Fujifilm S4200 vs Samsung WB250F: A Meticulous Comparison for Superzoom Enthusiasts

In the vast realm of compact superzoom cameras catering to casual photographers, travel buffs, and budget-conscious hobbyists, two models often surface in conversations from the early 2010s era: the Fujifilm FinePix S4200 and the Samsung WB250F. While they share a broad category - small sensor superzoom cameras - their design philosophies, feature sets, and performance nuances reveal interesting contrasts that directly impact their suitability across photographic genres.

I have extensively tested both models across various scenarios, analyzing real-world handling, image quality, autofocus performance, and video functions to distill a practical advantage matrix for each. This comprehensive article dissects their capabilities with an authoritative lens, helping photographers at different skill levels, budgets, and needs make an informed choice.

First Impressions and Ergonomics: Handling the Cameras

Physical design and ergonomic comfort can drastically affect prolonged usage, especially with superzoom bridge-style cameras known for variable lens lengths and heavier bodies.

The Fujifilm S4200 adopts a bridge-style body mimicking DSLR ergonomics with a prominent grip, a substantial lens barrel due to its generous 24-576mm equivalent zoom, and a weight of 543 grams. Its dimensions of roughly 118 x 81 x 100 mm feel chunky, but the pronounced handhold offers considerable stability during telephoto shooting. It's clearly designed with longer focal reach usage in mind - an advantage when photographing distant subjects like wildlife or sports.

Contrastingly, the Samsung WB250F is a compact superzoom with a streamlined body measuring 106 x 62 x 22 mm and weighing just 226 grams, making it ultra-portable and pocketable. It sacrifices the DSLR-like handling for convenience, which benefits street photographers and travelers prioritizing minimal gear bulk. The zoom range is shorter at 24-432mm equivalent but retains versatility.

Control Layout and Interface: Navigating Your Camera

How photographers interact with controls significantly shapes the shooting experience and responsiveness in dynamic conditions.

The Fujifilm S4200 incorporates dedicated physical dials for aperture and shutter priority modes - a rarity in this price range - along with clearly marked buttons and an electronic viewfinder that covers approximately 97% of the frame. This layout favors enthusiasts who appreciate manual exposure control and need a stable compositional aid under bright daylight.

By comparison, the Samsung WB250F opts for a minimalist approach with fewer physical controls and a touchscreen interface. This integration lends itself well to novice users or vloggers who desire rapid menu navigation and focal point selection via touch. Absence of an electronic viewfinder - a potential drawback for outdoor shooting in strong sunlight - means reliance on the rear LCD.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality Deep Dive

Sensor performance is a fundamental determinant of image fidelity, noise handling, and dynamic range capabilities.

Both cameras feature the industry-standard 1/2.3-inch sensor size, with roughly the same physical dimensions (~6.17 x 4.55mm), placing them in the compact camera realm rather than interchangeable lens full-frame or APS-C segment - a limitation inherent to the category.

However, their sensor types diverge:

• Fujifilm S4200 uses a CCD sensor, which traditionally excels at color reproduction and details in controlled lighting but suffers in high ISO scenarios with more noise.
• Samsung WB250F employs a more modern Backside Illumination CMOS (BSI-CMOS) sensor, which typically enhances low-light sensitivity and yields higher ISO usability with cleaner images.

With both sporting a native resolution close to 14 megapixels and an anti-aliasing filter to reduce moiré, the WB250F's sensor architecture provides an edge in noise control at ISOs above 800. The Fujifilm, while capable in daylight, struggles beyond ISO 400, manifesting significant grain.

Autofocus System Capabilities and Speed

An autofocus system’s speed and accuracy are critical across nearly all photography genres, especially wildlife, sports, and fast events.

Both models use contrast-detection autofocus, standard for compact and bridge cameras pre-dating hybrid or phase detection on sensor technologies.

The S4200 offers continuous AF and single AF modes as well as face detection, but unfortunately lacks advanced selective AF area choices - its multi-area AF is unspecified, limiting precise subject tracking especially in complex scenes.

The WB250F, on the other hand, allows selective AF area modes and offers face detection plus tracking with continuous AF disabled (single AF only). Its contrast-detection AF performance is notably snappier, likely aided by Samsung’s proprietary algorithms, making it more responsive in dynamic scenarios.

For burst modes, the WB250F leads with 8 fps continuous shooting, compared to a mere 1 fps on the S4200, a decisive advantage for action or wildlife photographers capturing fleeting moments.

Display and Viewfinder: Monitoring Your Shots

Flexible and high-quality displays coupled with viewfinders can improve framing accuracy and review comfort.

Both cameras feature 3-inch fixed LCD screens, with the Samsung's panel boasting a superior resolution of 460k pixels versus Fujifilm’s 230k pixels, resulting in crisper live view images and playback.

Touchscreen functionality is present only on the WB250F, which enhances navigation speed and allows intuitive autofocus point selection, aiding beginners or video shooters.

The Fujifilm S4200 includes an electronic viewfinder (EVF), albeit of unspecified resolution, covering 97% of the frame, a handy feature for bright conditions where LCD glare hampers visibility.

The lack of an EVF on the WB250F somewhat limits its utility outdoors despite its display quality.

Lens Specifications and Optical Performance

Both cameras feature fixed superzoom lenses catering to versatile focal lengths but differ in optical design and maximum apertures.

• Fujifilm S4200’s lens offers an extensive zoom range equivalent to 24-576mm (24x zoom) with an aperture varying from f/3.1 at the wide end to f/5.9 at telephoto. This reach is exceptional in this class and supports close macro focusing down to 2cm.

• Samsung WB250F’s lens provides a slightly shorter zoom span at 24-432mm (18x zoom), with aperture range f/3.2-5.8. While not as telephoto-heavy as the Fujifilm, this range covers general photography well without excessive bulk.

The sensor-shift image stabilization system in the S4200 helps combat camera shake, especially critical when shooting handheld at full zoom. Samsung’s optical image stabilization also provides reliable shake mitigation, but the WB250F's smaller form factor may limit lens diameter and stabilization speed compared to the bridge-style Fujifilm.

In practical field testing, the Fujifilm lens produces decent sharpness in the center at wide and mid-zooms but falls off towards the edges, especially at max zoom - a common trait in extreme superzoom lenses. The Samsung lens handles edge performance slightly better, aided by BSI-CMOS sensor synergy.

Battery Performance and Storage Practicalities

Extended shooting demands reliable power and storage flexibility.

The Fujifilm S4200 relies on four standard AA batteries, a double-edged sword: easily sourced anywhere globally and inexpensive, but adds bulk and weight. Battery life ratings approximate 300 shots, suitable for day trips but requiring spares for prolonged use.

The Samsung WB250F uses a proprietary lithium-ion battery (with models not specified here), resulting in a lighter system but with somewhat variable battery life reports, generally around 200-300 shots per charge depending on usage patterns.

Both cameras accept SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards with a single slot, standard for the category.

Video Capabilities and Multimedia Features

More photographers than ever demand respectable video specs alongside stills.

The Samsung WB250F steps ahead with full HD video at 1920x1080 resolution (30 fps) using efficient H.264 compression, as well as additional frame rate options at 720p and lower resolutions. Built-in Wi-Fi enables instant sharing, a notable boon for casual content creators and travelers prioritizing connectivity.

The Fujifilm S4200 supports merely 1280x720 (30 fps) HD video and older Motion JPEG or H.264 formats, without wireless sharing or advanced multimedia features.

Neither camera offers microphone or headphone ports, making them less suitable for professional videography requiring external audio inputs.

Comprehensive Build Quality and Weather Resistance

Neither camera provides weather sealing, dustproofing, or rugged protection, reflecting their budget and consumer-focused market position.

The Fujifilm S4200’s more substantial body suggests better durability under rough handling conditions, while the lighter Samsung benefits from portability with a tradeoff in robustness.

Genre-Specific Performance Scores and Practical Implications

For quick reference, here’s an aggregate genre analysis comparing their strengths and limitations.

• Portrait Photography:
  Fujifilm S4200’s face detection and longer zoom help frame flattering tight portraits; however, the WB250F’s sharper sensor at higher ISO and better AF selection modes allow more consistent eye detection and focus precision. Both lack raw for post-processing flexibility, but WB250F’s exposure control compensates.

• Landscape Photography:
  WB250F with BSI-CMOS sensor and higher resolution LCD offers improved dynamic range and image detail; Fujifilm’s narrower aperture at widest zoom and lower ISO ceiling limit low light landscape potential. The lack of weather sealing in both restricts use in harsh environments.

• Wildlife and Sports:
  S4200’s extraordinary 576mm equivalent focal length advantage paired with sensor-shift stabilization is a strong point. Unfortunately, WB250F’s superior autofocus speed and burst shooting (8 fps vs 1 fps) may capture action more reliably. Neither excels in advanced tracking AF.

• Street and Travel:
  Samsung WB250F’s compact size, lighter weight, touch screen, and wireless capability make it an ideal street and travel companion. Fujifilm’s bulk and lack of wireless features hinder portability.

• Macro Photography:
  Fujifilm enables a 2cm close-focus macro mode, granting greater magnification potential compared to the WB250F where macro focus details are not specified.

• Night and Astro Photography:
  The WB250F’s higher max ISO and better noise handling slightly edge it ahead, but both cameras' small sensors and limited exposure control options constrain serious astro work.

• Video Recording:
  Samsung WB250F decisively wins with full HD video and built-in Wi-Fi for sharing. Fujifilm restricted to 720p video.

Overall Performance Ratings and Scorecard

Aggregate performance scores compiled from extensive hands-on testing paint a clear performance landscape.

While neither camera stakes a claim as a professional-grade powerhouse, the Samsung WB250F displays consistent superiority in image quality, versatility, and multimedia features, edging out the Fujifilm S4200, which mainly excels due to its longer zoom and manual exposure features.

Sample Images: Real-World Output Comparison

Examining real photograph galleries reveals tangible differences in color rendition, sharpness, and noise profiles.

Fujifilm S4200 front Fujifilm S4200 screen back Samsung WB250F front Samsung WB250F screen back

Fujifilm’s images lean towards warmer tones and pronounced contrast, reflecting its CCD sensor character, whereas Samsung images favor cooler, crisper, and cleaner files with more detail captured at higher ISO values.

Connectivity and Extras

The Samsung WB250F’s built-in wireless connectivity permits remote control and image transfer, a convenience missing entirely on the Fujifilm S4200. Neither supports Bluetooth or NFC, nor offer GPS tagging, limiting location-based photo sorting.

Price Versus Performance: A Reality Check

Available at about $199 for the Fujifilm S4200 and $250 for the Samsung WB250F, prospective buyers weigh cost against incremental benefits.

For users prioritizing reach and manual control on a tight budget, the Fujifilm offers value. For those seeking superior image quality, video features, and ease of use, the Samsung commands a premium but justifies it.

Final Verdict: Who Should Choose Which?

Choose Fujifilm FinePix S4200 if you:

• Need extreme telephoto reach for wildlife or distant subjects
• Prefer DSLR-like handling with manual exposure modes despite limited video
• Favor AA battery availability for extended field use
• Value a built-in EVF for bright-light shooting

Opt for Samsung WB250F if you:

• Prioritize overall image quality and low-light performance
• Desire faster autofocus and higher burst rates for action shots
• Require full HD video and wireless connectivity
• Want a compact, lightweight system for travel or street photography

While both cameras now date quickly in terms of technology, their specific strengths continue to serve different photography niches. Carefully consider your shooting style and priorities against the outlined characteristics to decide your best fit.

In summary, this in-depth comparison underscores fundamental compromises between zoom reach, sensor technology, usability, and multimedia features in these contemporaneous superzooms - insight only achievable through hands-on evaluation across diverse photographic contexts.