Compromises of a bridge camera with a long zoom

[V8Wagon]

Santa brought my little lad a Fuji S4900 bridge camera. He's chuffed with it as in his eyes it is a 'grown up' camera and he likes the big zoom.

I feel that every image it produces is blurred at the peripheries of the frame. It is really starting to bug me and I'm beginning to think it might be faulty.....or do you think that as it has a 30x zoom then this is likely to be a compromise of having such a lens?

[Mr Will]

Got any samples? Everyone has a different threshold of acceptable so it's hard to judge without seeing them.

[ExPat2B]

Even expensive lenses have problems around the edges of the image, you won't get an evenly sharp image.

The most common fault with bridge zooms is decentering, and its easy to check for.

Print out http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~westin/misc/ISO_1...

A4 is good enough for this kind of test, A3 is better.

Make sure the chart is hung flat with tape against a flat wall. Measure the height of the centre of the chart, put camera on tripod or chair with books at same height, make sure shot fills the screen, take picture ( preferably using timer to avoid shake ) and check the corners.

As above though, even expensive lenses can be slightly decentered...some slight variation is normal.

Post the results on here and I will take a look.

[V8Wagon]

Thanks guys....I've finally got round to it. I feel really sorry for the wee guy now as every image he takes he complains about it being blurred when its uploaded.

This what I'm on about....surely this can't be 'acceptable' ?

[The_Jackal]

Yep there definitely seems like an area on the left is more blurred than the rest.
How old is it? Could it be returned or replaced by whoever you bought it from?

[Pints]

I've not used a 30x zoom bridge before, so I'm not sure what's usual. That doesn't look right though.

[extraT]

I've got the HS30, great camera. I have accepted a compromised between the bridge and a normal camera. At full 30x zoom the pics are not as clear (still good quality though). However, your pics looks like you have a faulty lens. I say that on the blurred area is always on the left. I had something similar when a glass In the lens slipped, which I had repaired under Fujis European warranty.

[Simpo Two]

Bottom right and top left are crap too. I'd take it back and see if a replacement's any better. If not, welcome to the world of the '30x zoom'.

[V8Wagon]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm gonna get in touch with Fuji's customer services and see what they say. I bought it as 'manufacturer refurbished' off an eBay seller and can't find the delivery note that came with it so this is likely to be a load of hassle.

[Simpo Two]

V8Wagon said:

I bought it as 'manufacturer refurbished'

Probably becaue it was returned by the first owner!

[AlexC1981]

I have an old-ish Panasonic bridge and don't get any blurriness like that. It's only x18 though.

[Peanut Gallery]

Herewith a random from my camera, Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR.
Bridge with a 30X optical, (that pic is not really zoomed in, I can try find a zoomed one if you want)

[MysteryLemon]

Gotta say that the issue there isn't a 30x zoom compromise. That's just broken.

[ExPat2B]

That looks like a classic bridge camera decentered lens issue. As the sensors are so tiny, it take just a very small deviation to produce that effect. The manufactures normally produce the lens and sensor as a single package to try to solve the problem of alignment, and they are very hard to service.

I would be going down the warranty route with that one personally.