Head to head · Fujifilm FinePix F series

Fujifilm FinePix F30 vs F31fd: is face detection worth paying for?

For most buyers the F30 and the F31fd are the same camera, and the cheaper one wins. The F31fd is the F30 with a face-detection chip, an infrared port, a little rubber grip and more built-in memory; DPReview called the upgrade so minor that it would not normally have been reviewed.¹ Trusted Reviews thought face detection hit and miss and not enough to justify the premium.² Pick the F31fd if you want the face frames, or if you plan to use the biggest xD card: Fujifilm's manual lists up to 2 GB for the F31fd and 1 GB for the F30.

By the Digicam Atlas team · Last updated 20 October 2026 · Built only from our sourced reviews and the sources they cite · We have not tested these cameras ourselves

Fujifilm FinePix F30: full review · Fujifilm FinePix F31fd: full review

What you will not find in any single review

How did the same outlets score them?
What did DPReview find when it re-ran the F30's tests?
Which xD card can each camera take?

Side by side

	Fujifilm FinePix F30	Fujifilm FinePix F31fd
Announced	14 February 2006; on sale May 2006^3,4	25 September 2006; on sale November (Trusted Reviews) or December (Imaging Resource's expectation)^5,2
Sensor and processor	6.3 MP Super CCD HR (6th generation), 1/1.7 inch; Real Photo Processor II³	Same sensor and processor²
Lens (35 mm equivalent)	36-108 mm, 3x, f/2.8-5.0⁶	36-108 mm, 3x, f/2.8-5.0²
ISO	100 to 3200⁶	Up to 3200⁵
Screen	2.5 inch, 230,000 pixels, no viewfinder⁶	2.5 inch, 230,000 pixels, no viewfinder⁵
Face detection	Not in its feature list in our sources	Up to 10 faces, about 1/20 s⁵
Infrared (IrSimple)	Not in its feature list in our sources	Yes^5,7
Built-in memory	10 MB⁶	26 MB⁵
Largest xD card the manual lists	1 GB⁸	2 GB⁹
Battery	NP-95, about 580 shots (CIPA)^6,10	NP-95, up to 580 shots⁷
Size and weight	92.7 x 56.7 x 27.8 mm; 155 g without battery³	Not in our sources
Launch price	$399⁴	$399; 259.99 pounds list in Britain^5,2

"Not in our sources" means the reviews we use do not state it; it does not mean the camera lacks it.

What is actually different between the F30 and the F31fd?

Very little. Trusted Reviews found the F31fd virtually identical to the F30: the same all-metal body, the same 3x Fujinon lens, the same 230,000-pixel screen, with only a small rubberised grip on the front and an extra label on one rear button to tell them apart.² The sensor and processor carried over too, a sixth-generation Super CCD HR with the Real Photo Processor II;^3,2 that processor was the technology that made face detection possible.² DPReview said the only specification changes were face detection and infrared communication.¹

What the F31fd added: a dedicated chip that finds up to ten faces at about 1/20 of a second and uses them to set focus and exposure;⁵ an infrared connection, IrSimple, for sending pictures to compatible devices;^5,7 26 MB of built-in memory instead of 10 MB;^6,5 and, according to DPReview, slightly more subtle processing with better handling of bright outdoor scenes.¹ The F31fd was announced on 25 September 2006, four months after the F30 went on sale, and Imaging Resource noted that the F30 stayed in the line.^4,5

How did the same outlets score them?

PhotographyBLOG's two scorecards are the cleanest like-for-like comparison available. The F30 got design 4.5, features 4, ease of use 4.5, image quality 4.5 and value 4 out of 5.¹⁰ The F31fd got 4.5 for design, features, ease of use and image quality, and 3.5 for value.¹¹ Features went up half a point, value went down half a point, and image quality did not move. Added up, both cameras score 21.5. That sum is our arithmetic, not PhotographyBLOG's, but it makes the outlet's own conclusion visible: it called the F31fd an incremental upgrade with a significant price increase.¹¹

The rest of the 2006-07 reviewers split the same way. Digital Lifestyles called the F31fd a fairly minor update and suggested that anyone used to focusing and reframing might as well buy the cheaper F30.⁷ Trusted Reviews rated its image quality as superb and its high-ISO performance as the best on the market, but said the face-detection system did not justify the price premium over the F30.²

What did DPReview find when it re-ran the F30's tests?

DPReview's F31fd review re-ran all the F30's tests with new samples, which makes it the only direct head-to-head in our sources.¹ On the F30 it had found a high-contrast tone curve that clipped highlights and shadows, overexposure in bright scenes and purple fringing.¹² On the F31fd it found milder highlight clipping, better than the F30, but purple fringing remained.¹ At the top of the range the F30's ISO 3200 was heavily noise-reduced and best avoided;¹² on the F31fd it called ISO 3200 a stop too far.¹ So the sensitivity ladder is the same, and only bright-light handling got a small improvement.

The faults carried over as well. DPReview listed a three-shot limit in continuous mode and a screen hard to see in bright sun on both cameras.^12,1 The Picture Stabilization mode on both is a name for raising the ISO, not a stabiliser: Imaging Resource found the F30 usually defaulted to ISO 3200 in low light, and Digital Lifestyles said the F31fd's mode simply raised the ISO.^6,7 DPReview added that the F31fd's Auto mode picks ISO 800 with flash when it need not, so set a lower ISO yourself.¹

Does the face detection work?

Reviewers were not sure it mattered. PhotographyBLOG found it worked well in the right situations and was quick, something rivals struggled with, but best suited to posed group shots at moderate distance, and inexplicably limited to half of the camera's shooting modes.¹¹ Trusted Reviews called it a bit hit and miss.² Digital Lifestyles was not convinced of the benefits.⁷ In playback the camera can zoom in on the main face to check focus and expression, or crop a shot for portrait framing, a convenience that depends on the face-detection chip.⁵

If face frames sound useful, remember they are an aid for focus and exposure on people, not a cure for the camera's other habits. DPReview listed noisy focus and slow macro focus among the F31fd's faults,¹ and Reviewed.com had found the F30's autofocus and zoom motor loud.¹³ For the same idea from Canon the following spring, see our SD1000 review.

Which xD card can each camera take?

This is the difference most buyers miss. Both cameras take xD-Picture Cards, not SD. Fujifilm's manual for the F30 lists cards from 16 MB up to 1 GB, and the manual for the F31fd lists up to 2 GB.^8,9 Our card section re-checked both lists. The F30 shipped in May 2006, and Olympus announced its 2 GB Type M xD-Picture Card on 8 August 2006 with a warning that it might not be compatible with all digital camera models.¹⁴ Our reading, which Fujifilm does not state, is that the F30 manual simply predates 2 GB cards. We found no Fujifilm statement either way about a 2 GB card in the F30.

So the safe plan is a card of 1 GB or less for the F30, and up to 2 GB for the F31fd. Neither camera has much built-in memory (10 MB and 26 MB), and no card came in the F30's box.^6,5 Our xD-Picture Card page covers Type M, M+ and H, and the memory card guide has the rest.

What did each cost?

On paper they cost the same: the F30 was announced at $399,⁴ and Imaging Resource gave the F31fd the same $399 in September 2006.⁵ In practice the F30 was already cheaper. Reviewed.com quoted $349 for it by the time it published,¹³ and in Britain Trusted Reviews gave the F31fd a list price of 259.99 pounds, though it was widely available for under 200.² That fits PhotographyBLOG's complaint of a significant price increase.¹¹ We do not print today's used prices, because eBay's licence forbids deriving them; the sold-listing links below show what each fetches. Our reading: pay the F31fd's premium only if it is small.

Who should buy which?

Buy the F30 if all you want is the low-light talent that made both cameras famous. DPReview wrote that most of what it said about the F30 applied equally to the F31fd,¹ and Digital Lifestyles called the F31fd the king of the low-light compacts,⁷ which is the F30's reputation under a new name. Keep the card at 1 GB or less.

Buy the F31fd if you like the idea of a camera that frames the faces in a party shot, if you want a 2 GB card, or if one turns up for little more than an F30. The extra built-in memory and the IrSimple link are small bonuses.⁵ Both cameras share an NP-95 battery rated at up to 580 shots,^6,7 so one spare fits either. Neither has a viewfinder.^6,5 We have not tested either camera ourselves.

What the reviewers said at the time

Outlet	Camera	Date	Verdict, in our words
DPReview	F30	25 Jul 2006	A clear step up from the F10 in low light, with a contrasty tone curve, purple fringing and a screen hard to see in sun.¹²
PhotographyBLOG	F30	7 Aug 2006	Design 4.5, features 4, ease of use 4.5, image quality 4.5, value 4; the top low-light compact available.¹⁰
Imaging Resource	F30	Aug 2006	Dave's Pick: worth the price for its high-ISO shooting despite inconsistencies.⁶
Digital Lifestyles	F31fd	5 Jan 2007	A fairly minor update with the same low-light ability; not convinced by face detection.⁷
PhotographyBLOG	F31fd	6 Jan 2007	Four 4.5 scores and value 3.5: an incremental upgrade with a significant price increase.¹¹
Trusted Reviews	F31fd	25 Jan 2007	Superb picture quality, but face detection was not enough to justify the premium over the F30.²
DPReview	F31fd	11 Apr 2007	A very minor upgrade: the high-ISO performance untouched, the camera starting to look dated.¹

What to check before you bid

Both. Ask whether a card is included (none came with the F30) and what size it is; check the NP-95 battery, which is the part most likely to be tired, and that the lens extends and retracts cleanly.^6,7
F31fd. Press the labelled face-detection button on the back and look for the frames on the screen.²

Looking for one?

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We print no used-camera prices; the sold listings show what these actually fetch.

New to the jargon (CCD, ISO, xD cards, IXUS vs ELPH)? Read our plain-English digicam glossary. Card questions: memory card guide. All comparisons.

Sources

These are the original sources our reviews were built from. We have not tested these cameras ourselves; where we do arithmetic or draw a reading of our own, the text says so.