The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 is a point and shoot camera, which in general means it is more portable than DSLRs but takes lower quality pictures. Additionally, point and shoot cameras do not have interchangeable lens so you're stuck with what's built-in.

Within point and shoot cameras, the FinePix JX400 is classified as a basic compact camera, which are designed to give users decent image quality (above that of a smartphone) with optical zooming capabilities at a reasonable price point. They're one of the most portable options on the market as well, with the exception of ultra compact models.

The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 can take high resolution images at 16 megapixels. Megapixels, however, don't tell the whole story. Image quality is heavily dependent on a camera's sensor size as well. The FinePix JX400 has a 1/2.3" sensor, which is a small form sensor that measures about 6.17 x 4.55 mm. This allows the camera to be portable, but won't be able to compete in image quality against cameras with larger sensors. For context, full frame sensors are about 36 x 24 mm providing a much larger area for image capturing.

The difference in the image captured between a full frame sensor and a smaller one like this, is referred to as the crop factor. Lower crop factors (closer to 1) are better since more of the image is being received by the sensor.

The chart to the left shows how the 16 megapixel camera resolution of the Fujifilm FinePix JX400 stacks up to the average for point and shoot cameras and other point and shoot cameras with a 1/2.3" sensor.

The ISO of a camera indicates its sensor’s sensitivity to light. High ISOs allow photographers to take low light pictures without having to set long exposures. The downside to using high ISOs is that it produces noise or graininess in the image. The Fujifilm FinePix JX400's min ISO of 100 is standard for digital cameras, with most having either 80 or 100. The FinePix JX400 has a max ISO of3200, which is about average for a point and shoot camera.

The chart to the left shows how the Fujifilm FinePix JX400 max ISO of 3200 compares to the average of other point and shoot cameras and other point and shoot cameras with a 1/2.3" sensor.

A camera's shutter speed determines how short or long exposures can be. While people usually assume extremely fast shutter speeds are better, there still has to be enough light to get a fully exposed image. The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 has a  max shutter speed of 1/1800 sec, but it's still good enough to take action shots. The long exposure shutter limit usually isn't a major decision factor, with most point and shoot models allowing 4-8 seconds capture, and DSLRs up to 30 seconds.

This chart on the left compares the Fujifilm FinePix JX400 max shutter speed of 1/1800 sec against the average of other point and shoot cameras and other point and shoot cameras with a 1/2.3" sensor.

The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 allows users to set exposure compensation of ±2 EV range,in 1/3 EV steps. EV stands for "exposure value", with a +/- 1 EV being equivalent to +/- 1 exposure stop. The majority of cameras allow users to adjust the exposure in 1/3 EV increments.

Exposure modes change how the camera will choose an aperture, shutter, and ISO. These can help amateur photographers choose the right exposure settings, or allow more experienced cameramen the freedom to be artistic. For example, the FinePix JX400 has an automatic mode, where it decides the best aperture, shutter, and ISO based on the lighting environment.

The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 can record video up to 1080presolution. 1080p (1920 x 1080) is standard high definition quality video, with only the latest camera models beating it out with 4k or 2.7k recording.

In addition to the max video resolution, the video resolution field shows other formats that the FinePix JX400 can record in. These can be helpful for saving memory space by choosing a smaller video size.

The Fujifilm FinePix JX400 has a fixed lens, which is built into the camera and cannot be switched out. It has both optical zoom and digital zoom capabilities. The FinePix JX400 has an optical zoom of 5x. Optical zoom results in a clearer picture as it uses physical lens parts to magnify a subject, and 5x is about average for point and shoot cameras with optical zoom. Digital zoom uses software and image processing to artificially enlarge an image, and therefore should be used sparingly as it can have negative effects on image quality.