Fujifilm's FinePix S5100 (called S5500 in
Europe) retains the design lines of the earlier S5000. The S5100
is equipped with a standard 4-megapixel CCD and a 10X optical
zoom, and the external modifications between this model and the
previous S5000 are minor.
Capture or Playback — as
well as the shutter release, a chromed button at its centre.
Two small buttons are located directly behind the power switch, allowing
them to be selected with the index:
The first button on the left
is to select one of the continuous shooting modes:
Top 3-frame Continuous Shooting:
captures 3 frames at up to 3 frames per second.
Auto Bracketing: captures 3 photos over a
range of ± 1 EV selectable in 1/3 EV increments.
Final 3-Frame Continuous Shooting: lets the
camera shoot a burst — as long as the shutter
release is held down — at up to 3 frames per
second for up to 40 frames, recording only the last
3 frames before the end of the burst.
Long Period Continuous Shooting: only applies
to the Auto mode. The mode captures up to 40
shots at a maximum speed of 1.6 frames per second.
The second button, on the right
side, is to set exposure
compensation over a range of ± 2 EV in increments of 1/3 EV,
but only when using the P/S/A modes. Moreover,
in the Manual mode, the button serves to adjust the aperture.
In Playback, the button presents a photo as a thumbnail, and adds
a histogram and the shooting parameters.
Topping the back side of the grip,
the S5100 provides a Mode Dial that has 10 positions:
The Auto mode leaves most
settings up to the S5100, while still allowing the user the
choice of selecting the resolution, the CCD sensitivity,
including the choice of an Auto ISO setting — the only
mode to offer that option — the colour mode, the flash
mode, the continuous modes and the self-timer.
Program can be used to
let the camera select the shutter speed and aperture or,
by using the 4-direction control, be used to select combinations
of alternative apertures and shutter speeds that would also
result in a correctly exposed image (Program Shift).
The Shutter Priority mode
allows the user control over how movement is captured by
selecting the shutter speed from a range of 3 seconds to
1/1000 second, while the camera matches it to an aperture.
Aperture Priority lets
the user adjust the aperture and therefore the depth of field
from a range of 10 apertures starting at f2.8 to f8 when
the zoom is a the widest angle, or from f3.1 through to f9
when it is at the maximum telephoto, and the camera matches
the selected aperture to a shutter speed.
Manual mode provides complete
control over both aperture and shutter speed selection, the
shutter speeds covering from 1/2000 second to 15 seconds
while the aperture range is the same as the A mode.
The Movie mode captures
videos with sound at 30 frames per second as long as there
is space on the memory card, at either of 2 image sizes:
640 × 480 pixels or 320 × 240 pixels. During
the recording the zoom is locked at the position it was
at when the recording started, and so are the focus and
white balance. Exposure on the other hand is adjusted dynamically.
Portrait mode favours
skin tones and uses a wide aperture to have the subject in
focus and the background slightly blurred. By default sensitivity
is set to 100 ISO, but it can be increased if desired up
to 400 ISO.
Landscape mode sets the
sensitivity at 100 ISO, but the setting can be modified by
the user. The smallest aperture available to the camera is
used to maximize depth of field, and sensitivity is set to
100 ISO but can be modified by the user, and the flash is
forced off and cannot be used, even if opened.
Sports mode gives priority
to a high shutter speed so as to stop action. The mode sets
a sensitivity of 100 ISO by default, but it can be modified
by the user if desired. If the flash is opened, it is restricted
to Auto or Forced On.
Night Scene mode lets
the camera use a slow shutter speed — down to 3 seconds — and
sets the sensitivity to 100 ISO although once again, it can
be increased by the user. If the flash is opened the only
choices are slow synch with or without red-eye reduction.
A tripod should be used to prevent camera shake.
The S5100 is equipped with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) providing an
image composed of 115,000 pixels, and it includes a diopter correction.
The S5100 is also equipped with a pop-up flash, released manually with
a small button just below the left side of the flash.
S-AF: Single AF auto
focuses once when the shutter release is pressed halfway.
MF: Manual Focus allows
the S5100 to be focused by pressing and maintaining (Exposure
Compensation) button in combination with the Zoom
control. Regrettably, there is no distance indication
displayed.
C-AF: is the Continuous Auto Focus mode,
making it possible to have the camera follow a
moving subject. However the mode increases the
drain on the batteries.
All the other external controls for
the S5100 are arranged above and to the right of the 1.5 inch, 115,000
pixel LCD monitor.
Starting with the section above the monitor, the S5100 has a green LED
on the left that serves to indicate various camera activities such as AF,
saving, etc. The button near it is now a standard on all current Fujifilm
cameras, calling up the Photo Mode menu:
The Photo Mode menu
serves to select image size and quality, ISO sensitivity
and the colour mode. (See the Characteristics section
of the review for more detail on the options of the Photo
Mode menu.)
The second button is to toggle
between use of the EVF or the Monitor.
First amongst the controls to the
right of the LCD monitor, the Zoom Control is at the top
right of the camera's back, placed so that it is under the thumb
when the camera is in hand. And, in addition to controlling the
zoom, the control also serves to zoom in and out of a photo when
it is displayed on the screen.
Directly underneath the zoom control a small round button has a double
function:
In the Capture modes
when pressed once the button adds a composition grid
to the monitor or the EVF, then removes it and all other
information superimposed on the image when pressed a
second time.
In the Playback mode the button serves to switch between
the normal display mode, which has some basic information superimposed
on the image, to one which has none, and a thumbnail display (9
thumbnails per screen).
In addition, when the menu
is on the screen, the button can be used to Back out
of the menu or an option.
The 4-direction control is next, allowing navigation of the S5100's
menus, while the MENU/OK button in the centre calls up the menu
that corresponds to the camera's mode as set with the Mode/Power switch.
In addition, the right and left arrow direction buttons also have a function
when the camera is in a capture mode:
The left arrow button turns
on the Macro mode, allowing the S5100 to focus
on a subject positioned 10 cm (3 in) in front of the
lens when the zoom is set to wide angle, and 30 cm (1
ft) at the telephoto end.
The right arrow controls the flash modes,
but only operates when the flash is open: Auto, Auto with
Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Synch and Slow Synch
with Red-eye reduction.
Finally the button labeled is
called the Low light viewfinder button and serves to increase
the brightness of the LCD monitor or the EVF — whichever
one is in use — temporarily as an aid in composition.
However, in view of the fact that this is a new camera, it might have been
an opportunity to make some other improvements such as a higher resolution
EVF and monitor.
Compare Prices for Fuji FinePix S5100Zoom AC Adapter
Introduction
or Playback 
— as
well as the shutter release, a chromed button at its centre.
is
called the Low light viewfinder button and serves to increase
the brightness of the LCD monitor or the EVF — whichever
one is in use — temporarily as an aid in composition.
