FUJIFILM FinePix F200EXR Digital Camera

The short answer is yes (just).

Having owned both the previous kings of low-light compact photography, when it came to a replacement for my heavily used but fantastic F31fd there appeared to be no cameras in the price range (or even above) that could justifiably take the crown.

Fuji came to the rescue just as my old F31 gave up in the form of the newly introduced F200EXR. Much-hyped but with few reviews around I took a chance on it and it has proved a worthy successor.

I would say generally that the picture quality has a slight edge over the F30/31, but you have to work a little harder to achieve it as the available settings options are now much more varied and it has lost a little of the previous power-up-and-shoot infallibly of its predecessors.

However, if you like to fiddle and experiment, great results in all areas can be achieved. With the many more options available and I have had good success with the impressive new EXR functions, but you do have to take a proactive approach to your shooting for best results.

Comparisons summary:

Pros: Bigger display, better wide angle, better zoom, more shooting/viewing options, better looking (in black), improved picture quality.

Cons: Average battery life, separate battery charger, menu system not as compact, settings dial easily nudged, unnecessary megapixel size, reduced point and shoot capacity.

All in all though, it is a worthy successor to the previous greats, but don't expect a massive improvement in picture quality/low light capacity. It certainly happily filled the gap left by the deceased F31fd in all areas and actually improved on some. Given that it is almost impossible now to find a F30/31FD at less than the price of a new F200EXR the choice is a bit of a no-brainer.