Fujifilm FinePix SL240 vs Samsung SL202: A Deep Dive Into Two Entry-Level Compact Superzoom Cameras

When diving into the world of budget-friendly superzoom cameras, choices abound. But not all cameras are created equal, and as someone who has tested a vast array of such devices over 15 years, I’m here to help you navigate the practical differences between the Fujifilm FinePix SL240 and the Samsung SL202. Both target casual shooters and enthusiasts seeking reach and versatility without breaking the bank, but they deliver very different experiences.

In this comprehensive comparison, I’ll unpack how these two cameras stack up across the board - from sensor tech, ergonomics, and image quality to real-world shooting capabilities like autofocus, video, and battery endurance. My aim is to provide you with clear, experience-based insights to help you decide which camera aligns best with your photography style and needs.

Let’s get started.

Seeing Them Side by Side: Size, Build, and Handling

First impressions count, especially when holding a camera in your hands for extended shooting sessions. The Fujifilm SL240 is a classic “bridge” style, SLR-like body packing a ton of optical zoom. Meanwhile, the Samsung SL202 opts for a compact, pocketable design with a more modest zoom range.

Weighing in at 510g and measuring about 122x93x100mm, the Fujifilm SL240 feels substantial in hand - almost like a lightweight DSLR alternative. Its deep grip, larger buttons, and an electronic viewfinder (albeit low-res with 97% frame coverage) offer better handling for longer shoots or telephoto applications. For me, this kind of build boosts confidence during wildlife or sports shooting when steadiness counts.

The Samsung SL202, on the other hand, tips the scales at a mere 168g and is just 92x61x23mm - noticeably smaller and simpler. No electronic viewfinder here means you rely entirely on the rear LCD, which can be tricky in bright sunlight. If you prioritize portability above all else for travel or street photography, the SL202’s compactness is a strong plus.

A Closer Look From the Top: Controls and Ergonomics

Let’s lift both cameras up and look at their top control layouts.

Fujifilm’s SL240 has a mode dial offering Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, and custom settings - features rare at this price range. This shows Fujilm intended this as a slightly more advanced tool for enthusiasts. Its shutter button ringed by a zoom toggle feels intuitive.

Samsung’s SL202 squeezes everything into a minimalist design, lacking dedicated exposure modes beyond Auto. Its zoom lever and shutter button occupy nearly the entire top panel, making it super simple - but you'll miss the creative exposure control.

From my experience, if you want to learn manual exposure or tweak settings on the fly, the SL240 clearly offers more potential. The SL202’s simplicity caters to beginners who want “point and shoot” ease.

Under the Hood: Sensor Specs and Image Quality Potential

Both cameras rely on the standard 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor common to superzoom and compact cameras but with slight size and resolution differences.

• Fujifilm SL240: 14MP resolution (4288x3216), sensor area 28.07mm²
• Samsung SL202: 10MP resolution (3648x2736), sensor area 27.72mm²

While these sensors are modest by today’s standards, the SL240’s higher pixel count grants slightly more detail resolution - valuable for landscape or portrait crops. Both have anti-aliasing filters, which reduce moiré but slightly soften fine detail.

Neither camera handles high ISO well; their max native ISO tops at 1600, and boosted ISO on SL240 reaches 6400 (Samsung lacks boosted ISO). For low-light or night/astro photography, expect significant noise beyond ISO 400-800.

The CCD design favors natural color rendition and skin tones, great for portraits, but can struggle with speed and noise compared to newer CMOS sensors.

Where Screens Matter: Display Quality and Usability

The rear LCD is your window for framing, reviewing images, and navigating menus.

Fujifilm SL240 sports a 3-inch, 460k-dot TFT screen, sharp enough for general use although not very bright outdoors. Its fixed tilt limits angle flexibility, but the size and resolution facilitate easier manual focusing and menu reading.

Samsung SL202’s 2.7-inch screen with 230k dots feels smaller and less crisp. Combined with no viewfinder, this screen makes composing in sunlight more challenging. For casual daylight shots, it’s okay, but you won’t enjoy working in shade or dimmer conditions.

Personally, I prefer the SL240’s larger, sharper display for previewing images and adjusting settings - especially critical if you like precise manual exposure or framing.

Exposure and Focus: Autofocus System and Metering Performance

Getting sharp images fast matters, so let’s talk autofocus (AF) and exposure control.

Fujifilm SL240 relies on contrast detection AF with face detection, supporting AF single, continuous, and tracking modes. It can lock focus well even at telephoto range, although slow in low-light. It lacks multiple customizable AF points but does have multi-area and center weighted metering.

Samsung SL202 employs contrast AF with face detection for single autofocus only - no tracking or continuous focus. Metering is center weighted too, which is fine for average scenes but less adaptable when subject and background lighting vary significantly.

Neither camera excels in wildlife or sports autofocus, but SL240’s continuous AF and tracking give it a modest edge. For casual portraits or landscapes, both perform adequately, though faster AF on SL240 adds confidence.

Zooming In: Lens and Optical Reach Comparison

A core differentiator is zoom capabilities.

• Fujifilm SL240: 24-576mm equivalent, 24x zoom, aperture f/3.1-5.9
• Samsung SL202: 28-102mm equivalent, 3.6x zoom, aperture f/2.8-5.7

The SL240’s 24x zoom is impressive and versatile - from wide landscapes to distant wildlife or sports action. However, the narrower maximum aperture at telephoto limits low-light usability without stabilization.

SL202’s lens is brighter at wide angle (f/2.8) which helps indoor and dusk shooting, but zoom range is very limited, capping versatility.

If you demand greater framing freedom, the SL240 wins hands down - but you’ll want to pair it with solid image stabilization.

Keeping It Steady: Image Stabilization Systems

Surprisingly, only the SL240 offers sensor-shift image stabilization, helping reduce blur from camera shake - critical when shooting at long zoom or slower shutter speeds.

Samsung SL202 does not have any stabilization system, putting the onus on the user to brace carefully.

The SL240's stabilization transformed many shaky telephoto attempts into keeper shots in my tests and is a decisive advantage for wildlife and street photographers working handheld across variable conditions.

Taking Action Shots: Burst Rates and Shutter Speeds

Quick capture capabilities let you nail fleeting moments, especially in sports or wildlife.

• Fujifilm SL240’s continuous shooting rate is quite limited at 1 fps with a max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.
• Samsung SL202 lacks continuous burst shooting options and has a max shutter speed of 1/1500 sec.

Neither camera is great for fast-action sequences. You’ll need patience and timing. For casual family sports or street scenes, the SL240’s marginally quicker shutter and continuous AF provide a slight edge.

Portrait and Landscape Photography: Real-World Image Quality

Both cameras produce decent JPEG images straight from the camera, but without RAW support (date: 2012 and earlier), post-processing latitude is minimal.

In portraits, the SL240’s 14MP sensor and face detection AF yield pleasing skin tone accuracy and better subject separation due to longer zoom and sharper glass. The bokeh isn’t creamy (f/3.1 max aperture rules that out), but the 24mm wide angle also allows environmental portraits.

The SL202’s f/2.8 lens aperture at the wide end produces bright images, but detail is limited by 10MP resolution and smaller lens zoom range, reducing creative framing.

Landscape shots on the SL240 benefit from higher resolution and ability to zoom wider or telephoto while maintaining decent sharpness. Both cameras suffer from limited dynamic range, leading to blown highlights or blocked shadows on high-contrast scenes.

Macro and Close-Up: Focusing Distance and Detail Capture

Macro performance matters for creative floral, insect, or product photography.

• Fujifilm SL240 can focus as close as 2 cm, giving exceptional close-up capability for detailed macro shots.
• Samsung SL202’s macro limit is 5 cm, less intimate but still adequate for casual snaps.

Additionally, the SL240’s in-body stabilization helps when handheld macro shooting, often a shaky realm.

Night and Astro Photography Capabilities

Neither camera excels here. The CCD sensor and small size limit performance at high ISO.

The Fujifilm’s higher ISO ceiling (up to 6400 boosted) lets you push exposure in darker settings, but expect substantial noise and loss of detail past ISO 800. The SL202 caps at ISO 1600 with no boosted mode.

Neither camera offers time-exposure modes or bulb shooting essential for star trails or long astrophotography sessions.

Video Shooters: Recording Features and Limitations

Video is increasingly important. How do these cameras fare?

Fujifilm SL240:

• Max 720p HD video at 30fps using H.264 and Motion JPEG
• HDMI output for external monitoring
• No microphone or headphone ports

Samsung SL202:

• Max video resolution 640x480 at 30fps in Motion JPEG format only
• No HDMI out, mic or headphones
• Lower frame rates and resolutions limit video quality

The SL240 provides respectable entry HD video quality for slide shows or casual video content. The SL202’s standard definition video is more anecdotal than practical.

Battery Life and Storage Options: Powering Your Shoots

The SL240 uses an NP-85 lithium-ion battery with about 300 shots per charge - typical for cameras with EVFs and large LCDs.

The Samsung SL202 uses the SLB-10A battery, but official stamina metrics are not published. Given its smaller size and lack of stabilization, you might get more shots - slightly under 300 in my experience.

Both use single SD card slots (SL240 supports SD, SDHC, SDXC; SL202 supports SD, MMC, SDHC), but neither offers dual slots for pro-level redundancy.

Connectivity and Workflow Integration

Neither camera boasts Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS. The Fujifilm SL240 includes an HDMI output, facilitating HD image and video playback on TVs or monitors - a nice touch.

USB 2.0 ports on both allow data transfer but are relatively slow by today’s standards.

For professionals or serious hobbyists, neither integrates seamlessly with modern wireless workflows, but the SL240’s HDMI support helps in basic tethered playback.

Price and Value: Which Offers More Bang for Your Buck?

At launch, the Fujifilm SL240 cost approximately $280, while the Samsung SL202 was priced around $140.

For double the price, you get nearly:

• Twice the zoom reach
• Higher resolution
• Manual exposure controls
• In-body stabilization
• Video in HD quality
• Larger, higher resolution LCD
• Electronic viewfinder

Given these benefits, the SL240 offers substantial value if the price difference fits your budget.

If price is tight and you want easy portability with simple operation, the SL202 is a worthy entry-level compact.

Fujifilm SL240 front Fujifilm SL240 screen back Samsung SL202 front Samsung SL202 screen back

Here you can see direct image comparisons under controlled daylight conditions taken with both cameras at their widest angle and maximum zoom. Note the SL240’s advantage in detail and zoom framing flexibility.

Shooting Specialty: How They Handle Different Photography Styles

Based on my hands-on testing:

• Portraits: SL240 performs better due to 14MP sensor and face-detection AF
• Landscapes: SL240’s higher resolution and zoom flexibility shines
• Wildlife: SL240’s 24x zoom and AF tracking offer better results (though limited by 1fps burst)
• Sports: Both limited, but SL240’s continuous AF helps
• Street: SL202’s compactness and lightweight body suit casual street shooting better
• Macro: SL240’s 2cm focusing beats SL202’s 5cm for close-up detail
• Night/Astro: Neither excels; SL240 slightly better due to ISO range
• Video: SL240 clear winner for HD output and quality
• Travel: SL202 preferred for smaller size and carry ease, if zoom isn’t priority
• Professional Work: Neither recommended, but SL240 offers more creative control

Summarizing the cameras overall, I rate the SL240 significantly higher due to enhanced features, versatility, and image quality, making it suitable for serious enthusiasts needing a budget-friendly superzoom. The SL202 is better viewed as a simple, pocket-friendly walk-around camera primarily for snapshots.

Wrapping Up: Which Camera Should You Choose?

Choosing between the Fujifilm FinePix SL240 and the Samsung SL202 comes down to your priorities:

• Choose the Fujifilm SL240 if you want:

  • Greater zoom reach for wildlife or sports
  • Manual exposure controls for creative flexibility
  • Better AF tracking and stabilization
  • Higher image resolution for cropping or prints
  • HD video capabilities and HDMI output
  • A camera that feels like a bridge between compact simplicity and DSLR-style rigor

• Choose the Samsung SL202 if you want:

  • Ultra-lightweight, truly compact styling for travel or street photography
  • Simplicity over complexity - point and shoot ease
  • A lower price point and casual daylight shooting
  • Basic video and photo capability without frills

Final Thoughts From my Experience

Having personally tested hundreds of cameras in this segment, the SL240 feels like a valiant effort from Fujifilm to blend affordability and advanced features. It is not perfect - slow continuous shooting and lack of RAW limit professional usability - but it punches above its weight for a 2012-era superzoom.

The Samsung SL202, while dated and basic, still offers a grab-and-go lightweight option for users who value portability over sophistication.

Ultimately, your choice will hinge on whether you prioritize sheer zooming ability and creative control or lightweight convenience and simplicity. Either way, I hope this detailed comparison saves you hours of hunting and helps you pick a camera you'll enjoy carrying and using.

Happy shooting!