A member of the Fuji Talk Forum whose tag is "little al" sent me a nice summary of the settings I recommend for the F70EXR. It is an excellent pocket reference for those who might want to carry it until they are entirely comfortable with the camera. Click to enlarge by the way.
You can see his flickr stream here.
2 comments:
Hi Kim,
I've come to your blog via DPReview where I read several of your posts re: the f70exr. The fuji is obviously a very capable camera in your hands but I'm wondering if you'd offer insights on whether it would be suitable (ideally more so) for my use(s) which would be primarily outdoor sports shots.
(skiing and cycling the trails in Gatineau park, often under tree cover.)
I figured you would be perhaps the most appropriate person to ask on account of your familiarity with no only the camera but also with the region, seasons, expected daylight / twilight etc.
I expected that shutter lag might have been a concern but your photos of the chickadees have at least partially laid that concern to rest. I think I did prefer how the panasonic saw the winter colours but I presume that could be adjusted. Overall speed though is a bigger concern as I’d like to be able to capture shots of deer and other wildlife along the trails (including my fast moving friends) but they don’t often provide much time to set up a shot, and there is often only one chance to get it. Would you be comfortable recommending the f70exr for those purposes or are there better options I’ve not considered.
..other cameras I did consider but disqualified: sony wx1, (fast but no manual controls) fuji f200 (more $ for ?)
..a friend just bought a canon s90 which seems very highly regarded but is, I think, more than I’d like to pay.
Anyway, your thoughts are appreciated.
Cheers,
Mark
Mark, I really cannot imagine a better compact than the F70 or the F200. When shot with the settings I recommend (search for my "how to shoot" posts), the cam works well up to 1600 ISO. But, of course, as light fades, you should really be shooting something like a D700. But that weighs several pounds and is thus not viable.
I am comfortable saying that I cannot imagine a compact cam that could do better. The S90 and G11 might be those cams ... but I can't say that. I did not find the auto focus on my G10 to be a speed champ, the F70 definitely feels quicker. The ZS3 is hopelessly slow. Perhaps a Casio ... but that may not have the high ISO (yet they are working with EXMOR sensors now so they might actually be good in the woods.)
The problem, of course, is that we are at a time when these small cameras are all getting much better as newer sensor technology greatly expands the range of light in which they operate.
So ... the F70 is the best cam right now for reach + all levels of light. The F200 is as good or better but sacrifices some reach ... and if you want to shoot deer, I can hardly imagine that making sense.
But 3 months from now, the game may change. Who knows ...
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