Auto Mode (7.5)
The FinePix E900 has an Auto mode, which sets just about everything. Unfortunately, Auto mode leaves ISO up to the user. Those shooters wanting full exposure automation with ISO control can use the Program mode – where full Auto should cover everything. Exposure compensation, however, does not work in Automatic or Scene modes.
Custom Image Presets (6.0)
The FinePix E900 offers four standard image presets, but not the range of highly-specialized settings of many other beginner cameras. For example, there is no “Food” or “Fireworks” setting. In general, those settings are only marginally useful, even for beginners. Fuji's approach is to offer manual controls that allow users to accomplish the same things.
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Natural Light
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No flash, but high ISO up to 800, to take pictures in dim light. Fujifilm's cameras are typically better than average in low light – not all of the E900's competitors have ISO 800. Fujifilm markets its cameras with great claims for their low-light performance, though the E900 is not the best performer in their line in that respect.
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Portrait
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Fujifilm says it produces good skin tones and “soft overall tone.” Flash can be set to red-eye reduction, auto, fill flash, flash with slow shutter speed, red-eye reduction with slow shutter speed, or off
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Sport
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Fast shutter speed to stop action. Auto flash, or fill flash, no red-eye reduction (it slows down the camera)
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Night
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Allows exposures up to 3 seconds. Flash, or red-eye reduction flash with slow shutter speed.
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Drive / Burst Mode (6.25)
Compact cameras really aren't on track to compete with the high-speed DSLRs that are popular for shooting sports and other fast-moving subjects. The FinePix E900 won't deliver multi-image sequences of fast action, such as a golf swing, a bride's bouquet toss, or a bird landing on a feeder.
Still, at 2 frames per second, it is competitive with cameras in its price range, particularly given the large size of the files it's writing. The E900 offers four burst modes: First 4 frames shoots four images at 2 frames per second, and then stops to write them to memory. Last 4 frames keeps on shooting for longer, but only saves the last four frames to memory, also at 2 frames per second. Long-period shoots up to 40 images at 0.6 frames per second, writing all of them to memory. Fuji also includes its three-frame bracket option in the burst mode.
Playback Mode (6.5)
The FinePix E900's Playback mode offers a range of formats for looking at saved images. Pressing the exposure compensation button brings up an information display with histogram, quality, ISO shutter speed and aperture, color setting, flash setting, white balance, exposure compensation, frame number, and date and time. Pressing the Display/Back button cycles the shooter through other options. The FinePix E900 shows images with no text, nine thumbnails, and a folder view showing the date shot. There's also a highlight warning available on single images.
The Fujifilm FinePix E900 interface allows users to erase one frame at a time or all the unprotected frames in memory at once; there's no separate way to select several images and delete them all at once, which would be a more convenient system. The user can rotate, crop and protect images, and then use DPOF or PictBridge printing through the Playback interface. The Playback mode also includes a sort-by-date view that speeds up navigation.
The Slide show feature allows users to choose the length of time each image is displayed and gives the option of fading between images or not. There is no feature to show only selected images – everything in the camera’s entire memory is displayed.
Movie Mode (6.75)
The FinePix E900 shoots video at the industry-standard 30 frames per second, at resolutions of 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels. While the 640 x 480 is comparable to standard video, and the picture looks pretty good, it's not time to throw away those camcorders yet. The E900 does not zoom while shooting video, records only mono sound, and the microphone picks up the focus motor's sound in a very distracting way.
