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Auto Mode (7.5)
A red camera icon on the mode dial marks the F30’s automatic mode. In this mode, the camera limits options, so all users have to think about is pointing, zooming, and shooting. The menu is truncated to include only high-speed shooting, continuous, and setup options, as well as the icons on the multi-selector. ‘F’ Photo mode has the same options, but limits the ISO sensitivities to Auto ISO and High Auto ISO. The automatic mode is simple to use and comes up with decent exposures.
Movie Mode (7.0)
The movie mode doesn’t offer lots of fancy features, and its specs haven’t changed since the Fuji F10, but it takes decent clips nonetheless. It records video and audio at a rate of 30 frames per second and at two sizes: 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixels. ‘F’ Photo mode menu lets users pick the size, but provides no other choices. The shooting menu is even more scant; it only provides a portal to the setup menu. Users cannot use the 3x optical zoom capability while recording, perhaps because of its audible motor noise. It would most definitely be picked up on the microphone, which does its job very well. Audio playback is possible with movies, but the volume can only be adjusted in the setup menu and not while actually viewing.
Movies from the Fujifilm FinePix F30 look great, but a little shaky sometimes. This mode could use several improvements, such as zooming functionality and an image stabilization system. Also, users who record videos in hopes of playing them on the big screen will be disappointed; the AV-out cable exports video to the television as black-and-white only.
Drive / Burst Mode (6.0)
The burst settings can be accessed from many of the shooting modes, including the auto mode. This mode also has not been changed from the Fujifilm FinePix F30. Its 2.2 fps speed and short 3-frame life are, unfortunately, still the same. After the camera takes a picture, the screen blanks out for almost a full second before the live view returns and the camera is ready to focus and grab the next shot.
There are several burst modes on the camera: Top-3, Final-3, and Long Period Continuous. In the first two burst modes, the camera takes about six seconds to write the three images to the card before it can start on the next burst. The Long Period Continuous option writes to the memory card after each shot, but is so slow that it can hardly be called a burst mode. A high-speed shooting option can quicken the pace just a touch by reducing the focusing time. The burst modes certainly aren’t incredible with the 3-shot life, but the 2.2 fps speed is respectable. Of note in this section is the self-timer, which snaps shots after 2 or 10 seconds of blinking the green lamp on the front.
Playback Mode (6.5)
Consumers who play back their images on the LCD screen will be pleased with the 2.5-inch screen size and 230,000-pixel resolution. If a crowd is gathered around the camera, the wide viewing angle works from right to left. Anyone trying to grab a peek from below won’t be able to see, though. The designated playback button accesses the playback mode, enabling users to enter it no matter what recording mode is selected on the dial. Getting into the playback mode is easy, as is getting out once used to it. The intuitive thing to do would be to press the designated button again, but this message appears: “Press the shutter button to go back to shooting mode. Press the power button to turn off the camera.”
Once in the playback mode, users can view pictures one by one or in pages of 9 images. The pictures can appear with or without shooting information and in a view listing images with associated calendar dates. Pressing the Disp/Back button cycles through these many choices. From the playback menu, users can delete one or all pictures, attach up to 30 seconds of audio to each shot, and copy images from the internal memory to the xD card and vice versa. Images can also be protected, rotated, and trimmed. The ‘F’ menu is where users can create print orders and view slide shows. Slide shows can have the following transitions: Normal short, Normal long, Fade-in short, Fade-in long, Multiple, and Clock. There are no options to choose how long to display pictures other than the short and long choices on the normal and fading transitions. The slide show isn’t as elaborate as what many compact digital cameras are now offering, but it least it is there. From the ‘F’ menu, users can create print orders by selecting the option, selecting pictures, and entering a number of prints from 0-99.
If users don’t want to enter the playback mode but would rather view the previous shot to check the focus and exposure, they can set the camera in the setup menu. From the Image Display option, users can tell the camera to flash images for 1.5 or 3 seconds after taking them. There is also a zooming display mode that shows only the center of the image, blown up to size so users can check to see if it’s clear.
Overall, the playback mode is average. It offers basic viewing features, a few editing functions, and a good platform. The LCD screen is beautiful, but if users plan to view their pictures or movies on a television they may be disappointed. The AV-out cable exports only black and white video when connected to a television.
Custom Image Presets (7.75)
 The Fujifilm FinePix F30 has a decent scene mode selection that includes the following: Picture Stabilization, Natural Light, Natural Light & With Flash, Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Museum, Party, Flower, and Text. The Picture Stabilization mode was not included on the F10: it simply incorporates the higher end of the ISO range and fast shutter speeds – and sometimes the built-in flash. This reduces blur, but the scene’s title alludes to a nonexistent image stabilization mode. The F30 does not have a gyro sensor to optically stabilize the image nor does it have algorithms to correct the image digitally. The Picture Stabilization mode only uses features already engrained in the camera to reduce blur. It works--it did reduce blur and stop action well--but its images were often only softly focused.
Despite its lackluster performance, this custom image preset has its own spot on the mode dial. The other scenes are crammed onto the N/SP position. The ‘N’ has an eye-shape around it and represents the Natural Light mode that is becoming so popular on many compact digital cameras. The ‘SP’ represents all other modes in the Scene Position.
The Natural Light mode disables the flash and boosts the ISO sensitivity to eliminate the harsh flash that occurs in so many pictures from small digital cameras. The Natural Light & With Flash scene mode takes two pictures in a burst – one with the flash and the other without – and displays them side by side before saving them to the card. Both images are saved and users must enter the playback mode to delete one. This mode is fun to play with and literally puts the pictures side by side so users can see the difference that the i-Flash system can make. This mode is great for users who aren’t sure if they should use the flash.
The Portrait mode works well. It took great portraits largely because of the effective i-Flash system that didn’t cast harsh lighting or blow out subjects. In all of the testing shots, there were no red eyes to be found. The Beach mode produced great pictures, but it was hard to tell whether they came out until the trip to the beach was over and we could upload images to the computer. The screen is just difficult to see in the bright direct sunlight.
In the scene modes, some of the menu options are limited or nonexistent. For instance, the ISO cannot be adjusted manually, and the chrome color mode disappears completely. The scene mode selection is much better than the one on the Fuji F10, which had a total of five extremely basic presets.
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