Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.
Image quality on the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR digital compact camera is very good in real life situations. What we mean is that for everyday use, you'll find that the Z1000EXR gives cracking shots. We found that the metering, although good in most situations, did have trouble in complex light or with hard highlights and shadows in the frame. We tried using the dynamic range boost but it had little effect. We found that colours are recorded accurately in the Z1000EXR. Primary colours such as red and green are rich and nicely saturated. We're suckers for a good blue sky and we loved how the Fujifilm produced pictures with blue sky in.
Noise
The sensitivity on the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR ranges from ISO100 to ISO6400. We're pleased as punch with the low ISO results. ISO100 is very smooth with no colour noise showing through at all in dark areas and there's nice sharpness to fine edges. We found a small amount of salt and pepper noise poking through at ISO400 which messes around with fine edges slightly and this problem gets worse at the ISO800 setting. However, we'd normally expect to see colour noise coming through at this stage but we can't. Green blobs of colour do show through at the ISO1600 setting but it's tolerable. Image detail has broken down severely at ISO3200 and colour noise starts to invade the mid range tones being seen most where darker parts overlap lighter tones. At ISO6400, the camera reduces the resolution to reduce noise but so far the camera has produced much better results than other similar cameras. What reducing the resolution does is keeps the noise performance akin to what the lower ISO3200 setting does.
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
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Focal Range
The Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR's 5x zoom lens provides a focal length of 28-140mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.
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28mm |
140mm |
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Sharpening
As we mentioned before, CMOS sensors aren't as sharp as CCD sensors. However, we found that pictures were sharp enough although loading the pictures into Adobe Photoshop CS6 and using the sharpening tools did bring out the detailed areas of photographs a little better.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
We struggled to find any chromatic aberration on the pictures we took during the test which we are extremely pleased with.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Z1000EXR has a close focusing performance of 9cm which isn't all that spectacular on paper. However taking a picture of a simple Compactflash card, we found that it filled the frame nicely. Centre sharpness is great although that sharpness does start to soften out at the edges.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
We found that in program mode with the ISO at a low setting to minimise noise, that the flash wouldn't compensate more to give a more balanced result. The only time it did this was in the natural light & flash mode in the program menu.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (140mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (140mm) |
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We found that the red-eye reduction feature on the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR eliminated most red-eye in the picture.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red Eye Reduction |
Red Eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
It seems that the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR has an amazing noise reduction facility that can really be seen when using the night shot mode for shooting at night versus the program mode. In program, the camera doesn't automatically add the right amount of noise reduction because it doesn't analyse the picture like it does in the scene modes. Because of this, even at ISO100 we got a lot of noise due to the long exposure but the night scene shot is much smoother. However, the night scene mode also underexposed the image by a large margin. It was dusk in our test and the camera has made it look like night.
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Night |
Night (100% Crop) |
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Anti Shake
The Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.
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Shutter Speed / Focal Length |
Anti Shake Off (100% Crop) |
Anti Shake On (100% Crop) |
| 1/10th / 25mm | |
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| 1/8th / 500mm | |
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EXR Modes
Fujifilm's EXR sensor can be utilized in one of three ways by the photographer. There's a choice between shooting at full 16 megapixel resolution in High Resolution (HR) mode, or an 8 megapixel image in the Low Noise (SN) mode for shooting without flash in low light conditions, or the Dynamic Range (DR) mode to achieve an optimal balance between shadows and highlights. The latter offers five strengths ranging from 100-1600%. If you can't decide which is best for a chosen scene or subject, then just leave the camera on the scene-detecting EXR Automatic Mode and let it choose for itself.
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Resolution Priority |
Resolution Priority (100% Crop) |
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High ISO & Low Noise |
High ISO & Low Noise (100% Crop) |
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D-Range Priority |
D-Range Priority (100% Crop) |
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Film Simulation Modes
The Fujifilm Finepix F770EXR offers 4 different film simulation modes to help replicate the look of your favourite film stock from the past.
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Provia / Standard |
Velvia / Vivid |
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Black & White |
Sepia |
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Panorama Mode
The Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR allows you to take panoramic images very easily by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching, and there are three views available. The main problems are that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution - 1080 pixels high and 5760 pixels wide for the 360 degree image - moving objects are recorded as "ghost" images, and different lighting sources cause obvious vertical streaks to appear.
| 120 Degrees |
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| Full-size Image |
| 180 Degrees |
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| Full-size Image |
| 360 Degrees |
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| Full-size Image |
Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 24 second movie is 41.3Mb in size.
As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.
Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Turned On |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Turned On |
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Rear of the Camera / Shooting Mode Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Shooting Menu |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Memory Card Slot |
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| Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
Fujifilm have concentrated on delivering great value for money with their recent compact cameras, and the new FinePix Z1000EXR is no exception. Less than £200 / $275 for a stylish yet advanced point and shoot with wi-fi connectivity and excellent image quality makes the Z1000EXR a real bargain, especially as street prices will inevitably be lower. We'd have liked to have seen Fujifilm go further with the wireless options, and there are a few design flaws such as the smooth exterior, tiny handgrip and flimsy battery compartment cover, but we're really nitpicking here.
The Z1000EXR is principally targeted at the younger, more fashion-conscious crowd who want to take and share pictures quickly and easily, and for the most part it will satisfy their needs. Being able to transfer your photos onto a smartphone, where they can be edited and shared in many different way, means that you no longer have to rely on a computer, although being able to upload them straight to any wi-fi network would have been the real icing on the cake.
We feel that the FinePix Z1000EXR would also suit a a keen amateur that simply wants a camera for fitting into a bag or pocket but doesn't want to compromise on image quality, as it delivers a lot more than its shiny exterior might at first suggest. The pictures we produced were very good with realistic colours and minimal noise. The zoom is only modest but using the camera, we never felt that it was lacking. The rest of the camera is built to a high standard and the only areas we didn't approve of were the battery that can be put in the compartment either way and the thin and award plastic cover that protects it.
In summary the Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR manages the tricky task of marrying style and substance, with the new wi-fi options making it the perfect partner to your smartphone. Given the affordable price-teg, there's little to quiblle about , earning the Z1000EXR our coveted Highly Recommended award.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4.5 |
| Image quality | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4.5 |
Specifications
| Model | FinePix Z1000EXR / Z1010EXR |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 16.0 million pixels*1 |
| Sensor type | 1/2-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter |
| Storage media |
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| Lens |
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| Digital zoom |
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| Aperture | F3.9 / F6.2 (Wide) F4.9 / F8 (Telephoto) |
| Focus distance (from lens surface) |
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| Sensitivity | Auto,Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400* (Standard Output Sensitivity) * ISO 6400 is effective in image size M or S . |
| Image stabilisation | CMOS shift type |
| LCD monitor | 3.5-inch wide, approx. 460,000 dots, TFT Color LCD monitor, Touch, approx. 100% coverage, aspect ratio 16:9 |
| Movie recording | 1920 x 1080 pixels / 1280 x 720 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames/sec.) with stereo sound. * Zoom function can be used. |
| Terminal | Digital interface USB 2.0 High-Speed HDMI output HDMI Mini connector |
| Power supply | Li-ion battery NP-45A (included) |
| Dimensions | 102.1 (W) x 59.7 (H) x 18.3 (D) mm / 4.0 (W) x 2.3 (H) x 0.7 (D) in. * excluding projections |
| Weight | Approx. 157 g / 5.5 oz. (including battery and memory card) Approx. 141 g / 4.9 oz. (excluding battery and memory card) |
| Battery life | Approx. 220 frames (AUTO mode) |
| Accessories included | Li-ion battery NP-45A Battery charger BC-45C Plug adapter USB cable Hand strap CD-ROM Owner's manual |
| *1 Number of effective pixels: The number of pixels on the image sensor which receive input light through the optical lens, and which are effectively reflected in the final output data of the still image.*2 Please see the Fujifilm website to check memory card compatibility. |
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