Working
in conjunction with the Fujinon lens is a 64
zone metering system, similar to the MX-700's. This
system is largely responsible for the image quality of
the Fujifilm MX-500. Segmented metering has been proven
successful on 35mm cameras for many years, and is now
being used more and more, on digital still cameras. Able
to accurately analyze the distribution of light throughout
a given scene, the meter sets the camera's aperture
and speed
according to the values it registers.
In Manual mode, the MX-500 allows the user to alter the white
balance according to conditions; the exposure
compensation setting in one third increments; the flash setting, also
in one third increments; and finally, the flash synch. This flexibility
gives the user a lot of control over the final quality of the pictures,
in particular when using the camera in macro
mode.
The Fujifilm MX-500 is sold with a 2MB SmartMedia memory
card, housed in a side compartment, covered by a simple but effective
door. The small capacity card is only able to handle 2 fine mode images
at 1280x1024 and twelve at the lower resolution of 640x480. As was the
case with the MX-700, users will probably want to purchase an additional,
larger memory card quickly, and use the 2MB one as back-up.
While
a few of the options available on the MX-700 have been dropped and others
simplified to make the MX-500, the most useful ones have been retained.
The result is a excellent camera, offering good value for the money.
The
Fujifilm MX-500 has connections for serial
data transfer (labelled "digital"); power; and video out (NTSC
or PAL depending on where the camera is purchased).
The
serial connection offers transfer rates of up to 115Kbps. Separate cables
for PC and Macintosh are supplied with the camera, along with the camera
to TV cable.
Unlike the MX-700
which comes with a power adapter that also serves to recharge the specially
designed lithium ion battery it uses, the MX-500 uses either 4 standard
AA alkaline batteries, nickel metal hydride or nickel cadmium rechargeable
batteries. A power adapter is also available but is sold separately.
Fujifilm
claims a battery life of 200 frames with the LCD display on and a set
of 4 fresh alkaline batteries; and 500 frames with the LCD screen off.
This low consumption is, in part, due to the LCD screen used in the MX-500.
