Fujifilm Z5fd Performance

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Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	2.0 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	0.3 second	How long it takes to turn off.
Buffer clearing time	2.0 seconds (2.0 seconds buffer clearing in LF JPEG)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	0.6 second	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	0.8 second	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	1.3 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.46 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.69 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.018 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
High Speed Autofocus Wide	0.29 second	This is a special mode on this camera to allow High Speed shooting.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.65 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	2.57 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	Yes	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	1.92 seconds (0.52 frames per second); 20 frames total; 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	1.92 seconds (0.52 frames per second); 20 frames total; 1 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	5.7 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	1,240 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd's performance ranges from good to just about average, depending on what you're trying to do. Startup time is a little sluggish at two seconds, but shutdown time is almost instant. Shutter response is good at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.55 and 0.75 seconds respectively, and even faster at 0.29 second in High Speed AF mode. "Prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in an impressive lag time of only 0.018 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are slower than average, at about 2.65 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera appears to capture shots continuously in single-shot mode without having to stop and clear the buffer. Continuous mode is average, at 0.52 frames-per-second for 20 large/fine JPEG frames. The flash takes 5.7 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is on the sluggish side. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are fast enough that you shouldn't need a separate card reader.

Overall, the FinePix Z5fd is responsive enough for most average family and travel shooting situations, though its shot-to-shot time is somewhat on the slow side.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Slightly less-than-average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, LCD on (CIPA standard)	200

The Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Although battery life is about average for this size, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd accepts xD Picture Cards, and includes about 26MB of internal memory.

Image Capacity with 26MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal
2,848 x 2,136	Images	8	17
2,848 x 2,136	File Size	3.0 MB	1.5 MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	33	-
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	785 KB	-
1,600 x 1,200	Images	41	-
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	625 KB	-
640 x 480	Images	202	-
640 x 480	File Size	128 KB	-

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity xD memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)