Fujifilm FinePix F30

Front
The front of the F30 looks much more modern than its predecessor. The FinePix logo is printed in the top left corner, while the Fujifilm logo is at the bottom left. In the center of the left side is a polished wavy finger grip that has 6.3 Megapixels engraved into it. Toward the right side is the 3x zoom lens that extends out of the camera in two segments. To the bottom right of the lens are two holes for the microphone next to a Super CCD logo. Above the top right corner of the lens is the rectangular built-in flash. Just below it is the auto focus illuminator that doubles as the self-timer lamp. Overall, the front is quite plain looking – but has an elegant touch with the polished highlights.

Back
The back of the F30 contains a large 2.5-inch LCD screen on the left that looks nicely framed and matted in a Fujifilm-labeled platform. It doesn’t protrude much, but does so just enough to distinguish itself from the control buttons on the right side. In the top right corner is the zoom toggle that is oval-shaped and has a bowl scooped out of the center; the curve helps fingers recognize the ‘W’ wide left side from the ‘T’ telephoto right side.

Below the zoom toggle are a series of goose bumps for the thumb to grip. Many models have protrusions of some form in this area, but most grips here are plastic. On the Fujifilm F30, these bumps are rubber and quite comfortable. To the left of the bumps is a tiny LED indicator lamp.

Below the bumps are four buttons that surround the multi-selector. The central multi-selector has an OK/Menu button in the middle and a ring-shaped dial around it with arrows pointing in each direction. The button to the top left of the multi-selector accesses the playback mode, while the one to the right is the ‘F’ Photo mode button and calls up frequently used features. To the bottom left is the Disp/Back button that switches the display on the LCD screen between menus. The button on the bottom right has an exposure compensation icon and lets users adjust its range. Each direction of the multi-selector has a double feature; icons surround the ring showing what features can be accessed where. The top direction brightens the LCD in the recording mode and deletes images in the playback mode. The right side accesses flash modes and the left side calls up the macro shooting mode. The bottom side activates the self-timer. Overall, the back of the F30 looks quite similar to other recent Fujifilm models. The back is organized and isn’t cramped even though it has a large LCD screen.

Left Side
The left side of the F30 looks quite boring except for a terminal cover at the bottom. This rubber cover is flimsy and doesn’t fit well into its space, so it hangs out a little bit. This won’t harm the inner workings of the camera, but will drive perfectionists crazy.

Right Side
The right side is also quite boring except for two holes into the side that are actually the ends of one long tunnel. This hollow tunnel is where users must string the wrist strap. The eyelet is small, so users must think of creative ways to get the strap in the tiny space.

Top
A FinePix F30 logo graces the left side of the top, while the shutter release button is perched on the right side. Between the logo and the shutter release button are two other features. The tiny mode dial sits just left of the shutter release button. The mode dial is incredibly small and has an impossibly tiny bump that is supposed to act as a switch to rotate the dial. Sharpen the fingernails and get out the eyeglasses for this one. To the left of the mode dial is the circular and recessed power button.

Bottom
The bottom of the camera is quite boring too. There is a battery cover on the left and a speaker just below the lens near the right side. Between these is a standard tripod mount.