Fujifilm FinePix A350 Digital Camera Review

Auto Mode (7.0)
The Fujifilm FinePix A350 is designed for use in automatic mode. In fact, all of the modes on this camera - even the so-called manual mode - could be considered an automatic mode on another digital camera.

The simple interface should be enough to tell users that this is quite the automatically oriented camera and help introduce beginner users to the medium. A mode switch is located above the LCD screen that includes only Playback, Movie and Still modes; all of these are represented with intuitive graphic icons. Once users are in the still image recording mode, the menu's Shooting Modes include an array of automatic options: Landscape, Portrait, Auto, Manual, Sport, and Night.

The scene modes and the Auto mode have the same restrictive access. Users do not have access to the white balance and exposure compensation settings in these modes. In the automatic mode, users can access the continuous shooting, macro, and flash modes. When the Auto mode is selected, the automatic flash and macro settings are restored, so they can only be changed if the user wants them changed.

Movie Mode (5.5)
The movie mode on the FinePix A350 is slightly improved from the camera's predecessor, the Fujifilm FinePix A340. Both cameras shot in the same image sizes: 320 x 240 and 160 x 120 pixels. However, the older model captured video at a rate of 10 frames per second. The A350 speeds things up just a bit with a 15-frame-per-second recording rate. This is not the smoothest ride you'll find on a digital camera - many models now have 30 frames per second at 640 x 480 pixels. The reduced recording rate will result in a lack of fluidity in the captured video. However, this movie mode deserves some credit for its ease of use. It is very easy to find, with the movie camera icon located in the middle of the mode switch. Once users have made the switch, menu options won't be a burden; there aren't many - just the image size. Shooters need only to press the shutter release button once to record and again to stop. The LCD provides the view, which also indicates the image size and remaining recording time on the screen. There is no optical or digital zoom available in the movie mode.

Producing action-packed flicks with the Fujifilm A350 could be a problem, as the auto focus system doesn't respond quickly in the movie mode. Clips such as people talking and making small gestures will work, but getting that perfect shot of your kid's basketball lay-up may get slightly blurred (though your kid may think it looks cool). The movie mode on the A350 also records monaural sound, but not very well. The built-in microphone picks up all kinds of stray noise. The clips we recorded also captured significant bits of the air conditioner, lights buzzing, coworkers typing, bugs flying, squealing brakes from a passing bus, and even some yells from the karate dojo down the street. The combination of all these noises sounded something like a television that doesn't get any reception, although the mic's hyper-sensitivity is impressive.

Drive / Burst Mode (5.5)
A Continuous shooting mode is included on the Fujifilm A350 and is available in all of the shooting modes, although it is not very impressive. It takes a shot every 0.89 seconds for five shots, then takes a ridiculously long 20 seconds to write to the memory card. Of course, this is at the largest image size setting. As the image size shrinks, the camera has more endurance; for example, it can go for 8 shots in the 3:2 format setting.

Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode on the A350 is certainly easy to find, as it is located on the mode switch and clearly labeled with the traditional green triangle-in-a-box icon. Images can be viewed as single frames and scrolled through with the buttons to the left and right of the zoom toggle. The zoom toggle can magnify frames as much as 4.1x. When the Display button next to the LCD screen is pressed, pictures can be viewed in frames of nine thumbnails. Playback menu options are available when the images are viewed individually. Users can erase one frame or all of them at once through a menu option. I'm a fan of having an easily accessible button on the housing of the camera for this, so I was a bit disappointed that the A350 only included a menu option.

Users can also print, protect, and trim their photos. After a family reunion, users can gather kids around a television and connect the camera to the television directly to view the camera's fairly elaborate slide show mode (called 'Playback' within the playback mode menu) which lets users choose one of four ways to switch photos. There are long and short options of viewing the slide show; the long option lets users see photos for 8 seconds each, while the shorter goes for 5 seconds. Users can also choose whether the photo disappears into the next image or if there is a PowerPoint or infomercial-like wipe transition between the frames.

Custom Image Presets (5.0)
There are two standard shooting modes - Auto and Manual - along with four custom image presets: Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and Night. The casual photographer will find the four scene modes fine for vacation shots or kids at a soccer game, but digital camera owners looking for something new will find the lack of choices disappointing.

Portrait mode is best suited for, well, portraits of people because it softens the background and makes the subject more pronounced. Next is Landscape mode, which is also self-explanatory and brings out crisp, clear pictures in daylight with lots of depth in the composition. Sports mode, for all you soccer moms and dads, automatically sets a faster shutter speed to freeze the Beckham-esque corner kicks, strike outs, slap shots, and jump shots (not all within the same game of course). Night mode allows the maximum amount of light to be drawn out of low light photos. Candlelight dinners or fireworks displays are generally images taken in this mode. The shutter speed can slow to up to two seconds and as always, a tripod is recommended to prevent blurring.