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Fujifilm FinePix T500 Review

Daniel Bell reviews the Fujifilm FinePix T500, a pocketable camera with 12x optical zoom.

24 Jun 2013 10:21AM by Daniel Bell | Fujifilm FinePix T500 in Compact Cameras

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Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

The Fujifilm FinePix T500 was announced in January 2013 and is an entry-level camera which updates the T400. There are more megapixels and more zoom, with a 16 megapixel sensor and 12x optical zoom, but the screen is smaller - if you want a 3 inch screen there is the T550, which is otherwise identical. The T500 is available in black, red and white for £97.99.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Features

The Fujifilm FinePix T500 has a 16 megapixel CCD sensor and 12x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 24-288mm, and there is also 24x intelligent digital zoom. To help reduce blur when using the optical zoom there is lens-shift image stabilisation.

To help make picture taking as easy as possible there is automatic scene recognition which adjusts the camera settings automatically for the detected scene. When using advanced filter mode there are 6 special effects available, these are toy camera, miniature, pop colour, soft focus, cross screen and partial colour. There is also a motion panorama mode.

Videos are recorded in 720p HD and you're able to trim and join movies in camera.

Key Features

16 megapixel CCD sensor
12x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 24-288mm)
Lens-shift image stabilisation
2.7 inch 230k dot LCD screen
Advanced filters (6 special effects)
720p HD video recording
ISO 100-3200
5cm minimum focusing distance
Motion panorama
1.1 fps continuous shooting
Available in black, red and white

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Handling

The Fujifilm FinePix T500 has a pocketable aluminium body with grooves on both the front and rear, as well as a dotted area for your thumb to aid grip. On the top of the camera is the on / off switch, zoom rocker, shutter release and a movie record button. On the rear are playback and display / back buttons as well as the d-pad, which also provides quick access to the flash, macro mode and timer.

The d-pad is also used to cycle through the camera menus, with a menu / OK button located in the middle. The menu system is easy to navigate, any options which aren't available in the mode you are using are greyed out.

Battery life is rated at 230 shots according to CIPA test results, which should be enough to get you through a day of shooting. 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		0.5 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		1.05 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.35 secs
Shot to Shot without Flash		2.6 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		2.8 secs
Continuous Shooting		1.1 fps

Continuous shooting records in full 16 megapixel resolution, but is limited to just three shots.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 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 T500 Sample Photos

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Sample Photos - Images are well exposed with pleasing colour reproduction. Portrait shots have decent skin tones and a free of red-eye.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Lens test images

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Lens Performance - Detail is OK in the centre of the images but they are softer in the corners, with a decent control of purple fringing. Detail suffers a little in darker areas of the images. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 5cm, but macro shots don't pack much detail.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 ISO test images

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ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO 100, but there is enough at ISO 200 to cause images to become a little soft. Images are very soft at ISO 400, with small amounts of detail lost in places which just worsens slightly at ISO 800. Lots of detail is lost at ISO 1600, at ISO 3200 image quality is poor and file size is limited to just 4 megapixels.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 White-balance test images

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White Balance Performance - Under the incandescent lights, the Auto White Balance (AWB) produces an image with a slight magenta cast, with the incandescent preset taking an image with an orange cast. Under the fluorescent lights, the AWB performs well, with all three fluorescent presets having colour casts.

Panorama | 1/110 sec | f/8.6 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100

Panorama mode - Panorama images have a decent amount of detail and are well stitched together.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Digital filters

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Digital Filters - The T500 has a number of special effects within the advanced filters, with examples of each above.

Video - Below is a video recorded in 720p HD. Quality is good, but you can't use optical zoom during recording, although there is digital zoom.

Value For Money

The Fujifilm FinePix T500 is available for £97.99. Other cameras with a similar amount of zoom include the Olympus VR-370 at £109.00, Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 at £99.99, Samsung WB30F at £119.99, Nikon Coolpix S6400 at £148.99, Sony Cybershot DSC-WX200 at £158.99, Canon IXUS 255 HS at £199.94 and Ricoh CX6 at £149.99.

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 T500 Verdict

Many entry-level cameras tend to have a 5x optical zoom lens, so if you want an easy to use camera with more zoom the T500 is an ideal option. Although image quality isn't the best, if you're the type of person who shares images on the web via sites such as Facebook it's unlikely you'll have any complaints. It's good to see optical image stabilisation, but we found the T500 struggled to focus in dark conditions. The T500 has a solid aluminium body and is excellent value for money.

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Pros

Optical image stabilisation

Good zoom range in a compact body

Aluminium body

Easy to use

Excellent value for money

Advanced filters allow for creative photography

Video quality is good

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Cons

Shortish battery life

Image quality isn't the best

Screen is quite small

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Fujifilm FinePix T500 Specifications

Manufacturer	Fujifilm
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/3.4 - f/6.9
	35mm equivalent	24mm - 288mm
	Optical Zoom	12x
Image Sensor
	Pixels	16Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608
	Pixels (H)	3440
	Sensor Type	CCD
	Sensor Size	1/2.3 inch
	Sensor Size (width)	No Data
	Sensor Size (height)	No Data
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 3:2 16:9
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	2.7in
	Screen resolution	230k dots
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	5cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus AF Tracking Centre
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	8sec
	Bulb mode	No Data
	Exp modes	Program Scene modes A
	Metering	TTL
	ISO sensitivity	100 - 3200
	White balance	Auto Outdoors/Daylight Incandescent Fluorescent Shade
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	1.1fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1280x720 HD 720p 640x480 VGA 320x240 QVGA
	Video FPS	30
	Stereo Sound	No
	Optical Zoom with Video	Yes
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	No
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	Li-ion battery NP-45A
	Battery Life (CIPA rating)	230shots
Box Contents
	Box Contents	Li-ion battery NP-45A or NP-45B, AC power adapter, USB cable, Hand strap, CD-ROM, Owner's manual
Dimensions
	Weight	136g
	Width	99.4mm
	Height	57mm
	Depth	25.8mm

View Full Product Details

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Photographs taken using the Fujifilm FinePix T500

Comments

stevenxbaker 7

28 Jun 2013 2:15AM

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This is an excellent review and certainly gives anyone considering the Fujifilm FinePix T500 a real understanding of what this camera can and cannot do.

MentorRon 2 102

30 Jul 2018 3:43PM

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Just a comment on the full review. In my T500, there is a choice in the video menu to select either digital or optical video zoom.
I agree about the lack of image sharpness. My Finepix J110W (5X zoom) has sharper images. I'm guessing at this price point it's hard to make a great 12X zoom, especially one starting at 24mm. They seem to have decided to remove all the grain at the expense of detail.
I just picked it up because it takes the same Li-Ion batteries as the J110W and has OIS, which I miss on the J110W. These are both just "vacation" cameras.
As long as you don't "pixel peep", i.e. keep your viewing at 1980x1080 the images are ok. Same for GoogleCasting to an LED TV.
Colours are pretty accurate and rich, so mixing shots with those from the J110W works well.

MentorRon 2 102

7 Aug 2018 5:45PM

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Today I noticed an issue with this model. It does not auto-rotate portrait mode photos for viewing. You have to do each on in the camera's playback menu and click OK, or do the same in a computer program later. Never had this with any other FinePix since they started making them.

exxxtv 1

8 Mar 2019 6:47PM

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I am buying one of these second hand tomorrow how long does the battery life last while dong videos i will be happy if it lasts half a hour

MentorRon 2 102

8 Mar 2019 9:11PM

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Never tested how long it would last for continuous video. On vacation shooting stills it would last up to one day (I always carry a backup). I returned this camera after vacation as it would not focus reliably. You could not trust the Focus OK signal, so came back with many out-of-focus (not blurred) images, especially on telephoto stills and video. I did not want to be forced to review every single image after taking it at 100% to ensure it was ok. Sometimes you could point it at a different object to get a clear still shot, but you can't do that with video. It also unfocusses if you zoom during video. You also miss many fleeting moments where you cannot take another shot. Was just too frustrating, as I take several thousand photos on a trip. Maybe something like a Canon PowerShot SX700 series P'n'S would be a better choice.

Last modified by MentorRon on 8 Mar 2019 9:15PM

MentorRon 2 102

8 Mar 2019 9:56PM

Like 0

Quote:Never tested how long it would last for continuous video. On vacation shooting stills it would last up to one day (I always carry a backup). I returned this camera after vacation as it would not focus reliably. You could not trust the Focus OK signal, so came back with many out-of-focus (not blurred) images, especially on telephoto stills and video. I did not want to be forced to review every single image after taking it at 100% to ensure it was ok. Sometimes you could point it at a different object to get a clear still shot, but you can't do that with video. It also unfocusses if you zoom during video. You also miss many fleeting moments where you cannot take another shot. Was just too frustrating, as I take several thousand photos on a trip. Maybe something like a Canon PowerShot SX700 series P'n'S would be a better choice.

Of course both the T500 AND the Canon PowerShots all have the small 1/2.3 inch CCD sensor (28 sq mm light gathering area), which limits sharpness. However my wife's J110W also has it but the images are sharper than the T500's. My current F100fd is almost as sharp as her camera (same 28-140mm lens), but has Image Stabilization and a 1/1.6 inch CCD (48 sq mm light gathering area = 70% larger), which are a bit more important to me.

Last modified by MentorRon on 8 Mar 2019 9:58PM