothed over beyond this setting, 1600 ISO (or even 2000 ISO in full resolution) shots are still entirely usable. Hats off to Fuji here. We also appreciated color rendering both flattering to the eye (well saturated) and without excess. So, is the FinePix F40fd finally the ideal compact? Unfortunately, no. While it is unbeatable in terms of noise control, Fuji seems to have (slightly) become a little too comfortable as a leader. The F40fd has several deficiencies to remedy before it can claim this prize. More specifically, there should be some improvement on the objective which still isn’t a wide angle. Macro shooting could also be better as well as the fact that this camera is strongly affected by chromatic aberrations.  While the SuperCCD sensor does do miracles in low light, it goes the opposite way in well lit scenes which are often "burned out".  Finally, a « perkier » camera would have been nicer.

Compare its photo test results with the competition’s in the Product Face-off section.