Although it has few external controls,
the FinePix E510 is a relatively flexible camera. It is equipped
with a complete array of image capture modes including the P,
A, S and M modes that allow control over how images are captured.
Moreover, beyond the Program mode, it offers a Program Shift mode
that makes it simple for the user to select different combinations of aperture
and shutter speeds, resulting in images that have more or less depth of
field, or which show control over how movement is captured.
The wide angle end of the E510's
zoom, equivalent to a 28mm, gives this camera a capability
that offsets the fact that its telephoto setting only offers
a modest magnification equivalent to a 92mm focal length. Moreover,
distortions are well controlled over the entire focal length
range of the zoom. Barrel distortion, at the wide angle end
of the zoom, is limited to straight lines or straight image
elements that happen to be aligned with the long edges of the
frame, while at the telephoto end of the zoom there is no noticeable
pincushion distortion. Moreover, throughout the zoom's range,
chromatic aberration is nearly undetectable.
Aperture: f2.9, shutter speed: 1/9 sec, 80 ISO.
Aperture: f5.5, shutter speed: 1/20 sec, 80 ISO.
Left to its default setting,
the FinePix E510 captures bright and cheerful colours accurately.
But, when images need a slight boost in colour saturation, something
that can occur when shooting under an overcast sky in autumn
or winter and which tends to make colours look dull or flat,
the E510's "Chrome" setting can come in very useful
to enhance the overall colour of the photos.
One area in particular however, of the FinePix E510 falls a bit short of
expectations. Although it provides a fully manual mode, the maximum exposure
time is limited to 2 seconds which is simply too short to capture photos
of night time scenery that show something more than little dots of light,
and this even if the subject is a relatively well-lit urban landscape.
This inability is rather surprising, especially in view of the advanced
shooting modes with which the camera is equipped.
The E510 is able to capture photos
at sensitivities up to 400 ISO. Although the higher ISO settings
can come in handy to maintain the high shutter speeds that avoid
blur, that gain is at the expense of a fair amount of noise in
the images.
At lower sensitivities, the E510's images clearly show less noise, but
even at 100 ISO noise can still be seen in deep shadows, and occasionally
in areas with uniform colours.
Although the highest resolution
and best image quality of the E510 applies a reasonable compression
level that hovers in the 6:1 range, the process can sometimes
have an impact on the sharpness of the image, and can soften
edge detail.
Regrettably, as with a number of current Fujifilm cameras, the E510 is
limited to just a handful of choices for image size and quality and an
uncompressed image format is not included.
The Fujifilm FinePix E510 offers
a number of valuable features, but of these one stands out. It
is equipped with a wide angle that is equivalent to a 28mm, a
focal length that is still relatively uncommon with compact digital
cameras, and one that is ideally suited to landscapes and architecture
photography. This, combined with an excellent colour rendition
and distortion free images, should make it an appealing camera
for uses that cover the gamut of work to pleasure.
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