The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 is a bridge camera with a 50x optical zoom lens and an electronic viewfinder to help compose images and keep the camera steady. Daniel Bell reviews.
The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 was announced in January 2014 and is a bridge camera with a 50x optical zoom lens and full manual controls. The S9200 was released alongside the S9400W, which is exactly the same apart from it includes Wi-Fi. The S9200W is available for £249.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Features
The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 has a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 50x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 24-1200mm. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm and has optical image stabilisation to help take the sharpest shots possible. Continuous shooting records a maximum 10 full resolution images at 10 fps. As well as the 3.0 inch LCD screen there is a 0.2 inch electronic viewfinder which has a 201k dot resolution.
To make picture taking simple there is an Auto mode. There are also plenty of scene modes as well as full manual controls. There are a number of creative shooting modes with advanced filters which include Toy Camera, Miniature, Pop Colour, Soft Focus, Cross Screen, Partial Colour, High Key, Low-Key, Dynamic Tone and Fish-Eye. The S9200 can also shoot 360 panoramas and HDR images, with three shots combined at different exposures.
Videos are recorded in full 1080p HD at 60 fps with stereo sound and can be connected to a HD TV using a HDMI cable. You can use the optical zoom during recording and there is 5-axis image stabilisation to reduce shake. High-speed movies can also be recorded at 480 fps (320 x 120 pixels), 240 fps (320 x 240 pixels) and 120 fps (640 x 480 pixels).
Key Features
16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
50x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 24-100mm)
Optical image stabilisation
3.0 inch 460k dot LCD screen
0.2 inch 210k dot electronic viewfinder (EVF)
Full 1080p HD video recording
ISO 100-12800
1cm minimum focusing distance
Motion panorama mode
10 fps continuous shooting
HDR mode
Available in red, black and white
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Handling
The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 has the look and feel of a DSLR camera, as is common with bridge cameras. There is a good sized rubber handgrip, rubberised patch for your thumb on the rear and even a large part of the lens barrel is rubberised - this all makes the camera easy to grip.
There are two ways to control the zoom, there is the usual zoom rocker on the top of the camera, as well as a zoom lever on the lens barrel itself. Just above this lever is the button which releases the pop-up flash. Other buttons on the top of the camera are exposure compensation, continuous shooting, on / off and the mode dial. Just down from the mode dial, and next to the EVF, is the button which switches between the screen and EVF.
On the rear are movie record, playback and display / back buttons as well as a d-pad with the menu button in the centre. The d-pad also gives access to macro, flash and self-timer, with the up directional button acting as a function button. This can be customised to allow you to set the ISO, white balance, image size and much more.
Also on the rear is the 3.0 inch screen which has decent 460k dot resolution - it is bright and colourful. The EVF has a lower 210k dot resolution, but is bright and ideal for shooting in low light and when using the zoom. The S9200 has an easy to navigate menu system.
When using the supplied AA alkaline batteries, life is rated at 300 shots according to CIPA test results. For longer battery life you can use Ni-MH rechargeable batteries which will give 500 shots or Lithium batteries for 700 shots. Whichever type of batteries you use, you'll get plenty of shots before they run out of power.
We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
Shutter Response
0.125 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response
0.3 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response
0.9 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo
1.6 secs
Shot to Shot without Flash
0.8 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash
2.8 secs
Continuous Shooting - H
9.3 fps
Continuous Shooting - M
4.9 fps
Continuous Shooting - L
3.0 fps
Continuous Shooting - SH1
61.1 fps
Continuous Shooting - SH2
117.8 fps
Continuous shooting H, M and L all record in full 16.2 megapixel resolution, with SH1 limited to 1 megapixel and SH2 limited to 0.3 megapixels.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Sample Photos
Sample Photos - The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 takes well exposed images with good colour reproduction. Portraits have decent skin tones and are free of red-eye when using the flash. The camera automatically combines images at different exposures to create HDR images, with good results.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Lens test images
Lens Performance - Unfortunately detail isn't all that good when shooting at either end of the lens. Purple fringing is also an issue in contrasting areas of the images. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1cm which allows for a reasonably good macro shot.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Images are noise free at ISO 100 but there is noise evident at ISO 200. At ISO 400 there is detail missing in places, with images becoming soft. Image quality really suffers at ISO 800, with noise continuing to reduce image quality further through ISO 1600 and 3200. At the highest two settings of ISO 6400 and 12800 detail and colour are both poor - these two settings are best avoided.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Under the incandescent lights, the Auto White Balance (AWB) produces images with a slightly warm colour cast, with the incandescent preset performing a little better. The AWB performs well under the fluorescent lights, with a very similar image produced when using the fluorescent preset.
Panorama mode - Panorama images have a decent amount of detail and are reasonably well stitched together, although if you view them at full size there are some slight ghosting issues.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Digital filters
Digital Filters - The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 has a range of colour modes and advanced filters for creative photography, we have included examples of each above.
Video - Below is a video in full 1080p HD. Quality is good, with the focusing doing a reasonable job when zooming. When adjusting the optical zoom during recording, the noise of the zoom is quite loud and is picked up by the microphone.
Value For Money
The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 is available for £249. There are a handful of cameras now available with 50x optical zoom, these include the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS at £335, Sony Cybershot HX400 at £425 and the Olympus Stylus SP-100EE at £350. There are also some 60x optical zoom cameras - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ72 at £279 and Nikon Coolpix P600 at £380.
The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 is one of the cheapest cameras available with 50x optical zoom. If you require Wi-Fi there is the S9400W which costs around £30 more. As well as the 50x zoom, there are a number of other useful features, such as the electronic viewfinder, 1cm minimum focusing distance and advanced filters. The S9200 also has good battery life, particularly if you spend a little more money on rechargeable lithium batteries. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a 50x optical zoom camera that excels in terms of image quality, this isn't the camera for you. Detail in images isn't great, and gets worse if you can't shoot at ISO 100. If you're happy with the image quality on offer, the features on the S9200 are well worth it for the price of the camera, therefore we are happy to recommend it.
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Review: The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 is a feature packed bridge camera with 50x optical zoom for a good price.
Advanced Filter - Partial Colour | 1/30 sec | f/3.9 | 6.6 mm | ISO 1600 | high res
1/170 sec | f/12.8 | 15.8 mm | ISO 12800 | high res
Advanced Filter - Pop Colour | 1/25 sec | f/3.9 | 6.6 mm | ISO 1600 | high res
Advanced Filter - Soft Focus | 1/27 sec | f/3.9 | 6.6 mm | ISO 1600 | high res
Advanced Filter - Toy Camera | 1/25 sec | f/3.9 | 6.6 mm | ISO 1600 | high res
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Specifications
Manufacturer
Fujifilm
Lens
Max Aperture
f/2.9 - f/6.5
35mm equivalent
24mm - 1200mm
Optical Zoom
50x
Image Sensor
Pixels
16.2Mp (Megapixels)
Pixels (W)
4608
Pixels (H)
3456
Sensor Type
CMOS
Sensor Size
No Data
Sensor Size (width)
No Data
Sensor Size (height)
No Data
Aspect Ratio
4:3
3:2
16:9
1:1
LCD Monitor
LCD Monitor
3in
Screen resolution
460k dot
Touch Screen
No
Focusing
Min Focus
1cm
Focusing modes
Autofocus
AF Tracking
Multi
Centre
Exposure Control
Shutter speeds shortest
1/1700sec
Shutter speeds longest
1.4sec
Bulb mode
No Data
Exp modes
Program
Aperture-Priority
Shutter-Priority
Manual
Scene modes
A
Metering
Centre-weighted - Average
Multi Pattern
Spot
ISO sensitivity
100 - 12800
White balance
Auto
Manual
Outdoors/Daylight
Incandescent
Fluorescent
Shade
Exposure Comp
+/-2
Shooting Options
Continuous shooting
10fps
Video
Movie mode
Yes
Video Resolution
1920x1080 FullHD
1280x720 HD 720p
640x480 VGA
Video FPS
60
Stereo Sound
Yes
Optical Zoom with Video
Yes
Other Features
Image Stabilisation
Yes
Interface
HDMI
Yes
USB
USB 2
Wi-Fi
No
Storage
Card Type
SD
SDHC
SDXC
File Type
JPG
Power Source
Battery Type
4x AA batteries
Battery Life (CIPA rating)
300shots
Box Contents
Box Contents
4xAA type alkaline batteries, Shoulder strap, USB cable, Lens cap and Lens cap cord, CD-ROM, Owner's manual
Dimensions
Weight
670g
Width
122.6mm
Height
86.9mm
Depth
116.2mm
Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Verdict Fujifilm FinePix S9200 Review: The Fujifilm FinePix S9200 is a feature packed bridge camera with 50x optical zoom for a good price.
Features
Handling
Performance
Value for money
Verdict
Pros
50x optical zoom
Electronic viewfinder
Advanced filters great for unique pictures
Good battery life
Good value for money
Cons
Disappointing image quality
Image noise from ISO 200 upwards
Zoom noise picked up in videos
Comments
eveenhoven
16
Mar 25, 20141:03am
Why recommend a camera if the number one con is disappointing image quality?
sasan
1036
Mar 25, 20145:03am
Quote:Why recommend a camera if the number one con is disappointing image quality?
A challenging question!
YoBellzaa
17224
Mar 25, 20147:38am
Mainly because of the features and price. Yes, I found image quality a little disappointing, but for a lot of users they won't mind if they are sharing on social networks for example.
