Tuesday, March 30, 2010

F80EXR – Still 3 weeks away!

Vistek.ca is showing the F80EXR estimated arrival at 23 April 2010 … still a bit over 3 weeks away.

*sigh*

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I bit the bullet and ordered F70. Since I wanted a compact camera F70 was more appealing. Personally didn't find F80 good enough :/

- Bigger Screen, Little less batt life expected. The batt life isnt excellent in F70 to begin with, maybe typical portable cam design.
- Slightly thicker than F70.
- HD Video was of no use to me.
- A possibility of little more noise, waiting for your review :)
- Initial tests show image being soft in corners like F70, so the lens has not been improved.
- I can confidently say I don't need Cat/Dog mode...lol
- No plan to swim with the cam underwater either :P
- Locally there was only 20$ difference F70 and F80 and I felt more of a downgrade than upgrade :/

If the image quality does improve drastically then I may repent more :D

Kim Letkeman said...

Archish: The F70 remains a very fine camera, and there is every possibility that the F70 will do a few things better than the F80. I can't wait to find out. For me, HD is a huge improvement as this makes the F80 a possible replacement for *both* the ZS3 and the F70 for me. We'll see on that score as well. So far, the ZS3 definitely outperforms the F70 on video and audio quality, but the F70 is actually in the game, i.e. not completely terrible :-) ... so I am hoping that Fuji has also done a tweak or two with the audio. Sure wish they weren't taking their sweet time with the launch in Canada.

Unknown said...

Hey there, Kim!

I don't know...sigh...maybe I need to shoot with one of these, rather than just handle them in-store to appreciate them (i.e., "buy"). Fuji is always sooo close and yet... I'm waiting to see how the Canon SX210 IS turns out.

Sorry to hear about some of the issues of late: Helsinki, customs, "muggings," etc.

Picked up a Canon 7D and have been loving the 8 fps. Haven't resolved AI servo w/cont. shooting and subject running toward me, but it's only been 2 wks.

Kim Letkeman said...

Canon might have a nice one there, but I'm a pretty big fan of the high DR of the Fujis. Makes daytime shooting as reliable as DSLRs ... and the addition of HD makes it a reasonably complete package now ...

The 7D is a great cam, my only problem with the next gen cams is that they struggle a bit to match the D300s high ISO and create bigger files. Two things I dislike. Still, can't argue with the output, which it quite excellent. The video kicks butt too (but again, 1080p creates massive files for not that much gain for J6P.)

Unknown said...

Must admit I had to look up J6P. The English beers I like typically come in 4-packs. I could go for a Young's Double Chocolate Stout. : )

My reservations about the 7D match your observations re next gen cams. Those are my two main nits on the (-) side of the ledger for the 7D.

Returning to Yosemite Saturday where I'm accustomed to shooting.

Yosemite would be a great place to shoot the F70/80 given its focal range and DR and the park's nearly exclusively static subjects.

Kim Letkeman said...

r: Yosemite! I count you very lucky ... I'd love an opportunity to shoot there. Perhaps a holiday in the future ... I'd actually like to do the area around that part of the US including Bryce and Arches (I think I have that right) ... anyway, good luck with your trip.

Unknown said...

Was googling and got this :P
http://www.sgshoot.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6629

If the "Improved EXR interface" is actually true then it may become best seller from Fuji :)

Kim Letkeman said...

Yeah, I've seen that one ... here's hoping they simplify the interface. The S-PRO cam interests me if they put the F mount on it ...

Childofthe60’s said...

Definitely! If the FinePix F300EXR ends up fulfilling the rumors, then it will be the camera I had been hoping for when I bought the F70 last summer.

Don't get me wrong Kim, I'm still pleased with it. But it still requires fiddling with settings when conditions change. And as I am sure you are recently aware, when you travel, conditions can change dramatically in just a few minutes (direct sunlight, then overcast, then indoors, then low light all in a matter of a few minutes.) I've botched countless shots simply because either, there wasn't enough time to change settings before the opportunity was lost, or assumed I had changed them only to discover later that I had not. %@#*$!

Hopefully the F300 will prove to be the model that takes advantage of its' EXR talents without requiring fiddling with settings before every shot.

BTW, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist taking a peek in the FF forums. Just don't make a habit of it or you'll find yourself staring at a Reply window in no time. ;) Cheers Kim!

Kim Letkeman said...

Glenn: Regarding settings - mine are good enough for pretty much all lighting conditions, so I *never* miss a shot.

That's why I don't much care what the F300EXR is going to be ... the large sensor might be pretty cool, but it means that they will not be able to expand the zoom range and I simply cannot live without the extra reach any more. I buy a compact to be all things, and 140mm is not all things to me.

As for the FTF, well, I actually peek at DPReview to get the news and see the reviews. The FTF is a wasteland from what I can see and I have no desire whatsoever to interact. There is so much misinformation that I simply cannot fathom the time it would take ... and remember that I have been there. If I ever post again, it will be to announce new articles.