Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W was announced in January 2014 and is a bridge camera with a 50x optical zoom lens, full manual controls and Wi-Fi. The S9400W was released alongside the S9200, which is exactly the same apart from it doesn't include Wi-Fi. The S9400W is available for £280.

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Features

The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W 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.

 

 

Key Features

 

 

• 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 50x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 24-1200mm)
• Optical image stabilisation
• 3.0 inch 460k dot LCD screen
• 0.2 inch 210k dot electronic viewfinder (EVF)
• Wi-Fi for easy image sharing
• Full 1080p HD video recording
• ISO 100-12800
• 1cm minimum focusing distance
• Motion panorama mode
• 10 fps continuous shooting
• HDR mode
• Available in black, white and red

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Handling

The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W 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 S9400W has an easy to navigate menu system.

The Wi-Fi is quite simple to use. You need to have the app installed on your smartphone or tablet before connecting. Press playback, menu then wireless transfer and follow the instructions to connect the devices to each other - it's then just a case of going through the pictures on the camera and selecting which ones you want to send to your mobile device. Transfer speeds are quick.

 

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 S9400W 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 S9400W Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W 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 S9400W 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 S9400W 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 S9400W 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.


120 Panorama | 1/150 sec | f/8.4 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100


180 Panorama | 1/180 sec | f/8.4 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100


360 Panorama | 1/180 sec | f/8.4 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100

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 S9400W Digital filters

Digital Filters - The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W 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 S9400W is available for £280. 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.

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Verdict

The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W is one of the cheapest cameras available with 50x optical zoom and Wi-Fi. If you don't require Wi-Fi there is the cheaper S9200. 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 S9400W 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 S9400W are well worth it for the price of the camera, therefore we are happy to recommend it. 

 

	The Fujifilm FinePix S9400W is a feature packed bridge camera with 50x optical zoom and Wi-Fi for a good price.

 

 

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Pros

50x optical zoom
Electronic viewfinder
Has Wi-Fi
Advanced filters great for unique pictures
Good battery life
Good value for money

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Cons

Disappointing image quality
Image noise from ISO 200 upwards
Zoom noise picked up in videos

 

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W Specifications

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