The Fujifilm FinePix E510,
a 5.2 megapixel camera, is part of a new series of Fujifilm digital
cameras that use a standard CCD as opposed to a SuperCCD. The
E510 is one of two cameras that have identical bodies, the other
being the E500, a 4.1 megapixel. Both cameras have a 3X optical
zoom, and a wide angle equivalent to a 28mm.
All the top-mounted controls are grouped on the right, and can be manipulated
with either the index finger or the thumb.
Topping the front of the grip is
the 2-stage
shutter release which is slightly inclined towards the front
and the lens, making it perfectly angled for use. Directly behind
are the power switch on the left, and the Mode dial on the right.
The Mode dial offers 10 positions, all of which are capture modes:
Auto mode: lets the E510
control all the shooting parameters, while the user retains
control over the image size and quality, CCD sensitivity,
and image tone.
Program mode offers
both a standard Program mode and a Program Shift
mode. The standard Program mode lets the E510 choose the
aperture and the shutter speed but leaves all other settings
to the user. The Program Shift mode allows the user
to select alternative combinations of aperture/shutter
speeds that will result in a correctly exposed image using
the up and down arrows of the 4-direction control.
Shutter priority: allows
the user to select a shutter speed from a range that covers
from 1/1000 second to 2 seconds while the E510 matches
it to an aperture. All other settings remain available.
Aperture priority: lets
the user choose apertures from f2.9 to f8 at the wide angle
end of the zoom, and from f5.5 to f8 at the telephoto end,
while the camera matches it to a shutter speed. All other
settings remain available.
Manual mode: offers
control over both aperture and shutter speed with the same
parameters as are available in each of the priority modes.
All other settings, aside for exposure compensation, remain
available.
Movie mode: the E510
is able to capture video clips with sound (mono, 16 kHz)
in AVI format. Two image sizes are available:
320 × 240 pixels at 10 fps for a
maximum clip length of 1 minute.
160 x 120 pixels at 10 fps for a maximum
clip length of 3 minutes.
During the recording, the zoom is locked at the position
it was in at the start of the sequence, focus and white
balance are established at the first frame, while exposure
is adjusted as necessary.
Night Scene mode: the
E510 controls the exposure — the shutter speed extending
to a maximum of 2 seconds — and sets by default a
sensitivity of 200 ISO although it remains adjustable by
the user. The flash is set to slow synch, with or without
red-eye reduction.
Sports mode: strives
to use the fastest shutter speed possible so as to freeze
action. By default sensitivity is set to 200 ISO, but it
can be modified if desired. The flash is restricted to
Auto or Forced on.
Landscape mode: uses
the smallest aperture available to the camera to maximize
depth of field, and a sensitivity of 100 ISO. The flash
is forced off and cannot be used.
Portrait mode: accentuates
skin tones and softens the contrast. A 100 ISO sensitivity
is set by default but can be modified by the user.
The zoom control is positioned immediately behind the Mode dial, on the
upper right side of the camera's back. And, as with the capture modes,
the control can be used in the playback mode to zoom in and out of a photo
to check its sharpness.
On the left side of the upper back, the E510 is equipped with a button
to release the pop-up flash and an optical viewfinder.
The FinePix E510's viewfinder
is not equipped with a diopter, but its design makes it comfortable
to use while wearing glasses. It offers an AF indication at the
centre of its field of view, and parallax markings
for use when the subject is close by and the difference between
the axis of the lens and of the viewfinder becomes exaggerated.
It is flanked on the right by an LED that glows green while the
camera is On, and red while an image is being saved or the flash
is charging.
To the left of the large 2 inch, 154,000 pixel LCD monitor, a single
button serves to:
control the exposure
compensation over a range of ± 2EV in increments
of 0.3 EV when the camera is set to any of the P, S or A modes.
When in use, the E510 displays a scale on
the lower right of the monitor. Worth noting, should
the LCD screen be turned off when the button
is pressed, the monitor is automatically turned on.
The button also serves other purposes. During manual focusing the
button needs to be held in while the zoom control is used to focus
the lens. And in the Manual mode, the button must be held
down while the 4-direction control is used to adjust the aperture.
A cluster of five other controls completes the external controls of the
E510.
Foremost is the Mode Switch which is positioned on the edge of the monitor.
When it is pushed to the top ,
the E510 is in the capture mode, pushed to the bottom ,
the E510 is ready for playback.
The button,
directly below the Mode Switch, serves to call up a special menu
that provides choices for image size, CCD sensitivity and colour (see
the Characteristics section of the review for more detail).
Next comes the 4-direction control which allows navigating the menus, themselves
called up by the centre button,
which also serves to confirm menu choices. The 4-direction control provides
additional functions, depending on the mode in use:
with A, S or M modes the up and
down arrows are used to modify the aperture or the
shutter speed.
with P, S, A, and M modes the left arrow
[]
turns on the macro modes:
Macro which allows the camera to focus on
a subject from 6.7 to 80 cm (2.6 inches to 2.6 ft)
from the front element of the lens and which limits
the zoom to a 1.4X magnification which corresponds
to a focal length range of 28 to 42 mm;
or Super Macro mode which locks the zoom at
the wide angle end, but allows the camera to focus
over a range of 2.6 to 15 cm (1 to 5.9 inches).
and with the camera set to any other mode but Landscape and Movie,
the right arrow []
controls the flash modes: Auto, Red-eye Reduction,
Forced On, Slow Synchro, and Slow Synchro with Red-eye Reduction.
Last, the lowest button on the E510's back provides two functions,
the Recording function stencilled on the button and the playback
function stamped on the edge of the monitor:
in the recording modes, serves
to back out of a menu operation, or cancel a selection.
in the capture modes, controls
the information superimposed on the monitor. By default,
in the capture modes the E510 displays the status of the
metering mode, image size and quality, the number of photos
that can still be stored on the memory card, the current
ISO setting, the AF point and the selected aperture and
shutter speed.
Pressing the button once
adds a composition grid to the monitor. Pressing the
button a second time removes all information with the
exception of the AF area and of the aperture and shutter
speed. A third press of the button turns off the monitor.
By default, in the Playback mode the camera displays an image with
its file name, and the time and date at which it was captured,
and this overlaid information disappears after 2 seconds. Pressing
the button
before the 2 seconds have elapsed removes the superimposed information
immediately, and a second press of the button displays the images
contained in the memory card as thumbnails (9 per screen).
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Ergonomics
on
the lower right of the monitor. Worth noting, should
the LCD screen be turned off when the 
,
the E510 is in the capture mode, pushed to the bottom 
,
the E510 is ready for playback.
button,
directly below the Mode Switch, serves to call up a special menu
that provides choices for image size, CCD sensitivity and colour (see
the Characteristics section of the review for more detail).
button,
which also serves to confirm menu choices. The 4-direction control provides
additional functions, depending on the mode in use:
]
turns on the macro modes:
]
controls the flash modes: Auto, Red-eye Reduction,
Forced On, Slow Synchro, and Slow Synchro with Red-eye Reduction.
