Fujifilm FinePix S7000

Front (8.5)
The front of the Fuji FinePix S7000 holds the camera's two largest extremities: the lens and the right-hand grip. The Super EBC Fujinon Lens has a 6x optical zoom (f/2.8-f/3.1) with a 7.8-46.8mm focal range. Much like an SLR, the lens has a FZ Ring (Focal/Zoom) that is used to focus in manual mode and zoom in and out (also applicable in auto focus mode). Above the lens is the external AF sensor, which is the S7000's equivalent to an AF assist illuminator in other cameras. Both features are designed to help the camera perform in low light situations.

Directly above the AF sensor is a built-in flash unit. The flash, which can be popped up and down using a button, has an effective range of 1-27.9 feet at the wide angle setting and 3-25.9 feet at telephoto.

At the tip of the right-hand grip is the self-timer lamp, which blinks to indicate that a picture is about to be taken. The last feature on the front of the Fuji FinePix S7000 is the tiny microphone to the upper right of the lens. These little holes record sound when shooting movies. Overall, I feel the layout of the front of the camera is intelligently designed.

Back (8.5)
My first instinct when holding this camera was to put my eye up to the large electronic 230,000 pixel viewfinder (EVF). Like other features of the Fuji FinePix S7000, it has the look and feel of an SLR viewfinder. To the right, there is a dioptric adjustment for sharpening the appearance of the image in the viewfinder. The largest feature on the back of the camera is the 1.8-inch, 118,000-pixel LCD screen. I was very pleased with the quality of the screen, and even more pleased that Fuji gives you the option to adjust the screen brightness by using the 'shift' button.

 Lining the right side of the screen is the EVF/LCD button (which toggles between the viewfinder and the LCD screen), the Display button (which displays text or framing guidelines) and the FinePix Photo mode button (which allows you to change the quality, sensitivity, and color settings). Farther to the right is the highly functional Menu button, outlined by four directional arrow buttons. The Menu button allows you to choose a menu option, while the arrows select one with within.

The Back button allows you to stop at any point when you're choosing settings. It's great for new or unfamiliar users; they can always stop and start over if they've gotten themselves confused or lost in the menu. To the left of the back button is a slightly smaller button that's used to check the focus of an image by zooming into the center of the screen. Near the top of the back side are the familiar Zoom buttons used to zoom in (T- telephoto) and out (W- wide angle). In the right-hand corner is the AE lock button, which locks any exposure when held down.

Left Side (8.0)
The left side of the Fuji FinePix S7000 has four easily accessible buttons, excluding the flash pop-up button. The Macro button, whose name is quite explanatory, can be used to take close-up shots. The Shift button acts as a way to access certain settings by holding it down simultaneously with other control buttons. I presume it has the name 'Shift' because it functions in much the same way as the shift key on a keyboard.

The Info (Information Check) button displays a histogram and current settings in Shooting mode and image information while in Playback mode. Underneath the Info button is the One-Touch focus button, outlined by the Focus Mode Selector that allows the user to switch between Continuous, Single, and Manual focal modes.

At the bottom of the left side is a cute little rubbery terminal cover that opens up to the DC in 5V (power input) socket that gives you the option to plug the camera in with an AC power adapter, provided you chose to purchase one separately. The other terminal cover to the right opens up to reveal a USB port and A/V out for video output. This cover is a little less sturdy than the media storage terminal cover, but it probably won’t get used as much, so it’s not as crucial.

Right Side (8.5)
The only feature on the right side of the camera, aside from the large hand grip, is a terminal cover that opens up to both an xD-Picture Card slot and a Microdrive slot (CompactFlash). I am definitely a fan of the dual storage option, which gives the user a choice and the ability to swap data more easily with friends. The CompactFlash card has a little button to release it, whereas the xD card just needs to be pushed in to make it pop out again. The cover is quite substantial and snaps tight enough that I wouldn’t worry about it falling open. It’s made of thick plastic, so it will protect your cards pretty well.

Top (8.5)
The main feature on the top of the Fuji FinePix S7000 is the built-in flash unit. At its base is a hot shoe, which gives the option of using an external flash. The Mode dial switches among the still image modes (Manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program, Auto, and Scene Position) as well as Movie recording and Set-up. The neighboring command dial is used in conjunction with other control buttons to change Shutter, Aperture, and other settings. Directly above this dial is the Continuous Shooting button.

The other two independent buttons on the top are the Flash button and the Exposure control button. These randomly placed buttons could have a better home. Last, but not least, is the Shutter button that is surrounded by the Power, Playback mode, and Shooting mode dial. I found this easy to use because my 35mm SLR has the same set-up, but people who are coming from point-and-shoot cameras might have to search to find it.