Fujifilm FinePix S700

Reviewed August 2007

Characteristics

The FinePix S700/S5700 is equipped with a 1/2.5-inch CCD that has 7.1 million effective pixels, yielding a maximum image size of 3072 x 2304 pixels. A total of six image sizes are available, but only the largest image size has a choice of two compression settings, Fine and Normal, and all images are saved in JPEG format:

The S700/S5700 has a sensitivity range that starts at 64 ISO and extends to 1600 ISO. Used in the P, A, S, and M modes, CCD sensitivity can be set to 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600 ISO. An Auto ISO mode is also available — the default with all other modes — and it can be set to have a maximum of 400 ISO (Auto 400) or 800 ISO (Auto 800).

The S700/S5700 is equipped with a 10X Fujinon optical zoom that has a focal length range of 6.3 to 63 mm, equivalent to a 38 to 380 mm on a 35 mm camera. The zoom offers a constant aperture starting at f3.5, out to f13.6 (f3.5, f4, f4.5, f5, f5.6, f6.3, f6.8, f13.6).

These apertures work in conjunction with a shutter speed range that covers from 1/4000 second to a maximum exposure time of 4 seconds.

As noted in the Ergonomics section, the FinePix S700/S5700's settings for sensitivity, image size and quality, and colour are determined in the -Mode Menu displayed when the button is pressed. Other settings are presented when the MENU/OK button is pressed, although most are only shown when the camera is set to P, S, A, or M modes:

• Scene Position (only shown when the camera is set to SP1 or SP2): provides access to the other scene modes.
• Photometry selects the metering pattern: Multi divides the frame into 256 segments to arrive at precise exposure settings that take the entire frame into account; Spot concentrates the reading on a small area at the centre of the frame; and Average is a Centre-weighted pattern.
• White Balance (WB): Auto, Custom (set under ambient light using a white surface), Sun, Shade, Fluorescent 1 (daylight fluorescent), Fluorescent 2 (warm white), Fluorescent 3 (cool white) or Incandescent.

• High-Speed Shooting: this option shortens the time required to autofocus by narrowing the range of the AF from its normal 30 cm (1 ft) to infinity, to 1 m (3.3 ft) to infinity when the zoom is set to the wide angle end. This mode is automatically and temporarily selected when the Sport shooting mode is used.
• Focusing allows selecting:
  • Continuous
  • Single AF
  • Manual Focus, which is adjusted by pressing and holding the button while focusing with the zoom control.

• AF Mode selects the way the auto focus operates:
  • Centre focuses at the centre of the frame exclusively.
  • Multi selects the focus point automatically from a wide area at the centre of the frame.
  • Area makes it possible to move the AF point anywhere in the frame using the 4-direction control.
• Sharpness controls the in-camera sharpening:
  • Hard: emphasizes outlines.
  • Standard: default setting.
  • Soft: designed for portraits, or when softer contours are desirable.
• Flash: controls the brightness adjustment of the flash over a range of -2/3 EV to +2/3 EV, in 1/3 EV increments.
• Bracketing selects the bracketing increment: 1 EV, 2/3 EV, or 1/3 EV for Auto Bracketing.
• Image Stabilization (only shown in the Movie mode, and along with the access to the Setup menu, the only options shown in the Movie mode): On or Off, controls the electronic image stabilization for the movie mode. Worth noting, using image stabilization changes the equivalent focal length available in the Movie mode from 38 to 380 mm when the stabilization is turned off, to 48 to 580 mm (12X) when the stabilization is active.
• Set-Up: is the access to the basic configuration of the camera (see the Interface and Software section of the review).

With the S700/S5700 set to the Playback mode, the menu provides the following options:

• Erase: serves to erase one or all unprotected images.
• Image Rotate: allows rotating an unprotected image in 90° increments to the right or the left.

• Protect: serves to protect All, or Selected images or Reset (remove) protection for all.
• Copy: serves to copy images or video clips from the internal memory to a memory card, or vice versa, either one frame at a time, or all frames at once.
• Voice Memo: serves to add a voice annotation to an image. The recording can be up to 30 seconds long, and should be done by facing the camera as the microphone is under the flash, on the left side of the lens.
• Trimming: allows zooming into a part of an image and capturing the section as a new image. The size of the image depends on the zoom scale used.

• Setup: is the access to the Setup menu.

The FinePix S700/S5700 has an internal memory of approximately 27 MB and is not sold with a memory card. In addition, the FinePix S700/S5700 is equipped with a card slot, located on the right side of the camera and covered by a solid door. The slot is compatible with xD Picture cards, and with SD (Secure Digital) memory cards.

The chart below provides approximate capacities for both the 27 MB internal memory and a 2 GB memory card.

Two external connections are located on the left side of the camera, covered by a tight-fitting, flexible cover tethered to the camera at the top.

The upper connection is for USB (2.0 Full Speed) or A/V (Audio/Video) Out, (NTSC or PAL as selected in the Setup menu), depending on which cable is plugged in. Both cables are included with the camera.

Below is the DC input, designed to function with the optional AC-DC adapter (AC-5VX), so that the S700/S5700 can be powered from household current.

The S700/S5700 is powered by four AA size batteries, and is retailed with 4 alkaline batteries The batteries are located in the camera's grip, behind a latched door. The S700/S5700 is also compatible with rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, which provide a much longer autonomy.