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The FinePix 40i is Fujifilm's latest digital camera to house its proprietary Super CCD imaging chip. First seen in the FinePix 4700Zoom, the Super CCD has courted some controversy in terms of description and performance, but more of that later. What makes the new FinePix 40i really special is that this tiny camera is also an MP3 player.
Fujifilm has made the necessary modifications, fitting the 40i with a connector for the supplied remote control and earphones - the latter are detachable in favour of your own if you prefer. The USB driver simply mounts the 40i's memory card as a drive in Windows, but while you can drag image files out, you can't just copy MP3s across and expect to listen to them.
In an attempt to control piracy, copy protection has been added to MP3 files. Fujifilm forces you to use a supplied Audio Downloader utility, which further encrypts MP3s by adding an SVQ header before transferring them into the camera for playback. Sound quality is not affected, although the 40i will only handle the lower MP3 rates of 96, 112 and 128Kbits/sec. In audio mode the remote controls everything, although its display doesn't indicate track time.
All neat stuff, but how does the FinePix 40i fare as a camera? It's certainly pocket sized at just 86 x 71 x 29mm, which makes it the same width and thickness as Canon's Digital Ixus but about 14mm taller. It is lighter though, weighing only 210g with batteries. Speaking of which, the 40i is powered by a pair of 1,600mAh NiMH AAs (supplied with charger), good for taking around 80 shots with the 1.8in LCD or 230 with the optical viewfinder alone. A fresh charge should alternatively provide 150 minutes of music playback. Frustratingly, you're only alerted to battery life when it's almost all gone.
The only zoom is a digital one, with the 40i's lens fixed at 8.3mm, equivalent in coverage to a 36mm lens on a 35mm camera; it can focus as close as 6cm. Exposures are pretty much automatic, with the camera choosing f2.8 or f9.8 and from a range of shutter speeds between a quarter and a thousandth of a second. Exposure compensation is offered between +/-1.5EV in one-third EV steps and the flash can be forced on, off, set for red-eye reduction or slow-synchro.
There's a movie mode that can capture 320 x 240 video at 10fps with audio, at a rate of around 45 seconds per 8Mb: clips can be up to 80 seconds each, memory permitting. The AVI files can be replayed using QuickTime on your PC, or on a TV set with the AV output. Unfortunately, the video clips only fill half the TV or LCD screen and aren't as smooth as the 15fps on many 3.3megapixel cameras.
Fujifilm has again remained faithful to the wafer-thin SmartMedia memory format, and supplies the 40i with a measly 8Mb card. Highest resolution 2400 x 1800 pixel files can be saved at three levels of JPEG compression, resulting in four, nine or 23 pictures per 8Mb; lower resolution 1280 x 960 and 640 x 480 pixel files are also offered. Ultimately you'll want more memory for MP3 playback, with 8Mb only good for a couple of short tracks; the 40i can accept SmartMedia cards up to 64Mb, which cost around £140 each.
At the business end of things lies one of Fujifilm's 2.4megapixel Super CCDs, which the company claims is equivalent to a 4.3megapixel conventional CCD. While cameras using this Super CCD certainly output 4.3megapixel 2400 x 1800 images, the fact remains they started with just 2.4megapixels. Not only that, but raw 4.3megapixel files measure around 12Mb, which means Fujifilm has to turn the compression up quite high to deliver the 1,700Kb JPEGs on the 40i's best-quality mode.
In our tests, most of the 40i's (and indeed the 4700Zoom's) images suffered from higher than average electronic noise, manifesting itself as speckling, particularly in smooth graduations and shadows. In our optical tests, this Super CCD resolves somewhere between a 2.1 and 3.3megapixel model, which ties in with its 2.4megapixel origins.
The 40i is a snappy camera and its pictures are fine for this purpose. The lack of zoom is disappointing, but it does allow the 40i to power up or down in just over a second, which is record-breaking for a digital camera. Canon's Digital Ixus is smaller and features a 2x zoom, but is only 2.1megapixel. Sony's forthcoming P1 is also small, yet boasts 3x zoom and 3.3megapixels, albeit at a slightly higher price point.
If you're after a very compact digital snapper, all three should be considered, but only one can double as a personal stereo - a novelty that could swing it for you.
Contact Fujifilm 020 7586 1477
www.fujifilm.co.uk/di
See also:
All Digital Cameras
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