Colourful menus and discreet
animations are used to add interest to the FinePix A350's
interface. For instance, changing a setting such as the flash
mode, or engaging the macro mode is echoed on the monitor
by the appearance of a large icon representing the mode which
then quickly migrates to the periphery of the monitor while
diminishing in size.
The periphery of the monitor is also where other current
settings are shown, starting with the current photography
mode, the date, the image size and quality, the zoom position,
and the remaining number of photos that can be saved on the
memory card. Other indications are shown only when they differ
from the default setting; these include white balance, macro
mode, self-timer, exposure compensation, continuous mode,
camera shake warning, AF warning, battery level.
The menus are designed much like the A350 itself: simple
to use. Each option is shown using a specific colour, and
navigation from one to the next is linear using either the
right or left arrows that bracket the zoom control. One small
drawback however: once the last option at one end or the other
is reached the menu does not loop back to the beginning.
Nevertheless, be it with any of the capture modes or with
the playback mode, the menu always offers an access to the
basic configuration of the camera. The SET option,
which offers access to the monitor brightness, and in playback
to the sound volume, also provides the access to the Setup
menu:
Image Display: On or Off. Decides whether or not
the photo will be shown on the screen for about 2 seconds
immediately after its capture.
Power Save: Off, 2 or 5 minutes. Turns off the
camera automatically after the selected time has elapsed.
Format: serves to format the xD memory card.
Digital Zoom: On or Off. Decides whether or not
the 4.1X zoom is available when the optical zoom is at its
maximum.
Beep: Low, High, Off. Sets the volume of the tone
emitted when the camera controls are used.
Shutter: Low, High, Off. Sets the volume of the
tone produced when the camera shutter is pressed.
LCD: On or Off. Decides whether or not the LCD
screen will automatically come on when the camera is turned
on in the photography mode.
Date/Time: sets the date and time on the A350.
Time Difference: allows setting the time difference
between "Home time" and a Destination time. This
function sets a time difference relative to the date and
time currently set. When this setting is enabled, the specified
time difference is applied when pictures are taken.
Frame No.: Cont. or Renew. Decides whether frames
are numbered consecutively or start again at 1 when the
memory card is erased or a fresh card is used.
USB Mode: presents the 3 available USB protocols
as icons. An icon of an xD card represents Mass
Storage which has the card recognized as a hard disk;
a printer icon represents PictBridge, a protocol
that lets the camera control a PictBridge compliant printer
directly.
Language sets the language used by the interface
of the camera: Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish
and simplified Chinese.
Video System: sets the signal for the video output,
NTSC or PAL.
Discharge: OK starts discharging Ni-MH batteries,
allowing them to be recharged fully and which extends their
life.
Reset All: Resets the camera to the factory defaults.
The Fujifilm FinePix A350
is supplied with a printed manual which covers both the A350
and the A345. The manual covers all aspects of the camera's
operation, progressing from its most simple use to the more
advanced features and the capabilities of each shooting mode.
Furthermore, separate sections explain the movie and the playback
modes, and a clear explanation is provided on connecting the
A350 to a computer or a printer.
Software
The FinePix A350 comes with a
single CD-ROM containing FinePix Viewer version 4.3 for
Windows and Mac (OS X). Worth noting, the installation process
on a Windows XP machine not only installs FinePix Viewer, but
also automatically installs RAW File Converter LE, a program
which is intended to convert Fujifilm RAW images, and a format
that the FinePix A350 does not support.
Moreover, once the installation is finished, the program
demands that the computer be rebooted and does not give the
user a chance to reboot at a later point, leaving a small
pop-up window on the screen that says "Restart now".
FinePix Viewer's primary function is to view images,
presenting them as scalable thumbnails in the right-side pane
of the program while the left pane serves either to access
other images, or view the drive contents as folders.
FinePix Viewer can display the shooting data for each photo and, in addition
allows for some basic image editing, either automatically,
or manually. Using manual image edition, photos can be adjusted
for brightness, saturation, hue, contrast and sharpness. Furthermore,
the program can be used to create sepia or black and white
versions of any selected image.
Finally, FinePix Viewer can also be used to print images,
or upload them for printing, or simply to produce slide shows.
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Interface & Software
